Chapter One: Falling Face First

Only a few more steps, that’s all I need. Just a few more steps. Come on…

Rounds snapped and hissed over his head like angry wasps hellbent on taking a part of the armoured soldier with them. Despite the heavy load, his legs didn’t protest to the exertion; the fact that they weren’t flesh and blood made sure of that. He dropped down into cover, his body armour clacking and scraping as it ground against the broken concrete and exposed rebar. Readjusting his heavy pack so the exoskeleton he wore could manage the load better, he glanced up to check to see if the coast was clear. The dead city crawled today. Corvellan infantry were swarming north across his tactical map to attack his ‘brothers and sisters in arms’. The mere idea of the saying made him snort quietly. His thoughts wandered from betrayal, and back to the deadly cargo he had strapped to his armoured chest. He shook the thoughts off, and focused his mind on simply crossing the street. Not all of the enemy soldiers were going north.

There. Move behind the overturned MRAP, shoot that asshole in the neck and chest, and proceed ten metres south east. Dive into the drainage ditch, and crawl to the sewer grate, where I’ll be able to move unhindered towards-

A stray round ricocheted off the environment and struck him high in the chest, inadvertently causing him to let out an unmanly yelp of terror as he was knocked over. The soldier looked down, assessing the damage once he was out of the firing line.

No penetration, and the package is fine, otherwise I’d be an atomic stain in a glass crater right now.

Shaking off the lingering feeling of death waiting over his shoulder, he wrapped his armoured arm around his chest in a feeble attempt to protect his deadly cargo.

Only a few more steps. We’re almost there.

"Reckoner Four, confirm position, over." His headset crackled as his handler tried to get a better read on his location, as GPS was sketchy.

His carbine snapped savagely at an enemy soldier, the rounds cauterizing deep holes into the Avian-esque humanoid slugs throat and head. The Corvellan trooper crumpled without so much as a whimper as his soft 'head' turned to superheated steam and spatter. "I'm busy here, Oracle!" He mouthed a curse, before continuing. "Getting interdiction efforts from the Slugs. Four hundred mikes and closing. Over." The soldier wiped his visor clean, and shook his head bitterly. Chomping down on his channel bit, he swapped off of the primary channel into an empty one.

“It’s up to you, Jack. Nobody else can do it, Jack. You’re our only demolitions expert, Jack. This is my new husband, Jack! Fuck you, Elissa! I swear, If I get out of this alive, somehow, as a ghoul or a zombie or a ghost, I will beat your skinny ass so bad, you’ll wish you’d delivered this shit yourself!” Jack cursed colourfully as he huddled behind the overturned armoured six wheeler, trading fire with the alien soldiers who had spotted him across the way. Beyond them, he could see what had to be the communications aerial of the enemy command center just over the next rise.

Too bad going over that rise was an excellent way to have his gray matter exposed to the open air, along with most of his vital organs and fluids.

"Reckoner Four, pull back! Enemy is massing for a counter-attack near your vector."

“Motherfucking goddamn shit!” Jack ejected the spent magazine from his carbine, and slammed another one in angrily. “Nothing can go wrong with this plan, Jack. They won’t even know you’re there, so you don’t need any kit except the package!" He cursed and nearly spat in his helmet as he marked the targets on his HUD, and loosed off a micro Hive Rocket. The rocket streaked off his shoulder, and flowered mid-flight. The sub rockets split off; corkscrewing and diving down on to their individual targets without remorse. A rapid cacophony of explosions sounded off, and the lights on his HUD winked out without protest. Shifting his weight again, Jacks exoskeleton compensated for the seventy kilos of gear and equipment with relative ease.

“I'm moving towards the target, Oracle.” He growled angrily as the launcher folded up against his shoulder. Bringing his laser carbine to bear again, he stalked quickly towards his destination.

"I said to pull back, Reckoner Four! We can't afford for this to go wrong! Follow your orders!"

"Why don't you come down here and make me, Oracle?" Jack chomped down twice, silencing his comms. The silence was almost pleasant. Jack moved his arm to wipe his visor clear again, but found he couldn’t. Water had condensed on the inside from the humidity of the dead city. He shook his head, and stepped off towards the dugout that would lead to his final objective. He let out a quiet sigh. “Ninety five percent humidity…. Can’t believe she sent me to die like this, in this fucking hell hole with the Slugs…”

Before he could take another step towards the dugout, the ground beneath his metallic feet shuddered and trembled. His head shot up in time to see the mammoth bulk of a heavy tank lumbering over the rise. The tank dropped over the rise, and was followed by another, and another, and another. Then a whole platoon of Corvellan veteran heavies followed along side with their weapons glowed menacingly; their armour was a thick laminate alien alloy that stood as an imposing bulwark against most of Jack’s arsenal

Pursing his lips together in a flat line. Jack bolted for the ditch. A loud call was warbled in the aliens natural dialect and the ground around his feet ripped upwards. Dirt and rock spat up at him as the ever present wasps stirred it all up in a very effective attempt to kill him. At speeds that a lot of people couldn’t reach in running shoes and shorts, Jack bolted across the open terrain as fast as his legs could carry him and his gear.

There it is, jump! I can still make it!

The artificial cables acting as his tendons flexed, and hydraulics propelled him towards the saving grace of a sewage ditch. Only, he didn’t stop.

The feeling of falling over took Jack Kessle, and before he could so much as scream or curse, his world went black, and he continued to fall.

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Without any warning or presumptions, all the air was driven from Jack’s lungs. His eyes snapped open and he gasped violently for air. He only managed to suck in half a lungful of the sweet, fresh air through his armour's filters before his lunch came up to greet him. He ripped off his ceramisteel helmet just in time. Jack retched violently for several seconds before coughing. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he wheezed and coughed some more.

“-!” The attempt to curse sent him into another coughing fit; the feeling as if something had ripped his throat out pervaded his mind, and he instinctively rubbed it to check. His armoured hand didn’t come back bloody, but his sweat shone bright on the ceramic tips of his fingers. He coughed again, and shook his head.

What the fuck happened?

Looking up for the first time, Jack’s eyes went wide. He was staring at a very pristine forest, complete with a lot of non-dead trees, actual green grass, and very clear air. He nervously scanned around, but the HUD in his helmet told him jackshit. His GPS was down, Satcom was down; even Crosscom was down.

Did I die? I must have. This isn’t earth. At least, not any Earth I know. Too much green, and it doesn’t even glow.

Jack looked down at his chest, and patted the armoured rig that had- no, that still contained the package. An uneasy frown spread across his features. Moving upwards so he was now on his knees, Jack continued to scan around. Without a second thought, his carbine was nestled comfortably against his shoulder, its muzzle scanning in tandem with his eyes. There’s…. Nothing here. Just a fuckton of trees. Lots of trees. Trees Trees Trees Trees Trees. So many goddamn trees. Forcing himself onto his feet, Jack turned a full circle, and found that he was in fact, surrounded by trees.

On the bright side, he wasn’t being shot at.

With a shrug to signal his surrender to the surreal, Jack unbuckled his bag, and placed it on the ground. He started pulling everything out to check its condition and to make an additional checklist of all his surviving belongings.

“--!” His second attempt to curse in disbelief was met again by failure and more coughing. After taking a moment to compose himself, He glared angrily down at the broken UAV that had been chief amongst his belongings. Given time he could probably fix it, but the fact he couldn’t use it at that moment in time made his blood boil just a bit more.

Shaking his head in disgust, he laid out his ammunition, his weapons, his explosives, his food, his batteries; just about every other thing he had to his name save for himself. He set down his helmet next to the carefully organised pile, and started counting in his head. It didn't take him very long to figure out that not a single thing had been misplaced. A quiet, slightly pleased hum escaped from his lips as he started to repack everything, save for a small baggie. Once everything was packed and stowed away once again, Jack plopped down on his rump and tore the bright red packaging open. As he continued to look around, he poured some of the brightly coloured candies into his open palm. As Jack munched on them idly, he pulled up some of the grass with his free hand to examine it.

Grass feels real, Air is tasty. Trees look healthy, and I can't see any smoke on the horizon... Maybe I'm- He cut his own train of thought off where it was by shaking his head. No point trying to figure it out while I haven't the faintest clue. Maybe a patrol will turn something up.

The thought made Jack crack a toothy smile, and he soon resumed his work packing his belongings. Once he was done, he’d start marching in whatever direction suited him. When he finished snacking, he did just that.

His trek to find the end to the forest went exactly as expected. While his direction had seemed the absolute best at the time, he was starting to doubt whether he’d actually gone in the right direction. Whatever the 'right' direction really was. Jack casually glanced around to gauge his surroundings.

More damn trees. Woooonderful. He glanced down at his map display, finding it still blank. An earlier check had shown every radio channel to be dead static, and his voice hadn't returned for any calls out. Letting out another disgruntled sigh, Jack pulled off his full face helmet and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The thought of trying to speak again crossed his mind, for the fourteenth time during his trek-

“-!”

-And was again met with failure and coughing.

Swearing to keep at it until his voice cooperated, Jack set off once again after thumping his helmet back down over his head; his trek led him further into the woods in search of an exit. As enchanted as he’d been upon first discovering beautiful greenery, it was growing old, and fast.

Jack tromped through the woods, making good time in no real discernible direction. The air was warm, the sky was clear, and nothing was trying to kill him. Jack smiled to himself as he turned on his music. His steps took a jaunty turn, and he continued forward unabated as he clacked his armoured fingers to the tune. His attempt to casually bastardize the lyrics were met with coughing failure, but did little to dampen his mood.

-And be a jukebox hero, got stars in his eyes! Hes a jukebox hero! He took one guitar, jukebox hero, stars in his eyes! Jukebox hero, he’ll come alive tonight!

Pumping his hands for an air guitar solo, Jack continued his wanderings in a very nondescript direction.

Several kilometers off, and up; someone was having a very bad day.

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“I’m telling you Flitter, he’s not into you.”

“A-are you sure?” Flitter stared at her sister with her trademark sad eyes.

Her sister Cloud Chaser groaned. “Yes, Flitter. He’s using you to get to me. He’s a di-” Cloud Chaser cut herself off for a moment. “A huge jerk.” She batted at a tiny cloud, sending it careening off.

The younger of the two frowned and slouched on the cloud they had occupied above Whitetail Lake. “That’s a really mean thing to do.”

Cloud Chaser rolled over onto her back and rested casually. “Yup. But it happens, you’ll just have to get over it.”

Flitter sighed sadly, and let her forelegs hang off the edge of the cloud. Down below a trio of fillies played in the lake as a couple other ponies lounged about. She recognized the trio as the ‘Crusaders’. They seemed so happy, and for that, Flitter envied them more than anyone else in the world. She’d learned long ago that life was nothing like in books. There was no greater destiny, no Prince Charming to save her, no grand journey to embark upon. Just the slow crush of onset depression, no income, and a colt-friend who probably didn’t care about her in the slightest.

I wish something would happen. Something that would make all these ponies see that I’m not worthless!

Flitter scrunched up her face in an attempt to fight and keep her hot, angry tears from surfacing. She didn’t want to be seen like that. Especially not by her older sister, who would only make things worse.

I’m not just some stepping stone… I’m a pony… I’m worth something…

“Listen, Flits, I gotta go see Dash. Try and cheer up, alright?” Cloud Chaser stared at her sister, waiting for an answer. She eventually gave up when Flitter gave her nothing in return, and took off into the clouds above without so much as a word to or from her younger sister. Said younger sister glared angrily at nothing in particular, her thoughts darkening by the second.

I WILL show them what I’m made of! Flitter is a brave, worthwhile pony! Nopony will hurt me if I show them that!

Flitter rolled over on the cloud and stared up at the sky. Now that she was alone, the tears refused to stay hidden. They started flowing freely, and were soon followed by sorrow filled sobs. The mare curled up, and allowed herself to let go. She knew she wasn’t brave. She wasn’t courageous. Ponies would keep hurting her, and they would always love her sister more. Flitter closed her eyes as she sobbed and raged against her lot in life. She would give anything to have a life like the heroes in her books, for something to come along and change her life.

Please, Celestia, Creators, send me an angel.

The mare curled up, and fell deep into her pit of self pity. She stayed like that for a long while, until something violently jarred her from her thoughts. Down below her cloud, somepony screamed.

Flitter bolted upwards at the scream. She stuck her head over the edge of the cloud, and looked down to the clearing. She could see ponies scattering in every direction, away from… Something. Flitter squinted, before rubbing her eyes and squinting again. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat.

Infected humans.

The mere thought of the grotesque, corrupted creatures, with their terribly abused human shells forced a shiver of terror down her spine. Everypony knew about the foul fungus that would kill humans in mere minutes upon contact; warping their bodies into mindless, murderous monsters. Flitters fur crawled as she remembered the first time she’d ever seen one. It made her want to bolt away and hide in her cozy cloud home, where those literal, very real monsters could never get her. The mare shrank behind her cloud cover, before letting out a quiet sigh of satisfaction. It looked like everypony had gotten away.

Oh no….

She was wrong. There was a tiny white filly in the lake, frozen with terror. If nopony came along and saved her, the infected would surely see her, and… they would kill her. Flitter swallowed and closed her eyes, not wanting to witness what she knew would come. But... It was just one little foal. She could just, swoop down and pick her up. Simple, easy, she could do that! She could do that! Flitter jumped up, and took to the skies before she could come up with a compelling reason not to. Her belly flipped and protested along with half her brain, but she’d made her choice, not matter how terrifying and life threatening.

As she neared the ground, Flitter watched with rapidly diminishing bravado that there was not one, but three fillies in the lake. The other two had just come up, and they were screaming. The Crusaders had not abandoned each other, but that was a moot point. There was no way she could lift all three of them to safety… Without much time to pull up and away, Flitter landed between the infected and the fillies. Flitter shuddered in horror as she looked from the little white filly behind her to the pack of infected humans closing in on her.

She couldn’t just take off and leave these fillies here to die…. Flitter stood her ground, despite how badly her legs were shaking. She called for the fillies to run, but they were frozen with fear. Despite her act of bravery, the infected showed no signs of being cowed into submission, or even slowing down. Flitter whimpered quietly to herself.

She was dead.

Flitter closed her eyes; her wings locked in terror. She was dead. Pure and simple, she was dead. Those fillies were dead. This was her fault. Oh Celestia, It was HER FAULT!

VRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The shrill whistle pierced the quiet acceptance of Flitters failure, causing her, the fillies, and the infected humans to look at the origin.

It was another human. Or at least, It looked vaguely human shaped. But it was unlike any other human she’d ever seen, even in comic books and in her mind’s eye while reading. She couldn’t see its face, and it seemed to be covered in a massive metal suit of some sort. Its strange appearance had no effect on the infected however. It had a long length of metal in its arms, which was pointed at the infected.

The infected immediately moved to chase down their favored prey; their howls of hunger echoed in the clearing and shook Flitter to her very core. Tearing her eyes away from the mystery human and it’s imminent death, She ushered the fillies out. She urged them to run as fast as they could, away from this terrible place while they still had the chance thanks to the human’s distraction. As the trio galloped away, Flitter failed to see the trailing infected before it plowed into her side and bowled her over. She pressed both hooves against its throat as it snapped and snarled at her in an attempt to keep it’s disgusting rotted teeth from tearing off her muzzle. She was dead. Again.

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THIS HAS GOT TO BE, THE CRAZIEST SHIT EVER! WERE THOSE SKITTLES LACED WITH LSD!? SHITFIRE!

Jack brought his carbine to bear, its superheated beams lancing through the necrotic flesh as if it were dry tissue paper. What wasn’t cauterized or sloughed off, was immediately set ablaze. Two of the charging group dropped, and were followed by a third, it’s skull turned inside out via superior firepower and human ingenuity. His armours emergency alarm had done its job all too well, as he now had the ghouls undivided attention. The ghoul things closed, and Jack let his carbine drop onto its sling. His right fist snapped out, catching one of them in the throat with a well planned right hook. His augmented fist pistoned forward, bludgeoning necrotic flesh with enough pressure to buckle sheet steel. The thing’s spine snapped from the sheer pneumatic force, sending it to the ground in a hissing, spitting heap. Jack popped the straps of his pack, letting it fall to the ground as he secured his rifle. Finding himself unlimbered and clear for combat, he fell into a comfortable niche of bloody violence that he knew all too well.

Throwing a high kick at the leading ghoul’s chest, Jack caught it smack-dab in the sternum. He could feel the ribs shatter and cave in as he powered his armoured leg into it. The infected simply got up, and came at him again. Four more joined it, turning the situation into a slightly dangerous one.

Jack backed off and snapped off several shots at center mass with his carbine as the creatures continued to attack him, unabated by their wounds. His strikes and blows meant nothing to their morale, like they felt no pain. His eyes flicked up and about to observe the situation in an instant; he caught sight of the single horse creature that had stayed behind for the smaller foals. It was being attacked by a straggler ghoul, and it was painfully obvious that the pastel coloured horse thing was losing the fight for its life.

Oh boy, here I go killing again!! Shitting Christ on a bike, don’t lock your arm-hoove-things! Dammit!
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The infected human snapped and snarled at Flitter; who had both hooves lodged up against its jaw. Her forehooves were shaking violently as she pushed them well beyond their physical limits. She cried out, and closed her eyes, waiting for death to claim her. Only it didn’t. All the weight on top of her practically disappeared, and when she opened her eyes in surprise, she found the massive metal human standing above her. It grabbed Flitter by the scruff of the neck and pulled her up. Despite its strength, she didn’t feel any serious pain, only the sudden surprise of being hefted like a sack of apples. Before she could question her good fortune, the human delivered a swift kick to her hind quarters, causing Flitter to turn bright red and bolt off towards the safety of the clouds.

BRAAK-PAAK

The foreign hissing whipcrack sound caught her ears, and against her better judgement, Flitter stopped to hover. She turned, and watched with morbid fascination as the uninfected human literally murdered it’s infected kin. It fought as if consumed by a savage madness and possessed strength. Magic lanced out from its length of metal, and struck the infected down before Flitter's eyes. One infected who had been hit by the brilliant red beams had had its chest cavity blown apart violently, spraying blazing innards in several directions. It was almost beautiful in it’s own disturbing way, and Flitter knew that she would never not see the events unfolding before her every time she closed her eyes from now on.

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Again, the ghouls closed with Jack, and again, he made them pay for not simply letting him put them down with ease. His rifle butt snapped out, pulverizing a ghouls jaw and snapping its spine; It fell to the ground in a heap of dead meat without pause.

He was getting angry.

“-!” His attempt to curse was again met with intense pain and coughing, but he kept his composure. His anger however, only increased. Reaching down, Jack gripped one of the ghouls legs and brought it up high, only to shove it roughly in the chest and swept its remaining leg out from under it. The ghoul hit the ground hard, and its killer capitalized on the opportunity. Jack leveled his right leg with its groin, and pushed off; taking its bloody leg with him with the sucking sound of someone pulling a boot from deep mud. He brought the oozing limb around like a bat, and committed a home-run slam into an infected's chest. The ghoul was lifted off the ground; the flesh on Jack’s impromptu weapon was sloughed off from the force. He discarded it without a second thought, and went back to his tried and true form of raw physical violence.

Driving his scientifically enhanced limbs down onto the warped humans brought a savage smile to his face. The adrenaline rush, combined with the empowerment of his augments drove him beyond acceptable brutality. Jack snarled and howled at his opponents, and they answered in kind. His exoskeleton gave him strength beyond excellence, allowing him to crush bones and pulp limbs with contemptuous ease. All the ghouls had were necrotic limbs and hungry fury. All pretense and fancy maneuvers were tossed out the window in favour of raw brutality and animal instinct. A dangerous toothy grin spread across Jacks features as he fought and killed without pause or remorse.

As the minutes wore on, he whittled the humanoids down to one. One half crippled, damn-near dead human, who flailed weakly on the ground. It’s spine had been shattered by Jacks titanium leg in a snap kick earlier in the slaughter. Grinning to himself, Jack mounted the dying human. Grabbing both sides of the things head, he started pressing his hands together with all his pneumatic might. The thing squirmed and howled its hatred at him, just before its skull gave way, and its head was turned to a bloody pulp of bone, flesh, and black blooded gray matter.

Pumping his armoured fist into the air, Jack let out a whoop of victory, followed by a chortle of happiness.

That felt good! Now if only Elissa and Paul had been among these sorry sacks, I might have turned my day around.
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Flitter alighted near the blood covered human as it celebrated its victory over its dead brethren. She had watched the entire fight, if it could even be called that. Despite everything that she’d learned in school, and learned in her life, had been ingrained into her very being, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from the bloody spectacle. She had been entranced by the metal human’s first strike.

Then it laughed.

The human laughed.

Flitter swallowed the lump in her throat and approached the human as it collected its things. As she drew closer, she realized how huge the creature was. It was armoured, and definitely humanoid. But it was as if it was taller than Celestia herself! This was no ordinary human; it may have even been a griffon made golem. Despite everything her brain was demanding she do, Flitter found she couldn’t run from this creature/construct. It had drawn her in like nothing she’d ever seen before. The mare approached quietly, just as the human/golem surveyed its brutal handiwork. It wiped its hand across its metal mask, before planting its hands on its hips. Flitter swallowed nervously as she came to a stop near the human as it slung a huge canvas bag over its broad metal back. “Um.. H-hello?”

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Jack’s thoughts froze in their tracks, the faint, feminine voice barely registering in his helmets audio pickups. He slowly turned, only to find the winged horse thing. He blinked, and stared at it through his tinted visor. The thing rubbed its furry little leg, before looking up at him. Jack leaned back, taking in the creature. After a moment's deliberation, he leaned forward a bit and poked it, just to check and see if it was real. The horse squeaked a bit, and went red in the face.

SWEET BABY JESUS

It rubbed its dainty little forehoof, and looked down. “Th-thank you for saving me.”

And that, was when Jack tactically lost his shit.

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Flitters wings flared in surprise as the human screamed, flung its arms in the air, and bolted into the forest; crushing everything in its path. Flitter stared in horror and confusion as the human ran away like Tartarus itself was after it. It was screaming.

The mare blinked slowly as the absurdity of the situation caught up in her brain. As she processed what she had just seen, a group of armed guards crashed into the clearing. They all stopped dead at the sight of a blood covered Flitter, and nine dead infected humans littering the grounds. Some of the infected had been seemingly blown to pieces and set ablaze, or dismembered violently. The head of the ponyville guard approached the mare cautiously. “Ma’am, are you alright?”

The blood covered mare blinked, and turned to the stallion. “I-... I….”

The guard shook his head and sighed. “What happened here, did you do this?” He asked with incredulity.

Flitter shook her head. “The human-”

“The human what?” The guard stared at Flitter intently.

“He was afraid of me….”

The guard captain grinned lightly and patted her shoulder. “I would be too if I watched this happen. Listen, just head home and get washed up. We’ll come back around and ask you some questions when you’re in a better state of mind. We may even have to reward you.” With that, the guard nodded to Flitter, and broke off to start ordering his troops in the disposal of the infected corpses.

They all eventually stopped paying attention to the shellshocked Flitter, who still continued to stare at the space where the human had ran away screaming from her. If this was some kind of divine act from Celestia, it certainly was above par on the ‘weird’ scale. Flitter started slowly trotting back to Ponyville, her hooves guiding her where her brain could not. One thought pervaded her mind, over and over and over again. everything was connected to it, and everything hinged on it.

Why?

Chapter Two: Curiosity Kills

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For the past two days, Flitter had been in a reclusive haze. Most of Ponyville’s residents didn’t question the reason, having assumed it was a byproduct of her brutally close brush with death. Only one pony had any kind of idea what was actually happening. Cloud Chaser landed deftly on the front porch of her cloud home. Quickly pushing through the door, she readjusted her bag and made her way towards her little sister’s room. She took in a deep breath, and knocked lightly on Flitter’s door.

“Flits, it’s me…. I brought you food.” Cloud Chaser listened intently, but no answer came. The mare pursed her lips together, and forced her way through. “Flitter? I’m coming in.” Cloud Chaser trotted into Flitters room, expecting the worst. Instead, she found her little sister buried muzzle deep in a very thick book, and surrounded by her drawings. Flitter was laying on her bed, with her hind legs tucked under her as she read. “Flitter!” Cloud Chaser called out in annoyance.

“Muh?” Flitter looked up from her book, her trance broken. “Cloudy? What’s up?”

Flitters sister’s annoyance only grew. “What’s up!? Flitter, you’ve locked yourself in here for two days! Everypony’s worried sick about you!” Cloud Chaser tromped over, and pulled her bag off her flank. “You haven’t eaten either.” The younger mare smiled at her sister, and took the food she was offered. After eating, she dove back into her book. Cloud Chaser growled, and pulled the book away.

Flitters eyes went wide, and she dove for the book. “Hey, give that back!”

Her older sister simply shook her head, and refused her sister’s grabbing hooves. “No way! This is stupid, Flits! I know what happened must have been scary, but you need to come outside! I’m not letting you do this!” Cloud Chaser was practically screaming now.

To Cloud Chasers surprise, Flitter didn’t back down. “No! I have to do this! I need to understand!” Flitter had jumped off her bed, and was circling around her sister in an attempt to flank her. Cloud Chaser simply defeated her tactic by always holding the book away from her sister as they circled the quaint, poster covered room.

After several minutes of shouting and wrestling, Cloud Chaser saw the desperation in her sister's eyes. Cloud Chaser let out a defeated sigh, and hoofed the book back to her sister. “Why? What are you trying to understand?” She plopped down onto Flitters desk chair.

Flitter smiled broadly, and swiftly gathered her artwork off her bed. She stacked them quickly, and all but shoved the pile into Cloud Chasers muzzle. “This!”

Cloud Chaser blinked, and took the stack of drawings. It was Flitter’s usual kind of artwork, with her usual obsessive attention to detail and flourishes. The drawing itself was of some kind of human, but everything looked off about it. Flitter had somehow drawn the human in a way that seemed to radiate power. Its face was hidden behind some kind of mask that was incredibly…. Alien. Cloud Chaser furrowed her brow. Flitter has a terrible imagination. What the hay is this!? Cloud Chaser glanced through the stack of dozens of other drawings, some of which were very graphic in nature, causing Cloud Chasers stomach to flop. Her eye lingered too long on one particular drawing; one of the human ripping the leg off what looked like an infected human. Feeling the bile rise in her throat, Cloud Chaser shakily tore her gaze away from the drawing. “Flits… What is all of this?”

“Research!” Her sister answered diligently. She carried on, as if knowing the next question. “I was saved by a golem in the woods, but it’s like nothing in any of the books I’ve read.”

“Flitter….”

The mare continued unabated. “I first thought it was a Griffonic Golem, but Griffons have no magical powers! This golem shot magic beams out of its arms, and that put up red flags for me. So I thought, maybe it’s a unicorns golem, but it turns out that Princess Celestia made Golem creation illegal two hundred years ago!” Flitter continued on and on, despite the utterly confused look on Cloud Chasers face.

“Flitter, please…” Cloud Chaser rubbed her own cheek lightly with a hoof.

“-So I thought ‘Maybe it’s an imported golem, or even an illegal one! But it turns out that it’s far more advanced than anything we, or the Griffons could ever make! It’s amazing! I-”

“FLITTER!” Cloud Chaser gripped her younger sibling tightly by the shoulders and shook her violently. Flitter’s eyes went wide and she yelped in surprise. Cloud Chaser eased back her grip on Flitter for fear of hurting her. “Flitter, please… You’re scaring me. I’m… I’m really worried about you.” Cloud Chasers ears had folded against her head, and tears had begun to well up in her eyes.

Carefully removing her sister’s grip, Flitter smiled encouragingly at her older sibling. “I’m okay, Cloudy. I promise that I’m not losing it, like Lyra.” She hugged Cloud Chaser tightly. “If you want, I’ll go out and get some fresh air today.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Cloud Chaser composed herself and smiled. “Good, you've been making everypony worry about you.” She stepped out of the way, and ushered Flitter towards the door. Cloud Chaser ensured that her younger sibling took off towards Ponyville. Turning back towards her home, Cloud Chaser smiled to herself. Her plan had worked out better than she’d hoped. She then went about making herself presentable for her date later on that night.

Flitter landed near the end of Poplar street; her wings folded up as she started trotting down the street. She trotted merrily towards her favourite place to eat with a light spring in her step. She pulled out her bits sack, and started counting her money as she trotted. Flitter smiled to herself, before putting away her money. The mare started humming quietly as she neared her destination. A couple ponies stared at her as she went, but she should have expected that. Flitter stopped humming, and her smile slowly dimmed the further she went. The ponies were whispering to each other about Her.

“-gerous…” “-killed-” “Just terrible…”

Flitter slouched her shoulders and picked up the pace. Her ears pinned themselves snugly against the side of her head to block out the whispered words. This trip outside had turned out to be a very bad idea. As she neared her destination, somepony abruptly bumped into her, despite the street being fairly empty. Flitter’s hooves shot up in apology anyways. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there!”

The ruddy stallion sneered ever so slightly before turning away. “Just watch where you’re going, Feather Brain.”

Frowning even more, and with tears threatening the corners of her eyes, Flitter barely avoided barreling into Miss Oakenbaulm’s human. She ducked past the older mare as she walked her pet, and with the graces of Celestia, Flitter finally reached Sugar Cube Corner. The doorbell chimed as she pushed inside.

“Hiya! Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner! What can I get for you today, Miss Flitter?” Mr. Cake smiled happily at her as he manned the counter.

Her smile finally made a return as Flitter made her way to the counter. She quickly wiped her eyes with a forehoof. “H-hello Mr. Cake. I uh… I’d like something sweet. Surprise me.” Flitter smiled softly to the stallion, who nodded in turn. Flitter reached for her bits bag, but couldn’t find it. The mares eyes widened slightly, and she started searching for it. “Oh no…. nononono…. I must have-”

“Is something wrong Miss Flitter?” Mr. Cake asked as he set her treat gently down on a plain ceramic plate.

Flitter’s smile had disappeared completely, finding itself replaced again by a sad frown. “I can’t find my bits…. I just checked them on my way here though!” The mare whined quietly. “Sorry Mr. Cake, I… I can’t pay for it. I’ll just go.” Flitter turned towards the door to leave.

Mr. Cake scrunched up his features in thought, before swiveling his head around. “Miss Flitter?” The mare turned around, still saddened by the loss of her bits and her lunch. Mr. Cake smiled in kind earnest. “Listen, I heard that you saved the Crusaders a couple days ago from those nasty infected humans. Take this as a thanks. Those three are adorable, and I’d hate to see any of them get hurt.” He slid the plate over to Flitter, who was now smiling in sincere thanks.

“Thank you Mr. Cake, I’ll pay you back as soon as I can!” Flitter took her snack, and moved towards one of the many empty stalls.

“No need!” Mr. Cake called, before disappearing back into the store’s kitchen.

Taking her seat, Flitter dug into her food with gusto. Despite the snacks Cloud Kicker had brought her, Flitter was starving. As she ate, her gaze wandered outside, and inevitably to the few humans wandering about with their owners. A couple were tied to posts as their owners shopped; not many shops allowed humans inside. They all look so… small. Flitter thought as she observed several in detail. One had been trained so well that it was able to carry groceries. Flitter snorted. It has to be a golem. Humans are just so… Stupid. No human could ever act like that. Humans also don’t laugh, and the golem did. Flitter furrowed her brow in thought. I need to see the golem again. It has to be wandering around Whitetail Woods still.

Flitter sat up, and scarfed down the remains of her food. Her plans for the day had just been set in stone. She got up quickly, and ran out into the open street. Several ponies looked her way, as did some of the younger humans. The mare took off as quickly as possible to avoid any unwanted attention before heading to Whitetail woods. I’m going to find that golem, and prove to myself that it couldn’t possibly be just some stupid human. Then, I’ll prove to everypony else that it exists.

______________________________________________________________

Come on down you furry little shit, daddy wants real meat in his supper tonight!

Jack watched his squirrel trap with antsy anticipation. His hunting trip had turned south, and now he was reliant on this trap for the much needed food. His stomach growled in agreement as he sat crouched under his ad hoc hunting blind, deep within the forest he was trapped in. He cracked a toothy grin as a fat squirrel slowly climbed down, its tiny little nose twitched as it caught the scent of nuts in the open. Having used the last of his trail mix, Jack was heavily invested in his trap. Come on you fat little prick…. Take the nuts…. Take my nuts god dammit!

The squirrel slowly descended towards his clever trap. The furry creature stopped short of the spring, and seemed to take in what it was looking at. Jack grit his teeth openly, and willed it to just go for the nuts he had laid out. To his surprise and disbelief, the squirrel grabbed a tiny rock off the ground, and tossed it into his trap, setting it off. The little creature jumped forward, and snagged the nuts sitting in the now defunct trap. Its victory was short lived however, when an enraged Jack burst from a bush, screaming gibberish at the top of his lungs and cursing it out vulgarly in his head.

"WWRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!*"

I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT SQUIRREL!! WHEN I CATCH YOU, I’M GOING TO CRAM A STICK UP YOUR ARROGANT ASS!!

Jack opened up with his laser carbine; the low power setting lasers danced around the squirrel, setting the brush on fire. The squirrel squealed in panic, and bolted off with Jack’s nuts in tow. Jack howled in anger, and gave chase like a rabid animal armed with a laser rifle. The squirrel knew the forest, but Jack would never give up with so much on the line.

Over an hour later, Jack sat inside his humble cavern dwelling, with a freshly caught squirrel and its family cooking over an open fire, a sharpened stick crammed up each individual ass. A small pan caught the grease below, which he’d use later for something that required arrogant squirrel grease.

The soldier sat back on his folding cot, and sharpened his mono-edged Ka-bar idly as he waited. His earbuds dangled over his ears, playing music quietly. His cave home was a quaint one. It had rocky accents on the walls, and a few stalactites to bring the room together. Or was it stalagmites? He didn’t know. He’d fastened one of his camouflage tarps up over the entrance, and another was used to create a lean-to for him to sleep under. The boxy fold out solar power collector sat near the entrance so it was hidden by the tarping, but still caught the needed rays. Jack planned on moving it outside and hiding it under camo netting, but that was a job for Future Jack. His watch beeped once quietly. Jack groaned, and proceeded to open up a small container. Pulling a number of small pills from it, he downed them without gusto. Giving his head a shake; he stuck his tongue out in disgust.

His armour stood ready near his bedding, and his exoskeleton and clothes lay in neat piles by the fire so they could dry. He smiled to himself as he pulled the cooked squirrel out of the flames. Before he could eat, a painful shudder ran over his body, and his vision went fuzzy. Shakily setting the cooked rodent down, Jack clutched his head with one hand, and frantically searched his belongings for the cure. Even if he’d been able to speak, it only would have come out as strained hissing and pained groans.

Jack grit his teeth together, and blinked the pained tears from his eyes. Eventually, he found the small steel case he was searching for. Jack frantically pulled it open, and gripped the syringe with his right hand. Without any ceremony or pomp, he lined it up with the pock marked meat of his arm and depressed the plunger. A lurid groan escaped his lips, and Jack found himself slumping slightly as the morphine flooded his system with bliss. His hands returned to normal after a minute, the shaking having finally subsided. Jack shuddered, and ran a hand over his sweaty, shaved head. The only voice in his head was his own. For now.

Eight shots left.

Jack shook his head again, and picked his meal back up. He blinked rapidly, before finally being allowed to chow down. He washed it down with water and crackers before setting to his most important tasks of the day. Fixing his UAV, and finding a way out of the forest. Breaking out the duct tape and tools, Jack set to work.

_____________________________________________________________

Flitter landed in the lakeside clearing; her head swiveled around, surveying the scenery. The town guard had done a stellar job cleaning the area up, returning it to its former glory. But, in her mind’s eye, Flitter could still see how it used to look; and she doubted that she’d ever forget. The mare let out a quiet sigh, before moving over to where the golem had crashed through the trees on its way out. The trail of destruction was surprisingly difficult to find, considering how big the golem had been. Yet, there it was. Flitter swallowed thickly; her ears flicking nervously as she looked over the trail with trepidation. She gave her head a shake and slowly started following the trail that had been blazed through the thick trees.

The trail seemed to go on forever, but it was growing much harder to follow. It was like the golem had suddenly stopped its running, and was now headed in a completely random direction, opposite of it’s original flight path. It also seemed to be avoiding the easy paths, especially the pony-made ones. Flitter felt like she’d been trotting around in circles for hours, but it couldn’t have been that long, no matter how insanely random the tracks were. Despite all the time she’d spent following the trail, she hadn’t found anything to link to the golem, besides the intricate patterns its feet left in the ground. Flitter sighed quietly, before sitting down on a fallen log. A faint buzzing noise filled her ears, and she swatted at whatever bug was circling her head. The buzzing didn’t disappear right away, but it got much fainter, until she could no longer hear it. That must have been a very big bug…. She thought to herself.

Jack sat back down on his cot, and guided the drone through his helmet’s live feed. The quad rotor drone was fast once it’s engines went horizontal, and the range on his receiver was around one hundred and fifty clicks. Jack focused, blocking out the sound of the rippling of the tarp that covered the entrance to his hideaway cave. His fingers twitched and jerked, eliciting the proper commands. The fact he couldn’t use voice commands was irksome. It pissed him off to no end.

The drone buzzed onwards, and nothing but a carpet of trees spread out around it. Jack narrowed his eyes, and set the drone up higher. Off in the distance, somewhere to the supposed North East, was the end of the forest. Jack let out a fulfilled chuckle as he marked the area on his map as ‘Boundary Line’. He pulled the drone around and continued building his local map. Just as he was about to order the UAV back to base, he spotted something odd. Jack cocked his head, and zoomed the UAV’s camera in. No doubt about it, he wasn’t hallucinating again. The UAV had spotted a farm. Jack set the farm as a destination, and ordered the drone to proceed there at full tilt. He leaned forward, even though the helmet just stayed where it was on his head.

The stereotypical red barn and quaint farmhouse rose up out of what he figured for an orchard. He marked it on his map with ‘Cliche Farm’, before piloting the drone into a slow loop in the airspace over the farmstead. Jack kept the drone at a minimal two kilometre distance, and zoomed in with the camera. Right away, he spotted several people milling around, or carrying buckets and headed towards the barn. One of the horses was standing off to the side. It was wearing an old stetson hat. In fact, that was the only clothing he saw. On anybody.

Fuckin weird… But I won’t question the luck of being this close to a nudist ranch.

Jack watched idly as the people filed into the barn. His eyes widened, and he zoomed in again to watch as the horse thing closed the barn doors. His mouth fell open, just as a larger horse dragged a thrashing man over. Without pause, Jack engaged the audio pick up.

“-on Big Mac. Let’s get this over and done with.”

“Eeyup.”

The horses led the man over to an open air stockade, where they strapped him down. Jack stared at the situation intently, not moving or making a sound. The surreal was too much, even for him. He had officially entered the Twilight Zone.

“Pass me that there rod. And make sure ya hold him down this time!”

“Eeyup.”

What…. What the fuck are they doing?

Jack cocked his head and his nose flared in worried anticipation. He sat and watched as the larger horse grabbed an incredibly odd glowing rod. The horse circled around to the human, who’s junk was sitting out in the open. Jack face faded into the mask of incredulous disbelief, before the horrid realization hit him; at the same time, the audio pickup broadcasted the gelding into his ears.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Jack screamed in tandem with the man whose balls had just been sheared off without any anesthetic. Jack jerked away with revulsion from the horror show he was victim to watching, accidentally flipping his cot over. The sudden movement of his hands sent the drone up and over itself, doing several loop-de-loop backflips, with Jack stuck along for the ride. Jack flailed his arms, and ordered the UAV to cut feed and return to base. Ripping off his helmet, Jack shakily got to his feet, before almost getting floored by vertigo as his eyes span about in his head.

WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK!?!?!?! WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT FUCK KIND OF CANDY LAND HELL AM I TRAPPED IN!?

“AAAHH!” Jack screamed again as the mental image seared itself into his brain. His lean meat lunch refused to stay down; he soon found himself retching out in the fresh air of the forest.

He came up coughing and sputtering, the horror still etched on his features as his world continued to spin violently. Ever so slowly, his sanity came out of its hiding place, and found an excellent spot to offer a needed statement.

I am in enemy territory. Humans seem to be like slaves, and these fucking horse things cut the balls off anyone who opposes them.

He wiped his chin, before dumping a bottle of water over his face.

I need to get the fuck out of here.

________________________________________________________________

At the sound of the terrible scream, Flitter had frozen in place out of sheer terror. Memory of the lake came rushing back, and her brain had shut down momentarily at the thought of dying horribly, where nopony would ever find her. She was now hiding behind a log, looking about frantically. The scream had come from somewhere very close by. The mare lifted herself up very cautiously, and slowly moved towards the sound. After a mere minute, she found herself staring at a sheer rock face. The scream couldn’t possibly have come from there.

“AAAHH!”

A second scream came from the rock face, causing Flitters wings to spread with fear. This is bad… This is really bad…. Flitter got up from her new hiding place, and took off towards the skies. With tears in her eyes, Flitter took off at high speeds towards her quaint cloud home. In doing so, she failed to see the very man she was looking for stumble out of the seemingly solid rock face and puke his guts out all over the forest floor.

It was probably better that way.

Chapter Three: Wartime Necessities

View Online

It had been three days since Jack had witnessed the farm horses castrate a young man; he had not stopped working for a moment since. His cave had become entrenched to the extent of his capabilities and resources. He’d dug deep earthworks, set up wooden barricades that reached the cave roof near the entrance. Several fall-back positions were now daisy-chained deeper into the cave. He was as ready as he’d ever be for these tiny furry horses if they ever came for him. When they came for him.

There was only one thing missing. One integral part of his plan. Food.

Jack grimaced as his stomach knotted up again; the emptiness making itself known, just as it had not ten minutes ago. His disgruntled sigh was drowned out by the growl of his stomach.

Haven’t even see so much as a squirrel in days… Whole forest is silent. This is total bullshit.

Running the back of his grungy hand over his bristly face, Jack let out a quiet sigh. His hand shook ever so slightly as he set it down. Jack grimaced slightly, and gripped the shaking hand tightly; pressing it against his chest until the shaking stopped. He picked up his PDA, and unplugged it from the solar charger. He silently flipped through his options, ignoring most of the useless tabs that lacked any kind of outside connection. Opening the journal tab, he started typing; as he’d done for the past few days.

Day Six in Pastel Hell, Sept 27, 2032

Food is getting scarce. I’ve been keeping a tight leash on my supplies, but It looks like that won’t be helping much anyways. The colours in this place make my eyes hurt, just with how vibrant they are. I keep finding myself rubbing my eyes whenever I leave the FOB. Every time I rub my eyes, a small part of me begs for a shot. That worries me more than anything.

If I’m able to find any kind of plus to this place; is that time seems to move normally, at least in a rough 24hr rotation. Makes me wonder if I am still on earth, just not on /Earth/. You know? This whole place is just straight up weird. Like Disney took an acid drop and was locked in a room with only pastels. Seems to be getting colder though, which worries me. Isn’t hell supposed to be hot? I’ve heard theories about different hells for different folks, but this place is just a little too ridiculous.

I’m going to take a risk tonight. Going to recon that village I spotted yesterday when night falls and search for food. I really hope that these horse demons eat proper food, and not dead people. I wonder if I’ll see anybody I know when I get there. It would settle some arguments.

Journal of Specialist Kessle-

At that, Jack shut off his PDA, and set it down. Taking in a deep breath; he pushed himself upwards and meandered towards the entrance of his cave. Sticking his head out, he could see that the sun was over halfway through its spin across the sky. Shaking his head, Jack fell back into his daily schedule. As usual, his traps were empty; the forest was quiet, and his left leg needed another tune-up. His stomach growled and protested when he went through his light work out. He pinned his feet under a small log, and laced his fingers together behind his head. As he went through his first set, his mind raced while it could over the tactics he’d use in his raid. The tight knot in his stomach only grew worse as he stretched out his muscles.

Night time couldn’t come soon enough.

______________________________________________________________

“Any luck today Flits?” Cloud Chaser asked as she splayed out underneath the last rays of warm sun. She didn’t look up at her sister as the mare sat down next to her on the fluffy cloud.

“No… Nopony seemed interested.” Flitter let the thick stack of resumes fall onto the cloud beside her. “There weren’t any part time openings on the job board either.” Flitter slouched, before pawing the cloud. She shivered slightly as a chilly breeze blew through Ponyville. Her sister seemed largely unaffected, or she was simply better at hiding it.

Cloud Chaser rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you just go back to work for Founding Mares?” She stretched out her wings as she lounged back even further onto the cloud, as it hovered over Ponyville.

At Cloud Chasers words, Flitters body froze up completely. Her stomach threatened to rebel violently as she practically vibrated. Flitter shot Cloud Chaser a disapproving gaze as she struggled to recompose herself. Flitter smacked the stack of resumes with her right hoof as she gestured wildly with the other. “B-because the manager is a weirdo! I don’t like him at all... I don’t like working there.” She rubbed her fore leg lightly as she glanced around quickly. She wasn’t exactly lying, but the outburst made her feel as if she’d lied through her teeth.

Flitters ears pressed against her head when he sister snorted in annoyance. “Well, maybe if you’d take care of yourself; I might have been able to get you a spot on the weather team.” Cloud Chaser prodded Flitters belly; the soft furry flesh depressing without any fight. Flitter squeaked loudly, and pulled away from her sisters prodding as she covered up her pudgy belly.

“S-stop that! It’s not my fault!” Flitter rubbed the tender spot where Cloud Chaser had poked her roughly.

“Oh stop being such a baby, for f-” Cloud Chaser cut herself off by pressing her lips tightly together. After a moment, she spoke again, albeit in a quieter tone. “Listen, just… Keep trying, okay?” Cloud Chaser was staring at Flitter now, her magenta eyes boring into Flitters light pink ones. “Promise me.”

Flitter cowed immediately; her head hanging low. “...A-alright… I’ll… I promise to put a resume in at Founders….” She pawed gently at the clouds surface as she continued to keep her gaze low.

Cloud Chaser smiled at her younger sister. “Don’t be such a downer, at least you’ll get a discount!” She smiled jokingly, but it quickly turned devious. “ A discount at the best sports bar in all of Ponyvile…. And you could always give your favourite sister in the whole world a discount too! It’s the perfect place for you to work!” Cloud Chaser grinned broadly as she sat up. She patted Flitters back lightly. “You definitely need to work there again.”

Flitter simply nodded as she gathered her resumes up. “S-sure… Yeah.” She forced a smile as she started towards the edge of the cloud.

“Hey, Flits.” Cloud Chaser stood up, and stretched her wings. She turned around, and smiled honestly to her sister. “You’ll find a job, don’t worry so much!” Cloud Chaser giggled to herself, before hugging her baby sister. “Oh, and if you could maybe get out of the house around twelve, that would be just awesome.” Cloud Chaser smiled broadly as she rubbed Flitters back.

Said mare only slumped more. “Yeah. I’ll uh… I’ll find something to do.” Flitter dove off the cloud, and flew lazily back down to Ponyville. Her mind was racing, and her stomach felt like it was going to rebel. There was bound to be a place other than Founders hiring. There just had to be.

Several hours later, Flitter had found herself staring at the gaudy wood sign hanging over the ‘fine’ establishment of Founding Mares; the one and only sports bar in all of Ponyville. Her resume stack was still weighing her down more than she’d thought it would. Flitter had hoped that by the time she made it to Founders; she would be out of resumes. Her hope had been popped like a cheap party balloon on a date with Pokey Pierce. Flitter rubbed her eyes, and forced herself towards the threshold. She had a promise to keep.

The mare at the counter looked up and smiled, while her eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Heya Flitter! What’re you doing back here? I thought you said you’d never set a hoof in here again.” The mare smirked a bit.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Fliter reached into her bag and pulled out her thin resume. “I’m coming in to put in a resume, Jewel.”

Jewel’s smirk grew two-fold as she grabbed the resume. “You’re coming back? Is it really that bad out there?” Jewel shook her head a bit, and stowed the resume away in the front desk. “Well, I’ll tell Mr. G.” The mare tossed a glance over her shoulder. “I hope you find something else.” The mare returned her focus to trotting off and finding the manager.

Flitter simply nodded, and waited as Jewel trotted off to find her manager. Flitter didn’t bother looking in the mirror or fixing her mane; like she had the first time she’d applied here. She didn’t have to. If Flitter was going to be completely honest with herself; she would have rather been anywhere else. Anywhere that wasn’t where she was right at that moment. She’d rather be on a wild goose chase in search of a golem in the woods than be sitting in that incredibly uncomfortable seat; with the shoddy cushion causing her pain in her plush flank. Flitter frowned slightly, and shuffled a bit in her seat. It didn’t get any more comfortable, and the irritation only increased.

“She can’t even sit still she’s so excited to see me! I’m flattered!” The familiar stallions voice set Flitters nerves on edge, like a knife on a chalkboard.

She looked up at the stallion and forced a well trained smile onto her lips. “Hi Mr. G.”

The white stallion scoffed, and ran a hoof through his shiny mane. “Mr. G? After all the time we spent working so closely together, you still call me ‘Mr. G? I’m hurt Flitty.” The stallion smiled coyly at Flitter as he closed the distance between them..

Flitters fur crawled when he smiled at her, yet she managed to keep her smile up. “Sorry Gaze. I’m… I’m looking for a job. Are there any server positions open?” Flitter asked hopefully; begging silently that he would say no, and that she could leave. Her fur crawled again, and the taste of bile rose dangerously in the back of her throat.

Gaze smiled a bit wider, which made his head look just a little too small. “Well, no server positions are open, but we do have a dishwasher slot open. Five bits an hour.”

Flitter sputtered like a fish out of water, before clamping her mouth shut as quickly as possible. Five bits an hour was a lot less than she would have gotten working as a server. It was less than she’d get working anywhere else. “I-” Flitter looked back up and smiled painfully. “Well, I’ve got a few other places that were interested in hiring me, so I’ll get back to you on that offer Mr. G.”

The unicorn stallion didn’t even flinch. His smile never turned down a decibel, even for a second. “Well, you best get to it Flitty. We’ll be waiting for ya!” The stallion chuckled. “Come back soon, alright?” He winked at her as he wore his trademark grin.

“Kthnxbye!” Flitter focused intently on simply trotting out the door. It took all her willpower to wait until she couldn’t be seen from the restaurant window before bolting off into the clouds.

By the time she reached her home; Flitter had managed to calm down, if only slightly. The mare shook her head heavily, before making a beeline towards her room on the upper floor. Flitter trotted into her room and flopped down on the bed. Curling up and rested her head in her hooves, Flitter shivered heavily before lifting herself up. She found herself headed for her small bathroom. Pulling her bow off, Flitter started up the shower and climbed in as quickly as she could.

The water was pleasantly warm and inviting. Resting her head against the wall for a moment; Flitter sighed quietly, and went about lathering up her soft fur and mane. Before Flitter soaked herself down; she grabbed the scrubber and started trying to scrub the grime off that her conversation with Mr. G had left behind. Flitter grit her teeth together, and started scrubbing harder, and harder, and harder. Flitter clamped her eyes shut as she scrubbed, a solitary whimper escaping her. Having rubbed her forehoof raw, Flitter let out a pained yelp as the coarse scrubber raked against her raw flesh. Blinking back tears, Flitter finished cleaning up before shutting off the now cold water. She quickly toweled off, and limped back out into her room.

Flitter fell onto her bed, and spread out weakly as she stared at the cloud ceiling. The world around her went fuzzy, before falling into complete darkness. Flitter shuddered unintentionally as she opened her eyes, and looked around. She was in the clearing again. Getting up off her bed, Flitter looked around curiously. The clearing was exactly as she remembered it, but it felt... Off.

A thick branch cracked loudly somewhere out in the trees, causing Flitter to squeak in surprise. She flared out her wings, and pumped wildly to escape the clearing. Her hooves didn’t even leave the ground. Flitter tossed a quick, frantic glance over her shoulder, and found that the reason why she couldn’t fly. Flitters wings were gone, with only a pair of bloody stumps left behind. Flitters eyes widened in terror, and her gaze was snapped back forward when another branch snapped under the weight of… Something. Before she could react, something rustled in the bush next to her. Screaming, Flitter whirled around to face the bush.... Only to have a pair of metal gauntlets grip her head.

The metal hands hefted her off her hooves, and towards a blinding white light.

“HOLD STILL.”

Jerking violently back into the land of the living; Flitters wings snapped outwards as she gripped her sheets out of sheer terror. As the feeling of her cool, smooth sheets overcame the feeling of dread and terror, Flitter mustered the courage to look around. Finding herself in her boring little room filled Flitter with relief; if only for a moment. Letting out a quiet sigh, Flitter rolled over in bed to stare at her little alarm clock.

11:30

Flitter groaned loudly as she rolled over onto her back. “Shoot.” She cursed lightly, before sitting up. “Where did I put my ribbon?” The mare slowly got to her hooves and glanced around. Furrowing her brow lightly, Flitter started searching a bit more anxiously. “Come on, where the hay did I put that silly thing…”

As time ticked on, Flitters search grew more futile. Despite her best efforts, her ribbon was nowhere to be found. Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Flitter glanced once again at her alarm clock.

11:58

Running a hoof down her face, Flitter accepted her fate, and started towards her bedroom door. Just as she pushing it open, she could hear her sister coming in through the front door. Flitter silently cursed her luck. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to get all uppity over her still being here. That, and Flitter had no interest in Cloud Chasers newest coltfriend. Flitter turned away from the door, and headed straight for her window. An errant giggle cut her off as she straddled the window sill. Flitter bit her lip lightly, and slowly got off the sill. She was only slightly curious. She was only going to check and see which stallion she would have to avoid dating if things with Goldie fell through. Treading silently back across her room, Flitter peaked out through the crack left by her door.

Cloud Chaser trotted into the living room, with a tan stallion in tow. She turned, and wrapped her hooves around the stallions neck. Flitters expression turned sour, and she turned to head for her window when the stallion spoke.

“Are you sure Flitter isn’t home?” He asked before descending on Cloud Chasers neck. Flitter couldn't quite place his muffled voice.

Cloud Chaser squeaked, before flopping onto the couch. The mare shuffled back, her wings spread wide in arousal. “She’s gone. She does what I tell her.” Flitter could tell Cloud Chaser was grinning by the tone of her voice.

The stallion laughed, and walked into view of Flitters hiding spot. Immediately recognizing the stallion. Flitter felt an unfamiliar feeling build up inside her; a red hot burning that welled up in her ribs. The burning forced tears into her eyes; her hooves shook violently as she looked away. She couldn’t bear to watch her coltfriend do this to her. Cloud Chaser had said that Goldie was only dating her so that he could get close to Cloud Chaser, but Flitter hadn’t really believed it. Now she had proof. Flitter pressed her lips together as tightly as she could and trotted slowly to her window. Even a fall nights chill couldn’t quell the burning pain in Flitters chest. The mare flew towards Ponyville; dead to the world.

As Flitter flew aimlessly through the nights chill, another creature crept towards the same location. As husbands and wives laid their foals to rest; as even the most night owlish pony placed their heads down on their pillows; a dark figure stole into Ponyville. While the figure may have been slightly lost, it still had direction.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jack readjusted the spare shirt he was using as a balaclava, and peaked around the corner of a particularly impressive stone building. There wasn’t a single pony in sight. Slowly slinking out of the darkness; Jack drew himself up, and scanned the lane.

Looks like a small restaurant there… A Sofa and Quill shop… Why the fuck would… Nevermind. Jack shook his head lightly, before sticking his head out a little further. His exoskeleton clicked near-silently as he extended outwards. Is that a gingerbread house? What, do they stuff people in ovens and burn them alive? A shudder ran down his spine, and he immediately turned away from the place. Ain’t nobody got time for that again.

Jack sighed quietly, and turned his sights on the small restaurant. Stalking quietly across the street, Jack maneuvered around towards the establishments back door. He held his breath, and jerked his head lightly; listening for any signs that he’d been spotted. Having heard nothing, Jack turned his attention back to the door before him. He reached out tentatively, and tapped the handle. Nothing happened. Satisfied that the door wasn’t rigged with some kind of hellspawn voodoo magic, Jack stood up and looked over the door.

Looks like wood… I wonder if it’s unlocked? Jack reached forward and tested the handle. It only jiggled ever so slightly in his grip. Grunting, Jack rolled his shoulders, and grabbed the handle with both hands. His muscles tensed, and his titanium exoskeleton flexed in tandem. The metal door handle let out a quiet groan, and snapped off in his unarmoured hands. Jack looked down at his hand and pursed his lips in frustration. Shaking his head, Jack backed up, and delivered the solid bottom of his boot to the space just beside the door knobs remains.

The door didn’t budge an inch.

Backing away, Jack furrowed his brow in disbelief. It appeared that his original assumption that the door wasn't rigged with hellspawn voodoo magic had been wrong. This shouldn’t be so fucking hard... What the fuck? He shook his head, before rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fore finger and thumb. Giving up with a light shrug, Jack booted the door again. And again. And again. The door refused to budge, but it did have an impressive imprint of his boot heel inside it now. Taking a deep, calming breath, Jack started rooting around in his tactical vest in search for a very special something. Allowing himself a small smirk, Jack pulled the small spool from his vest.

Gonna show you, you stupid fuckin door.

Threading the small line into the lock; Jack snipped it off so just a tiny amount was poking out. Quickly pressing his leads into the soft gel insides of the wires; Jack took cover near the door. Taking one last glance around, he pressed the wires against his battery.

KOOF

The muffled explosion didn’t even register a flinch from Jack, who quickly moved in to assess the damage. It took all of his willpower to not hoot and holler in triumph as he stared down at the pulverized door handle and frame. A light push from him sent the door open; the gateway to the dark eatery was now open. Stealing inside; Jack went to work as the door fell off its hinges and clattered to the floor.

Is that rum!? HAHA! YAR!

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Nearby, someponies night was going much, much worse than Jacks. Flitter wiped at her eyes with her raw forehoof, but the tears refused to stop their flowing. Her jaw was clamped down as tightly as possible, but even then she couldn’t stop the odd whimper from escaping. Stumbling through the dark; Flitter didn’t run into a single soul.

Coming across a vacant bench; Flitter collapsed onto it, and sobbed quietly into her hooves. The burning pain in her chest had all but disappeared, but she could still feel it deep down, as if somepony had stuck her with a fire poker. Despite her best efforts, the tears came in hot and heavy. Flitter curled up and hugged herself as her body racked itself with pained sobs.

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Come- ON! Off- the- wall! Jack tugged and pulled with all his might; he was soon rewarded by the sound of crumbling drywall. Looking down, he found himself the proud new owner of a fair sized metal first aid box. Grinning as he stuffed the box into his massive pack, Jack turned towards the freezers. The large metal doors were locked up tight, but that was hardly a problem. Lifting his cybernetic leg up, Jack pistoned the flimsy padlock clear off the handle. A large grin threatened to break out across his features as he pulled the door wide open.

Come to Papa!

Jack entered the freezer, and immediately went for the closest boxes. The writing on them made him pause for a moment. It’s written in English Standard? I… What? I suppose… They were /speaking/ English, so I guess it makes sense. Shaking his head to disperse the shroud of mystery, Jack grabbed the first box he saw. Again, it made him pause. Upon the box; it had a black and white caricature of a young man. Said young man looked rather dazed as he ate some kind of food-stuff. Curiosity gaining the better of him, Jack drew his knife out of its sheath and ran its edge across the top of the box.

Buffalo wings? FUCKING BUFFALO WINGS!???

Jack stared down at the opened box in stunned silence. After a moment, he threw his hands in the air and wordlessly repeated his mantra: Fuck it. Grabbing two of the unopened boxes; he stuffed them into his pack, and grabbed several other boxes without reading the labels. Having take at best a random selection of goods from the first freezer, Jack moved to the next one. Popping the lock off with contemptuous ease, Jack entered the second freezer.

More a fridge, really….

This fridge seemed more geared towards fruit and vegetables; while Jack didn’t mind, he didn’t exactly trust any unknown foods. Without much rhyme or reason, Jack grabbed whatever he could fit into his bag. He quickly left the second fridge a destroyed mess of fallen fruits and squashed vegetables. Despite having already broken into both lockers, his pack was only half full. Hang on. Jack paused on his way to the door; pulling out his flashlight for the first time, Jack spotted the mother-lode. The restaurants stock of non-perishables stood before him on three separate shelves. Can after can went into the pack, and Jack soon found himself fully loaded. Switching off his flashlight, Jack turned and made for the door.

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Out on her bench, Flitter didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary as she buried her muzzle deep into her hooves. She’d gone past the point of sobbing, and was now spiraling downwards into self-loathing. Flitter shivered violently; the cold biting deep into her. To Flitters surprise, somepony sneezed very close to her bench. Flitter popped her head up at the sound. “Huh?”

“AHH!”

Flitters head snapped to the side as Jacks fist pistoned into it; her world went dark on impact. Jack stood in a tensed position, his fists drawn back to combat his sudden attacker. Only, the attacks didn’t come. Lowering his fists, Jack slowly edged towards the bench. On the ground beside it, lay one of the horse creatures.

I just sucker punched a demon horse in the face....

Carefully approaching the fallen creature, Jack gently toed it with his metallic boot. The creature didn’t respond. Against his better judgement, he knelt down next to the small horse, and pressed two fingers up under its jaw line.

Where’s the Grud damned pulse on this thing- Oh, wait. There it is. Not dead apparently… Lucky my strike plate's weren't on. He pondered quietly as he stared down at the comatose horse. They speak english… Maybe I can question it? Or maybe I should just take my shit and run. Before Jack could think of any better plan; someone called out in the night. “Hello? What’s going on out there?” A light flicked on in one of the many houses, and was followed by several more. Additional voices sounded out, and doors were unlocked. Cursing his luck and lacking any better options, Jack scooped the tiny horse creature up in his arms, and bolted out of the small village.

Thankfully, the trip back to his base of operations went smoothly; none of the village's inhabitants made any attempt to follow him. As Jack neared the entrance to his cave, the sky split open violently, and rain began to pour down in earnest. Cursing silently, he picked up the pace. He eventually arrived in the blessedly dry cave, and immediately set to work. Setting down his overstuffed pack; Jack pulled out a long line of rappelling rope. He carefully set the small horse down, and secured it against one of the caves stalagmites.

Funny looking little critter… Staring at the horse for a moment; Jack shook his head, and pulled off his impromptu balaclava. Running a hand over his bristly high and tight haircut; Jack set about putting everything he’d taken in an appropriate spot. His stomach tensed painfully, causing him to grunt quietly. Instead of putting everything away; he set out an assortment of random foods that he’d pilfered. Jack started his fire, and laid his soaked clothing down on the rocks near his fire pit. A box of the buffalo wings was dragged over, along with a couple fruits.

Before Jack could start cooking, his captive stirred; a pained moan escaping her bruised lips. Slumping his shoulders in annoyance, Jack stood up, and pulled on his spare clothes. Wait… He paused for a moment as he pulled on a wool sock. It may be incredibly dangerous. I may need my armour. I should cover its eyes too, Just to be sure. He nodded to himself, and quickly slipped into his heavy body armour. The full face helmet fit over his slightly soggy noggin without any difficulties. Treading over to the squirming horse; Jack wrapped his last dry shirt around its eyes. The horse pulled away at the contact, a terrified whimper escaping it.

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Flitters vision swam sickeningly as the small trail of flickering light was nearly blotted out by a black cloth wrap. Whimpering quietly; Flitter tried to pull away the cloth wrapping. She quickly found out that her hooves were bound tightly, and that she couldn’t get up. Terror coursed through the small pegasus. “P-p-ple-please…. Please don’t hurt me…” She barely managed a whisper, but no answer came.

Jack had taken several steps back from the blindfolded horse. It had just spoken to him, and it sounded terrified. Lifting up his hand; Jack tried to speak. Once again, nothing but pained coughing. At the sound of his coughing and hacking, the small horse cowered away, and started sobbing quietly. A disgruntled groan escaped Jack as he looked down at the crying thing. This is not what I had in mind. Demons aren’t supposed to beg for mercy and sob. This is fucked up. I can’t even talk to this damn thing. Tapping his fingers lightly against his helmet; Jack let out a defeated sigh. Wait. A small grin spread across his features, and he tromped away from the sobbing horse. Rifling through his bedding, Jack let out a satisfied chuckle when his armoured fingers came in contact with his PDA.

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The side of Flitters head pounded mercilessly; it felt utterly unbearable. Sniffing sadly, Flitter let her head fall downwards. She didn’t know what this pony wanted with her; the sorrow of the night only made the ideas worse in her mind.

“Hello.” A tinny voice sounded out around the cave, causing Flitter to shrink as far as she could out of terror. The heavy hoof-falls came closer, before stopping just in front of her. “What are you?” The tinny voice asked unemotionally.

Looking up; Flitter swallowed nervously. What am I? Flitter closed her eyes as the pain throbbed through her head. “I-I’m a p-pony…”

There was a long pause before the stallions voice came back. “Are you going to hurt me?”

Now THAT caught Flitter off guard. Hurt him? Whaaaa? Flitter blinked in confusion, before shaking her head gently. “N-no. I-I… I don’t want to hurt anypony... “ She sniffed back tears as the pain in her head increased.

The stallion huffed quietly, and seemed to trot off. It returned moments later, and sat down in front of her. “Hold still. Will be cold.” Flitter opened her eyes in confusion, and opened her mouth to protest. Her words were cut off by a surprised squeal that escaped her own throat as the ice cold thing pressed against the injured side of her head.

Pulling away from the biting cold; Flitter twisted, and fell over. Something pinched tightly against her body, causing the small mare to gasp and whine in pain. The stallion emanated some kind of disgruntled noise, and grabbed her. Flitter gasped at the touch. The stallion didn’t have hooves. As the hands pulled her up and unpinched the rope, Flitter cautiously sputtered out her own question. “W-what are y-you?” To her surprise; the hands pulled away from her, and the voice didn’t answer. As Flitter held her breath; the hands returned. Gently grasping her head, its fingers deftly untied her blindfold. Flitter blinked rapidly as her eyes readjusted to the dull lighting in what looked to be a cave. Looking over to her captor; Flitters eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.

Flitter knew that mask. It belonged to the golem. The Golem that she’d obsessed over for over a week before losing heart. She was staring into the single slit that passed for its eye. If she’d been paying attention, Flitter may have noticed her heart skipping a beat.

The golem chuckled, shaking her out of her trance. Its fingers danced over a small square of metal; to Flitters amazement and surprise, the tinny voice sounded out from the small metal square. “Was it something I said?”

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Flitter looked back up to the golems blank visage. “I-it’s you… You.. You saved me! Down by the lake!” A small smile had begun spreading across Flitters muzzle, betraying her excitement.

Slapping its metal hand off its armoured haunch; the golem pointed at Flitter. A moment later its voice sounded out from the square. “So that is where I remember you from.” The golem turned its head towards one of the cave walls and sat perfectly still; before returning its attention back to Flitter.

The golem drummed its fingers against its helmet, before making some kind of gesture Flitter had never seen before. Its free hand tapped at the square again. “Sorry I hit your face. You surprised me.” It held up a hand to silence Flitters excited response. “Promise that you won’t cut my balls off.”

The sheer oddity of the golems request struck Flitter unexpectedly. “W-what? But I…” She bit her lip, and looked down. “I promise I won’t hurt you if you untie me.” She smiled weakly up at the metal giant. The golem tapped its jaw twice, before shrugging. It got up a bit faster than Flitter was expecting, and walked around behind her. Flitter waited patiently as the golem fiddled with the rope it had bound her with. Her smile only broadened when the rope fell slack, and she could stretch her wings again. Taking the moment to look around the cave; Flitter found herself slightly confused. Why would a golem need a bed? Or all of those food cans? Turning her attention back to the golem with the intention of asking it why it had all these things; Flitter found herself struck silent.

Pulling his helmet free, Jack squeezed his eyes closed, before blinking rapidly to dispel the electric ghosts the helmets heads up display left on his eyes. He smiled lightly, and looked back over to the shocked looking pony. He cocked an eyebrow, and tapped out a message. “What? Do I have something on me?" He wiped his mouth lightly with an armoured gauntlet, before looking back up at the pony.

Flitter shook her head slowly. “N-no… You’re… You’re a human.” Flitter rubbed her eyes, and peered at the unexpected visage. The human made a face and rolled its eyes. It acts like a pony… Flitter smiled weakly. “This is…. Amazing.” She sat down on her haunches and stared up at the human. Memory of her promise arose within her mind. Flitter furrowed her brow, before looking up at the human. “I don’t… I don’t even know where to begin…” Flitter rubbed her bruised face accidentally and let out a pained yelp.

To her surprise, the human leaned forward, and pressed the cold pouch up against her bruise again. It then gently grasped her hoof, and pressed it against the cold pouch. “Hold the gel pack there. Will reduce swelling.” The human ran a hand over its bristly cheek before standing up. Flitter did as she was told, but her eyes followed the heavily armoured human as he walked over to his bed. It spread out its arms slightly, and stood stock straight. Flitter jumped when a series of clicks sounded out from the humans metal body; the primary plates sliding open to allow the human to leave its confines. The mares mouth fell open slightly as the impressively tall human stretched out; grunting as its spine popped back into place as it stretched. Flitter couldn’t help but notice that several intricate looking lengths of metal were seemingly attached to the humans limbs and body.

The human walked over quietly, its legs making strange clicking noises as it did so. Pulling her own legs in a bit closer; Flitter watched as the human crossed its legs underneath itself and sat down opposite to her. Now that it was much lower down to her, she could see many of the details on its face. His face. She realized. The human had a very angular jawline, and it looked as though the usual human facial hair was just starting to come in. He seemed to have some kind of nasty old wound on its forehead; one that went from its brow to the back of its skull. It looked as if the flesh had been ripped up, and had never properly been healed. Flitter looked over at the mans face as he made a gesture with his hand. The mares eyes went wide when she found herself locked in his gaze. Its eyes were like nothing she’d seen before; not even close to the dull eyes of normal humans. Its sharp green eyes were much smaller, but they never seemed to stop moving. They almost felt predatory as his gaze went over her, then back up to meet her wide, pink eyes. How they locked onto her made her feel as if the human was sizing her up so it could hunt her down.

Shattering another human normality, he smiled lightly at her as his fingers danced on the square. “So, what is your name. Are you a boy, or a girl?” His smile became a smirk as Flitter's cheeks went red.

Flitter managed to smile ever so slightly through the burn of an embarrassing blush.. “M-my name is Flitter, and I’m a mare.” The mare shook her head and looked around. “I… I don’t understand… Who… Who are you? Where are you from?” She asked quietly as her eyes fell on the humans armour and belongings. Much of it didn’t even look Equestrian, or Griffonic.

The human stretched lightly, before leaning forward. “Well Flitter, my name is Jack Kessle, and I am a long way from home.”

Chapter Four: Sheepdog in Wolves Clothing

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Staring intently into Jack’s eyes, Flitter sucked in a deep breath. A small smile spread across her muzzle as she stared at him. “Okay Mr. Kessle…. I… I would like to help you.”

The humans eyes widened noticeably as he pulled back. Jack stroked his chin lightly, before making a flicking hand gesture. His features split open in a toothy grin as he pushed his right hand towards Flitter. The mare eyed it curiously, before Jack wiggled his hand slightly. His expression turned impatient as he did so. Flitter looked back up at him as he did so. “W-what am I supposed to do?”

Jack let out a disgruntled sigh as he retracted his offered hand to type something into his PDA. “It’s a handshake. A sign of agreement among my people.” He shoved his hand back out, and waited expectantly.

It was Flitters turn to be surprised now. “Oh! Like a hoofshake! You should have just said so!” Giggling to herself, Flitter took the humans hand and shook it. The mare smiled up at the pouting human as he typed.

“I would have if my voice wasn’t neutered.” Jack's PDA spoke in place of him as he got up, and meandered over to his new supply stock. Flitter cocked her head to watch as he rummaged through the non perishables. Lowering her raised hoof, Flitter thought silently about what exact questions she should be asking this new human. While Flitter sat, stumped in thought, the PDA’s tinny masculine voice piped up again. “You hungry?” He didn’t wait for Flitters answer, as her stomach answered for her. Raising her hoof again to stop Jack, she was cut off by his soft laughter.

Humans don’t laugh… /Our/ humans don't laugh. Jack must be different. Somehow.

“You’ve got wings. Do they work?” The excitement on his face was at complete odds with the monotone statement/questions of his PDA.

Nodding slowly, Flitter pulled her wing in a bit closer. “Y-yes? I’m a pegasi. We’re supposed to fly.” She looked down at the can of fruits and furrowed her brow. “How do I open this?” She asked as she turned the can over in her hooves.

A small cry of disapproval escaped Flitter when Jack pulled the can from her grasp with ridiculous ease. Setting it down on the floor of the cave, he tapped in his next response. “That’s fucking badass. I wish I had wings, would have made combat drops easy as hell.” Flitters ears pinned against her head at the use of harsh language, but she soon found herself pulling back out of fear when Jack yanked a long, utilitarian knife from his belt. As if it were nothing, he jammed the knife into the cans lid, and had the lid off in remarkably short order. He offered the opened can to Flitter as he cleaned the blade off on his clothing.

Flitter swallowed nervously, before her hunger forced her to cave in. Between bites and chewing, Flitter voiced her next question: “How didn’t you notice my wings before? It’s not like I was hiding them.” She watched Jack with intense curiosity as he moved around.

Pursing his lips into a line; Jack furrowed his brow and looked away from Flitter. “I just so happened to overlook that part of ‘Talking Horse’. Sorry.” Flitter held her tongue as she watched Jack cut open a small box, and dump its contents into a small metal pan that sat over the fire. Flitter involuntarily jerked when Jack brandished his knife again to sharpen a stick. This time though, Jack had noticed. His smile disappeared instantly, and he sat back down on his haunches; turning all of his attention on Flitter. “Listen, stop jumping every time I move. I’m supposed to trust you, and you’re making me tense.” He stared intently into Flitters eyes as she relented an answer.

“I-I’m sorry…” She said as she let her head hang slightly. “You’re just…”

“Scary?” The tinny voice asked as Jack braced his chin on one of his hands.

Flitter took a moment before nodding her agreement. She didn’t bother faking a smile when she answered. “Yes. You… You scare me. You aren’t like any other human in any of the books I’ve read. You’re just-” Flitter rolled her hooves about as she searched her mind for the right word. She didn’t see Jack sit back and crack a small grin. “I don’t know how to explain this…” Flitter rubbed her cheek; she winced at the pain, but it did feel like the swelling was going down.

The mare’s pain made Jack visibly grimace. To Flitter's continuing surprise; Jack seemed to have a very large repertoire of facial expressions, rivaling that of even a pony in her eyes. The expression he wore now was pained regret; if Flitter was any judge. “Listen, this is all about trust, right.” He rubbed two of his fingers and thumb together as he gazed at the cave ceiling. “You don’t trust me because I scare you, and because I hit you. I don’t trust you, because at any moment you could rat me out, and my life would probably end in a very terrible way. I don’t want my life to end in a terrible way, thank you very much.” Jack set his PDA down and rubbed his temples with both fore fingers. Flitter furrowed her brow slightly as she watched the pained expression spread over Jacks features.

Despite herself, what Jack had stated was more or less correct. I’m terrified of him because of what he could do if I ever made him mad, or even if he felt like it. But… I also said I would help him, and he seems genuinely worried about me. Flitter set her chin down on her upturned hooves. The winds howled wildly outside and rain pitter-pattered off the cover that was pinned well against the cave entrance. Jack said nothing as he cooked his food over the fire. Flitter kept her eyes closed as she pressed her brain for any kind of answer. She never did find an answer, but she found a question that would serve well enough in its place. Looking back up at the imposing human, Flitter sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. “You need my help, don’t you?” Flitter stared at Jack for a moment before speaking again. “Why?”

Jacks expression remained neutral as he mulled the question over in his mind. He did not answer until well after taking his food off the open flame. His predatory eyes bored into Flitters as he spoke. “Because I do not want to die.” The tinny voice stated the answer flatly, and without emotion; it felt almost appropriate.

Flitter’s eyes widened, and her wings spread ever so slightly. Flitter gazed at Jack, her eyes wandering over the lengths of metal and the odd cloth that covered almost every extremity. Closing her eyes for a moment; Flitter sighed. “Why me?” Flitter had stopped looking around the cave; all of her attention was on the anomaly of a human in front of her.

He seemed to consider her question for a long time; during which the storm outside only grew worse. Jack ran a hand down his bristly cheek and shrugged. No answer came from his device. Flitter blinked, before noticing the slight smirk on Jack’s face. Pouting, Flitter tossed the empty fruit can at him. With a cackling laugh, he deflected it with contemptuous ease. As she went to pick up something else to throw at Jack, he held his hands up in defeat. He started typing as Flitter sat back down. “I saved your life in the clearing, right?” Flitter nodded, and opened her mouth to speak; only to be cut off by a swift prod to her muzzle. “Not finished. I’m all alone out here. I need help, or I would probably die, or get captured and tortured again. You seem like an alright kind of pony, so I’m hoping that you can help me. I saved your ass, so I’m hoping that you can help save mine.” He removed his finger from Flitters muzzle and set the small device down on the ground next to him.

Having just had Jack lay everything out in front of her; Flitter had a lot to digest. The mare shivered at the cold, despite the warm fire before her. She didn’t notice that Jack did the same thing. He’s… Very honest. Unlike some ponies I know. The thought caused Flitter to frown heavily. He said he wasn’t from here, and he’s... Flitter ground her teeth out of habit as she thought it all over within her head. It’s settled then. Sitting up a bit straighter, Flitter lent Jack an honest smile. “Mister Kessle, I will help you. I… I think I can trust you. I hope you trust me. I don’t want anypon- err… Anybody, to get hurt.” Flitter swallowed lightly, before smiling again. “I would like to be your first friend here.”

Jack pulled back, blinking in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly. His eyebrows remained up near his fringe as he shook his head lightly. Eventually, a small grin spread once more on his features; putting Flitters mind to ease. “You know, I’ve never been friends with a magic fairy pony princess.” Jack scrunched up his features as he glanced over at Flitter. “You’re not going to make me go to stupid tea parties, right?”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “I’m a pegasi, and I’m not a princess.” A small giggle escaped Flitter as she thought about the tea party idea. “And no, I haven’t had a tea party since I was in primary flight school.”

Flitter giggled again as Jack pumped a fist into the air. Looking around, Flitter found that his little cave was actually quite cozy. It had a familiar feeling to it that put her at ease. Flitter didn’t even flinch when Jack got up and crossed over to her. She did however, panic slightly and squeak when he picked her up and hugged her tightly. His voice box spoke as he wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for not having my balls cut off.” The panic Flitter felt quickly bled off after Jack's voice box spoke; a small smile spread across her features as she returned the hug with her forehooves and wings. As she did so, Flitter came to a realization. Jack was very warm. Incredibly warm, actually. Flitter didn’t have much time to ponder as to why before Jack set her back down on the ground. He chuckled lightly, before rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. Hugs are a sign of gratitude among my people. I am quite attached to my balls.”

The statement forced a snort out of Flitter; followed by a smothered giggle. “I-It’s okay. It was a nice hug.” Flitter smiled happily. “And you’re welcome, though I don’t get why you’re so worried about your… Erm… Thingies.” She gestured towards his legs with her wing. Flitter furrowed her brow lightly. “Actually… Why are you so worried about that? It’s all you’ve really talked about.”

Jack simply shrugged as he walked over to his cot. “I watched a guy get his dangly bits get snipped over by the farm. Figured that’s how your people deal with folks who don’t play along.” Jack shuddered heavily, and rubbed between his legs out of sentiment.

“Wait… Apple Orchards? Is that where you saw this?” Flitter asked quietly as she scooted closer to the fire. Another stray gust of wind blew through the cave, ruffling her feathers and causing the fire to sputter weakly. Watching Jack nod his agreement, something clicked within Flitters head. “You… You don’t know, do you?” Flitter watched as Jack raised an eyebrow; before he shrugged. He rolled his hand in a way that looked like he was telling her to get on with it. Flitter swallowed. “W-well… We have humans here, but they’re pets. They aren’t very smart, and sometimes they need to get neutered or spayed.” Flitter rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away from Jack. “They also get very aggressive sometimes, and get highly territorial. Kind of like if dogs and cattle got combined and made dumb.”

Jack leaned forward; looking flabbergasted. He blinked, before shaking his head. He gave it another shake, before lifting his hand up and pointing his index finger in the air. He opened his mouth again, before closing it quickly, and letting his outstretched finger curl. He eventually lowered his hand, and placed it on his cheek again, all while adopting a very worried expression. Flitter assumed a worried expression as she sat down closer to Jack. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh!” Jack uttered a single laugh as he grabbed his device off the ground. he quickly tapped out a message for Flitter. “Just how many humans are on this planet.” He set the device down on his lap as Flitter answered.

Flitter furrowed her brow in thought as she rubbed her sore forehoof. “Well… Around one million, compared to I think… Eight million and a some ponies? Maybe? I’m not very-”

“HAH! HahahahAHAHA!!” Jack broke down into hysterical laughter that saw him flopping onto his back. Flitter edged away from Jack as he cackled. Eventually he sat back up; still chuckling to himself as he wiped tears from his eyes. Seeing Flitter was stunned into silence, he spoke in her stead. “That’s it. Eight Million.” He chuckled again, as if that number were some kind of overly hilarious joke. He beckoned Flitter over to his side. “I want to show you something.” He started tapping the device with his fingers as Flitter sat down next to him. Jack carefully held his black device out to Flitter. He gave it a shake, just like he had his hand when offering it.

Treating the small device as if it were as precious as a foal, Flitter gently took it into her hooves. Jack reached over her shoulder, and tapped the screen with his finger. Flitters eyes widened as the device responded instantly, bringing up an intricate painting of a giant blueish green ball, surrounded by glittering black. The image was very small however, and Flitter had to lean in close to see some of the tiny details. “What is this?” She asked as she looked back up at Jack. He smiled sadly, and answered her by writing in the dirt at her hooves.

‘HOME’

Swallowing nervously, Flitter carefully gave Jack his tiny device back. “It’s a very pretty painting.” She smiled up at him, only to be given another mocking laugh.

“Hah!” Jack shook his head and smirked at Flitter. He tapped at his PDA for a moment, and the answer for his rudeness followed quickly. “Not a painting. A picture.” Snapping his fingers, Jack stood up and walked over to his armour. Flitter cocked an eyebrow at him as he pulled the large helmet off and walked back over. Before she could protest, he slid the helmet over her head and plugged the PDA in.

Flitter sucked in a breath as the claustrophobic helmet hugged her head loosely. “J-jack? C-can you please-” Flitters words died in her mouth as an image jumped up before her eyes. It was the same image Jack had shown her on his little metal square, but much bigger. It was almost lifelike in its detail. Flitter squeaked in surprise as the image came alive in front of her eyes. The image moved off to the left, revealing a sterile white environment.

“Come on assholes! Let’s get a picture of this before Gunny finds us and tosses our asses out the airlock!” The voice came from everywhere in the helmet; startling Flitter once again. Numerous snarky comebacks fed through the audio, but eleven other humans floated over into view before the giant blue ball. The image shook, and one more human floated over. It was Jack. Flitter could recognize him, despite the distance. “Okay! Everyone say, ‘Marines in Spaaaaace!’

To Flitters dismay, the image froze in place, with the twelve humans floating mid frame. She blinked, and started moving her hooves around in hopes of starting it all again. “Why did it stop? I-I want to see more!” Flitter looked over at Jack. Through the helmets visor he looked slightly less intimidating.

Jack smiled, and the image popped back up in front of Flitter. It started to reverse; the humans all floating backwards out of frame until nothing but the blue ball remained. “That is my home. Earth. Population: Ten Billion, not counting the colonies of course.”

With Earth hanging before her; Flitters jaw dropped. Then, it hit her. All the sci-fi novels she’d read, all the comics she’d borrowed from her father, they’d all pointed at this moment. Flitter swallowed, and pulled off the bulky helmet. She looked up at Jack with wide eyes. “You’re an alien… I… Oh sweet Celestia… I’m friends with an alien!” Flitter stuffed her fore hooves up into her face as she squee'd.

“I’m not an alien.” Jack stated blandly as he picked the helmet up and dusted it off. “I’m a human being.” He set down the device and his helmet, before standing up and walking over to the ecstatic Flitter. He lifted a finger, but Flitter completely ignored it.

“Did you come here in a ship? OOoooH! You crashed landed here, and you need my help to fix your ship!” Flitter grinned ear to ear as she pranced around the cave. “This is Aaaamaaaazing!~”

Flitters prancing was cut short mid stride as Jack grabbed her under her forehooves and lifted her off the ground. He hefted Flitter up until she was at eye level with him, and started shaking his head. “Nuuuu.” He shook his head again, before setting Flitter back down on the ground. Running his hand down his face; he quickly sent a message out. “I am not an alien. Aliens have to meet a specific criteria before they can be called that. First, they need to have a ship. Two, they need to have ray guns. Three, they need to have some kind of tentacle.” Jack gestured towards himself, the to his cave home. “I don’t have a ship. I don’t have a ray gun, and I definitely don’t have any fucking tentacles.”

“But you do have a ray gun!” Flitter protested; pointing at his rifle. Jack scowled, and grabbed the rifle. Sitting down, and dragging Flitter with him, he pointed at a series of small letters.

Aegis Arms AER-72 Laser Carbine

M-902 NAC 2021

1000 Kj Output/ 48mm Macro-Fission Breeder Cell

Operational Temp: 1900’C

Jacks gestured harshly towards a single word. Laser. He poked at it, until Flitter looked at him in confusion. A disgruntled groan escaped him, and he went back to his PDA. “LASER. It is a LASER gun. Not a ray gun. Big difference.”

Flitter smiled as she looked away from the weapon; a slight giggle escaping her lips. “So… You’re not an alien then. If you didn’t fly here, how did you get here?” She scooched in a bit closer, and mimicked his smirk. To Flitters disappointment, Jack simply shrugged; before grabbing his now cooked food off the pan. Sighing, Flitter got up and trotted around the cave. To her surprise, it was all very orderly. It had a very familiar feel to it, but Flitter couldn’t put her hoof on it.

“I don’t know how I got here. I was running one minute, and falling the next. I woke up in this forest.”

Flitter turned, and regarded Jack as he ate. The human seemed to refuse to meet her gaze. Flitter sighed quietly, and returned to his side. “And that’s when you found me, isn’t it?” His nod was all that she needed. Smiling sadly, Flitter rested her head on his arm. “Thank you.”

The pair of them remained silent for a long while; with Jack eating, and Flitter resting. The winds outside had picked up again, just as thoughts of going home crossed Flitters mind. The thought of facing Cloud Chaser set Flitters fur on edge, and Flitter rubbed her forehoof nervously. Unfortunately, she rubbed her wounded forehoof. A pained hiss escaped Flitter, alerting Jack. He turned his head towards her, and cocked an eyebrow upwards. Flitter pulled her injured hoof away without thinking. “I-it’s nothing.”

Shaking his head, Jack gestured towards the hoof she’d moved. he bobbed his head, and gestured at it again with one of his hands. Flitter shook her head, and covered it up again. “It’s nothing, really. It just sting-” Flitter squeaked as Jack took her hoof in his hands, and pulled her over again. Flitter closed her eyes, expecting him to poke and prod at it, only he didn’t. Opening her eyes, Flitter watched curiously as Jack gently turned the limb over in his dexterous hands; looking over the injury. Flitter winced lightly as his fingers passed over the raw flesh; Jack perked up, and went back to it. Carefully moving the fur to the side, he looked over the injury. He glanced over at her and cocked his eyebrow again. Flitter refused to meet his gaze.

Sighing quietly, Jack let her hoof go as he reached for a small kit attached to his pack. Pulling it off with ease, he popped the case open, and pulled out a small tube. Popping the cap off, he gently grabbed Flitters hoof again. Flitter sucked in a panicked breath as the cold gel from the tube hit her raw flesh. To her surprise, the pain subsided quickly wherever the gel touched. Jack gently spread a thin layer of the gel over the length of her forehoof, before capping off the tube. Flitter eyed her slick looking forehoof with captivated interest; only to have Jack scold her for trying to touch it. After a minute of digging, he produced a roll of bandages and proceeded to wrap her forehoof up tightly.

Flitter lifted her injured hoof up and inspected the wrappings intently. They seemed to be somewhat stretchy; unlike the normal cloth bandages that Ponyville General used. If anything was certain, he’d done a good job. Her hoof barely throbbed anymore. Smiling to herself, Flitter nuzzled Jacks hand, much to his surprise.

Allowing Flitter to rest against his left hand, Jack tapped out a message with his right. “You seem to be handling this all well.” He laughed lightly, before lightly scratching the side of Flitters face.

Oh sweet Celestia that feels amazing…. Flitter cooed quietly as she pushed her face into the scratching digits. Jacks statement went right over her head for the moment. Flitter turned her head, trying to goad his fingers into giving the rest of her head the same attention.

She’s like a giant cat. Jack sighed, before chuckling to himself. That’s.. Holy fuck, that’s goddamn adorable. AND SHE'S SO FLUFFY! FUCK! Giving up on his line of questions, Jack freed up his other hand and took over scratching between the mares ears. The reaction was… Interesting. Flitters wings splayed wide as she groaned; her eyes fluttered in their sockets. Flitter's goofy grin grew weak as she slipped into the land of blissful unconsciousness.

Slowly retracting his hands, Jack leaned over and glanced at Flitters face. Furrowing his brow in worry; he snapped his fingers close to her face. The mare didn’t stir once. Slumping his shoulders and huffing in mock annoyance, Jack carefully picked the mare up. Well, at least I’ve found the ultimate weakness for these fluffy pony critters. He smiled to himself as he set the mare down on his canvas cot. The small pony shivered as a cold breeze blew through the cave; disturbing the fire and both the inhabitants. Jack grumbled quietly to himself as he tucked his thermal sleeping bag in around her.

The breeze blew through again; raising goose bumps all over Jack's body. Great. Now I get to freeze my nuts off. Whoop de fuckin doo. He rolled his eyes, and started digging through his bag for any thermal gear that would help.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The image of Cloud Chaser and Goldie, writhing and moaning together on the couch permeated Flitter's dreams. Watching the two of them interlocked with each other made Flitter sick. The painful burning returned deep in Flitter's belly, and only grew hotter when she made eye contact with Cloud Chaser. Flitter watched as her sister rutted her hips against Goldie. Cloud Chaser smiled broadly at her. “You haven’t done anything to deserve him. You don’t deserve to live in my home. You’re worthless. Nopony will ever care about you.” Cloud Chaser looked down, and stroked the rapidly fading Goldie. She got up, and trotted over to Flitter. Running a hoof down her baby sisters muzzle, Cloud Chaser grinned like a viper. “You should kill yourself.”

Flitter clamped her eyes shut as her tears ran hot. “S-shut up!” She turned her head away from her venomous sister.

The mare drew closer, and nuzzled Flitter gently. “Why should I? I’m just saying what you’ve been thinking.” She kissed Flitter on the cheek. “Do it. It won’t hurt anymore. I promise you.” Flitter sobbed as she opened her eyes, and looked over at the knife she held in her hooves. Cloud Chaser pressed against the hilt of the blade, pushing it closer and closer to Flitters chest. No matter how hard Flitter wanted to scream, or cry, or gallop away; her body refused to listen. She was trapped, watching this monster murder her.

The walls of the dream shuddered, and a dense fog rolled over everything. Cloud Kicker hissed violently, before being blown clear across the muddy field that was rapidly expanding around Flitter. The poor mare barely had a moment to collect herself before the ground opened up, and swallowed her whole.

Jerking up with a start, Flitter gripped her blanket tightly as she cried out in terror. Her hooves shook violently as she sobbed into her blanket. After a moment, Flitter opened her eyes, and glanced cautiously around her room. Only, it wasn’t her room. It was a cave. Flitter sniffed, and wiped her eyes clean. The remains of a fire smoldered in the center of the cave, and somepony was snoring. Wiping her eyes again to try and clear out the remnants of sleep, Flitter glanced over towards the snoring. Jack was sprawled out next to the cot she had slept in, a black winter hat was pulled over his eyes, and his mouth hung open wide. Despite herself, Flitter couldn’t help but giggle weakly at the sight.

BLEEPBLEEP

The loud noise shook Jack violently into consciousness while Flitter squeaked in terror and hid under her cover as he lurched upwards and flailed his arms. “Haurk…” Peeking out from under the cover, Flitter watched as Jack stumbled around his cave for a moment, before wandering outside. Flitter gripped her cover tightly as she swung her hind legs over the edge of the cot.

“Jack?” She called out quietly. “Are you there?” Flitter stared intently at the cave entrance; the shimmering rock wall holding her attention captive. Flitter jumped despite herself when the wall seemed to part, and Jack stumbled back in. She watched as he wandered over to his pile of supplies and grabbed a bottle of water. Jack slugged back a large dose of water, before offering the bottle to Flitter. He gave it one shake, before shrugging and putting it away. Carefully climbing out of the bed, Flitter sat down on the rocks by the fire. “Are you okay?” Flitter asked quietly as Jack stared through squinted eyes.

Jack waved a hand, before flopping over onto his back. “Nueagh…” Seeing that Jack was indisposed, Flitter got up and stretched out; her wings popping quietly as she did so.

Rubbing her sore face, Flitter looked toward the rock wall that Jack had left through earlier. Approaching the shimmering wall; Flitter prodded it experimentally. The rocks felt more like a coarse fabric, and that fabric contoured to her hoof as she pushed on it. The rock wall remained the entire time.

“Flap is on the side. Close the door when you’re done.”

Flitter looked over her shoulder at Jack; who was slugging back water like noponies business. She smiled to herself, and proceeded out of the cave. The morning dawn was just cresting over the mountains, filling the sky with the vibrant colours of morning. Flitter sucked in a deep breath, and spread her wings wide. The morning air was incredibly crisp today, and it had a hint of cold bite to it. It would be an excellent day to go flying. Flitter flexed her wings, but did not take off. Biting her lip, Flitter quickly trotted off into the trees to take care of her more earthly needs.

Returning several minutes later, Flitter found herself soaring above Whitetail Woods on an excellent thermal. Her wings had been threatening to cramp up when she’d started, but they’d eventually loosened up enough for her to take to the skies. It was still very early in the morning, and Flitter hadn’t seen a single other pony up in the skies. Having filled her desire for flying, Flitter landed as close as she could to the mouth of Jacks cave, only to find the man himself outside it. Landing deftly nearby; Flitter cantered over to the tall human. Jack glanced over and waved lazily, before returning his gaze to the forest.

“So what are you going to do today?” Flitter asked as she trotted up beside Jack. He wasn’t wearing his armour, but he did have his carbine slung over his shoulder, and a funny looking hat on his head. Jack didn’t answer; simply choosing to motion for Flitter to follow as he pulled out his PDA.

“Checking my perimeter.” The device stated as they entered the clearing where Flitter had landed. Flitter opened her mouth to ask, but soon found it shut as she watched Jack pull an odd looking contraption from his pack. Flitter could only watch as Jack unpacked it. Jack slipped a strange looking pair of goggles over his eyes, before pulling on a pair of intricate looking black gloves. He gripped the contraption at its base, and hurled it into the air. To Flitters amazement, the things started buzzing and hovered in place. Jack taped his PDA several times, and waved his hands in an odd pattern. The contraption quickly buzzed off, leaving one of the pair in stunned silence.

“W-...What in Celestias name was that?” Flitter asked quietly as she looked over at Jack.

Again, he simply smiled, and motioned for Flitter to follow him. “Unmanned Aerial Drone. Gave it orders to ping my boundary markers and relay the info to my PDA. We’re walking the closest ones to do a visual.” Jack lifted himself up over a fallen tree with ease, while Flitter simply glided over it.

Flitter gazed up at the sky, hoping to spot a glimpse of the drone. “I didn’t understand any of that… But it sounds complicated.” The mare looked around the woods and stuck close to the tromping form of Jack. When he stopped without warning, Flitter nearly tripped over him. “Why did you stop?” She asked, popping her head over his shoulder as he dug around a pile of leaves and branches. She found her own question answered when he uncovered a metallic rod that was driven into the earth. Jack plugged a small wire into his PDA, then into the metal rod. Flitter didn’t even have time to question it before his PDA bleeped quietly. Jack unplugged the wire, and quickly buried the rod again.

“Post one, eight, and seven reporting green. That’s good. Means they’re doing their jobs and keep anything from getting the drop on me in the area they cover.” He pointed at his PDA and gave Flitter a thumbs up. The mare smiled happily, and followed Jack to the next few markers.

At marker five however, not everything was green across the board. As Jack crouched down by the marker rod, a lonely howl broke through the complacent silence. The howl had come from very close by.

Dropping to one knee, Jack yanked his knife from his belt, and affixed it to the front of his carbine. He started scanning the treeline with his weapon. Flitter drew in closer than normal and whispered in his ear. “That was a Timberwolf… They don’t normally come this far out of the Everfree…” She swallowed loudly as another set of howls answered.

“I don’t think they got the memo.”

Jack growled quietly to himself as he scanned the treeline with his rifle. Timber wolves… great. Hopefully they leave me alone. Last thing I need is a Gray reenactment with my ass as the main course. Jack jerked to the side as another howl sounded. Why the fuck aren’t you coming up on the thermals….

“J-Jack… I think we should go….” Flitter hovered next to Jack, her body ready to take to the skies at a moments notice. Jack didn’t budge an inch. His goggles pinged for a moment, and his rifle swung to meet the target. Flitters head snapped to the side, just in time to see the Timberwolf pouncing towards her. She didn’t have a moments notice to take off.

The Timberwolf had lined up a perfect kill; the small pony wouldn’t have stood a chance against its claws. Without warning, the wolf found its momentum turned against it when a seven inch steel blade was jammed into its chest; Jack twisted his body, using the wolfs momentum to force it over Flitter, and into a hardy oak tree. The wolf’s body shattered on impact; twigs and branches rained down around the tree.

WOODEN WOLVES!? Wait. Timberwolves. Oh. I SEE HOW IT IS. YOU PUNTASTIC FUCKS. Jack turned on his toes to raise his rifle towards the rest of the wolf pack as they all but materialized out of the thicket. The leader bayed and snarled at Jack and Flitter, but did not approach.

Flitters eye snapped back and forth between the wolves and Jack; she was unsure which would back down first. Her eyes widened as Jack stalked forward, his knife still stuck fast on the front of his weapon. Jack growled back at the wolves; his sharp teeth fully bared at them. One of the wolves pawed at the ground before it, only to have its paw blown to pieces by Jacks weaponry. He took another step forward past his boundary line.

THIS IS MY TURF, YOU PUNKS GOT THAT?

The lead wolf growled viciously, but relented. It’s packmates all retreated back into the forest, leaving their new leader to stare down the new-comer in the forest. It bared its teeth at Jack; its gaze was outmatched by the harsh glare of a gun barrel. Realizing that the battle had been lost, the wolf snarled viciously at the pair, before loping off into the forest with its pack mates in tow.

Once he was sure that the timberwolves had truly left, Jack started laughing maniacally. He pumped his fists into the air, before reaching down and picking up Flitter by her forelegs. He grinned insanely at her, before trapping her in a squeezing embrace. He only let her go to take his knife off his carbine.

“W-what the hay did you do?There was so many of them!” Flitter flapped her wings idly, before trotting over to Jack. “How did you do that?”

Jack grinned widely as he stared at the trees. “There’s a lesson in this. There is no better argument killer than superior firepower.” Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Jack walked over to the dead wolves remains and proceeded to scavenge its large claws and teeth.

Flitter shook her head in disbelief. “You… You are the strangest living thing I have ever met Jack Kessle.” Before she could continue, Flitter's stomach growled ferociously. Flitter blushed brightly, and covered her mouth in embarrassment. Jack simply grinned at her, and beckoned for her to follow.

“Come on Sparky, lets go scrounge up some grub.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Resting comfortably on Jacks cot, Flitter stared up at the shimmering camouflage canvas that was pinned above her. She cocked her head, and looked at it from a different angle as her stomach digested quietly. Jack was busy cleaning his weapons on a flat rock. Sighing, flitter rolled over onto her side. “Jack, what did you do before you came to Equestria? And can this tarp thingy change colours?”

Looking up from his duties, Jack frowned lightly. Standing up, he crossed over to the tarp, and plugged it into his PDA. The image swiftly changed to a motley cover of leaves and moss. As he sat back down at his impromptu workbench, he couldn’t escape the feeling of Flitter staring at him. Eventually, he relented. “I was a soldier. Just before I came to Equestria, I was a-” There was a pregnant pause as Jack scratched his chin in thought. “I was an indentured soldier. Before that, I was a marine. Arm-Can Federation Marines.”

Flitter sat up on the cot, intently interested in Jack now. “You were in the army?” She sputtered when Jack stuck his tongue out and gagged violently. “A-are you alright? Are you choking?”

“Hah!” Jack shook his head, and tapped out the next bit. “No. Army is a joke. The kind of guys you send to a place to warm a seat. You want something done, you send in either the Foresters, or the Marines. Foresters are about as close you can get to spec-ops with reg forces. Just so you know.”

Furrowing her brow heavily, Flitter fluttered over to Jack and socked him in the shoulder. “You take that back!” Flitter smacked him again when he laughed; all humor had bled away from the mare, and her face had gone red. Jack pulled back in surprise. He held his hands up in a placating move.

“Easy. Don’t take it personally.”

“I am taking it personally! My dad was in the army, so you take that back right now!” Flitter stomped her hoof on the rock and ignored the flare of pain. She sniffed as she glared at Jack. We regret to inform you-

Jack flicked his wrist lazily, before rubbing his face. “Okay, listen. I’m sorry. ACF army is a joke. I didn’t mean to disrespect your dad. But there are huge differences between the army and the marines.”

Flitter sniffed again, and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hoof. “Oh yeah? Like what?” She spat the sentence out indignantly. He was ambushed by- Fought valiantly- Flitter shook her head again to dispell the memories.

Sitting back against the cave wall, Jack crossed his arms. “Well, the marines are a full volunteer force. When you finish boot and get your OS, you’re fucking family. Marines NEVER, leave family behind. That’s the big fucking difference between army and the marines. No-one left behind. No matter fucking what.” Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A broken whimper escaped from his cot, where Flitter had laid back down. Letting out his breath, Jack shook his head. “Your Dad got killed, didn’t he.”

When Flitter didn’t answer, Jack hoisted himself back up to his feet and treaded over to his cot. He sat down heavily, disturbing the curled up pegasus. “G-go away… Just…” Flitter sucked in a shaky breath, but failed to hold back her wet sob. She didn’t fight back when Jack gently picked her up, and set her down on his lap. Cradling the smaller mare against his chest, he gently stroked her mane as she sobbed against him. Focus on the now Jack. Focus on the now. It’s all in the past. Focus on the now. Jack closed his eyes, and his grip tightened ever so slightly on Flitter.

I don’t want to remember… I am in the now. I will not go back. The thoughts sent a pulse of pain through his skull, along the line of his grisly scar. Jack sucked in a deep breath, and held it in.

BLEEPBLEEP

Jack forced his eyes open and glanced down at his watch. Letting out a silent breath, he gently stroke Flitter once more, before carefully setting her back down on the cot. The mare wiped her eyes and shook her head slowly. “I… I’m sorry Jack… I shouldn’t have yelled at you…” Flitter wiped her eyes again. She looked over at Jack, just as he pulled a plastic container from his pack. “W-what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer as he took out what would constitute as a half dose for each pill. Carefully setting the container back in his pack; Jack quickly swallowed each pill in familiar succession. His body shuddered violently for a moment, before returning to normal. “Taking my medication.” Jack set down his pack, and meandered back over to his cot, where he sat down next to Flitter.

“M-medication? You’re sick?” Flitter cocked her head to look up at Jack. He does look a little ill…

Jack simply smiled emotionlessly, and answered with a shrug before sitting back. “That’s what a lot of people say I am. Sick. I take the medication so that I get a little peace and quiet every so often. A little going away present from my time fighting for my country.”

Flitter rested her head on his lap as she looked up at him. “W-wanna talk about it?” Flitter tucked her legs up underneath herself. “M-my dad used to say that talking about things usually made things just a little bit better.” She managed a weak smile, one that Jack didn’t mirror.

“It’s a part of my life that I don’t want to go back to. Ever. Still do though.” Jack snorted to himself as he rested an arm on the mares back. “I got hurt, and they left me behind.”

“B-but…” Flitter scooched up a bit. “I thought you said that Marines never, ever leave anypony behind?” She furrowed her brow heavily.

“They don’t. The rest of my squad got-” Jack stopped typing, and set the PDA down on the cot. He took in a deep breath before rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fore finger and thumb. “We walked into a trap. Army patrol found a bomb. We were the only 2336’s in the area. The bomb went off while I was trying to defuse it.”

Cocking her head, Flitter sat up a bit. “I.. I’m sorry… I don’t really understand. What’s a bomb? Is it like a firecracker?” Jack wiggled his fingers and shrugged. “Kind of like a firecracker?” She managed a tiny smile when Jack moved his hands outwards to symbolize it the bomb being much larger than a firecracker. “O-okay… What happened to you?” Flitter pulled back a bit when Jack looked back over at her. It’s like he’s looking right through me… The look itself sent a shiver up Flitter's spine. To her surprise and relief, Jacks normal look returned as he leaned forward. She watched as he gripped the hem of his pant legs and pulled them up. Flitter stuffed a hoof against her mouth to try and cover her gasp. “Y-y-y...Y-your legs….” She mare shook slightly as she looked over the utilitarian metal legs, and the brutalized flesh they attached to. The prosthetic legs only stopped halfway up his thighs, where cracked and scarred flesh bulged slightly against the titanium ring. Jack quickly rolled his pant legs back down. Flitter swallowed nervously, before looking back up at jack. “W-what happened next?”

“My squad was ambushed when the bomb went off. They fought them off. My squadmates tried to get my body back, but they couldn’t. The army patrol left to get reinforcements. We got captured. Or killed.” Flitter watched as Jack rested the side of his head in the palm of his hand. “I’ll be honest. I envied the guys who died.” Jack stopped there, and gently squeezed Flitters hoof. After a moment, he looked back over at the small mare and smiled brightly. He released her hoof, and patted her head lightly. “You should probably head home sometime soon. We don’t want any search parties to come looking for you.”

Flitter nodded her head in agreeance and wiped her eyes. “Y-yeah. You’re right…” She slowly got up off the cot and out of Jack's lap. She finally managed a smile as she neared the door to the cave. Jack had gotten up and followed her.

“I’ll walk with you, if you want.” He smiled down at her, his black cap gripped in his hand.

Smiling, Flitter nodded. “I-I would like that Jack. Can I come visit you soon?”

That got a smile out of him! Flitter grinned as Jack tapped out his response. “Come and visit whenever you like, I don’t mind the company.”

The walk to the edge of the trail leading out of Whitetail woods was quiet, and uneventful. Before Flitter had even realized it, they’d reached the path to Ponyville. Flitter and Jack had said their goodbyes, as Jack didn’t want to get any closer to the town during daylight. Flitter didn’t blame him. She could see several pegasi in the air. She didn’t doubt that Whitetail Lake would be chock full of ponies. Jack took a moment to ruffle Flitters mane before turning about-face and taking off quickly back towards his territory. As Flitter watched him go, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

I don’t think that could have gone any better. Flitter began to smile even broader. This is like the start of an amazing adventure. One that great ponies will write stories about. Flitter took off towards Ponyville, her wings welcoming the warm thermals above Whitetail Woods. It wasn’t long before Flitter started to run into other pegasi. It was still very early in the morning though, so most of Ponyvilles residents were only just getting ready for their lovely day. Landing deftly on her front porch, Flitter quietly trotted into the living room of her home. Glancing around, Flitter found that she was indeed alone in the house. Cloud Chaser must still be asleep. A foul grimace crossed her features for a moment, only to be swept away. I’ll just go wake her up then.

Glancing up at the clock, Flitter couldn’t help but smile. Only seven forty eight? If Cloudy sleeps in much longer she’s going to be late. Just like the rest of that lazy weather team. The door to Cloud Chasers room swung open silently; The mare herself was splayed out on her bed in a very unappealing way. Flitter rolled her eyes, and carefully trotted forward. She could smell the remnants of her sisters betrayal the night before. The roses were still on her night stand. Flitter sneered at them, before turning her attention back to Cloud Chaser. A cruel smirk spread across her lips as she leaned over, and started resetting Cloud Chasers alarm clock. Flitter back up just enough, and waited for the time to count down.

BRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNGGGGGG

Cloud Chaser jerked violently at the sudden intrusion to her peaceful slumber; her hooves flailed wildly in an attempt to shut off the terrible ringing. Before she could though, Flitter grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “You're still in bed!? Cloudy, you’re super late!” It was at that point that Cloud Chaser started to panic in her addled state. Flitter guided her towards the door, and gave her a shove. “Go! Don’t be late!” Cloud Chaser could only nod her head before taking off. Flitter watched with smug satisfaction as Cloud Chaser flew away; looking like death warmed over. I wonder when she’ll realize that she’s early. “Hehe!” Flitter giggled to herself happily, and trotted off into the kitchen to make herself a nice, quiet breakfast.

Chapter Five: If You See Me Running

View Online

Sept 30, 2032

Okay, only a small update today; I’ve got some work to do around the FOB. I suppose I need to name my base, don’t I? I’ll come up with something eventually. Anyways, food is holding steady, but I had to throw out most of the frozen foods. Managed to eat a fair share of it, but it’s still a waste. I’m genuinely worried about my med-stack. Down to two syrettes of morphine, and maybe four to six days worth of my pill battery; that’s if I take half doses the whole time.

I’m thinking that I should ask Flitter if her people have even invented morphine. But at this point, I’ll take whatever I can get my mitts on.

Speaking of Flitter, she hasn’t been by for the past two days. Not sure If I should be worried about it or not. I hope she pops by soon, if only just so I know that she’s not dead. (Or worse.)

At any rate, that’s all I’ve got to write about for today. I’ve got a wasp nest to deal with.

Signing off, he tucked the PDA back into his pocket before stretching. Slinging a small bag over his shoulder, Jack set off into the forest; leaving his armour and exo-skeleton behind. The heavy optical camouflage tarp brush past his head and hands as he wandered outside. Sucking in a deep breath, he started slowly letting out the cool air through his nose. Adjusting the straps on his bag, Jack allowed a satisfied smile break his countenance. His features seized for a moment; a barred tooth snarl escaping his lips. Jerking his head violently, Jack rubbed his face furiously, before blinking rapidly. Uttering an uncontrolled growl, Jack swatted at the empty air. JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Setting off in an agitated jog, Jack quickly found himself disappearing into the trees.

____________________________________

“Flitter! I don’t care what you think anymore; you’re taking that job and that’s final!” Cloud Chaser roared up the stairs as Flitter treaded away from her. The already displeased Cloud Chaser screamed in outrage as Flitter slammed her door shut. The mare ascended the stairs in a fit of rage; muttering foul words under her breath.

Ignoring the furious pounding on her door, Flitter paced through her room, picking up all of her drawings of Jack within the mayhem that was her room. A flustered scowl crossed Flitters features as her sister continued to try and scream at her through the door. Cloud Chaser hadn’t given her a break since she’d returned from Jack’s early in the morning, two days ago.

“FLITTER! OPEN THIS CELESTIA DAMNED DOOR!”

Screwing her muzzle up in distress, Flitter turned hotly towards the door. “I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!” Flitter let out a shaky breath as the pounding on her door ceased. She quickly returned to gathering all of her artwork up, before quickly stuffing the pages into her designated box without any care.

“Flitter, please just open the door.” Cloud Chaser’s voice was muffled dully through the door. The mare sounded like she was still fuming heatedly, but Flitter could tell that her sister was stuffing it deep down once again.

Sighing quietly to herself, Flitter trotted back over to the door and cracked it open ever so slightly. Peeking through the crack, she could see that Cloud Chaser was still red in the face from all of her yelling. Her mane was disheveled well beyond its usual messy state, and her pupils were tiny pinpricks of rage. Cloud Chaser took the opening as an invitation; forcing her way into the room using her superior size. “Hey!” Flitter cried out as her sister forced her way in. “C-come on Cloudy! Just leave me alone!”

The mares menacing glare shut Flitter up immediately. Taking a moment to compose herself, Cloud Chaser coerced a smile out of herself -if only for a moment-. “Listen, Flitter-” Cloud Chaser trotted over to Flitters bed and sat down. “We need to talk.”

Flitter shook her head, and refused to meet her sisters gaze. “No, we don’t. I heard you the first time, and I definitely heard you yelling for the last twenty minutes.” She gestured back towards her door. “So you can just leave me alone.”

Jumping up abruptly, Cloud Chaser stormed over to Flitter. Pressing her muzzle against Flitters; Cloud Chaser’s fury filled eyes drilling into her sister's terror stricken eyes. “Just shut the fuck up Flitter. Sit down, and shut the fuck up.” Cloud Chaser jabbed violently towards Flitters bed. “NOW.” The smaller mare scrunched up her soft features before shakily sitting down on her bed. Pacing over before Flitter; Cloud Chaser shook her head in disgust. “I’ve had it with this, Flitter. You’re acting like a foal.” She glared at Flitter bitterly.

“W-what!? Cloudy-”

“Flitter, shut up!” Cloud Chaser snarled out as she paced in front of her younger sister. Flitters mouth hung agape for a short moment, before she clamped it shut. The older mare shook her head. “I’ve had it with all your crap. You’re acting like a brat!” The mare huffed angrily as she continued to pace. “You’ve had over a month to find a job, but you haven’t tried at all! What are you going to do when rent is due? Huh? Are you going to sell your silly art?” She glared down at Flitter, who wilted under the intensity of her gaze. “I had to cover your share of rent last month, and I’m not going to do it again!”

Flitters stared up at her sister in pained disbelief. “But I gave you bits! It’s not my fault mom is so greedy!” Flitter’s wings flexed anxiously as she held back tears. Without warning, Cloud Chaser’s hoof slapped across Flitters cheek, sending the smaller mare reeling in shock.

“You do NOT talk about Mom that way! She’s given us everything since Dad went and got killed!” The mare grabbed Flitter by the shoulders and pulled her back up. “Flitter, you’ve got to grow up. I’m sorry that I have to do this, but Mom told me to take care of you, no matter what. It might not feel like it right now, but I’m helping you.” Cloud Chaser placed her hoof under Flitters quivering chin and lifted it up so she could look her younger sibling in the eyes. Flitter hiccuped weakly; refusing to meet her sisters gaze. Despite this, Cloud Chaser carried onwards. “I’m doing you a favour. I went in to Founders yesterday and talked with the manager; he said he’s willing to take you on, but you need to work hard to keep this job Flitter. I know that may be hard for you, but-”

“NO!” Flitter cried out, back pedalling away from Cloud Chaser. “You can’t make me work there! The manager is- is a pig!” Flitter hiccuped again; tears streaming down her cheeks. “You can’t-”

“YES!” Cloud Chaser followed after Flitter; her cheeks flushing red again. “You will work there! I don’t care what kind of pony your manager is! YOU- ARE- GOING- TO- WORK!” Cloud Chaser punctuated every shrieked word with a forceful prod to Flitters heaving chest. The mare quickly collected herself; pulling off her smaller sibling in the process. Running a hoof through her messy mane; Cloud Chaser let out a weak sigh. Leaving the bawling Flitter on the floor, she calmly trotted out of Flitters room and quietly closed the door.

Stomping loudly down the stairs, Cloud Chaser growled in annoyance before heading into the kitchen. Pouring herself a small glass of water to ease the pain in her throat; she found she could barely hold onto the glass her hoof was shaking so badly. Setting the glass down, Cloud Chaser covered her eyes with a hoof and gently set her head down on the counter. Sucking in a cracked breath, she could only shake her head softly. If she pinned her ears hard enough against her head, she could just barely block out the sound of Flitter snivelling in her room. I better go and see if she`s alright… With a disgruntled sigh, she pushed herself up and off the counter; towards Flitters room up the stairs. As she approached Flitters door, she chewed the inside of her cheek restlessly. Cloud Chaser closed her eyes, and forced her hoof up.

“Flitter?” Pushing her way past the now open door, Cloud Chaser looked around the empty room. Uh oh…. Biting her lip nervously, Cloud Chaser trotted in cautiously. I can’t hear her… Did she leave? The mare scrunched up her features in worry as she checked the room over. Having no luck; Cloud Chaser exhaled a tired sigh as she looked over at the open window. “Damn it all Flitter.” The mare shook her head; her eyes flitting about through the chaos that was Flitter’s room. Her eyes fell on Flitters art box, which had fallen over and spilled its papered contents everywhere. Slouching somewhat, she trotted over and sat down before the art pile. Cloud Chaser reached out, and started gathering the scattered pages; she froze stiff a moment later. Her eyes were stuck with the gaze of an inked predator; whose tiny, intense eyes pinned her down. Blinking, Cloud Chaser looked away from the artwork and rubbed her eyes roughly with the back of her forehoof. The mare looked back over at the page with intense curiosity.

Carefully picking the page up, Cloud Chaser scrutinized it with more interest than she’d ever shown much of Flitters work. “A human?” She asked herself quietly; said human stared back at her. Cloud Chaser furrowed her brow heavily. This isn’t what humans look like. The humans cheek bones were too sunken and sharp, it’s entire face seemed just a bit too long. It’s forehead was quite a bit larger too. Cloud Chaser scrunched up her features tightly in confusion. It’s not like Flitter to make a mistake like that. The mare looked over the artwork, but her eyes always wandered back up to the humans eyes. They were almost half the size of a normal humans, but they held an intensity that Cloud Chaser had never seen in anything before. Somehow it felt like the human wasn’t even looking at her, but at something beyond her. The look on the humans strange face made her fur crawl anxiously. Breaking away from the humans gaze, Cloud Chaser spotted another image of the human, then another, then another. Setting the artwork down, Cloud Chaser stood up and looked over the scattered artwork as a whole. As she stood up, Cloud Chaser’s eyes went wide astonishment. “It… looks like Flitter has a new muse….” The dozens of pages spread out across the floor; the odd human at the forefront of every single scrap. Shaking her head in bewilderment, Cloud Chaser trotted out of the room, not noticing the drawing of a pretty blue-green ball as seen through a thick window, even as she stepped on it. She didn’t notice the group of floating humans in that drawing, nor did she see the title, ‘TERRA’ inked with care above the artwork. Flitters door closed with a quiet click.

__________________________________________________________________

Flitters hooves made little sound as she landed on the soggy forest floor; the only sound being the crunching of dead leaves underhoof. A weak sniffle escaped her as she slowly treaded through the quiet forest. Nobody came out to meet her as she drew closer and closer to her destination. The rockwall soon came into view, but Flitter stopped short of the hidden doorway. The mare sucked in a laboured breath as she tried to compose herself; she wiped her eyes again as she whimpered. Sighing weakly, Flitter trotted forward, and pushed the camouflage tarp out of the way with her wing. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting within the cave. Flitter sniffed loudly, catching the cave’s occupants attention. The human smiled, and lifted one of his hands out of a bucket to wave; water splashed off his waving hand as he did so.

Managing a weak smile, Flitter trotted forward, and slumped down onto a stump that sat before the crackling fire. She watched as Jack held up a single finger, before focusing again on his bucket of water. The mare scrunched up her face in pained confusion as she watched the human work at something. “W-what are you doing?” She asked, before sniffling again. Jack glanced over towards her and opened his mouth to speak, only to devolve into a coughing fit. Watching the human hack his lungs out made Flitter arch her eyebrows in concern and scooted closer to him. He held up one of his hands and waved it back and forth as he covered his mouth with the other. Flitter stared at him worriedly until his coughing slowly ceased; he gave his hands a violent shake, before drying them on his pant legs. Jack quickly typed in a message for Flitter on his PDA.

“I’ve got a teeny tiny bug problem; I’m making something to deal with it.” Jack’s smile faded swiftly as he looked over at Flitter. “You alright Sparky? You look like hell.”

The mare weakly waved a dismissive hoof as she forced a smile onto her face. “I-I’m fine. Just… had a small fight with my sister today…” Her smile wavers slightly as he stares at her; Flitter quickly averts her eyes towards the ground.

A quiet sigh escaped from Jack’s lips as he shifted his body towards Flitter. “You know, I can usually tell when someone’s lying. Trust me, you aren’t any better at hiding it than any of my sisters.” He smiled softly at Flitter. “You can tell me if you want. It’s not like I’m going to talk to anybody else any time soon.” He grinned slightly at her as a sign of good faith. When Flitter clamped her mouth shut and kept her gaze locked onto the ground, he rolled his eyes melodramatically and returned to his bucket of water. After a minute of working quietly, Jack pulled his hands out of the bucket, and brought a large tin can out with it. He grinned happily, and gave it a light toss in the air before catching it.

Looking up from her spot of ground, Flitter cocked her head in confusion. “W-what is that? It looks like a coffee can.” She said as she scooted a bit closer to get a better look at the mans creation. It was a coffee can, but it had some kind of now hard foam sealing the top of it, and a small stick of metal poking out the top.

Smiling, Jack carefully tucked it into a large pouch on his webbing. “It’s a little homemade solution. I ringed the can with RDX, filled the center with white phosphorus, and used a bit of lexfoam to seal it up.” He taps the little strip of metal. “That’s my detonator.” He grinned happily, like a foal who’d just won second place in the science fair.

Seeing Jacks jubilant smile, Flitter found herself smiling softly. “I-I don’t know what any of that means… But it sounds…” She rolled her hoof as she searched for the right word “Um… Neat?” She couldn’t help but smile a little bit more as the human chuckled; his cheeks tinging red.

“Come on, walk with me.” He slipped his PDA into a rectangular pouch on his webbing before standing up; his curious little creation in tow. Despite herself, Flitter smiled, and got up to follow Jack out of his cave and into the forest. As they passed through the hidden door, Jack turned to Flitter. He pointed at her, then mimicked as if he were talking; he then pointed at his own ears, before giving Flitter a double thumbs up. Jack promptly turned around, and started weaving his way through the forest. After a moment of thinking over what he meant by his hand gestures, Flitter grimaced as she pinned her ears against her head. She couldn’t make the words come out, which resulted in the walk being a peaceful one; The human ahead of her would occasionally toss a glance over his shoulder to check and see if she was still there.

Eventually, the words did come to Flitter; “I… I had a really bad fight with my sister today…” Flitter said as she kept her gaze locked onto the ground and Jacks tromping boots. “She-” The mares words caught in her throat for a moment. “She hit me… And… She’s forcing me to work for a… A very foul stallion.” Flitter sighed quietly, just as Jack crawled up onto a small berm and laid on his side. The man turned his head toward Flitter, and beckoned for her to join him on the berm. As she lay down next to him, Jack held out an odd cylindrical object to her, with a dull, worn red button on top of it. Out of curiosity, Flitter reached forward to touch it, only to have Jack grip her hoof and hiss quietly as he shook his head.

Going to kneeling from prone, Jack reared himself back and hurled the coffee can off into the forest. There was a dull crack as it hit something; it was swiftly accompanied by the exponential increase of incredibly pissed off buzzing. Flitter stuck her head up over the berm to see a boulder sized wasp nest several dozen meters away.

“Get your head down Sparky.” Jack said as he slid down to the bottom of the berm. Once Flitter had done so, the human grinned broadly and messed her mane with his spare hand. “You know what always makes me feel better after a shit day? Copious explosives. You can hit that button now.”

Cocking her head in confusion, Flitter looked back down to the cylinder she was holding; the red button beckoning her like a caring friend. Nervously, she lifted her other hoof up, and depressed the button.

KRA-KOOOOM

The morning sky lit up vibrantly as the fireball reached up and capped over the forest; tiny glowing shards of metal flying in every direction. Flitter gasped as the shockwave struck her in the chest; the glow of the fireball casting on her face and flaming debris rained down in every direction. Past the ringing in her ears, she could swear she could hear somepony laughing maniacally. Looking over, Flitter watched as Jack pumped his fist in the air and whooped in victory. The glow of the fireball was fading quickly; Flitter turned her head to capture its beauty as best she could. A large grin started to break through her shocked features. A joyous giggle escaped the depressed mare as she surveyed what she’d done.

The aftermath was nowhere near the beauty and majesty of the fireball she’d witnessed, but it left her in awe all the same. A welling sensation filled her breast as she stood up; Flitters smile spreading to comical lengths. Looking over at the mare, Jacks grin become one of pride.

“Nicely done Sparky. Now let’s get the fuck out of here before someone comes to investigate. Come on, chop chop.” Jack started herding the glowing mare back to his cave as the sound of angry buzzing filled the air; the wasps returning from abroad to find their home nothing but a smouldering crater of crushed hopes and dreams.

“That. Was. AWESOME!” Flitter pranced in place once the pair reached the relative safety of Jacks cave. Flitter squeed as she pranced about, her wings flared out.

Watching as the mare danced about, Jack smiled softly and shook his head as he chuckled. His fingers danced across the PDA screen for a moment. “Thanks for not blowing us up back there. I’m glad I don’t have to pull phosphorus from either of us.” He grinned at her. “So, feeling a bit better?” He ventured.

The mare looked over at him and blushed lightly; her wings deflating slightly. She nodded sheepishly before taking a seat by the fire. “Y-yeah. I am.” She smiled honestly to the man across from her, but quickly averted her attentions to the crackling fire; her smile slowly fading. “I’m… Still kind of scared to go back to Ponyville. I mean, after my sister… And now I’m working for Gaze…” She trailed off on a harsh note; her eyes flicked up to Jack for support.

Scratching at his beard, Jack leaned forward and prodded the fire with a stick. After a moment, he tapped up a response for the timidly waiting mare. “I think you should do the work.” Flitter let out a choked response, but was cut off when Jack held up a single finger. “But you shouldn’t take any guff. Something my Dad told me and my siblings a long time ago, is that you should always be willing to stand up for yourself and others, but know when to do it.” Jack repositioned so he was looking directly at Flitter. “You should take the work, because having money is good. However, if this Gaze pony gives you shit, you break his ass in half.”

The words of bravado earned a mirthful giggle from Flitter as she slumped. “I wish I could do that…” She trailed off before poking the fire.

“Why can’t you?”

Flitter blinked, and turned her head to regard the human, who simply stared at her and made a light ‘Well?’ gesture with his hands. Flitter sputtered lightly as she stared at him. “W-well… I’m small, and weak. Everypony can push me around. I’m not tough, like my sister.” She grumbled the last part.

Jack sat back a bit and started chewing the inside of his cheek. “Is that it? You don’t think that you can be tough enough? Listen, plenty of-”

The mare suddenly seemed to become much more animated as she bolted up, as if struck by revelation. She closed on Jack quickly, her eyes wide. “C-could you make me tough?” She asked desperately.

“Uh… I probably could, but-”

“Pleeeeaaase?” Flitter sniffled a bit, and batted her eyelashes several times. It looked as if tears were beginning to well up in her eyes; just waiting for the opportune moment to strike. “I… I just wanna be more like my daddy wanted me to be. I’m tired of everypony pushing me around. I wanna be like you.” She stated finally. Jack reached up and scratched at the scruff that was slowly growing in on his face; his eyes regarding Flitter critically. The mare squirmed under his scrutiny, but otherwise stayed still and quiet. After what seemed like eternity, Jack leaned back and smiled toothily.

“I think we can make it work.”

Chapter Six: Smoke Banshee

View Online

Oct 7, 2032

Staring at the empty journal entry, Jack found himself at a loss for what to put down. His eyes flicked over to his disorganised hovel, and the empty pill bottles that lay scattered around like cheap confetti. His lower jaw twitched as he thought; his eyes unfocused and his fingers moved about at their own volition. With a start, he shuddered, and everything seemed to refocus in a snap. Standing up with sudden purpose, Jack emptied out his rucksack and grabbed his limp exoskeleton by the metal D-ring. Pulling the construct over his body like a heavy trench jacket, Jack grit his teeth in anticipation.

The exoskeleton whirred quietly, it’s probes connecting with the plugs running across Jacks body. He winced at the pain of the skeletons anchors shooting into his body; pulling it in tight against his exposed flesh along the inset titanium anchor points buried within his muscle and bone. The sharp bite of agony vanished when the plug behind his head made contact with his brain. An insuppressible tremor ran through his body, causing his exoskeleton to clatter and flex in response. Setting his jaw tightly, Jack flexed and stretched; the skeleton mirrored every movement perfectly, working as an exact extension of his body. A quiet sigh escaped Jack as he sat back down on his cot; his exoskeleton clicking almost inaudibly.

Cocking his head to check the entrance to his home; Jack saved his empty journal update and locked his PDA. As he stood up, a slight breeze made it through the tarpaulin and sent a shiver through his body. Jack shook his head as he pulled on some of his warmer gear and started setting up for his night run. Checking the charge level on his night vision goggles; Jack’s features split with a slight grin. Maybe I should go pay Flitter a visit at her work instead of waiting. A quiet chuckle escaped him as he stuck his knife in it’s sheath. Yeah. That’d go over great. Might break her managers face while I’m there, and get some wings to go. Hah.

With an enthused laugh, Jack stood up and adjusted his nearly empty pack; his small smile remained on his face as he pulled his ad-hoc cloth balaclava over it. Silently slipping out into the night; The human was unaware that he was in fact being watched as he passed his boundary stakes, and moved towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Jacks legs propelled him across the distance between the forest and the town at a prodigious rate; an enthused cackle escaped the human as he ran as fast as he could bear. The wind ripped past him, tousling the stubbly ends of his hair and ripping tears from his eyes. He was quickly forced to cut his speed, and favour a slower approach, one that wouldn’t get him noticed. Little did he know, he had already been noticed.

__________________________________________________________________________

Flitter glanced up at the bulky wall mounted clock as the clunky steam cleaning machine ran through the most recent wave of dishes the mare had just sent through. Steam washed over Flitter, matting her fur and causing her mane to cling to her head like a damp mop. Brushing her damp mane out of her eyes, Flitter sighed quietly and rested against her work station. After a moment, Flitter stood straight, and poked her head out again. A small smile spread across her features as she looked up at the clock. Before she could get too preoccupied with anything, the machine behind Flitter ‘dinged’, forcing her to go to the other end and open it up. Steam poured out excessively, bathing the poor mare from head to chest as she pulled out the steaming hot rack of dishes. She winced as she put them away; her shift slowly ticking away in tandem with business hours. After what felt like eons, Flitter pulled off her apron and let it hang on its set hook. Turning to the cook, who was busy cleaning; she waved idly. “Bye Custer, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The cook offered the smallest of nods to the mare before going back to scrapping the flattop clean; obviously not caring as Flitter exited the restaurant through the back door. Once outside, Flitter reveled in the cool fall air, as it was a lovely far cry from the sweatshop that was the dish-pit of that wretched establishment. Subconsciously, Flitter realized that the new, heavy metal door hadn’t closed behind her. Just as she started turning to check it, somepony cleared their throat. Flitter glanced over her shoulder, only to find her manager standing at the door with a barely hidden leering smirk.

“Evening Flitter. Leaving us already?” He asked; his voice like slimy silk. To some unsuspecting mare, he would sound like quite the gentlestallion. Flitter knew he was anything but.

Nodding, Flitter turned her flank away from him as swiftly as she could. “Yep, just finished up my shift.” She tried to suppress the urge to fidget.

The stallion smiled. “Well, I have an offer for you Flitter.” Her ears pricked up slightly, and Flitter found herself nodding slowly. Gaze smiled at her again before continuing. “I was hoping that you would join me for some wine; once I lock up of course.” He propped up an award winning smirk.

Flitter failed to hide her cringe; thankfully it was quite dark out already, so Gaze hadn’t caught it. “I… I would love to, but I promised my friend that I’d meet him after I finished work.”

Gaze dropped the smile in favour of a displeased frown. “Oh? And what about your coltfriend? Goldie was it? Meeting somepony behind his back?”

But it’s perfectly fine so long as I’m meeting you. Flitter thought bitterly as her wings fidgeted. “No, Gaze. I’m just meeting a friend. And I really shouldn’t keep him waiting. He’s a little… Flighty.”

“Right.” Gaze looked over his shoulder, before looking at Flitter again. He cocked his head in such a way that Flitter knew what he was going to do before the words even started to leave his lips. “Listen Flitter, I know that you’re off shift, but I couldn’t help but notice that you forgot to mop the floors. Again.” Gaze set his jaw as he stared at her expectantly.

Fighting the urge to flip him off with both wings and take to the skies, Flitter grit her teeth before speaking. “We both know that I mopped the dish-pit. The front is Jewels job.”

“And Jewel has already left for the night. You however, have not.” He smiled again, but there was no charm in this one. “But, if you really don’t want to, I’m sure I can find somepony else who will clean dishes and mop the floors properly when told to.” He turned, and trotted back to his office.

Flitter had to bite her tongue to stop herself from screaming in frustration. She trotted back into the kitchen, and began filling up a mop bucket. slapping the mop against the grubby floors did little to abate her anger. With some small spots left completely untouched, Flitter managed to slip out the back door twenty minutes after her shift had ended. I’m soooo late… Jack might not even be there! The thought caused an uneasy stirring in Flitters stomach as she flew to the park.

Landing on the soft green grass some few minutes later, Flitter glanced around furtively. The park was almost completely blacked out, save for a few stray lampposts that followed the main trail. To her chagrin, the park was much more populated than she had hoped. Cloud Chasers boss was napping in a tree -Flitter hoped the prismatic mare was unconscious- and a couple ponies moved too and fro through the dark park. The knot in Flitters stomach tightened further as she moved towards an empty bench near a large collection of bushes. Just before she could reach said bench, she noticed Miss Oakenbaulm out, walking her human as usual. The old mare stopped by the bench, and waited patiently as her female human wandered about, sniffing lazily. She suddenly seemed to become incredibly interested in the collection of bushes, going as far to start pulling the withered old mare along so she could simply get better access at what was inside. Miss Oakenbaulm snapped quietly, and yarded on the leash. The human female yelped, and fell back in step with the old mare, only to stop and relieve herself on the bench Flitter was aiming for.

Sighing to herself, Flitter picked up her pace as soon as Oakenbaulm had moved on. As she approached, the bushes shook, and a tall human stood from them, gesturing rudely and wildly at the mare and human. Flitter giggled quietly as she watched Jack; waiting for him to come to his senses.

Shaking his head, Jack pulled his PDA from his clothing, and tapped at it as Flitter closed the distance. /What the flying fuck was that./ The voice asked, lacking much of the emotion Flitter assumed Jack would have prefered to use for that statement.

Flitter giggled again, her stress slowly dissipating. “What’s a flying f… Fudge?” She asked with a half cocked smirk as Jack pulled himself from the grabby bush branches.

/That, apparently./ He answered, adding in a huff of disbelief. /She was like a dog or something./ Jack made a face, before shaking his head. He beckoned for Flitter to follow along behind him.

“Jack, that was a normal human.” Flitter answered as she flapped her wings to catch up with the humans long strides. “Haven’t you seen one before? They all act like that. Well, kind of.” She looked up at him, smiling. Her smile faded slightly, seeing his dark expression and fidgeting fingers. He had a small weapon clutched in one of his hands; it was like the bigger ‘laser’ ray gun that he had shown her several days ago, but much more compact. Flitter frowned. “Why did you bring a ray gun with you?” Jack glanced over at her and scrunched up his face and starting to tap something, before a stallions voice caught them both off guard.

“Flitter! Hey, Flitter! Wait up!”

Barely managing to smother an exasperated groan; Flitter looked up at Jack. The human had tensed; just standing next to Jack as he coiled up like a spring caused the fur on Flitters neck to raise in an attempt to give her flight or flight instinct a kick. Swallowing, Flitter smiled weakly at Jack. “Act natural, and let me do the talking.” She said in a low voice as the pegasus stallion landed by them. Flitter forced a fake smile and moved forward to hug her colt-friend. “Goldie!” She exclaimed as she embraced the cheating stallion.

Goldie grinned happily as he embraced Flitter; one of his wings draping over her back as they broke off. “I’ve been looking all over for you! It’s almost like you’ve been avoiding me all week or something.” He smiled happily, before blowing a golden lock out of his eyes. Said eyes drifted to the rather imposing human standing next to Flitter. “What’s with the mean human?” He asked quizzically.

Maintaining her fake smile, Flitter found herself relieved seeing that Jack had slumped, and taken on a dazed look. If it weren’t for his unnatural bulk and the rather intricate clothes, he could have passed for an Equestrian human. “Who? Jack? I’m looking after him. For a friend.” She batted Goldies side rather roughly with a wing. “And I wasn’t avoiding you! I was just super busy with work and trying to work around Jack.”

“Is he safe?” The stallion asked as he moved a little closer, inspecting the so called ‘Jack’. “What a weird name for a human. Jack. It’s almost like half a name.” As Goldie reached out to touch Jack, the human turned his head and stared directly at Goldie with heated malevolence. Goldie immediately drew back, looking startled and worried. “Did you see that?”

Flitter sighed quietly. “He’s a pit human, my friend bought him from some griffons during her last trip north. Jack is actually very pleasant.” Flitter trotted over to his side and nuzzled the human. “He’s a big softyyyy. Aren’t you Jack? Yes you are!” Jack grumbled quietly in response, and scratched behind Flitters ears.

His worries somewhat abated, Goldie approached Flitter again. “If you say so Flitty.” He smiled at her, before rubbing her side. “Are you busy right now? Want to go somewhere?”

Flitter tore her attention from Jack to give Goldie a knowing look. “It’s almost eleven Goldie. Somewhere is closed. Are you just trying to ask me if I want to go home with you?” She smiled again, and almost meant it.

“No! No, well… Yes.” Goldie nodded in defeat. “I haven’t seen you in days; is it wrong to want to spend time with my lovely marefriend?” He smooched her cheek, before letting his eyes flit nervously to the almost impossibly tall human. Had Flitter said that he was a pit fighter? Goldie swallowed. Pit Fighters were killers, especially if they were still alive.

Running a hoof through her bangs, Flitter couldn’t help but sigh. “I really wish I could, but Jack needs to go for a run, and I need to clean up-” Flitter wracked her brain for a name she could get away with using that she wouldn’t be called on. “-Blossomforth’s. Since Mister Gaze has me working so late, I don’t get to do any of the house sitting that I’d promised to do for her while she’s out of town. Sorry Goldie.” She frowned sadly.

“Oh? How long would that all take? The walk I mean? Maybe we could-” The stallion smiled coyly. “-Maybe I could help you with the cleaning.” He nibbled Flitters ear, making her gasp quietly. “I would love to spend some time with you. Give anything in the whole wide world for a few minutes” The human shifted, his movements holding a strange feeling to them; it set Goldie on edge whenever he did so much as look at ‘Jack’.

Flitter could feel her blush burning brightly at her cheeks, and all forethoughts and plans went out the window. “O-oh.. W-well… Um…” She pawed the ground as her wings fluttered “I-I don’t really know how long Jack’s run will take, a-and-”

“And?” Goldie asked as he kissed the point where her jaw met her soft neck.

The only sound Flitter could make was a flustered squeak; her wings fidgeting uncomfortably against her sides. “W-well.. B-blossomforth d-didn’t…” She melted a little as Goldie nuzzles her again; he was making his cute little face again. Flitter couldn’t resist the cute little face. “I… I suppose I could-” Flitter stopped as Jack’s head snapped to the side, his eyes locked onto the treeline. His visible hand fidgeted oddly; tapping rhythmically at his side. Flitter bit her lip as she thought. I’m supposed to be angry with Goldie, not going on a date with him! OHHhh… He’s the nicest stallion I know though…. I-It might have just been a one time thing… yeah… Cloud Chaser must have… Wooed him… Because she’s pretty, and she ‘knows’ stallions…. But Jack… Flitter looked up at Jack, who seemed mildly distressed as his eyes roved the landscape. He didn’t do so much as glance back at the two. Flitter swallowed. “I-I suppose we could just bring him back to Blossomforths and get him in her yard…”

Goldie kissed Flitters jaw again as he smiled. “Sounds like a plan Flitty.” He motioned towards the entrance of the park, the one that led back to Ponyville. Flitter nodded dumbly, and followed beside Goldie. Just as they started moving, Flitter made a loud click with her tongue. Jack was pulled from his thoughts, and back into the moment. He started following beside Flitter and her colfriend, albeit with confusion as to what exactly they were doing. As they walked, Jack lightly swatted Flitters tail as it swished back and forth in front of him, before picking up the pace to be beside the mare. He looked down at her, waiting for her to look at him and give him an explanation.

Flitter felt a hot blush spread across her muzzle, and so she ignored whatever it was that had moved her tail, and focused on getting to the right house. The mare finally breathed a sigh of relief as they reached Blossomforth’s dark home. Flitter led Goldie and Jack around the side, and opened up the gate. She motioned for Jack to enter. He simply stared at her, then at the gate.

What the fuck is she doing… Maybe… I don’t fucking know. She better not be leaving me here. Jack frowned as Flitter motioned again, and the gold maned pegasus eyed him nervously. You want a piece of me boy? Jack suppressed the urge to snarl at Goldie.

“He doesn’t seem to follow directions very well, and-” Goldie stopped, and looked around the dark yard. “It doesn’t look like Blossomforth has a human house. Does he sleep on her porch or something?” Goldie clicked his tongue as he looked over Jack.

“Hmm? O-oh. Yeah, Blossomforth doesn’t have a house for him yet.” Flitter shuffled nervously, and gestured a little bit more aggressively for Jack to enter the yard. Jack frowned heavily, and finally complied. As he entered, he kept his eyes locked onto Flitters; silently asking ‘What are you doing?’

Flitter mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ and turned away. She started trotting away, with Goldie at her side and an incredulous Jack behind her. As the pair trotted just beyond the home and out onto the street, Goldie popped his question.

“Have you thought of renting him out while Blossomforth is out of town?”

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Jack was fuming mad.

To be truthful, Jack wasn’t just mad. There were many thoughts and emotions rattling around in his mind. Anger was simply the loudest as he trudged through the dark fields towards the forest. He growled angrily, and kicked a small rock with aggressive force. He didn’t watch as the stone sailed off and rang off a small cottage’s thatched roof.

That traitorous BITCH! He growled; his right arm vibrating in its socket. I was stood up for a BOOTY CALL! His arm bounced off his side, and he was finally forced to grasp his hand tightly to hold it still. A burning sensation coursed through his bicep and across his right shoulder. Jack grit his teeth, and did his best to ignore the sensation.

As he stomped along, something black and shapeless flitted across the edge of his vision. Jack stopped dead in his tracks, and drew his sabot pistol. He started scanning the area slowly, trying to spot whatever was hiding in the dark. The spot snapped past again, only closer. Jack tensed, feeling something cold and sharp dig into his shoulders. -jack-

The voice was feminine and keen-edged; sending a bolt of terror shooting up his spine and into his brain. He knew that voice, and yet, he didn’t. Whirling around, Jack fired wildly. -KRAKOOM- The super-heated steel spike hurtled out of the pistols muzzle; snapping through the air, and only the air. Breathing heavily, Jack backed up along the field; he paid no attention to the light coming to life in the cottage and in the village. The fingers of fear slid up his spine and laid down on his head and shoulders like a shawl. Jack coughed roughly as a course curse tried to force it’s way through whatever was blocking his speech. His feet maintained their heading; though, when he saw nothing but life awakening in the cottage, he turned tail and bolted along the trail. His enhanced limbs pumped to their fullest as adrenaline pumped through his veins, and the air rushed past his face. Jacks boots dug deep into the frozen earth, churning up tracks in his wake as he ran pell-mell into Whitetail Woods.

Barreling into his cave, Jack forced his ad-hoc wooden palisade against the entrance before bracing it with a large log. To ensure that it was in and solid, Jack slammed his shoulder into it, sending it deeper into the palisade and the earth; it sent a bolt of swiftly ignored pain in return. Stepping back and looking around feverishly, Jack found himself at a loss for what to do. He had to do something though. His eyes darted to his armour, and a crazed grin split across his features. He practically threw himself into it, setting the heavy metal coffin into its emergency state. The frontal plates and clamps slammed home and locked in place as his read-outs and HUD came online. A quick jerk of his head saw that his radar was completely empty, save for his own blue dot; it sat quietly and calmly in the center of the circle.

Now having his rifle propped against his shoulder, a rock wall at his back, and thick infantry armour draped over him, Jack found the niggling feeling of pain worming its way back into his skull; the fear slowly edging it’s way out in tandem. To keep his arm from jerking and shaking, he pinned it against a rocky outcrop. His rifle muzzle tracked across the blocked exit, waiting for a target that wouldn’t show. He checked his local map again and mentally cursed.

There was absolutely nothing.

Not a single thing.

What the fucking fuck was that!? He thought with worry, before slumping against the wall. I’m… I’m losing my mind… Oh, God help me… Jack pulled his helmet free, and switched the armour on to ‘safe’ mode. He rubbed the tweaked bridge of his nose roughly, but with enough caution to not crush it between his armoured fingers. Without further fretting, he reached over, and yanked a random bottle of alcohol from his stash. The top came off without any effort, and the muzzle of the bottle found itself turned upside down within moments. Jack chugged the hard alcohol, before pulling the bottle away from his lips to cough and hack. He bared his teeth in disgruntlement; the look swiftly turned into a hate filled sneer.

“RAAAAHHH!!!” Jack roared in frustration and hurled the bottle against his palisade, causing it to shatter into a million shining shards and to scatter across the earth and rock floor. He curled up against the wall, and rested his armoured arms across his raised knees. Six fraggin years out of the Corps…...Сукин сын… Sorry Mum. Jack rubbed his face and sighed quietly, before grabbing another bottle. He worked this one a little bit slower than the first. Semper-fucking-fi.

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“Wake up! For God’s sake! You’re a mess Jack! Look at you!” Guy Kessle bellowed as Jack rubbed the remains of sleep from the corners of his eyes. Guy threw open the shades, and let the blazing prairie sun in.

“Fuck’s sake Dad!” Jack tried feebly to shield his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. Everything was fuzzy. Everything hurt. His chest ached badly, and his thighs itched like mad where the metal met inflamed flesh. “Just give me a minute to wake up before you blow up on me!”

“It’s two in the afternoon!” Guy ground his teeth together, before lowering his voice. His worry became apparent immediately. “Jack, please. Just… Listen for a moment. I’m sorry I blew up on you. It just kills me to see you like this! You’re living like an animal! A drunk! You’re a Marine for God’s sake!” Guy placed his well worn hands on Jacks shoulders, causing the younger man to slump them in shame.

“Dad… I’m sorry… I just… I just can’t. I can’t do anything anymore… I can’t think straight when I’m on these… These FUCKING PILLS!” Jack grabbed the orange pharmacy container and whipped it across the room that he’d spent his childhood in. “Everything hurts! All the time! I can’t think, I can’t breath, I can’t feel my fucking legs!” Jack wailed in anger and frustration.

The dream-memory twisted, imperceivably to Jack. Somebody tried to open a very small door, in the very back of the dream, but found that they couldn’t.

“Jack.” Guy said with strength as he stood, his face altering ever so slightly. “You’re a filthy disgrace to the Corps. Look at you. Half a man with no legs.” The DI that had made Jack’s life hell in boot camp was snarling in his face, but only for a moment. It was replaced with another; this one far more painful. Jack recoiled at what was happening before him.

“It’s not working Jack. I left you for Paul.” Ellissa stared into Jacks wavering eyes with her steady emerald eyes. “I’m not sorry. You should have seen this coming. I mean come on! Look at you! You were never anything more than a passing fling!”

Jack roared in anger, taking a swing at his ex-fiance’s smug face. He wanted to see it shatter into a million pieces. The dream warped, shifting invisibly. The door bowed as great force was pressed against it from outside.

Ellissa laughed as Jack’s fist passed straight through her. She lashed out, and struck him across the chest; Jack suddenly felt himself flying through the air as all the air in his lungs left him. He hit the ground gracelessly, and swiftly found he couldn’t stand to meet the threat. Heat blasted sand surrounded him; blood and debris littered the area liberally. Jack blinked in shock, before shakily looking down at his legs, or where they should have been, in place of blackened bloody stumps..

He loosed a blood curdling scream just as the tiny door was blown off it’s hinges.

”ENOUGH!”

Chapter Six Point Five: Banshee's Wake

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The morning sun shone through the wide open window in Goldie's cloud-home, casting a pleasant shade of orange over everything. Unfortunately for one individual, the sun was shining directly in her eyes, and she was currently pinned under her coltfriend's wing. Meaning, she couldn't do anything. Flitter mashed her eyelids together in the vain hope that her retinas could stop being fried for a single second. When that failed, she buried her face into Goldie's feathers. The stallion stirred; a quiet mumble of something incoherent and pointless spilled from his muzzle. After a long moment, he managed to slur a ‘Good Morning’, and nuzzle Flitter's neck.

“Morning.” Flitter said weakly as she shifted about to remove the sun from her face. As she moved, Flitter winced in pain. Last nights session had been… Rough. Sighing quietly, Flitter fluttered her wings; batting Goldie's aside as she did so.

As Flitter stood and stretched, Goldie sat up in bed. “So, what do you have planned for the day?” He asked as he wiped sleep from his eyes. Goldie stretched his wings, before fluttering them daintily.

“Oh you know, stuff.” Flitter answered plainly as she stumbled into the en-suite bathroom. Goldie started preening himself idly as he waited for the mare to finish up. Within a minute, he heard a sharp shriek of pain.

“What the buck did you do to my mane last night!?” Flitter exclaimed angrily from the bathroom. Goldie cackled in response, and received a flying manebrush upside the head, courtesy of Flitter. The mare glared at him half-heartedly, before shaking her head. “Butthead.” As Flitter turned back towards the bathroom, her flanks were grabbed from behind, and she swiftly found herself being pulled backwards to the bed. Flitter managed a surprised yelp, before being smothered in coltfriend.

____________________________________________________________________

About an hour later, and with much prodding from Flitter, the pair found themselves outside and trotting down Main Street. To their surprise, there seemed to be a large gathering of animals in front of the library. The ever recognizable Twilight Sparkle seemed to be speaking to a thoroughly rattled Fluttershy. Flitter perked an ear. If anything ever interesting or dangerous happened around town, the Elements were Always involved.

“I wonder what emergency it is this time. Maybe she ran out of bird feed.” Goldie chuckled quickly at his own joke, before looking at Flitter. He arched an eyebrow at the mare at his side with curiosity. “What’s up with you?”

Flitter shushed him immediately, and resumed listening in on the conversation. She didn’t enjoy eavesdropping, but something the cowardly pegasus had said had caught her attention.

“I’m sure of it Twilight, it looked exactly like a human. Twilight… Have you ever thought that maybe there’s more of them out there? Like M-”

Twilight immediately shushed Fluttershy as her eyes flitted about nervously. Flitter hid her expression of interest with the look of a kicked puppy.

It sounds like Jack might have gotten into trouble last night… I definitely need to see him, and soon. Flitter winced at the thought of confronting a possibly aggravated Jack. She knew he was capable of violence, and she had no idea where his boundaries lay. He wouldn’t hurt me, would he? We’re… Friends? As Flitter thought to herself quietly, she was suddenly jarred from her line of thought as Goldie batted her side.

“Equis to Sky-cadet.” He grinned at her. "I said, You want to grab breakfast?” He asked as he smiled faintly. He gestured towards one of Ponyvilles dining establishments with a wing. It was one that Flitter had eaten at before, but hadn’t enjoyed.

Flitter was about to nod yes despite herself, before she caught Fluttershy raising her voice above a whisper. “B-but there was an explosion… All the animals are scared, and I can’t make the poor dears stay without me there when they’re like that..”

Immediately thinking of Jack, and the worst possible situation he could have run into walking home in the dark; Flitter shook her head no. “I have to do my run. Maybe I’ll catch up with you later?” She offered as a consolation prize.

Goldie made a face that said he was both skeptical, and entertained by the mere idea of what Flitter had said. “Run? You don’t run Flitty. You fuzzy little jokester.” He grinned, before draping a wing over her side in an attempt to lead her to the restaurant. “Come on, I’ll buy.”

To his infinite surprise, Flitter shook her head, and broke off from his side. “Sorry, but I’ve got to go.” She smiled softly at him, before pecking his cheek. “Rain-cheque?”

Sighing quietly; Goldie nodded confirmation, before pecking Flitters lips with his own. “Rain-cheque. But you owe me for this. Standing me up like that. Hump and Run.” He pouted cutely at Flitter, before blowing a lock of golden mane from his eyes..

Suppressing her giggle, Flitter waved good-bye to Goldie. “I promise I’ll make it up to you!” She flapped her wings hard, and took off towards Whitetail Woods. Once she was outside the villages limits, Flitter allowed her intense worry to finally show through.

________________________________________________________

Landing just shy of the entrance to Jacks ‘FOB’ -As he’d called it-, Flitter went to trot through the camouflage tarp- And promptly ran muzzle first into what felt like a wooden wall. Scrunching her face up in surprise and pain; Flitter regarded the shimmering tarp before her. She cautiously brushed it aside with a hoof, and found that there was indeed a wooden wall blocking her path. Flitter pouted slightly, before searching for a way around it.

Several minutes later of searching and fretting, Flitter finally managed to find a relatively loose point in the wall. Pressing against it with all of her might, Flitter found herself sliding down it and into the frozen dirt. A disgruntled growl escaped the flustered mare, who got back up, and tried again. This time, the point shifted, ever so slightly. When the point shifted, it opened up a small spot where Flitter was sure she could slip through if she sucked in her pudge. Sticking her head in through the hole, Flitter realized that she couldn’t see anything in the pitch-black cave. Biting her cheek nervously with trepidation to the unknown; Flitter flapped her wings, and forced herself through the small opening.

Flitter landed on her flank, and immediately regretted it as a shard of glass dug into her soft flesh. A pained squeal escaped her as she hopped up- And promptly stepped on another piece of glass. “Gaaaah!” Flitter cried out in pain, before flapping her wings rapidly to take her off the glass covered ground. Flitter hovered forward until she could no longer see any more pieces reflecting the light from outside. Landing carefully, Flitter lifted her hoof and gingerly removed the small hunk of glass from the center of her hoof with her teeth. Just as she pulled the bit from her hoof, something large and metallic moved, catching the intruding rays. The mare’s eyes went wide, and she froze in place. The only sound that was made was the bloody bit of glass falling from her lips.

“Jack?” Flitter asked cautiously, only to receive no answer. “Hello?” Edging forward discreetly until she was in front of Jacks armoured form; Flitter scrunched her muzzle again. “you smell like a brewery…” She muttered toward the clearly snoozing human, who had several empty bottles littering the ground around him. Jack moved slightly, his right arm shaking strangely; like it had a mind of its own.

“Iz-fuh…”

The mares eyebrows shot up into her fringe as Jack muttered something completely incoherent in his sleep. His voice was softer than the electronic voice that Flitter had come to assume as his own voice. Currently Jack was making random-esque noises, in place of words. His face twitched, and he seemed to be scowling. Flitter smiled weakly as she trotted closer to Jack. “Jack? Wakey wakey.” She was about to poke his face, but the human jerked violently; his facial and neck muscles vibrating and twitching erratically.

“nuh…”

Flitter furrowed her brow in worry as Jack started breathing heavily. “Jack?”

Before Flitter could press any further, Jack’s eyes shot open as if on springs. Jack spasmed upward, and loosed a scream of terror and pain that froze Flitter’s blood in her veins. Lunging forward, Flitter barely managed to avoid being crushed as the armoured Jack sprang to his feet. He stumbled around in a violent haze, before lurching. He stumbled quickly to the entrance, and door-kicked the wall out of its place. The entire construct blew outwards, and Jack followed behind it swiftly. He didn’t make it far, and Flitter was right behind him.

Hitting a tree shoulder first mid-stumble saw the old oak groan and shake; it then saw Jack fall to his knees to dry heave. When nothing came out, He rolled, and fell onto his armoured ass. Alighting near his feet, Flitter watched on in silent horror as Jack stifled a long, pained yell with his hands. His armoured fingers raked across his face as he shook.

“J-jack? A-are you alright?” Flitter moved up to the near-catatonic human as he pressed the palms of his hands against his face. “Jack?” She asked again, her voice cracking in fear.

Jack?

The mare’s voice echoed through his skull; a second rode it in like a stow-away. Jack grit his teeth painfully, and lunged at Elissa’s voice. Grasping her by both sides of the head, Jack glared down at the fiery redhead with all the hatred and pain that had swam up at the sound of her voice.

I’LL CRUSH YOUR SKULL, YOU JODIE-FUCKING WHORE!!!

Jacks fingers dug in, but something in him held back. It demanded that he relent, and it demanded loudly. It was like somebody stronger than he was was holding his hands where they were, all while screaming white-noise in his ears.

Jack! P-please! It’s me! The scared voice cut through the static, the hatred, and the pain. .

For a small moment, Jack didn’t see his ex-fiance in his hands. Instead, all he saw a small, terrified little girl, begging for her life. He was going to kill her. Could have. Should have. Hot shame flooded Jacks mind, and he immediately loosened his grip and pulled the small mare against his armoured breastplate.

Flitter sucked in a ragged breath as Jack recognised her and released his death-grip on her skull. Sucking back a sob of pain, Flitter suddenly found herself in a tight hug. Closing her eyes, Flitter wrapped her hooves around the shaking figure without a single word. Jack took in a shaky breath as he petted the mares mane and back in a weak attempt to calm both Flitter, and himself.

After several minutes of the pair sitting there, Flitter weakly nuzzled against the humans chin. “Y-you can let go now…” Jack complied without hesitation; his hands falling limp to his sides. When Flitter looked up at him, she found he couldn’t meet her gaze. I didn’t think a human could look so sad… Flitter wiped her eyes, before looking back up at Jack. His visage was twisted with sorrow and regret. His eyes wavered, and he didn’t seem to be quiet there. “Jack.” Flitter said with a sturdy voice. “I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me.” She said, a weak smile spreading across her muzzle.

Finally, Jack turned his head and looked straight at the small mare. He returned the weak smile, before rubbing his face. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed to relax a bit more. A quiet sigh escaped him; his mouth opened again as he looked down at Flitter. “-!” His eyes went wide again; he turned his head to the side just as he started to cough and hack. His armoured hand went to his throat; it rubbed away ineffectively, resulting in a disgruntled roll of Jacks eyes.

Smiling weakly, Flitter stood up and got off of his lap. “I-it’s okay… I think I know what you wanted to say.” She offered a hoof to the human. There was no possible way for her to pull him up as he was, but the gesture carried its own weight and message. Jack smirked apologetically as he took the offered hoof and pushed up. He staggered up to his feet, and barely managed to keep from falling over as all the blood flooded from his brain to his thighs. Jack shook his head, before working a thumb into his temple. His eyes wandered over to Flitter, and were followed by a light smile. He beckoned for her to follow.

Jacks cybernetic feet crushed the glass underfoot as he trodded into his home. As the broken glass cracked and snapped loudly, he looked down and lifted an armoured boot. He made a face, and started to brush the sharp mess to the side of the tunnel with his foot.

“So… What was that all about?” Flitter asked quietly as she hovered across the entrance’s floor. Her hoof ached painfully at the mere thought of additional shards that were most definitely scattered around the cave. Her head still pounded painfully, but it had thankfully died down to a dull ache. Flitter landed by the fire, just as Jack was pulling up his PDA and rubbing sleep from his eyes. To her surprise, Jack didn’t answer right away. His right hand flexed and moved about as he seemed to stare off into nothingness. Flitter furrowed her brow in concern. “Is it because I… you know…” She pawed the ground as her shame caught up with her. This might be all my fault…

“I had a bad dream.”

The answer caught Flitter both off guard, and completely by surprise. She stared at Jack for a long moment, before scooting slightly closer. “S-so you didn’t do… All of that, because of me?”

“Oh, I’m still really mad at you, but I think we’re almost even after all of that.” He grinned at her, his usual personality finally showing through.

Flitter pouted as she sat down on the little pillow that she’d brought into the cave several days ago; despite that, she was still curious as to what was going on in Jacks head. “Okay, okay… So I made a dumb decision… Sorry.” Jack snorted lightly and gently knocked her over with the toe of his boot, just before backing up against the wall. Flitter grumbled as she pushed herself back up, but her attention was again taken up by Jacks armour unfolding to let him out. Her ears twitched in tandem with the systematic ‘click-clack’ his armour made. Within short order, the human stepped out of his armour and stretched. The odour that followed him made Flitter gag and wheeze. “S-sweet Celestia! Jack, when was the last time you bathed!?” She flapped her wings rapidly, before shielding her face with her soft feathers.

Arching an eyebrow, Jack lifted one of his arms and sniffed. He grimaced, and swiftly lowered his arm. He pursed his lips in embarrassment, and drummed his fingers off his thigh. “Not recently. Cold sweat and alcohol also do not agree with each other.” He smiled weakly, before looking around. “One of the things I lack here.” He chewed the inside of his cheek, before shrugging.

“No.” Flitter shook her head as she approached the human. Jack squawked with indignation as she started herding him towards the exit by butting her head up against his ass. “You’re going to the lake to wash up right now.” She said with a stern voice.

“But the people.”

Jack protested, but was shot down immediately by Flitter as she moved from behind him. She gently bit down on his fingers, and started leading him like that. “Der’sh nawpawney dere.” She said around his beaten-up digits. Jack grunted in displeasure as he reached out and grabbed something on the ground. He quickly gave up, and started keeping pace behind the small mare. After several minutes of leading Jack along by the fingers, Flitter released his fingers. She tried clean the taste of alcohol, sweat, and gun oil from her tongue as Jack followed along behind her. She failed horribly at her attempt.

The walk to the lake wasn’t a long one, and thankfully, the lake was deserted completely. Being a week-day, and in the morning, it was liable to stay that way for a few hours. As Flitter broke away from Jack, she noticed that he had a small bag in his free hand. The mare cocked her head in curiosity. “What’s in the bag?” To her chagrin, she didn’t receive an answer as Jack knelt down by the waters edge. He stuck one of his fingers into the water; he swiftly pulled it out and shook it. His typed answer would have been scathing if it hadn’t been for the emotionless voice of the PDA.

“That shit is fucking cold.”

Giggling as she approached him, Flitter motioned towards the lake. “Come on Smelly, it can’t be that cold.” She grinned at him, and received a foul scowl in return. “Go on, jump in!” She urged Jack on, only to get another odd look. He shook his head, and sat down on the sand. Flitters brows shot up into her fringe as the human started pulling off his clothes. I forgot about that… whoopsie! She smiled weakly at herself, before taking a seat next to Jack and his bag. As he stripped down to what she knew to be his undergarments, Flitter found herself with another set of surprises. Her eyes flitted over Jack’s ripcord musculature, and the inctricate imagery that was seemingly pressed into his skin. The images were only broken up by the criss-crossing scars that riddled almost every major joint and movement point. There were several others, but they looked much less… Surgical, in origins. On top of that, they all lined up with the perfect circles of metal that dotted his body. His metal exo-skeleton was attached to said circles of metal. She was about to question their meaning when Jack popped his left leg off. Flitter squeaked in surprise as he placed the removed limb by his side. His right leg soon followed, and by then, Flitter had managed to calm down. “I-I didn’t realise they came off…” She said quietly.

Jack shrugged noncommittally as he disconnected his exo-skeleton; letting it fall onto the sand like a lifeless husk. He then unzipped the small bag; pulling two rubber disks from it, and several small rubber plugs. He grunted in displeasure as he reefed the disks over the metal connectors that ended his flesh and blood thighs half way down. Next, he started popping the plugs in where the exo-skeleton had attached to his body. Jack reached back into the bag, and pulled out a small bar of soap, and a small bottle.

A cross frown formed on Flitters muzzle. “You had soap and stuff, and you didn’t use it? Jack, you-” She squeaked in surprise, before shrieking as Jack grabbed onto her barrel, and rolled into the frigid lake with her in tow. Flitter thrashed in panic as the stinging cold soaked straight through her coat. She was not much of a swimmer. And neither are humans! She thought, and a pang of panic coursed through her. If Jack wasn’t paying attention, he could drown and take her down with him! Suddenly finding herself free from his grip, Flitter whirled around in the water-

-Jack had already distanced himself from her, using some strange way of moving his body to propel himself about without using his legs. He seemed to be almost at home in the water, unlike his Equine counterparts. Flitter felt the panic draining from her system as she surfaced. A quick shiver escaped the mare, and she suddenly remembered that she was freezing. Paddling to the shore as fast as she could; Flitter coughed and shivered violently as she flopped onto the sand and grass. Definitely a bad idea to go swimming. Jack returned to shore shortly after. He was shivering as well, but his visage was a smug grin, while Flitters was one of smoldering displeasure. “I hate you.” She said without bite.

He didn’t respond; choosing instead to lather up his skull with what Flitter assumed to be shampoo. He dunked his head in the lake, and started running his fingers through his stubbly hair with rapid urgency. He shook his head, before pulling it from the cold water. Flitter shivered at the mere thought of going back in the water. She may have also shivered from being soaking wet as well. To her surprise, Jack turned to face her. He held out the bar of soap, and gestured at his scar-ladden back.

Flitter swallowed lightly, before nodding without a word. She scooted over, and started scrubbing the human clean. It might have come across as comical too anypony watching, seeing a small mare like Flitter have to stretch to reach the looming humans shoulders. He slouched for the first time since Flitter had met him, and his eyes seemed to go slightly dim. Flitter frowned in concern, but carried on until the suds stopped coming off as a dark grey.

Looking over his mostly nude form, Flitter found herself even more curious about Jack. Why does he wear so much clothing? Do all humans like him wear that much? Rarity would have a heart attack if his entire society is like this. She chewed her cheek as she tested her boundaries and started cleaning behind his ears. And what are these pictures? Are they cutie marks? She eyed the tattoos that ran across his shoulders. They don’t look like any I’ve ever seen. I didn’t think that humans even got cutie marks! Flitter cleared her throat, and managed to stir Jack from whatever he had been doing. “So… When did you get your cutie mark?” She asked curiously. “Have you found out what it means yet?”

Jack turned to look at her, a look of concern and utter confusion etched across his features. He blinked at her, before shaking his head. Jack reached into his bag, and pulled out a small towel to dry his hands off with. His rebuttal came soon after. “What the shit are you talking about. Cutie mark.”

A confused smile crossed Flitters muzzle. Of course they call them something else. Silly. “The pictures on your shoulders. Your cutie-mark.” She smiled happily as she finished scrubbing his back and neck.

“Ah. Not ‘cutie mark’. Tattoos. And of course I know what they mean, I had them put on for a reason.” He rolled his eyes, before swifty cleaning his chest and mid-riff. His legs were next; Flitter noticed that he didn’t go anywhere near the rubber disks that capped them.

“You… Had them put on?” Flitter raised a brow in confusion. “How does that even work?” She shook herself, trying to dry off.

“Simple. You decide what you want put on, go to a tattoo artist, and have them put it on.” He glanced over at her, before grunting in displeasure at her clear misunderstanding. “The artist loads a needle full of ink, and rapidly punctures the flesh with it, dabbing a small amount of ink into it as they go. Tends to be painful, depending on where you get them.”

Flitter stared at Jack with abject horror; the thought of a hypodermic needle full of pen ink, punching into her skin and injecting the ink into her made Flitter shiver uncomfortably. “A-and you do this why?”

Setting his jaw, Jack ran a wet hand through his stubbly hair. “To commit to flesh what the mind may forget.” Flitter’s brows raised in surprise, but quickly lowered as she nodded. She was about to launch into her next set of questions when Jack lifted himself up with his arms, and plunked into the water. He started washing off the soapy suds without comment or so much as a glance at Flitter.

Sighing quietly to herself, Flitter grabbed the towel Jack had used earlier and started to dry herself off as best she could. As she did, her eyes and mind began to wander. Goldies words from the night before suddenly rang through her mind.

Have you considered renting him out?

Flitter had scowled at the thought, and had the night before even though she was nearly broke. She would never do that, even if Jack wasn’t what he was. I would never do that. It wouldn’t be right. Flitter scoffed to herself, and drew Jacks attention. He raised an eyebrow at her as he sat halfway in the water. Flitter went red in the cheeks, and started to come up with a believable lie when Jack’s eyes went wide, and he dived under the water.

Feeling a trickle of trepidation and terror leak into her mind, Flitter turned to look over the small path that led to the lake. What she saw definitely was a surprise, but it wasn’t a dangerous one. Or so, she hoped it wasn’t. A small off-white filly was slowly moving towards her; the fillies head swivelled about, and her ears flicked from anxiety. Looking up, the filly smiled weakly as she spotted Flitter sitting at the lakes edge. Smiling lightly despite herself; Flitter waved, and beckoned the filly over. “Hello Sweetie Belle. Shouldn’t you be in school right now?”

“O-oh, um.. no…” Sweetie answered quietly as she trotted closer. Standing awkwardly near Flitter and the waters edge, Sweetie rubbed her forehoof as she avoided eye contact.

“Why not?”

“Rarity doesn’t want me going outside… Cause of what happened…” The filly blinked, her one milky eye refusing to focus.

Flitter winced, and nodded in understanding. “Because of what happened here? At the lake?” She ventured, before glancing at the water. I hope Jack can hold his breath.

Nodding almost imperceptibly, Sweetie approached a little closer. “I-I saw you flying out here this morning… I-I w-wanted to say- I wanted to say… Thank you.” She sniffed, before wiping her eyes with the back of her forehoof. “Thank you for saving me and my friends…”

“For… Saving you?” Blinking dumbly, Flitter felt the familiar sensation of a hot blush creeping onto her cheeks. Pawing the ground lightly, Flitter looked away from the scarred filly. “I… It wasn’t much… I just… Did what anypony else would have done.” Chuckling weakly at her own words, the mare found herself feeling almost like a fraud.

“Nopony else helped though Miss Flitter.” Sweetie stated quietly; the words almost had a resolute feeling to them. “You came and got us to run. B-but I didn’t run as far as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo… I saw the human.”

Flitters eyes snapped up to lock with Sweeties, causing the small filly to recoil ever so slightly. “Y-you saw him?” Flitter asked nervously as her ears flicked. “Have you… told anypony about this?” She fought to keep her eyes from floating to the lake. To her relief, Sweetie shook her head.

“No… I know you didn’t either.” Sweetie smiled sweetly at Flitter, but looked tired all the same. “I know a lot of ponies are saying mean things about you… Which isn’t very nice.” She set her jaw and grumbled something acidically about Rarity. “B-but I know the truth.” She smiled again, even though it looked forced. “P-please tell him that I said thank you. If he’s… Different.”

It was if a lead weight had just been dropped onto Flitters stomach; filling her with worry. “I… I will.” She nodded jerkily to Sweetie. “You should be heading home, it’s not safe for you to be out here alone.” Flitter forced a smile, and received an equally forced one in return. As Sweetie tottered off, and back onto the lakes wide trail, Flitter heard the sound of large bubbles breaking the waters surface loudly. She turned just in time to see Jack break the surface and flail about.

Dragging his soaking body back onto the sandy shore; Jack hacked and coughed violently. A vicious shudder ran through his body, causing his stumped thighs to jerk. Moving to his side with worry; Flitters hooves hovered uselessly above his back. “Should I do something?”

Still coughing, Jack dragged himself from the frigid waters and dried off him hands long enough to type a message. “Don’t take so damn long to talk.” He glared hotly at Flitter for a brief moment, before shaking his head. A quiet harrumph escaped Flitter as she fluttered her wings and crossed her forehooves. Jack pulled the caps from his legs, and started re-attaching his disembodied titanium legs. Flitter ceased pouting to watch as Jacks deft fingers popped several pins back in place with the practiced ease of someone who’d done it a million times before. After a moment, his boot shaped foot flexed and moved. Jack grunted in approval, and moved onto his other leg.

Kicking at the sand, Flitter eyed the surrounding forest. Her ears twitched, and she found herself looking around with a hint of worry. It feels like I’m being watched… Flitter glanced at her friend, only to find him toweling off and changing. A hot blush crept across her cheeks, and she quickly averted her gaze once again. I must be going crazy. Shaking off the feeling of unease, Flitter fluttered her wings and eventually stole Jacks towel to dry herself off. A cold breeze rattled through the trees, causing Flitter to shiver lightly. Her shiver was accompanied by the chattering of metal on metal. Glancing over, Flitter raised an eyebrow as Jack pulled on his clothes and gripped his arms. The human shivered heavily, and his exo-skeleton chattered in close response.

With a small grin, Flitter fluttered her wings and looked up at Jack. “Cold?” He responded in kind with a scowl before turning to his bag. Flitter giggled to herself, and looked up towards the cloudy skies. “The weather report said it would be raining a lot today- EEiK!” Flitter squawked indignantly as something bound her wings neatly to her sides. Looking back at Jack with panic, she found him grinning dangerously as he tied off the end of the rope holding her wings down. “W-What the heck!? J-jack-” Flitter sputtered as he picked up a branch that was devoid of smaller branches and leaves.

“When I was growing up, my brother Jacob used to chase me and Julian around with a bug zapper. I got pretty good at running because of that, but I eventually got used to the feeling. I don’t have a bug zapper, so this stick will have to do.” Jack grinned toothily and slapped the stick against his open palm. Flitter flinched, and drew back as panic overtook her.

“A-are you crazy!? What brought this on!?” Flitter tried to flare her wings, but swiftly remembered that they were bound tightly to her sides. Feeling the ebb of panic slowly overtaking her heart, Flitter started to hyperventilate.

“You wanna get tough. If you make it back to the cave with less than ten hits, you can have breakfast.”

Squeaking in terror, Flitter backpedaled across the sand as Jack tapped up another sentence. “Y-you’re a psychopath!” Jack blinked, and looked up at the mare with an undesernable expression that muddied the line between a deadpan and a thousand yard stare. Flitter’s ears pressed against her head; she felt her chest tighten painfully as he cocked his head and stared at her. The corners of his lips turned upwards ever so slightly, but Flitter felt no compassion in the expression. He suddenly lifted his hand, and held up three fingers. He then dropped one, and then the next. As he started to drop the last, Flitter made the painful realization that it was a countdown. Wheeling on the balls of her hooves, Flitter bolted towards the bushy trail that the pair had followed out.

Crashing through the underbrush and keeping her eyes firmly locked on the treacherous trail; Flitter thought she could hear the faint sound of booted feet pounding across sand. With the veins of terror creeping into her mind, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder-

-Only to find Jack right on her tail, with his augmented arm raised in the air; the stick held high. Flitter screamed.

__________________________________________________________________

Barreling into the clearing in front of Jacks cave, Flitter hit the ground and slid. Coming to a stop in the dirt, the mare curled up and pulled her hooves over herself to protect against the painful stinging strikes that had ravaged her during the entire run. A choked sob of terror and pain left her lips at the same time as Jack stepped into the clearing. Flitter lifted one of her shaking hooves to look up at him.

Grinning down at the dirty and bruised mare, Jack prodded her welted flank. He extended all of his fingers, retracted them, and then held up another one. He started laughing as he cast the branch aside and offered a hand to Flitter.

Sniffing as she wiped her nose with a forehoof, Flitter gingerly took the offered hand. She was swiftly pulled up and freed of her bonds. Her wings flared open and flapped several times. Flitter winced in pain as she followed Jack into his cave. Looking over her shoulder again, she could already see the neat red welts rising against her coat. “Y-you’re a jerk Jack….”

“Probably. Come on. Food.”

Flitter sighed in defeat, and limped into the cave. Despite her reservations, stepping out of the nipping cold and into the cozy cave was a fair improvement. Fluffing her wings again out of habit, Flitter gingerly sat down on a log. A pained squeak left her lips, causing Jack to chuckle as he stoked the fire. “I-it’s not funny!” Flitter protested weakly as her tail swished about.

“Kind of is.”

“S-shut up…”

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Flitter found herself ravenous as Jack had doled out portions. Her frantic run had made her work up quite an appetite. She scarfed down the small meal, barely stopping to do so much as taste it. Flitter raised her eyebrows in surprise when she looked up, and saw that Jack had only ineffectively poked at his own plate. “You going to eat that?” She asked with curiosity. Jack chewed his cheek lightly, his previous good mood having evaporated. He shook his head, and slid the paper plate over to Flitter. Smiling happily, Flitter dug into the fresh portion with vigor.

Once finished, she tossed the paper plate into the fire and wiped her muzzle clean with the back of her hoof. “You know… You could have just said we were gonna run. That was a really nasty thing to do Jack.”

Snorting hotly, Jack kicked up his prosthetic legs and laid back with his PDA. “Nasty. Right.”

“What?” Flitter furrowed her brow as she turned towards him. “It was!”

Jack rolled his eyes and extended his middle finger at her. “If you call me Nasty Jack, I will hit you. i put up with enough of that.” He shifted uneasily, a deep frown creased his features and raised Flitters interest.

“What do you mean?” Flitter readjusted herself in an attempt to get the ebbing pain in her flanks to go away. “Somepony else called you Nasty Jack?”

Jack growled angrily, forcing Flitters hackles to rise in alarm. Oookay… Remember that he almost killed you this morning… Flitter shuffled nervously as Jack sat up.

“Drop the subject.”

Despite wanting to push it, Flitter suddenly thought better of it when Jack cast a dark glare at her from the corner of his eyes. Raising her hooves in a placating manner, Flitter smiled weakly. “O-okay. Consider it dropped Jack.” The human grunted in response, and started tinkering with his metal leg. He soon stopped, and set down the screwdriver he was using. A deep and unpleasant look crossed his features, and he did his best to cover it by rubbing his face. Flitter watched him nervously, the events of the morning still painfully fresh in her mind and on her neck.

“My ex-fiance coined the nickname.”

Blinking in surprise, Flitter scooted a little closer and lifted a brow in curiosity. “You were engaged?” She smiled lightly, but it disappeared swiftly. Ex-fiance… Oh dear.

“Yeah. Didn’t last long. She didn’t want to wait, and I was in no position to say or do anything.” Jack grunted quietly, and rubbed his neck slowly.

“Why?” The question slipped out before Flitter could stop it. She internally cursed herself out for asking. Her surprise only increased when he actually answered.

“I was a prisoner of war. MIA. Missing in Action for just shy of a year before I was rescued. Came home without my legs and found out she’d sold the condo and moved in with another man.”

Flitter covered her mouth with a hoof as Jacks expression grew solemn and withdrawn. “I-I’m so sorry… What happened after? Did she come back?”

A quiet huff that could have been a forced laugh came from Jacks nose, and he looked away. “No.” Jack set down his PDA and rubbed his eyes roughly.

I get the feeling that this conversation is over… Flitter thought with a frown. She refrained from reaching out to him. That might be who he thought I was this morning… That would explain a lot. Flitter opened her mouth to ask a different question, but was cut off as Jack jerked. He clamped his mouth shut tightly; only a pained hiss escaped his vice tight lips as he gripped his right arm. An intensely pained expression settled on his features as his right hand vibrated. Getting to her hooves and moving to his side, Flitter abandoned her earlier worries. “Are you alright!?” Within a moment, Jack somehow forced his shaking to subside. He refused to answer Flitters question as he worked his fingers into the meat of his arm. He furrowed his brow deeply, and grit his teeth. Flitter frowned in return, and placed her right hoof on his shoulder. “Jack? What’s wrong?” The human quickly waved her off before standing up straight.

“Nothing. Fine. Just a cramp.”

The response was stilted and chopped, even for the electronic voice relaying Jacks words between the two. Flitter shuffled, and glanced at the cave entrance. “Jack… I… I need to go.” She smiled softly up at him. “I’ll see you after work though, right? We can do that ‘Tough Stuff’ like we planned yesterday.”

A short nod and a weak smile was all Flitter got for an answer from Jack. Slowly turning away from him, Flitter started towards the entrance. She found herself frozen at the threshold on the cave; carefully glancing over her shoulder, Flitter saw Jack resting his face in one of his hands. “I’ll see you later… okay?” Flitter asked quietly, her wings fluttering nervously. Jack nodded again, and waved lightly without removing his face from his hand.

Trotting out of the cave and back out into the near-frigid winds, Flitter suppressed a shiver that wasn’t from the cold. She took off to the skies; throwing the occasional look over her shoulder at the cave.

Chapter Seven: Blood, Sand, and Ballgowns

View Online

The trailing hours of the day turned out to be some of the hardest physically in Flitters entire life. Returning from work, she found Jack waiting for her. Flitters ears flattened against her skull as she caught sight of his visage. Jack had painted his face with some kind of paint, rendering it the same colour as the surrounding forest. He wore only his fatigues, and he had not pulled on his exo-skeleton. Despite the paint, his features looked oddly drawn; his eyes having sunken into bruised hollows within his skull. His teeth glowed white against the darkness.

/Ready?/

Flitter swallowed nervously and nodded. She immediately regretted it. Jack grinned even broader, and waved her to follow in his wake as he walked. Galloping to catch up to Jacks whirring strides; Flitters mind drifted.

I wonder what we’re going to do… How do humans even get tough? I hope he doesn’t chase me with the stick again… I-

Flitters train of thought ground to a halt as ran face-first into Jacks rear. The human turned and shot her a disapproving look that forced her ears to fold against the side of her head again.

/Listen up Flitter. You want to be tough? I’ll make you tough./ Jack ran a hand through his hair and scratched his stubbly beard. /It’s going to hurt. Are you sure you want to go through with this?/

The flat out truth surprised the mare, but she quickly squashed the feeling. “Yes. I want this.” She smiled. “I’m ready!”

The corners of Jacks drawn mouth jerked upwards for a moment. /Well then, welcome to Camp Kessle, where the weather sucks and life is hell./ He pointed at a rough trail that winded off into the bushes. /Run./

_____________________________

Hours later, after Jack had sent the battered and bruised Flitter home with a nod of approval, he pulled off his sweat soaked shirt and laid down on his cot. Once his eyes closed, he began a journey that he knew all too well.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The MRAP lurched slowly side to side as it trundled across the desert sand. The oppressive heat blared through; slowly cooking the soldiers within the vehicles protected compartment. One particularly violent dip in the road awoke Jack as his kevlar helmet bounced off the steel roll bars. Jolting up in surprise, he looked around to try and discover what had interrupted his nap. PFC Krammer smirked at him as he stretched out on the opposite bench. “Well well well! Look who finally decided to wake up from his beauty sleep! Welcome back Jackie boy.” Krammer chuckled as Jack blinked, and rubbed his sleep filled eyes. The burly Kansas boy turned his head towards the front of the vehicle. “Hey Sarge! I hear we got bucked for detail on Mars! What gives?”

A snarl of an answer sounded from the front. “High Command decided that the cancer that is your ass shouldn’t be allowed off earth! Besides, not like the desert there is any fuckin different.” The sound of the familiar, jovial attitude of his squadmates put the still half asleep demolitions expert at ease.

Sitting up with a deep yawn, Jack rubbed his eyes again and looked around. “Are we there yet?” He asked loudly so he could be heard over the sound of the crackling radio with it’s blown speakers and bombastic rock music.

“Nearly, why don’t you take a cat-nap there, Sleeping Beauty!” Somebody Jack couldn’t see called out from near the front of the vehicle.

Erecting his middle finger at his squadmate, Jack sat back and stared at the bouncing ceiling of the vehicle. Various bags and boxes rocked back and forth against the netting that held them back. Looking back down, his eyes passed over a strangely pale young woman with vibrant blue hair. At a glance, she seemed to be wearing an untarnished ballgown that was such a deep blue it was almost black. She seemed to be staring intently at him; her mouth was moving as if she were saying something to him. Blinking in surprise, Jack furrowed his brow and leaned forward. After blinking, he found himself staring at Corporal Helsy. The small woman in dirty camo fatigues grinned, and held out a half empty water bottle. Realizing her intent, Jack took the bottle, and nodded his thanks before knocking back the tepid water.

He nearly spat it out. The water tasted like heavy copper; almost like blood. Looking back down at it, he found plain, clean water. Jack sighed weakly, and rubbed his eyes again. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”

His quiet self proclamation was lost unto itself as the armoured vehicle slid to a stop and the driver blared the horn. “Alright fuckheads! Evaaaryboody out!” The back door glided out on its well greased pneumatic arms, and a small step ladder was slid out by Krammer. The six man squad piled out without much hurry; their gear bouncing back and forth as they pulled themselves from the cramped confinement of the MRAP. As usual, Krammer started complaining the moment he was in the sun.

“Man, I can’t believe we lost out to the Two Oh Fourth for serving on the UDE Dauntless. And then Mars! What do we get instead?” Krammer lifted his arms and gestured at the oppressive desert. “The fucking sandbox. We should just glass this place and be done with it.”

Jack pulled his tan ballcap down over his eyebrows in a feeble attempt to shield his sunglassed eyes from the belligerent sun. It felt like his body was on autopilot as his boots dug into the soft dirt and sand; his reaction to Krammer’s bitching was just as automatic. “Shut the fuck up Krammer.” His feet were already sweating as he set off in a plodding course over to the small army patrol that sat sheltered from the suns rays behind some old ruined building. The army Sergeant stood stock straight as he chewed the fat with Gunnery Sergeant Simmons. After a moment, the sergeant waved Jack over. As he complied, Jack spied Helsy poking at the MRAP with her boot, and looking around the area with vested interest..

Her hair is very blue today…

The thought was foggy, and soon forgotten as he came to a stop in front of the pair of noncoms.

“Staff Sergeant Kessle here is our EOD tag-along, he'll clear out this little problem of yours. Just tell him what you told me, and get your boys to keep a fucking eye open.” Gunnery Sergeant Simmons idly fingered his long range sabot rifle as he glanced over at Jack. He blinked three times whenever he started a new sentence. He would blink four times when pissed off.

The army sergeant simply nodded, and placed a gloved hand over Jack’s shoulder to lead him off. The sergeant started talking about how they’d found the IED and called it in, but Jack couldn’t quite make out the words. It felt like he'd heard it all before, time after time after time.

Feels like I’m thinking through cotton… fuck.

Jack rubbed his eyes again in a poor attempt to clear his head. Unfortunately, the sergeant had apparently finished his explanation of the situation. Clapping Jack on the shoulder again, he grinned. “Good luck. We’ll watch for trouble makers.” As the sergeant sauntered off, Jack felt lost. With the sun cooking his head, and the taste of the coppery water still lingering in his mouth; Jack was slow to respond. With what felt like great effort, he plodded back over to the MRAP. Lightly kicking open a large green case, he started pulling the painfully heavy bomb suit over his uniformed body. To his surprise, Corporal Helsy walked over and started helping him pull on the armoured suit, albeit with unskilled fingers. The visor of the mammoth helmet flipped closed; leaving him with a flash of Helsy as the pale girl in the blue dress again. Helsy stared at him intently and with great interest. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She frowned, and touched her throat, her eyes breaking contact with Jack’s.

Not taking the time to wonder about the strange happenings that were fluttering around before his eyes, Jack picked up his toolkit and started his long walk towards the supposed IED. Helsy followed along, even though she wasn’t allowed. Furrowing his brow with annoyance, Jack made a deliberate motion with his hand to try and shoo her off. After one motion he gave up; his eyes met hers through the thick protective visor of his suit. It felt appropriate that she follow him to his destination.

Silently thanking the lab-techs for the built in cooling fans and chilly liquid tubes inside his suit, Jack sank down to his knees in the boiling, disturbed earth. With a gloved hand, he gently brushed aside some of the dirt until his fingers tapped up against a large metal cylinder. Helsy watched him work intently over his shoulder, her eyes following his deft movements as he uncovered the large trap.

“Shit. One twenty fiver's. three of them…” Jack hummed to himself as he looked the crude bomb over. Several mismatched wires were protruding from the detonator caps of the tank shells. “That’d be ten point two kilos…” Chewing the inside of his cheek, Jack brushed off more sand.

His heart skipped a beat, and his breath hitched in his throat as he stared down at the detonator. It was armed, and ready to receive signal. Several blocks of C4 laid around it, with the shells arranged around them. Before he could move to disarm it, a painfully familiar whip-crack echoed through the air, and somebody yelled for cover. A lightning fast projectile slapped against his heavily armoured torso, but didn’t come close to penetrating. Cursing loudly, Jack flattened himself out, and started fumbling with his toolbox. Helsy laid prone next to him, her vibrant blue hair spilling out from under her helmet. Dirt kicked up around them as angry lead wasps filled the air over and around them. The sonic howl of incoming iron spikes punctuated the air as well, filling his heart with dread as the echo of the Spiker rifle’s call sounded out on the wind. Insurgent forces usually waved around painfully outdated fudd guns, not bleeding edge tech. Finally yarding out a pair of well worn side-cutters, Jack ripped off the detonators faceplate.

“JACK! Get to cover!”

Taking the moment to look over, he watched with muted horror as Krammer was hit by a four round burst from a Spiker rifle; the six inch long iron spikes blasting through his armour and body as they stitched upwards, the last round smacking him between the eyes. Krammer’s head split in half like an overripe melon; his eyes blown from their sockets by the concussive force of the round. Bits of grey matter and bright red blood splashed across the desert floor as Krammer slumped; his body pinned to the side of the MRAP. Helsy laid next to Jack, her eyes wide with terror and confusion. Her own spiker rifle laid in the sand, untouched and unfired. The pairs eyes met, and a strange, electric feeling passed between them. Jack started laughing nearly hysterically as he stared at her; the woman’s eyes went even wider with worry as he did.

“Your dress is going to get ruined!” He started cackling madly as she stared at him and bullets and spikes ripped up the ground and his squadmates. He could hear the army gunny yelling for them to fall back, and he felt his arms pushing him up despite him having not told them to. His legs started pumping, pushing his lead laden legs through the sand. The glance back at the bomb and Helsy felt like it was in slow motion; just as Jack made eye contact with Helsy, the little red light turned green, and his entire world went white.

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP

Jack bolted upright with a stilted gasp; his heart beat steadily and heavily against his ribs in a nearly successful attempt to jump out of his chest. He groaned loudly as he sat back against his bed, which he’d fallen out of. Wiping his hand across his sweat covered forehead, Jack glanced down at his PDA.

4:37am

Jack grunted disapprovingly. This isn’t when my alarm is supposed to go off. He swiped the lock, and found himself staring at the map. Three red blips were slowly entering his territory. Jack cursed, and bolted upright; his earlier confusion and fog washed away under the succulent feeling of adrenaline. Pulling his exo-skeleton on and tossing his sweater over top; Jack grabbed his laser rifle, and pulled his balaclava over his face. His boots rapped off the rocks as he swiftly exited the cave.

The chilly winter air met him immediately as he crossed past the insulated tarp. He felt goosebumps rising against his clothes, but he paid them no heed. A quick glance at his PDA sent him east, through the lighter brush. The darkness would have completely consumed him, had he not brought his night vision goggles. The dreary green overlapped everything, making it possible for him to see more than a foot beyond his face. Slowing his advance as the blips grew closer, Jack kneeled down next to a large tree. His PDA vibrated several times again, and he felt his heart sink as he watched another eight blips enter his detection radius. Silencing his PDA; he slowly pressed through the brush and bush. With his rifle muzzle up, Jack waited for his targets to enter his field of fire.

As the first off green form entered his ironsights; Jack’s trigger finger slid slowly into the trigger guard. He slowly started to depress the trigger as he lined up the shot with the center of the target. Just before lancing the target down, he paused, and watched. Squinting against the green tinted darkness, Jack could now tell that the target was a short woman. A human. The woman cautiously treaded over the forest floor with bare feet. It didn’t take long for Jack to realize that she was completely naked. As Jack pulled his finger out of the trigger guard, the small woman chirped musically, and another six figures followed along behind her.

That’s… five female, four male, all mid twenties early thirties, all naked. One smaller male, probably fourteeen if I’m any guess… Now, where’s number eleven?

Jack panned his vision around, trying to spot the eleventh mark that had entered his territory. As he did so, the group took shelter under a massive fallen tree. Before he could question their reasoning, the sky split open, and rain started pouring down in a steady torrent. Huffing in annoyance, Jack rolled his shoulders in a weak attempt at trying to keep the rain from pouring down his neck. Despite his best efforts, the rain made it in. Casting a disheveled look at the huddled humans, Jack found his vision taken up by a wall of muscle.

What.

Pulling back, Jack couldn’t help but stare at the massive mammoth of a man who was standing before the huddled group. He snipped and snarled at them, before grabbing one of the skinny males by the scruff of the neck. The larger male tossed the smaller one out of the small alcove, all while making guttural noises. The smaller male chirped weakly, and slunk off into the woods.

So that’s the Alpha…. Big fucker.

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Jack slowly pulled away from the group of humans. As he silently walked back to his warm, dry cave; he cast glances over both his shoulders as he went.

Not alone anymore… Could get interesting… bad bad bad.

A shiver passed through his body, causing his exo-skeleton to clatter quietly

Stupid thing, shut the fuck up. shut up shut up!

He scratched at the connectors where the exo plugged into his body. A fiery itch was beginning to spread from them. Biting the inside of his cheek until the taste of bitter copper slowly filled his mouth; Jack trekked back home. The rain was swiftly becoming relentless; beating down upon his irritated form. To keep his mind off of the incessant itching in his flesh, Jack forced his thoughts to the feral humans.

Who are they? Are they smart? Escaped slaves? Questions. Need answers. Maybe Flitter? Flitter would know better. Should watch, be careful. Should scratch itch. NO. Should not scratch the itch.

The tarpaulin covering his caves entrance whipped loudly as he pulled it against the heaving winds; it’s flapping was only silenced when Jack pinned it closed against the wooden palisade. Now soaked to the bone and sodden; Jack plodded into his cave and started stripping down, before rekindling his fire. laying his soaked clothes out on some select rocks and his sitting log, Jack laid back on his bed. His eyes sagged slightly, before jerking back open.

NO. No, nonono… Don’t want to see Krammer. Don’t want to see Helsy. Helsy…

A worried giggle escaped his lips as flashes of his dream surfaced. Not much remained, other than what he already knew by heart, and a midnight blue ballgown covered in sand and blood. Jacks eyes fluttered again, and he squeezed them shut as he silently prayed.

God… please, don’t let me dream again… please.

__________________________________________________________

Jack awoke with a start, having just placed his head down on his abused pillow. His alarm was chirping quietly, marking it as his normal time to rise. A quiet groan escaped him as he sat up; his bleary eyes failing to focus immediately. His stomach churned violently, and was swiftly accompanied by intense withdrawal cramps. Jack clutched his sides and forced the pain back down until the cramps were a simple throb inside his abdomen; they were swiftly ignored in favour of a simple breakfast.

Don’t have much food left. Should try and fix that problem.

Rubbing his eyes in an attempt to clear away his morning funk; Jack plopped down onto his log. The cooking food smelled heavenly, despite being mostly vegan. His stomach growled angrily in need, despite it’s earlier agonies. A curious glance down at his local map confirmed one single thought.

They haven’t moved. Odd. I’ll have to check on them.

The smell filling the cave swiftly filled his nostrils, and fueled his stomach’s want for sustenance. Leaning forward, Jack pulled his small pan off the fire and brought out his mess kit fork. The small breakfast was swallowed without much thought or care for taste. For a moment, Jacks stomach was silent. Then without warning, it lurched violently, throwing him to his knees. Bile rose in the back of this throat, threatening Jacks cave floor with his breakfast. Rising with wobbly urgency, Jack barely managed to stumble out past the tarp before his stomach rebelled, and his breakfast hit the forest floor.

Jack remained on his hands and knees as long as he could, before being forced down onto his side as his body was wracked by lancing pain that threatened to rip him apart. His heart beat like a trip-hammer as he writhed and shook on the forest floor; the last of his breakfast and bitter stomach bile coming out with a wheezy cough. The pain was too much; it ripped into his muscles and tore at the bioconnectors for his exoskeleton, it threatened to kill him dead, and leave him to rot on the forest floor.

Rage and pain built up, and burst through his mind. Jack reared up on his haunches and howled in anguish; his cry echoing through the forest and surrounding hills. Startled birds fled from the trees, and numerous ponies close to the forest rethought entering it that day. Jack shook violently, his body shivering from the exertion. Slowly, his lips twitched upwards into a crazed grin. A quiet giggle escaped his lips as he forced himself back to his feet. His prosthetic legs refused to shake, and carried him back to his cave without a single issue. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Jack started throwing on his clothes; the heavy exoskeleton lifted itself up and slammed into place on his body. His rifle practically shouldered itself, and several spare magazines found themselves inside his chest rig. Acting on autopilot, everything seemed as if it was being done by someone else; Jack’s mind was far detached from the movements of his body.

With a jerky start, Jack set off into the brush, towards the dots that occupied a tiny section of his local map. His lunatic grin died, and his eyes narrowed and started scanning the forest.

Purpose. I have purpose. I want this.

He repeated his mantra over, and over again inside his head until the searing pain crept away in fear. He repeated it again as he crushed brush and scrub under boot. His Exoskeleton whirred and clicked in tandem with his legs; his trigger finger played across his rifles trigger guard. It was a silent threat to any who could understand it.

Chapter Eight: Field Note

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This is Researcher Field Note, documenting day 73 of my field assignment. Being away from Canterlot for so long has given my spirits the rise they so desperately need. The quiet, and it’s accompanying splendor is doing wonders for my soul.

I have managed to stay on the tracks of the nomad human tribe I mentioned in my earlier notes; they seem to be taking cover within the vast viridian deciduous forest the locals call ‘Whitetail Woods’. After recasting my invisibility spell, I chanced closer to their camp around mid morning. I soon found my worst fears to be confirmed; Sojurn did not survive the tribes journey. He was quite ill when I last saw him, so it does not come to me as a shock. Winter is swiftly setting in, and as we are dangerously close to the Everfree; I highly doubt that Sojurn would have survived the cold in his pallid condition. As much as I wish I could have aided Sojurn, it is not my place to intervene. My work continues, despite their hardships.

Sojurn’s death has visibly reduced his mother Tanja’s will to go on. What is exciting, however, is that most of the tribe seems to be supporting her through the trial of a lost child. This phenomenon is rarely seen amongst humans, and even less so in true documentation.

There seems to have been a power shift in my absence; one I scold myself for missing. The brute, Algeron, seems to have regained his strength and has overthrown Aram as alpha. For reasons I can not understand as of yet, Aram still lives, as does his brother Molmir. It will be truly riveting to witness the coming attempts to regain power and dominance within the tribe between these powerful males. The tribe’s well-being hangs in the balance, and I will be here every step, documenting the fascinating intricacies of Nomad Human culture.

From the journal of Researcher Field Note

Rubbing his slightly chilly cheek, Field Note looked over the entry, scanning for errors and missed information. Finding it satisfactory, he brushed a length of his dull steel blue mane from his slitted eyes and looked towards the humans camped under a massive fallen tree. The rhythmic chirps and clicks that the tribe used for communication was terribly primitive, but it still caused Field Note’s tufted ears to flick and a soft smile to cross his muzzle as he found a more comfortable position to watch the humans from.

Algeron grunted aggressively at the ex-alpha, Aram, causing Field Note’s slitted auburn eyes to narrow slightly. His deep gray horn glowed softly, bringing up his notepad. The pair circled each other, snapping and snarling at each other like braying dogs. The smaller humans chirped and squawked in disapproval. As the pair grew more aggressive, nearing their peak before physical violence, a violent whip-crack echoed through the forest, and was followed by a howling scree. Woodland creatures scattered; birds took flight amidst cawing displeasure, and the human tribe froze in it’s tracks. Even the mighty Algeron hunkered down, and took cover near a large bough of the fallen tree.

Field Note held his breath, his senses on the razor’s edge in hopes of understanding what could send the forest into a fearful frenzy. Another whip-crack sounded, off in the distance. It was swiftly followed by a similar staccato rattle; one that caused young Blunda to start bawling into his mothers bare chest as the whip-cracks were responded to by a high pitched keening noise. Field Note managed a weak smile of approval as the matronly Akasha curled her arms around her young to protect him from what events shook the forest. Lifting his notepad up to start taking note of the occurrence, Field Note found himself shocked and terribly startled as a long cacophony of noise sounded out, before a shrill whistle that was followed by a concussive boom that echoed on and on.

Using the moment to mutter a rare curse, Field Note wiped the sweat from his winter chilled face. “What on Equis…”

___________________________________________________________

Jack cackled enthusiastically as bits of flash-cooked carapace landed around the forest next to steaming hunks of arachnid flesh. The barrel cowling of his rifle steamed, as it had threatened to turn cherry red when he’d turned the rifle’s power setting to full, and then had pinned the trigger down with vehemence. The lasers had danced off and cooked the VW bus sized spider’s thick carapace as it screeched and lunged at his armoured form with razor tipped legs. When Jack had smashed its left eye cluster apart with his boot heel, the creature had hurled him across the forest with the strength of a monster possessed.

Now, Jack didn’t have a fear of spiders, however, his human instincts had kicked into overdrive when the monstrosity had charged out of it’s hidey hole in the forest floor. That instinct had originally been ‘Run away as fast as possible, with optional screaming.’ Unfortunately for the rampaging spider, the Marine Corp had removed that particular instinct and replaced it with ‘KILL THAT FUCKER UNTIL IT’S DEAD’. And thus, Bus Spider had been introduced to the Russian made HEDP-22 ‘Krikun’ micro-rocket. The rocket had lept off Jack’s shoulder, and swiftly taught the brown carapaced monstrosity the meaning of both ‘High Explosive Dual Purpose’ and ‘Superior Firepower’. The end result was gruesome, gory, and utterly spectacular.

“HAAHAAhahah!!!” Jack laughed energetically as the bits of spider stopped raining down. Fuck you! He grinned, before his eyes fell on the trap door to the spiders nest. Edging towards the covered pit with his rifle at the ready; he toed the thatch out of the way. Peering over the edge, Jacks eyes went wide and his features twisted in surprised disgust as hundreds of smaller glossy black eyes stared up at him, unblinking. Without pause or thought of the woodland critter he’d been chasing for dinner; his right hand went to his webbing, and pulled a red banded cylinder free. Pulling the pin and letting the lever twirl away, Jack dropped the white phosphorous grenade down the hole; without a second though, he about-faced, and started a swift nope-march away from the hole, even as the grenade made a muffled ‘Fwoomp’ing sound. Chemical smoke and white hot flames burst from the entrance, along with the muffled skrees of the spider’s young.

As Jack marched away from the burning slaughter, his boots crushed the morning frost under tread. The cold winter air didn’t penetrate his armour, and inside he strode along as his heaters kept a well regulated temperature. As he threaded his way through the trees towards his home, Jacks mind began to wander in an attempt to ignore the painful throbbing that coursed through his body.

Who was that woman last night? I’ve never seen her before… Hmph… Never remembered a nightmare that vividly, come to think it. Jack sighed gently as his eyes flicked over his HUD read out within the helmet. His stomach grumbled aggressively, demanding his attention as it threatened to double him over. Oh god, fuck me…. He coughed weakly, and his armour VI advised him to seek medical aid. The notification was closed almost as soon as it opened. Gotta try and keep something down when I get back. A series of facial movements and twitches brought up the armours operations menu. A clench of the jaw, slightly to the left, locked the armour on his left arm, keeping it from jerking spasmodically. Would be so much easier with voice commands. He huffed quietly. Thank god for secondary options. He clicked the small dimple under his jaw using his chin, and thus locked the options down.

After several minutes of walking, he brushed the optical camo tarp aside, and walked into his home cave. Stripping out of the armour felt like shedding a second, massive skin. His exo disconnected with rapid clicks and snaps, and he was soon free to feel feeble and exposed. Rubbing his face wearily, Jack threw some of the last of his food onto the pan and slumped down against his log.

I hope I can keep this down, I don’t have enough left to put up with this bullshit…

____________________________________________________________________

The concussive boom had awoken Flitter with a terrible start; she bolted up in her bed, dislodging her art supplies and various in-progress pieces. She jerked her head around furtively in worry. “Jack?” She questioned softly to nobody in particular. After a moment of comparative silence, Flitter slowly crawled out of bed. Every single move she made caused her abused muscles to cry out and a quiet whine to escape from her. Setting her calloused hooves down on the soft cloud floor, she trotted over to her window to look out over the fields and towards Whitetail Woods.

Is it just my imagination, or is there smoke out there?

Flitter chewed her cheek thoughtfully, before tearing herself away from the window. She sighed quietly as she looked over her messy room and the disarray of artwork. A very large majority of it was of Jack, and his accommodations. Picking up one of the pieces of Jack’s expressions, she found herself smiling.

His expressions are so… Inequine. But he’s got almost as many as any pony. She added a bit of detail to his eyes; they seemed to hold her, even when on paper. The look of… prey, who became a predator. She smiled to herself, before titling the piece exactly that.

As Flitter was collecting her scattered artwork and pencils, she heard the door to the house slam, and angry noises echoed through the cloud home. Rolling her eyes at Cloud Chaser’s antics; Flitter finished cleaning up, and soon wandered downstairs to clean up.

Flitter’s hooves had scarcely been on the bottom floor for a moment before Cloud Chaser screamed. “Where the heck is rent Flitter!?” She came storming into the living room, her face flushed red. Flitter’s hackles rose slightly at the aggression, but she found with a bit of personal pride, that she wasn’t phased in the slightest. Cloudy is ‘all bark and no bite’ as Jack put it. Hell, Jack’s been rougher with me and he’s /playing/. A small sardonic grin spread easily across Flitters features as she about-faced and trotted back into her room to retrieve the small bag of bits that would pay for her ‘rent’.

By the time she’d grabbed the bag and started towards her door again, she could hear Cloud Chasers hooves pounding furiously up the steps. Cloud Chaser started her tirade the moment the door opened.

“FLITTER!! Where in the ever loving-” The mare’s eyes went wide and a squeaky wheeze escaped her lips as Flitter’s rent bag smacked her in the center of the chest. I’m glad Jack made me throw rocks for an hour yesterday. That felt /GOOD/. A giggly grin split across Flitter’s lip as she passed her startled sister.

“I’m going out for my run, see you tonight Cloudy!” She smacked Cloud Chasers shoulder a little bit rougher than was necessary, causing the mare to yelp a bit in surprise.

Turning to watch Flitter quick trot down the stairs, Cloud Chaser could only manage a weak and breathless. “O-okay… see you later…”

Flitter grinned happily as she spread her sore wings and took off towards Whitetail Woods. “Oh yes, today is gonna be great!” The mare giggled giddily to herself as she sailed with the cold pre-winter winds.

Alighting down onto the morning frosted grass field that lined the edge of Whitetail Woods, Flitter started toward the tree line with a brisk trot. While she could fly straight to the mouth of Jack’s home, he’d urged her to gallop, or ‘jog’ as he’d put it. She’d done so for almost a week; a week of blazing trails and leaping over fallen trees, but she could feel the changes in her body. Flitter smiled to herself as she ducked past a low hanging branch. I’d like to see any personal trainer in all of Equestria get better results. I wonder if all Terran Humans are like him. She scoffed lightly as her hooves treaded dirt and frost. I don’t think the universe could handle a billion Jack’s. The one I’ve got is enough of a trouble maker. Flitter grinned softly as she slowed her pace. She’d just galloped past one of Jacks boundary stakes, and she didn’t want to worry him.

Swallowing lightly, Flitter glanced around as she trotted through the woods. Celestia, it is really, really quiet here… Forest critters probably avoid Jack. Heh.

Without warning, something small scurried before her tracks. Flitter froze as the small human child paused in its playing to look up at her with wide, terrified eyes. The child stood slowly, and started backing away fearfully. Cocking a brow in confusion and slight worry, Flitter took a tentative step forward; the child chirped in fear before turning tail and pelting off into the woods. Watching the child flee, Flitter doubled her pace to reach Jack’s cave.

Pushing the tarp aside, she treaded cautiously into the cave. I hope he’s awake… I don’t like waking him up. Poking her head around the slight corner, she breathed a small breath of relief when she saw Jack sitting on his log, the fire crackling before him. He glanced up and cracked a smile, which was followed by a light wave and a pat on the log. Flitter smiled a little bit brighter, and took a seat next to him. “So! I got a little bit of revenge on Cloudy today.” She started as she glanced over the spartan portion within Jack’s pan. He turned his head toward her and cracked a toothy grin that was followed by an eyebrow wiggle and a roll of the hand; Body language for ‘Go on’, as Flitter had learned. She took a moment to sigh, before recounting her run in with her sister.

‘SNrK!” Jack bit his knuckle to keep himself from bursting out laughing; he failed to stop the amused snort. He looked over at Flitter with bright eyes and a broad grin.

“That’s my pony. Way to go.” Jack offered a closed fist to Flitter, who bopped it with her hoof as she giggled at the recollection. “I’m glad you’re standing up for yourself, but this only means one thing.”

Uh oh. Flitter blinked, and looked over at the now incredibly serious looking Jack. “W-what?” She stared at him, watching his facial expression shift from serious to mischievous.

“I’ve gotta teach you how to defend yourself.” Jack tapped away at his PDA, before setting it on his thigh so he could crack his knuckles for emphasis. The sound sent a tingling shiver down Flitters spine, but she didn’t show it.

“Defend myself? But… why?” Flitter cocked her head to the side slightly in confusion. Her eyes drifted to his left arm, which twitched occasionally and spasmodically. “Isn’t standing up for myself enough? I mean, I’ll learn anything you want me to, but I just-”

While Flitter had been talking, Jack had picked up his PDA again, and had been rapidly tapping out a rebuttal. “Because, when you finally stand up, there will always, /ALWAYS/ be some prick ass prick who wants to shove you back down onto your ass. I’m going to teach you how to grab anyone who wants to do that, break their arms, and make their face and the ground good acquaintances. Sound good?”

“Fu- Heh… Yeah!” She grinned, but it died a little when Jack shot her a disapproving look. “W-what?” Flitter blinked in confusion.

“Say it.” Jack continued to stare at her with his sunken, predatory eyes.

“Say what?” Shifting nervously, Flitter fought the urge to look away.

“Swear. Let it out. You’ll feel better.” He grinned lightly, and pulled his pan off the fire.

Blinking several times as the order rolled around in her head; Flitter swallowed lightly. “O-okay… F-fuck.” She planted her hooves around her mouth and blushed hotly. To her chagrin, Jack groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“Once more, with feeling.”

“I can’t!” She protested quietly; her wings fluttering lightly. Jack growled lightly, and his fingers danced across his PDA’s screen.

“Listen Flitter, there’s pent up aggression in there, I can see it. Use it. How did you feel when you saw that sack of shit fuck your sister? How did it make you feel?”

The question caught Flitter off guard, and caused her to cringe inwardly. Not meeting his gaze, she slumped slightly. “H-hurt… sad… m-mad…”

“Mad. You felt, mad.” Jack stared at her oddly, and his left hand was clamped tightly around the tough casing of the PDA. Flitter shifted and frowned heavily.

“Y-yeah. I was mad. He-”

“Did it piss you off? Seeing them screw around behind your back?”

He wasn’t waiting for her excuses. Flitter furrowed her brow and nodded. “Yeah. yeah it did. It made me pretty angry to see them doing that.”

Jack nodded, his brow furrowing as he kept staring at Flitter. “They thought you were stupid, weak, worthless. They thought, that even if you did find out, you wouldn’t be pissed right the fuck off.”

Flitter swallowed hotly. The burning shame she’d felt earlier had increased, but it had changed. It wasn’t shame anymore. It had lifted into her throat, and into her mind. The edges of her vision almost seemed to tint red. “They’re wrong. I am pissed off.” She grit her teeth a little, and Jack’s smile began to spread.

“Oh, you’re pissed off now. How pissed off are you, that your scum-fuck boyfriend is fucking your sister?”

“I’M PISSED RIGHT THE FUCK OFF!” Flitters hackles rose as she yelled at Jack. The human grinned ear to ear, and pumped a fist.

“Damn right you are. What are you gonna do, next time your pussy ass boyfriend tries to shmooze up next to you?”

“I’m gonna punch him in his fucking throat!” Flitter cried, the hot angry flowed through her like a drug. “I’ll drag his worthless hide through the mud, and beat him till ponies start calling him Bruisy!” Despite the heat coursing through her head, Flitter found herself grinning hard enough to match the soldier across from her. Jack nodded his approval, and bumped her extended hoof.

“Hell yeah sister. You’re gonna kick his worthless ass.” He took a breath, and straightened up. “Ain’t nobody gonna ever tread on you again. You’re gonna be a girl your Daddy woulda been damn proud of.”

His last words caused her breath to catch in her throat, and the fiery anger to simmer. She stared at Jack, who smiled back softly, before nodding to her. Flitter swallowed slowly, and nodded in return. “Yeah…” She smiled at Jack, and hoped he wouldn’t see how watery her eyes were becoming. “I’ll make my Dad proud of me.” To her surprise, Jack reached over, and scratched her between the ears with his calloused fingers. Flitter scooted over, and rested against his side. Jack rested his arm on her shoulder, and kept scratching her ears and head while he picked at his food with his free hand.

After a couple quiet minutes with Flitter rested against Jack’s side and his steady breathing and chewing, Flitter finally spoke as she wiped her eyes. “Thanks Jack… I really mean that…” She said softly as her ears flicked at the ministrations of his dexterous fingers. His hand broke off from her head for a moment to give her a supportive squeeze around the shoulder.

“We’re in this together Flitter. You and me.” He smiled softly, before finishing off his breakfast. He soon stood, and pulled on his well-worn military sweater. “No rest for the wicked. Come on Flitter. It’s time to get smoked.”

Hopping to her hooves, Flitter couldn’t help but grin hard enough to match Jack. “Bring it on Jack.”

______________________________________________________________

This is Researcher Field Note, documenting day 73 of my field assignment, Addendum One. I find myself more worried about the tribe now, as it seems that Whitetail Woods may be a more trafficked area than I had originally believed. Blunda had a close run-in with a local out for a trot. I wasn’t close enough to get a very good look at the encounter, which is bothersome. Alas, there is nothing I can do, or could have done. Thankfully, nothing of note happened to Blunda. What is strange, is that Akasha almost seemed to scold him for running off on his own while the tribe was occupied.

I’ve begun to set up a more lasting camp; one nestled up in the trees. Thankfully I still have the flight talisman that Chief Wandering Trot gave me, so I can touch the skies like the rest of my kin, and creating an above-ground camp makes detection much less likely. I managed to find a pair of tall trees that would give me satisfactory view of the general area, which I will use to my benefit.

Field Note paused in his writings to look down towards the human tribe. Algeron was abusing Gover and Kiara while the hunters are out; the sickly male and spritely female no match for the alphas towering bulk. Field Note furrowed his brow, and started writing again as he peered at them through his looking glass.

Algeron is proving to be a cruel bully; what is odd however, is he only abuses the smaller humans of the tribe when the hunters are gone. Does he fear they will kill him if they feel he goes too far?

Taking another pause, Field Note adjusted his spy glass to enhance the image before him; the quill floated just above the parchment as he worked. Tanja simply lay on her side, unmoving as always. Algeron shoved the frail Gover to the dirt; up in his suspended camp, Field Note could hear the fearful mewls of pain being emitted by Gover, and the rapid chirps and whistles being spoken by the others. The tiny scout Isotta bounded to her feet to stop Algeron as he pulled his hamfist back to strike Gover. Field Note winced in sympathy as she was smacked across the muzzle and sent to the ground.

“Oh Celestia, just leave it be Algeron…” Field Note groaned quietly as Algeron grabbed the much small female by the hair and pulled her close. I already know where this is going… He cringed as Algeron hunkered down over the fallen Isotta, who squawked and shrieked in protest. One of her flailing limbs struck Algeron across the jaw, and on reflex he mashed his fist into her face. The lithe scout went limp instantly, and the tribe went suddenly silent.

Gently pressing his hoof over his mouth, Field Note gasped quietly and blinked back surprise tears. “o-oh… oh dear… Algeron, what have you done?” Algeron gripped Isotta by her muddy red hair and pulled her up towards him- only to be interrupted by a sudden, shrill shriek of authority. Akasha stormed towards Algeron as the others mewled plaintively; beside her, the old alpha Arma, his brother Molmir, and the female huntress Dala. A storm of hisses, shrieking, chirps, and whistles followed. Field Note couldn’t help but take numerous notes of the events, but his eyes remained on the fallen Isotta. A small smile crossed his muzzle when Blunda snuck over to her and cradled her head. “I hope-” Field Note cut himself off when the small scout stirred weakly, only one of her eyes opening slowly. He breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled a bit more easily. “You’ll be fine Isotta, your tribe will protect you.” Field Note nodded to the tribe as Algeron backed off; thoroughly chastened, but visibly furious.

I believe that while Algeron is the Alpha, the tribe respects Aram and Akasha far more. They are treated as de facto leaders on important decisions, or when Algeron is not around. This tactic is fascinating, and I do hope to see much more of it in the times to come. If the tribe follows Algeron through the winter, I believe they will not survive. However, with Akasha and Aram running the show behind his back, they have a much better chance. Even if leadership weren’t an issue, they will still need better shelter, and a place further from civilization.

Setting down his quill to allow his magic a rest; Field Note sighed quietly and rubbed his eyes. He suddenly blinked owlishly, and pricked his ears at the sound of incredibly faint music playing off in the distance. Though he could barely hear it, it almost seemed to offend his higher senses with its musical belligerence. “That… what kind of music IS that?”

____________________________________________________________

The lead singer growled loudly into the mic about a legendary battle and the heroes within it as the band set out their heavy metal melody, all of which played through the speakers on Jack’s PDA. He gave Flitter a swift punt to the rear as she lagged through the impromptu obstacle course. Her muscles burned as lactic acid filled her veins from the exertion; the large, heavy pack that was strapped firmly to her back rattled and thumped with each step.

Don’t think about the rocks in the pack Flitter, focus on the path!

Flitter mentally coached herself as she jogged and weaved between the trees, the frosted ground crunching loudly beneath her hooves; the sound was nearly lost against the torrential pounding of blood in her ears and the bombastic music playing from Jack’s PDA.

Shit! Dive!

Flitter doves for the deck as Jack released the tree limb, which whipped over her at general chest level. Jack grinned in approval as she commando crawled like she’d been shown. The frost and dirt matted her coat and tinged her to look like the surrounding environment. Jack had bounded off ahead of her again, and was waiting at the end of the winding, torture-run. She skidded to a halt before his boots; her breath came raggedly and heavy as she looked up at Jack.

He smiled cruelly, and cut the song just as it was about to end.

“Nicely done. Now, pushups with the pack on, until the next song ends. Copy?”

She nodded, and pulled the straps a bit tighter. “Crystal!” She dropped down, and started pumping away as Jack started the next song. It was more aggressive than the first few, the singer practically screaming into the mic as Flitter grit her teeth in exertion. The twenty five kilo pack strapped to her wasn’t helping matters. She could feel every muscle in her upper body screaming for the pain to stop. Flitter ignored the screaming, and focused intently on the music and the crescendo that told her the end was near.

After what felt like hours, the song ended abruptly, and Jack gave a clap of approval. “Good. Now, drop the pack.”

Sighing happily in relief as the heavy pack clattered to the ground, Flitter stretched out and grunted as her limbs popped. She swiftly looked up at Jack for further instructions, but found him to be busy. Arching a brow, Flitter cocked her head in confusion as he pulled off his sweater and shirt. “Uhhh… J-jack?” She smiled weakly as she blushed a light red. “What’re you-”

“A fight for your life often comes at the worst possible time. Like when you’re so tired you think you could drop dead at any moment.” He cracked his knuckles, and sunk into an aggressive posture. Flitter blinked, and stared at him in surprise as she watched his numerous tattoos shift and bulge with his whipcord muscles flexed. “You’re going to try and hit me, and you’re going to try and stop me from hitting you.” He grinned at her, and tossed the PDA onto his sweater and shirt.

Swallowing back the bile her run had forced up into her throat, Flitter growled at Jack and mimicked his aggressive stance. I’m glad he’s not wearing his Exo. I suppose he wants this to be fair? The moment Flitter took to think was all Jack needed to weave forward and cuff her roughly upside the head. The mare reeled in surprise at the sudden smack, and swiftly failed to see the armoured boot speeding toward her. Instinct took over and she flinched away from the blow.

The next moment Flitter registered, she was tottering dangerously on her hind hooves, and her chest thumped painfully. Jack moved in for the kill; sweeping her legs out from under her as he drove her to the ground with a hand near her throat. The air was forced from Flitters lungs as she hit the ground hard, and Jack straddled her. He jabbed two fingers forward to her neck, but didn’t make contact. Looking down at the two fingers, Flitter had the fleeting realization they were hovering just above the major artery. Her eyes flicked up to Jack, who simply grinned in return, and prodded her nose with the two killing fingers that were meant to mimic a knife.

“Bah.” He chuckled to himself after the prod, and got off her chest as he pushed back a cough brought on by making a simple noise. Jack offered her his hand up; it was one she took. Flitter shook herself after having been pulled to her hooves. Shooting a glare at Jack, she found he’d sunken into his attack stance again, and was making a hand motion as if to say-

‘BRING IT ON.’

Flitter barred her teeth and flared her wings; she failed to keep the grin from spreading across her muzzle. “Come and get me if you think you’re hard enough Jackie.”

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Breathing hard through her open mouth; Flitters body was all bruises, scrapes, and dirt. Jack held her hoof, and brought it up and forward in a mimic strike. He helped guide her through the basic moves, all without speaking a word. A simple grunt, swat, or laugh was enough for the pair. Flitter smiled broadly as she mimicked the move she’d been shown; her hoof arced like lightning, and she followed through with a pair of kicks that she used her aching wings to aid. Jack nodded once, and clapped lightly. He walked back over to his sweater and grabbed his PDA.

“Last lesson for today. Headbutts.” He walked forward, and squatted before her. “A good headbutt will break your opponents nose, disorienting him and giving you the opportunity to follow up with something more deadly, or make an escape.” He grabbed her by the chin, and pointed to a point on her head. “This is the spot you hit them with. hit them here, with a motion like this.” He jerked his head downward in an arcing motion. “It’ll hurt, but it could save your life. Never be afraid to fight dirty Flitter. Remember that if you ever show up to a fair fight, you didn’t come prepared.” He ruffled her thoroughly ruined mane before going to pull his clothes back on.

Panting heavily, Flitter nodded and swallowed before looking up at him. Upon seeing his back fully, she furrowed her brow. “Jack, we’re did you get all those scars from?” She couldn’t help but wince as he suddenly tensed, and swiftly pulled his shirt back on.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now.” He glanced over at her, then back down to his PDA. “Besides. Don’t you work in a half hour?”

Flitters eyes went wide and she cursed roughly. “Shit! I gotta go wash up!” She fluttered her wings, and crossed the distance to give Jack a dirt covered hug around his barrel. He smiled lightly, and scratched her ears before shooing her off. Without much ceremony, Flitter pumped her burning wings for all they were worth and shot off towards her home.

Watching as Flitter disappeared into the distant skies, Jack waited until he couldn’t discern her coat from the mid-morning skies before turning back towards his home. A shock of pain coursed through his left arm and spread through his shoulder and chest. Forcing down the taste of bile in his throat, he wiped his dry lips and shook his head.

Focus.

The single word was repeated as he placed one heavy metal boot before the other and made his way to where he kept his water. Failing to keep his balance as his head swam, Jack shook his head again and blinked rapidly to try and dispel the sparkling stars that swam before his eyes. He reached out hamfistedly, knocking over several empty bottles until he found his canteen. The creek water tasted faintly of iron, but it was ignored blatantly as Jack lifted the canteen and drank greedily from it’s mouth. The water splashed out around his cracking lips and onto his heaving chest. Unable to swallow anymore, he retched forward and started coughing roughly as his left arm shivered violently.

He shuddered, and clenched his eyes shut as if the swirling black could block out the pain. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the remaining bottles of hard alcohol he’d borrowed from the restaurant.

Kill it. Kill it with fire.

He grabbed at one of the bottle with clumsy hands, and struggled to open the top. Snarling angrily, he smashed the lid off with his K-bar. The razor edged combat knife stayed clutched in his vice-like hand as he brought the bottle up to his lips and let the burning liquor spill down his throat and chin. The fire coursed down his throat and into his stomach, where it spread through his veins. The pain didn’t abate in the slightest; instead a vacant, psychotic expression crossed his features as he slowly looked down at his jerking left arm and the titanium plugs that dotted it. His eyes slowly flicked to the knife in his other hand, and his thoughts wandered back to words a scientist had spoken when he was being put through the Longbow Program.

These skeletons require a direct link to the wearers body, which is achieved through these titanium-housed tantalum bio-connectors. We will be replacing almost all of your tendons and ligaments with a lab grown bio-steel, so your body will be able to keep up with the herculean feats of the Longbow Exo-skeleton. Unfortunately, the surgeries are incredibly complicated, and have a dangerously high risk factor, as well as the remote possibility of longevity issues. Of course, if any issues arise, you all will have a truly expert staff on hand to render any and all aid possible.

Jack shuddered at the memory, and one phrase continued to echo around in his head.

Longevity issues

Snarling with fury, Jack pressed the tip of the blade against the edge of the plug.

Longevity issues my fucking ass. I’m dying because those fuckheads made me into a goddamn metal monster.

He grit his teeth together tightly, before closing his eyes slowly as the tip of the knife dug a little furrow into his flesh, drawing a line of bright crimson blood.

Focus. Focus Jack. Focus.

Slowly, he pulled the blade away from the plug, and thumped his head against the rock wall before him. Features twisting in sorrow and pain; he thumped his head against the wall and crumpled until his head was against the rock floor. After several long moments, he slowly opened his eyes, and turned towards his pile of gear. At that moment, he saw his modified chest rig, with it’s payload still inside. He blinked, before cursing his stupidity.

IDIOT. I need to find a place to bury that damn thing… I can’t leave a two megaton bomb just laying around… Fuckfuckfuck.

He shuddered and rolled so he was sitting against the wall.

I need to get my shit straight. I’m nearly out of food, I’m almost out of water, I’m probably dying because of some stupid bulllshit, there’s some random ass band of people camping in my turf and I have a fuckhuge bomb sitting by my cot.

Dying.

Am I dying?

I don’t think I’m dying. It kinda feels like it, but I’ve felt worse…

He furrowed his brow, and took another drink from the bottle. He scoffed at it, before setting it aside.

No. I’m not dying. I refuse to die like /this/. I go out on my own terms.

He set his jaw, and nodded to himself. A sardonic grin spread across his drawn features. He moved over to his bed, and pulled off his heavier clothes. Kicking his feet up, he did his best to rest up for when Flitter returned.

I’ll talk to her. She can help.

He clamped his right hand over his other wrist, locking it in place. Just as his eyes closed for his brief power nap, his plugs started to itch, and his eyes opened in annoyance.

Fuck right off.

Omake the First: Dark Side of the Moon

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Command, I am locked in on my final approach vector. Target should appear soon on scope. Jack wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead so he could focus one the dangerous task at hand.

He steadied his breathing as he passed the last obstacle, and his target came into view. A quiet awed gasp escaped his lips as the brilliant crescent moon came into view. "mother of god...." It was so close, and yet, so far. Jack set his jaw tightly, and willed himself forward towards it. Deep inky blackness seemed to surround the pale crescent moon, as if it threatened to swallow it whole. He edged closer, until he could practically touch the moons surface.

Swallowing thickly, Jack uttered the hallowed words of his people. "This is one small step for man, and one, giant leap for mankind."He lifted his hand up high, and focused intently on the task he was about to complete at the risk of his own health and safety. To his infinite horror, the moon shifted ever so slightly. Without a moments hesitation, Jack brought his hand down in a swift, decisive motion.

Luna's head jerked up out of her bowl of coffee in sudden surprise and she failed to suppress her whiny of shock as a rough hand slapped across her cutie mark with enough force to cause her flank to jiggle for a moment and for a stinging numbness to spread rapidly. The Lunar Diarch whipped her head around and stared at the offending human with a shocked expression as hot coffee spilled from her hanging mouth.

Jack met her shocked gaze with a slowly spreading shit eating grin. The grin died ever so slightly when the mare's face exploded in anger, and she clattered off her pillow so she could strangle him with her bare hooves. "FIEND!"

Cackling madly as he turned on his heels and bolted; Jack screamed over his shoulder as he barged out beyond one of the castles ornate doors. "I REGRET NOTHIIIIIING!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!" He vaulted over a startled maid, and pressed on down the hall as Luna's door crashed open, and the red faced alicorn followed in hot pursuit. Tracking Jack wasn't hard, as his rubberized boot heels squeaked and squealed across the polished marble floors. On top of that, he was still laughing his ass off, much to Luna's chagrin.

"I SWEAR ON MY ANCESTORS, I WILL MURDER YOU, HUMAN!!!!" Luna bellowed with her fuming mad regal voice as she galloped after the trouble-making marine. Passing by several shocked, worried, and bemused ponies, Luna turned another corner, only to find that she'd lost him.
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Jack pressed his back against the door and bit his knuckle hard to keep from laughing and giving his position away. His body shook with suppressed laughter, and his hand still stung from the righteous ass-slap he'd delivered upon the lunar princess. Flitter looked up from his PDA and pulled the earbuds from her head. "Jack, what-" Her features scrunched up as he skipped over and clamped a hand over her muzzle; he made a silent 'Shhhh' motion, before turning his head back towards the door.

Just as the pair looked to the door, said door boomed, and was nearly blown off its hinges. Jack let out a terrified squawk and bolted for the window. "SHE KNOWS WE'RE HERE, ABANDON SHIP!"

Flitter gaped in horror, her eyes going from the door, then to Jack as he attached a carabiner to his 'emergency castle de-ass line'. He motioned for her to move to him, but she stayed where she was. "Jack, what the fuck did-" Again, Flitter was cut off. Unfortunately, this time a large axe split the door into splinters. Flitter shrieked at the same time and decibel as Jack, she practically leapt into his arms; her wings spread wide in terror as Luna beat down the door with a battleaxe. "JACK WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DOOOOOOO!!???" Flitter shrieked as the human propelled them out the window and down the line.

Both human and pony screamed as they dropped; the line straining as Jack rappelled face first down the four stories of smooth stone that made up the castles exterior. Just as they were about to reach the bottom, the pair were enveloped in a deep blue aura. They were lifted up painfully slowly, until they both hung upside down before a steaming battleaxe wielding Luna. Jack grinned at her as his scraggly black mop of hair hung before his eyes.

"Salve Moonbutt!"

Flitter's lips pressed into a thin line as she looked at Jack, then at Luna. She flailed her hooves a little as the blood rushed to her head. "I swear I'm not with him."

Chapter Nine: Deep Black Sea

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Jack’s world turned from brilliant white to blue in a matter of moments. It then shifted rapidly between dull watery blue and heat-scorched sand as his body was sent tumbling like an armoured ragdoll. He barely felt the impact his body made against the dirty roadside ditch. His eyes rolled around in his head, causing his new world to spin continuously as the taste of salty copper mixed with the burning tang of cordite in his mouth and a high pitched keening noise consumed his hearing. The single note screeched in his head as blood leaked out of his burst eardrums. The world slowly began to stop spinning, and he was idly aware of a light pounding that surrounded him. Whether it was automatic gunfire or his own heart failing, he couldn’t tell. The only thought he could fully form was about the swansong in his ears.

Without warning, the world flooded back in through the shattered faceshield of his EOD armour. Tracers streaked over him, and he was faintly aware someone was tugging at him. Jack slowly blinked, his vision tinted a foggy red from the blood dribbling into his eyes. He tried to blink it away, before a familiar face appeared inside his slowly darkening cone of vision. A faint, delirious smile crossed Jack’s blood smeared features.

“hi mark…”

The man hunched over him looked panicked, and that was an incredibly bad thing. Mark jerked a look over his shoulder, before firing off a short burst from his spiker; the weapons barrel steamed in the midday heat. He turned back, and yelled something silently at Jack. Jack blinked hard, and slowly became aware of his body. Swallowing dryly, he managed to mumble to the other soldier.

“mark… mark, i can’t feel my legs… i can’t feel my legs man…” Jack coughed roughly, and his cone of vision flickered black. Mark squeezed his eyes closed; what looked like tears streaked his sooty cheeks, mixing with the foreign blood that was spattered there. He grabbed Jack by his thick kevlar collar and said something mutely. Whatever he said, it seemed to be incredibly important, but Jack couldn’t make out even the faintest of sounds; his own voice was mute, save for the reverberations it sent through his chest. Mark’s face disappeared from his vision, and Jack felt the edging knife of panic work its way deep into his heart. “mark? mark where are you man… please don… please… don’t..” Jack blinked rapidly as his vision continued to darken, and he found himself falling into the abyss.

Within moments, he became keenly aware of his body. Arching his back with a howl that would haunt his own dreams for years; Jack found his senses returning without any subtlety or tack. The smell of burning meat and cordite filled his nostrils, and the lance of thermic pain grew even hotter around his thighs. Thrashing and writhing in pain, Jack felt two pairs of hands holding him down as the pain increased two-fold. Another calm thought crossed through the back of his mind.

The Med-Gen Thermic Patch is designed to cauterize lost limbs so to allow wounded to survive long enough to reach proper medical care. Some activists pin them as ‘unethical’.

Haha.

A long, whimpering moan escaped his parched throat as the burning pain subsided, only to be replaced by a throbbing crackle. He felt somebody cutting open his body armour, but he couldn’t find the strength to lift himself up to see who it was.

“just hold on! i’ll get you out of here man! just hold on!”

The words sounded as if they were a mile away, and coming through water. More likely through blood. Jack was barely conscious as his thick chestplate was peeled back, and his sweat stiffened fatigues were ripped open. A needle jab punched into his chest, and a tingling sensation spread through his body like wild-fire. Abruptly, his senses flooded back once again, and the world burst into brilliant colour. Tracers whipped overhead like psychotic wasps, the MRAP was a blazing wreck, bodies littered the road and sand like discarded toys; in all the chaos and confusion, somebody shoved an abused Sig Sauer 226 into his clenching hand. Somebody lifted him up by his pull strap, and started pulling Jack away from all the death and fire.

Dark figures moved around near the edge of Jack’s vision; armed with deadly looking rifles, they moved forward to claim their final kills. One of the figures grew too bold, and pulled out from behind a mound of rocks with his rifle raised. Jack’s arm jerked up as potent adrenaline flooded his system and his trigger finger pulsed three times. The figure jerked as if palsied, before flopping over backwards like a puppet whose strings had just been cut. The .40 cal pistol bucked and barked in Jack’s adrenaline fueled grip. His eyes were saucer wide and his pupils were mere black pinpricks that darted to and fro to lead his iron sights.

Bang bang bang

Another three shots rang out nearly mute to his bleeding ears, and another figure stumbled behind cover.

Bang bang bang

Pink foam started to collect on Jacks lips, and was soon flecked across his chest and ruined fatigues as he heaved breath after breath through the searing pain.

Bang bang bang-clack

The slide stuck back, leaving the action smoking and exposed to the open air. Jack’s eyes widened in adrenaline fueled fear as another figure appeared. Tracer spikes arced over his head, and the figure went down in clumps and pieces. Mark stepped over Jack, and took a knee inside the ditch. He fired off another swift burst, before jerking a look over his shoulder to motion and yell something to whoever was still dragging Jack’s body. Mark turned his head back to the fight just in time to see the man who’s rifle would strike him down. The steel spike punched into his left hand, shredding the tough skin, shattering the bones, and blowing the trigger assembly of his spiker to hundreds of bits. Mark screamed as bone and machined aluminum shrapnel perforated his cheek; he fell over backwards, clenching the spurting, ruined stump where his mechanic’s hand had been only moments ago. His wide eyes met Jack’s, just as the figures set upon them.

In that moment, the world froze. Everything stopped, and the pain went away. Jack blinked, and looked around. The keening in his ears was gone; replacing it was the sound of a woman heaving and failing to hold back tears.

“i said… Enough.”

Rolling onto his stomach, Jack pushed up until he was standing on his two feet. A glance down confirmed that they were still the surgical steel and composite ceramic legs Hades Int. had given him. Slowly looking up, his eyes fell on the woman in the deep blue ball gown. She was shivering, and looking beyond him. She shuddered, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Jack quirked both brows as he stared at her. With cautious worry, Jack took a single step forward as he spoke softly.

“I… God?”

The woman blinked, and looked over to him, as if it was the first time she’d truly looked at him. She stared at him almost equally before answering. “No… No human, I am not your… God.” She looked around at the frozen carnage before shivering. “what god could allow this-”

“If you’re not God, then who the fuck are you?” Jack’s tone had an edge of bite to it, to mask his own confusion and intense worry. He stayed still, with his boots planted firmly in the sand.

She looked up at him, her expression growing softer; more calm. The look had a calming affect on him as well, as he felt his hackles lowering. “My name is Princess Luna. You are… Jack?”

Nodding, he took another few steps forward; mindful to step over the headless corpse of the squad driver. His grey matter was plastered across an old mud-brick wall; a piece of his jaw and what could have been anything rested inside a split open combat helmet. One of the drivers brown eyes was intact, and staring blankly at the pair. “Jack. Specialist Jack Kessle.” He did a misplaced curtsey as he started to grin. “Yer’ Majesty.”

The lunar princess smiled graciously at his misused formal greeting. “I am… pleased to make your acquaintance.” She swallowed as she looked over the carnage. “so much blood… You lost so much blood, I didn’t think it would be possible to survive something like… this.”

A sardonic smirk spread across Jack’s face. “Well, I mighta lost a lotta blood, but they found most of it!” He laughed weakly at his own joke; it was a laugh the princess couldn’t bring herself to match.

“Of course… Jack, do you know why I have such difficulties with your dreams?” She looked him over; her eyes flitting across his body with intense curiosity.

“My dreams? What? Are you some kinda… Dream.. fairy… princess?” Jack asked as his features screwed up in confusion. Luna lifted a finger, before curling it up so she could rub her face with annoyance.

“So you do not know then…” He simply shrugged, and started looking around the area with vacant interest. The cold detachment sent a shiver down her spine as she opened her mouth to speak. “Jack, forgive my asking, but… What happened to your friend?” She pointed at the still-frame screaming Mark. She frowned as he turned away and pinched his nose with two fingers. Luna’s eyes went wide as the scene snapped forward. Several men wearing shemaghs were circled around a seated Jack and Mark, who was tied to a short pole. Mark looked as if he’d been severely beaten, and was close to losing consciousness. A pug faced, narrow eyed short man walked over to the bound pair with a pistol in his hand.

Jack frowned heavily as he kept his eyes closed; he was oblivious to the scene unfolding. “He didn’t make it.”

The short, slant eyed man grabbed Jack by the mouth, and wrestled the pistol into his hand. Forcing Jack’s fingers around its lacquered wooden grip; the man grinned with perfect pearly white teeth. The pug-faced man cackled silently as he gripped Jacks head, forcing him to look at the silently pleading Mark. The legless Jack screamed silently and ineffectively as the short man pulled his finger back, and the pistol flared bright. Mark jerked on the post as a bloody blossom sprouted from the left of his chest. His eyes widened with shock and betrayal as he look slowly up from his sucking wound to the silently sobbing Jack. The pug-faced man ripped the pistol from his grip, and shoved Jack's head hard enough to bounce it off the old concrete floor. Turning her back on the scene, Luna pressed a hand against her smooth, porcelain-esque face.

“I…” She took a moment to compose herself. “I apologize for your loss, Jack Kessle.” She opened her mouth to speak again, but found the words catch in her throat as Jack turned, and stared at her. What Luna found staring at her wasn’t in any sense of the word ‘Right’. Whatever passed behind his eyes for that split moment was wild. Wild, furious, and deadly. It was snuffed out in a mere moment; submerged within a emerald sea of off-putting calm.

“Yeah.” He rubbed his stubbly cheek for a moment. “So now what? Are we gonna stand here awkwardly, or is something gonna happen?” He shifted from boot to boot in annoyance.

Luna blinked, before smiling weakly. “Well Jack, I do believe I have partially answered my earlier question. These are not dreams, nor are they nightmares. They are simply memories, playing onward and onward without changes or bias. My magic has difficulties forcing change into such a constant.” She regained some of her regal grace; her movements looked seamless and completely fluid as she closed the distance between them.

Stiffening at the growing closeness, Jack twisted his features up. “Magic? Are you-” He paused, and let out a groan. “Of course you’re serious. Outstanding! Fuck me.”

Luna jerked away from him as if she'd been slapped. “I shall do no such thing!” She squawked indignantly, and crossed her arms protectively over herself. A snorting laugh escaped from Jack as he looked over at the woman, only to start laughing harder. His face flushed red as he doubled over and continued laughing. Shifting in confusion, Luna blinked at the sudden outburst. “I… do not understand…?”

Jack’s laughter diminished to enthused giggles and the odd coughs. “Oh god, that’s great. I swear, you’re worse than Flitter.” He chuckles again, and straightens out. “This whole world is like some messed up PG kids show, complete with good ol’ zombies and human slavery; it’s fuckin hilarious!” He grinned, and assumed an enthused, vacant look. “Today’s special guest is an Ex-Marine, he’ll teach you all how to cuss and draw dicks on everything!” He chuckled again at his brand of humour; Jack barely noticed that Luna was not laughing along.

Staring at the giggling marine, Luna couldn’t help but shake her head in disbelief and rub her face. A quiet sigh was breathed out from between her slight lips, and was soon followed by a question. “Jack, I need you to think of something that makes you happy.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

Jack immediately stopped laughing, and regarded Luna with a curious look. “Happy? alright… happy… happyhappyhappy…” He closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate hard. He lifted up a hand and started counting on his fingers. “Alcohol-” The landscape of his dreamscape shifted, becoming a swirling mass. “Recoil-” The imagery began to take shape of what looked to be a cave. “New titty mags-” A small fire crackled before Luna and Jack, with two indiscernible figures seated before it. “Uhhh… Soft beds, warm showers, and good steak.” He grinned, and nodded as if to agree with himself. “Yep! That’s what makes me happy.” His eyes wandered to the fully formed picture.

In the dream, Jack was seated on his log before the crackling and snapping fire, with Flitter fidgeting in his lap.

“Ouch.”

“Stop fidgeting.”

“OUCH!”

"Stop whining."

"Ow."

"Stop moving."

"Make me! OW!"

The dream Jack chuckled lightly as he pulled prickly burs from the mares mane and coat. He flicked them into the fire as he worked, causing it to pop and crackle. Watching the exchange, Jack smiled weakly as he looked over at Luna. He looked away from her once again to rub his cheek. As Luna watched the quiet exchange as a small, appreciative smile crossed her own soft features.

“I see…” She turned to Jack, and took a step towards him. “I can force your dreams away from your memories; allow you to sleep peacefully once more.” She laid a gentle hand down on his shoulder.

Turning his head to regard the regal princess; Jack nodded once. “Just black will be fine. A quiet rest would be better than anything else.” He sighed quietly, before looking around the expanse. “So this is the inside of my head?”

Luna nodded once in confirmation. “A glimpse into your subconscious. My magic is allowing you to remain here and comprehend what is happening. You are still sound asleep.”

Quirking a brow, he couldn’t help but laugh shortly. “Sounds hinky. Like one of those threads on tulpas and other bullshit.” He continued to look around, before closing his eyes to focus. The dreamscape shifted, depositing them onto the sidelines of what seemed to be a high school rugby game. Jack opened his eyes, and grinned happily. “This is fuckin wicked. That’s my first rugby game!” He coughed. “Also last…”

Watching with bated interest, Luna’s eyes wandered to the sidelines, where a large group of humans were gathered. Around eight of them were holding up a homemade banner that read ‘Go #82!’ A quick glance saw a much younger, and more stringy looking Jack wearing a #82 jersey. Luna regarded the group with increased wonder. “Is that your family? There’s quite a few of them.”

“Yeah, some of em. George and Sophia weren’t born yet- Oh shit, it’s uncle Dim!” Jack’s eyes shone with boyish excitement. “I didn’t even know he’d shown up.” He pointed at one of the largest humans Luna had ever laid eyes on standing behind the rest of Jack’s family. He was roughly 6’7”, and easily three hundred pounds. The man's head was shaved down to a clean high and tight haircut. He looked like a bear, and had the presence of a mean one. Luna watched as a rail thin man wearing reading glasses slid into ‘Uncle Dim’s' arms, before pecking him on the bottom of the jaw. Dim smiled happily, and held the smaller man close as they watched with the rest of the Kessle clan as the game kicked off. Jack leaned over as his eyes remained fixed on the opening of the game. “Uncle Dmitry is an ex-Spetsnaz bruiser. Married my Uncle William when I was eleven, after he emigrated from Russia to Canada, five years prior.” He grinned as the scrum started, but it was swiftly swapped for a scowl as a thicknecked opponent elbowed the younger Jack in the nose. Even from the sidelines, it was obvious it was broken. As fast as Luna could Blink, Jacks elbow caught the offenders jaw and set him to the ground. The whip-like younger Jack pounced on him, and started raining blows down upon the stunned teenager. The opposing team grabbed at him, only to have the scrim devolve into a full-blown fistfight. The younger Jack scrambled over the thrashing bruiser; locking his opponents ankle into his hands and rolling onto his back. The larger teens eyes bulged, and he let out a shriek as his calf was crushed and his leg broken. Whistles were being blown, and teachers were flooding the field to break up the fight.

One furious adult, presumably the teens father, tried to storm onto the field to accost the bleeding Jack. He didn’t get far. Luna blinked, and noticed that Uncle Dmitry and the other teens father were suddenly nowhere to be found. By the time she returned her gaze to the field, the teen who had started the entire altercation was moaning in horrid pain and Jack was being escorted off the field as his family watched on and his mother rubbed her eyes in frustration. His brothers cheered him on and his sisters smirked in approval.

The image distorted, leaving the pair standing in what seemed like nothingness. Jack chuckled lightly, and rubbed his nose where it tweaked over so slightly. “They had to put sixteen rods and pins in his leg for a year just so he could hobble straight. He lost two teeth, and had to get a plate in his jaw from where I introduced it to my elbow.” He chuckled darkly. “I was banned from any and all school sports teams, including the ping pong team. Got threatened with expulsion, but... he started it.”

Shaking her head, Luna looked over Jack incredulously. “Why would you do that? It was simply a game.” She cocked her head ever so slightly, and waited with interest for his reply.

“Because nobody fucks with the Kessle’s. He was a bully, so I gave him a reminder.” Jack set his jaw, and the image of a sniveling little boy covered in bloody scrapes and purple bruises came up. “Prick used to bully my little siblin’s when Jules, Jacob, and myself weren’t around. Got his sick little kicks out of beating the shit out of kids.” He smirked. “So Uncle Dim taught us all Sambo, and I joined the rugby team. I knew we’d face off eventually. We did, and I won.” His smirk spread into a shit-eating grin. "Totally worth it."

An appreciative smile spread across Luna’s lips. “I see. Family is very important to you…” She creased her brow as she considered something. “What is Flitter to you Jack?”

The question made Jack blink in surprise, before turning to stare at the smaller woman as he tried to weed out exactly what she meant. “She’s a great kid. Good heart-” He paused, as if considering his next words. “Soul of a true marine.” He thumped his chest. “That makes her family. She looks out for me, and I look out for her. Simple as that.”

Luna smiled, and nodded once again. She looked up at Jack, a curious look on her soft features. “A true marine? What do you mean by that? What is a marine-” She jerked as a loud bleating noise overcame them, and the dreamscape fell apart around them. The princess tried to yell something out to Jack, but he was already waking.

Jerking up in bed, Jack slapped ineffectively at his PDA in an attempt to at least hit the snooze button. A quiet groan escaped his lips as he finally found it, silencing the alarm for a few minutes. Jack fell back onto his cot and rubbed his eyes with his calloused fingers. As he thought over his terribly odd dream, he could only muster one single thought in return.

What the actual fuck.

Chapter Ten: Universal Problem Solver

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It’s days like today that make me glad to be a pegasi.

Flitter soared high above Ponyville on a winter thermal; the chilly wind nipped at her wing tips, but the heat spreading through her muscles kept her comfortably warm. Below her were the winter weather crews; they seemed to be busy building up some kind of weather front that would bury the area in fresh snow. Flitter sucked in a breath of frozen air, and reveled in the feeling of what felt like a completely new body.

Hoorah for crazy pegasus metabolisms and fast muscle gain! Flitter giggled to herself as she hunched her back and swooped down towards her home. The front door was unlocked, as it always was. Stepping beyond the threshold, Flitter found herself in a seemingly empty house.

“Cloudy? You home?” Please don’t be home.

Nopony answered Flitters call, and her smile returned once again. “Shower time!” Flitter pranced up the stairs to keep her blood pumping. She flung open the door to her room, only to come to a jerky stop.

Somepony’s been going through my shit….

A quiet growl of annoyance passed her lips, until her eyes fell on the spread out drawings of Jack. They were all spaced out, placed down on the bed as if each one had been studied intensively. And the pony who had done it hadn’t bothered to put them away or hide what they’d done.

They wanted Flitter to know what they’d done.

“Fuck.” Flitter cursed quietly as she trotted over, and looked over the detailed drawings of hi-tech equipment that looked more at home in a science-fiction comic book. Jack’s laser rifle, his massive powered armour, his bulky sidearm, and some of his more technical gear. On top of that, there were several other drawings of Jack himself, wearing the armour, hefting the rifle; moving, striking, killing, laughing. A shudder passed down Flitters spine.

I shouldn’t have drawn any of these.

Her eyes fell on one of her latest drawing; one of Jack's face. He had a massive grin on his face; Flitter had just told him a joke that he’d enjoyed, and his cheeks had creased upwards, pushing his eyes into happy green slits. His teeth were bared, and his canines were prominently featured. Flitters thoughts on the sharp pointed teeth were that they had originally looked like the fangs of a vampony, but she’d come to see them as more wolfish; causing his features to appear more animalistic when he bared them for any reason. A real Canis Lupus, as he’d coined it when she’d asked.

Flitter rubbed her muzzle and thumped a hoof against the side of her head as her ears flattened against her skull. “Stupid Flitter, stupidstupidstupid! Shit!” She started piling the drawings back into their little strongbox. “I’ll just… keep them at Jacks. Move all my art stuff there after work.” She let out a calming breath; steadying herself as she’d been taught to. “We’ll be okay.” Flitter spoke softly, and nodded her head in consensus. The niggling edge of fear remained in the back of her mind. I hope we’ll be okay… I’m gonna have a… talk, with Cloudy… Yeah. A talk. Rubbing her muzzle lightly; her eyes went to the strong box, and her mind went to its contents. Shaking her head lightly, Flitter crammed the box and almost all of her art supplies into a pair of saddle bags. “Okay… shower time.” Setting the saddlebags down by her door, Flitter trotted off towards the shared bathroom.

____________________________________________________________

The sides of the massive cleaning machine steamed away as Flitter allowed it to cool. Wiping a damp hoof across her sweaty forehead, she watched as the kitchen staff hurried to finish up for the night. A light smile crossed her sweat streaked features as she started to hum the lyrics of a song she’d heard on Jack’s PDA. As the minutes ticked by, and the massive machine cooled; Flitter started pulling the contraption apart for proper cleaning. Most of the kitchen staff had already cleared out, but a couple cooks were still cleaning. The last waitress, Jewel, was out in the guest area cleaning up the tables.

As Flitter sprayed down the inside of the machine, she heard the telltale clink-clatter of dirty dishes being left at her station. Turning to stare at the large stack of dirty plates and bowls, she watched as Jewel tried to slip away undetected.

“Hey! Jewel!” Flitter called out, stopping the other mare in her tracks.

Blowing some of her pink mane from her eyes, Jewel stared at Flitter flatly. “What? I’m kinda busy Flits.” She shifted idly, and kept her features nearly vacant and obviously annoyed.

Furrowing her brow in displeasure, Flitter pointed at the large stack of filthy dishes. “What, are these?” She made sure to keep her voice level and calm. Seeing the pearl white unicorn blink in confusion nearly brought a smile to her lips.

“They’re… dishes.” Jewel answered slowly as she stared at Flitter.

Flitter leaned forward on the ledge to stare at Jewel. “Dishes? Are you sure Jewel? Because I’m pretty sure that you said that you’d brought me all of the dishes ten minutes ago. You know, when we closed.” Flitter started glaring at Jewel. Let’s see if I can pull off an Angry-Jack face.

The unicorn mare shifted uncomfortably as she wilted under the glare. “W-well… I missed some, that’s all-”

“Oh, I see.” Flitter cocked her head to the side and stared at Jewel incredulously. “So you just happened to miss three racks worth of plates and dishes? Like how you forget to mop your floors every night?” Flitter could feel her hackles rising in anger, and she fought to keep them at a manageable level. A smug feeling of satisfaction flooded her system as Jewel wilted further; her perky ears folding against her head.

Jewel pawed weakly at the floor and bowed her head on instinct. “S-sorry… I-I’ll um… I won’t miss them next time.” At that, the unicorn started backing out toward the lounge area, where she could easily escape without finishing her tasks.

Knowing Jewels tactics firsthand, Flitter narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in disappointment. “Jewel, since you’re forcing me to put the machine back together again, you’re going to help me finish these dishes.” Flitter pulled one of the heavy cast iron covers from the industrial sink and let it slam down into its place in the machine. Jewel flinched at the sound, and from fear as she watched the slim pegasus manhandle heavy hunks of metal.

“B-but, I have stuff to do Flitter, you can’t keep me here.” Jewel swallowed, and straightened up to try and match Flitters newfound courage.

Big mistake Jewel. Flitter set her jaw and stared hotly at Jewel. “Oh, I see! You’ve got stuff to do! My mistake, let me just do your job for you, and let you get to it then!” Some of the remaining cooks turned their attention to the dish pit as Jewel sputtered and balked. Flitter didn’t stop her frustrated tirade. “Did it ever even occur to you that I might have shit that I wanna do? Huh?” She fumed angrily at the waitress. “Because every fucking day, I have to clean up after you, stay late and finish your job. So why don’t you trot your skinny ass in here and help me out for once?” Flitter fought to force her anger back down, and succeeded. In return, Jewel’s mouth worked like a fish without water as she stared at Flitter. After a moment of sputtering, the waitress hanged her head and trotted into the steaming dish pit, where she immediately started to sweat inside her stuffy uniform. Smirking to herself, Flitter adjusted her dirty bandana and finished setting up the machine. The first blast of steam struck Jewel in the muzzle, causing her to squeak and backpedal. Spraying down the first rack of dishes; Flitter crammed it into the machine and smiled to herself as the griffon cook, Kaiser, shot her a pair of impressed claw thumbs up. Not too shabby Flitty. Flitter smiled happily, and carried onwards, much to Jewel’s chagrin.

_________________________________________________________________

The reinforced rear door of Founders swung easily on its hinges as Flitter trotted out into the frigid night air. A surprised shiver rolled through her body; from ears to hooves it shook her unclothed body. “Holy crap is it ever cold…” Flitter flapped her wings to work up her blood before she could take off. I hope they weren’t planning on that snow-storm being tonight! Flitter shivered again, and silently cursed herself for bringing nothing in the way of clothes save for her bandana for work. Well, standing here won’t get me any closer to a fire and it gives Gaze more of a chance to fuck me over, so let’s go! Without further pause or extra needling from her own thoughts, Flitter pumped her wings and took off like a rocket into the frozen skies.

Nearing the edge of Jack’s FoB, Flitter was forced to land early as ice started to build up on her fur and wings. “Crapcrapshit!” Flitter landed roughly just at the edge of the woods, and took a moment to shake herself free of ice. A coarse shiver ran down her spine, forcing her into a run to stay warm. As Flitter weaved through the trail, her saddle-bags bounced and struck against her flanks and odd branches. To confirm her ever worsening fears of the weather, it began to snow heavily; the thick white snow carpeted the ground in no time, and stuck to nearly everything. Flitter sighed in relief as the rockwall came into view despite the heavy snowfall. Trotting alongside it, Flitter stopped just before a small clearing to catch her breath. Moving to the left, Flitter passed through the seemingly solid rock wall and into Jack’s home.

Jack was sitting up on his cot and rubbing his bristly cheek as he thought. That was… weird… Really, really, /REALLY/ weird… He made a slightly amused face as he flicked his hand as a sign of giving up. That Luna Princess lady is pretty smokin’ though... He grinned lecherously. She can invade my dreams any time. Oh baby! Jack’s thoughts were put on hold just as Flitter pressed past his doorway. He smiled at her, but his wave of greeting stopped halfway. The mare shivered heavily, sending clumps of thick snow to the stone floor. Jack groaned in understanding. “I take it winter is coming.”

Shaking her head as she plopped down by the fire; Flitter stuck her hooves and wings out to thaw them. “N-nope! Winter i-is here!” She shivered again, causing Jack to raised his brow in worry as he swung his metal boots over the side of his cot.

“Don’t you have winter gear? You look like a pony-sicle.” He chuckled at his own joke as Flitter rolled her eyes.

“Nothing for this kind of weather, I nearly froze my tail off flying here… I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it back tonight.” She bit her lip in worry, momentarily forgetting her saddle bags. Jack furrowed his brow further, before tapping out a message as he started digging around in his bedding.

“Why? Is it that bad?”

Flitter shook her head, even though he wasn’t looking at her. “Pegasi are taught from an early age to seek cover if they’re ever caught in a snowstorm. Our wings are super sensitive, and can freeze up really badly.” She cocked her head in curiosity as Jack cackled in victory as he pulled out what Flitter recognized as his pillow. He stood, and treaded over to her; the pillow unfolding to reveal some kind of hooded clothing. Jack grabbed her forehooves, and motioned for her to hold them up. Flitter’s features screwed up in confusion, but she did as she was ordered. A meep of surprise escaped her as Jack pulled the hoodie down over her hooves and head. Within a moment she found herself engulfed in a comfortable cotton hoodie; the hood sat skewed on her head. Jack took a step back to admire his handiwork.

“Looks like I’ll have to cut some holes in it for your wings. It’s not much, but with your fur it should be more than warm enough.” Jack smiled at the surprised mare, before stretching out languidly.

Pushing the olive drab hood away from her eyes, Flitter looked over herself with curiosity. “ACMC? What does that stand for?” She asked quietly as she snuggled herself with the toasty hoodie. The smell of old sweat, Old Spice, alcohol and cordite hung off its every fiber, creating a faint musk that screamed ‘Jack’. A faint blush worked its way onto her chilly cheeks, and Flitter was suddenly glad her wings were trapped within the wonderful cotton prison.

“Arm-Can Marine Corp.” Jack plopped down beside her, and started stoking the fire with a long pointy stick.

Flitter blinked in surprise, and regarded the hoodie with a bit more awe. I… I am soooo keeping this… “No take backs…” Flitter mumbled as she reveled at the broken-in softness. Jack chuckled at her antics and shrugged noncommittally, causing Flitter to giggle in response. “So, what’s the plan for today then? I don’t think running is a good idea with all this snow… and-” She went silent as Jack pressed a single forefinger against her muzzle; her eyes crossed to stare at it.

“Today you’ll be learning out the Marines second best friend, your universal problem solver.” He pulled the monomolecular-edged Ka-bar and offered it to her gingerly, handle first.

Taking the blade carefully in her hooves, Flitter took a moment to look it over. “It’s… it’s your knife…?” Flitter looked back over to Jack, before turning back to regard the weapon again. The edge of the blade was ridiculously fine. I think the guard would kill to make swords this sharp… except all those idiots would probably die from cutting themselves on real weapons.

“Be really fucking careful with that, monomolecular blades are not for shaving. Seriously, don’t even try.” Looking over, Flitter found that Jack was being incredibly serious. The mental image made Flitter shudder involuntarily and shake her head to dispel the thoughts.

“So you’re gonna teach me how to use this?” Flitter asked as she set the utility knife down on a flat rock. At Jack’s nod, she looked to his hands, then to her hooves. A small pout appeared on her features, causing Jack to chuckle lightly.

“I’ll do my best, it’ll be like fist fighting. We aren’t the same, but I think we can work around it. Just need to work on your bipedal stance.” He grinned as he prodded her in the side, only to receive a flat-hoofed prod back.

“I am working on it! And I don’t see how it’ll help with me not having hands.” Flitter crossed her cotton covered hooves and fluttered her wings within the hoodie. A quiet sigh passed through her lips. “Sorry Jack, I had a rough day at work. Let’s just get started.” She pushed out and small, honest smile, and found it readily accepted.

“Alright, so try holding it like so.”

__________________________________________________________________________

Flitter jabbed at the target log with the knife, leaving a sizable rent in its bark. The blade passed through the wood like butter; and with the long stick Jack had duct-taped it to allowed Flitter to stand and use it as a kind of ad-hoc spear. Every so often she would wobble on her hind hooves; the unnatural stance threatening to topple her over. Every time she would reach the edge of controllability, Jack would grab her sides and right her. He would circle her, giving encouragement and gentle readjustments to her technique. Flitter was idly aware that he was always seemingly holding his left arm when he wasn’t holding her steady or showing her how to sever a man’s jugular, or telling her how taking out tendons and arteries could end any fight fast. At some point they’d cut two holes in the hoodie, allowing her to wear it and use her wings to help with balance at the same time.

One final stab with her rifle-esque spear saw the small log fall to pieces and crash down onto the stone floor. Flitter giggled happily and clopped her hooves together in victory as she cradled the spear. “That was awesome! I’m way better at this than hitting stuff with my hooves. Hey Jack?” A pained grunt greeted her, causing Flitter to furrow her brow and turn towards the source. “Jack?”

Jack clutched his side and pressed against the cave wall; his features a mask of twisted agony. Flitters eyes shot open in surprise, and the spear clattered to the ground as she dropped to all fours and galloped to his side. Supporting him as best she could, Flitter was forced to hold onto him as he slid to the floor. Worry and fear practically burst into her mind as Jack shook spasmodically and grit his teeth tightly. “Jack!? Please, please tell me what’s wrong!” Flitter felt a shiver work up her spine as she watched his eyes water up from the sheer pain. A horribly pained whimper escaped through his clenched teeth; his right hand gripped at her tightly as it seeked for support. His left simply clenched down until the bones and artificial tendons pressed through his taut, clammy skin.

Knowing any kind of answer was far beyond him, Flitter did what she could. Pulling the shaking marine against her chest; she held him close and tightly as she stroked his matted hair. A quiet, forced hum came from her lips; a song barely remembered that her father had sung to her before he’d deployed for the last time. A pained moan passed through his gritted teeth as he clutched at her for support. Flitter was forced to close her eyes, so she wouldn’t have to look at his skin pulling tight, making the plugs in his flesh seem like great gaping metal sores. Eventually the sounds of agony and retching pain slowed, and Jack eventually regained control of his body. He remained pressed against Flitter; his breath coming in laboured and slow. Flitter continued to hold him down and do her best to calm him; she wiped her own tears of worry away with the sweat matted sleeve of the marine corp hoodie.

“Thank you.”

Flitter rubbed her eyes again, and knew that the PDA had a much steadier voice than either of them would have had at that moment. Hugging Jack gently, she nuzzled his neck in support. “O-of course… What.. what happened? I.. I didn’t hurt you did I?” She fought back the edge of panic in her voice as he lay against her. The relief was small but noticable when he shook his head and plucked weakly at the screen of the PDA.

“No. Need morphine. Peak of withdrawal. Shouldn’t be much worse.”

Swallowing heavily, Flitter readjusted so Jack could be more comfortable. “Morphine? Was that.. some of your medicine?” She shifted nervously, but didn’t dare stop holding him. Again, Jack shook his head.

“No. Not anymore. I’m addicted to it, and not having any hurts a lot. I should be getting better soon though.” With great effort, Jack forced himself into the sitting position, allowing Flitter to scoot out from behind him with reluctance. He smiled tiredly at her, before pulling her into a long hug. “Sorry about that. I can’t really teach when my body is trying to turn inside out.”

Flitter furrowed her brow a little as she shook her head. “You’ve been like this for weeks, haven’t you… why didn’t you tell me?” She paused for a moment as she thought. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

The wince from Jack told her enough, but thankfully he relented. “I don’t like talking about it. I’ve never had it this bad either.” He scratched the back of his neck slowly. “I haven’t eaten properly in six days. I keep puking my guts out and I can’t run for more than a minute without my exo. I have recurring nightmares, and I hallucinate occasionally” The details made Flitter cringe and inwardly berate herself. “That all sounds really fucking bad when I say it out loud.” He pursed his lips and looks slightly off-put.

And this has been going on for days? Weeks? How didn’t I see this?

Am I a bad friend?

The question froze her in place; the idea swirling around her brain like a poison. The thought was banished when Jack pulled her over and held her again, his head resting on hers. “I’m sorry Jack… I don’t know what I can do, but I will help you.” She managed a smile as his fingers slowly ran through her mane as he hugged her. “We’re in this together.” The light nod and weakly pained chuckle from Jack was all she needed in return.

The pair stayed like that for a couple of minutes; the fire crackling away cheerily before them. Jack’s PDA broke the silence.

“What’s in the bags?”

Flitter blinked in confusion, before realizing what Jack meant. She smiled happily, and opened her bag to reveal her strongbox. Jack cocked his head in a curious fashion, before arching a brow at her. Flitter grinned happily, and popped open the lock. “It’s my art. I uh… I’m going to keep this stuff here, if that’s alright with you. Cloudy keeps breaking into my box, and um…” She trailed off as Jack lifted up a stack of artwork. He whistled and nodded as he leafed through. He occasionally lifted a brow at certain pieces, but didn’t question it. After a minute, he spoke.

“These are amazing, how’d you get so much detail into them? I don’t remember seeing you work on any of these.” He carefully set down the artwork and turned his attention to Flitter.

Blushing in embarrassment, Flitter nervously pulled on a bit of her long mane. “W-well… I have kind of… have photographic memory… slightly…” She stroked her mane, and avoided his eyes.

“That. Is fucking bad ass.” Jack grinned happily, as if he hadn’t been keening in her hooves minutes ago. He started leafing through the artwork again; he reminded Flitter of an amazed foal. Kind of like how I was when Daddy showed me his medals… Jacks PDA spoke again, breaking her away from the thought. “That would explain how you’re able to learn so fast. The DI’s would have loved you. Well, probably not, but maybe.” He wobbled a little, and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

Frowning in worry, Flitter crossed over to where Jack was seated before his cot. “Jack, you should rest… I don’t need to learn anything else today, I just want you to rest and get better.” Flitter smiled weakly as Jack pouted in defeat. She pulled back in surprise as he suddenly grinned like a maniac. Jack sprang to his feet; albeit a bit wobbly. He pulled his helmet from his stoic armour, and fell back onto his cot. He gestured for Flitter to join him there and take a seat beside him.

“You can learn theory. Watch modern battles. See real time tactics. Since you’ve got photographic memory, you’ll be able to get more out of it too.” Something told Flitter that the PDA did no justice to the excitement Jack felt as he cradled the massive helmet in his still shaking hands.

That… that sounds awesome. Flitter smiled brightly, and nodded. “I’d love to! And I can see more of your planet too.” She prodded him, and instantly regretted it as he winced with obvious strain. “Sorry… And um.. You can rest too.” She smiled at him as she pulled the hoodie closer and fluttered her wings with barely contained excitement.

Jack nodded, before placing the helmet down over her head. Flitter flicked her ears to make them fit properly within the padded confines of the encompassing helmet. For such a big helmet, it sure is tight!

“One warning though. You’re going to see some pretty messed up shit. Don’t feel bad if you need to take the brain bucket off once in awhile. I won’t blame you at all.” The mechanical voice sounded even more tinny when coming from outside the helmet.

Flitter couldn’t help but snort derisively. “Jack, the first time seeing you, I watched you rip the leg off of an infected human and bludgeon another to death with the severed limb. I can handle a little bit of gross.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Those were the last words that came from Jack’s PDA, the rest came from all around her as the video feed appeared, and consumed her world entirely.

Jack clambered onto his cot and sprawled out onto his canvas cot; a quiet, tired sigh leaving him. He carefully pulled the hoodied pony down to lay next to him. She squirmed a bit, before accepting it once she understood what he was doing.

Last thing I need is you flipping out and running into the fire.

He pulled her close, and used her as a replacement for his lost pillow. I’m gonna miss that hoodie. A small smile spread across his lips as he relaxed. She earned it. Wear it with pride Flitter, that’s the closest thing to a uniform I can offer you. You can forget about getting your class A’s. The thought caught him with a start, and caused him to frown with light depression. Man I wish I’d kept my class A’s… I was natty as FUCK. Dammit, now I’ve made myself sad.

Chapter Ten Point Five: Tokyo A GoGo

View Online

The buck of turbulence woke Jack, and initiated the start of the combat video. Groaning quietly, he lifted a hand up and rubbed at his eyes; his fingers drifted down to worry at the oxygen mask he’d be forced to wear for majority of the flight. The edges of the thick rubber half mask had dug bright red furrows across his face, but it kept him alive, so he didn’t voice his complaints. He also knew every movement, every vital, every facial expression was being recorded by his employers; he knew better than to complain.

Shifting out of his harness, Jack stretched his sore limbs out before pacing over to where his armour was locked in place within a large metal rack. The armour clicked quietly as he approached; it’s access panels sliding back in segments so he could slip into its confines. The armour padding and probes pressed down on him until he was encased; a short moment later saw the large armour segments clicking back down into place. His HUD came alive across his eyes as the probes burrowed into his uplink points; he blinked rapidly to banish the electronic ghosts that played and span across his vision. A quick glance around saw about a dozen other Longbow survivors doing the same; they all went over their gear and armour, ensuring equipment failure wouldn’t be an issue in the field upon drop. Slapping the one hundred round helixical magazine into his upgraded Spiker rifle- Dubbed Grizzly Series v4 - the magazine seated cleanly, and the action slid on well oiled rails. “Armour, administer half dose of medication.” Jack blinked once for a flinch as a needle jabbed into his bicep, and the cocktail of drugs flowed into his system. The soothing embrace of morphine caused him to sigh in contentment. He panned the camera view around the AC-150’s massive cargo bay; the darkened cigar-tube was alive with movement as large armoured soldiers loaded weapons and worried over every aspect of the death dealing devices and life saving apparatus’.

“Head’s up boy and girls, boss man’s on comms.” The pilots voice was scratchy and tired. Unlike everyone in the cargo bay, he’d had to stay awake for the entire harrowing journey from Camp Bellen to Berlin, then over Easter Europe and what was left of China. Jack knew everyone would be paying attention, just as he was. The corner of his HUD shifted, and a small box appeared with an older gentleman within it.

Lee Chalmers, Operations lead of Hades Int. Experimental Longbow battle group was seated in what was probably a well furnished and air-conditioned bunker somewhere in Nevada. The man’s face had been shredded hamburger when Jack had met him years ago, but Hades had given him a new face, as they’d given Jack new legs. Lee’s fresh aquiline face smiled at him on the HUD. “Welcome to Japanese airspace ladies and gentlemen. Let’s begin our briefing.” He brought up a dataslate, and shifted through its contents. “You’ll all be splitting off into teams of two. Your current partners have been graciously lended to us by Germany, hence the pitstop in Berlin while some of you were asleep. Treat em’ well, they’re Panzer Elite.” Jack’s eyes shifted to the massive walker that was crouched down; hugging its knees to fit inside the cargo-plane’s hold. Its sensor module tilted toward him and bent in a form of greeting as the pilot sent a simple audio message to avoid interrupting the video briefing.

“Guten Tag.”

Operations Lead cleared his throat as he ran a pair of fingertips across his widows peak. “You’ll be acting as heavy cavalry, working interdiction on Slug lines and running smash ‘n’ burn operations. You will be given operational autonomy on this mission, but we will be watching. Cripple Slug supply lines, sow chaos, and give them hell.” Lee leaned forward a bit, and set down his slate. “All pertinent data has been fed to your armour’s VI. Any questions?”

Scanning over the info swiftly; Jack’s eyes didn’t lift when one of the panzer pilots spoke up. “Mein Herr, call on ze non-combatants?” He sounded young and his heavy accent skewed his standard, but there was no mistaking the timber of a trained and proven combat pilot.

“Do what you can, but do not, I repeat, do Not risk Hades Int property in pointless battles.” The statement left a bad taste in Jack’s mouth, and it left the observing Flitter with a painful thought. Does that man mean Jack when he says ‘property’?

Another question. “Sir, any blue dirtside?” Jack snorted derisively as he ensured his shoulder mounted micro rocket launchers were fully loaded with an assortment of high explosive party favours.

“Okinawa Marines, Second Battalion Dog Company, and Japanese City Defense Force. CDF is in a bad way, and Dog Company marines are in a staggered holding pattern to protect civilian EVA’s and Strat points. They are fighting a losing battle.” Jack made a face as if he was running a mental note as Lee concluded the briefing and closed the channel. Mid-thought, Jack felt a prod against his armoured shoulder. Cocking his head, he found himself staring at his heavy metal partner. The pilot opened a vid-com to Jack’s helmet without difficulty. He was older, easily in his early forties; the man seemed to hold himself with a calm, cool confidence of a seasoned veteran. The older man sparked a thin stogie, and puffed on it for a moment as the smoke was sucked away by a small fan.

Jack smiled as he looked over the walker; even hunched it made an imposing silhouette. His armour VI requested schematics, and was rewarded with a long list of technical information and military jargon. The King Battle Frame XR-97 was around four meters tall, weighed roughly one thousand kilos, and had an inch of Ceramisteel reactive armour over most of its chassis. The frame could lift half a tonne as easily as Jack could lift his rifle; all thanks to a complex hydraulics and biosteel ‘muscle’ cable. Weapon systems were varied per operator preference, but all of it was far beyond Jack’s pay grade, as it was all high end mil-spec German weaponry. If the frames ranged weaponry failed, pilots could easily transfer to melee combat, as the frame worked off of a cutting edge uplink system that afforded a near zero delay-time from order to output by connecting directly to the pilots brain via a plug at the base of the neck. The downside was a four hundred million Euro price tag, not including cost of weapons, upkeep, and the cost of the pilots themselves. Impressive. Flitter thought quietly as both she and Jack finished skimming the technicals. “So, battle-buddies on loan. Glad to see you guys are getting into the fight.” Jack stretched out his limbs; causing his armour to move in tandem.

The pilot nodded, a smarmy grin splitting his features and causing his cigar to bob and spew acrid bluey-purple smoke about. “Ja. I am Oberfeldwebel Hans Drescher. You may call me Hans, if it pleashes you. This is my König Kampfrahmen, Irma.” He patted the console before him with tender care; his control gauntlets were off, meaning he wouldn’t pat a hole in the planes fuselage.

“Well Hans, the name’s Jack. Gimme a run-down on the heat you brought today and I’ll do a quick check on my side of things.” Jack treaded over, and popped open a maintenance panel. Hans shifted in the video feed. He seemed almost uncomfortable with the fact another man was placing his hands on his frame.

Hans pulled the smoldering stogie from his mouth and pinned it between two fingers as he spoke. “Two one twenty millimeter spent matter projector cannons-” Jack whistled quietly as his eyes went up to the two compact cannon barrels that poked out on either side of the mech’s armoured shoulders. “-One Aegis Field Suppressor, you know it as ‘Chain-Bolt Ballista’.” A happy grin split over Jacks features, even as rough turbulence give the AC-150 a sharp kick in the ass. “Standard terror abilities, and a special something for close encountas. Plus, Irma had her servo’s upgraded last week, so we can tread at fifty kee-licks.”

Nodding in approval of the load out and general upkeep of Irma; Jack closed the panel and clambered up onto Irma’s back. A simple voice command mag-locked his legs and hips into the rider harness. His armours VI played nice with Irmas, and thus Jack was afforded a full 360 degree multispectral field of view thanks to his armours cameras, and Irma’s sophisticated sensor suite. “Right on Hans. She’s beautiful.” He patted the pristine warmachine, before muttering quietly to himself with his comm chinned off. “Riding goddamn Kraut space magic. I shoulda signed on with them for fucks sake.”

“Danke! I named her after my daughter.” Hans smirked, before both men’s attentions was taken by the appearance of a dim red light that bathed the cargo hold in an eerie crimson glow. The Crew Chief walked between the rows of Panzer Elites and Longbow soldiers, checking magnetic lock and slider release. He gave each pilot and rider a thumbs up when he finished. Hans swallowed, and attached his control gauntlets. When he rolled his shoulders, Irma mirrored him perfectly. “Ready, kompagnon ?” He grinned at Jack through the video feed.

Jack secured the mag-harness for his Grizzly rifle, before glancing to the image of Hans on his HUD. “I’ll be hammered on rice wine and chasing kimonos by this time tomorrow. You in bro?” He grinned a little too wide, but his enthusiasm was quickly met by the veteran frame pilot.

“Natürlich! Cannot wait to kick some fucking slug tail! Jak, let us go show these filthy creatures how humans fight and we get scheiße faced after while their corpses cool!”

“Hoo-Fuckin-Rah brother!”

Both men roared as they worked their blood up; the glowing red light shifted to a sharp green, and the door began to lower slowly. Air rushed out of the cargo-bay, and left everyone within it with a topside view of thick brackish grey clouds. The Crew Chief stood to the side and activated the sliders. Each Panzer Elite Combat Frame and its rider began a swift slide towards the ramp, before falling out. Jack’s heart rate raced as he and Hans slid forward, and the Crew Chief gave them a sharp salute. His heart jumped up into his throat as they plunged out of the plane, and Irma assumed a more aerodynamic position.

The air roared past his helmet so loudly even the audio dampeners couldn’t block it out; the sound of a massive beastial entity that wanted nothing more than to bat the HALO jumpers off course and send them hurtling to their deaths. Flitter sucked in a breath as Jack and Hans plunged through the thick cloud layer, revealing the literal hell that they had willingly jumped head-first into.

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Tokyo was burning.

Simple as that, a city that once housed twenty million plus souls and led the market on Terran technology was now a tattered warzone. Even high up in the cloud layer, both Pilot and Rider could see the blazing fires that consumed entire skyscrapers; the plumes of smoke curled upwards like roiling black grave stones. Gargantuan towers of steel, concrete and glass jutted up to the sky like uneven grey tombstone teeth. Faint lancing anti-air fire could be seen arcing from all heights; some of it was focused solely on swatting the HALO jumpers from the skies. Pulling himself tight against Irma’s bulk, Jack could only pray quietly that they were lucky enough to reach the ground in one piece. Getting there alive would be a bonus.

The thick black-gray clouds flashed a brilliant lavender, and one of the jumpers was reduced to a flailing, blazing scrap that painted the clouds a brilliant orange and crimson. The rider was even less lucky, as the shot had fully penetrated the frame and blown him to bits. His legs and lower torso remained magnetically clamped to the falling dead frame; strings of entrails fluttering after the pair like streamers.

“There goes a billion euros!” Jack called out to Hans, before tucking further down between Irma’s cannons. Lances of iridescent light streaked past them, but soon the first building top gave them cover. Despite the cover, the fall lasted another full minute; the cover of sky-scrapers and choking smoke giving them a readily improving chance of not meeting any AA fire.

“Engaging chutes! Hang fast kamerad!” Within a moment, two massive stealth chutes deployed from Irma’s body, and her disposable repulsors fired a short brilliant burst to choke their rapid descent. Irma’s legs swung down to meet the ground with a muted thump; the broken pavement shattered under her weight. “Releasing chute and repulsors. Still with me Jak?” Hans’ pronunciation of Jack’s name was harsh and clipped; it felt appropriate.

“Still kickin it, Hans, outstanding drop. Conferring with higher for our position, hold for a tick.” Jack’s eyes flickered over the incoming and outgoing data as Hans piloted Irma through the broken japanese streets. After twenty seconds he knew everything he needed to. A quick burst to Irma’s VI shared everything he’d gleamed with Hans. “Looks like we’re right on target. Wanna go smoke those AA bats?” Jack checked his gear, and unlimbered his Grizzly.

“Jawohl! Let’s go clean the skies.”

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Hans was forced to pilot Irma slowly through the debris strewed streets; micro-cars were abandoned everywhere, and hunks of destroyed buildings would sometimes block off entire streets. Occasionally they would skirt around clumps of bodies where unprotected civilians had been hit by hostile fire. The skies were a dull slate gray that blended in perfectly with the towering concrete monstrosities that pierced them. Fires burned in most of the buildings, but some stood like silent sentinels; they watched as their previous inhabitants were slaughtered.

Jack stared hard at the bodies that lay piled before the blocked entrance to an emergency shelter before speaking. “Hold on a sec Hans, I wanna take a look at em.” Without waiting for Irma to slow, he disengaged the magnets and dropped to the cracked concrete with the ease of an acrobat. His rifle jumped up; its muzzle followed his eyes as he paced forward towards the dead civilians.

“Fever Darts?” The German sounded incredibly uncomfortable speaking the words.

Carefully yanking a crystalline shard from one small childs shoulder, Jack sighed quietly and nodded. “Yeah. Looks like a cop took one and popped those four in cover before he succumbed.” Jack placed the toxic shard on the ground and backed away from the group cautiously. There were dozens of dead bodies laying in various positions; all of their faces were twisted in agony and bloated from the alien chemicals that had taken their lives. It was apparent at a glance that some had rather kill themselves rather than live with the agony the shards promised, as their bodies were the most intact; the least bloated and foul.

Hans growled quietly as he panned his Field Suppressor over the packed streets. Energy crackled across its pronged muzzle, causing the odd raindrop to sizzle upon impact. “Feiglinge!” His features twisted in unbridled fury, and he looked ready to spit and frothe at the mouth. “Even ve would never do something like zis!”

“Yeah.” The simple answer was all Jack could muster as he clambered back onto Irma’s harness. A chill passed down Flitters spine as Jack’s emotionless eyes lingered on the bloated, desiccated corpses of unarmed civilians. They hadn’t stood a chance.

“Let us move kamerad. We do no good standing here.” Hans nodded in agreement with himself, and once Jack was magnetized, he sent Irma’s armoured bulk plodding further down the street.

The pair travelled in silence for a few minutes, before the sound of Corvellan weapons fire echoed through the silent streets. Jack popped up from between Irma’s shoulder cannons, and fired up his quad-rotor drone. “Drone is up, homing in.” The drone hummed away as Jack piloted it with finger twitches and eye movements.

“Laz me the feed Jak.” Hans brought Irma under the cover of a small building whose roof somehow managed to remain standing despite its guts having been blown out.

“Right, one tick.” Jack turned his head ever so slightly, and triggered the light burst. The drone swooped between fluttering clotheslines of soaked and ruined clothing. The sounds of weapon fire was growing louder, but now it was being answered. The Zip-Pop of the alien guns seemed to be in a heated argument with Terran firepower that barked and snarled out echoing reports and chattering staccato beats. Jack sent the drone into a steep dive; swooping into a bombed out sushi restaurant. A bleeding CDF soldier was laying down impressive covering fire with what was normally a vehicle mounted weapon as a marine medic tried to stabilize a badly wounded civilian. A couple other CDF militiamen were scattered through the building, returning fire when the alien beams weren’t eating the air around them. Jack tilted the drone to get a better look at the forces they would be facing as the medic looked up at the buzzing drone.

“Hey! Reinforcements?” The medic sounded exhausted and far beyond the end of her rope. The thought of real aid looked as if it would be worth a lottery win to her. Jack didn’t respond through audio; a simple light laz to her helmet was enough. The medic licked her dry lips behind her cracked full face visor and nodded at the drone. “Hurry the hell up.”

Setting the drone onto automated low altitude recon of the battle, Jack glanced up to the vid-screen within his helmet. “Hans, if we head up two blocks and hit them through this building here-” He pinged their shared map. “-we’ll be behind the corvellans and their heavy weapons, some of their AA is camping here apparently.” The keening howl of Corvellan anti-air echoed through the streets, and the high powered beams disintegrated a micro-car on the drones feed.

The older pilot mulled the plan over, before shaking his head to scrap it. “Nein. We move up a block and a half, and come at them laterally from this building. Come down on their fucking heads.” The map was marked up with a bright green squiggle that marked the proposed route through what had been someone's home.

Jack set his jaw as he looked over the plan. “Both. We split up. I’ll take some of my charges and distract them from behind. When they turn their attention away from blues to me, you hit them from above, and then we both press in and catch them in a pinch.” A blue line was added to the map, and Hans pursed his lips as he nodded.

“Ja. Time for some revenge! Let’s go kill some slugs, Jak.” Irma’s Field Suppressor wreathed itself within the increased energy; it seemed like the entire frame was itching for purple alien blood.

“Initiate terror protocols when you hit the dirt, let’s break them!” Jack snarled, and Irma took off running.

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In under a minute, they had reached the point where they would split up. Jack disengaged his harness and dropped to the street below; his legs flexing to absorb the shock with their built in hydraulics. The drone was still continuing its sweep, providing them with up-to-date data and positioning. “Come on Hans, let’s boogie!”

As Jack sprinted down the street, he could hear Hans laughing weakly in his ear. “Apologies, but… what is a boogie?” Jack snorted in response, and shook his head as Hans grinned. “I am in position. Blue will not hold much longer.” The joking attitude had all but disappeared; the sound of worry filled the pilots voice.

Coming to a halt near the edge of a ruined building where the Corvellan’s took cover, Jack tapped his comm twice, to signal he was in position. Without pause, he snuck forward from behind the enemy line. A light AA crawler was squatting on top of a large neon sign; it's repeating energy cannons were tearing the restaurant apart. Numerous light troops, and two Corvellan light walkers were present. The aliens were completely focused on wiping out the beleaguered squad, and were obviously not worried in the least about opposition. They were only light troopers, and they were notoriously cowardly, like the rest of the Corvellans. So when Jack tossed a magnetic AT shape charge onto the rear panel of the crawler, the troops before it were completely unprepared for the sudden crump of armour piercing high explosives; nor were they prepared for the sudden burst of chaotic energy that ripped the crawler to pieces from the inside. Jack burst from cover, and opened up with his Grizzly, just as Hans and Irma impacted the ground before a confused pack of light infantry.

Irmas armour plates shifted upwards and out, making her look like an even bigger target. The heat sinks within her armour glowed cherry red, giving the huge humanoid walker a truly menacing visage. The snarling roar of pure fury that emitted from the built in loudspeakers was icing on the cake. The light infantry panicked, and fired their weapons ineffectively as they retreated directly into Jack’s arcing line of fire. His rifle snarled and spewed death; super-heated sabots carved the avian-esque slug creatures to goopy chunks, and steam rose from their cooking bodies as he advanced. His own terror protocols made his armour mirror Irma, and also make him a massive target for any incoming fire. Jack advanced steadily through the weak hail of enemy fire; the muzzle of his rifle would buck and howl whenever it found a target, and a lightning fast steel dart would lash out to meet the enemy before introducing the broiling ball of plasma that followed in its wake.

The Field Suppressor whined just before it discharged a massive chain bolt of pure white energy; one that slammed into the first walkers torso plating. The bolt boiled through the armour, and the second chained bolt coiled around the target to strike its rear armour panels. The walker jerked and seized as its weapons fire arced up high into the empty air. Hans fired another two bursts into the mech, causing it to crumple into several slagged pieces. Another shot into its pilot compartment saw the end of the threat it posed.

Corvellan infantry scattered in every direction as they made their terrified warbling squawks. Very few escaped, as they were forced into CDF firing arcs and Jack's hunting gun muzzle. “Hans! Keep your eyes up for that second walker, I don’t see him on scope!” Jack pulsed the trigger of his grizzly once, carving a fleeing Corvellan in twain with vehemence.

“Ja! Eyes on! He’s mine-” Hans snarled savagely as the suppressor folded back neatly over Irmas right arm, and a large tower shield extend outwards from under the thick armour of her left. The second walker bounded over a massed pile of rubble and unleashed its weapons upon Irma. It’s energy bolts smashed into the shields surface, and merely marred it with cooking liquid metal and boiling paint. Jack grinned as he watched Irma deploy a massive 200 kilo flanged mace at the flick of a servo. Irma charged forward with savage human grace as Hans roared through the loudspeaker. “Komm zu Papa Hündin!” He smashed into the second walker shield first, forcing it to topple over backwards. Irma swung across with her flanged mace, shattering the delicate energy weapon the mech still clutched. Jack relaxed as his circling drone registered no smaller hostiles on his scope, just as Irmas mace began to cave in the mechs pilot berthing. The Corvellan mech keened as it was systematically dismantled; its broken pilot pulled from its seat to be dashed against a wall like an unwanted toy.

Fire from the ruined restaurant slowly ceased, and Jack could see the survivors poking their heads out to see what was up. “Yo! Hans! I think it’s dead!” Jack quickly checked his current ammo count, before resting the large weapon on his shoulder.

“Ja, ja. I am getting carried away...” Hans chuckled as Irma straightened and the ‘close encounta’ weaponry folded back up. “These worms were hardly worth the charges.” The mech’s articulated fist opened, dropping the bludgeoned remains of the mech-pilot. It hit the ground with a muted wet splatter; what passed for its guts spilled out in stringy heaps.

Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Yeah I can tell, you feeling medieval today or something? “ He couldn’t help but grin as he treaded over the broken alien bodies towards the restaurant. “Come on Hans, let’s go chat up the locals.”

The broken remains of the defenders cautiously stuck their gunbarrels out, before following with their heads. One of the CDF militiamen waved the all clear; and was soon followed by little more than half a dozen wounded soldiers. The combat medic that Jack had seen on his drone’s feed was the one who approached him, and seeing as how she wore the stripes of a buck sergeant, it pegged her as the highest ranking soldier in the group. She approached slowly with a limp; her body armour supported with a scrap metal brace. “Sir, Oni Squad at your service. Thanks for the save.”

Smiling behind his heavy ceramic faceplate, Jack rolled his shoulders. “Afternoon marines. You seem to be having issues with the new neighbors.” He chuckled lightly, but when he saw the dark expressions and dead-on-your-feet looks in the squads eyes, he cut the jokes without a word. “Right. We’re running interdiction on the Slugs. You have uplink with any ranking officer?” His eyes flicked over to watch Hans pilot Irma into a proper overwatch position. Between him and the roving drone, Jack felt safe enough to stay out of cover.

The medic shook her head, and rested against a hunk of broken concrete. “Not since the Slugs dropped in mass. We lost our comms booster to a Ripper. Last I heard, Colonel Wsu was leading a combined attack on their build-up points, but he was getting bogged down by fleeing civilians and lack of air-cover.”

Jack shook his head. “I get the feeling that they aren’t in his way anymore.” Chewing his cheek, his eyes swept over the squad. They all looked ragged; their weapons running on fumes and wisps. One of the older militiamen had what Jack assumed to be a Nodachi strapped to his back. He prayed it was mono-edged, but he doubted that it was. “Are you mobile?” The answer felt obvious.

The answer he received wasn’t what he expected, but it was better than nothing. The medic nodded, and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Wombat combat car’s behind the eatery. We couldn’t run for it with those heavy weapons, they would have shredded us.” She straightened up with some effort. “Wherever you’re going, we’ll follow. If there’s anything left of Colonel Wsu’s forces, you should be able to pick them up fast on comms.” She forced a bloody-toothed grin as she hefted her own weapon.

Nodding, Jack eyed his radar, but was swiftly interrupted by a heavy german voice. “Jak! Head’s up, we have multi-contact!” The one-two hypersonic boom of Irma’s matter projectors vibrated the shattered concrete around their boots; every shot screamed out to meet hostile targets. The split-second retort of impact was like a sledgehammer blow against a drum of nitroglycerine; the acrid smell of burning ozone and hunks of debris were tossed back by the ferocity of the dual cannon impacts.

Wasting no time, Jack waved the beleaguered squad onward. “Go! Get mounted and lead us to Colonel Wsu’s LKL! We’ll follow up behind you!” Taking off at a lightning sprint; Jack bounded over the fallen hunks of concrete and strewn debris. “Hans! Fighting withdraw, we gotta buy the CDF boys time!” One last bound saw him zapped to Irma’s massive backside; a swift info-laz delivered the walkers data to him. A number of red blips appeared on Jack’s scope, and none of them were intent on going down quietly. Return fire was already dancing about; keen on striking anything Terran down.

Irma’s matter projectors spoke, and the babbling alien weapons suddenly went silent as the miniature mushroom clouds roiled out from between broken buildings. “Jak! They are taking cover, can you send heat?” The dust from the four spent matter shots was already screening them from sight, but Jack’s enhanced sensors picked the aliens with ease.

“Yeah, got just the thing!” He grinned maniacally as his shoulder launcher sprang up and swiveled on auto-target. A swift order saw a trio of HEAT rockets whip off his shoulder and into the smoke above him. Within seconds the rocket's arced down, and smashed into the tops of the Corvellan weapon platforms. “Hans, get our asses out of here!” The near silent whirr of rockets reloading into the shoulder launchers numerous tubes was eaten by the wailing sound that the matter projectors retort left in its wake, of air rushing back in where it had been violently evacuated from.

The medic sergeant's voice popped up on comms. “We’re mounted, are you coming or what?” The sound of roaring engines and rapid Japanese echoed through her call, but both Hans and Jack could hear the fight returning to the Sergeant and her bloodied squad.

Pursing his lips, Jack couldn’t help but chuckle thinly. “Why do I always get stuck with the mean ones?”

Hans rolled his eyes in the video feed as Irma pounded through the rubble and onto the street below. “Maybe you have poor luck, ja?” He smirked. “It seems you will need my help chasing Keemonos after all.”

“Oh fuck off!”

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The bruised convoy carried on through the broken streets of Tokyo; the Wombat combat cars bounced and jostled on their abused suspension, while Irma treaded smoothly behind them; weapons primed and scanners pricked for trouble to put down like a rabid dog. To Jack’s annoyance, the militiamen prefered to use their native tongue over Standard, and he didn’t feel like listening to his translator squawk about how their shit days were going. Passing by shattered store-fronts and numerous broken bodies; Jack fell into a lull, and allowed himself to catch a short catnap in Irma’s harness. Just as his eyes closed, he heard a much more authoritative voice speak in Standard over squad comms.

“This is Colonel Wsu, all surviving elements, report.” The Colonel sounded calm, cool, and collected. It was forced, obviously. Jack rolled his shoulders and blinked his eyes to focus.

The nameless sergeant keyed her comms and hailed the Colonel. “Colonel Wsu, this is Oni Squad Lead! Sir, we’ve picked up a pair of shit-hot operator's, grid A-23 AA is scrap, and we’re smoking. What’s the loc on our wire sir?”

There was a brief moment of silence before the Colonel spoke again; he sounded completely different. “Out-fucking-standing. I read you Oni Actual. I see your IFF. Sending co-ords to you now.” Jack’s eyes flicked to the shared map, and managed a smile as a green zone, or ‘wire’ appeared not six blocks ahead of them.

Opening a private channel to Hans, Jack steadied himself in the harness. “What do you think? Should we move on or see what’s what?” He checked his ammo count for the umpteenth time out of habit; his skin was starting to crawl and that was never a good sign.

Hans seemed to mull his options over on cam. “I say we see what is what. If they are all fucked up, then we move on. If they can help, we get said help, and finish objectives.” He wiggled his chin, before cocking his head down to scratch it on a strip of velcro that sat on his chest rig.

The blocks were starting to count down, and the green zone was drawing closer. Jack frowned to himself. “Have you gotten any comms at all from the others? Our guys, I mean.” He already knew the answer, but there was the slight chance.

“Nein. Not a peep. It is possible we may run into some when we attack these batteries, but… I do not know. Something feels off. There was eight of us dropping, there should be some contact.”

The ‘Wire’ was a ramshackle attempt at creating a safe zone for Terran forces to lick their wounds and deny total area control from the Corvellans. The area had once been a park, if the signs were any indication; it's playground now served as a raised lookout-tower that mounted quad anti-infantry weapons. Various tents and vehicles sat about with laser holes burned into them, and numerous troops shuffled around and guarded the makeshift compound. Shifting uncomfortably as the warped barrel of a Japanese main battle tank came into view; Jack couldn’t help but look away from the build up of damaged vehicles and injured personnel. “Yeah… we’ll keep our eyes on, keep in touch Hans.” Jack watched as the combat cars slowed, and the injured squad piled out. A jackbooted officer paced over, and started immediately debriefing the Sergeant. Disengaging his harness, Jack hit the pavement smoothly, and started toward the squad. “Keep eyes on Hans, and don’t let these guys chooch your smokes.”

“Ja, ja ja…”

Irma’s armoured bulk manouvered easily through the twisting lanes between vehicles and tents as Hans piloted her back to the front lines. Jack switched on his translator, and focused it on the officer and the sergeant. The officer was getting red in the face, and looked as if he were about to lose it. The sergeant's squad spread out behind her and edged forward like rabid dogs.

“You foolish Gaijin! You bring them down on us! Shame on your family, shame on-” The officer stopped mid sentence as a cybernetic hand gripped his shoulder, and a grizzled Colonel leaned over his shoulder.

“This is not your Sergeant to berate. She is mine. Now, leave before I remove you.” Colonel Wsu’s voice betrayed a lifetime of tobacco abuse and a love for western whiskey, it also told of how these luxuries had been painfully forgotten in the forge of war. As he closed in, Jack could tell that the officer on the receiving end of the ass whooping was air-force; if his ripped flightsuit was any indication. Said officer set his lips into a furiously thin line before coming to attention and swiftly marching away. The Colonel placed his gleaming black metal hand on the Sergeant’s shoulder as he spoke quietly to her. Wsu’s eyes flicked up to meet the power armoured form that was the approaching Jack; he patted the Sergeant’s shoulder, and ordered her to go rest. The unnamed Sergeant nodded tiredly, and waved her squad on as the Colonel turned to meet Jack. “I am Colonel Wsu, and I believe I have you and your partner to thank for saving Oni squad.” He waved Jack towards a large tent before he could answer. “Come, we have much to discuss.”

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The inside of the tent was filled with computers, physical maps, and the Colonels aides. The Colonel was a short, stocky man; like the rest of his people, but before the Jack he seemed pint sized. Placing the throat of a crinkled water bottle between his lips, the Colonel drank greedily and wiped his lips with the back of his hand before speaking. “Listen Soldier, I don’t know who you are, or what you’re doing here, so to start I would prefer some explanations.” He held a stylus between his fingers like one would a cigarette; it tapped idly at the desk that he leaned against.

Popping the seal on his helmet; Jack breathed in the smell of thick body odour and the acrid smoke of burning plastic and rubber. He let out a content sigh before speaking. “I’m Specialist Kessle, with Hades International. The heavy metal bastard tromping around outside is Oberfeldwebel Hans Drescher of the Panzer Elite. As for why we’re here, well…” Jack trailed off as he patted down his armours combat webbing, and produced a home-rolled cigarette. He stuck it between his lips and sparked it with a little battered zippo that proudly displayed the marine corp insignia. “We’re here to kill some fuckin' Slugs.”

Smiling thinly, the Colonel turned and placed his hands down on the table that dominated the center of the tent. Upon it was a holographic emitter that portrayed the city of Tokyo. “I see. Mercenaries.” He let the word hang in the air for a moment. “Regardless of your loyalties, I believe we can help each other.” He pointed at a glowing red point on the map. “That is Corvellan anti-air. They are keeping our air-cover grounded, and that means we are getting our shit pushed up around our ears. You’ve already destroyed one of four such vehicles, opening up this sector. I need you to kill those AA batteries so we can mount an assault on the Corvellan base of operations.”

Jack couldn’t help but smirk, causing the smoldering smoke to bop slightly. “Well, isn’t that helpful. We just so happen to be hunting AA bats.” He approached the table and scanned over it slowly. “You said you have air-cover? Intel said Japanese air got wiped when the Slugs dropped.”

“Your intel would be right. The air is from Brisbane.”

Blinking hard in surprise, Jack pulled the cigarette from his mouth and stared at Colonel Wsu. “Brisbane? That’s over seven thousand kilometers from here, how the hell are they gonna help any time soon?” Jack opened a channel to Hans, allowing the frame pilot to listen in.

Wsu smirked as he looked over the map. “Normally I would agree, but Australian Command has informed us that they have a full flight of High Altitude Hypersonic Ground-Superiority fighters fueled up and armed to the teeth. They can be here in a half hour once those batteries are silenced.” He looked up at Jack expectantly.

“Hags? The Aussies have Hags?” Jack chuckled. “Well then. I think we can lend a hand with your op, sir.” He snuffed the stub of a cigarette on his armoured greave before donning his helmet. “Is that location data up to date?”

Nodding, the Colonel focused the map on the area where the AA was based. “They have no reason to leave. We don’t have the forces to push them off their point, and they know it. Our main forces are still regrouping, so unless you can take care of them, they will continue to be a threat to all of us.” Wsu bowed, and set a hard look upon Jack. “Descend upon them like Hachiman, wipe them off of our planet.” He nodded, before picking up the snubbed end of Jack's discarded cigarette. “Good fortunes, Specialist Kessle.”

Exiting the tent, Jack found Hans already waiting for him. He opened a full vid-com before speaking. “You get the specs and update your map?”

Hans nodded on cam, and brought up the updated map. “Ja, Slugs have superior ground and emplacements, but their defenses are weak from above. This parking garage should give us an excellent view of the entire area.” The holo-ghost of a large parking garage pinged on the map before both mens eyes.

A wolfish grin spread across Jack’s features as the bones of a plan rose from his mind. “I got an idea. Tell me, how fast can you rain fire those cannons?”

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“Mein Freund, I am in position. There is a lot of ugly down there.”

The connection crackled slightly as the thick concrete impeded the signal for a split second. Jack edged along through the burned out ruins of a coin laundromat; his Grizzly slung over his back in favour for his mono-edged Ka-bar and a suppressed sabot pistol. “Copy, can you see all of the batteries?” He asked as he peeked out beyond the back door frame; the door lay in a melted heap on the ground before the frame. Ahead of his hiding place, Jack could detect the large build-up of Corvellan forces around their anti-air batteries.

“Nein, the third is out of my view. If I move, I fear they will detect me and open fire with the batteries. Irma will not survive that.” The statement was flat and heavy; leaving the rest of the responsibility upon Jack’s shoulders.

“Right. I think I can see it from here. Fire on my mark.” Jack pulled back and took a steadying breath. Chinning his mic off for a moment, he spoke. “Armour, administer half dose of morphine.” The needle pricked his bicep again, and his nerves calmed immediately. Chinning his mic back on, he stowed his pistol and produced a cylindrical shape charge with three magnetic ‘claws’. “Fire when ready Hans.”

ku-KOOOOOOOOOM-KOOOOOOOOOM

The blastwave from the one-two suckerpunch nearly floored Jack; the building around him spewed ash and dust as it threatened to collapse from the sheer explosive force it had endured. Not wasting a single moment, Jack bounded out from cover, and into the smoke filled intersection. The Corvellans opened fire in every direction, only to have another pair of one hundred and twenty millimeter spent matter shells crash down onto them. A split-second report emitted from the first AA battery, just before its containment failed and the vehicle went up like a self-destructive tesla coil; arcs of incandescent energy lanced out and struck down anything within reach. Despite the rolling ground under his boots, Jack carried on forward and the charge flew from his hand. It landed solidly on the rear exhaust panel of the third AA battery, and began its short timer. As he bounded between burning wreckage and pulverized alien bodies, Jack spotted something odd pulling itself from one of the more intact vehicles. The Corvellan hit the ground, and its six tentacle-esque legs coiled to cushion the fall. It soon pulled itself up to its full height, which put it well above Jack. The new creature warbled loudly, and Jack felt and tasted coppery blood fill his mouth. Without pause he sprang upon its back; his knife plunged down into its neck, and the creature keened in surprise and horror. Jack grabbed it by its un-armoured beak, and ripped the mono-edged blade through its soft flesh. The aliens keening noise was replaced by a wet gurgle as it flopped to the ground; it’s disembodied head followed with a wet slap. Turning on his heels, Jack bolted from the area just as the Corvellans were regrouping. The AT charge exploded the very moment he was out of sight; the pondering bulk of the AA crawler flipped over, crushing several troopers under it.

“Hans my man! That was beautiful! Come pick me up and let’s get back to Wsu’s forces. I don’t want to miss the party.” Jack grinned like a madman as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

His partner cackled into the vid-com. “Was für eine Anzeige! I’m on my way!” He laughed again. “Fucking beautiful!”

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Flitter pulled the helmet from her head and blinked rapidly as the electric ghosts of the burning city and terrible aliens faded from her vision. “wow…” She blinked slowly, before setting down the heavy helmet on the ground. Her eyes eventually wandered down to the snoozing Jack, a soft smile began to spread over Flitter's features as she watched him sleep peacefully. Without warning, and cold draft blew through the cave, causing the waning fire to tremble and for Flitter to shiver heavily. Her body was stiff and practically frozen from sitting still for so long; she pulled herself in close to the furnace-like warmth that was Jack. Smirking to herself a bit, Flitter stole some of the covers and cuddled up against her friend. She nuzzled him gently, and was pulled in closer by one of his tattooed arms. A brief sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes. “goodnight…”

Chapter Eleven: Hoodoo Operator

View Online

The sound of quiet breathing and softly blowing snow caused Flitter’s eyes to flutter for a moment before opening fully. She could feel the slight chill rolling in through the cave from the entrance; it nipped at her hind hooves and the edges of her wings where they laid splayed out from under the thermal blanket. Behind her, Jack huffed quietly in his sleep and shifted on the cot. She stretched her stiff limbs, before tucking back into the cozy warmth of the shared blanket. He’s like… the old wood stove granpa had… Pulling up the worn cotton hood of her hoodie, Flitter nuzzled into Jack’s warm chest before letting out a content breath. Closing her eyes; Flitter rested her ear against his sternum and listened to his heart beat away without pause. It was steady and strong, albeit a bit faster than she’d thought it would have been. As Flitter hugged against Jack to avoid the cold; she felt him shift, and twitch; the metal tags and strange cross he wore around his neck jingled ever so slightly from the movements. Such a small motion, she may have completely missed it had she not been paying attention to him in the first place. Again, he twitched, and his cybernetic legs whirred quietly as he moved.

Frowning ever so slightly, Flitter looked up at him to find his face slowly pulling into a look of displeasure and concern. His lips curled downward ever so slightly, causing the long scars on his head to stretch and change colour from the pressure. Shaking her head, Flitter nudged Jack lighty. “Jack? It’s alright. I’m here.” She had to suppress a squeak of surprise as he curled his arms around her and pulled her in as if she were a stuffed animal. His twitching continued onwards.

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“Jack? It’s alright. I’m here.”

The words rebounded around him as he clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Across from the table from him sat a tall, auburn haired woman with severe cheeks, a small nose, and startling blue eyes that absolutely refused to meet his.

“Jack… Why do you have to make this difficult?” The woman asked as if she’d spoken it a thousand times, and had grown tired of it. On her ring finger was a small engagement ring that she idly fiddled with like a scab.

Running a damp hand down his drawn features and two week old beard, Jack couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. “Make this difficult… Yeah, right, sorry.” He snarked slightly, before slugging back some of his nearly cold coffee. The rain slammed against the coffee shop windows, framing an ugly night for an ugly talk.

The woman rolled her eyes and rested against the back of the booth. “Fine, fuck it. We both know that this isn’t working out, so let’s just get it over with.” She tugged the ring off and let it clatter onto the table as she started getting up. She paused as he eyed the removed ring with disbelief and shock. “Oh, what? You didn’t see this coming?” She fumed slightly as he gripped his cane tightly. “Just look at yourself for fuck sakes. You think you’ve got it the worst ever? Grow the fuck up Jack.”

Jack clenched his hand tightly around the head of his cane. He hated that cane. Hated that he needed the support just to walk around on his spindly prosthetics that pinched every time he stepped too far or too short. He felt his body coiling up like a spring, save for his legs. He closed his eyes for a moment, and willed the muscles in his calves to flex, to tense, to let him bound up and grab his fiance by the shoulders and shake her. Ex-fiance. His subconscious reminded him, before he spoke. “Who.” He turned his head and regarded her with smoldering, sunken, bloodshot eyes. “Who were you fucking Elissa?”

Letting out a long, hot breath through her flared nostrils, Elissa let the ghost of a begrudged smirk cross the beautiful curvature of her lips. “Paul. Paul Harten.”

His hands shook with fury; his dirty nails dug deep into the wood of the cane as he gritted his teeth. “How long.”

Snorting, Elissa adjusted her small bag. “Six months.”

Jack chuckled to himself and looked out the window as he turned the ring over in his fingers. He wanted to wrap his fingers around her neck; to strangle the life from her; to impart upon her the pain he’d felt while she’d been riding dick. “Fuck you, Elissa.”

Flipping her middle finger upwards towards him, she sneered. “And fuck you too, Nasty Fuckin’ Jack.” At that, she turned around, and strode out of the small coffee shop and into the pouring rain.

Jack. Wake up.

He blinked in confusion as the familiar voice echoed around, and the world warped. Jack blinked again, but now he was laying on his cot, with a concerned Flitter staring up at him from over his chest. Letting out a small groan, he stretched out and yawned.

A small smile crossed Flitters muzzle as she nudged him. “What was that all about? Having bad dreams again?” When Jack flicked his hand up in the air, in his ‘I fucking guess so’ motion, Flitter couldn’t help but giggle lightly and lay back down to rest against him. “I wonder why Princess Luna doesn’t help….” Sitting up slightly to look down at her, Jack raised one brow up into his fringe. He blinked hard, before blowing air. He gestured again and rolled his legs out of the cot. Flitter whined quietly, and pulled her haunches up onto his lap to keep them inside the blanket where everything was cozy and warm. Jack shivered a bit as the wind blew through the cave; his eyes went to the dead fire, but his mind remained on his dream. Giving his head a shake, he gently lifted Flitter off his lap and deposited her into a pile of hoodie, blanket, pony, and wings. The mare grumbled quietly before sticking her hooded head out from under the blanket. “It’s cold as balls in here. You should try and make that door better before it gets really cold.” Jack shrugged as he yawned; he flicked the flint of his zippo lighter repeatedly, but to no avail. An angry murmur was issued at the empty lighter, and his eyes remained on the logs and cold coals.

Before long, a spark lit up behind Jack’s eyes, and he snapped his fingers loud enough to startle the still sleepy Flitter. She poked her head up and watched as he treaded over and pulled one of his rifle’s boxy magazines from the solar charger. He crossed over to where his rifle lay next to the cot, and stuffed the fresh magazine into it. Setting the power as low as it could go, he point the muzzle at the cold logs and pumped a three round burst into them. Flitter giggled lightly as he grinned in triumph and flipped off the now crackling fire. Setting his rifle down gently against the large log he used for seating; Jack grasped for his PDA and tapped out a quick message.

“Want anything for breakfast? I have-” There was a brief pause as he looked over his meager supplies. “Water and bandages. Also rubbing alcohol chasers.” He smirked slightly, before rubbing his fast growing beard.

Flitter rolled her eyes as she remained in the blankets. They were slowly cooking off without Jack to keep them toasty warm. “I think I’ll pass on the bandage sandwich…” She trailed off as she tapped her chin. “Maybe we should go into town, get you some real food. What day is it anyways? The thirteenth?”

“Thirteenth of October. And is that a smart idea? I mean, look at me. I don’t exactly play the metal gear theme wherever I go.” He gestured towards himself, before prodding the fire.

“Well…” Flitter rubbed her cheek lightly as she thought. “I can easily lie and say you’re… from the Griffon Empire. Some kind of pit-fighter turned rescue human!” She grinned. “It’ll work, almost every single one of the ponies in town have never gone further than Canterlot. They get scared of new things, the Flower Sisters freak out and scream ‘Monster’ when they see Zecora for fucks sake. She’s just a pony with stripes!” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Anyways, so long as you behave, and don’t carry any huge weapons and laugh, I think we’d be able to sneak around well enough.” She smiled at him, hoping to pass on her faith in the plan.

Jack chuckled lightly as he rubbed the nook of his left elbow. “So we gotta do this sneeki beeki like, huh? Alright.” He pulled on the small metal necklace around his neck, and rubbed the little cross and the tags that hung there. Flitter furrowed her brow lightly with curiosity, before brushing it off in favour of the question that plagued her mind.

“Jack, what were you dreaming about?” Frowning, he waved a hand, as if he could shoo the question away like an unwanted pest. Flitter furrowed her brow and pouted lightly, before pawing at him. “Jaaaack…” He turned her head away from her and squeezed the little metal beads on the necklace. She in turn pouted even further and resorted to nudging and nuzzling against his stomach. “Jaaaaaaaaaaaack.” His eyes flicked over to her, and his features contorted as he beheld the adorable wide saucer eyes that begged him for an answer. She rolled over onto her back with the help of her wings and nudged at his stomach and chest as she looked up at him. “Plllleeeeeaaasse?”

He cringed and tried to look away as his defenses crumbled bit by bit. “I don’t wanna.”

That only spurred her on further. Bringing her hooves up to rest on her chest as she continued to stare up at him. “But Jaaaaaaacck… We’re a team… How am I supposed to help if you won’t tell me?” She sniffed theatrically, and suppressed a broad smile as he groaned loudly and threw his hands up in defeat.

“Fine, just stop with that diabetes crap. Got enough wrong with me.” He stretched his hand for a moment as he stared at the PDA’s screen. Flitter smiled smugly to herself as she sat up and resumed a more becoming position. “I had a dream about my ex-fiance.”

“Oh.” Flitter winced as if she’d pinched a nerve. Maybe I should have let that one lay…. “I’m… what happened? I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” She waved her hooves in a placating manner. To her relief, Jack glanced over and cracked a weary smirk.

“Things went south. We split but she managed to make life fucking miserable for me regardless. More than half the reason I’m here right now. Let’s just put it-” He paused for a moment, before continuing with a grim look about him. “If she were to appear here, now, there’s three things I would give her.” He tapped the center of his chest twice, before tapping between his eyes once.

In response, Flitter arched a brow of concern and mild confusion. “Oooohh..kay. I’m umm… Wow.” She smiled a bit. “Well, at least we both know how crappy relationships are, right?” She grinned a little bit wider, and found it returned weakly by the human seated next to her. Snorting into the chilly air, Jack started chuckling as he circled his index finger around in the air above his head. A, ‘woop-de-do’, if you would. Flitter returned his enthusiasm by bouncing up. “Come on, toss on your sweater. We’re gonna go to town!” She clopped her hooves happily at the prospect as Jack groaned and stood up with effort. Her smile dimmed slightly as he dug around within his plate carrier, and produced a snub-nosed revolver that was sprayed matte black with a dark wood grip. He stuffed it into the side pocket of his fatigue pants, and it was followed by several small shining brass cartridges. Flitter cocked her head, and furrowed her brow. “What’s that?”

“.44 Magnum insurance policy. I won’t use it unless I absolutely have to.” At that, he adjusted his belt and donned his worn olive drab pullover. He seemed to regard his knife belt for a moment, before pulling it off and offering it to Flitter. “Put that around your waist, under the hoodie. You can keep it, I’ve got a spare somewhere around here.” He prodded at his pack with his boot, before shrugging.

She looked up at him with mild shock; her eyes drifted down to the dangling leather sheath and sturdy canvas belt. “Are… are you sure? I mean, It’s your knife, you should carry it.” Her eyes didn’t leave the knife. Jack smiled lightly, and nodded. He pushed the belt at her again, and thankfully she took it this time. Flitter smiled happily as she used her wings to secure the canvas belt around her waist, where it would be covered up by the hoodie but remain easily accessible. “Thanks Jack. This is… probably the coolest birthday present anybody has ever gotten me.” She leaned over and nuzzled his side.

Jack looked incredibly surprised; his eyes wide and his eyebrows up in his fringe. “It’s your birthday and you didn’t say anything?” He made an unhappy groan, before scratching between her ears.

Cooing softly at the ear scratches, Flitter shook her head. “I-it’s tomorrow.” She sighed softly as she hopped up off the log and stretched out. “Mom’s gonna send me some unsigned birthday card and Cloudy will… probably forget again.” She glanced over at Jack as they walked together toward the entrance to the cave. “So uh… I’ll probably hang out with you tomorrow for the most part until I gotta work. I mean, if that’s alright with you.”

“Course’.” Jack gave her a toothy grin, but inside his scarred head, the cogs were turning. Shitty birthday? Girl, you ain’t had a birthday until you’ve had one with a Kessle. Mom would have a conniption fit if she heard about unsigned cards. He smiled a little bit more broadly as a plan started to come together within his mind. Flitter relaxed, and fell into step beside Jack as the fresh snow crunched away under their steps. The entire forest seemed paused in time, almost as if they were the only living beings within it. A soft breeze rattled the barren branches, occasionally dropping small clumps of snow onto the ground below. Stuffing his hands into his fatigue pockets, Jack blew long motes of icy breath into the air. Within the pocket was the comforting form of his hold-out revolver. He slowly drew a finger over the end of one of the loose .44 magnum shells. Super hand load, Trident series hollow points. Reciting the words in his head gave him comfort. Comfort in the familiar, comfort in the reliable.

Flitter turned her head to regard him, her ears flicking under the hood. “So, remember. Don’t smile, don’t flip anyone off, don’t show your PDA, and don’t look as if you understand anything, alright? Also, aggression would be bad.” She chuckled quietly. “Yeah, this should be fun, right?”

“Right.”

The corner of her muzzle tugged at the single word answer. “Something up, Jack? I-” She clammed up the second Jack stopped in his tracks, and placed a hand over her barrel. Her ears perked, and her eyes quickly scanned around for trouble. “What-”

Before she could finish voicing her question, a young, naked human burst through the bushes with a screech, the lone forest critter echoing the noise as the child plunged down onto it, bludgeoning its skull inwards with a pointed rock. Flitter and Jack froze in place, watching the display with wide eyes. The child froze in response, and slowly turned its head to regard them. It’s eyes went wide as it regarded Jack’s towering frame; the child mewled quietly, and grabbed its kill with grubby paws. Jack took a tentative step forward, his hand outstretched in a placating manner. The child froze up again as he neared, its eyes narrowing as it growled. The sound of cracking branches and harried breathing broke through the sounds of winter, and before either Jack or Flitter could react, a nude human woman burst through onto the trail and grabbed the child. She shot a wary glare at the pair on the trail, before freezing.

Jack’s eyes wandered down for a scant moment, before he mentally forced them back up. She’s… kinda cute? In a uncanny-valley nude hippie kinda way… Ehhhhhhh… He mentally cringed at the myriad thoughts that ran through his head. The naked woman cocked her head, sending her greasy dread-locked black hair cascading about as she eyed up Jack. The woman released her child, and took a tentative step forward towards them. She made a strange little chirping noise, before swaying her upper body side to side. Eyes up! Come on man, this could be important! He mentally cursed himself, and lifted his hand up to cautiously greet her. The woman tilted her head to the other side as she regarded the hand with open suspicion and barely hidden curiosity. behind her, the child squawked and mewled in protest. She seemed to shush the boy by making a series of harsh clicks and chirps, before turning her attention back to Jack. It was almost as if she didn’t even register anything save for him. Jack slowly arched a brow and leaned back as she got uncomfortably close and sniffed at him like a dog would. The woman’s features shot up in confusion and she backed away. She chuffed quietly for a moment, and seemed utterly confused; within a mere moment her confusion melted away to blatant fear. She scrambled back, and grabbed hold of the boy. Letting out a terrified cry, she turned away from them and shielded the child with her body.

Jack turned to look at Flitter; the sudden rush of air past his head nearly knocked him over, and the horrendous roar that followed shook the teeth within his skull. The pair whirled around, and found themselves face to face with the largest lion Jack had ever laid eyes on. It’s massive scorpion tail lashed about as it drew back from the failed strike. Flitter screamed- “Manticore!” -and took flight immediately to avoid one of its heavy pawed swipes. Jack let out a startled grunt as the blow meant for Flitter found his side and catapulted him through the trees and into the snow.

High up above the altercation, Field Note sat with bated breath as he watched the wayward manticore attack the strange human it had knocked over. The creature lunged forward, grabbing the humans leg between its teeth. It dragged him back into view, and started trying to rip the leg clear from its socket. To his surprise, Field Note watched as the human lashed out with its other leg, smashing the manticore in the nose with his heel. The massive amalgamation keened in pain as the human rained down kicks onto its muzzle.

“The domesticated human male is fighting on, despite receiving an obviously grievous wound! It seems more concerned about inflicting as much damage upon the manticore as possible before it is killed than surviving. The male appears to be incredibly aggressive, which raises doubts about it being domesticated… Speaking of, I still cannot see the mare… She must have fled.”

The manticore released the humans leg and shook its broken face in anger; spraying its freely flowing blood over the snow. The human pushed itself back with both of its legs; trying to create room between them. Field Note watched as the Manticore’s tail lifted up high, poised to strike down and end the humans struggles.

“JAAACK!”

The mare's voice carried through the woods as she crashed down onto the manticore's tail, throwing the strike off as she slashed at it with a small knife. Field Note blinked in surprise, and resumed taking notes. “Interesting. The human male must be a loved pet for the owner to risk her life in such a futile-” Field Notes jaw fell as the manticore's tail was severed cleanly by the slashing blade held in the mare’s grip. The creature howled in horrendous pain as its tail stump spewed blood, only to receive a powerful stomping kick to its front left paw. Even high in the trees, Field Note could hear the thick bone shatter; he watched as the manticore collapsed into a heap. It snapped and snarled at the offending human as he planted his foot on the it’s muzzle. The human then pulled some kind of small black object from its clothing and pressed it against the manticore's swollen eye.

“What is it do-”

KRAKBOOOM

The black object in the humans hand bucked, and spoke of thunder. The brilliant flash of light and thunderous boom emitted from its barrel caused Field Note to emit a high pitched bat-shriek of terror. The manticore slumped to the ground, obviously dead. A large, smoking, bloody crater was all that remained of its left eye socket; the other side of the manticores head was a bloody pulp that had been sprayed across the disturbed snow. Field Note’s magic barely held as he hyperventilated. “I-I-I d-do believe t-that I’ve discovered a-an anomaly wi-within White Tail W-woods…” He swallowed meekly and tried to catch his breath. “Goddesses protect me…”

Back down on the forest floor, Jack pumped a fist and hooted in exhilaration. He practically vibrated in place as the snub nosed magnum smoked in his hand. Galloping over, Flitter started looking him over with wide, worried eyes. “Are you alright?! Oh please be alright!” She propped herself up on his leg so she was near his chest. “Are you hurt?”

Waving her off, Jack retrieved his PDA from where it had fallen and tapped out his message. “That lion hit like a bitch.” He grinned, before gingerly touching his ribs and moving his leg to confirm his own statement. A slow testing kick from his chewed leg confirmed that titanium did in fact, beat enamel. “Scared the bejesus out of me though.”

Letting out a relieved smile, Flitter hugged him tightly. “I was terrified… I’m so sorry!” She nuzzled apologetically into him as the massive corpse cooled at their feet/hooves. Jack lightly patted her shoulder, before giving her an appreciative squeeze. She managed a weak smile, before noticing that he was pointing at the creatures stumped tail. He gave her a happy grin, and a jerky thumbs up as he laughed excitedly. “Well… It was the only thing I could think of… You did all the work, distracting it.” She blushed at the praise, and watched as he pulled a spent brass casing from the exposed wheel of the gun. He slid a fresh one into its place, gave the wheel a spin, and clicked it closed. Flitter swallowed lightly, before looking around. “It looks like your friend is gone… Huh.” She huffed as the excess energy bled from her system. “Enough excitement for today, let’s go to town.”

“Right. No more mutant lions or crazy naked ladies. Questions later.” He chuckled alongside Flitter and stuffed the revolver back into his pocket. Without further delay, they both made their way towards town; completely unaware that they had an invisible observer following them and documenting everything.

___________________________________________________________________

Stopping just on the outskirts of Ponyville, Flitter glanced around furtively to check if the coast was clear, before looking to Jack. She smiled up at him, hoping to pass on some of her faith to the clearly nervous soldier. “It’ll be alright. Just pretend to be like the other humans. I’ll do the talking.” She patted his leg, and watched as his eyes shifted down for a moment to regard her. His smile took a moment longer than normal to appear, and it only lasted a scant second before he resumed scanning the area. Flitter sighed, before jerking with a start. “Crap, I’m gonna have to leash you....” She cringed inwardly as his gaze snapped down at her, and the corners of his mouth created harsh downward lines. “Just… hold on for a moment… Bylaws are getting crazy…” She looked around, trying to find something that could work. To her surprise, a coil of thick earth coloured cord was held out before her. Jack pressed the coil into her hooves as he fiddled with his belt.

His fatigues slid down lower on his hips than he’d remembered; his bony hips pressed through the skin at his waist almost alarmingly. Jack did his best to suppress a heavy frown as he cinched the loose fitting fatigues in place as best he could. By then, Flitter had managed to uncoil the roll of paracord, and was waiting for something to tie it to. Rolling his eyes, Jack looped the belt slowly around his neck. He closed his eyes as the metal tongue clicked through the sizing holes. Fuck does this ever feel familiar… He shivered lightly, and immediately loosened the belt up by two holes. Taking the offered end of paracord, he quickly tied a loose knot around the old leather belt that sat limply around his neck. Sighing quietly, Flitter took the cord in her hoof and motioned forward. “I’m really sorry about this Jack… Just tug three times if I pull to hard or something, okay?” He swiftly nodded, but didn’t meet her gaze as his head swiveled around, taking in the village.

By the time that the pair had entered Ponyville, most of the town had woken up, and another lovely winter day was starting. Ponies wearing snow gear trotted around, happily chatting each other up and discussing the news, the weather, and other useless garbage. Jack rolled his eyes as Flitter helped weave through the streets and gathering crowds. His ears pricked over one bit of news, overhead from a dull orange mare wearing a stetson.

“Gee, ah sure do hope Max is aw’lright. Can’t believe Rainbow and Pinkie just up and skedaddled on him during the storm.” She shook her head as she set out several buckets of fresh apples. “And infected humans, inside town! Talk about rotten luck, hey Big Mac?” She prodded the massive stallion’s side, and earned a grunt and a ‘Eeyup’ in return.

Jack perked a brow with interest when the mare mentioned infected. His mind went to the psychotic humans with dribbling black puss that leaked and sprayed from their bodies as he bludgeoned them to death. Maybe a natural effect on the locals… like an organic fever dart toxin. The connection send an electric shiver up his spine. If I catch that… His fingertips went to the solid form of his revolver as it sat in his pocket. He set his lips into a thin line and resolutely stuck by his mental choice. He felt a soft tug on the leash, and his eyes returned to Flitter. She smiled weakly. “Come on, we’ll get some groceries, and then maybe… go check out the new pet-store? Yeah.” She smiled a bit wider, before moving along with Jack in tow.

Watching Flitter dump what seemed like random assortments of fruits and veggies into bags from the vendors, Jack’s eyes went a little wide as she hoofed over several hoof-fuls of golden coins. He watched as several thousand dollars worth of gold was traded for forty dollars of produce, almost like it was nothing at all. He shook his head, and resolved to start gathering some of the coins if the chance arose.

Feeling his hackles rise up uncomfortably, Jack glanced around, only to find several sets of eyes watching them with open curiosity. More than a few ponies were staring at him, which sent a cold shiver down his spine. A sparse few domesticated humans were wandering around behind their masters; a select few were well trained enough to carry bags of groceries. A small male human, no more than sixteen by Jack’s guess, skittered out of their way with a quiet, frightened chirp as it stared at Jack. In response, he furrowed his brow and made a harsh click with his tongue. The young male mewled, and swiftly turned its attentions elsewhere.

“Here, hold these please.” Jack blinked, and looked back over to Flitter, who held out several bags of groceries. He grabbed them, and took the weight off of the mare leading him. She smiled in thanks, before leading him further into the markets.

The shopping felt like it dragged on for hours on end, like a lousy patrol in the asshole of some backwater country. Having figured that the locals posed absolutely no threat, Jack relaxed, and did his best to memorize what was where, and cross-reference it with what he remembered from his night raids. There was the bakery, which looked much less threatening now that he knew fuzzy pacifist ponies ran it. There was a library apparently situated within a large tree, and several odd businesses strewn about. Just off the corner of the main drag, Jack could make out the ‘fine’ establishment that he’d raided, and the bench where he’d first knocked out Flitter. He took note on how Flitter blatantly avoided that stretch of road as she made her way to some kind of pet store. When nopony was close enough to hear, she slowed down and whispered. “That’s the old store, they don’t let humans inside, so you’ll have to wait on the bench.” He arched a brow at her, as if to ask what she planned on getting in the store. Flitter simply smiled, and patted his metal leg. “It’s a surprise. Just hang tight.” Flitter lazily lashed the cord around a small post that was situated by the bench, before trotting in through the door.

Plopping down onto the thankfully cleared bench, Jack carefully set the groceries down onto the snow before him and stuffed his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. Ponies trotted by, crunching the snow underhoof as they went about their daily business.

It’s real peaceful here. Too bad I have to act like a retard, or risk getting dissected. He watched with idle curiosity as some of the horned ponies lifted things around without touching them. Some kind of… psychokinesis? Some Fantasyland crap right there… He huffed quietly to himself, and let his body relax further into the wooden bench.

“Hellloooo, what do we have here?” An older mares voice filled his ears, and caused his skin to crawl. Lowering his head back down, he could now see a well defined mare with, what pained Jack to admit, was a very attractive young woman at her heels. He eyed up the girl for a long moment, before tearing his eyes away. The mare smiled crookedly. “My my… Aren’t you quite the specimen. Where on Equis did you come from boy?” She asked him, as if she expected an actual answer. Jack tried to ignore the fact he was being eyed up like a hunk of meat at the butchershop. She tilted her head this way and that, but didn’t touch him. “Maybe an alpha, but so well behaved!” She tittered quietly, before cupping his chin in her hoof to force him to look up. Jack jerked away and shot her a needle-filled glare of vehemence, causing her to back up a step and the female leashed to her to whine quietly. “Oh my… Very rare eye colour, and… such an odd eye shape. Very toned muscles... You aren’t from around here, are you?” The mare licked her lips wantingly as she spoke and ran her eyes over his form. Jack’s fingers went to the solid frame of the weapon within his pocket, and mentally cursed.

Before the earth pony mare could draw any closer, the door of the pet-shop jingled merrily, and Flitter exited with a small bag. She paused for a moment, before forcing a smile. “Miss Oakenbaulm, how nice to see you.” She trotted over, and gave Jack a nuzzle on the neck as she dropped the small bag inside one of the larger ones.

Oakenbaulm arched a brow and watched. “Yes, hello. I take it this is your human? I’ve never seen him in town with you before.” She glanced back over to Jack, and smiled. Her female shifted closer, cautiously edging towards Jack.

“Well… I’m watching him for a friend, but it sounds like my friend may just let me keep him. He’s such a big softy, isn’t that right Jack?” She nudged his side and smiled warmly. In return, her gave her a brief scratch between the ears.

The other mare started to slowly circle them, eyeing up Jack. “He’s very well trained… Solid stock, excellent posture; a prime breeder to be sure.” She clucked her tongue as she thought, and before Flitter could get a word in edgewise, she spoke once again. “Four thousand.”

Flitters jaw dropped and she sputtered. “I-I… what?” She shook her head, once she realized what Miss Oakenbaulm was talking about. “No, no he’s not for sale.”

“Fine, five thousand.”

Five thousand… Flitter paused and mentally recited the massive price-tag, before looking to the ground. “T-that’s um… a lot of money Miss Oakenbaulm, but-”

The older mare sighed derisively. “I’m terribly sorry… Flitter, was it? You’ve got a prime breeder here. Gold medal even. You’re wasting its potential by just keeping it as a pet. I’m willing to give you five thousand bits if you let me put it to proper use.” Jack’s lips began to part in an open toothed sneer of disgust, which he barely kept hidden.

Flitter blinked owlishly . “I’m… No. No, I’m sorry, but he’s my best friend and he’s not for sale.” She nodded resolutely and fluttered her wings as the older mare snorted.

“That human must be nearing sixteen, he won’t live much longer. Are you sure you want to pass over my offer? I assure you, you won’t get another one like it.” Oakenbalm pawed at the ground hotly, as if her offer couldn’t possibly have been passed up by anyone sane. “And I know that you need these bits. Everpony in town knows that your sister is going to lose that hovel.”

Setting her jaw into an angry flat line, Flitter shook her head. “No, not everypony in town knows, and regardless, I don’t give a fuck.” The older mare gasped and held a hoof to her chest as Flitter took Jack’s leash. “Come on Jack.” She smirked at Oakenbalm. “Have a nice day.” She started trotting away with Jack in tow; as the older mare stared at them with wide eyed shock and disbelief, Jack turned to face her, and delivered a dual flipped bird in her direction. A tinge of regret played the edge of his mind as the attractive young woman pouted sadly and preformed a tiny little finger wave good-bye; it was one that he mirrored when the mare fumed and whirled around to trot away. The woman cooed and chirped happily, before getting tugged along by the collar that sat firmly over her slight neck. Jack’s eyes lingered lower as she skipped after Oakenbalm, before someone jingled his own leash.

“Jack, come on.” Flitters features were set into a painfully flat, neutral expression, and she refused to look Jack in the eyes as she held the leash. “I’m sorry about that, I…” She trailed off and closed her eyes; she didn’t jump when Jack softly stroked her mane. Leaning up into his hand and fingers, she let out a soft sigh. “I wonder what else Cloudy isn’t telling me…” Without any warning, Jack leaned over and scooped up the mare. She squeaked in surprise as he managed to maneuver her so she was on his back. Flitter wrapped her hooves around his shoulder and held on for dear life, until she realized that he was easily carrying her; his hands holding her steady by the nocks of her hind legs. A light blush worked its way up onto her features, and was swiftly followed by a relieved giggle. “Onwards then, noble steed.” She leaned forward, and could swear she saw his cheeks crinkle upwards into a pleased smile that lasted only for a scant moment.

Many of ponies stopped to stare as the bulky human carried the little known Flitter around on his back with no complaints or difficulties. A certain fashionista would be given a near panic attack when she heard about the ungodly clothing that Flitter had worn, or the utilitarian fatigues that her human had. A lot of questions were asked that day, and in the days that followed. Few were ever answered.

Chapter Twelve: A Mare and Her Human

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“The forest is so beautiful like this…” Flitter smiled lightly as she trotted next to Jack; who carried most of the bags from the market. In response he rolled his eyes and readjusted his grip in the bags. Near-fresh powder crunched and squished under their hooves and feet, and those few remaining forest creatures that hadn’t gone into hibernation scampered and flitted about as they squeaked and chirped. They’d taken a different trail in, in hopes of avoiding the manticore corpse. Chancing a second glance up at Jack and away from the trail, Flitter found him looking around slowly; the faintest hint at a serene smile tugging at the edges of his bearded features. Suppressing a welling feeling inside her chest, Flitter returned her gaze to the trail and kept it locked forward until they reached his abode.

Placing the bags down on the stone floor, Jack rolled his wrists and rubbed at them to regain feeling. Without much pause, Flitter stretched out next to him, and started putting away what she could. Her ears flicked at the sound of his PDA ticking away as he typed.

“So, what did you get me?” He plopped down on the smooth log next to her and peered over her shoulder.

Glancing back over at him, she smiled lightly and showed him. “Well, I got you some produce, some bottled water, some ‘human’ vitamins…” She placed the items aside and stared at the next two items. “I um… got you a new hat, I’ll um….. heh, I’ll understand if you don’t like it. I saw it and I thought it was really cute and I kind of bought it on impulse, so I’ll understand if you don’t-” She winced as he reached over and grabbed the gaudy orange and yellow knit hat by the tassels and held it up. To her complete surprise, he grinned broadly and laughed happily as he tugged it on and pulled it tight. Flitter grinned and squee’d as she looked over at him. “You like it?”

He batted one of the orange tassels over his shoulder and nodded. “How's it sit? Pretty cunning, don't you think?” He ruffled her mane lightly, before scratching between her ears. “What’s the second thing?”

Ripping open the packaging with her hooves, Flitter whipped out a skinny length of dried pseudo-meat. “Treats!” She grinned broadly and looked back toward him; her smile faded slightly when she did. Jack sat on the edge of the log, hands on his knees and his eyes wide. He sat stock still, not a single muscle did so much as twitch as his eyes remained locked onto the treat. “Jack?” Flitter furrowed her brow a bit, but kept up her smile. “Is-” She paused, and peered forward at him. The mist of magic swirled inside his eyes; little hearts within a swirling pink and green. Flitters mouth fell open in shock; she jerked the package out of the bag and scrutinized the wrapper. “Want it Need it Treats! Oh… DAMMIT!!” She slapped her forehead and groaned. “Flitter you dummy! Crap!” She cursed herself out, before glancing back at Jack. He cocked his head like a puppy; his eyes remained locked on the prize. Perking a brow, Flitter lifted the treat up, only to have him follow it. A small smile crossed her features for a moment as she held the treat up. “Sit.” She giggled as he plopped down onto his haunches as ordered. “Umm… Roll over!” Her giggle became an enthused laugh as he slowly rolled over as per her order. “Speak!”

Jack immediately made the attempt; all that came out was what looked and sounded to be horribly painful hacking and coughing. He continued to try and speak, only to sound as if his throat were being ripped out. Waving her hooves about, Flitter winced at the sound. “Stop! Stop, it’s okay, you don’t have to…” She winced at her own stupidity, before turning away from him to look at the package again. “Enchanted to ensure complete obedience in stubborn humans and instill loyalty. Please use caution when using Want it Need it Treats, as humans are often unpredictable, and sometimes react adversely to magic. Huh…” A blast of hot breath on her neck suddenly reminded her that she wasn’t alone, and that she’d been waving the treat around. Jack was almost on top of her; his body radiated warmth all around Flitter. Feeling something press against the small of her back, a burning blush spread across her entire face and her wings grew stiff as she recited the words in her head. Enchanted to ensure complete obedience in stubborn humans. They’re… sex treats… Flitter giggled nervously, before whimpering quietly as her stiff wings ached for attention. Now his body was pressed fully against hers; the warmth, musk, and pressure between them created a very real, stiff problem. Swallowing thickly, Flitter failed to hold back a full body shiver as his hands slowly pushed over her back and across her barrel; the calloused fingers digging electric furrows across her coat. Oh… oh wow… She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment to revel in the feeling. This is amazing… No, nonono, this, this is wrong… he doesn’t have a choice, I can’t do this… only a coward would force something like this with magic. Prying herself away from Jack’s heated form, she all but jammed the meaty treat into his mouth.

Now suddenly off balance, Jack fell over the log onto his back and let out a grunt-squawk of surprise. He sat up immediately, a look of utter shock and complete confusion was etched into his features;the treat hung halfway out of his slack-jawed mouth like a square tongue. His eyes flicked up from his own body to Flitter; his brows arched in worry and confusion.

Cringing inwardly, Flitter offered him a hoof up. “I’m… I’m really sorry Jack, I thought they were normal treats but they’re not and I’m so stupid!” She pressed her hooves against her temples and squeezed.

“What happened? I don’t remember.” Jack set down the PDA and chewed idly on the treat, but his brows remained knitted in confusion. One of his hands drifted to his throat, which he rubbed gently; a look of squashed pain crossed his features for a scant moment.

“You… don’t?” A wave of relief washed over Flitter as he shook his head. Stuffing the package into her hoodie pocket, Flitter forced a broad smile. “Well, um… let’s just pretend that nothing happened, alright?”

“Okay.” Flitter had the feeling that his real answer was more drawn out and distrusting, but the appearance of his smile did wonders to dispel her worries. “So was the jerky the second thing? I think I missed that part. Thanks.” He pulled idly at his orange hat tassels and chewed as Flitter nodded in response. She watched as his eyes drifted down for a moment; he shifted uncomfortably and reached down to readjust the crotch of his fatigues. He coughed lightly, before clapping his hands together, startling Flitter out of her short daydream. He shucked out of his upper fatigues and started swinging his arms about to get them stretched. Sighing in realization, Flitter joined Jack for his morning fitness routine.

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Stationed high up in the tree tops, Field Note prepared himself mentally for the task that lay ahead of him. “Okay Fieldy… Okay okay… you can do this! This may be the biggest break of your entire career…” He swallowed nervously and shuffled in agitation. “All you have to do is talk to a mare. And… possibly come face to face with an intelligent human, who has proven a propensity for extreme violence… Oh sweet Goddesses, please give me strength!” He groaned in self-pity as his gaze fell onto his notes. “It’s alright, I can do this.”

As if to test his own self-assurance, the very mare he was looking for popped into view. She trotted forward for a moment, before casting what appeared to be a longing look over her shoulder at the spot in the brush she’d appeared from. Lifting his note pad up, Field Note spoke quietly. “It appears that the anomaly has an established territory. I am loath to believe that I missed something so obvious. Upon close inspection, there is very obviously a well defined perimeter that circles this particular area. To an untrained eye it would be practically invisible, but one can see the faint outlines of what appears to be a patrol path, and possibly boundary markers. This theory can be given weight by the humans mare, who seems to hesitate at the border.” He took a deep, calming breath before placing his notepad back into his little knapsack. His talisman granted wings flexed, and sent him off ahead of the mare. Dropping down onto the snow covered trail, he had just enough time to dispel the wings as the mare rounded the bend and spotted him.

Stopping almost immediately, she eyed him up and down; suspicion blatantly apparent on her soft features. Field Note swallowed and started trotting toward her. He cleared his throat, and spoke. “Excuse me, miss? Can I talk with you for a minute or two?”

To his chagrin, she shook her head and tried to skirt around him. “Sorry, I have to get to work soon. Excuse me.”

Having successfully skirted around him, Field Note watched as the mare started to trot away a bit faster. He bit his cheek and spoke the exact words that Flitter didn’t want to hear. “I know about your human.”

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About ten minutes after Flitter had left his cozy hovel, Jack was up and about; a mission on his mind. Tugging his new hat over his ears, Jack shouldered his light pack and set off out the door. Taking the path that he and Flitter had taken earlier that morning; he kept his ears pricked and his eyes peeled. His heavy mechanical boots sent tufts of snow flicking out before each step; his exo-skeleton clicked and whirred quietly as it mirrored his movements perfectly.

Within a few minutes, he reached a spot where the trail was heavily disturbed; the place where the manticore had ambushed them. His eyes scanned over the spattered blood and bits of blown out grey matter. The body was nowhere to be found, save for the severed scorpion tail, which sat in the bushes where it had fallen. Quirking a brow in curiosity, Jack moved forward on the trail; a blatant path was marked where the feline corpse had been dragged off to places unknown. He crouched down, and peered closely at the marks in the snow; within were barely noticeable human footprints under the drag marks. Jack smiled to himself as he adjusted his bag and flexed his fingers as he started to follow the newly created path.

Droplets of coagulating blood flecked the path; the crushed snow was marred with small pools of it, marking where the scavengers had stopped for a breather. The butt stock of his rifle found its way into the familiar nook of his shoulder; the weapon held at a low ready in case of trouble.

He came across the remains near the edge of his territory.

The manticore had been stripped, literally. Fur and flesh had been flensed away, leaving the starch contrast of ivory bones and glimmering blood against the snowy forest. He slowly circled the remains, noting how the guts had been dragged off to the side so as to not spoil the meat or fur during harvesting.

Smart.

Resting on his haunches, he pulled out his PDA and cross-referenced his location to the marked point of the ‘nomad’ encampment. With a small frown, he stuffed the device back into his chest rig and pulled out a small tin in its stead. Opening it revealed the earth-tones of camouflage face paint and a small mirror. Jack quickly covered up his pale, gaunt features with a smattering of forest colours set in no particular pattern. Picking up where he’d left off, Jack carried on through the brush and snow; his movements smooth and sure. Like a wolf, he stalked up upon the human encampment. Calling it an encampment was a serious exaggeration. Several nude people could be seen huddling underneath a massive fur pelt; not as many as he’d originally seen, but still a good portion of the group. Going prone within the cover of the bushes and snow, Jack scanned the group with bated interest. Spotting the youngest child, he narrowed his eyes and looked for his caretaker. Yeah, there she is. Can’t be more than twenty six, kid looks to be about fourteen-ish? They all look pretty young, come to think of it. He furrowed his brow lightly in thought as he tried to recall every equestrian human he’d seen so far. His brow furrowed even further in curiosity and worry as all the pieces clicked into place. They’re all young. Late twenties at the most. God, am I the oldest human in this place? I haven’t seen a single one with grey hair. Wait, shit, do I have grey hairs? I fucking better not.

His eyes fell back onto the young woman from earlier that day. She was a slight thing, with what would be considered a slim pear body type. Her black hair was long and matted into tangled dreadlocks; not unlike the other humans that were in the group. She had a more sickly, whippet-esque girl seated in front of her. The older woman picked at the smaller girls hair, seemingly picking out twigs and thorns. Jack shifted in place, and let out a muted breath as his eyes flicked over the group. His eyes immediately flicked back when the dark haired woman perked up, and sniffed at the air like a hound. She quirked her features oddly, before getting up to her feet. The younger girl chirped quietly, as if to question the older woman. A short click silenced the questions; her nose going up again to sample the air once again. It was at that point that Jack realized that a slight wind was blowing at his back; almost at the same moment that the dark haired woman’s eyes locked onto the very bush he was using as cover.

A smarmy smirk spread across Jack’s features as he slowly rose. That’s it, you caught me. He rose to his full height, causing nearly the entire group to recoil in primal suspicion of the newcomer. Letting his rifle rest in its sling, he raised both hands in a placating manner as he stepped to the edge of the tiny clearing. All save for the dark haired woman pulled back. She approached slowly; a quiet, questioning chirp escaping her thin lips as she drew near. Lowering his hands, Jack in turn looked over the short woman; he felt the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The woman leaned in and chirped curiously; her bright eyes searching his features for something. This works on Flitter, so maybe…? Jack slowly lifted his hand up, causing the woman to flinch a bit and eye the hand with open curiosity. Seeing as how his exo-skeleton plugged into it, there was little wonder why. Once the woman was calmed toward the presence of his hand, he moved it forward, and rested it on top of her head. The woman squawked in alarm, and went to pull away, before his fingers started to move. Working deep into the dirty scalp, Jack slowly scritched the woman as he would Flitter. The woman cooed softly, and thumped her head against his chest. She started rubbing her face against the coarse fabric of his sweater; the tandem feeling of the fabric and his fingers causing her to mewl quietly in pleasure. The rest of the group edged forward, ever curious as to what was going on.

The stance of the group immediately shifted from one of curiosity, to one of fear; a split second later something massive and muscular slammed into Jack’s back. Pitching forward; he propelled himself into a rough roll and a snap turn that saw the muzzle of his rifle pointed between the pecs of Mr. Universe. The Alpha chuffed and snarled at him, flecks of foam and spittle spattering out from his lips. The curious woman backpedaled from the center of the conflict; she made sharp chirps and snaps at the snarling Alpha, but they went unheeded.

You want a piece of me, punk? Okay.

Unslinging his rifle and pack, Jack set them down gently on the snow, before rising to his full height and bringing his curled fists up for a defensive stance. His strike plates disengaged, leaving his knuckles open to the air. The alpha stamped hotly and snarled at him once more, before charging. The Equestrian human easily outweighed him; had the height advantage, and the home ground advantage, but it lacked where it mattered most. The alpha closed the distance, it’s arms spreading wide to catch him in a tackle. With cybernetic assistance, Jack easily bounced out of the way, letting the alpha crash into the snow. Without pause, the alpha lept up and roared; It’s roar was cut short when Jack’s arm wrapped around his neck, and his left arm was snatched up roughly. Using his right leg as a pivot, he used the other man's weight and brought him hurtling down to the ground with a powerful hip toss. The arm popped from its socket from the sudden, violent change in momentum; its owner had enough time to widen his eyes in fear before he hit the ground. In the blink of an eye, Jack had scrambled on top of his startled opponent and slid into high mount to pin his burly arms down. The first hammer-fist strike smashed into the orbital bone, causing a hairline fracture, even as skin split and bright crimson gushed forward. The second impacted his temple; the third spread the orbitals hairline fracture and impacted the soft tissue of the eye. A savage exo-skeleton driven hook dislocated the alpha’s jaw so badly that his mouth was forced open into a permanent lopsided blood filled ‘O’. Jack barred his teeth and grinned ear to ear as he brought his augmented fists down again and again and again onto the alpha’s head. Finally, once his opponent flopped limply with every strike, Jack grabbed him by both sides of the head and lifted his battered skull off the ground. He then roared into the alpha’s bloody face; the man's one semi-good eye widened in instinctual fear as Jack’s canines were barred and a bestial roar sounded out mere inches from his ruined face.

All the anger, all the hatred, all the feelings of betrayal bubbled up in a split moment; Jack saw nothing but red and a poor facsimile of the face that belonged to the man Elissa was sleeping with. Boiling fury overcame him, seeing his enraged bellow turn into a skin crawling blood raged howl. His lungs burned, and his entire body flushed red as he vibrated. He sneered down at the whimpering excuse he held in his hands, before slamming his forehead down onto the bridge of the other man's nose. The result was a vicious crunch as nasal cartilage gave way and the alphas head snapped back like a speed bag. It didn’t come back up.

Releasing the bloody mess of a man, Jack wiped under his nose with a bloody hand, before standing up. His eyes snapped up at the sight of movement, and his fists tensed as if aching for something else to break. They began to pulse sharply; he wasn’t entirely sure where the alphas blood stopped and his own began. Through the brilliant scarlet, he could see the ivory of three of his knuckles poking through ruined skin. The rest of the group stared back at him; it seemed that several other large men had rejoined, but they made no move to approach. Jack’s eyes flicked over each face, scanning for something, anything.

Anybody else?

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Ice water flooded through Flitters veins as she stared at the strange stallion who stood before her. His words echoed inside her skull, causing her breath to catch in her throat. The cold stone in her stomach turned hot, and her features twisted in anger. Flitter narrowed her eyes and glared at the stallion, who had the decency to cringe. “And… what do you know about him?” Flitter licked her teeth and felt her muscles tensing.

The stallion swallowed, and took a tentative few steps forward, effectively closing the distance between them. “I know he’s intelligent. Please, I don’t mean any ill-will towards your or your human. I’m a researcher from Canterlot.” He tried to smile confidently, but it felt and appeared wooden.

Flitter frowned heavily, and looked the stallion over. “Who are you?”

The smile became more relaxed, and the stallion let out a quiet sigh. “I’m Researcher Field Note, from Dynamic Research and Medical Sciences International, Canterlot branch.” He beamed with pride. “DRMSI for short.”

“Okay Researcher Field Note from DRMSI…” Flitter slipped the mono-edged ka-bar from its sheath and twirled the blade with her feathers; Field Note spotted it immediately and froze in place, his slitted eyes flaring wide in shock and terror. Closing the distance, Flitter set her jaw and tightened the grip her wing had on the knifes handle. “What do you want with Jack?”

Backpedaling rapidly until his flanks impacted wood, Field Note brought his forehooves up to shield his face. “P-please! Please don’t… don’t hurt me, I’m just a scientist!” He shivered in fear and shrank away as Flitter towered over him.

Frowning heavily, Flitter leaned forward and spoke quietly and evenly. “What. Do. You. Want. With. JACK.” Her anger washed over, spilling into the conversation and turning her demeanor mean in a moment. The stallion cringed away, and emitted a tiny bat-like squeak before answering.

“I-I-I… I j-just want to study him, I promise! I promise, I promise that I won’t tell a soul! It’s just… he’s… he’s important, I know it! I just… Please, miss…?” He looked up at Flitter with wide, terrified eyes that snapped from her face to the knife.

“Flitter.” She said as she slid the knife back into its sheath. “I’m… going to take your word Field Note. Jack’s… He’s… He’s very, very important to me. Do you understand?” She reached forward, and pulled the stallion to his hooves. “I’ll try and talk to Jack about speaking with you. I can tell you right now that he won’t be happy.”

Nodding, he brushed off snow from his flanks and straightened up. “I understand, Miss Flitter. You have no idea how much this means to me, let alone my career, and the scientific community. From what I’ve observed, this… Jack, as you call him, is incredibly unique.” He laughed, and ran a hoof through the frock of mane that fell down before his skewed glasses. “This, added with the observations of increasing nomad human intelligence, could mean many great and wonderful things for Equestria, and possibly the treatment of humans everywhere.” The stallion tittered excitedly. “This is my life’s work that I’m watching come to fruition Miss Flitter. You have no idea how much this means to me!”

Flitter smiled softly and cast a long look back the way she had come from. “Humans are pretty important to you, I take it?” She eased up, and shifted in her hoodie as the stallion nodded rapidly and excitedly.

“Oh yes! There is so much potential within them, I can just-” He closed his eyes and licked his lips before sighing. “I can feel it. The field of anthropology is unfortunately a very difficult one to succeed in. I…” He sighed quietly and fixed his skewed glasses with his magic. “Mother always said I’d have better luck herding cats than making a life learning about humans.” He muttered quietly, before shaking his head. “Apologies, when will you speak with Jack the Human, on my behalf?

“Probably when I get off work. I always come back after work.” She fluttered her wings to try and stave off the biting cold that surrounded them, invading through every weakness it could find.

Field Note shook his head and pawed at the snow. “No, nono, that simply won’t do. I need to speak with him soon rather than later!” He pulled over his knapsack and started rooting through it. “Is it money that’s the problem? I’m given field acquisition bits every month. I can pay you, if you help me with Jack.” He pulled up a sack full of bits, and practically shoved it into Flitters hooves. “Take it! Take it, I barely use even a quarter of the bits they send me, please, just help me with this.” He edged forward and bowed his head a bit as he begged.

With her mouth working slowly, like a fish out of water; Flitter opened the sack and peered inside. True to his word, the sack was filled with shiny Canterlot Mint bits. That’s more than I make in three days. Flitter abruptly pulled the drawstring tight and crammed it into her hoodie pouch. “Well Mr. Note, I’ll be happy to help.” She smiled at him, and almost meant it.

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Chapter Twelve Point Five: Curiosity Killed the Horse

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No, NO! Come on, for fucks sake! GRaaaah! God…

God fucking dammit.

Jack ran a calloused hand over his face as he sighed with rapidly deteriorating patience. Spreading his fingers, he glared lightly at the other humans as they chirped and stared back at him curiously. Between Jack and them, was a ramshackle firepit. Or at least, what was supposed to be one. He growled quietly as they continued trying to dump rocks into the fire pit. Took me twenty fucking minutes to get the idea of gathering rocks and sticks into their goddamn heads and now they won’t stop! Fuck my life, it’s like I’m herding cats! Jack clenched his fists, and breathed out slowly. Find my happy place… find my happy place… Think for all the nice places I’ve been... He sighed quietly and shook his head, before reaching out and grabbing the small girls hands and gently making her set the tiny pebbles down. He forced a smile, and patted her mud-matted dull red hair. The girl cooed and nuzzled his hand, while the other humans seemed to stop finally to watch him with intense interest.

Kneeling down next to the fire pit, Jack stacked the assortment of sticks in an attempt to make something workable, before shuffling the random rocks aside. He started patting himself down, in search of his little zippo. After a moment he left out a content chuckle as he stuck the zippo under the kindling and flicked it.

Only to have nothing happen.

Jack blinked, and shook the zippo next to his ear. What? Why are you- Wait… I already knew this damn thing was fucking- He grit his teeth and reeled back; his throw sending the little lighter careening off into the snow frosted trees with a clatter. One of the humans scampered off to retrieve it as the others all just continued to stare at him. Muttering darkly within his head, Jack stood, and shouldered his rifle.

PAAK-PAAK-PAAK

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Flitter stopped in front of the solid rock wall and turned to Field Note. “Okay Mister Note, just… wait here. I’m going to go and talk to Jack.” She turned as the stallion began to speak, and seemingly disappeared through the rock wall. Field Note sputtered, before letting his jaw fall in shock.

“That… that is a very, very well crafted illusion spell… my word.” He edged forward, and prodded it with the edge of his hoof. The tarp gave ever so slightly to his hoof, but didn’t move far from its frame. “Illusion magic worked into a… water proof fabric? I’ve never even felt something like this before… Amazing.” He pulled out his little notepad, and started taking notes on the tarp before him. He could barely hear Flitter through the thick optical camouflage tarpaulin.

“Hello? Jack?”

The mare looked around the cave, worry creasing her features as she eyed the dying fire and his bed. His armour stood as a silent sentinel over the cave; his pack full of explosives still remained as well. Flitter racked her memory, and sucked in a breath. Rifle and exo. He’s gone out, but where? Shaking her head slowly, Flitter ran a hoof over her cheek and sighed. I hope he’s okay… Her eyes flicked up to the cave entrance, where Field Note’s shadow could be seen through the tarp. Was it a bad idea to bring him here? I think it was… Dang it all… Sighing softly, Flitter trotted back out of the cave and into the fresh powder. Field Note was standing at the door, taking notes on the tarp. “Jack’s not here.”

Seemingly shaken out of his trance-like state by her words; the stallion blinked owlishly at Flitter. “What?” The express look of colt-ish wonder remained on his features as he stared at her, curbing her initial, aggressive response.

“I said-”

PAAK-PAAK-PAAK

The echoing reports of Jack’s rifle echoed through the snow covered forest; Flitter froze in place, a look of horror and deep concern flicked across her normally soft features. Her ears pivoted towards the direction the shots had come from; Field Note flinched and looked around frantically. “Wh-what was that?” The wiry stallion had all but taken cover behind Flitter.

“That was trouble… Come on, try to keep up.” Without further warning, Flitter set off through the forest at a fast canter; her mind raced with every terrible situation that could have arisen. All the trouble that Jack could get into could bring down a lot of attention to the forest, and that was the last thing either of them needed.

“W-wait! Miss Flitter! Please!” Field Note panted behind her as he was forced to keep pace. “W-we… there’s…” He huffed and panted as Flitter stared back at him. “There’s a tribe of nomadic humans, a-and we can’t interfere with their way of life. They are the most amazing group of-” The scientist found himself silenced by a hoof being crammed into his muzzle.

“Be quiet-” She hissed at him sharply, before pulling her hoof away; without a second thought, she went prone on the snow and crawled forward. “I see a fire…” A tingling sensation passed over Flitters body; she watched with a mix of horror and incredible curiosity as her body turned transparent. Field Note laid down in the snow next to her and shot her a nervous smile. “Stealth is of the essence Miss Flitter…” Without a further word, the pair edged forward towards the outskirt of the tiny clearing. A flurry of chirping and hooting could be heard, and within seconds they both saw why.

A great bonfire blazed before the small tribe; hunks of manticore meat dripped over it as they cooked. The tribe danced in celebration, and their deliverer of fire stood there awkwardly; his mouth curled upwards into a grin. A quiet chuckle built up inside him as he looked over his handiwork. I can work with this. Maybe I'll build them a shelter, or help hunt... I can make this work. Jack slung his rifle over his shoulder and rested his hands on his hips. Catching the gaze of the woman with the matted black dreadlocks, he thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on her dirty features.

"miss flitter, look." Field note gestured towards the scene unfolding before them as he whispered. "akasha has taken a liking to your jack."

With her features scrunching imperceptibly, Flitter stared hard at the human woman. "why?" An uncomfortable stirring in her chest forced a grimace upon her features as the cold of the fresh snow crept through her fur.

"she's the eldest female, and thus the most eligible mate for the alpha. i see algeron lurking, looks as if your jack did a number on him…” The researcher moved a bit, and began rapidly jotting down notes.

With her cheeks flushing hotly, Flitter turned her eyes away from the scene to glare at Field. “he’s- he’s not mine, okay?” When the stallion didn’t respond; his eyes locked onto the humans, Flitter jabbed him in the kidney with the edge of her hoof. Gasping sharply and dropping his quill; Field looked at Flitter with a confused and hurt expression. Before either could speak, all sound fled from the clearing,; only to be replaced by the zip-hiss of a laser rifle being charged to maximum. The pair slowly turned in tandem; finding themselves now staring up at Jack and his shouldered rifle. He stared hard down at them, or rather, above them. Edging forward cautiously, his eyes covered the trees and the ground. He slowly let out a quiet hum of displeasure, and took another step forward.

“jack!” Flitter whispered out, and watched as he twitched; his rifle barrel sagging as his eyes darted about again. “we need to talk.” She grimaced as his features turned downwards towards them. He did not look pleased. After a long few seconds he nodded once, and turned back to the tribe.

As Flitter and Field Note extracted themselves from the clearing, Jack slowly edged his way from the tribe, using slow and obvious hand signals for them all to stay put, and to not follow. He groaned in frustration as several followed him at a distance. Deciding to give up, Jack turned his back on the trailing humans and treaded towards his cave with his heart filled with worry. As he neared his cave; his ears pricked to the sound of heated arguing.

“You had no right to interrupt my study! I have never seen such actions in humans before, this is an undocumented phenomenon, and you ruined what could have been my only chance to document it!” The new pony trotted in place as his horn sparked with unbridled anger. “I just- Why!?”

Flicking her eyes up over Fields head, Flitter smiled softly. “Hey Jack.”

Freezing in place, Field Note felt a shiver run down his spine. He hadn't heard the human coming. He didn't dare turn around; the thought of finding Jack right behind him filled him with disturbing unease. A nearly silent tapping made Field’s ear flick; the sound nearly making him turn to see what it was.

“So who the fuck is this guy anyways?”

The voice sounding behind Field was emotionless, lacking inflection and life. His curiosity finally getting the better of him; Field turned slowly and found himself staring down the barrel of the little black shape that had spoken thunder and violently ended the manticores life. The human behind it held an interesting expression; one of idle curiosity, mixed with foul displeasure and a hint of amusement. Finding his voice trapped thoroughly inside his throat, Field Note could only muster a coltish squeak of terror; his eyes crossed as they remained locked onto the unwavering barrel. To his great relief, Flitter filled in for his lost voice.

“Jack, this is Head Researcher Field Note. He researches humans. He um… wanted to speak to you, and I wasn’t sure how-” Flitter paused as Jack held up a hand and lowered the weapon. His fingers danced across a black square; Field Note’s eyes bulged as Jack’s voice sounded out from it.

“Right. A scientist. Great. So, lemme guess; you wanna have an interview with little old me.” Jack stuck his pistol into his pants pocket and planted his hands on his hips as he stared down at Field.

The stallion swallowed thickly as he remained transfixed by Jack’s sharp green eyes. “Y-yes… please. This is… You may possibly be the first of your kind to exhibit such intelligence, I… This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

To Field’s never ending surprise and shock, Jack smiled toothily at him, and held up two fingers. “I got two conditions. One, Do not publish this shit if I’m still trying to hide out here. If you publish it and it bites me, I will find you, and I will do terrible things to your body. Two, Don’t make me look like an asshole. Three, if this blows up I want royalties. Do you understand?”

Nodding as quickly as his neck would allow, Field couldn’t help but grin happily for a few seconds before composing himself. “Yes, Jack. I find those conditions acceptable.” Flitter arched her brows at Jack and shook her head in disbelief.

Before Flitter could say anything edgewise, Jack circled around Field Note, and wrapped his arms around Flitters barrel; hefting her up as one would a squirming puppy. Holding the now squirming mare to his chest, Jack grinned wolfishly at Field and motioned toward the rockwall. Flitter began to protest and squirm frantically. “Jack! P-put me down!” Her lamentations went unheeded as the trio entered Jack’s home.

Upon entering the cave, Jack treaded over to the dying fire at set Flitter down on the large barkless log. Giving the pouting mare a winning smile and a tousle of the mane; Jack turned, and eyed Field Note. "Well, welcome to Casa del Jack. Take a seat and don't touch that."

With his hoof frozen in place over the solar charger array, Field had the common sense to look sheepish and listen. Taking a seat near Flitter, his eyes roamed across the cave and its trove of technological wonders. "I... I have so many questions..." The stallion rubbed his cheek as he practically vibrated with excitement. "Who.. Who are you, and where are you from?" His quill floated just above his parchment, almost as eager as he was.

Jack stared at the floating quill; swaddled with Field Note's magic. His eyes narrowed as they drifted up to the stallions horn; his fingers continued tapping away at the PDA screen despite his split attentions. "My name is Jack Kessle. I am from Planet Earth, or Terra, if you will. Specifically, I'd say Saskatchewan, cause that's where I was raised."

Jack watched as the gears within Field's head churned away, before finally clicking. "You're... You're a... An alien?" The stallions features contorted in a myriad of emotions; each betraying Field Note’s terrible poker face.

As Jack groaned, Flitter jumped to her hooves and gestured wildly at Jack. "See! I'm told you being from another planet made you an alien!" She grinned at Field as she point at Jack. "He even has a raygun!"

Before Field Note could comment, Jack leapt up and scooped Flitter right up off her hooves; the mare let out a surprised squeak as she was pulled into his lap, and placed in a headlock. Field Note's brows shot up into his fringe as Jack started rapidly running his knuckles over her scalp. Flitter squirmed and mewled in pained protest; her ears flattening and her legs kicking out wildly as she was tortured.

The torture did not last long. Within moments Flitter had caved; between cries for mercy and mewls of pain Flitter managed a weak cry of 'it’s not a raygun'. Seemingly pleased with his work, Jack removed his knuckles from her abused scalp and rested his chin on top of her head as he grinned.

Coughing into his hoof, Field flipped to his next page of parchment. "So, if you truly are from another planet, how did you get here, to Equestrian?"

Rolling his eyes slowly, Jack flexed his fingers and started rapidly tapping his PDA. Flitter pouted and whined as she remained against his chest; her ears flattened flush against her sore head. "Operation Ironguard. That's why I'm here. Course, this wasn't my planned destination, and I wasn't supposed to arrive alive. I don't know how I got here; one moment I'm trading blows with Slug heavy infantry, the next I'm ass over tea kettle in the greenest place I've seen since I became legal to drink."

Leaning forward with bated breath, Field Note documented every last word. "Operation Ironguard? Can you tell me about it? What was its purpose?"

"No."

The batstallion blinked, his slitted eyes filled with surprise and a hint of disappointment. "oh... Alright, uhh..." His eyes flicked down to Flitter, who had seemingly relaxed into Jack's broad chest. "How did you two meet?"

When Jack coughed into his balled up fist, Flitter sat up in his lap and smiled. "He saved my life from a pack of infected. That was the first time we met, and he ran away screaming." Flitter's smile only grew when Jack's features jerked in an attempt to keep his cool expression. "The second time we met was a little more rocky." She turned in his arms and glared up at him.

"I said I was sorry."

The small, muscly mare only grew more animated as she jabbed him in the kidney; Jack wheezed quietly and batted at her hooves with his free hand. Watching the pair bat at each other brought a soft smile to Field's lips as he spoke. "So what happened the second time?"

Flitter batted Jack upside his head with one of her wings. "This jerk knocked me out!"

"It was an accident, you spooked me."

"Spooked you, my left cutie mark!"

Shuffling his papers quietly as Jack and Flitter bickered back and forth, Field made sure to take in everything within the cave. The most pertinent piece being Jack's armour. The scarred and pitted surface left little belief that Jack had lived a peaceful life before coming to Equestria. The armour itself was massively intimidating; making the gold plate barding of the Royal Guards look like a foals cardboard suit in comparison. But of course his armour is like a castle unto itself, his smallest weapon can fell a manticore... What of his people's largest weapon? Field suppressed a shudder as the implications flooded his mind; the next question falling onto his tongue on instinct as his mind reeled. "Tell me about your home,this... Terra, as you called it."

Jack seemed to sit up, his focus recentered onto the baticorn. "Home? Well... It's a hard topic for me to properly explain... It's big. Very big. Billions of people all over, living in concrete jungles and orbital hab-blocks. You hardly find open, green places anymore. There's always the national parks, but you're never alone, and the light pollution reaches no matter how far in you go." Jack paused for a moment as his PDA read out his message. Both ponies seemed to focus on him with wondrous imaginings as to what such a place looked like. Flitter knows, but... I've only ever shown her the ruins... Maybe some day I'll get to go back. I'd love to show her home. His next thought hit him like a ton of bricks. If home is still there... He shook himself free of the thought for the time being and carried on once the message had finished. "Now, home for me will always be my parents place. No matter how much trouble I bring with me, they've always got room for me. We, I, lived on a massive dextri-wheat farm about fifty clicks from the nearest town. We had over one hundred acres of this shit, and my Momma knew how to sell it." He paused again, waiting for the message to play. Both the ponies smiled at him, but Flitter's was laced with a knowing pain. Giving her a soft scratch between the ears, Jack finished the last of his bit. "Before you ask, dextri-wheat is a biologically engineered super crop. Packed full of proteins and stuffed to the gills with steroids; one acre of this stuff was worth ten in normal wheat, and a slew of other shit. Kept the world eating at least, you can grow it anywhere; it'll survive floods, drought, disease, you name it."

Jotting rapidly, Field nodded his approval. "Engineered super crops. I think you may put the earth ponies out of business Mr. Kessle. Now, what about your family? I imagine you had a small family; successful breeders here can have up to three children in their lifetimes."

The stallion instantly regretted his choice of words as Jack's features twisted in fury; his green eyes shining with the threat of vicious violence. "Yeah. I'd almost put it out of my head that the humans here are slaves. Fuck toys for horses. Nutted on stumps. Fucking disgusting." Both ponies cringed away as the emotionless voice failed utterly in conveying Jack's rage. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, his fury had all but disappeared beneath a mask of calm. "I've got twelve people in my immediate family. Eight siblings, my folks, and my uncles. I'm the third oldest, with my brother Jacob being the oldest, and my sister Julia being the eldest daughter. Under me's the twins, Carl and Carla, then Mary, Joey, George, and Sofia. My parents run the roost; they made damn sure we all grew up with strong morals and integrity." Jack sat back and sighed softly as he ran his fingers through Flitter's fur in a cathartic stroking motion. "You know, me and Jacob may have always scrapped, but I love that burly bastard. He's the reason I joined the marines. I had to outdo him somehow." Jack smiled to himself as he typed. "Julia was always the level headed one. She was studying to be a doctor you know. Cybernetic Surgeries. I'm damn proud of her, and I hope she got more out of life than I did. Then there's the twins. Fucking drag racers. If I'd known before hand I wouldn't have lent Carl my damn keys. I miss my old Duster Demon; it mighta been a kit car but I built the damn thing. Fucking Carl and Carla, the bastards; rolled it across the fucking east field. Joey, George, and Sofia are all still in school. Or, were, I suppose. Sofia was getting prosthetic ear canals soon if i remember correctly. She was born deaf as a door nail. Then there's my folks. Guy and Sandy Kessle, bane of the farmers market and Principal McMalley. They dug us out of more trouble than I can remember. Dad was like an old west sheriff, but Momma was the mayor. I could go on and on about all of them, haven't even touched on my uncles, but I'm sure you got more questions burning holes in your horny noggin."

Turning in his lap, Flitter nuzzled into his hand. "I'll find you a way home Jack... I promise."

He smiled weakly in return, and patted her side softly. "Like my folks taught me, you make do with what you have. I'll figure it out, and maybe I'll show you around. Maybe take you for a spin in my speeding ticket dispenser."

A perfectly happy smile spread across her features as she returned to her comfy position on his lap. "It's a deal Jack."

Dipping his quill into a summoned pot of ink; Field smiled softly. "It sounds like you have a very lovely family Mr. Kessle. I hope you get to see them again. How old are you?”

Jack glanced at his PDA and did some mental math before typing his response. “I’m turning thirty three in November.” Without warning both ponies lurched forward with wide eyes and yelled in tandem.

“What!?”

Flitter ran both of her hooves through her ruffled mane. “No! Come one!” The mare looked completely distressed, which only served to confused Jack even further.

Having a much more measured response, Field Note set down his pad of paper and stared up at Jack. “I’m sorry, but… that’s not possible.

“Why the fuck not.” Jack snorted and glared at the pair of them.

“Jack…” Flitter started, but found herself unable to continue on. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

Picking up where Flitter had left off, Field Note let out a quiet sigh. “The average Equis human lives up to seventeen. Beyond that they are frail, and die swiftly. You look no older than fourteen.”

To the surprise of both ponies, Jack burst out laughing; his rough belly laugh causing the pair before him to pause in worry. “You try an tell that to my Granpa, he died well into his nineties after fighting in three wars. Your ‘Equis’ humans are obviously a weaker subspecies. Terran Humans can now live up to one hundred and fifty if they’ve got the coin.” He grunted softly as Flitter latched around his stomach with her form of a bear hug.

Watching the pair, Field couldn’t help but smile a bit to himself. “Apparently. I'm going to start going into some more professional questions, if that's alright with you?" When Jack nodded his consent, Field flipped to his next page. "Excellent. Now, can you communicate with the human populace?"

A hot snort sounded out from Jack as he rolled his eyes. "If you count rude gestures and basic hand signals. I can't talk normally, and from the sounds of things neither can they. I can put across the most basic concepts, like 'gather sticks', but shit like 'stop gathering sticks' seems a bit beyond them currently."

Shifting with excitement in his seat; Field stared at Jack with a grin. "But that is something, and who knows what they could be capable of with enough time." Settling himself back down, the stallion scribbled away incessantly. "Earlier, I witnessed you two kill a fully grown Manticore. It trapped your leg within its mouth if I remember correctly, and yet I do not see you limping even in the slightest when you should be missing a leg. You also crushed its muzzle with your foot. Simply asked; how?"

To his surprise, both Jack and Flitter smiled at him. Without saying a word, Flitter hopped off Jack's lap and took a seat next to Field. Turning to him, she smirked lightly. "You might want to pay attention professor." Before Field could question why, Jack stood from his spot and pulled off his thick olive drab sweater and rolled up his pant legs. Field nearly dropped his quill in shock. The hydraulics within Jack's prosthetic hissed nearly silently as he rolled his ankle; a quiet whirr could be heard when he squatted. His armoured shin guards and knee caps looked scuffed and abused, but the faded remnants of a woodland camouflage pattern remained steadfast upon them. His foot was a built in, segmented combat boot made of high impact ceramic armour, surgical steel, and vulcanized rubber. His legs moved almost as if they were still flesh and blood, but not quite. Field's eyes moved up to the exo-skeleton Jack wore, the complex jacket-esque rig sat upon his shoulders and spread down his arms, chest and spine. At each joint, there sat a particularly ugly set of scars that lay in perfectly symmetry. The exo connected to his body through nine plugs, two in each arm, two into his spine, one into each of his thighs, and one into the base of his skull. At the end of each arm squatted a complex series of metal plates, and intricate pneumatic and hydraulic systems ran over every surface of the exo.

A giant metal spider has made this man its host. How disturbing. Field Note shook his head before looking up at Jack. "Can you show me what it does?"

All too happy to oblige, Jack squatted down and plucked a round stone from the fire pit. He tossed it up in the air, and as it arced, he engaged the strike plates over his hands. The complex web of plating that had squatted over each of his arms sprang to life, swiftly coating his hands in impact absorbing armour. Catching the falling rock in one hand, Jack slammed his free hand down into his palm like a hammer, and the stone shattered in a cloud of dust and pebbles. Grinning like a smug prick, Jack wiped his palms off on his rolled up pants and disengaged his strike plates. Even Flitter seemed shocked by the display of sheer power. Coming slowly out of his moment of paralysis, Field could only shake his head.

"What... What is... What are you?"

Averting his eyes; a slight frown crossed Jack's features for a moment. "Augmented. First class. My people were in a bad way, and they needed an edge. That edge was this." He gestured to his exo-skeleton. "Codenamed project Longbow, it was meant to give us the razors edge over the Slugs. It was deemed a failure before the war, with a massive price tag and an unacceptable failure and mortality rate. Forty and twenty respectively. Out of the original thousand, that's six hundred people dead or so fucked up they may as well be. I'm one of the four hundred who survived the surgeries, and passed training."

Not being able to refrain from shaking his head in disgust and shock; Field stared at Jack. "Why was it so dangerous?"

Well, first off they cut open the back of your skull and implant the master control plug directly into your brain. If you survive that, they tap the next one into your spine and nervous system. After they finish the plugs, they go to each and every single fucking joint in your body; they peel back the skin and the muscle until they get to your tendons. Then they coat your tendons with regenerative bio-steel nanoweave. Basically the stresses of having superhuman strength with literally tear a normal human body limb from limb; the bio-weave eats your natural tendons within a week, and craps out biosteel in their place. The same shit we replaced kevlar with, just a little genetic tweak. They do the same thing to your spine, but it takes months. That's how a lot of people got killed or failed, they'd snap their spines in half trying to turn a corner. Whole bio-weave thing hurts like you'd never believe. Like someone cut open your back and dumped battery acid over your spine."

Feeling his lunch threatening his stomach, Field nodded shakily and diligently wrote everything down. "N-now, w-what is this..." He gestured at Jack's exo. "Spider, made out of?"

Jack pulled his pant legs back down and relaxed once again. "Titanium and surgical steel. They're rejected the least by the human body. And its called an exo-skeleton. I can throw a punch at around thirty five kilometers per hour, with roughly three thousand pounds of force behind it. That’s why I’ve got the strike plates, I’d pulverize my hands without them. Without lower legs I can run at speeds of fifty four kilometers an hour for two hours straight, thirty kph indefinitely, or until I get hungry or need to take a leak." He jerked an armoured thumb over his shoulder at his armour. "Armour is the same, titanium underlay and structure, with hard ceramic armour plates over top. Under that's the impact foam, environmental controls, trauma suite, micro reactor, electronic countermeasures, communications, micro-rocket racks, heat sinks, and terror protocol initiators. One of the newer models had jump jets, but I wasn’t swanky enough to get my grubby mitts on one. Fucking Assault Classes get shoulder mounted spent matter casters; what do I get? Chaff flares. Fuckers."

Field Note blinked hard, and leaned in close to prod his exo. "You... You said that... You have Titanium inside your body, and composing most of your armour?" The stallion jittered in place as if his nerves were on fire. "You... You have the rarest element of metal in all of Equestria, inside you. Celestia... The royal treasury has four kilos of this metal... it exhibits immersive antimagic capabilities, all magic is inhibited by it, completely!" To make his point, Field sparked his horn and tried to grab Jack's arm, only to have his spell fail completely and utterly. Next he tried to launch a fireball at Jack, whose eyes widened in shock and brief terror, before the broiling ball of flame snuffed itself out on the exo's chestplate without so much as singing him. Jack's enthused cackling did little to calm Field's nerves. "You are wearing the equal to a whole third of Equestrians treasury, and-and-and-!" The stallion looked as if he was about to have a conniption fit. “And it’s been purposed for killing!”

Jack glanced over to Flitter; his eyes silently asking 'is that a lot?' To which she nodded, and mouthed 'yep'. This only seemed to make Jack smile like an idiot and kick his prosthetic feet up on the warm stones of the fire pit. "I ain't never been a national treasure before."

The stallion stared at Jack, then up at his armour. "I wish that I had my camera with me, nopony will ever believe me. Would you... Mind if I took a closer look?" Field's smile spread broadly as Jack nodded and waved him onwards.

Flitter glanced up from her reclaimed spot on Jack's warm lap; the smell of wood smoke and his musk nearly lulling her to sleep right then and there. Naturally, Jack prodded her gently, grabbing her attention. When she turned her head toward him, he gestured towards her little strongbox that sat undisturbed at the foot of his bed. As she realized his intent, Flitter flattened her ears against her head and pushed her muzzle into his stomach. "they aren't that good..."

She continued to mumble and groan as he tried to prod her into action. For a moment, he ceased; his PDA soon hovered before her face with his unsent message on it. 'I think they are. It won't hurt to try Sparky.'

Feeling a stirring of courage deep in her chest, Flitter slipped from Jack's lap and made her way to the strongbox. Opening it; she chose her best pieces of Jack, before closing it once again. She glanced over at Jack, who gave her a sturdy thumbs up; her eyes returned to Field Note. He was preoccupied with taking as many notes as he could, in an attempt to make up for the lack of imagery. Sighing quietly in defeat, Flitter trotted over to Field and thrust the sheaf of papers before him.

"Wha-?" The stallion jerked in surprise at the sudden intrusion; his mouth opened again to question why Flitter had all but shoved the papers into his face, but his words fell ultimately short when he saw the contents of the pages. "M-my word Miss Flitter, these.. These are exemplary!" Field smiled as he leafed through them; his slitted eyes flicking about to confirm the details. With a bit of awe leaking into his voice, Field turned to the now thoroughly flushed and apparently embarrassed Flitter. "Did you draw these Miss Flitter?"

"Y-yeah... And um... Just Flitter is fine..." She brushed a length of her mane from her eyes; internally lamenting how often it got into her eyes when she wasn’t wearing her bow. “Jack wanted you to-” She flinched as a small rock smacked against her flanks. “I… I wanted you to have these ones, since you don’t have a camera here.”

As the two ponies stared at each other; blushes growing across both of their cheeks, Jack stood from his spot and wandered over to his bed. Digging around underneath it, he pulled out a large bottle of cheap tequila. Pulling the cork from it, he turned the bottle bottom up and took a long swig from it. His coughs interrupted whatever conversation would have continued; both ponies were now watching him as he continued to drink from the bottle. Flitter took a step forward and opened her mouth to speak, only to have Jack hold up his index finger; indicating she should wait as the line in the bottle steadily went down. When he finally stopped drinking, he let out a muted belch. Within a moment the remainders of the bottle had been poured over the dying fire, sending it into a flaming frenzy. With his cheeks flushed to a rosey red, Jack grinned merrily and tossed his skillet into the roaring fire. Food swiftly followed as Flitter and Field sat back down.

Coughing into his hoof to get Jack’s attention, Field regarded his notes. “Now, judging from what you’ve told me, is it safe for me to assume that you are a soldier by trade?”

Jack nodded, and dumped three logs onto the crackling flames. “Yeah. Explosive Ordnance Disposal originally. Course Hades thought it’d be hilarious to mark me as a Demolitions Expert. They weren’t exactly wrong, mind. Taking apart bombs is a hell of a lot harder than making them or using them.”

With his quill scribbling madly, Field nodded and found a more comfortable position before the flames. “Explosive Ordnance Disposal… What kind of education did you have, if any? Do you speak any other languages than Equish?”

“psh.” Jack blew air through his teeth as he tossed the potato slices around in the pan. “If any. I’ve got my Associate of Science in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, a Bachelor's in Chemistry, an Associate of Mechanical Engineering degree, and my Advanced EOD badge. So fuck you and fuck your ‘if any. For languages I can hold a conversation in Russian with a native speaker, speak fluently in Sign, and offend the senses with my basic German. What, did you think I was another dumb grunt? They don’t just hand out exo-skeletons and shiny new legs to random hobos on the street. Even if they are devilishly good looking.”

With his surprise written blatantly upon his face. “I… I apologize. I did not mean to offend you. Now… why so many? Why not focus on one?”

“Masters require time and physical presence. I could get away with my associates while on deployment on the computer, and hell, it was free, so why the fuck not? Not that any of it helped.” Jack grumbled indiscernibly and shook his head while looking disgruntled over something.

Nodding with the barest of understanding; Field sniffed at the cooking food. To his surprise, it didn’t smell terrible; discounting Jack’s overbearing smell of burnt ozone, sweat and alcohol that tainted everything inside the cave. How Flitter could stand to be so close to Jack, Field would never know. He prepared his final question with trepidation. “As a soldier, have you ever killed another human being?” Without surprise, Flitter shot Field a harsh look of disapproval. Jack sucked in a breath, before slowly letting it out through his nose. He simply nodded his head, before pulling the skillet off the fire. Swallowing hard, Field followed up. “How many? If I may ask, of course…”

“Too many.”

______________________________________________________________________

Minutes passed as the trio ate in comparative silence. Field Note found himself satisfied with his round of questions; for now of course. Jack seemed lost in whatever was on his PDA screen; the food in his skillet being shoveled in automatically with practiced ease. Flitter sat in the middle with nothing to do but glance between the two and chew her potatoes quietly.

After what felt like ages, Field Note stood and stretched. He smiled broadly to the pair and bowed. “Thank you so very much for having me, and answering almost all of my questions. I hope we can spend more time together in the future; I’m sure there’s much we both can learn from each other Mr. Kessle.” His attention turned to Flitter, who looked up with a mouth full of food. “I enjoyed your company as well Flitter, and thank you again for the beautiful artwork. He stepped forward, and planted a kiss on her lifted hoof. “Until we meet again.”

As the stallion trotted out of the cave, Flitter turned to Jack with her mouth full of food agape. “Wha wah dat!?” Her cheeks flushed hotly and her eyes begged Jack for an answer, when all they received was an enthused cackle. Swallowing her mouthful of food, Flitter Jabbed him in the gut. “Stop laughing! It’s not funny!” Her muzzle split into a reactive smile. “S-shut up!”

Swallowing his own food mid laugh,Jack shook his head and chuckled. “Looks like your new boyfriend caught you off guard Sparky.” His laughter went up even higher as Flitter blushed hard enough to make her eartips turn red with embarrassment.

“Shut up! H-he’s not my coltfriend, I haven’t even dealt with Goldie!”

The laughter suddenly stopped, and Jack shot her a infuriated look that folded her ears against her head all by itself. “What the fuck Flitter. Seriously, I will kick your ass if you don’t get in gear over that. Then I’ll kick his ass so hard he’ll puke out my boot heel.”

“I-is it bad that I want to see that?” Flitters wings fluttered anxiously as she squirmed under Jack’s angered gaze.

“No, but the point stands. Dump his ass.”

“I will! I promise, by the end of the week, I’ll be single.” Flitter smiled at Jack, and earned a smile back from him. Settling back down on his lap, Flitter sighed and fluffed her wings. “Is it okay if I stay here tonight again? I really don’t want to go home…”

“Like you didn’t go to work?” Jack stared down at her with a single lifted eyebrow. Despite herself, Flitter couldn’t help but feel like she was being chastened by her father.

“W-well… Field offered me three hundred bits to let him talk to you, and… well I wanted to be here, I didn’t want to miss you talk…” She smiled softly up at him, and watched as the hard look melted like butter.

Throwing one of his hands up marking his acceptance of his defeat; Jack settled the hand between her ears and started stroking her mane. “Is three hundred a lot here?”

“It’s more than three days salary. It’s like… five times eight is… forty… three hundred divided by forty is…”

“Seven point five.”

Flitter jerked and scowled at him. “I almost had it you jerk! But, well… yeah. Seven and a half day’s pay. Wow…” She shook her head. “A week’s pay to eat potatoes and hang out with my favourite human.” A huge grin spread across her muzzle. “So, can I stay?”

To her surprise, Jack seemed stumped. Worry began to worm its way into her mind as he tapped at his PDA. “Well, I’ve got plans for some ‘work’ in town, and it’s late enough that I could get away with it. I wanted to save it for tomorrow morning, but…”

Edging forward in her seat, Flitter stared at Jack with bated breath. “But?” I wonder what he’s got planned? He can’t be going for food…

“But I guess you can hang out here while I do my errand.” He smirked at her as he stood; his legs remaining steadfast despite the tequila he’d quaffed earlier. Crossing over to his bags, Jack started pulling on his olive drab sweater, and his balaclava. A roll of detcord went into his pockets, and was followed by a set of NVG’s going over his head. Flitter sat up, and quirked a brow at him.

“You’re not going now, are you?” She tapped her hooves together, before stuffing them into the pouch of her hoodie. At his nod, she sighed quietly and clambered onto his bed; his heavy helmet finding its way into her hooves. “Well, I’ll see you when you get back…” A happy hum sounded from her as Jack reached over and rubbed one of her ears.

“I’ll be back before you know it. Hold down the fort for me.” Jack tossed his PDA to her, and gestured towards the connecting cable. A slight grin was the last Flitter saw of him before he turned on his heels and started for the door.

Waving as he treaded out of the cave, Flitter turned to the helmet and smiled. “Now, what do you have for me today Mr. Helmet? Something scary? Something crazy?” She pulled the helmet over her head and took a deep breath.

Let’s do this.

__________________________________________________________________

Stalking through the powder filled forest; Jack's earlier smile had all but fled his being. The tequila had failed its job miserably in replacing the medications he so desperately needed. Wisps played across the ghostly green gaze of his night vision goggles, bringing with the the faintest whispers of wind through the barren trees. Alone with his thoughts, Jack found his attentions wandering. Did I do the right thing today? What am I gonna do if Field Note screws me?

I'll kill him.

No questions asked. I'll kill him, and I'll vanish. Whatever passes for authority here will never find me. Even with that voodoo magic, they can't even touch me.

What about Flitter?

His features twisted as he snarled at himself for even bringing up the question. I'll bring her with me if she's willing.

And if she's not?

The question hung in his mind; its implications churning his stomach roughly. After a few minutes more of walking in mental silence, Jack finally spotted the small village. Only the occasional candle burned in a window, signalling that the town and its inhabitants were bedding down or fast asleep. With a little luck, his errand would go unnoticed. May as well give it a couple more minutes, finish up that thing I had planned. Jack picked a spot with the edge of the tree line, and set about his time consuming task.

_____________________________

As his fingers picked away at the complex weave; he watched as a lone guard patrolled the dark, empty streets. The lone guardspony kept a basic patrol pattern; one so simple Jack knew that he could make it in and out of the target location without ever being spotted by the guard. Once his little craft project was finished, he pushed it gently into his back pocket and set off for the outskirts of the village.

Stealing through the shadows; Jack hugged the walls and stuck to the dark like glue. Not a soul moved through the streets, save for him and the guard. A confident smile graced his features as the target building came into sight. The gingerbread look of the building lost its luster in the dark; appearing more like a normal now that its colours had been muted. After checking to see if the coast was clear, Jack crept across the open square and around the back of the building. As he’d noted the last time he’d been in town, there was a small back door tucked away behind a small dumpster. Pulling out his roll of detcord, Jack began wrapping the door knob and the lock. Swiftly finishing the mundane work, he placed his hand on the lever knob and pushed himself up; only to find that the door was unlocked when it swung wide and deposited his ass onto the hardwood floor.

Gawking in surprise for a short second; Jack pushed himself up and pricked his ears for any sounds of movement or alert. The supposed bakery was two stories high, usually meaning that whoever operated the place probably lived upstairs. He would have to be incredibly cautious to avoid waking anyone living within the place, if there were any. Sweeping his NVG’s about as he removed the coil of detcord from the knob and closed the door behind him; he surveyed the kitchen and his surroundings. Thankfully he found what he was looking for within moments.

The pristine, blank white cake sat amongst myriad other delicacies within the glass display up front; the cake sat there, just begging to be borrowed. Bringing the cake into the back, he began his search for the finishing touches. Finding a bag of icing practically laying in wait for him, Jack couldn’t help but feel his confidence leak back into his mind as he drew as best as he could onto the cake. After several harrowing minutes and some icing spatter, he finally finished the artistic disaster. He grinned happily as he looked over his handiwork. Without skipping a beat, he began searching for the final touch. Despite his earlier good fortune, he couldn’t find a single birthday candle. Letting out a breath of defeat, he wrote a hasty I.O.U. and set it on the counter before sliding the cake into a small cardboard box.

As he turned on his heels towards the back door, the sound of hoofsteps descending the stairs echoed down through the dark bakery. Shit.shitshit. SHIT. Jack looked around frantically for a place to hide, before looking up at the vaulted rafters over his head. With a leap, he grasped the rafters and hauled himself up into the pitch black darkness; his augmented limbs spread-eagle to support his weight. Fuck you Sam Fisher, this shit is hard! ach… my nuts hurt like hell… should have stretched!

Without making a noise, he clamped his mouth shut and watched as a pony trotted into the bakery and yawned tiredly. “Hello? New pony? Are you still here?” The mare sounded young, at least from the timber of her high pitched voice. She spoke in a loud whisper as she looked all over the bakery. She trotted directly underneath Jack, her poofy tail twitching and thrashing away like mad. When her gaze fell upon the cake, and the subsequent IOU, Jack broke into a cold sweat. The mare trotted forward, and scrunched her muzzle up as she read out loud. “I owe you one birthday cake. Jack. Huh.” She looked over at the cardboard box, and cocked her head. To Jack’s intense surprise, a little light literally dinged over her head; blinding him to whatever she was doing as his NVG’s were filled with blinding light. Stifling a cry of agony, he averted his gaze upwards and prayed silently that she would leave soon.

Soon enough, his prayers were answered, and the strange mare trotted back to the stairs. She stopped at the first step, and turned back towards the kitchen.

Soon enough, his prayers were answered, and the weird pink pony trotted back to the stairs. She stopped at the first step, and gazed back towards the kitchen. A comically large smile spread across her features as she stared directly at him. "Goodnight Mister Jack. Tell Flitter I said happy birthday!"

After a minute of waiting, to ensure that she was actually gone; Jack dropped from the rafters, grabbed his box, and bolted out through the back door. His legs carried him beyond the sleepy village, and into the safety of the snow covered forest.

Eventually he slowed long enough to look down at the cardboard box. His brows shot up into his fringe when he saw a box of birthday candles, and what appeared to be a note taped to the top. Peeling the note off, he unfolded the pink paper and squinted through his NVG's. Mister Jack, You Owe Me, one welcome to Ponyville party attendance. What. Just... What.

Shaking his head at the incredulity of the situation, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly. Weird ponies. I bet she kills people and makes food out of them. Or maybe she's got bipolar disorder. That was just too weird to be normal shit right there. Note to self, never return to bakery. He nodded in agreeance with himself as he approached the hidden entrance to his cave. Ducking inside, he was greeted by the warm, crackling fire and by Flitter splayed out on the bed; his comically overlarge helmet making her look like a bobblehead figure. Walking over to what passed as a table, he set down the cake, and set about sticking the candles in. How old was she turning? Did she even say? Fuck it, just stick them all in there. Wait, wait, how am I gonna light these things?

His gaze fell upon the fire, and a satisfied smirk broke out across his face. Genius.

___________________________________

"I'm going to stick my photonic atom gyrator in your flux resonance chamber!"

"No Doctor Mad, not my flux resonance chamber!"

Flitter groaned inside the helmet from the sheer camp of the shoddy film. Compared to some of the videos Jack had shown her of his own exploits, the camera used for this science fiction 3000 movie was grainy and washed out. While the movie had its moments, Flitter felt bored with it already. Using Jack's stylus, she opened the video folder inside his PDA; the screen projecting over the viewscreen of the helmet. For a split second after choosing some kind of adventure movie, the screen went blank as the video loaded, and she could see inside the cave. She wasn't exactly expecting to see Jack waving his arm about manically, the cuff of his sweater ablaze.

"Huh."

Pulling off the helmet, she watched as Jack struggled and thrashed inside his burning sweater as he tried to pull it from his body. After a moment he managed to free himself, and stamped out the flames. Flitter started smiling as she watched him, but her eyes were drawn by the glow of candles. "Is that a cake? Is... Is it for me?" She felt her cheeks and ears heat up as her heart thumped. Jack looked up at her from his smoldering sweater and smiled sheepishly. He waved to her, before making a grand gesture at the cake with its massive bundle of forty candles squashed into the center, as if he was saying 'ta da!'. Standing up from the bed, Flitter slowly trotted over, her eyes fixated on the plain vanilla cake. Upon its candle laden surface were the words 'Happy Birthday Sparky'. It looked as if someone had murdered an icing bag over the cake, and the words just happened to show up as a happy coincidence. An artist, Jack was not. Feeling her chest well up with happiness, Flitter turned to Jack and fought to keep down tears. To her surprise, he was holding something small in his hands. Cocking her head in curiousity, Flitter moved close and nosed the small thing. It was a OD green weaved paracord/ detcord tube, with a small amount of give. Without his PDA to speak, Jack simply let his actions do it for him. Softly running a hand through her mane, Jack began tying it carefully up in a military ponytail with his weaved gift. He pulled away, and grinned toothily as he admired his handiwork. Flitter slowly ran her hoof over the gift, feeling the complex weave with no small amount of admiration. “How… how did you make it?”

As he crossed the cave and picked up his PDA, he gestured wildly. “Need I remind you I have four sisters? I could braid your hair like a boss. Plus, that hair scrunchy thing is super useful. I stuffed a bunch of copper wire in the paracord, and there’s a watch battery in the top. If you ever get trapped somewhere, just pull out the detcord, loop the copper wire around the ends of it, and touch the battery. Poof. No more being trapped.”

Smiling happily, Flitter lunged forward and headbutted his stomach as she hugged him tightly. Pretending his grunt of surprise and pain was a sound of return happiness, Flitter nuzzled him softly and sniffed. “y-you know… this is the best gift I’ve… i…”

“I noticed you didn’t have your purple bow anymore, and I wanted you to have something to keep your hair out of your eyes.” He set the PDA down next to the cake, and hugged her head against his chest while scritching her ears. At the sound of her wet sniffing and hiccuping, he kneeled down before her and softly petted the side of her head.

“shh... shhshh…” He pulled the crying mare close and hugged her head tenderly as he stroked her. Come on Jack… just a couple of words, just say ‘It’s going to be okay.’ Simple. Kindergarten shit. You can do this. Opening his mouth to speak, again, all that came out was his wheezing cough that wracked his chest and throat with burning pain.

Shaking her head in his grasp, Flitter pulled back and stared at him with tear filled eyes. “Nonono, Jack, p-please, don’t hurt yourself trying to talk…” She sniffled a bit, and smiled gingerly as he wiped away her tears with his calloused hand. Finding the courage deep inside herself to continue on, Flitter nuzzled his hand and spoke again. “I… Jack, you’re the only friend I’ve had since my Dad died, and… I’m…” She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into his chest.

Simply content to be held and stroked, Flitter said nothing and remained in his arms until his PDA spoke in its monotone, emotionless voice. “Come on Sparky, let’s cut some cake and watch a cheesy movie. I could use a rest night.”

With a content smile spreading across her tear streaked features, Flitter nodded and glanced at the cake in all of its ruined glory. “I-it’s a pretty nice cake… you… you didn’t pay for it, did you?”

“Nope.”

Chapter Thirteen: The Deep Black Sea

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"WHERE IS IT!? WHERE ARE YOU HIDING IT YOU LITTLE WORM?" The creature snapped and snarled in his face; the desire to latch onto its face and rip its eyes out with his teeth filled his heart as he was shaken like a ragdoll. Only, he couldn't. He felt weak, naked. Nothing but a mass of worthless muscle and broken bone. When the creature threw him to the ground, the air rushed from his lungs, and didn't return. This is it. He thought. This is how I die. His eyes rolled up, taking in the dark concrete room with its solitary halogen bulb light and icy cold floors. It was the place of his worst nightmares, the place where the slant eyed demon strangled the life from him; bit by bit, piece by piece. He'd known the demon on earth, seen him die in this room. Four rounds of hollow point 6.8 Remington, bursting the bastard from his chest to in between his beady little eyes. The knowledge brought Jack little recourse in his dreams.

He began to feel disconnected from the nightmarish torture. The guts spilling on the concrete floor like steaming bloody ropes weren't his. He felt rage funnel into his veins; pushing out his weak blood, replacing it with napalm and broiling fury. Before him, his demon looked up at him with diseased yellow red eyes and smiled, one long fanged tooth jutting past his drooling jaw. "Don't worry little bug, you'll play your part soon enough. I have not forgotten about you."

Roaring as the gasoline blood pumped through his veins; he pistoned his balled fist forward; his engaged strike plates striking the demon in the throat. Corrupted tissue and tendon crumpled and split under the impact, and the creature wheeled back with a wheezing wet cry of agony. His body rocketed forward; another tool to use to extract his wrathful vengeance. Pouncing on the demon, he scrambled up its amalgamated human body; his armoured hands ripping great furrows of flesh away as he climbed. The demon howled in anguish, before crumpling to the floor with a dull thud. Standing over the demon; his chest heaving from the exertion; Jack's ears pricked at the sound of an incredibly familiar voice.

"Kill the bastard. Kill ‘em good Jack." A whip thin, tanned man emerged from the shadows, cradling a stubby black carbine. He smiled at Jack before throwing the carbine to him.

Catching the weapon mid-arc, Jack brought it to bear upon the fallen demon. The stubby barrel of the carbine belched flame as the four round burst of 6.8 Remington stitched his demon up its chest to in between its eyes. When the slant eyed demon fell still, Jack let the butt of the carbine hit the ground as he stared at his long dead friend. "Mark... I... Fuck man..." Jack wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, and approached the other man. Grabbing Mark by the shoulders; Jack patted him several times, just to see if he was really there.

With an amused half-smile, Mark squeezed Jack's shoulder and embraced him. "It's been too long Jack. How come you never visit anymore? Now, how 'bout we get out of here, go get some beers. That sound good?" Something heavy slammed into the steel door, causing the center to buckle inwards. "Come on Jackie boy, the bad guys are comin’."

Staring at Mark, Jack shook his head and winced at the heavy beating the door was taking. "How... How is this possible? How are you here? Where is here? I... Shit Mark..." Jack clamped his left hand to his side as he stared at the sucking bullet wound just to the left of Marks sternum. "i killed you mark..." The words left his lips as quiet and feeble things; betraying the wretched emotions within Jack's chest.

"You did Jack. You shot me right in the chest. But it's alright, I forgive you." Mark smiled openly, his one canine slightly longer than the other. He leaned forward as the steel door began to buckle. '"I need you to listen to me Jack. These ponies; you can't trust them. If those royals ever get ahold of you... What happened here will be a pleasant memory. Do not let them get Delta King. Do you understand?"

As the door banged open wide, Jack nodded to Mark. The lithe form of his dead best friend smiled in kind, and backed up into the shadows. A monolithic figure strode through the door, just as Mark vanished from sight. The monolithic figure with its flowing galaxy of hair halted before him, and stared about with deadly intent. She's trying to stop Mark... She's messing with my head.... Get out of my head.

The figure looked down towards him, her features cast in the shadows of the old prisons riot gear. He knew the armour well; had been beaten into the concrete by its owners baton and heavy treaded leather boots. Hatred took seed in his mind; as the towering figure opened her mouth to speak, Jack levelled his weapon and bellowed- "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!" -his carbine let out a long ripping roar that failed to drown out Jack's bellow of fury. The figure screamed in pain and raised a mighty hand to protect her face from the hail of hollow point bullets lodging themselves and flowering within.

The dream fell to pieces when Jack bolted upright in his cot; the revolver that rested under his pillow now clutched in his sweaty palms. He scanned the cave frantically with the pistol barrel; cold sweat coating his body liberally. A pair of scared eyes stared at him from over the cover of the log; his revolver held them for a moment, before he decocked the weapon and let his arm fall to his side.

Creeping out from behind her cover, Flitter watched with worry as Jack dropped the weapon onto his pillow and flopped back down onto the bed with a groan. A small bottle of hard liquor replaced the weapon in his hand; He swirled its contents around, before draining it all in one go.

"Jack? Are you alright?" She drew forward and rested her muzzle on his leg as she stared up at him. He glanced down momentarily before nodding once and grabbing for his last bottle of alcohol. Flitter's frown deepened even further as she pulled away and returned to her place by the fire. "Are you going to be drinking all day?" Her own frown soon matched his as he stared hard down at the bottle, as if it held all the answers at its bottom. Sighing softly, Flitter prodded the fire with a small stick; she began preening herself soon after as she waited for Jack to get up from bed.

When he set the bottle down and hunched over to cradle his head in his hands, Flitter knew something was wrong. Before she could move, he sat up straight and shot her a short, strange look. The fleeting hint of suspicion flicked across his eyes, before vanishing completely. His PDA came up, but his fingers were laggardly in putting his words down. "Morning Sparky. Hope I didn't wake you up."

Her frown deepened as she looked up from her half preened wing. "You did." She said quietly, before adding with trepidation- "you were screaming, and I was afraid to wake you up."

"Sorry." Jack rocked up to his feet and stood tall; stretching out his limbs and yawning as he did. He winced in pain as he tried to work feeling back into his achy, abused limbs. He pulled back in surprise as her furry muzzle nuzzled his exposed side lightly.

Starring up at him with worry; Flitter rested her muzzle on his thigh. "Are you alright Jack?" As he nodded she couldn't help but feel that he wasn't being truthful. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'll listen." Flitter smiled comfortingly up at him, and watched as his features fell under the weight of guilt.

"I don't want you to worry about me. I'll survive, regardless of what's going on up here." He tapped his temple twice, before smiling tiredly and scratching her behind the ears with weather worn fingers.

A blissful smile passed over Flitter's features as she leaned into his fingers. Hopping up onto the cot, she leaned against Jack for support. To her surprise, he draped a tattooed arm over her shoulder and rested his head on top of hers. He breathed slowly and deeply; the steady thumping thrum of his heart sounded in Flitter's ear as she rested against his chest.

As he rested his head on top of her mane, Jack slowly breathed in. Smells like campfire and... Lavender. I always liked lavender... Jack closed his eyes as his mind began to wander to places it didn't belong. Elissa smelled like vanilla and strawberries... Always thought she used too much perfume... God... What I wouldn't give just to take it all back... He squeezed his eyes shut and held the mare at his side close; as if she could ward off his thoughts simply by being there.

"Jack?" Flitter flicked her ears as his breath disturbed them. He grunted in response, to note that he was listening. "You need a bath." He grunted once more, demoting that she should shut up. Smiling to herself, Flitter nuzzled him once again before pulling back. "There's a 'do it yourself' pet washing place near the edge of town. Want to head into town and check it out?"

"No."

"No?" Flitter furrowed her brow lightly as she looked up at him. "No offence, but you're really smelly today Jack." She watched with worry as he pushed himself up off the bed and away from her; he began to slowly pace the cave, swinging his arms back and forth lazily. "Jack? Is everything alright?"

He finally stopped his pacing to scratch deeply at his scraggly beard; his fingertips floated over the surface of his PDA as he seemingly tried to collect his thoughts long enough to put them down. "I need some time to think. I think I'll just go take a walk today. Besides, you should head home before someone sends out a search party." He smiled offly; the look sending a niggling thought of worry through Flitter's mind. "And happy actual birthday."

With a soft sigh of acceptance, Flitter pulled on her hoodie and affixed her mane tie. "Are we still gonna do morning PT?"

To her intense relief, Jack finally cracked an honest smile and nodded. "Course. Birthday girls get birthday beats." His smile split wide open, and Flitter felt her relief drain away to be replaced by strong regret.

"You're gonna chase me around with a stick again, aren't you?" At his nod and stretch; Flitter sighed quietly as she finished her little slice of cake and got up. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoy this way too much."

Jack stood tall as he began pulling on his winter clothes and brightly coloured knit hat. He shot her an amused smirk as he sent out one last message before stowing his PDA. "You're right. I enjoy this way too much."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The morning proved to be an interesting one for Field Note. As he warmed his field rations over a small magical stove within his treetop camp; he found himself witness to something very strange indeed. Flitter came bolting through the snow laden forest with Jack hot on her hooves; he wore a queer hat that trailed yellow and orange tassels behind him as he dogged the mare. Occasionally he would close the distance between them, and strike her across her flanks with a bit of supple wood. When he did, Flitter would yelp in pain, and follow with a shrieking bellow of "Sixteen!" Field watched the pair for some time; he soon realized that he was reveling at how the human held his balance so easily and swiftly. He began to take notes on how Jack's body twisted and turned; how every muscle pumped and pistoned. No matter how Flitter ducked and weaved, Jack was on her tail; using his hands to whip around trees and vaulting over snow covered obstacles with ease. When Flitter's body could take no more, she fell to the snow covered ground and mewled out a weak- "twenty two..." -as Jack swatted her side with his ad hoc discipline rod. "I turned twenty two..." Flitter groaned quietly as she tried to push herself up.

Before she could, Jack rolled her over onto her back with the toe of his boot. Sitting down on her stomach; Flitter stared up at him with visible surprise, and then horror as he grabbed a handful of snow and gave her face a good freezing wash. The mare thrashed and squirmed and squealed, all to no avail. Jack cackled and guffawed as he pushed the last bit of snow down her hoodie before standing and brushing off his pants.

Shivering heavily as she pushed herself to her hooves; Flitter glared up at Jack halfheartedly. "You, sir... are a jerk." He grinned happily and messed her mane, before rubbing one of her ears. Flitter sighed quietly as she nuzzled his thigh. "I'll come by later, okay?" He nodded for his response and waved lightly, before turning on his heels to tread towards his home. Flitter stood there for a long moment, watching his form disappear into the trees. The sudden lack of companionship left her feeling cold and painfully alone; though after a minute she only felt the cold seeping through her fired up muscles. Shaking her head to dispel the rancid feeling in her chest; Flitter turned towards the trail and began her lonely trot back to Ponyville.

As Flitter neared town, weather began to take a turn for the worse. Winds picked up heavily, and snow began to whip about. Tucking her wings into the voluptuous hoodie, Flitter picked up her pace to try and keep warm. The weather crews were obviously working overtime to get the storm cell into position; the howling winds battered the now deserted village. Finally, after what felt like ages of trudging through the snow with her burning, sore legs, Flitter finally caught sight of her cloud home. Pumping her shivering and aching wings for lift; Flitter barely made it through the door before she was assaulted.

"WHERE THE BUCK HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Cloud Chaser practically bowled Flitter over as she stormed over; her whole lithe frame shaking with anger as she glared daggers at Flitter. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I thought something terrible had happened. You didn't come home for something, like three days! And you didn't go to work yesterday! What the buck is wrong with you!?" Flitters mouth worked soundlessly as she struggled for traction.

"S-shouldn't you be with the weather crews?" The question was a lame one, but it seemed to abate Cloud Chaser's anger, at least temporarily.

Flitter's sister sighed and ran a hoof through her shock of mane. "I took the day off. You know, to spend with you? On your birthday?" Cloudy began to smirk curiously as she finally let Flitter in. "So, where the heck have you been? Got a stallion on the side or something?" When Flitter paled and shook her head, Cloudy simply laughed and shook her head. "Riiiight."

Taking in a deep breath and counting down slowly; Flitter smiled weakly at her older sister and sat down heavily on the couch. "I was out visiting with a friend. He lives kind out far out from town, so it didn't make sense for me to make the trip a whole bunch."

With a sly grin, Cloudy settled down next to Flitter on the couch. She relaxed against the hoofrest and chuckled to herself as she stared knowingly at Flitter. "So it is a stallion. Does Goldie know?" Her sly grin only grew; and only served to grate Flitters nerves.

Does Goldie know? I doubt it. Not that it matters. What, Cloudy? You wanna know if you can finally stop sneaking around behind my back and start fucking him openly? Fuck you. Flitter clenched her jaw to keep her aggressive thoughts inside her head; the gesture set a surprised grimace through her sister's features.

Distracting herself from Flitters surprisingly aggressive facial expression; Cloud Chaser busied herself with her mane as she spoke. "I um... Take it you guys are on a bit of a rough patch... You feeling alright?" Edging forward with legitimate concern, Cloudy gently nuzzled Flitter’s neck, before making a face at the harsh cordite and recent sweat smell of Flitter’s fur.

After a moment, Flitter smiled lightly and nodded. "Yeah. My friend is helping me a lot." Sinking into the soft couch; Flitter felt content. Then, to ruin the moment, her stomach growled quietly.

Ignoring the aggressive noises Flitter's stomach was making; Cloudy slid a bit closer. "Does this friend of yours have a name? Is he cute?" Cloudy grinned; hungry for the tiniest tidbit Flitter could give her.

Feeling a hot flush begin to spread across her cheeks, Flitter shrugged weakly. "His name is Jack, and um... He's not really cute, more of a rugged handsome, you know?"

When Cloudy's features lit up, Flitter realized how massive her mistake was. Throwing her hooves around Flitter's shoulder; Cloudy shook her dramatically. "Come oooon! Tell me more about your mystery stallion!"

With a sense of dreading trepidation, FLitter smiled weakly and settled into the couch as the elements raged against the cloud home. “W-well… he`s like nobody I've ever met before. He’s a farm b- colt, but he’s really smart. Well, smartish, I suppose. He can be stubborn as all get out, when it comes to getting help with anything.” Flitter shook her head as she recalled some of Jack’s bullheaded antics. “He’s a wonderful friend, and he’s helping me a lot, I just hope I can return the fav-”

Cloudy scrunched up her face with confusion as she prodded Flitter. “Helping you with what? What’s going on Flits?” The look of genuine worry paced behind the expression of disapproval that Cloud Chaser held readily.

“W-well… with being such a push-over. He’s teaching me how to really stand up for myself. Building my self-confidence, helping with just… everything. He’s the one who convinced me to start working out so much.” Flitter rubbed at the back of her neck and failed to meet Cloudy’s shocked look.

Prodding Flitters newly muscled leg; Cloudy whistled quietly. “Wow, no kidding Flits… I’m.. wow!” Cloud Chaser smiled openly at Flitter. “I’m really proud of you for doing something like this! This is like, huge. Now that you’re in this kind of shape, I could get you a spot on the weather team without any issues at all. RD is always bi- complaining about how we’re understaffed, so she’ll totally okay this.” Cloudy hugged Flitter and squeed “I’m so proud!”

Snorting to hide her embarrassment, Flitter shook her head. “Well maybe if your weather captain wasn’t such a lazy twit and actually did fuck all for once, you guys wouldn’t be understaffed! I mean, shitfire Cloudy, RD touts she’s the fastest flier in all of Equestria, yet it takes her a day and a full team just to get a rainstorm out.” When Flitter looked back over to Cloud Chaser to emphasize, she found herself staring at a wide eyed, shocked Cloudy. Wincing at her own choice of words, Flitter rubbed the back of her own neck again. “Sorry for cursing, but it’s the truth.”

To her surprise, Cloud Chaser shock melted away to a sudden burst of enthused laughter. “Fuckin’ preach it! Hah!” Cloudy shook her head and grinned ear from ear. “My little sister, all grown up! Cursing like a sailor and calling lazy dorks out for their bull. Is this because of your new guy?” At Flitters nod, Cloudy sighed whimsically. “You gotta introduce us some time, I owe him for letting me swear in front of you.”

“Hey, you didn’t have to begin with! I learned all of the swears when Mom and Dad fought! I just didn’t like using them ‘cause Mom got pissy when we did.” With a deflating sigh, Flitter shook her head to dispel her thoughts. “But yeah. Jack’s the one that got me to start. It’s really cathartic, not having to hold it all in.”

“Jack? That’s his name? That’s a weird name.” Cloudy rolled her eyes and giggled naughtily. “What’s his cutie mark? Please tell me it’s what I think it is, cuz it’s hilarious if it is!”

Smacking her sister's shoulder lightly, Flitter scoffed. “Get your mind out of the gutter Cloudy. It’s…” Flitter wracked her mind; her thoughts falling upon his numerous and intricate tattoos. “It’s hard to explain what it looks like, I… grab me some paper and a pencil? Please?” Nodding to the request, Cloud Chaser stood, and scrounged up some supplies; her curiosity proving to be larger than her desire to remain on the couch. Flitter began work immediately; and a true to life rough sketch began to take form. After a couple minutes of work, she turned the page to Cloud Chaser. The artwork depicted a large bomb facing downwards with a star upon its face; overtop of dual lightning bolts. The image was wreathed in laurels, and interposed the words ACFMC, and EOD.

As expected, Cloud Chaser sat staring at the image; as if she thought that if she stared long enough, the image’s secrets would unravel themselves and give themselves unto her. “I… have no idea what that is even remotely supposed to be. What does this Jack do? This isn’t a farming cutie mark, that’s for sure.” Cloud Chaser glanced up from the artwork for a moment, before returning her gaze to it; the hope that it’s secrets would open up to her at any moment still alive in her mind. Thankfully, this meant she didn’t see Flitter fidget nervously.

“Well… he was a soldier, and that cutie mark means he’s a hero.” Cloud Chaser’s attention turned upwards immediately, a curious, yet worried expression breaking out across her pretty face. “He’s not from Equestria, he’s from somewhere that violence is a lot more prevalent. His cutie mark means he saves lives. Or, he used to. Now all he does is drink and cause trouble.”

The spark of realization glimmered behind Cloud Chasers eyes as she spoke. “You’re dating a Saddle Arabian Desert Rat! Flitter, that’s hardcore!” The mare practically vibrated in place as she gripped Flitter’s toned shoulders and shook her. “You gotta tell me more! What kinda gear does he have!? I’ve read all about the Desert Rat’s in magazines, they're on the cutting edge of small squad tactics and military gear, even above the griffons!” The foalish excitement emanating from Cloudy was palpable; and infectious.

Grinning in return, Flitter sat back as pride began to seep into her chest and mind. “He’s got this armour, it’s the heaviest stuff I’ve ever seen; makes the royal guard’s look like a foals Nightmare Night get-up. And, he’s got this, this lance that’s erm… enchanted, to shoot fire.”

“It shoots fire!?” Cloud Chaser made a near inaudible squee as she bounced in place. “What does it look like?”

The mare’s smile diminished ever so slightly when Flitter shot her a flat look of slight disapproval. “You already know what it looks like, since you went through my lockbox.” Cloud Chasers smile vanished, be be replaced nearly immediately with swiftly diminishing and burning shame. That’s right Cloudy, I know. I’m not stupid. “What were you even looking for?”

The pain on Cloud Chaser’s features became terribly apparent as she averted her gaze to the floor. “I… I’m really sorry Flitter… I was just… looking for bits. I know, I know, I didn't want to, but I owe a lot of money to some rough ponies, and I’m honestly kind of scared…” She sucked in a ragged breath, and failed to lift her gaze. “i’m so sorry….”

Seeing her sister’s shame laid so bare, Flitter couldn’t keep her anger alive. The heat flushed away as she pulled Cloudy into a squeezing hug of support. “It’s alright… I forgive you Cloudy… but… why do you even owe money? Talk to me sis…” Flitter nuzzled Cloud Chasers neck as she spoke.

“I… Mom fucked us over.” Cloud Chaser’s words hit like a train, forcing Flitter to sit up slowly and stare at her sister with intense worry and trepidation. “she stopped paying the mortgage on the house, and… put the deed in my name… I… I don’t make enough money to afford a house like this Flitter, not in a million years, a-and the bank wouldn’t let me take out a loan, because I don’t have any credit, because we always went through Mom, and- oh Celestia…” Cloud Chaser sniffled and shook her head in an attempt to compose herself. “S-so I took out a loan with some fucking jackass named ‘Dark Flare’ and his gang… fucking pricks… And he’s jacked up our rates… Fuck… I fucked up so bad Flitter… I’m scared…”

Hugging Cloud Chaser close; She could only stroke her sister’s mane as Cloudy cried onto her shoulder weakly. Flitter’s earlier, angrier thoughts felt sour, rancid in her mind. She closed her eyes and nuzzled Cloud Chaser as she cried. It makes sense now… getting so bent out of shape over my work, forcing me to work at Founders when she knows I hate it there… breaking into my strongbox… Figures Mom would do this… probably said ‘You need to grow up and learn to fend for yourself for once. I’m not going to be around to take care of you anymore.’ Bitch. Probably hooked up with some stallion she can suck dry of bits. Flitter tensed her muscles as she sneered hotly at the air. Her thoughts swiftly returned to the present; mainly her older sister, who was falling to pieces in her hooves. Giving Cloudy’s mane a soft pet of reassurance, Flitter nuzzled her once again and spoke. “It’s alright Cloudy. I understand… we’ll get through this, together. Just… next time, tell me? Please?”

Nodding as she smiled feebly at Flitter; Cloud Chaser nuzzled her back lovingly. “O-okay Flitter… H-heh… I’m sorry… this is supposed to be your day. I even got a coupon for a massage down at the spa for you, and I was gonna take you to Sugar Cube Corner for breakfast, but it all got fucked up…”

Flitter’s large bag of bits made a loud thumping clatter as it hit the table, causing Cloud Chaser to jump in surprise. Before her sister had a chance to speak, Flitter smiled confidently to her. “I’ll cover for today, and I’ll help pay off the remainder of whatever we owe. And if you’re really worried about these assholes, I’ll have a chat with Jack. I’m sure he could help keep you safe from those jerks.”

Wiping her eyes, Cloudy forced to pull her wide eyes away from the pile of bits. “Y-you would do that? And… Flitter… I saw those pictures, that’s not a ponies armour, and you’ve got lots of bits of some weird human, and Jack’s a Desert Rat, like you said.”

A sense of dread flooded through Flitters mind, and she scrambled for a viable excuse. “That’s um… because fighting on two legs is better, or so Jack says; so he has armour that lets him.” Flitter cringed internally over how shoddy her excuse was, and followed it up with another equally weak lie. “And he’s got a pet human, his name is-” Flitter racked her brain for a good-sounding human name. “Mark.”

With her muzzle scrunched up in disbelief, Flitter’s sister let it go without much argument. “Fine, If you think your coltfriend can save my flank, I’ll take it. I don’t care how weird he is.” A sly grin slid across her features as she looked back up at Flitter. “So, what’s it like with darker meat?”

“Oh my Celestia, Cloudy, I will kick your flank!”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The fire crackled away merrily as Jack sat cross legged on the ground above a laid out polyester mat. His rifle was in various pieces upon the mat; each awaiting its turn to be cleaned. He worked slowly and methodically; each piece was given nearly intimate attention to it’s cleaning and maintenance. As Jack reached out to grasp the focus lense array; a sharp pain snapped through his shoulder, arcing from plug to plug. He clenched his jaw and grunted in pain, before grabbing the array shakily. When he dabbed the precision lenses with a cotton cloth, somebody knocked on the wooden door of his cave.

“Erm… Mister Kessle? It’s Researcher Field Note. Are you in?”

The stallion’s nervous voice made Jack pause for a moment, before gently setting the array down on the mat. He grabbed his PDA and tapped out his message. “Yeah, I’m here. Get in and close the door.” Field made a surprised horse noise, before ducking in through the door; he closed it swiftly, but even as he did, a drift of snow bellowed inwards, causing the strong fire to flicker. Jack lifted a brow of mere interest, before turning his attentions back to his disassembled weapon. “Nasty weather I take it.”

Nodding in affirmation, Field took a seat at the fire and shivered as he pulled off his thick winter boots. The stallion was dressed for the weather to be certain; a heavy hooded parka wrapped around his frame, and his legs and head were equally well protected. An old-school pair of goggles sat just under his horn. Field smiled thankfully to Jack, before holding his chilly hooves up to the blazing flames. “Many thanks Mister Jack. I had hoped to ask you more questions earlier, but a snowstorm blew in and caught me off guard.” He cocked his head at what Jack was doing, before gasping quietly and scooting closer. “My word, so many intricate pieces… How does it work?”

Field’s child-like enthusiasm set the faintest of smiles upon Jack’s lips as he responded. “I’ll show you when I’m done cleaning. Is the tribe alright?” He finished cleaning and aligning the focuses, before looking up at the small slit-eyed stallion.

Despite himself, Field began to smile at Jack’s worry for the tribe. “Yes, with the hide of the manticore and the fire you created for them, they are much more likely to survive the winter. They would be better off with more furs of course, and both Tanja and Gover are still ill… Thankfully, Algeron has ceased in his brutish ways, mostly due to the beating I assume you gave him.” Jack grunted in confirmation, before smirking lightly and flexing his scabbed knuckles for emphasis. Field took the motion in stride and continued. “You do know that trumping the Alpha makes you the tribes Alpha, correct?” Again, Jack nodded, and began typing; Field interrupted him before he could finish. “And you do realize that doing so makes you the most desirable mate within the tribe?”

Coughing lightly, Jack cast a mixed look at Field, before adding on a tad bit more to his selection of words. “I had figured it’d make me some kind of leader figure to them, that’s just the way it works. If they need fur and meat, I’ll hunt another cat or steal from that farm. If they’re sick, I’ll try and figure out why and put my first aid to work. I’m not gonna bang any of them. Might want to on occasion, but Neanderthal lady isn’t really my scene.” Jack nodded to himself, and started assembling his laser rifle.

Seeing his chance, Field held up a hoof. “Could you show me how your weapon works? I assume it is a weapon… is it?” He smiled winningly, before remembering his fangs. A sense of worry streaked through his mind, but nothing came of it as Jack let out a huffing sound that could have been approval or amusement.

“I will if you teach me the tribe’s names. Make shit easier for the both of us.” He glanced back up at Field, who nodded rapidly in agreement to the proposed trade.

“Of course! I would be honoured to have your help in studying them as well. You can get much closer than I could ever hope to.” Field broke out his satchel full of papers and quills, and began setting up rapidly to take notes on everything Jack told him.

Finding amusement in the small stallions rush, Jack chuckled lightly and waited patiently. Once everything was set, Jack began running Field Note through the inner workings and operation of the laser rifle. “This is the Aegis Arms AER-72 Laser Carbine, manufactured in 2021.” He slowly ran a hand over the barrel shroud with deep reverence. “It’s powered through a macro-fission breeder cell-” He tapped the bulky power cell magazine to show what he meant. “-I don’t know the science behind it working, just the end results and what’s in the manual. The cell itself puts out about one thousand kilojoules of energy, and is charged primarily in the field through solar energy.” Jack gestured towards his solar collector, and the four spare magazines currently charging on it. “On a full charge and at low power, the rifle can fire around two hundred times to full effect. On high power, it can handle around one hundred. The battery creates a massive amount of energy, or light, when the trigger is pulled, and it forces all of that energy through the path of least resistance.” He ran a finger along the rifle’s barrel, before pointing out each individual component as he ‘spoke’. “The light passes through an array of focus lenses and mirrors, forcing it into a tight, focused beam that hits the intended target at the speed of light.”

Field Note nodded as he studiously wrote down every single word spoken by Jack’s PDA. “Amazing… Now I truly wish to see such an advanced device in action!” His wish came true as he watched with distinguishable amazement as Jack reassembled the rifle and all of its intricate parts in under a minute before his very eyes. To Field’s surprise, Jack shouldered the rifle towards the fire, and squeezed the trigger once. A beam of brilliant energy lanced from the barrel and struck the fire, which in turn grew as the logs within burst into roaring flames.

Jack’s PDA spoke before he flipped a tiny switch on the side of the weapon. At the flip of the switch, the weapon made a tiny mechanical hum, before going quiet. “That was low intensity.” He squeezed the trigger, and a brighter, hotter beam lanced out. Under the sudden assault, the blazing fire snuffed itself out for a long moment, before beginning again from the glowing coals. Field’s outstretched hooves felt burned from the sheer heat of the weapon. Jack smirked at the stallions amazement as his PDA spoke. “That was high intensity. It burns hot enough to consume the fire’s oxygen for the moment it’s there. Also ashed the log, so yeah.” Jack set the rifle across his lap and smiled at the researcher.

“O-outstanding!… how hot does the beam burn to do that?” Field felt his inner school colt squealing in excitement at witnessing such an stunning feat of engineering, and visibly fought to keep it down and the human’s respect where it was.

“Standard operational temperature is ballpark nineteen hundred degrees celsius.”

“W- I do not know that range of temperature.” Field squirmed with excitement, before his jaw dropped at the answer.

“For reference, water boils at one hundred, and steel melts at about thirteen fifty. We used to go out and plink steel plates with these on our off time. Punches holes right through milled half inch, it’s nasty. Course, when you’re running that kind of heat, the operator needs protective equipment, and you can’t use it as a SAW. Emptying the mag in one go can fuck up the internals and warp the barrel and focus array. Best use it as a DMR, and in a light anti-infantry capacity, as it does dick all against modern heavy armours.”

The stallion sputtered in shock, before his eyes went to Jack’s armour as it loomed over the small camp. “Y-yes… I can understand why… The Royal Guard could do nothing against such a weapon, save for a magical shield by a trained mage. The… the scientific possibilities from the power cell alone could throw us hundreds of years forward! I just… The operations you underwent, your… prosthetics, they alone could revolutionize our medical industry entirely.” Field rubbed his cheek as he shook his head; the excitement within him being barely contained by his sense of professionalism. Unfortunately, Jack seemingly did not share his enthusiasm.

“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll treat me real nice. I’ve seen this play out before, and trust me, it won’t be pretty. So I’d rather just let you take notes and stay forty thousand klicks away from the nearest ‘medical’ or ‘science’ center.” Jack snorted as he levered himself up onto his steadfast feet. He set his rifle against his cot, and pulled his exoskeleton over. Throwing it on like a jacket, a series of whirrs and clicks set Field’s teeth on edge as the exoskeleton burrowed into the plugs set into Jack’s flesh. The human showed so little reaction to it that it was disturbing; he barely flinched as the titanium probes entered his body. As the exoskeleton finished fastening itself to his frame, Jack stepped up and into his armour.

Field stood from his seat and watched with apprehension as Jack slipped his arms and legs into the open armours brackets, which in turn clamped down and aligned with his exoskeleton. Small armour plates chittered as they snapped closed and the armour buttoned up. The stallion nearly jumped out of his coat when the massive primary plates clanged down and anchored themselves in securely. Jack stepped away from the wall, and now stood an easy seven and a half feet tall; his head poked out from the top of the hulking shoulders of the armour system as if he was the top foal in a stack of foals wearing a trenchcoat to sneak into a movie theater. That was righted when Jack reached over to his bed and hefted the huge helmet. It settled down over his skull and let out a muted hiss as the suit sealed and pressurized itself. Field soon found himself staring at an emotionless mask with a single covered black slit for the eyes, which he could not see. What he could see, was his own marginally terrified mug staring right back at him.

Jack quickly scanned over his armours HUD read out and mumbled to himself in his head. Body temp at thirty eight, heart rate at ninety eight, resp’ rate at eighteen, BP resting at one-oh-eight… brain activity normal. yeah right. Green connectivity across the plugs, sensors online, motor controls reading green, all systems responding. A painfully familiar little electronic woman’s voice sounded in his ear, confirming what he already knew. All systems nominal, Vitals sub-nominal, no communications detected, weapon detected, bringing up read-out. The ammunition count and weapon sensors appeared in the bottom right corner of his vision for both his rifle and his sidearm, just above the munition count for his shoulder mounted micro-rocket racks. The woman began reading off his ammunition count, even though it was not needed. Micro-rocket munitions at seventy two percent, AT rockets nearing depletion. Laser carbine fully charged. Sabot pistol, seventeen rounds remaining in magazine of twenty, micro-fusion battery at full charge. Finally, the start-up readouts confirmed green, and disappeared from his HUD. As expected, his Comms remained black on all channels, and his map was severely limited to what he’d scouted with the drone. One quick scan later, and Field Note popped up on his map with a little blue tag; Flitter’s was much further away. A faint blue outline edged around the stallion, marking the small, strange baticorn as a friendly.

Great. Now I get to type with fat fingers. Wait, waitwait, wait. I can just… God, fucking… I’m a dumb ass. shitfire. Jack let out a grumble of anger, causing Field to scoot back with worry as he slid his PDA into a small slot that had opened up in the armour’s forearm at his behest. The woman’s voice returned to Jack’s ear, causing him to twitch. Device detected. Would you like to use one or more features? Jack rolled his eyes and sent a ‘yes’ confirmation. He knew what was coming, and he was less than pleased about it. Selecting the thought to speech option, a little notification popped up stating it would require direct connection to plug one. Selecting ‘yes’ again, Jack braced, and grit his teeth in preparation.

Moving forward cautiously, Field looked over the still form of Jack and his armour. The large man was now monstrous in proportion. How he managed to move the hulking set of armour with such grace and ease was left a mystery to Field, but he made an educated assumption that it was due to Jack’s ‘exoskeleton’. Taking note on how Jack’s left hand would spasmodically twitch and dance at his side; Field Note could only wonder what Jack was doing, standing there without making a sound.

“GOD FUCK MOTHER FUCKING SHITFIREFUCK!” Field screeched in terror and bolted to the cover of the large log as the new, loud voice bellowed in apparent pain. Jack’s armoured arms jerked and pumped as he bounced from boot to boot; a gruffer, fuller sounding electronic voice sounding from his helmet. It was still practically emotionless, but it was paced considerably faster than the voice of his PDA. “GAH! I hate that shit!”

With his eyebrows hiding up inside his fringe, Field took a tentative step forward and swallowed nervously. “M-mister Kessle? Are you…. weeell?” He dragged the word out, unsure if it was truly the most appropriate word to use when regarding Jack.

In return, Jack nodded as he rested one of his massive armoured hands on his faceplate. “Yeah, just engaged thought to speech. We use it for the mutes or guys who get fucked up, but it hurts like a scalded bitch! Fuck, itches after too.” He scratched at the back of his helmet and let out a dissatisfied growl as his itch went by unsated. “Definitely sticking to typing, but I need to use my rifle. Come on, we’re going to visit the tribe and hunt a cat.”

“Y-you’re going to hunt a Manticore? They’re.. they’re almost at the top of the foodchain! Attacking one is very dangerous.” Field declared as he started pulling on his winter gear again. His thick glass goggles settled over his face, protecting his sensitive eyes from any light glaring off the snow.

“Not anymore they’re not. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed this yet, but I get off on the danger.” Field Note could only imagine the sharp toothed grin Jack was shooting him from behind the helmet; he sighed quietly and shook his head as he followed the goliath out of his cave.

“You are a very disturbed human, Mister Kessle.”

“No shit. Call me Jack, my Dad’s Mister Kessle. Now hurry the fuck up, the less time I spend with this damn thing in my head, the better.”

Chapter Fourteen: Dance of the Macabre

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Despite the odds, Flitter found herself braving the snowstorm with her sister to reach the spa before they both froze solid. The winds were growing much colder than planned; this winter was sure to be a rough one for some.

Jack included. Flitter found her mind drifting back to him like a bad habit. Cloud Chaser dogged at the topic with hopes of dredging up every little detail she could. It's to keep me from asking about this booky she's so afraid of. She found herself frowning, even as they reached the decorative doors of the spa. Stepping inside was almost a complete shock in on itself; the entire place was toasty and very warm. The twins smiled at the pair from behind the counter. If the empty clothing racks were any hint, the spa was dead and nearly empty.

"Welcome!" Both twins spoke and smiled in tandem. "How can we help you today?"

Naturally, Cloud Chaser took the lead as she finished shrugging off her stylish winter clothes. "Afternoon you two. I'm bringing Flitter in for the birthday special!" Cloudy smiled broadly and confidently. She seemed quite pleased with herself as the twins cooed their happiness towards Flitter. As expected, Flitter flushed at the attention and acted abashed. It wasn't long before the pair were left alone in the sauna; soft towels wrapped around their bodies.

Flitter sighed quietly and spread out on the bench; her wings splaying out lazily as the steam worked into her aching muscles and bruised flesh. Cloudy laid down next to her, and promptly started her question period. "Sooo, what's he look like?"

A quiet groan escaped Flitter as she glanced up at Cloudy from her seated position on the hardwood bench. After a moment, she relented, rolled onto her back and poked her hooves skyward. "Well, he's really tall for one, like, ridiculously tall. He's got a short black mane, and is really strong. He’s… also kind good looking, I think..."

"Oooh! Tall, dark, aaand handsome!" Flitter's sister giggled openly despite the look Flitter shot at her. She rolled her hoof and smiled down at her younger sister. "Well, go on. I wanna hear all about this stallion of yours."

Coughing sheepishly, Flitter flopped onto her side as she turned her gaze downwards and pawed at the wood bench. "He's umm... Not really... Mine..." But he could be...

"What!? Flitter, don't tell me you're letting a catch like that slide through your hooves!" Cloud Chaser gripped Flitter by her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Come on girl! You gotta give chase!" The way Cloud Chaser spoke, it sounded like the easiest thing in the whole world to do. Maybe it is?

Flinching away, Flitter couldn't help but feel like she was missing out on a real opportunity. Her heart ached as she mulled over the topic with unease. "I... I can't Cloudy. He doesn't see me like that, and-" Does he? With the treats, he was ready to go… maybe if I just work at it, he’ll come around.

"And what? Is he a coltcuddler or some gross shit?" Cloudy flapped her wings as she made a face of minor disgust. "Though the Sandies don't really accept that kind of thing... That might explain why he's here!" Cloud Chaser exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Flitter rolled her eyes before dumping some more water on the sauna's coals. "He's not gay Cloudy. He was married to a mare before and she hurt him." She didn’t know how lucky she was. What a bitch...

Cloudy snorted derisively, before prodding Flitter's side. "Just don't let him slip away. You can do way better than Goldie." Her sister smiled broadly at her, but it seemed plastic compared to her usual beaming confidence.

Clenching her jaw at the use of her soon to be ex's name; Flitter nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I can." Out of the corner of her eye, Flitter watched as Cloud Chaser's features turned regretful. Something was blatantly on the older mares mind.

Despite everything that's happened... Cloudy, just come clean. I know everything. For a moment, Flitter simply wished that her thoughts would reach out and convince her sister to speak of what was on her mind. Unfortunately, they didn't. A sly, confident smile spread across the older mares features as she looked over at Flitter. The look was quickly subdued however, and Cloud Chaser let her gaze slide down slowly to her hooves. "I gotta make the payment tomorrow night. Do you.. Do you think you can help?" Cloudy pawed lightly at the wood bench and kept her features downcast.

A quiet sigh sounded out from Flitter as she nodded. "Of course. How much is the payment?" Way to avoid a topic Cloudy. You’ll fess up eventually. Flitter narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, before forcing herself to look normally at her sister.

"It's... Seven hundred... I already have four hundred and fifty! I'm just two-fifty shy." Cloud Chaser tapped her hooves together sheepishly and smiled. "I think they'll be cool about me being short fifty or so, and I'll definitely be able to make the next payment, Weather Crew has a ton of overtime coming up."

Shaking her head, Flitter mutely cursed the position their mother had forced them into. If only Dad hadn’t gone and gotten killed, this wouldn’t be happening… Oh Celestia, did I really just think that? Flitter shook her head and bit her tongue roughly as punishment for the thought. "I've got the two fifty Cloudy, don't sweat it. I'll even go with you, to make sure everything works out."

"Are..." Cloud Chaser's features sank, her sheepish smile being replaced with serious worry. "Are you sure you wanna do that? I mean, maybe you should just talk to your coltfriend and see what he says?" Her smile was weak and hollow.

"Yes, I'm sure Cloudy." Flitter felt the niggling tail of indignance worming its way into her mind as Cloud Chaser mouthed 'okay' and looked away. I'm tough enough now to handle a couple of thugs on my own. I'm not some clueless sidekick. Besides, I'm sure Jack is busy doing... Whatever.
____________________________________________________________________________

"What's on your mind Field?"

The stallion blinked owlishly as he looked back over to the heavy metal man who treaded beside him through the snow. "I wasn't.... How could you tell?" Not being able to see the humans face made him uncomfortable; the sheer scale and outlandish appearance of the powered armour sent goosebumps through his flesh every time he gazed upon it. Striking alien devices hung off the armours equipment webbing; assorted explosive devices, his sidearm, ammunition, and a heavy duty AT Mag charge made it seem like Jack was going to war.

Jack snorted lightly inside his helmet as he turned his gaze back towards the researcher. He cradled his rifle across his chest; the strap hanging loosely off his shoulder."You keep glancing at me and chewing your cheek. So talk."

Field nodded and floated his paper pad before himself. "When we were speaking earlier, I noticed a couple of interesting items, and I wanted to ask you about them. If that's alright with you of course." He smiled as confidently as he could, but soon found it folding in upon itself like cheap lawn furniture when that cyclopean gaze returned to regard him.

Jack’s gruff electronic voice sounded lukewarm at best regarding the idea, but it was impossible to tell his feelings on the matter when his helmet covered all of his features. "Fire away horseman."

Sputtering with indignance, Field lowered his head and flattened his ears against his head. "I'm... I'm not a whorse... Rude..." As Jack strode along, he crushed a small log under his heavy boots as if it were nothing. Field cringed at the thought of anything living finding itself under those boots, including himself.

Coughing out a laugh, Jack's head tilted toward field once again. "Are you serious? You guys took whore and turned it into whorse?" Jack suppressed a snickering laugh. "Alright, my bad. How bout I call you Bojack from now on?"

“Buh- N-no! What kind of name is Bojack anyhow!? It sounds terrible.” The stallion shook his head and pouted; his misery being doubled by Jack’s enthused laughter. “It’s not funny! Let’s… Let’s get back on topic.” Flipping through his notes and crude sketches, the stallion forced a smile when he found what he was looking for. “Ah, here we go. You have two necklaces, one with some sort of stamped circular disk. What’s on the disk?”

“It’s an oval. There’s supposed to be two, but I gave up the second when I took my last mission. They’re dogtags, meant to identify my body when I bite it. Also contains my blood type, serial number, and religious preference. Burial purposes.” Jack stopped for a moment and swivelled his head about. It seemed random, but his grip on his rifle had subtly changed; making the weapon ready for combat. Field froze alongside the human, but his quill continued to scratch away. After a tense moment, Jack relaxed again, and began his plod once again.

Swallowing nervously as he looked around the snow covered forest, the stallion had to force his mind back on track. “Religious preference? Is that what your second necklace is for? The cross? It’s the only thing that comes to mind for me, forgive me if I’m-”

“You’re not wrong. Yes, I’m religious. Or, I was more so at one point I suppose. The cross was a gift from my Mom before my first deployment. She said ‘God will keep you safe’. Personally, I think he took one too many piss breaks, cause my buddies did a way better job than he did. Wasn’t enough. Never was.” Jack’s voice faded, blocking out one particularly vulgar, violent thought that had threatened to break out into speech.

Taking the momentary silence as an opportunity, Field looked up at Jack as they paused and quirked a brow. “So would you consider yourself non-religious then? I’ll admit, I have my reservations about such things, but learning about alien religions would be a whole new world for Ponykind.”

Unlike his earlier, faster reactions, Jack’s response was a long time coming. Just as he set forward to the human camps outer perimeter, he spoke. “I don’t know what I am anymore.” Field was never given a chance to respond, as Jack broke through into the clearing with the roaring fire.

The humans acted how Field had assumed they would. There were myriad terrified screeching, yelps, and crude spears aimed to threaten Jack's armoured form. Jack stopped where he was, and gripped his helmets release latches. A muted hiss filled the uncomfortable silence as he pulled the helmet free, and immediately scratched rapidly at the little metal plug at the base of his skull. Now able to see his face, the tribe visibly calmed, and assumed a more curious outlook to the Outlander. They slowly crowded around, chirping and whispering between each other as Jack smiled, and let his rifle hang loose in its sling. Field Note watched as Algeron did his best to hide himself away; the gashes and terrible bruising still vibrant on his ruined face. Returning his attentions to the gathering of humans, Field cast his invisibility spell, and cautiously treaded up next to Jack. "Jack? I'm going to climb onto your back. I'll tell you their names." The armoured human turned his head toward Field, and gave him a slight nod of confirmation.

With the small stallion soon huddled on his back, Jack returned his attentions to the group of nomads. Field spoke quietly in his ear as the supposed matron of the group approached him slowly. "That's Akasha. She's a very intelligent human, by our old standards of course." Akasha outstretched her hand, gingerly poking, and then stroking his breastplate. Her hand trailed upwards, and cupped his bearded cheek. As Jack perked a brow at her, she withdrew her hand and chirped at the others. Surprisingly enough, the group dispersed, and returned to their huddle before the manticore fur hut, close to the fire.

Surprising both Jack and Field Note, Akasha grabbed one of his armoured hands and started leading Jack towards the group. Obliging the strange woman, Jack eyed the group, and was fed names and a blurb of information by Field. After a short moment, Akasha gestured for him to enter the ad hoc hut. Doing so, the first thing Jack noticed was the stench, and then the sight of two sick humans.

"That's Gover and Tanja. Tanja’s son Sojurn died during the trip here. She hasn't been well since. Gover's body is failing, unfortunately..." Field maintained his grip on Jack's combat webbing; a pair of laser rifle magazines served as hoof rests for his slight body. Jack approached the pair of sick humans with caution; the male, Gover, shied away and keened quietly in protest as his personal space was invaded by Jack’s armoured bulk. Jack cringed as he looked over the wretched man. Oh god… you poor bastard… Gover's ribs were prominent through his pale flesh; his skin looked as if it was simply stretched thin over his bones. His cheeks were sallow, and his stomach was disturbingly concave. Jack tore his gaze away from the rail thin man; but the hollow eyes followed him. The woman, Tanja, seemed marginally more healthy, if only slightly. She pulled her knees up against her chest and almost seemed to shrink visibly under his gaze. Her foot looks a little jacked up… I’ll have to take a look at it. See what I can do for the both of them.

Backing away from the small fur hut, Jack looked over towards the tribes matron. Akasha stared at him for a moment; her eyes drilled deep into his own with surprising severity. She then pointed to the meager pile of semi-preserved meats frozen in the open snow. Hardly enough to last a couple days for this many mouths. Jack set his mouth into a hard, flat line, before nodding once to Akasha. He knew what she wanted, what the tribe needed. My tribe, I suppose. Since I stomped the last chief. Weird. Oh well! With a small flourish, Jack popped his helmet up from under his arm and caught it so he could plunk it swiftly down onto his shaggy head. The seals hissed and the ghosts of his HUD shimmered over his eyes. Jack clenched his teeth as the probe burrowed into his skull and into his mind.

"God I fucking hate that. Gah." Jack shook his armoured hands loosely, before shouldering his rifle. "Which ones are the hunters Field?" He scanned over the tribe, which was eying him with slight caution and open curiosity as his gruff electronic voice reached out too them.

The stallion on his back sounded slightly muffled, if only from his positioning. "Those three. Dala, Aram, and Vele." Field shifted on Jack's back; he felt incredibly uncomfortable being so close to the tribe, but at the same time exhilarated. Field jumped when a short whistle sounded from Jack's helmet, and he pointed at the three hunters. He then jabbed a finger at the food pile, then gestured jerkily for them to follow. To Field Note's incredulous surprise, the hunters seemed to understand him; jumping up and grabbing their crude flint spears to use during the hunt.

Aram grunted something, and took the lead directly behind Jack's armoured bulk. Smiling to himself, Field stealthily jotted down as many notes as he possibly could fit into the page. Jack leads like a natural, and the nomads follow him without hesitation. Perhaps they share more than they realize? Only time will tell. For now, I will get to witness firsthoof human hunting techniques, and the exact ramifications of having a highly intelligent alpha. It is with high hopes that I say that the tribe may very well just survive the winter, if not thrive under Jack's leadership.

"Which way to the Manticores, Field?" Jack's rumbling electronic voice shook the stallion from his revelry; forcing his attentions back down into the present cold.

"Erm... Perhaps the Everfree? It's due south from Whitetail woods, but it's very dangerous." Field shifted, his position becoming incredibly uncomfortable as Jack walked. Unfortunately, moving to the point of getting off would break the spell, in which it would be likely that the nomads would look to him for their next meal. Thus, he stayed rooted right where he was, with the combat webbing digging deep into the soft underside of his hooves, and the sharp edges of the armour's collar digging into his flesh.

Jack turned his heading south, following his compass. For an hour they marched through the snow; Jack with his relaxed shoulders and ever consistent stepping, and the hunters with their hurried shuffle and constant chattering to fill the empty space. Eventually, the trees grew thicker, the snow lighter. Daylight struggled to break through the canopy, and the forest took on a more sinister aura. Field shivered, despite his heavy winter barding. The Everfree was no place for a sunday hike, that was for sure. Despite everything, Jack continued onward; his rifle stock now tucked into his shoulder, it’s barrel relaxed toward the ground. The trio of hunters made a point to close the small gap between them and their new leader. In the distance, a terrible screech was met by an echoing roar. Without warning, Jack held up a closed fist, and knelt down. The hunters immediately clammed up, and mirrored him with startling speed. Field was about to question why Jack had stopped when the human twisted, and unhooked the compacted form of his UAV. Blinking with surprise, the stallion quirked a brow in curiosity as Jack tossed the device up in the air. A suppressed yelp of fear sounded out from Field and the hunters as the UAV sprang open mid-air and buzzed away quietly before them. The quad-drone bobbed for a moment, before gaining altitude. It began slowly circling the group; it’s faint buzzing was drowned out by the eerie sounds of the Everfree.

“Eyes are up. If the drone picks up anything that’s not us, I’ll know about it.” Without another word, Jack stood and rolled his neck. The drone followed the group, uncaring for the worried looks four of the five cast its way as it slowly circled overhead like a bird of prey. The forest began closing in on the trail, choking all but the most hardy of light from view. Then, the smell hit them. The smell of death, and decay. Field shivered, and tapped Jack's helmet.

"Jack? Something isn't right..." The stallion had to shift his grip as his mount came to a sudden stop.

"No movement detected. What's up." His armoured form turned to regard the hunters, who were all gathered up as close as they could get to him. Their chatter had died as soon as they'd smelled the stench; they were cautiously eying the thicket surrounding them, spears at the ready.

Field leaned forward. And failed to suppress a shiver of fear. "I-I think we may have strayed near an infected den... If they catch a whiff of any of us, they'll swarm..."

"Right. Think I found them. We're upwind from them, so we should be alright." No sooner than when he finished the sentence, the wind changed, blowing their scent straight into the den. A low, echoing scream floated on the air, and continued to build as additional mouths added to the carrion call.

"Field, get off my shoulders. Take cover, and keep quiet." The small stallion was only too happy to oblige as he slowly descended down Jack's back; moving to a small bunch of scrub for cover from the coming storm. The scream grew into a warbling howl; the sound of a mob crashing through the underbrush overtook the forests normal sounds. The hunters paced and murmured amongst themselves with increasing agitation, while their colossal leader squared his shoulders and brought his weapon to bear. "Twenty plus foot mobiles. Drone engaging."

The rapid cracking of gunfire echoed through the trees, and was met by frustrated howls. Onwards the horde pressed, unabated by the numbers lost to the drone's lancing beams. They soon became visible through the trees; their bodies twisted amalgamations of the human form. Black puss weeped from their skin and eyes as they charged forward, heedless to the danger. "Fifteen metres. Twelve." Jack hunkered his form down, and his left shoulder pauldron sprang open. At ten metres, a rocket erupted from his shoulder, and the world in front of the small hunting party exploded into bloody chaos. The rocket flowered at point blank range and spread apart, shredding the infected from ranks with high explosive shrapnel and blowing massive rents from the twisted trees around them. Jack's rifle cracked and snapped as he tracked from target to target; every infected killed at range was one less to fight hand to hand. His hunters hooted and hollered savagely as white hot beams sheared limbs and cauterized gaping holes within the putrid flesh of their enemy. The drone buzzed by overhead, its small weapon glowing orange as it automatically tracked and fired on its targets. Despite the hail of shrapnel and laser fire, five of the infected charged through rifle range, and closed in with teeth and claws.

Field stared on, wide eyed with fear and excitement as the hunters pistoned their crude spears out, forcing the putrid unclean ones onto the sharp flint heads. Jack's rifle was thrown over his shoulder; he leapt before the bulk of the surviving infected to keep them from the unarmoured hunters. The leading infected made the mistake of moving forward; it caught a blistering right hook that pulverized its skull for its efforts. The boot stomp to the back of its skull was like an after thought, and the last thing to go through its wretched mind.

With a bellowing roar, Jack pounded his bloody gauntlet against his chest; issuing a challenge the fungus addled monsters couldn't resist. They threw themselves at him with reckless abandon, only to be dashed against titanium, ceramic, and cold dirt. What had started as a battle against pitched odds ended as a blood bath.

Jack huffed and shook a bit of bloodied scalp from his knuckles as Field slowly crawled from his hiding place. Without warning, Jack let out a short snorting laugh and swung his rifle forward. "Mediocre." He fired once for every infected left clinging pitifully to life; the shot ending their suffering permanently.

When he finished, the hunters stood tall and hefted their spears upwards. The leader hunter, Aram, let out a victory cry. "Urah!"

The other hunters echoed it, chanted it. When Jack joined in, he hefted his rifle above his head the same way they did their spears and roared: "URAH!"

"Urah!"

"URRAAAH!"

Field slowly stepped back as the humans celebrated their victory. The closest thing he'd ever seen to smiles on Equis humans spread across the hunters faces, and he was doubly sure that the Terran was grinning like a lunatic. When the hunting party regrouped and treaded forward, the Everfree gave them a wide berth. The unfortunate Manticore that attempted to make a meal out of them was put down with resounding ease as Jack and his Hunters moved as a unit. The great beast fell, and was dragged back to the encampment by the hunting party. Field followed as best he could, now unable to perch upon Jack’s back due to the heavy load. His notes were beginning to fill the pages edge to edge.

Today I have witnessed something terrifying, and extraordinary. Terran firepower. A group of some twenty infected humans flooded to us; a number even a highly trained Royal Guard unit would be ill advised to engage on superior terms. Jack did not hold back. He possesses some form of weapon that he stores in his shoulders. It appears much more violent than the surgical precision of his rifle. What worries me the most despite his ever growing arsenal, is how his attitude and mannerisms change so swiftly. Normally he is a fairly agreeable man with a stunning number of intricacies for one of his profession, if not for his vulgar vocabulary, but in combat he seems to be a completely different animal. He becomes like a machine. A Man-Machine killer, with ice cold blood and a head for fighting. He shows no remorse, no restraint. How do I describe it with words? They do not do it justice. Princesses guide me, I’m afraid of him. I imagine a world, full of men and women like him. Worse than him. Better. It terrifies me. These killers have perfected their art. I believe Jack to be a macabre artist of sorts; despite my terror, I could not help but feel compelled as I watched him massacre the infected in a ghoulish dance of death. Instinct tells me that it will not be the last time I see him spill blood.

I only pray that it will not be Equine blood that he spills next. Only Miss Flitter seems to keep him calm, centered. I must make sure that it stays that way. When the time is right, I will alert the princesses of his presence. They must be warned.

Chapter Fifteen: Overzealous Asset Protection

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With their trip to the spa finished and paid for; Flitter and Cloud Chaser made the decision to continue to brave the weather in hopes that Sugar Cube Corner was still open. The pair trudged through the snow, hopes held high and wings tucked tightly against their bodies. Flitter shifted her wings inside the toasty hoodie, and found herself growing even more fond of the garment as Cloudy shivered like a wet cat.

"T-that thing you're wearing looks dumb..." Cloudy shot at Flitter as she shivered; her scowl only increased as Flitter smiled winningly at her.

"You're just jealous of Jack's gift.” As Cloud Chaser scoffed and eyed needles in Flitters direction, Flitter couldn’t help but grin smarmily and fluff the old hoodie. “Cold sis?"

"I hate you so much right now."

Flitter giggled happily as she pulled the hood closer. Even after so long, it still smelled like Jack did. While a bit stale, it still managed to put her mind at ease. A few quiet minutes passed as the pair trotted through the snow, before the artistic exterior of SCC rose triumphantly at the end of the street. Cloud Chaser shivered heavily again and picked up the pace. "This is the last time I buy fashionable winter wear from Rarity. S-saddles don't look good as anything other than lingerie!" The older mare practically barrelled through the front door of the bakery; the tires old bell gave a hearty jingle as Flitter followed through shortly after. The bakery was surprisingly empty, save for an older grey unicorn stallion with a dulling red and orange mane sipping coffee over by one of the bay windows. He glanced up for a moment, and nodded to the pair, before going back to his ruminations.

Approaching the unmanned counter, Flitter glanced toward the kitchen and rang the bell. Mr. Cake called out, and after a moment he popped out from the kitchen and propped up a smile. "Good afternoon girls, what brings you out in this weather?"

Before Flitter could answer, Cloudy budged in front of her and chattered "s-something hot, r-right now!" Flitter had to bite her hoof to keep from laughing at the miserable state her sister was in. The gangly carrot topped stallion smiled down at the shivering pegasus as he started pouring her a hot cup of coffee.

"And for you Miss Flitter?" He asked kindly, but stress was prevalent in the lines on his features.

Gazing over the glass case, Flitter found herself torn between choosing something wonderfully sweet, or something that wouldn't make all of the work she was doing with Jack worthless. "I can't really decide... Maybe some tea and a hot scone?" Mr. Cake nodded in affirmation and set about making the order.

By the time Flitter had placed her order, Cloud Chaser had taken her coffee and planted her flank right over the bakery's wall heater. She shivered heavily, before snorting at Flitter's order. "You can't put birthday candles in a scone, you dork! Mr. Cake, its her birthday, get her fat!"

The kindly husband sighed and the lines in his muzzle deepened. "I would offer you a slice of triple chocolate mullah cake, but Pinky apparently ate it in her sleep last night." Flitter became painfully aware of the triple chocolate mullah cake that was digesting in her stomach from the night before.

Coughing politely, Flitter set the bits on the counter and smiled at the stallion. "A warm scone is fine, and don't be too hard on her."

Mr. Cake rolled his eyes. "Right, right." He turned away from the counter and started toward the kitchen. He started muttering under his breath, allowing Flitter to only catch a snippet. "first my wife, now my business..."

Wincing in understanding, Flitter sat down in her favourite booth and waited for Cloudy to reluctantly tear her ass away from the oil heater. It was a long time coming, by the time that her sister had even started to move, Mr. Cake had already brought her order out and retreated again. Sitting down with a weak groan, Cloud Chaser curled herself around the cup of hot coffee as if it were a life jacket floating in a turbulent sea. Precious quiet minutes passed by as Flitter slowly ate her lovely scone and sipped at her tea. Naturally, Cloudy broke the silence with bad news.

"So um... Mom's coming in to town in a couple of weeks. You know how she is, can't show up for both of our birthdays, so she shows up in the middle." Cloud Chaser chuckled weakly, and found it falling flat as Flitter scowled hotly.

"Maybe she should just stay up in Cloudsdale. She only cares about her stupid career, so she may as well stop lying out of her ass that she cares about us." Flitter stuck her hooves inside the hoody's pouch, and felt the handle of her knife. She withdrew her hooves ever so slightly.

Cloud Chaser smiled weakly in response and slugged back the last of her coffee. "Well, she is a politician, so talking out of her ass comes with the territory."

The pair smiled at each other, and finished their small snack in relative silence. When a heated argument broke out upstairs, they took that as their cue to leave. The doorbell jingled merrily as they folded their ears and wings down tight and strode out to brave the weather once again. Upon reaching the plot of land the cloudhome occupied, Flitter turned and hugged her sister fiercely.

"I'm gonna head out and let Jack know about tonight. Will you be alright until I come back?" Flitter nuzzled at her, despite the biting cold.

Her sister sputtered and shook her head in disbelief. "Am I gonna be alright? What about you, heading off to see Tall, Dark, and Mysterious in the middle of a damn snow storm?" Cloudy shook her head again and pushed at Flitter. "Go on, get out of here you scamp. And don't come home pregnant!"

Giggling lightly at the mere idea, Flitter waved goodbye to her sister, and made a beeline for Jack's bolthole. As she galloped, the storm seemed to grow even worse. Sight dropped to almost nothing, and even with the hoodie to keep her protected, she could feel her wings freezing up. So when she reached the rockwall, and the camouflage tarp that covered the cave entrance, she shivered out her thanks to whomever was watching over her, and slipped into the wondrous heat of the cave.

"Jack? Are you here?" Flitter trotted in a ways, before shaking the excess snow from her fur and hoodie. The cave was all but empty, and most strikingly, his armour was gone. The rest of his belongings remained however, meaning that whatever he was doing, he probably wouldn't take long. At least, that's what Flitter thought to herself as she stoked the fire with a fresh log and hopped up onto his small bed. "I'm sure he won't be long..." Her voice echoed around the cave, and a slight chilly wind made it through the tarping. Her wings shook madly from the cold, and she found herself curling up with all of Jack's covers to keep warm despite the fire. "Jack doesn't even have fur, how does he put up with this?"

An hour ticked by, with no sign of her human. Flitter began to worry heavily as she laid on the small cot, curled up tightly before the crackling fire. Another two hours passed, and it sounded as if the storm was finally beginning to abate outside. Still with no Jack in sight, Flitter considered calling it a bust and heading out without him. Just as she was beginning to extricate herself from the coil of covers, the tarping crackled, and Jack's massively armoured form strode through. From the flickering light cast by the fire, Flitter could see blood violently spattered upon his armour. He jerked when he spotted her, and a surprisingly new, gruff electronic voice came to meet her.

"Shitfire woman, if I'd known you were waiting I would have hurried my happy ass up." Jack crossed over the cave and set a stolen pot down by the crackling fire. It looked as if it had been used heavily, and quite recently.

Sitting up with surprise, Flitter almost fell as her legs found themselves tangled in the covers. "Jack!"

"Me!" He tromped over and carefully lifted her up and out of the entanglement.

Flitter flailed her front hooves at his helmet's faceplate as she stared at him with wide eyes. "You can talk!"

Setting her down gently, Jack patted her head with one of his huge armoured gauntlets. "Kinda sorta yes no." He walked over to the spot where his armour usually stood and lifted his arms up. A rapid cacophony of clicks, chitters and chatters filled the cave until he pulled himself free. The first thing he did was scratch rapidly at the back of his head as he stuck out his tongue; he looked thoroughly disgusted.

Having to wait until Jack retrieved his PDA from his armours arm, Flitter could only shake her head and smile. "You are such a goof. Seriously though, how could you talk in there? Why haven't you done it before?" He waved a hand at her as he plopped down on the bed, the pulling canvas popping her up and against him. Flitter flushed hotly as she found herself nearly on his lap. To make things even worse, Jack grinned in good humor and pulled her over so her hooves were poking up and curled up against herself. He scratched at her belly, forcing Flitter to squeak loudly, and break down into hiccuping laughter. "S-s-st-stop!! A-aah! Hahaheheh-nono-Nooo!!" Flitter flailed and squirmed, all to no avail as Jack held her down and mercilessly attacked her belly with his calloused, dexterous fingers. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of torture, he stopped tickling her and settled for calmly rubbing her ears and petting her mane as she stayed curled up in a tight ball to protect her soft underbelly. "Y-you... Are such a jerk...." She groaned weakly as she stretched out and leaned up into his hands. "Seems like you're in a really good mood today though..."

Jack grinned openly and nodded, before giving her barrel a well meaning rub to straighten her tussled fur. It took him a moment to retrieve his PDA and tap out his message back. "Yeah. Spent a couple hours with Field and the tribe. Did some hunting, and got them sorted with some crude fur cloaks. I gotta try and do some doctoring on two of them soon though."

Rolling onto her belly, Flitter head-butted his rock hard gut, causing the human to grunt lightly. "I came over to ask a favour of you." Despite what she'd normally do in such a situation, Flitter remained on his lap, and pressed against the furnace-like Terran. She didn't see the flicking emotions cross his face when she said the word 'favour.'

"Alright." His answer was short and painfully curt. He ceased his rubbing, and simply rested his abused hands on her barrel.

A feeling of anxiety crept up on Flitter without warning, leaving her momentarily lost for words. "I um... My sister, Cloudy- you, you remember her, right?" He nodded slowly, and eyed her curiously. "Well... She um... She owes some money to some rough ponies-" Flitter's words caught on her tongue as Jack's curious look turned mean in a second. He snorted hotly and looked away as he sneered. Trying to salvage what she could, Flitter barrelled forward. "I'm giving her enough money for this payment, but she's really scared, so I'm going with her tonight."

Jack's razor sharp gaze turned on Flitter, and all she felt was cold. A cold, vice-like feeling settling over her heart. Did I make him angry somehow? No... He's... Holding me tightly, protectively? Is he worried? Flitter swallowed nervously and smiled confidently to Jack. "I just wanted you to tag along, and bail us out if they're too much for me to handle. I don't think it'll be too bad." He stared down hard at her, as if searching her features for something.

After what seemed like eternity, Jack nodded slowly and broke a smile as he scratched her ears. "I can do that for you. Simple stuff."

Flitter let out a quiet sigh of relief as she nuzzled his taut gut. "I appreciate it." They remained like that for a few minutes more; Jack unwilling to move his hands, and Flitter unlikely to move away from his warmth. Taking advantage of the silence, Flitter nuzzled him and popped the question that was on her mind. "So you never answered my question from earlier. Can you talk in your armour?"

"I answered. Kinda sorta yes no." He sank into the bed, a quiet groan murmuring passed his lips as he dragged Flitter with him.

"That's not an answer Jack." Flitter nudged his chin as she tried to find a more comfortable position on top of him. Her statement caused him to grumble quietly and tap rapidly at his PDA.

"Don't know the science behind it, but basically when my armour is hooked up with my PDA and a certain option is selected, it jams a probe into the back of my skull and into the language center of my brain, or something like that. I engage a dimple button with my chin when I want to 'talk', and it takes my thoughts and translates them. I hate it. Hate being in that damn coffin any longer than I have to be." He shifted, and scratched at the plug near the base of his skull.

Wincing in sympathy from his description of the process, Flitter once again found herself wishing that she hadn't pried. "That sounds really, really unpleasant..."

"One way to describe it."

She smiled up at him as she rolled, and rested her barrel against his muscled chest. "Why don't you like being in your armour? I'd never take something like that off if I had it." The thought of being in control of something so monstrously powerful sent a pleasant chill down her spine as the mental image formed.

"It's not as great as you think. It squeezes you. To close for my liking, plus I haven't had a chance to clean the filters in on it, so it’s starting to smell like a jockstrap." The was an uncomfortable pause as his finger hovered over the screen, as if he were debating sending what he had written. In the end, he tapped the screen once. "They were and are death sentences for a lot of folk. First prototypes were powered jackets that had a tendency to burn out spinal gyros, which when they went, the poor slobs wearing it got turned into a twist top." He put both his fists together side by side and turned each in opposite directions as he blew a high pitched raspberry. "The mark two's were even worse, being a full body casing. Heat sinks were garbage, so more often than not they'd blow up and cook the user alive on his own suit. Mark three's were a step in the right direction, but they shared all of the same problems. The problems the mark five-". He patted his armour. "Mostly solved. I mean, it's completely possible for my heat sinks to overload and cook me over easy, rocket rack to fail to extend and blow me to bits, the fusion reactor to go critical and rock me back to Hiroshima, or the filters to clog and suffocate me to death with my own stank. I'm a fan of that last one for sure. Oh, and as a wonderful side note. That probe that let's me talk, if that fucks up by even a millimetre, I'll be turned into a gibbering potato before you can blink." He grinned down at the now mortified Flitter. "There's a reason Longbow's are a full volunteer force. We're all loco."

Flitter swallowed thickly as she looked over the armour; standing sentinel over the cave. She was beginning to see it as a tombstone, just as its operator did. "I um... I think we should go meet Cloudy now... I mean, I really like being like this-" she wiggled her flanks a bit as she rested on top of him and smiled. "-but I don't want to keep her waiting too terribly long."

"What do you mean 'we'? I thought I was your overwatch?" Jack's features twisted and hardened as he sat up and looked down hard at the mare now deposited in his lap. "You didn't tell her about me, did you?"

Waving a frantic hoof to placate him, Flitter rapidly shook her head. "It's nothing like that, she got too curious about what I was doing, so I fed her a lie! She doesn't know the truth, I swear!" She felt immensely relieved when he nodded in understanding, and returned to stroking her fur. His finger occasionally brushed by the base of the wings, which sent a desirable shiver through her body. Oh Jack... She rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart beat away steadily like a deep, booming war drum.

They stayed like that for quite awhile, and Flitter secretly wished that she didn't have to get up for anything. When Jack shifted and sat up, she wanted to cry out in protest, to beg him to join her in ignoring Cloudy's plight, just so they could have a few extra minutes. But she didn't, and he levered himself up with a groan as his legs whirred. Flitter closed her eyes and sighed to herself, before slowly following after him. Jack stretched out his sore limbs, before casting a slow, wary glance at the waiting armour. Without a second thought, he pulled himself into the suit and closed it. Flitter winced as he grunted in pain when the probe entered his mind.

"Let's go. I'll be right behind you." He slung the laser rifle over his broad armoured shoulder and nodded to her.

He's following my lead... I won't let him down. I'll show him how tough I am. Flitter smiled as she turned and trotted out of the cave. A plan was forming in her head; one that would win the gruff human's respect.

________________________________________________

When Flitter broke the edge of the forest, she became increasingly aware that Jack had dropped back a large distance. She knew he was there, within striking distance; she just couldn't see him. Turning her mind back to her mission, Flitter picked up the pace and closed the distance between her and her home. The intervening kilometres disappeared all too quickly, and Flitter soon found herself standing just below her door step.

Having followed Flitter at a safe distance, Jack watched as she cast a long look over her shoulder in his general direction, before vaulting into the air. That's still really weird, and awesome... I wonder how sensitive the wings are... Jack pondered the idea for a short time, before throwing his mind back on track. Something shifted in the corner of his vision, teasing him, testing him. Come on Jackie boy, ignore it. It's not really there. Don't waste ammo, don't give away your position chasing ghosts. He forced his mind away from the niggling feeling that gnawed on his brain like a hungry little bug. Inhale, count to four. Exhale, count to four. He repeated the mantra in his head as he slowed his breathing and focused on only it and the floating cloud that was shaped like a house. A sharp twinge struck behind his left eye as the silence carried on. God how I wish I still had meds... I don't want to go back. I just want to sleep... He screwed his eyes shut and fell to his haunches on the soft ground. His armoured hand met his face plate, as if the action of holding his face would make the pain leave him be. Inhale, count to four. Exhale, count to four. The sudden appearance of Flitter and her sister was fortunate, as almost immediately his chiselling headache ebbed away to a mere throb in the back of his mind. Flitter's sister said something as she looked around the pitch black area, only to be pulled onwards by Flitter. Forcing himself to rise, Jack followed after them; sticking to the shadows. He made too little noise for such a Goliath.

When Cloud Chaser led Flitter beyond Ponyville, towards some of the old warehouses, Flitter found her worry increasing tenfold. "Uh, Cloudy? Why are we coming down here?"

"Because this is where their hideout is, duh." Cloud Chaser said it like it was the most obvious, basic thing in the world. It all just didn't sit right inside Flitter's mind, and when her sister spoke again, it cemented the wrongness down pat. "I mean, normally I just meet Flak in one of the alleys, but because I could only pay half last time they wanted me to come down here." The mare sounded oblivious to the possible dangers.

Up ahead, a small, derelict warehouse rose up inside the shadows, and gave Flitter an instant reminder of why she never ever came down this way. The industrial buildings stood out so blatantly inside Ponyville that they felt wrong. Not to mention the crimes that were often commited in the area. A human fighting ring had been broken up a couple months back to boot. Were these gangers apart of that?

"This is it." Cloudy's voice broke Flitter away from her thoughts, and brought her attentions to a bland iron door cast into the side of a blank wall.

"How charming..." She muttered as she trotted up beside Cloud Chaser and stared at the oppressively bland building. Before Flitter could ask a single question, Cloudy trotted up to the door and knocked three times. A moment went by where nothing but the echoing silence greeted them, before a metal slat opened on the door and a pair of dull purple eyes stared out at them.

"Cloud Chaser?" The stallion sounded gruff and gravely, and he was looking down on them from the view slit. Flitter became keenly aware of a faint buzzing that tickled that back of her ear.

Her sister nodded, and held up the bag of bits. "Yep! I-"

"Who the buck is that with you?" The stallion cut her off and sounded slightly pissed off. Apparently Flitter hadn't been part of the plan.

Cloud Chaser shifted nervously from hoof to hoof. "It's my sister, she came with me since you guys decided to do a different spot this time around. Come on Vass, I've got the money, so let me in." Flitter suppressed a smirk. Even in the face of danger, Cloudy felt like she had to boss everyone around. Apparently, it worked. The so called Vass grumbled angrily as he closed the view slit. The sound of a box being moved penetrated the door, and after what felt like forever, there was the loud clack of a iron bar being removed, and the door swung open. Weak light streamed through the open door as a vastly shorter stallion stood before them. He glared at the pair, before making room for them to pass.

"Hurry it up sugar flanks, the boss wants a word with you." Cloud Chaser's mouth worked soundlessly for half a second, before audibly clicking shut. She apparently hadn't been expecting that. The pair were herded in, and through a small hallway; the hallway spat out into a large, open area full of tall wooden shelves piled high with boxes. Flitter's first guess was that the warehouse's contents weren't exactly legal in the broadest of terms. A couple of rough looking stallions watched over them as they were led through the twisting maze of shelves and crates.

Eventually, they were passed off to a pair of stallions wearing iron breast plates, before being led through a heavy door. They were shoved into a small office that stank of cigars and sweat. There was another, underlying smell that curled the hairs on the back of Flitter's neck, one she just couldn't place. At the back of the office was a chubby stallion who wore an obviously expensive black suit, and a very disturbing smirk. He looked over the two mares as they were prodded before his desk.

"And what do we have here?" He rasped; betraying his apparent love for cigars. "A payment jumper and her sister, come to pay Boss Haul a visit. So very kind of you." He slowly cut a stogie with his magic, before running a hoof through his slicked back silvering mane.

Cloudy smiled despite the situation and set the bag of bits down on the table. "And there's what I owe, plus what I missed last payment. Are we all good Mr. Haul?"

The stallion tipped over the bag, spilling shiny golden bits across his desk. "You forgot the late fee, little birdy."

The smile and all of the colour in Cloud Chaser's face drained within seconds. "T-the late fee? I... I didn't know.. How much-"

Boss Haul smiled thinly as he counted the bits. "Twenty percent. Now." The armoured stallions were getting a little bit closer, and Flitter could feel her heart beating faster inside her chest. Panic hadn't set in yet, and she thanked her training for that. Knowing that Jack was just outside, listening to every word spoken helped set Flitter at ease as well.

Her sister on the other hoof, looked as if she was about to burst. Her pupils had contracted, and one could almost smell the fear emanating from her nearly shaking body. "I-i don't have that much... Maybe-"

Again, she was cut off; the gangster was swiftly taking full control of the situation. "So you're stiffing us, is that it?" He set his freshly cut cigar down on the desk and stared at Cloud Chaser as she denied the accusation and shook her head vehemently. "Don't worry little birdy, we've got other ways for you to pay. Flak, Nova, grab them." Flitter felt her heart do one massive panicked flop as the stallions obeyed the order; the large earth pony by Cloudy pounced on her, pinning her to the ground with contemptuous ease. Flitter’s brain clicked in that she had maybe a single second, with her slightly smaller pegasi attacker right behind her. Her instinct said to kick him in the face with both hooves, but at the very last moment, her training cut through and her left hind leg bolted back like a shot and connected with the radius of the stallions foreleg. There was a muted crack, and he let out a shrill shriek of pain. On complete muscle memory, Flitter’s wing snagged the handle of her mono-edged combat knife, and let it spring from its sheath. The terran blade passed through the light iron armour like it was wet paper; the fleshy shoulder muscles and bone beneath that were cut through like hot butter. The USMC pattern handle jutted proudly from the now wailing stallion’s shoulder as he crashed to the floor and writhed in pain.

Tightening her grip on the handle, Flitter tensed to tug it free, but never got the chance. Magic curled around her head, and drove her skull into the concrete floor hard enough to turn the world a brilliant fizzling white and to replace all sounds with a keening whistle that echoed through her head. She became keenly aware that she was being lifted by her head again; the sensation parted in place of pain when Boss Haul slammed her muzzle against his desk repeatedly as he circled it in a fuming rage. “You little bitch!” He jabbed a hoof at the struggling and screaming Cloud Chaser. “Flak, shut her the buck up, but don’t damage her! I’m gonna get my bucking money's worth out of that turkey!” He slammed Flitter’s face into the thick wood desk once again before wrapping his forehoof around her throat. The mare made a weak gasp for air as she bled profusely all over the fine maple and his expensive suit. Leaning in close, Boss Haul sneered with white hot fury. “You’re gonna pay for that, Narc. The guard send you? Well they’re gonna get you back in pieces.” He cast a dispassionate glance over at the squirming pegasi that was supposed to have held her down. “Nova, you worthless birdbrain! Don’t you dare bleed out in my office!”

The stallion nodded shakily as the colour slowly bled from his features. “Y-y-yes b-boss…” His ears flicked as something hit the floor outside the office door. It sounded like something was going on out there, but he could barely hear it through the iron door and over all the noise in the office. Before Boss Haul had even turned his attentions back to the trouble maker, the noises outside had all but ceased, and Nova went back to focusing on not passing out in front of his boss.

Tightening his hold on the small mare’s throat, Boss Haul cupped his hips behind hers and gave her a meaningful prod as her breaths came in raspy and wet. “You shouldn’t have bucked up my boy, Narc. Now-” Someone knocked loudly on the office door three times, interrupting his moment. Cursing under his breath, Haul slammed her face into the desk once more for good measure; ignoring her sister's cries of horror and open sobbing as he turned to the door. “This better be good, I’m-” As the gangster approached the door, Flitter flopped off the desk and onto the floor; at the same time, the center of the door buckled inwards in a distinctly boot shaped pattern. The door exploded backwards off its hinges, plowing into Boss Haul and sending him straight back into his desk. A massive bipedal figure strode in through coiling grey smoke and ripped the blade from Nova’s shoulder; the monomolecular blade cleaved through his chest, sending a crimson gout of equine blood arcing across the office. Before Cloud Chaser had a chance to scream, or her assailant a moment to react; the figure span on his toes and pistoned the knife forward, into Flak’s throat. The figure’s free hand shot forward, and pulled the stallion to the ground at his armoured feet. A second stab was entirely unneeded; the blade practically cleaved Flak’s pounding heart in two, while the armoured gauntlet driving it forward shattered his ribcage like matchsticks. As Boss Haul struggled and yelled under the buckled iron door, the figure took two massive strides forward and wrenched the door off of the stallion like it was made of balsa wood. He grabbed the gangster by the horn and drove his face into the desk. Wood splintered and flesh split as the goliath drew close and growled at the bleeding stallion.

“YOU SHOULDN’TA DONE THAT.”

Cloud Chaser watched with wide, terrified eyes as the goliath snapped Boss Haul’s horn off at the base with a flick of the wrist. The bony, sharp horn twirled in its hand until its point was down; without pause the figure drove the horn deep into Haul’s right eye socket. The stallion wailed at a pitch she’d previously thought unreachable by stallions as he thrashed on the desk. The wailing didn’t last long, as the goliath pulled its balled up fist back and rammed it into Hauls skull, driving the horn deep into his brain and turning his skull violently concave. It was at that moment, when the gangsters grey matter was leaking from his nose, and blood was pouring from his ears and mouth, that Cloud Chaser’s brain decided that it had seen enough, and promptly shut her off. The mare flopped to the floor in a heap, just as Jack incinerated Nova’s head with his rifle. He swiftly kneeled down beside Flitter’s crumpled body once all targets were neutralized and slid his hands under her unresponsive body.

Gently scooping her up in his burly armoured hands, Jack cradled the mare and started scanning her. “Flitter, can you hear me?” The electronic voice did little to relay the intense worry and tingling fear that was present in his mind as he looked down at the bloodied little mare in his hands. “Come on Sparky, come on back to me.” He gently brushed her matted mane out of her eyes, just as her left eye fluttered open.

“wh...d-did i win?” Her right eye was a purple, swollen mess, and blood was running freely from her obviously broken nose. Her fine fur coat was marred and matted by blood; her’s and others. Jack chuckled as he gently stroked her abused head as gently as humanly possible.

“That ya did darlin. Come on, let’s get you and your sister back to base. I’ll get you fixed up right, I promise.” He set her down gently, and looked over to her unconscious sister. The other mare looked as if she hadn’t taken a scratch, besides the mental trauma she was going to have to face, very, very soon. The smell of burning wood, hair, and meat wafted into the office, amongst thick black smoke. “I got a little caught up, didn’t want anyone coming up behind us.”

Flitter tried to push herself up into a sitting position as Jack reached out and scooped something off of Boss Haul’s desk. “sokay… i-” She began to fall over, the vertigo taking her without warning. Before she could touch the floor again, Jack’s hand shot out and held her in place. Stuffing his prize into a dump pouch, he scooped Flitter up in his arms, before tossing Cloudy over one of his huge armoured shoulders. He began walking out of the burning warehouse, passing the bludgeoned and boiled corpses that he’d left in his wake headed towards the office. The front door had a gaping, still melting hole where the view slit had been, and the door pony was missing his head. Most of it, at least. What remained wasn’t worth mention. By the time that Jack had reached the safety of the tree line, the warehouse was completely consumed in flames, and Flitter had fallen into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

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Cloud Chaser’s mind was a shattered mess. The gruesome nightmare that had unfolded before her very eyes felt like a far away dream, something intangible, something straight out of fantasy. Swimming through the blackness of unconsciousness, the first thing she smelled was Boss Haul’s cigars. An unstoppable bolt of terror lanced through her mind, jolting her awake. Oh Celestia, I’m still in his office, they’re gonna hurt me! They’re gonna kill Flitter! Oh Luna… this is all my fault… She didn’t dare crack open her eyes as she listened to her baby sister whimper in pain and mewl softly in protest. The worst immediately came to Cloud Chasers mind, along with a sudden, horrible realizations. Those animals are taking her first, then they’re probably gonna kill her! Oh flitter… why did you have to fight? it wouldn’t have been so bad if you hadn’t… They’re gonna finish with you, and then I’m next! Why did you have to do this to me Flitter!?

“Hold still, Never fixed a pony nose before.” There was a muted click, which was immediately followed up by Flitter’s pained wail. Somebody shushed her softly, and her wail simmered down to a snuffling whimper. Curiosity took root in Cloud Chaser’s mind as she realized that she wasn’t laying on the cold concrete floor of Boss Hauls office; rather she was in some kind of canvas cot. Slowly cracking open one of her eyes, she peeked out over the olive drab edge; her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.

Jack shook his head and set the smoldering cigar down on the rocks, before dabbing at Flitters bloody muzzle with a cold, wet cloth. Internally he berated himself over and over again for taking so long, for not moving through the warehouse faster. Could have just waltzed through the place, but no, had to be fucking thorough. She paid for that. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid dumb motherfucker. Jack ran a hand down his cheek as he looked down at the beaten head resting in his lap. The last of his bandages had been used patching up where the soft skin had split against the wood and stone. He’d managed to get the swelling to go down considerably, but Flitter still looked like a bloody mess. Her one good eye drifted slowly up to him, and he knew she was in pain. just a little bit of morphine, not even for me… just something to take the pain away… Jack took in a long breath and held it as he stroked her mane softly. To his surprise, Flitter’s muzzle split open into a painful, bloody toothed smirk.

“sure showed them…” She nuzzled gently against him, and was readily accepted by the chuckling human. He didn’t dare touch his PDA, for fear of removing a single finger from her. Pulling her closer, he made sure that she was as comfortable as possible, before wrestling the cover over her using only his feet and teeth. As Flitter closed her eyes and let out a weak murmur of contentment, Jack’s eyes drifted over to his bed, where her sister lay comatose. When he found a pair of wide pink eyes staring back at him, his own eyes widened in surprise. A single word floated up, amongst all the others that vied for use in his mind.

Oh.

Chapter Sixteen: Handle With Care

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Cloud Chaser watched with slowly growing horror and fear as she stared at the murderous human who carefully held her battered sister in its hands. He stared back at her, his own eyes wide; his mouth drawn into a thin straight line of embarrassment. They both remained motionless, as if waiting for the other to act first. Memories of the murders committed before her eyes crashed through the floodgate within Cloud Chasers mind, and she felt a terror filled scream build up pressure inside her chest. As she unwillingly opened her mouth to shriek, the human’s hand shot forward and clamped down on her muzzle with lightning speed. His previous embarrassed expression swiftly shaped to one of disapproving anger. He jabbed a finger down at Flitter, as if to threaten Cloudy silently for waking up her injured sister. His narrowed eyes drilled into her own fear filled ones, and the message was relayed with ease.

After letting out a weak snuffle of frozen fear, Cloud Chaser nodded her head and tore her eyes away from his sharp gaze. Thankfully, he released her muzzle; leaving a faint tingling sensation where his fingers had clamped down like small vices. He motioned with his head for her to move; she complied almost immediately, scrambling out of the uncomfortable canvas bed and onto the stone floor as he lifted Flitter’s battered body and gently set her down on the bed. Cloud Chasers mind reeled and raced in confused directions as her eyes watered. Flitter! Oh my poor baby sister… I’m so sorry… the human, Jack? He… She wiped away her tears and forced herself to peer at her sister. The wounds she’d earned earlier had been cleaned and bandaged up with a modicum of skill. He… he’s healing her? Wiping her eyes once again, Cloud Chaser looked over at the human as he gently tucked a thick blanket up around Flitters chin. Her sister nuzzled slowly against his hand as he rubbed her ear. Shock began to set in, before being replaced by a slow understanding. It all makes sense… Flitter lied to me! She lied! I can’t believe this… Jack’s no desert rat, he’s a human! A… A smart human… Cloud Chaser swallowed thickly as Jack pulled away from Flitter, and beckoned for her to follow him over to the crackling fire that sat in the middle of the cave camp.

As she slowly trotted over and took a seat near him, Jack plopped down before the fire and let out a groan as he popped the joints in his hands. The machinegun cracks sent shivers down Cloud Chaser’s spine; the following sharp toothed grin did little to calm her. “W-what are you?” She asked with trepidation in her voice as she shifted on the smooth log.

Glancing over at the thoroughly terrified mare, Jack chuckled lightly in amusement as he grabbed a small can of peaches and carved the top off with his knife. When the offer went untaken by Flitter’s sister, he shrugged, and scarfed down some. As he chewed slowly, he cleaned his fingers off on his pant legs and started tapping away at the screen of his PDA. The electronic voice that came from it made Cloud Chaser jump; her wings spreading wide to subconsciously make herself seem bigger. “Terran Human. As for who, you’re looking at Jack Kessle. For the record, I don’t like you.”

Sputtering with indignation, Cloud Chaser stared at the human with incredulity. “W-what? I don’t even… I don’t even know you!” Her following sentence was cut off swiftly when he jerked his hand aggressively toward her to point and planted a single finger against his lips. With furrowed brows her jabbed the same finger to Flitters sleeping form. Basically, he was telling her to keep it down, aggressively. Don't tell me what to do you ape...

“If you wake her up, we’re gonna have a problem.” He tore off the cans label and let it flutter slowly into the crackling fire as he held Cloud Chaser down with his gaze. “And you’re right. I don’t really know you. But what I do know paints you as a massive piece of shit, and considering last night’s little stunt, I think I’m probably right.” He crossed his arms across his chest and glared down at the indignant Cloud Chaser as she sputtered and squirmed under the scrutiny. He was condemning her silently, and what remained of Cloudy’s pride refused to let that slide.

He’s just a human! A dirty stupid human! He doesn’t have the right to say something like that! “Who the heck do you think you are?” She growled out, her feathers shivering with anger. “You’re a murderer, you murdered those ponies back there.” She fought to keep her voice down and from shaking. His silent condemnation turned to disgust as he stared down at her, causing her hackles to raise.

“No shit. You seem to be forgetting that those guys were beating the shit out of Flitter, your little sister. Did you forget about what they were planning to do? Or were you fine with it so long as they took her first, giving you time to slip away like the shitweasel you are?” The PDA did little to express the sheer landslide of emotions that flashed behind his eyes as he glared hotly at her; it barely managed to convey anger properly.

Feeling her own temper flaring; Cloud Chaser barely held back her full body shivers of fury. “Shut your damn mouth, you’re just a human, you can’t possibly begin to even think of what I’ve had to go through for Flitter!” Her carefully controlled voice let the last portion be hissed out between clenched teeth in a concerted effort to keep from waking Flitter.

To her surprise, his disgust turned upwards into an aggressive toothy grin. “Oh, so was fucking her boyfriend behind her back for pleasure, or for her own good?” When Cloud Chaser blinked; her mouth falling open in shock, he pounced. “Lemme guess. You stealing her money, going through her belongings, and betraying her trust was all an elaborate ruse, showing her how amazing a sister you really are? Please, don’t make me laugh.”

With tears threatening the edges of her eyes, Cloud Chaser shoved Jack roughly and spat. “Fuck you!” She drew back a hoof to strike the human, but her plans all fell to pieces when he sprang forward and tossed her to the ground fast enough to make the whole world spin. Before Cloudy had any clue as to what was going on, or how she’d ended up on the floor, the augmented back of Jack’s hand slapped across her muzzle, eliciting a shrill squawk of pain from the pegasus. Sharp pins and needles sprang up across her muzzle where he’d backhanded her, and the threatening tears broke through the dams. A blubbering sob came out of her mouth past her split lip.

Sneering down at the sobbing pegasus pinned under him, Jack shook his head and focused his breathing to force his anger back down. Inhale, count to four. Exhale, count to four. He let out a slow breath and opened his eyes. His fingers danced angrily across the PDA’s screen as he stood up and off of Cloud Chasers heaving chest and forced his clenched fist to unclench. “If a murderer treats your little sister better than you do, maybe you should reconsider your life choices.”

In the end, it was Flitter's croaking voice that ended the situation before it grew any further. "Jack?" Her head was propped up on the well beaten pillow, but both of her eyes were closed. Jack shot one last withering glare at Cloudy, before treading over to Flitter. The mare smiled weakly when she felt his fingers softly stroke her mane. "could you take cloudy home please? and maybe stoke the fire a bit?" Her voice sounded nearly frail in its quiet timber, but Jack drew faith from it; knowing that the simple fact she had the strength to speak meant a great many things.

Nodding, he gave her flicking ears a meaningful rub, before pulling the heavy blanket up to her muzzle. Standing once again, Jack tossed a sizable log onto the flames and turned his attentions back to Cloud Chaser. The snivelling mare kicked at his hands when he tried to pick her up. "D-don't touch me!" She let out a terrified little squeal when Jack roughly grabbed her and tied a blindfold around her head. Without pause, Jack hefted her over his shoulder like she were a foal and carted her out into the biting cold. Shivering against the humans boney shoulder, Cloud Chaser began to fume. "H-how the heck do you even know about me and Goldie? Have you... Have you been spying on us?"

Jack grunted as he hopped over a log, accidentally driving his shoulder into her soft stomach. Cloud Chaser coughed from the pain and bit her lip to keep her anger in as Jack tapped away with one hand. "I know because Flitter knows. You think I'd waste my time spying on you?"

"She... she knows?" Cloud Chaser felt her wounded pride deflating rapidly as Jack shifted her to a less terrible spot on his shoulder. The ride got no better as snow began to pile on the pair, the occasional tree branch raked across Cloud Chasers unprotected body as Jack chose a more meandering path that weaved back and forth so the mare would lose her bearings.

"Of course she knows. She's not stupid. Flitter is a very smart girl, and she deserves to be treated better. This Goldie is lucky I don't know where he lives." He grunted lightly as a sharp chilly breeze bit into the both of them. "You start treating her better." Squeezing her eyes shut, Cloudy nodded and shivered. Thankfully, the rest of the chilly trip went by in stark silence, right up until Jack reached the plot of land that held the two sisters Cloudhome. Pulling the blindfold from Cloud Chaser's eyes, Jack set her down and did an abrupt about face.

"Wait! Wait, Jack, I um..." Cloud Chaser wiped her eyes and sniffed. Jack had stopped several steps away, though he didn't turn to regard her. "Please, just... Tell Flitter that I'm sorry..." The only affirmation she received was a gruff grunt before Jack continued his march back through the whipping cold.

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Cringing in pain as she tossed and turned on Jack's cot, Flitter's mind wandered in an attempt to avoid thinking of the harsh words spoken between her sister and Jack. Despite what the pair had thought, she hadn't been asleep at all. The pounding pain that seared her face made damn sure of that. Her mind wandered aimlessly, to places it had no business. The horrorshow that she'd been apart of not two hours ago was painfully fresh in her mind; the greasy stallion and how her snarled in her ear, how he had almost mounted her like she was defenceless. That's never going to happen again. I'll train more, fight harder, do whatever it takes. I'm never going to be defenceless again. White hot coals of fury kindled inside her, setting her heart ablaze. Never again.

The tarp crackled loudly as Jack tromped back in; he shook himself, and brushed his shoulders to dislodge the snow that had fallen there. Despite the pain it caused, Flitter smiled as best she could at him as she rested her head on his pillow. "Hey Jack... Cloudy get home alright?" His nod was the only answer she got as he closed the distance between them, and resumed agonizing himself over her medical treatment. After brief applications of ice and an antibiotic gel, Flitter managed to get Jack to stay still long enough to act as her headrest. “I prefer you over your lumpy pillow.” She nuzzled against his stomach as he sighed quietly in defeat.

“If you need anything, you let me know alright?” The PDA spoke as he slowly petted her mane and scritched between her ears. Despite the throbbing pain that covered her face, the simple pleasure of his fingers did wonders to lift her spirit. His words caused the spark in her heart to arc for a moment.

The flush on her face went unnoticed behind the bruising and fur. “sure… hey, can I watch some more combat videos? i don’t want to miss any training just because of this.” Through her one good eye, she could tell that Jack mostly didn’t approve of her wanting to push herself currently, but she could see the underlying pride that beamed through his intense worry.

“Yeah, you should rest though. Took a bit of a beating today, so you shouldn’t focus too much.” Jack fidgeted next to her; having to physically stop himself from getting her his helmet. He idly rubbed her left ear as she nuzzled his hand.

“I’ll be resting a lot I think. I need something to keep my mind busy, you know?” Jack seemed to pull back at her words, a look of intense worry crossing his features for a split second. It was replaced by a flat acceptance, and a hint of guilt. He pushed a smile, and nodded. Standing up, he wrested the blood spattered and soot blackened helmet from his armour and carted it over to Flitter. Gently lowering it down over her head, Jack went over everything before powering it, leaving the rest to Flitter.

The mare sighed as the heavy weight settled over her shoulders; Jack placed his pillow under her back so she could lay down without difficulties as she wore the massive helmet. Screens flicked by, and soon she found herself staring at the unfinished video of Jack’s battle in Tokyo. Couldn’t hurt to finish this. Yeah, let’s go back to Tokyo. Flitter braced herself, and engaged the video; she soon found herself vaulted right back to where she left off. The harsh colours of burning Terra flooded her vision, and she was met by several severe human faces. Flitter relaxed, and let her mind wrap around what she was going to watch.

Chapter Sixteen Point Five: House of the Rising Sun

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Jack’s gruff voice boomed within the helmet as Hans skillfully piloted Irma through ruined streets and burning wreckage. “AA is down, moving to the rendezvous!” He called up a digital map that immediately pinged the team’s position, opposed to the meet point. There was a great amount of ground to cover, and none of it was green. The smell of his own sweat bit at his nose, telling of filters hard pressed by all of the ash and smoke to keep up.

The Colonel’s voice crackled back through the hazy connection. “I read you. Anti-air batteries destroyed. Australians have been notified. I have bad news for you.” The words hung in the air, thick and disgusting to behold.

Both Jack and Hans groaned quietly over squad comms; Hans’ video feed showed him letting his head tilt back as he cursed mutely. Shaking his head, Jack keyed his mic with his chin. “Go ahead Colonel. We’re listening. Hans, keep speed.” Jack shifted in his harness, suddenly finding the position uncomfortable.

The lack of video feed from the Colonel was telling enough about the state of things in Tokyo; the crackling, fading connection of a simple radio feed meant only bad news. “The Covellans have reinforced their position heavily, and seem to be massing for a large scale push back out into the city. If we attack now while they organize we may stand a chance of defeating them, but at high costs.” Colonel Wsu sounded dead tired, as if he were running on fumes.

On squad comms, Hans shook his head. “Das ist schlecht… This is very, very bad Jak. We can’t risk ourselves for a fool’s errand.” The veteran pilot shifted, and for once looked torn. His voice carried no small amount of regret for his words. "I like it as much as you do, but orders are orders."

“Right, but we can’t just leave them high and dry… There’s gotta be something we can do. Just don’t feel right, yah know?” Hans nodded, and brought up a more detailed map for Jack. Looking it over as Hans piloted Irma, an idea struck like an explosion inside Jack’s mind; a toothy grin spread over his features as he keyed comms back to Colonel Wsu. “Colonel Wsu, I gotta question for yah.” Jack’s barely noticeable twang came out just a bit, showing his excitement towards the idea practically burning a hole in his head. Hans glanced up at the video feed with curiosity, before returning his attentions to his masterful work.

There was a brief pause before the Colonel answered. “What question?” The man almost seemed uninterested in whatever Jack had to say. The interference grew worse for a moment, before thankfully clearing up

Jack’s own smile spread even wider as he sat back in the magnetic harness on Irma’s back. “Colonel, how much explosive material do you have? TNT, RDX, C4, I don’t care. If it booms, I need to know.” Irma crushed a tiny japanese car beneath her grasping feet; the concrete faring no better as she jogged at forty kilometers per hour down the cluttered roads and side streets.

Colonel Wsu’s response made it sound as if he had gained a sudden, baited interest in whatever Jack was planning inside his head. “We have plenty, short on everything else including socks. Why? What are you planning? C4 can’t scratch those Corvellan’s armour, you should know this.” There was a hint of annoyance in the Wsu’s voice, but he was forcing himself to remain optimistic.

“Colonel, correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks like the Corvellan’s have built their landing camp about two blocks from the Dentsu building. Base has gotten real big since they first landed, lots of patrols, heavy walls, good support…” Jack let his voice trail off by accident as he visualized the next part with beautifully visceral detail.

The Colonel, however, was not such a big fan of dramatic pauses. “Yes, yes they have. Get to the point Mercenary.” Somebody interrupted the comms call on the Colonel's side, and he shot a string of rapid fire japanese at whomever it was before returning to the comms. “Well?”

Jack’s grin grew dangerously large as the Dentsu building came into view on the horizon, towering over much of the city ruins. “The Dentsu building. I’m gonna blow it up, and land it right on top of their ugly fucking heads.”

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With the camp finally in range, the teams comms burst at the seams with radio traffic. It seemed as though the whole square was a living, breathing entity that fueled itself off of its hate for the enemy. Troops jogged back and forth, unloading supply trucks and loading said supplies into everything else. Squad sergeants bellowed and beckoned, coercing and threatening their subordinates into coherent units. Vehicles roared to life as men and women loaded into them, until every window and gunport bristled with rapid fire death. Skillfully avoiding crushing any unfortunate privates, Hans skirted Irma's armoured bulk through the buzzing hive of activity. Jack caught sight of Colonel Wsu standing beside two combat cars. The frontmost one was being loaded down with crates; big olive drab pelican crates that were loaded down with the letter and number of the day. C4.

Spotting the armoured walker, the Colonel turned and waved the two-man team over, as a small squad of marines gathered in front of him. Dismounting and falling to the ground with a muted thud, Jack began treading over as fast as he could. Again, Hans did not join him; favouring to simply piggyback off of Jack's optics and audio feeds. The Colonel nodded to Jack, and did not bother snapping a salute; in return, neither did Jack. As Jack came to stop before Colonel Wsu, he found himself staring at the remains of the squad that they'd pulled out of the fire, Oni squad.

With his hands clasped behind his back, the weathered Japanese colonel cracked a wary smile. "Welcome back. Oni squad will be attached to you for this stunt of yours, they'll follow your lead. Try to bring them back in one piece." At that he turned, and fired off a rapid string of Japanese at Oni actual. The woman replied so quickly that Jack's translator only managed to spit out garbled gibberish. The pair saluted each other, before parting ways. The last of the crates had been loaded into the first vehicle, and without a word the small squad mounted up. Suddenly finding himself standing alone amidst whirling activity, Jack let out a slow sigh and fought the urge to rub his eyes. A slight twinging pain sprang up in his thighs and forearms, prompting action. As he turned on his heels, Jack keyed the voice command dimple in his helmet.

"Armour, administer half dose, midday." He fought and failed to suppress the pleasant shivers and groan that he let out as the stimulants flooded his system like ecstasy. Jack shook his head and the fog rolled back, leaving everything razor sharp in contrast.

Hans just had to ruin the moment. "Hey, cowboy! You gonna mount up, or should we leave without you?" Hans had removed his patrol cap in favour of a sweat band. The inside of the walker was guaranteed a toasty warm at the best of times. A day's worth of stubble was beginning to show on his drawn cheeks like a healthy dose of salt and pepper.

"Oh can it, kraut. There in a shake." Jack kicked off at a jog as he scanned his readouts. Despite the close calls, everything was in the green and his ammunition was holding steady. With the chemicals flooding his veins, he felt like he could take on the whole world. Or topple one of Tokyo's tallest towers. I'll settle for one out of two. With a wicked grin, Jack vaulted onto Irma's back and pounded the access hatch with his armoured fist. "Come on Bismark, let's go stomp some Slugs!"

The small convoy peeled out well ahead of the main force; Irma's heavy metal bulk acting both as scout and fire support, while the roof gunners of the combat cars swivelled about in search of inhuman targets. The middlemost vehicle was loaded for bear with enough plastic explosives to level a city block; most of Oni squad remained in the rearmost vehicle, every weapon available jutting out from the armoured gunports. With an uncaring kick, a Japanese microcar was set skittering across the debris filled street, clearing the way for the convoy. As they neared Corvellan controlled territory, Jack sent his drone buzzing into the ash clogged skies to add to their sensors.

Keying his squad mic, Jack rested the muzzle of his grizzly rifle on Irma's shoulder as he spoke. "So Hans, tell me about Irma, the human one."

Glancing up at the camera situated in the corner of his cockpit, the German pilot smiled offly and returned his gaze to the streets. Jack arched a brow as the smile spread. "Irma... She is quite the handful, let me tell you. Very adventurous, and always getting herself in some kind of trouble. I thank my lucky stars that my wife works from home, we could never afford a sitter who could keep up." Hams sighed longingly as he disengaged one of his control gauntlets and reached out of frame. He tugged a small picture from somewhere, and pressed it against the camera. The vidfeed was filled with the image of his family. A beautiful wife with long flowing brown hair, a gorgeous little girl with bright rosey cheeks and blonde hair was reaching out to the camera. They were both dressed for sunny weather, and Jack could just make out the pyramids in the background. Jack's eyes dwelled on the picture, his mind on just how happy they both looked. The smiles were natural, filled with love for the person behind the camera.

Tearing his eyes away, Jack forced himself to smile for the benefit of the other soldier “They waiting for you back in Germany?"

The older man smiled and shook his head. "Thankfully, no. Alexis was visiting her sister on Mars with Irma when the invasion started." Hans' smile faltered a bit, showing the strain that the sheer distance imposed upon his heart. He blinked hard, before shooting a smirk at the camera as he stuck the picture back where it belonged. "What about you Jak? Got some special lady waiting for you back in feddy territory?"

The immediate frown from Jack made the German pilot's smile lose some of its luster. "No. once upon a time I did, but not any more. Now she's my boss." He snorted hotly and rechecked his rifle for the umpteenth time; his chin engaged full squad comms. "Heads on a swivel, we’re approaching the target zone. Bird face owns this part of town, so watch it." A slew of affirmatives greeted his warning, all stern and austere. Finding humour in it, he disengaged squad comms and stood in the harness to grab his drone as it buzzed in for its return. With deft fingers he pulled its battery out, and slapped in a new one. His eye in the sky bobbed a bit, before zipping back up into the smoke.

The convoy didn't slow as they careened down a back alley; the occasional body splayed out in a cut in doorway. The combat cars bucked as they crushed pale twisted bodies of the unfortunate and slow. A sudden keening sound blared in Jack's helmet as a bright red marker popped up before them. "Woah! Brake, Brake!" Wheels screeched and brake pads squealed as Irmas clawed feet dug deep into the pavement, stopping her dead in her tracks barely two meters from the alley exit.

"What is it lead?" Oni Actuals voice came over the radio laced with annoyance and worry. At that point, Jack's drone had fed the data to Hans, and Irma reduced her silhouette; her twin shoulder cannons deploying as a precaution.

Jack snapped back over the radio as he rested his rifle barrel on Irma's armoured head. "Keep quiet, Low Baller contact." All radio chatter went utterly silent, leaving nothing but the sounds of burning Tokyo all around them. Then, a low, pounding sound began to reverberate through the alleyway. Wumpthumpwumpthumpwumpthump

Like a ponderous beast of burden, a massive armoured crawler crept past the alley mouth, the sheer size of the vehicle blocking out the light. It's ten armoured legs carried it down the street, it's back bristling with long range guns. Behind it followed a platoon sized pack of Corvellan heavy infantry, the real fighters of the war. Slowly, Irma deployed her shield, and used it as a visual block against the marching war group.

By the time the group passed, it felt like an eternity had gone by in waiting. Jack let out a breath he hadn't realized that he'd been holding in. "Alright, pinging the group for Colonel Wsu. Let's roll Oni. Almost there." The tension in his body didn't bleed out a single bit as Irma cautiously crossed the street; the combat cars followed shortly as their roof mounted heavy spikers panned and pined for targets.

Without incident the convoy crossed the debris strewn street and dipped down into the parking garage that sat under the massive tower. The only thing barring their access was a rolling steel gate, one that made a gut wrenching squeal as Irma's graspers dug into it and pulled it upwards. With her bulk shifted to the side, the combat cars entered the parking garage. Irma was last, the mangled steel gate falling closed behind her.

Doors swung wide as the marines piled out barrel first, their night vision goggles scanned for any sign of movement in the dark and nearly empty garage.

"No contact."

Jack dropped from Irma's harness and let his grizzly hang limp in its sling on his shoulder. Halogen lights went up and flooded the area with harsh light as two of the marines grunted and struggled to haul the first pelican crate out. The top popped open, revealing row after row of C4 bricks and their remote detonators. Approaching the group of marines, Jack disengaged his helmet seal and pulled it off. The Okinawan marines almost seemed surprised. Perhaps he didn't look how they had expected him to.

"Alright, who amongst yah knows how to wire explosives?" Jack's common wasn't the best, but it got the point across. Several of the marines looked amongst themselves, before their combat medic, and squad leader stepped forward. The woman pulled off her ballistic helmet and nodded to Jack.

"I know a bit. Say what you need." The woman had a severe asian face that was marred by deep sunken eyes; ringed with paunchy dark bruises. Jack figured she looked like he felt half the time.

Smiling confidently, Jack pulled out a brick of C4 and its detonator. "Alright boys and girls, the first lesson of the day is the demolitions alphabet. Starting with D. D is for don't get close when it's primed, because you will die. The next letter is P. P is for plenty. If in doubt, use more." He quickly showed the marines the dummy proof way to wire them up, and slave the receivers to his master detonator. Approaching a wall mounted map of the office building, Jack planted an armoured finger and ran it up the first five floors. "You see the elevator shaft here? We're rigging every load bearing pylon east of them. Split into teams of two, and sound off when you finish. If it even remotely looks structural, rig that shit. I don't want to see a single brick left in those crates when we bug out. I'll take the fifth floor, and work down to the fourth. Hans and Irma won't be able to do much without bringing hell down on our heads, so keep your eyes on. Maintain radio contact, and regroup down here when you finish your floor." He scanned the group, finding only eyes filled with the want for vengeance starring back at him. He smirked. "Let's go blow up a tower boys and girls. Oorah?"

The squad before him boomed "OORAH!" Their voices echoed through the dead structure, foretelling its doom.

_________________________________________________________________

Heavy combat boots crashed down onto the dust covered stairs as the squad ascended the dark tower; night vision goggles turning the world an off, eerie green. Two marines split off at each floor, their voices hushed and hurried as they strapped load bearing pillars with high explosives. Just beyond the polarized windows, the Corvellan base could be seen through the ash and haze. Their structures were strange in an uncanny valley sort of way, made of metals unknown to man and set at odd angles. Troops milled about like ants, unaware of what the marines were doing.

As Jack crested the last step, he halted in his tracks. Just beyond the fire door, something was moving on the fifth floor. He carefully eased the door open; his weapon entered the room first, followed by his heavily armoured form. Again the noise came to him; it sounded like garbled speech coming through a rebreather. Jack's eyes narrowed as he spotted the owner's shadow. Corvellan's... Jack frowned as he activated his magnetics and hunkered down behind cover. His vision shifted from hazy green to a sharp blue as everything metallic popped up in his vision. The unmistakable avian body of the Alien invaders was stooped over something, it's comrade chattering idly back at it. By the size of them, they had to be light infantry. Looting? Or sight seeing? Don't matter, you bastards are dead.

Jack slung his rifle over his back as he set the crate full of explosives gently down on the floor. His knife slid silently from its leather sheath; his feet carried him closer and closer to the hated enemy. Finally, he saw what the crouched Corvellan was rifling through- a hello kitty backpack? What? Jack arched his brow as the standing alien gestured to the random knick knacks that lay strewn about the dirty office floor. A seemingly random collection of Japanese tourists toys and memorabilia lay in a pile; the two aliens seemed fascinated by the cheap plastic toys.

The Corvellan's weren't exactly an ugly alien; most of them seemed very slight, with predominantly avian features. Their entire bodies were covered with a sappy purple sludge that was supposedly engineered, most likely to keep them healthy in earth's oxygen rich environment. The light infantry equivalent of their military arm left trails of it everywhere, like slug trails. Their equipment was impressive technologically, but was unacceptable by human standards as it always seemed to require full maintenance every few hours. As Jack crept up upon the pair, he could see every minuet detail in their backs. The two were apparently shooting the shit in their language of beak clicks and guttural throat noises. Their stances were relaxed, and unprepared. Some scientists had supposed the Corvellan's to be minorly telepathic, hence why the less trained were less alert and easily scared. They relied too heavily upon being able to read the minds of their fellows.

The standing Corvellan clicked its beak lightly as it shouldered its weapon and gestured idly to its comrade. The following warbles were turned to arterial spray as Jack pounced on him and jammed the knife into its neck. The crouched alien turned on his heels and his saucer eyes went even wider as he squawked and chirped. The first fell to the floor in a spasming heap, just as the seconds weapon barrel lifted. The first bolt of incandescent energy barely missed Jack's chest, while the second burned a tin can sized hole into his left shoulder. Letting out a bellow of pain, Jack barrelled into the second Corvellan, driving it to the ground as its weapon discharged repeatedly into the empty office. With his good arm pinning the alien's weapon down, and his left unresponsive, Jack was forced to act a little more brutally then planned. His armoured helmet slammed down into the Corvellan's face, shattering its brittle beak like glass. The thing writhed in pain and thrashed against its assailant, all to no avail as Jack slammed his head back down again, cracking open the aliens skull. It twitched and mewled softly as goopy clear blood flowed from its wounds. Pulling his knife free from its four fingered grasp, Jack planted it in the Corvellan's skull to ensure his own safety.

"Longbow Actual, we heard shots." Oni actual voice sounded over his comms as he smeared the blood darkening his visor. The teams below hadn't run into any trouble, and that meant he was behind.

"I'm fine Oni actual, just dealing with some unwanted guests. Took a graze, I'll be aight." Jack muted his grunt of pain as the morphine dulled the feeling of his muscle melting off the bone. The trauma suite would deal with the wound well enough. Guess I'm taking a break after this so they can slap some vat muscle on me. yay. I wonder if it’ll fall off... Jack shook his head to clear his hazy thoughts away and unlimbered his sabot pistol. Dragging the crate into the center of the room, he got to work.

Halfway through rigging the fourth floor, he got the call of finished from all three squads. Hans' voice came through his comms, clear as glass. "Jak, UAV shows slug patrol breaking course to head to us. They are close."

Before Jack had a second to answer, a second call sent out. "This is fireteam one! We are under attack on first floor!" The sounds of gunfire echoed through the building, forcing Jack's hand to work faster. Row after row of pillars was jury rigged with explosives haphazardly slapped against the concrete surfaces. His HUD blinked red, and warned of falling blood pressure and too high of a heart rate. A curious, cursory glance to his left confirmed his worst thoughts. His armour was scorched black and a deep crimson red was slowly trickling across his breast plate. An off white foam was peeking out of the hole, already hardening to seal the breach. Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks. Grimacing at the thought, but feeling nothing but the calming cool numbness of morphine, Jack shook his head and ordered his trauma suite to plug the hole however it could. A sudden, white hot pain exploded through the pleasant numbness, and the blood pressure warning stated that he was stabilized.

With his body trying to rebel, but his hydraulics and mind demanding mission completion; Jack slapped the last brick of C4 into place and rigged it to blow in tandem. His legs began acting on their own volition, turning his towards the stairwell and taking it down five steps at a time. By the time he'd reached the first floor, the fighting had gotten even worse. The remaining fireteams had regrouped, and were holding valiantly. Oni Actual whirled on her heels as Jack barged through the steel door, Corvellan bolts peppering the wall near him.

The medic whirled her hand over her head and yelled. "All accounted for! Fighting withdrawal!" One by one the soldiers backed out of the floor, emptying their magazines to keep the Corvellan's pinned down. Several light infantry aliens had gotten a little too ballsy, and had earned six point five inch superheated spikes through their avian bodies as a result. As the last of the marines fells back, Jack beckoned to Oni Actual.

"Come on! Let's get the hell out of dodge!" The woman nodded, and began backing towards the open door as a small cylinder thumped over a desk. Jack's armour had only just popped up a proximity warning when the spine grenade exploded, showering the two in toxic barbs. Oni Actual fell to the ground and writhed, her face already becoming a mask of pure agony as she foamed at the mouth. With his right side bristling with barbs, Jack levelled his pistol and shot her through the top of the head. His shoulder sprang open, and a homing rocket streaked out into the office for revenge. He never got to see the end results as he tripped and tumbled down the concrete stairwell. At the bottom, he forced himself up, and set off with a strong stride. The marines had already loaded up, and they were waiting for him. The roof gunner of the final car opened his mouth as if to ask where his squad leader was, but when he saw Jack's side bristling with barbs, he made a face of disgust and turned away.

Hans kneeled Irma down and wretched the parking garage door open as Jack clambered aboard with one hand. "We gotta go cowboy! UAV picked up transport ship landing, we’re gonna be overran real soon!" The man sounded almost panicked as the combat cars shot out into the light of day and opened fire down the street. Irma followed suite, and her shoulder cannons spoke with utter authority. As the ragged convoy peeled off, Jack hefted his good arm high and activated the detonator. There was a brief pause, before a muffled crump echoed through the streets. The following blast spewed hunks of pulverized glass, concrete, rebar and flaming office supplies out in all directions. The gargantuan tower sagged, its remaining structural supports going off like muted shotgun blasts. For a moment, it appeared as though the tower wouldn't fall; a second later there was a resounding boom as the building separated from its foundation. Hundreds of tonnes of concrete and steel came crashing down onto the alien base, the cacophony of chaos was almost outdone by the transport ships reactor going critical and filling the world with vibrant light. The shockwave of dust and debris nearly toppled Irma over backwards; the smaller combat cars were sent skittering off like toys. At that point, a large hunk of concrete glanced across Jack’s helmet, damaging the display and destroying environmental containment. His HUD flickered, the area map flooding with blue friendly signatures.

Colonel Wsu’s voice boomed through Jack’s damaged comms, and contained the holy commandments of Terra. “ALL UNITS, INTO THE BREACH! FOR EARTH!” The returning war cries were shut out for a moment as the hypersonic banshee wail of terran air support. The ground superiority fighters streaked in, their nose mounted gatling guns let out pealing lightning roars, their tracer rounds ripping the hated enemy asunder. Wing mounted cluster bombs fell, and split the earth open as the Japanese ground forces charged pell-mell into the breach opened by the falling tower.

At that point, the morphine high had lost its edge for Jack, and he was sagging badly in the harness when Han’s voice crackled through. “Hey Jak, still alive up there? HUD says that you’re wounded!” Irma was treading back towards the fight, hell bent on tasting more combat. They were practically inside the base, their flanks matched on either side by engaging units. The perpetuating dust cloud made it impossible to see much of anything, save for the violent tracking back and forth of small arms fire and tank cannons. Hans’ face was barely visible through the broken connection, but it was clear that the man was stressed beyond natural bounds and intensely worried. “Answer me Cowboy! Come on, don’t you dare die on me!”

Not answering the pilot, Jack slowly shook his head and thumped his helmet against Irma’s back. A slew of screens opened across his damaged face plate, until one final one popped up; its edges lined with blinking red.

Combat Stimm application requires confirmation

Y/N

Jack gritted his teeth and confirmed. I DIE ON MY OWN TERMS. Rapid confirmation sent the message away like a whim, and the armour clacked quietly in his ears. Jack did his best to brace for what was to come; his muscles tensed and his eyes closed. Truth be told, nobody was ever ready. The needles punched in simultaneously, and saturated his body and brain with combat stimulants. As they seeped in, his life signs winked out of the HUD, and his harness magnets disengaged. His eyes shot open, and the world around him became a swirling drug fueled ballet of death, gunfire and dust. Jack was barely aware that Hans was shouting his name as he barreled across the battlefield, screaming at the top of his lungs. His sabot pistol barked and bucked in his hand, its muzzle seeking out targets of his boiling fury. Rounds snapped and hissed by him, some sizzling his armour like cheap plastic. They only served to fuel his hatred, while the potent cocktail of adrenaline and psychoactive combat drugs propelled his body forward like a demon.

Before him, a large CDF battle tank took a direct hit that sheared the turret nearly clean off; setting the entire vehicle ablaze. Corvellan heavy infantry was advancing, cutting the attackers down in droves. A brilliant bolt of energy struck Jack’s helmet, and the feed was lost. After moments of black, painful silence, it returned with a vengeance. The Terrans had committed to a full on bayonet charge, and Jack had piledrived his way right into it. The feed winked out again, only to come back moments later as a Corvellan heavy trooper was taking swings at the blood raged Jack. His pistol spoke, driving round after round into the alien's chest as Jack screamed incomprehensibly in rage. Flecks of bloody foam speckled Jacks cracked display as the heavy trooper charged him. It stumbled back and roared in defiance as it was struck once again, before being crushed under tread by a flaming CDF battle tank whose turret had been sheared off. The vehicle sped onwards, until exploding into a brilliant ball of flames and shrapnel amidst the enemy. Jack lifted his pistol as if he were drunk, and fired randomly at the flickering silhouettes in the dust until his pistol clicked dry. The video flickered one final time as he stumbled; screaming his rage as he spat up blood that spattered the inside of the screen, before shutting off completely. The words Replay and Close flashed before Flitters eyes.

Selecting the close option, Flitter struggled to pry herself out of the heavy helmet. She took a deep, calming breath, before looking around to find Jack. A faint smile graced her split lips when she found him slumped against the bed, his head sagged backwards and his mouth open as he snored quietly. Scooting carefully to his side, Flitter curled up in his lap, and pulled the blanket over the both of them. The human’s arms twitched in his sleep, and as if on autopilot, wrapped themselves around her warm, fuzzy body. Flitter gently nuzzled his left shoulder, where the skin was just a touch lighter than the rest around it. I’ll have to ask him about it in the morning… Flitter looked up at Jack’s calm face, her mind drifting back to the savage mask of pure hatred that had stared back at her from the weak reflection in his helmet. There had been pain in his addled eyes, something he sought to squash and hide away from the world. Slowly sitting up in his lap, Flitter placed her broken lips against his bearded chin and kissed him as softly as she could. As she curled up in his lap again, Flitter rested her head against his chest and let his steady heartbeat lull her asleep.

Chapter Seventeen: Front Toward Enemy

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The cave was utterly silent, save for the muffled howling of wind beyond the door and the sound of Jack's stressed murmurs. Slowly cracking open a bleary, bloodshot eye, Flitter nuzzled against the warm body that she'd snuggled up with the night prior. His muscles were tensing and twitching erratically, and his face was coated with a light sheen of cold sweat. Furrowing her brow lightly, Flitter nudged his chin and sat up on his lap.

"Jack. Jack, wake up." She nudged him again, and found herself frowning harder when he wouldn't do so much as crack an eye open. Sighing quietly, Flitter head-butted him square in the chest. The large man jumped with a startled yelp; his limbs flailing outwards aggressively as his sleep addled brain flew into a frenzy as it tried to comprehend what was attacking him. Ducking under his flailing arms and pressing against his chest, Flitter nudged his chin again and spoke loudly and slowly. "Jaaack, calm, caaalm."

The man blinked slowly and lifted his arms as he looked down at his lap. Flitter's broken face smiled up at him as greeting, causing the hard lines etched into his face to soften. He closed his eyes and let his head thump against the bed frame behind him. A quiet groan slipped from his lips as he slowly moved his legs out to work blood back into his stumps. Now that Jack was awake, Flitter allowed herself to relax, if only slightly. I... Should probably get off of his lap. With it being morning and all. A sly smile split across her muzzle as she got comfortable on his lap. Jack squirmed under her, his morning predicament becoming more noticeable as she moved. He grunted quietly in defeat when he realized that Flitter wasn't about to move any time soon.

His hands searched blindly across the bed behind him, and thankfully tapped against his heavy composite helmet. His fingers traced across the auxiliary wire, and to his PDA. Only able to crack open one crud laden eye, he slowly tapped out a message for the mare making herself comfortable on his lap.

"You gonna stay there long?"

His message made Flitter smile a bit as she thought. This shouldn't be too hard, I mean, it's probably just like flirting with stallions, right? Just make the moves, put out the signs, bat your eye lashes and occasionally make some physical contact. Stretching out on his lap as she yawned; Flitter could tell he was watching her as she rolled over onto her back and curled her hooves up against her barrel. "You want me to move?" She threw in a coy pout for good measure, but stopped when the dull pain in her lips turned sharp.

Jack's shoulders slumped as he cleaned away a bit of fresh blood from her face. "Yes. I need to pee."

Feeling her hopes hit free fall, Flitter grunted in confirmation as she rolled to her hooves and stood. Her legs wobbled dangerously as her head swam violently, forcing her to stumble a bit on the rocks. Jack's calloused finger brushed through her fur as caught her mid stumble and pulled her onto the canvas cot. He patted her head lightly, before wandering off out the door. Barely a minute later he came barging back in, shivering and shaking as he frantically pulled up his fly. Flitter smiled as Jack stood near the bed, doing his morning routine. He stretched out languidly and yawned broadly before shaking out his legs and massaging his thighs.

Allowing the last remnants of his fight in Tokyo play through her idle mind, Flitter failed to stop the questions from rolling out. "Hey Jack... What happened to you after all the fighting?" She fidgeted when he turned his head towards her and perked a brow.

It took him a bit longer than normal to find his PDA again, and even longer for him to finish typing up his message as he stoked the fire to bring warmth back to the camp. "Before or after brass ripped my ass into a dozen pieces?"

Getting comfortable on the cot and wishing silently that he would join her; Flitter propped her head up on the pillow and sighed. "After. Pretty obvious you made it, even if you were reckless and dumb."

His expression turned mockingly foul for a moment as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, it got the job done. Shoulder wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was, only took about two weeks for the new muscle to get accepted. Back out in the field in two and a half. Course, they had to airlift me out of Tokyo and express ship my happy ass back to Berlin for the patch-up. Armour was beat to ratshit, so I got a new set." He jerked a thumb to his current armour. "Met up with Hans again in the Caucasus. Fun times."

Flitter smiled softly as he sat down next to her on the cot. He swiftly found his lap filled by fuzzy warm pony. His hands scratched into her fur, eliciting a purr of pleasure from the little mare. After a minute or two, she managed to ask her next question, despite the heavenly feeling that was currently working between her shoulder blades. "S-so, what happened to your friend Hans?"

The scratching reduced as he used one hand to type out to her. Flitter arched her back ever so slightly, trying to get the most out of the attention. "Hans? I think he made it through alright. Really hope he made it." Jack set his PDA down and refocused on taking care of Flitter. Once again, his mind wandered to her wings. I wonder... His fingers strayed off course, and massaged deep into the sensitive tissue at the wings base. In a moment, her entire body had tensed as she squeaked loudly; her wings shooting out stock straight and locking. Having been taken by surprise, Jack failed to stop one of her wings from smacking him across the face and filling his vision with quivering feathers.

A fierce blush burned bright through Flitter's fur as she shivered and bit down hard on her tongue to suppress the noises that she wanted to make. Jack was trying to extricate her wing from his face, with little luck. As he tried to bat her wing aside, all he succeeded in was driving the poor mare up the wall. Letting out a stilted mewl of pleasure, Flitter squirmed in his lap and yelled. "J-jack, w-what was that for?"

Finally managing to extricate the wing from his now bruised face, Jack spat out a feather and coughed in embarrassment as the pair stared at each other. As Flitter bit her lip and shivered heatedly, Jack somehow managed to look even more embarrassed as he pulled his hands away completely. "Sorry."

A big part of Flitter felt an intense sense of sadness as his hands left her sides, but the burning blush on her cheeks and the quivering in her painfully erect wings argued that it was for the best. "I-its alright, that was just... Ummm... U-unexpected..." She squirmed on his lap and tried in vain to get her wings to cooperate as Jack coughed into his balled fist awkwardly.

"Yeah. My bad. Won't happen again." A quietly awkward silence passed between the two as Jack's fingers hovered above the PDA's screen and Flitter's mind rebounded back and forth between extremes.

Eventually, it was Flitter who moved first; slowly getting off his lap and stretching out before the fire. "I.... I'm going to check on Cloudy. Did she say anything when you took her home last night?"

The shot of foul emotions that flashed across Jack's face forced Flitter to pull back instinctively; he quickly rubbed at his face, masking the move as removing sleep crud and massaging his cheeks. "Yeah. Said to tell you that she was sorry. After the bull she pulled I think she owes a bit more than that, deserves a good cuff upside the head." Jack massaged his knuckles and frowned as Flitter sighed quietly.

"Jack, she's my sister. She's a bit bullheaded and has a small ego, but I love her." Flitter found herself frowning disapprovingly as Jack snorted derisively.

"She could have gotten you both killed going in there, and for what? She treats you like shit, steals from you and betrays your trust. Small ego my left nut." Jack's cheeks were flushed red from his anger, which had flared incredibly quickly.

Shaking her head as her new temper was tested, Flitter stood her ground. "Jack, I know how you feel about this, and I'm pretty aware of what she's done. I've forgiven her. "

Jack's features twisted into a hard, deep scowl as he shot back a response. "You don't treat family like that."

Flitter returned the scowl at full force as she growled in her own mind. Now you're being an asshole Jack. Just let it go, dammit. Taking a deep breath, Flitter shook her head, before pressing a hoof against her temple to try and suppress the inbound headache. "Jack, just drop it, okay? I get it, you're mad, but Cloudy is like my only family."

Throwing his hands up in exasperation, Jack stood and paced as he shook his head. "Flitter you're not this stupid. She's a bitch, and a danger to you."

Anger welled up inside Flitter's chest and burst like a geyser. "And you're a crippled psychopath! I don't care Jack, just drop it!" Looking up angrily at him, Flitter immediately felt the bottom of her stomach drop out when she caught the molten glare that Jack was burrowing into her. His face was nothing but hard, straight lines that furrowed deep into his features. He jerked his index finger toward the cave entrance; a clear gesture for her to leave. Indignation rose up with Flitter's hackles. "Fine, fine! I'll go! Maybe I'll come back when you've decided to stop being such an angry prick!" Flitter felt that incredible heat burning into the back of her skull as she got up and stormed out of the cave. The biting cold rushed in to replace the heat; Flitter pumped her wings hard and took off without a second glance back.

Back in the cave, Jack watched the door for a long moment, before yelling wordlessly in frustration and anger as he booted a rock across the cave. He ran his hands through his greasy mane of hair as he shivered with anger. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. This is how I get treated, save their ungrateful asses and this is what I get. Assholes. Ignorant fucks. Jack growled openly and forced his breath through his nostrils. Inhale, count to four. Exhale, count to four. The anger boiled inside his chest, causing his whole body to quiver and shake. Grabbing his sweater and rifle, Jack forced his anger down and bottled it up tight as he threw his pack over his shoulder and made a beeline towards the human encampment. The cold bit harder than normal, causing him to shiver and pull his sweater closer. It helped little as his implants began to frost over, chilling the flesh they touched to the point of it becoming intense and painful. The winter was blatantly getting worse, and he didn't have the right equipment to deal with it properly.

The ramshackle camp came into view by the time that Jack had managed to stuff his fury down deep and smother it out. The tribals chirped at his appearance, and seemed to relax shortly after. Their fire was burning away merrily with the cover of large rocks and fallen trees. Akasha approached him, chirping softly as she reached his side.

Jack smiled weakly to her and patted her shoulder. Yeah I know. I look like hammered shit. How are you? Oh, you're doing great, that's awesome. Jack's one way mental conversation with Akasha was put on pause when she grabbed his hand and led him toward the hut with the wounded in it. Oh, no it's alright, I don't mind working right now, I could use the distraction. The woman ducked in with Jack in tow, and stared at him as the two injured humans gave him varying levels of attention.

Setting down his pack, Jack began rooting through it, placing his pre-packed supplies on the fur floor. A basic trauma kit, a small stolen pot, and a box of soup stock that Flitter had bought him during their little shopping trip. Jack scowled at the memory, before sighing softly. Maybe she's right. I'm just a crippled psychopath. Asshole, murderer. He pushed the thoughts away before they could trail any further along. Standing wearily, he treaded out of the hut and began preparing a bit of soup. With snow melting away in the pot and a bit of manticore meat thawing on the rocks, Jack scratched at his bushy face and scanned the camp. The hunters perked up at his gaze; the prospect of another hunt sending their hearts racing with excitement. Akasha's son was running about, pestering who he could. Jack furrowed his eyebrows; a curious thought crossing his mind. I haven't seen a single one smile so far... And that kid.. Blunda, was it? He ain't laughing. Playing kids laugh. Strange... Shaking the thought from his mind, Jack caught sight of Algeron. The mountain of a man met his gaze for a moment, and received a single second of Jack's bottled anger, focused solely into his gaze. The massive man's shoulders sank to make him seem smaller, and he quickly slunk off to sulk.

Just beyond the treeline, Jack spotted the briefest shimmer in the air, hiding up in the tree branches. He lifted a hand in greeting to Field Note, before ducking back into the small hut. Turning his attention to the small wounded woman, he beckoned for Akasha to bring him his trauma kit. After a long moment of deliberation, the woman managed to select the right thing out of the pile, and brought it over to him. Jack broke a smile, and scratched the top of her head. Akasha made a face, and tilted her head at him, as if the action were an alien one to her. Turning his attentions away from the naked nomad next to him, Jack began to look the woman known as Tanja over. She squirmed at his pokes and prods, before whimpering quietly in defeat as Jack pushed her back down gently. His eyes went down her legs, to the one foot she obviously favoured.

Furrowing his brow, Jack grabbed her leg and lifted it up so he could see her foot. The woman cried out in pain and tried to squirm away from his clamped down hands. As best he could, Jack motioned to Akasha to hold her down. The tall woman seemed to hesitate, before jumping to action when Jack grunted loudly at her to drive the point home. Tanja squirmed and mewled in pain as Jack hefted her foot up and took a closer look at it.

Oh well shit, no wonder you’re all jacked up... Jack shook his head as he turned her foot to the side, eying the nasty wood splinter that had buried itself deep into the bottom of her foot. The flesh looked like it was on the verge of becoming infected, or already was. Shaking his head, Jack broke open his trauma kit and unsheathed his small utility knife. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a set of sterile bandages were set down, and Jack pulled on a small sanitary face mask and a pair of rubber gloves. Sorry little lady, ain't got anything the for pain, and this is gonna hurt like a sonuvabitch. Jack removed his belt, and stuffed it into the woman's mouth to keep her from biting off her tongue while he worked. Dousing the small knife with peroxide, Jack rolled his shoulders and swept all of his thoughts aside.

Taking a deep breath, Jack shot Akasha a supportive mask covered grin, before deftly digging the sterilized knife into the revolting wound. The small girl screamed bloody murder through the leather belt as Jack worked to get the long wood shard out of her foot as intact as possible. Akasha seemed almost professional in her demeanor, pinning Tanja down and holding her there so Jack could work. The wound made a wet sucking noise as the shard came out, proving itself to be the length of Jack's middle finger. Blood poured freely from the wound as Jack set the gnarled shard aside and grabbed the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. If you thought that sucked, just wait.

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The door to the cloud home closed quietly with a click as Flitter exited the swirling world of winter and anger; the wailing air being shut out the moment the door clicked shut. The house sounded dead, empty. Apparently Cloudy wasn't up yet, or had decided to go into town earlier. Slowly trotting up the stairs to her room, Flitter felt the weight of the world come crashing down onto her like the end of a high. What her sagging shoulders and blood matted fur called for was a hot shower and some nice, clean food. Slowly plodding into her small bathroom, Flitter threw off her beaten up and blood stained hoodie. The garment clattered as it hit the floor, drawing her attention. Peeking into the hoodie pouch, she found the mono-edged combat knife and it's sheath, waiting patiently to be used again. He must have put it back when I passed out… Shaking her head, Flitter let the hoodie fall back to the floor, knife included. The shower sputtered to life, and soon soaked her down to the bone with soothing warm water.

With the water pouring down around her, Flitter rested her head against the wall; wishing that all the weight crushing down on her would wash away as easily as the filth. The events of the night before began their playback, hoping to horrify her, break her down. Flitter closed her eyes and focused on the memories; each moment freezing before her. It was necessary. They deserved to die. Flitter slowly sat down, still resting her head on the wall. Is that me talking, or Jack? Does it matter? The answer evaded her, teasing her ruthlessly as guilt tanged her thoughts. "Maybe I was a little harsh towards him..." Shaking her head, she sighed and pawed at her bruised cheek. Pushing all the thoughts out of her mind, Flitter focused solely on getting clean.

Shutting off the water, Flitter stepped out of the shower and began drying off, just as somebody knocked on the bathroom door. Flitter perked a brow as she wrapped a towel around her damp body and opened the door. Cloud Chaser stood at the other side of the door; her eyes puffy and red from crying all night. Clamping her hooves around Flitter and hugging tightly, Cloud Chaser let out a weak sob as she held Flitter close.

The awkward embrace lasted too long in Flitter's mind; by the time that Cloudy released her, she'd become painfully aware of all of her bruises all over again. But when Cloud Chaser backed up a bit and asked "are you alright?" Flitter's mind hit a wall.

Am I alright?

Slowly nodding her head in affirmation, Flitter forced a smile as she patted her sister's side. "I'm alright. Me and Jack, we... Got into a bit of a fight, so I guess I'm just going to be hanging out at home for a bit."

Cloud Chaser nuzzled at her damp neck as she smiled supportively. "I hear you. Are you gonna go to work?"

Work.

Crap.

Grimacing as she remembered her responsibility, Flitter once again nodded. "Yeah... I guess... I really want to quit, they're driving me crazy. I mean, Field Note paid really well for my help and art, maybe I can talk to him..."

Cloud Chaser perked a brow in curiosity as Flitter pushed past her and trotted back into her room. "Who's Field Note? Please, please tell me he's not another psychopath..."

Grunting in acknowledgement, Flitter flopped down onto her big, soft bed. "He's a stallion. Human researcher from Canterlot, with some company named Dynamic something or other... I'd don't know..."

Sitting down next to her sister, Cloud nuzzled her side with concern. "Dynamic Research and Medical Sciences?"

Flitter lifted her head up to look at Cloudy with a look of confusion and a hint of suspicion. "Yeaaah... How did you know that?"

Smiling as best she could as she flopped onto the bed next to Flitter, Cloud Chaser sighed openly. "Well, I actually talk to mom, so she tells me what she's doing most of the time. She was on a tangent about her investments or some other crap. Small world I guess, huh?" Cloud Chaser giggled lightly. "Is he cute?"

Flitter deadpanned at her sister, who grinned openly. "Cloudy, you have issues."

The hoof to the chest hurt more than Flitter let on, her bruised ribs crying in protest as Cloud Chaser mocked insult. "I do not! You're the one who wanted to date a psycho human. I don't even see how that would be remotely better than Goldie. I mean, come on girl, have some respect for yourself. That human is rotten to the core."

Cloud Chaser's mouth shut with an audible click when Flitter snapped a smouldering glare at her and followed up with a curt set of carefully chosen words. "We're not going to have this conversation."

With her ears splayed back, Cloud Chaser nodded and scratch at the back of her neck. "I... Okay, um... Mom said she would be in town today-"

"Today!? I thought she was coming in a week!" Flitter cried out in indignation as a sense of dread overcame her. Her sister smiled apologetically as she fell back into her bed and groaned. "I'm just going to spend all day today laying in bed. I'm not doing shit."

Rolling her eyes at the melodrama, Cloud Chaser smirked as she stared at Flitter. "Not even gonna come out for dinner?"

"No."

Flitter's face was buried in her soft pillows when Cloudy laughed. "Ookay, how about for desert?"

"Nope."

Sighing in defeat, Flitter's sister shook her head and turned for the door. "Okay, I'll tell you when mom shows up, or if your psycho comes by to kill us all."

As her door closed quietly and Cloud Chaser clomped down the stairs, Flitter groaned as she curled up into a tight, warm ball in her covers. Mentally she was cursing up a storm. Today is just not my day... Maybe Jack was right... Ugh, I'll have to give him a bit of space before I apologize, let him calm down a touch. Maybe tomorrow... Still have to deal with work and mom and blarg... Flitter rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling as her sore body throbbed. I could go for a soft petting, or a massage...

I miss Jack.
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The screaming had gone on until the little woman had shrieked herself hoarse and fallen unconscious. The wound still looked bad, but with a bit of luck she would be healed up soon. Jack pinned the bandages down and clipped them in place. He nodded, proud of his work. He could hear the water boiling outside, marking the soup as ready. He'd thrown the meat in after cleaning Tanja's gaping foot wound, and now it was properly boiled into the soup. Taking the pot off the fire, Jack's mind suddenly clicked in. I don't have any fucking bowls. He stared at the pot of hot soup, the tribe circling and chirping curiously. Smacking his open palm against his forehead, Jack groaned quietly and dragged his hand down his features. An idea struck, and he looked up into the trees.

One of the trees rustled a little bit more than the others, and Jack beckoned to that one with high hopes as he put the pot down on the rocks. The largest hunter stuck his hand in, and withdrew with a pained yelp as he clutched his hand. The rest of the tribe backed away from the pot as Jack shook his head and treaded to the edge of the camp.

The nearly silent rustling of leathery wings met his ears, and hoof prints appeared in the snow under the invisible batpony. "Yes Jack?"

His answer was curt and emotionless, thanks to the PDA, but Jack felt it almost appropriate. "I need bowls. Help me out?"

"I... Bowls? Alright. Can we talk sometime today? I had hoped to pick your brain a touch more." The air shimmered before Jack as he sighed and rubbed his face slowly.

"Hit me up tomorrow. I'm just gonna do me today."

The disappointment in Field's voice was blatant and it caused a pang of annoyance and guilt to appear in Jack's mind. "Oh... Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes." Jack shrugged, and waited as the shimmer in the air fluttered off. To Jack's surprise, something poked at his side as he leaned against a snow covered tree. Glacing over, he found himself staring down at the tiny red headed scout, Isotta. She had mud caked into her hair, hiding the possible luster. The small woman tugged at his hand, before inspecting it curiously. Raising a brow at the inquisitive scout, Jack simply shrugged it off and let her poke and prod at his hand.

Betraying his good faith, the short scout popped one of the dirty digits into her mouth and lightly bit it. Jumping in surprise, Jack yanked his hand away from her and shook his hand. His eyes went wide with confusion as she closed the distance and started lightly headebutting his chest and arm, before slowly nuzzling her dirty cheeks against the fabric of his sweater. The tiny woman hummed softly with apparent approval and her hands started exploring.

With the initial shock wearing off fast, Jack gently tried to separate himself from Isotta as she rubbed up against him. Hey, hey, no. None of that, come on now- His train of thought derailed a bit as Isotta backed up a step and perked her slight chest while pouting. Oh. Mating, right... Alpha. Great. Jack smiled thinly and patted her on her head. This only seemed to offend the woman, who frowned and pulled at his sweater again, this time chirping and calling to him. Hey, trust me chickie, if you didn't have the mental capacity of a six year old, this'd be a different situa- A shrill chirp caused both Jack and Isotta to pause and look over at the source. Akasha was tromping over, looking highly displeased. To Jack's immense surprise, the taller woman hefted the red headed scout up, and tossed her into a snow drift. She chirped once, and planted her open palm over Jack's chest. The other women grumbled and whined, stepping back and slipping away.

Having made her point, Akasha looked to Jack, an expression of distaste sticking with her. I... Guess I've been claimed. Woo? The sound of clacking bowls drew Jack's attention to the snow behind him, where a short stack of bowls sat. They looked brand new. Throwing a half assed salute to the forest in the hopes of Field seeing it, Jack picked up the bowls and grinned at Akasha as he slipped passed and returned to the fire.

With the tribe eating sloppily from the bowls of soup, Jack carried two spares into the sick tent. With enough prodding, Tanja gathered the strength to eat on her own as she whimpered and fussed with her bandaged foot. Gover on the other hand, hardly moved when Jack sat down next to him with the steaming bowl of broth and meat. The sickly man mewled softly as he was picked up and pulled halfway into Jack's lap to be fed. Gover drank greedily when the bowl was pressed to his lips, so Jack had to slow how much he fed him at a time. Akasha watched the entire time, her eyes locked into Jack. Having finished the entire bowl of soup, Gover let out a weak, almost happy warble as he curled back up in the furs. Looking over the man, Jack's thoughts turned to the worst. I don't see any wounds, it's gotta be internal. Jack furrowed his brow and sat next to the sick man for a good long while, before laying down in the middle of the furs. Lacing his fingers together over his chest, he stared up at the fur hut's roof for what felt like ages.

I need to find a way home... How? How the hell can I get anywhere? Is there even a 'home' to go back to? What am I going to do if there isn't? Jack closed his eyes and cursed silently in his head. Fuck. This is a right FUBAR situation. I wish I had someone else here, Hans or Lee, or... Fuck, even Elissa.... He slowly opened his eyes. God I miss her... I just want things back the way they were.

I want to go home.

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Daylight strained to peek in through Flitter's curtains, and even though so little of it reached Flitter's eyes, she cursed it all the same. Her curses grew grim as her door opened and a motherly voice called out.

"Flitter, sweety are you awake?" Before Flitter could groan or grumble her answer, her mother, Grace, strode in and flung the curtains open wide. With her eyeballs seared, Flitter retreated under her covers and bit back a violently worded retort. Grace filled the gap for her anyways. "Sweety, it's nine in the morning, you should be out looking for work! We've got plans today, so come on, out of bed! Come on, up, up!" She started poking and prodding at Flitter's bruised and battered form.

"Mom, I already have work!" Flitter curled up into a tighter ball and kicked at her mother's prodding hooves futiley.

Sighing in disapproval, Grace shook her head and moved for the door. "Your sister and I are waiting downstairs. We're going out as a family, so do try to make yourself presentable."

As the door clicked shut, Flitter stared at her wall as she kept her features stone straight. "Oh, hi mom. How are you? Oh that's great, so nice to see you too, yeah I love our conversations. Yeah love you too. Ugh...fuck my life." Flitter swung her hind legs over the edge of her bed and groaned. A glance at her table side clock confirmed that she'd only gotten two hours of sleep before being rudely awakened. Her face throbbed painfully, but it was survivable. A short trip to the bathroom saw her cleaned up as best as she could; the bruising remained heavily noticeable, but the swelling had gone down. Sighing as she said a silent thanks to Jack's first aid treatment, Flitter looked around for the marine corps hoodie. She found it, cleaned and folded nicely by her door. Raising a brow in suspicion, she shrugged it off and pulled the hoodie over her lithe, abused frame. Now it just smells like daisies. Flitter grumbled to herself as she popped the hood up over her ears and began her gauntlet for the day.

Descending the stairs, Flitter could hear her mother and Cloud Chaser chatting idly in the living room. Taking in a small breath to steady herself, Flitter hit the landing and smiled weakly as Cloud Chaser turned her head. The smile died when Grace opened her mouth. "What on Celestia's green earth are you wearing!?" Grace got up from the couch, her eyes locked on the offending garment. "It's hideous, you can't even be considering wearing that out with us!"

Flattening her gaze, Flitter blew a lock of her now unruly mane out her eyes. "It was a gift mom, and I'm wearing it."

Blinking at the backtalk, Grace looked up at her daughter's face, only to reel in surprise. "What did you do to your face!?"

Flitter closed her eyes and breathed out slowly through her nose. I should have taken my chances with Jack. I might go crazy. "... It's nothing mom, I took a hard landing a couple days ago. It looks worse than it is."

Narrowing her eyes in suspicion at the excuse; Flitter silently said thanks as Grace rolled her eyes and threw on her designer scarf and beckoned towards the door. "Well? We've been waiting for a half hour, get those lazy bones moving missy!" Cloud Chaser's amused snicker did nothing to improve the mood that had been impressed upon Flitter. The outside world beckoned, and for once Flitter wished that she was outside a cave in Whitetail Woods, running her flank off.

With her mother and sister leading and chatting up a storm, Flitter fell into silent step with them and allowed her mind to wander aimlessly. When her mother yelled her name, she was forced to blink in surprise before looking over. "Huh?"

Grace frowned heavily as she stood with Cloud Chaser. "We were asking you where you wanted to eat, but since you don't even want to listen, we'll choose without you." Grace started looking around in search of a pleasant indoor place to eat. When her eyes fell on Founding Mares, Flitter's heart turned into a lead ball and sank fast. "This place looks nice enough. Let's go." Without taking in any additional suggestions, Flitter's mother trotted in through the front doors while Cloud Chaser cast a near apologetic smile back at her.

Closing her eyes to pray for a swift, painless death; Flitter trotted in slowly after her mother and sister through the doors of her workplace. Jewel glanced up from her morning paper; it being so early in the morning for work that the place was practically empty. The hostess smiled keenly, before spotting Flitter. She turned her attentions back to Cloud Chaser and Grace. "Good morning, can I find you two a seat?"

Lending Jewel a patronizing smile, Grace glanced over her shoulder at Flitter. "No, dear. A table for three please. It's my daughter's birthday"

Perking up, jewel once again looked to Flitter. "Oh? Sorry Flitter, I thought you were coming in for work." She beamed professionally at Flitter. "I thought it was weird that you didn't come in through the back. Happy birthday!"

Now all eyes were turning to Flitter, and she felt her cheeks ignite under her fur despite her own misgivings. Grace maintained her patronizing smile. "Baby, I didn't know you worked here! You should have said you were a waitress again. Cloudy didn't mention it in any of her letters."

Said mare coughed lightly, and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Flitter as she sat down heavily and opened the menu. "Not a waitress. I wash dishes." Her tone of voice did not suggest that she enjoyed the work, not the line of questioning.

Grace's smile faltered, and soon fell as she stared at her youngest. Frowning in disapproval, she opened the menu and began reading through. Jewel smiled sweetly, and looked over the group. "Is there anything I can get you all to drink? Oh, geez Flitter, what happened to your face?"

Grunting quietly in response, Flitter set down her menu. "Coffee, and I took a hard landing a few days ago."

The mare lifted a brow. "Hard landing? Huh, guess that's why you haven't come into work these past few days." She smiled and took the orders from the rest of Flitter's family, before scooting off to leave Flitter neck deep in the mess.

"You haven't been going to work?" Was the first thing that came out of Cloud Chaser's mouth, destroying any notion of lying for Flitter in her defense.

Shooting a short, hot glare at Cloud Chaser, Flitter smothered the feeling of betrayal and smiled thinly. “I told you Cloudy, I'm talking to my… Friend, about work. Nothing to worry about.”

“Flitter.” Grace crossed her hooves on the table and gave her daughter a ‘I'm very disappointed in you’ looks. “You need to work harder. Nobody wants to hire a mare who has your attitude and work ethic. I didn't become the mayor of Cloudsdale for sitting on my butt drawing silly pictures and flirting with stallions.” The mare leaned back as their drinks arrived, her lustrous pink wings fluttering slightly. “I mean really Flitter, why can't you be more like Cloudy?”

The moment the words left Grace’s mouth, Flitter felt one of the little gears inside her head spring loose, allowing the machine of anger to spin freely. “Oh? More like Cloudy, okay.” Her sister shifted nervously, not liking the dangerous emotions that had taken root behind Flitter's narrowed eyes. “Alright, so I should slack off at work with my loser boss, go into debt with a gang to pay for a shitty house that my mom doesn't want to pay for anymore-” Grace opened her mouth to protest, only to be cut off by Flitter. “I'm not finished! And next, I'll steal from my broke little sister, and fuck her coltfriend while she's still in the house!” Cloud Chaser's jaw dropped and tears threatened her eyes as Flitter turned her smouldering gaze onto her. “Yeah, that's right, I know all about you and Goldie.” She bared her teeth in anger towards her sister as she spoke in a mocking tone. “She does what I say.”

With the initial shock still present from the outburst, Grace sputtered. “Flitter! You apologize to your sister right this instant! You're making her cry!”

“Excuse me?” Flitter turned in her seat to stare down her mother with white hot fury. “Sorry, I couldn't fucking hear you through all the bullshit spilling out of your mouth Mom! What, do you think I'm just another nobody that you can push around to get what you want, like you do in the career you won't stop talking about and comparing us to?” Flitter shoved her way up, her fur crawling as her skin felt ignited. “Well guess what, I'm done. I'm done with this family, I'm done with the lies, and I'm done with YOU!” Grace recoiled as Flitter's hoof jabbed towards her in a point. Turning on her hooves, Flitter stormed passed Jewel, who was purposefully hanging back to avoid the conflict. The mare flinched when Flitter scowled at her. “Tell Gaze I quit.”

As Flitter stormed out of the restaurant in a flurry of rage and indignation, Grace was just coming around to swallow what had happened before her eyes. She slowly turned to Cloud Chaser and crossed her hooves in front of her on the table. “Baby.” She shifted a bit, and levelled her stare as Cloudy slowly looked up and wiped her eyes. “Is there something I should know? Why is you sister acting like a maniac?”

Swallowing thickly, Cloud Chaser shifted uncomfortably as she weighed her options. “There's… a human… she’s spending her time with some human and a researcher out in Whitetail Woods. He… he scares me.”

Grace's eyes grew cold and her frown deepened. “I see. Is that where she got those bruises?” At Cloudy’s halfhearted shrug, Grace opened her saddle bags and began drafting a letter. “I will speak to a friend of mine at DRMSI. He’ll send someone to handle this. Cloudy, can you please see if you can find your sister? We’ll need to stage an intervention.”

Cloud Chaser slowly looked up, her features the picture of fear. “M-mom, I-”

“No excuses baby, this is being dealt with permanently tomorrow.” The finished letter burst into flame, and the ashes spend off out the window. “Dr. Maltenics is a good friend of mine, she’ll handle this.” She tapped the table with her hoof. “Those two will be dealt with and Flitter will learn her lesson. Mark my words.”

Chapter Eighteen: While You Were Out

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With fresh powder crunching readily under Flitter's hooves as she trotted away from the local bed and breakfast, she felt a pang of guilt strike high in her chest. What if Jack's still mad at me? She shook the thought off, and once again picked up her hooves and carried on. He won't be. I know he won't be. Having had stayed away the past day from both Jack and her family, Flitter felt a nervous misplaced confidence as she hit the path that led from town to the woods. In her mind, she ran over how she would approach Jack; no matter how many times she tossed words around, they all had a hollow ring to them.

As she was about to cross the threshold of the forest, Flitter ran muzzle first into an unexpected acquaintance. Rubbing his muzzle lightly, Field Note glanced upwards with a half glare at the mare that he'd run into. The half glare turned to a pleasantly surprised smile when he recognised Flitter. Dusting off his own chest, he offered her a hoof up. “Well, good morning to you too Miss Flitter!” The Batpony shuffled in his thick parka; his mane a home for tiny icicles.

A smile of her own spread across Flitter's muzzle as she accepted the hoof and was hauled up. “Morning Field. Grabbing supplies?” She looked over his sagging empty bags, and earned a sheepish smile in return from the seemingly nervous stallion.

“Well, yes, but I had planned to get some coffee first.” He paused momentarily, his slitted eyes flicking back to her. “You… would you mind joining me? My treat, of course.” Field pawed lightly at the snow as he waited for her response.

Taken aback, Flitter considered the idea. If I don't and Jack's still mad, I miss coffee. If I do and Jack isn't mad, he’ll hardly notice. And… well… I wouldn't mind chatting with Field for a few minutes, he seems like a nice stallion. Smiling to him, Flitter nodded. “I'd like that. Lead the way Mr. Note.”

A surprised, pleased smile spread across his masculine features as he offered a parka bound leathery wing to her. “Right this way.”

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The iron train wheels clacked and clattered as they passed over the final mile of track; Ponyville’s limits coming into view to the group that rested in the front most car of the short train. The train housed a number of cages and branding tools, as well as medical supplies and crew quarters. On a good day, it could safely transport upwards of sixty average sized humans. A small steel coloured unicorn mare with a cage and net cutiemark stood before the eight other assorted professional human wranglers. She gestured to a forested area on a large hanging map. “Alright gents, get your game faces on. Bossman got a tip of a human tribe squatting in Whitetail Woods.” The mare took the extra time to pronounce the name properly through her thick trottingham prole accent. “Simple bag and tag, but watch out for the alpha! He's supposed to be a mean bastard, attacked a mare recently.” The mare smiled at her crew as the train slowed to a stop at the station and the crew all stood and started stowing tools and weapons while she said into her dull white coveralls. “Let's go get paid ladies!”

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Field and Flitter sat down in one of the corner booths; giving themselves a lovely view of the snow filled streets and serene township. Cups of coffee steamed away before their hooves as they both searched for words. Swallowing nervously, Field made himself appear relaxed as he sipped his scalding coffee. “So, Miss Flitter-”

Flitter held up a hoof and smiled at him kindly. “You can call me Flitter, everypony else does.”

Chuckling lightly, Field nodded. “Alright. Flitter, how are you?” He smiled appreciatively as he spoke with her. “You seemed troubled this morning.

Sinking into her seat, Flitter sighed quietly. “I don't think I can answer that honestly. So, I'm doing fine enough. Oh, hey, I almost forgot to ask.” Flitter sat up in her seat. “Do you think I could work with you? You know, documenting the tribe and Jack.”

Field blinked in surprise, before answering with a smile. “I think we can work something out Flitter. Your ability to keep Jack stable would be more than enough to warrant it, and your artistry will certainly be more than helpful.”

“I don't think anyone in the right mind can safely call Jack ‘stable’.” Flitter forced the thoughts from her mind as she offered a hoof to Field, who took it and shook. “I look forward to working with you.”

Thoughtfully sipping his coffee, Field chanced a glance out the window to the snow covered streets. “How is Jack? He seemed unhappy last I saw him.”

Shaking her head slowly as she looked down at her inky black coffee, Flitter sighed softly. “I'm sure he's fine.”

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“Stop fighting me!” The blue haired woman ducked behind the kitchens island as a collection of empty bottles whipped past and smashed against the cheap wood cupboards. “I'm trying to help you!”

The final bottle in the box smashed violently against the fridge door, spraying brown tinted glass across the linoleum floors. The blue haired woman shielded her face from the shower as Jack searched for the next thing to throw at her. Stalling for time, he peeked out from the top of the overturned couch. “Get the hell out of my head, you blue haired succubus!” A fleeting feeling of regret struck before he opened his TV stand and started whipping DVD cases at the intruder.

The big steel boxed collector's edition of Stargate SG-1 hit the woman square in the chest as she moved to vault over the kitchen island, throwing her off balance and sending her back down in a wheezing heap. Seeing his chance, Jack bolted for his room; his intent laying on the pistol tucked soundly under his pillow. His boot falls were soon outmatched by the much faster pitter patter of barefeet on the apartments cheap hardwood flooring. As he burst into the room and dove for his gun, the woman tackled his legs out from under him. Scrambling for purchase on the silky sheets, Jack let out an interrupted curse as they fell into a heap beside the bed. Straddling his chest as she held his arms down, the woman panted with exertion as he tried to worm free from her ridiculously strong grip. Shaking her head, the woman shot him a glare of annoyance. “Just-” She paused to catch her breath. “-stop. fighting. You were amicable before, why have you decided me to be your enemy?”

Still struggling against her grip, Jack contorted his body until it seemed impossibly uncomfortable to the lunar diarch that struggled to keep him pinned down. “So you can lock my ass up and experiment on me!? Fuck no!” His legs twisted, until he managed to hook a leg around her neck. The woman let out a surprised yelp that was cut short as he scissored his legs together, toppling her over and freeing himself from the pin. “You ain’t getting me, or Delta King! Yah hear me!?” Jack pushed himself free just as Luna twisted out of his pin.

“I don’t want to capture you or your Delta King, I want to help you!” She grit her teeth in annoyance as she struggled to keep the weapon between them.

“That’s exactly what someone trying to capture me and my nuke would say!” Jack threw a pillow into the woman’s face, before diving for the snub nosed revolver. To his dismay, the gun moved beyond his grasp as Luna yanked on the sheet and went for the gun as well. Jack yelled as he slid across the silky sheets to tackle her to the floor. “Oh no you don’t!” The pair ended up entangled, smacking and slapping at each other ineffectively as they scrambled for the gun. Balling her dainty fists in frustration, Luna struck Jack upside the head in hopes of knocking sense into him. She only succeeded in striking flush against his ear. Yelling in surprise, Jack clutched his wounded head. “Mmmotherfucker! Yah hit me in the ear!”

Blinking in surprise, Luna pulled her hands away and quirked a brow at him in latent confusion. “I’m… sorry?”

Clutching his ear with pain twisted features, Jack continued to curse. “Ah, christ! Why the ear?”

“I only wanted to knock sense into you! Now tell me where you are, or I will find Flitter and ask her!” Luna flushed at the cheeks as Jack seemingly ignored her and continued to make faces. “Are thou even-!” The rest of her question was turned into painfully expelled air as Jack pistoned his balled up fist into her taut pale stomach. The princess wheezed in pain and surprise as he rolled off her and commando crawled to his firearm. By the time she managed to pull her projected form back together, Jack was crouched above her, the small black revolver clutched in his hand.

The hammer clicked back as he leveled it with her. “Sorry princess. Gotta trust Mark on this one.” When the hammer fell, the unwanted dream exploded, and dumped him unceremoniously off his bed and onto the hard rock below. Jack grunted “huark…” as he groaned weakly, and laid on the floor for a long few minutes. Mark’s voice echoes inside his head as he stared at the rocks and dirt up close.

You did good. Real good. The Royals will do anything to get their hooves on Delta King. Find a good place to hide it Jackie boy, she wasn’t joking when she said she’d go to Flitter to get to you.

Jack slowly pushed himself up into a pained sitting position. He found himself thinking back at the voice in his head. Flitter wouldn’t sell me out.

What makes you so sure? You haven’t seen her for two days now. Who’s to say she hasn’t already sold you out? You know how much you’re worth. How much is Delta King worth to a psychotic tyrant who turns innocents to stone and banishes family for a thousand years? Is your trust in her worth that much?

Leaving the question unanswered in thought, Jack slowly got to his feet and groaned as his limbs protested loudly. Acting on autopilot, he pulled on his sweater and retrieved his folding entrenching tool. The small suitcase sized thermonuclear weapon was next, tucked away in its protective sheath his plate carrier, along with his revolver. Throwing the exoskeleton over himself, Jack’s eyes shot open wide in pain as the exo burrowed in. His plugs burned and spread anguish through his entire body as if he'd stuck his hand in a garbage disposal. Ripping the skeleton off, Jack discarded it onto his bed, where his PDA sat untouched. He stumbled out of the cave and into the snow, intent on burying the nuke somewhere dark and quiet.

The plate carrier was sized to fit snugly over his thick armour, so when through over his own chest, it hung loosely and dangled as he struggled to resize the straps as he walked. His boots sank deep into the snow, slowing his progress to a painful degree. His trudge continued on to the human camp, where his thoughts caught up with him. What if Field wants to talk? I can't let him know what I'm doing. What if he just follows?... What if he sold me out? Jack shook his head and stopped for a moment to rub the bridge of his nose; as if the action would hold back the migraine that was threatening.

A welcoming chirp of recognition sounded out, and several of the humans plodded through the snow to greet him. Jack smiled weakly as he waved to them. Now these guys, they won't sell me out. Akasha approached him slowly, clad in her warm furs. The woman nuzzled at him lightly, and earned a gentle rub behind the neck that caused her to press up against him in an eager attempt to coax more out of him. Smirking to himself, Jack looked out over the other humans and felt the niggling of narcissistic pride begin to take root. That's right, your lord and saviour has returned.

Plodding passed the camp, he slowly surveyed the surrounding woods for a decent place to bury his WMD. Spying a small copse of trees that had suffered a lack of snowfall, Jack set his course and entered. Nodding to himself, he plunged the entrenching tool deep into the frozen ground, and started digging as deep as his muscles would allow. Only when he heard an angered squawk and rapid chirping did he look away from his hole in the ground. The glance up saved his life; barely rolling his head out of the way of Algeron’s wood club. Motherfucker! The brute roared at him with primal fury, and swung the club again and again. Scampering out of the heavy swing’s radius, Jack clutched his entrenching tool and bared his sharp teeth at the ex-alpha.

Before Algeron could close the distance again, Akasha pounced on the bullish man’s back and grabbed at his face in an attempt to keep him from braining Jack with a bit of wood. The tall woman let out a sudden yelp of pain, before Algeron threw her down to the ground. As Jack closed the distance, the brute let out a surprised howl and slapped at his back. Taking advantage of the distraction, whatever it was; Jack cracked the shovel across Algeron’s face, earning a line of bright red blood and flying teeth for the effort. Bowling the woozy man over, Jack snarled at him and slammed the flat of the shovel down onto his head again, eliciting a loud metallic twang that played over the sound of crunching cartilage. Before a third strike could be brought down, Jack felt a painful sting strike his bicep. Glancing down, his fury ebbed to confusion as he stared at a little dart with a red feathered tail.

What?

Jack pushed himself up as vertigo slammed into him like a train. Thankfully, his prosthetic legs responded perfectly and sent him careening into the cover of trees as his upper body slowly stopped responding properly. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. A second sting struck high on his shoulder, causing his sluggish movements to catch a fallen log that lay hidden in the snow. With barely enough energy to push himself up and away from the facial imprint he'd left in the snow, Jack rolled into cover behind the log and struggled to unclasp the revolver from its concealed holster.

As darkness edged his vision, hooves crunched through fresh powder towards him. A small mare with a horn and dull white coveralls peered into his eyes. “You're a weird one, ain'tcha?” She lifted her head and gestured at someone Jack could see. “Come get this one in a cage. Team Fox, take care of the rest of the tribe.”

Fury coursed through Jack's veins as he glared at the mare vehemently. THEY SOLD ME OUT! On instinct, his free hand shot out and clamped down around her throat like a vice; the mare's eyes went wide with surprise and fear as she stared down at the avatar of fury unbridled. The snub nosed barrel of his revolver belched thunder and flames; a spray of vibrant equine blood arced out as Jack forced himself to toss the now limp body aside, sit up, and take aim at his next target.

Somebody yelled a warning, and the forest seemed alive in a flurry of motion and fur. “Hit him with another dart! Take him down!” The .44 magnum boomed again, blowing a wide hole in a thick tree instead of the head Jack had been aiming for. Another dull sting spread across his chest, and the world went black.

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Hearing came back first, then smell. He’d wished that neither of them had. A wave of nausea hit him hard as human screeches and terrified chirps flooded in alongside the smell of blood and shit. Dull pain had spread through his entire body; it felt like he was crammed inside of a tiny box. The muted clatter of iron train wheels echoed in the background against the sounds of human suffering. Groggily cracking an eye open, Jack found himself stuffed into a cage; the little metal bars were leaving bright red indentations in his flesh. Realization struck when he realized that he’d been stripped from the waist up. No. Nonono. This… shit! FUCK! That traitorous little CUNT! Jack snarled in anger and forced his way into a slightly more sound position. Okay, okay. Figure a way out of here, find nuke, find gun, get revenge. Looking down, Jack's eyes locked onto the small brass lock that held his cage door shut. A furtive glance in either direction confirmed he was surrounded by other cages; most of which held humans. He could see ponies approaching, and doing something in each cage that was followed by a wail of pain. Adrenaline spiked through his heart as Jack twisted his body back around the other way, ignoring the pain it caused. Now or never! His heavy metal boot pistoned into the door, causing the metal to warp and twist. He brought both boots down next, and began hammering away until the screech of twisted, broken metal met his ears. Next came the yelling.

“The weird one’s busting the door! Somepony get a prod on him!” A sparking prod was jammed through the bars, and dumped seven thousand volts into Jack's side. With a roar of defiance, his legs shot out one last time, and took the door right off its hinges. The pony with the cattle prod yelped in pain as the shattered metal smashed into his face, knocking the prod away. Scrambling out on tingling limbs, Jack hit the floor and fell to his knees. He almost immediately started skidding across the flooring as the train hit an incline. Snatching the cattle prod away from the bleeding pony, Jack took a deep steadying breath and braced himself, before furtively casting his eyes around for the things he needed. Nuke. Gun. Exit.

“Hey, Freak!” A female voice called out at him from the front of the train. Twisting on his heels, Jack turned to face the voice. His eyes narrowed in hazy recognition as he glared at the horned mare, whose face now had a deep .44 magnum furrow dug from her muzzle to her ear. “We got a score to settle, human.” Her horn lit up, and a bolt of energy lanced out from the tip. Jack’s eyes went wide with confusion and bewilderment, and then horror as the bolt struck him high in the chest and sent him cartwheeling down the inclining cars. Sliding passed cages and slavers, Jack snarled in anger and cursed up a long line inside his head on what he was going to do with the mare when he got back up to her. Hitting the rear of the train, Jack stood and shook his senses back into place; the slaver at the back seemed surprised to suddenly have a six foot two human glaring at him, wielding a cattle prod . Jamming the cattle prod under the pony’s chin, Jack hugged the wall and peered out, trying to find his target as the colourful equine hit the floor and foamed at the mouth as he convulsed. The mare jabbed a hoof at him as she approached; a large number of slavers behind her. “You goin’ nowhere freak! I’m gonna brand those fancy inks right off your hide!” Jack’s stomach raised up into his throat as he realized the back door was blocked, and that the scarred mare had a red hot branding iron floating in her magic.

Okay, okay, calm. Think it out. There’s like… what, twelve of them, all in a tight, confined space? The horned ones can use magic, and I’ve got a cattle prod with god knows how many shots left…. The odds definitely weren’t good. Setting his jaw, Jack peeked out from behind the wall, and shot the mare a one fingered salute.

“GET HIM!”

Worth it.

The slavers charged him, and faint red magic wrapped around his outstretched arm, yanking him from cover. Letting out a viking cry of war, Jack pushed himself into the charging wall, fully intent on killing and maiming as many as he could get his hands on. Blood flew as he struck and smashed and bit and bludgeoned his way through as many as he could get his hands and boots on. Hooves smashed into his adrenaline fueled muscles, and cattle prods searched for open flesh to strike at. The fight ended as Jack gouged his fingers into the massive eye socket of some unknown pony; magic and cattle prods soon driving him to his knees and sending his body into a chilly numbness as he was held down against the floorboards. The scarred mare’s voice hissed next to his ear, but he couldn’t make out the words through the pounding blood in his ears. Above it all, he heard Mark laugh.

Well well Jackie boy, now you’ve done it. You’ve played your part, and oh what a show it was! The voice began to change in pitch and timber, until it was a bit more sadistic and high pitched. You fell for it all, hook, line, and sinker! It was too easy! Now, you’re FUCKED.

The red hot iron brand slammed down against his sweat slicked skin; violently intense pain flashed through his mind like red lightning, eliciting memories of his legs coming off at the seams as his flesh melted and twisted under the boiling metal. His scream of tortured pain echoed through the mountain pass, and his world went black as the smell of cooking meat met his nose through the tinge of his own coppery blood.

Chapter Nineteen: In Enemy Hooves

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Back in Ponyville, the day had progressed in a much more enjoyable way, with markedly less violence and gunfire. Flitter smiled as Field joked, the two of them refreshing his field supplies for another two weeks out in the frigid forest observing the tribe. The list was a long one, as it included some food for Jack as well. By the time they finished the trip, it was almost dark out. Pulling her hood up over her ears to protect them from the chilly wind, Flitter glanced down toward the path that led away from town. “We should hurry up, it's a pain to get through the forest in the dark.”

Field casually looked over at the mare and smirked in good humour. “I don't mind at all.” His eyes held a very faint glow; being perfectly suited to see in the dark.

“Oh, right. Batpony.” Flitter rolled her eyes as the stallion laughed. Feeling a tinge of embarrassment, she stuck her tongue out at him. “Well if you're so good, why don't you lead?”

Waggling his eyebrows at her in the growing dark; Field took the head and hooked Flitter's feathery wing with his own leathery one. The mare huffed indignantly as she was led by the wing through the ever darkening forest. By the time they grew near Jack's cave, Flitter could barely make out the batpony butt that was less than a few feet in front of her.

Sighing quietly, Flitter stopped and stretched her limbs. “I hope he's not still angry at me…” Worry etched itself into her dark features as Field turned.

“I'm sure he's forgiven you Flitter, he doesn't seem the type to hold a grudge-” At Flitter's coughing laugh, Field cocked his head and perked a brow. “What?”

Shaking her head as she smiled weakly up at him, Flitter sighed in defeat. “You really have no idea the kind of grudge that man can hold.” Fixing her hood, Flitter took a steadying breath and moved for where she knew the entrance to be. “Come on, let's get out of the cold.”

Entering the cave first, Flitter shook herself free of snow at the door and squinted to see in the dark cave. Maybe he's asleep. “Jack? Are you in?” The rustling tarp behind her signaled that Field had joined her.

“I don't see anybody. Perhaps he has gone for a walk?” Field set down some of the food that they’d bought for Jack near the rocks, before turning back to Flitter. “Perhaps start the fire. I'll drop off my supplies and check the tribe's camp.”

Smiling at the stallion through the dark, Flitter began gathering kindling and logs from Jack's stash. “I'll put some food on too, he can put food away like you wouldn't believe.”

Field chuckled lightly as he secured his winter gear and saddlebags before exiting the cave. Having been left to her own devices, Flitter tried to figure out how she was going to light the fire without matches. Feeling around in the dark for Jack's lighter, Flitter's hooves passed over the steel casing of his rifle. A confused frown crossed over her features as she pulled the weapon over. That's weird… he never goes anywhere without a weapon. Fumbling with the rifle, Flitter braced it against her shoulder and aimed the muzzle at the kindling as she held it up with her hind hooves. Come ooon… With her wing wrapped around the weapon, she tried to yank the trigger like she had seen Jack do a dozen times. The weapon flashed in the dark, causing the mare to yelp in surprise as it bucked against her shoulder and consumed her vision with brilliant light. Dropping the rifle, Flitter covered her eyes and loudly groaned as the vibrant line remained burned into her retinas. Over her own groaning, she could hear the crackling of a stoked fire. Flopping onto her side and covering her eyes, Flitter lamented her own stupidity. “OooOh…. That hurt like crazy… owowow…..ow...dangit…” Slowly, the line began to fade from its seared slot behind her eyelids; the cave was lit by the cozy fire now.

Slowly sitting up and blinking hard to try and expel the laser's ghost from her vision, Flitter looked slowly around the cave. Jack's armour remained vigilant over the small camp, and his exo skeleton was discarded haphazardly over his bed. Flitter furrowed her brow as she spotted the hat that she'd bought Jack sitting next to his pillow. “Why would he leave all of this-”

Mid-sentence, Field burst into the cave panting; his parka steaming from the heat his little body was putting out. Panting, he fought to speak as Flitter hopped up and approached with a worried expression. “T-the camp-!” He sat down on the cold stones and coughed, before continuing. “-gone. They're gone!”

“What do you mean they're gone?” Worry wormed its way into Flitter's mind. What did you do Jack…

Field seemed to be falling into a panic. “T-they’re all gone! Every last human!” He shuddered. “They… were taken.”

Furrowing her brow hard, Flitter rubbed her cheek and tried to make sense of it. “Okay, let's…” She sighed softly and sat back down on Jack's bed. “Let's eat some food and stay here for the night. Maybe Jack will come back during the night. If not…” Flitter trailed off. What if he doesn't come back? Shooing the thought away as best she could, Flitter swallowed thickly. “We’ll take a look at the camp in the morning. We’ll figure it out from there.”

Looking as if he were about to protest, Field slowly slumped as the situation hit him. “Y-yes… that's a good plan.” The stallion plopped down on the smooth log and cradled his muzzle in his hooves.

With a quiet, thankful breath, Flitter got up and sat next to the batpony. Setting a wing over his back, Flitter smiled confidently. “We'll find them Field.”
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Jack awoke in the pitch black dark with his shoulder engulfed in dull throbbing pain; the terrified mewlings and chirping of equestrian humans filled his ears as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. He wasn’t moving, and he could hear voices. A familiar voice, one that filled his mind with knife edged anger, and another that seemed a little too cold and indifferent.

“Miss Netting, you've outdone yourself with this shipment. Three alpha types, and plenty of capable breeders. They’ll make excellent test subjects. “

“Yea, and what about the Freak? And the stuff he had?” Miss Netting, now he had a name to the mare he was going to kill. Jack furrowed his brow and listened intently.

“A bonus will be added to your pay. We have big plans for the human.” With his eyes growing accustomed to the dark fairly fast, Jack looked around swiftly for anything he could use. Finding himself stuffed in what appeared to be a locked, dark room that contained both himself and the tribe, Jack cursed inside his head. His eyes strained against the dark; it looked as if there were catwalks high above. Maybe if I-

“And the stuff?”

“We’re beginning our studies immediately. As I said, Miss Netting, you will be receiving a large bonus for your fine work.”

There was a subdued sigh from Netting. “Alright Maltenics. Just give us a message if you're in need.”

“That's Doctor, Maltenics.”

“Right, right.”

Jack scowled as he listened to his kidnapper trot away, probably with a big fat paycheque. Stupid! Stupidstupid fuck! Jack rolled his shoulder, and found all thought speared straight from his mind by a massive lance of boiling pain. Gritting his teeth tightly as he clutched his branded shoulder, he hardly noticed the large forward door being unlocked. The brand had pressed in deep, he could feel the valleys molded into his once inked flesh from the red hot iron. Light suddenly flooded the room, blinding him and the other humans. On the catwalks high above in the impenetrable dark, unicorns trotted along, using cattle prods to coerce the humans out of the holding pen. Stumbling off the concrete and onto soft grass, Jack blinked hard and shook his head to try and make sense of where he was.

This ain't good… maybe I can use this. They think I'm some ape... Pain and annoyance coursed through him as he looked around at the enclosure. There were around thirty humans milling about, and it was furnished like a monkey's cage at the zoo. Immediately looking for an exit, all Jack found were reinforced doors like the one closing behind him, and tall concrete walls that went up fifteen feet before terminating into a round observation unit that surrounded the enclosure. He could see around two dozen scientists viewing them; taking notes and chatting idly.

The tribe stuck around him like his personal flock, each equally terrified and bewildered. Same boat… just don't show it, they need you. Jack shook his scraggly mop of hair from his eyes and groaned as he kneeled down next to what appeared to be an artificial stream that ran through the enclosure. Use the water where it comes out, who knows what these guys do in here. Splashing water onto his face to clean away the sweat that had etched lines into his dirty mug, Jack ignored the scant moment his reflection was present in the crystal clear water.

Slowly, the tribe began to disperse about the enclosure, sniffing about and chirping up storms with the other humans. Falling to rest on his haunches, Jack's eyes began to wander. He began picking out the different subtypes in the enclosure tribe. There were quite a few larger males, and some of what he could only agree to call breeders. No children. His eyes eventually fell to rest on a much, much larger man. He was wearing a pair of torn adidas track pants as a kilt. The other man was staring back at him, with wide, soft eyes filled with surprise.

Jack slowly perked a brow, before slowly pointing at the large man, then to his own head. The large man smiled. Oooooh shit! Terran human! Jack sprang up to his feet, and began treading over to meet the equally excited adidas wearing man. Letting out a strained laugh, Jack shook his head and on instinct tried to speak to him. All he succeeded in doing was doubling himself over with a wet coughing fit; the larger man patted his back roughly and adopted a concerned expression that sat naturally on his soft babyface. Giving a thumbs up, Jack straightened himself and looked up to regard the new man. He found himself looking up further, as he swiftly realized that Babyface held at least six inches of height on him. And a few pounds, Jesus, how much does this guy weigh? 300? Jack smiled and shook his head in disbelief. Field's gonna lose his shit.

Pointing to Jack's chest, Babyface made a small nod to try and draw Jack's attention. Glancing down, Jack found his dogtag to have thankfully remained around his neck. Oh, he wants to know my name. Easy enough. Offering the single tag to the larger man, Jack smiled in tandem as it was taken and read over. That smile faltered when Babyface’s eyes bugged out and he choked on his own tongue. He looked up sharply into Jack's own surprised eyes, and gave him a tiny, three fingered shove, as if to see if he were real. Jack slowly perked a brow in confusion as Babyface took a respectful step back and bowed his head in reverence.

Oooh...kaaay…

Up in the observation deck, an older unicorn stared down at the interaction. “Fascinating. Truly fascinating.”

The hippogriff that stood next to her with a bored expression eyed the new group critically. Pointing at the two humans known as Algeron and Blunda in particular, he spoke. “Those two. The sub-alpha and the child. They will do for now.”

Dr. Maltenics glanced over at the other scientist and fought to cover the unprofessional levels of dislike she held in regards to him. “I'll have them separated from the group. Do you have something to show for your work yet?” She knew he didn't, but wanted to hear for herself.

“No.” Without skipping a beat, the hippogriff smiled slyly. “But that sub-alpha will make an excellent frame for my work. Expect results within the week. Doctor.” At that, he turned on his paws and treaded out silently, leaving Dr. Maltenics with no answers and ample frustration.

Sitting down at her oaken desk, the mare pulled off her safety goggles and let out a long sigh as she rubbed her eyes. Setting her hooves down on her desk, she spent a moment just sitting, allowing herself that singular moment of relaxation. The moment passed, and her horn lit up; the strange snub nosed device floated up in front of her. Looking it over with great scrutiny, she began to take notes. Tiny words were engraved into its side with the precision few craftsmen could match. From Silver Netting’s report, and the remains of her face, the device was undoubtedly a weapon. Maltenics mind immediately went to the flintlock muskets that the griffon empire was so proud of. “It's too small…” The mare’s eyes opened a bit as she pulled the hammer back and the cylinder rotated in sync. “Such precision… fascinating…” Decocking the hammer, she set the weapon back down onto her desk.

To Dr. Maltenics’ annoyance, somepony pounded frantically on the door to her office. Sighing in frustrated acceptance, her horn lit up and opened the door a bit. “Yes? What is it?”

Poppy Gallipoli burst in, deepening Maltenics’ annoyance. “Dr. Maltenics!” She proclaimed, before taking a moment to breath and compose herself; the mare was smiling broadly. “The device the human had, the cylindrical one? It's a power source- we’ve… we've done detection tests on it, and the power it could put out is-is massive!”

All annoyance toward the Head Research Assistant disappeared in a flash as Dr. Maltenics sat up in her chair and beckoned the mare forward with her sheath of papers. Taking the papers in her magic once Poppy was close enough, Maltenics began pouring over the notes and statistics. She blinked hard, and stared down at the papers, as if they would explain exactly what she was looking at.

“The device seems to be wired to a protected button that’s attached to the vest as well. We haven't had any luck getting to it, or finding a way to turn the source on.” The research assistant sat down in the chair opposite of the doctor and ran a hoof through her soft pink mane.

Shaking her head, Dr. Maltenics set the papers down and fixed her glasses. “Cease all attempts to activate it for now. Under no circumstance is anybody under clearance level seven to see this device from now on. I want every note, every scrap of paper filed securely. We need to be very, very careful with this. We don't know what it's capable of, let alone why this human had it…”

Poppy swallowed nervously and nodded her agreement to the plan. “What… What about… You know who? Should we um…”

“No.” Maltenics looked up at the larger mare and made it clear that there was to be no argument or deviation on her orders. “We’re keeping these anomalies, and the device. Hide them if you have to. I'm not losing a chance like this to some hairbrained, half-baked, cockheaded scheme by some stallion who thinks his flatulence smells like roses.” Maltenics tapped the papers, and then pointed at the humans down in the pen. “This is our chance to really change the world. Do you understand that? Whatever that old fool is working towards, its nothing compared to what we could do with this, with him.” The mare's eyes drifted down to the strange tattooed human as he stood with her original anomaly. Poppy nodded rapidly, and excused herself to enact the plans set before her. Once her door clicked shut, the older scientist brushed a length of her ruddy mane from her eyes. “Yes… We're going to change the world, you and I….” She smiled down at the human, before turning her attentions back to her desk. “I'll send Grace your regards, human.”

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Morning came upon Flitter and Field rudely; Flitter's internal clock waking her for her usual morning physical training. Of course, there wouldn't be any training until she found Jack. Sitting up from the canvas bed, the mare yawned tiredly and looked around the cave. Field was still flopped over on his side by the smoldering embers of the fire; his leathery wings rustling as he twitched in his sleep. Sighing to herself in resignation, Flitter rolled off the cot and pulled on her hoodie. The cave felt cold without her human friend there.

Prodding Field impatiently, Flitter looked around as she tried to rouse the comatose stallion. “Field, Field wake up.”

“Nosm… minutes…” Field rolled over onto his side and covered his face with a wing. When the prodding increased, he flailed weakly at the offending hooves. “Eeeeeeeeee…..” Snorting in annoyance, Flitter clamped her teeth down on his tail and gave it a quick yank. Field yelped in pain as his wings spread wide. Scrambling to his hooves, he blinked away sleep and morning grog. “Mmup! I’mmm...up.”

Spitting out the now thrashing tail, Flitter fought to suppress a smirk. “You sure? I can give it another tug if you want.” Her smirk split open into a grin as the stallion flushed hotly and stammered. Shaking her head, Flitter motioned toward the door. “Come on, let's go find our humans.”

With Field Note nodding his agreement, the pair headed back out into the serene forest in hopes of finding any kind of clue regarding where a dozen humans could have disappeared to overnight. They found the crude camp in disarray, the snow heavily disturbed by frantic feet. The final piece fell into place when Flitter found something Field had missed in the dark. There were hoof prints in the snow, as well as drag marks.

Field slowly became more and more solemnly sorrowful; panic having come and gone. “Slavers… how did they find them? I… I don't understand... ” He plopped down into the snow and cradled his head in his hooves. “this isn't fair…”

Staring at the marks in the snow, Flitter felt something begin to build inside her. Something that boiled and brewed like a magma pipe, deep below the surface. Somebody had taken the tribe; had caught Jack by surprise. Someone had taken him from her.

Somebody was going to pay.

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Trotting through the observation area, Dr. Maltenics held her eyes on the glass before her. A team of professional wranglers waited on standby for her orders. Staring down into the enclosure, the mare parted her slowly graying burgundy mane and tied it behind her ears. “Alright, team one, proceed with removal for processing.” The lead pegasus nodded, and trotted off to alert his team. Soon enough, the sub-alpha was separated from the primary group, and scooped up in magic. He struggled for a moment, before becoming enamoured with the glamour charm the lead pegasus wore. Things seemed to be going well. The team moved on to take the younger human, and managed to scoop him up before what Maltenics could only guess to be the child's mother squawked in alarm and let out a screech. Having finally noticed the removal, the rest of the humans began to hoot and screech in panic; the bulk of the group scattering for the perceived cover the faux trees promised them. The child struggled in the magic field, and the caster furrowed his brow in concentration.

Rapid movement in Maltenics peripheral vision drew her attention, but all too late to give warning. Her original anomaly, tagged 3901, had reached the child, but couldn't reach. He'd turned away from the child, and taken a knee while cupping his hands down by his crotch. The movement was the new anomaly, running full bore at 3901. Maltenics nearly bounced her head off the glass as she jerked forward in shock as 3901 gave the new human a boost, vaulting him high into the air. The now airborne human impacted the pegasi wrangler and grabbed on tight. The wrangler panicked, resulting in a crash outside of containment that Maltenics couldn't see. Soon after, the child was dragged in, and the normally unreachable extraction door rolled shut. The doctor broke into a gallop, hoping to keep the wranglers from injuring the new human too badly before she could conduct tests.

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Jack's boot pistoned forward, catching the unicorn under his chin. The effort was rewarded when the pony’s head snapped backwards and he fell to the floor. Spinning on his heels, Jack struck outwards and found purchase on more soft flesh. His eyes darted around as the eight pony wrangling team did their best to pin him down; he needed an exit, fast. Wrapping an arm around one of the smaller ponies throats, he hefted the pony up and used them as a shield as he began breaking away from the group. The earth pony thrashed and gasped for air desperately, only to have the whipcord muscled arm tighten down like a vice. The team followed him cautiously as he made wordless threats to the struggling mare’s health. Exitexitexit! Come ooon! Jack let out a loud grunt of pain and anger as a burgundy aura ripped the struggling mare from his grasp and pinned him hard against the floor. Jack thrashed and fought in vain to escape, but to no avail.

“Stand down extraction team.” The mare’s voice caused him to look up through the hazy red magic field that held him to the floor, giving him a glance of the off-white unicorn that held him down. She wore a labcoat and scrubs underneath; the name tag ‘Dr. Maltenics’ sat proudly on her chest. A smaller brown unicorn mare with a vibrant pink mane looked over the mare's shoulder at him with wide, curious eyes. Jack bared his teeth at them; the last form of defiance he could muster currently. The scientist rolled her eyes and gestured at the team. “Get him strapped to the gurney and prepared for processing.”

“Yes ma'am.”

The mare turned toward what Jack could only guess to be her assistant, the mare with the pink hair. “Poppy, go with them and make sure he's tagged properly please. Send for me immediately if you find anything.”

Poppy nodded as the team strapped Jack down tightly to a rolling gurney, and kept pace next to him as he was wheeled off through well lit corridors. Internally, Jack began to panic. They're gonna cut me open. Just like I thought they would. Gotta escape. Gotta escape, need to get out! The mare smiled sweetly at him as they came to a halt. “It's okay, we're not going to hurt you.” She softly rubbed at his shoulder, the touch lingering far too long for Jack's liking. Fuck off!

He was being loaded onto some kind of archaic machine that whirred loudly as it came to life. The leather straps holding Jack down bit into his flesh hard and rolled his arms forcefully until his wrists pointed upwards. A spindly arm slowly extended down, a short numbered plate in its grasp. Jack's heart jumped when the branding crashed back into his mind like a car wreck. Gritting his teeth in preparation, he closed his eyes and looked away as the metal plate pressed against his upturned forearm. Instead of the terrible boiling pain he expected, a slight tingle spread down his arm, before the machine pulled away and shut down. A panicked glance down showed a series of four letters faintly glowing red and gold on the underside of his forearm.

4859

The glow slowly subsided as Jack stared at it; the ponies unstrapping him from the machine as he sat there in stunned silence. The mare named Poppy smiled at him kindly as he was placed back down on the gurney. “There! That wasn't so bad now was it? Now no matter what happens, we can find you.” She beamed as Jack's features slowly twisted in horrified realization.

The halls all started to run together, the gurney wheels clattering over linoleum and under magically powered lights. Jack had been strapped down again, the battered and bruised team obviously not trusting him one bit to behave nicely. Poppy accompanied him throughout the short journey until they reached the processing room. There she split from his side and entered a small room off to the side. The team hauled Jack off the gurney, and one of them earned a rage fueled boot tread to the face. Cartilage broke and the pony screamed in pain as they bled like a stuck pig. As he was pinned down hard, Jack began cackling at the pony with the broken nose. Poppy entered the room again, her beaming smile replaced by an unhappy frown. “Come on 4859, behave or we’ll take those booties away from you. Daisy, could you strip him down please?” Poppy had a pair of surgeon's scrubs on, and a trolley full of tools rolled next to her as the team gruffly striped Jack down to nothing. The ponies all paused, save for the one still dealing with his broken nose. Their eyes staying below Jack's beltline, and despite his best attempts, Jack's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Poppy let out an excited breath as she approached; setting her hooves down on his hairy thigh and moving them to the edge of his prosthetic. “You… are very special, aren't you?” She looked up at him, and met his glare with exuberance. She idly licked her lips and trotted around his side. “Begin notes.” A feather quill lifted off the trolley and dipped itself in ink; a sheath of papers followed it. “4859 exhibits extreme aggression and unwillingness to cooperate, unlike the others.” She brushed some of his greasy hair away from his face. “Subject has the most remarkable eyes… large surgical scars across the forehead…” she tilted his head with her magic. “And a… hmm… I don't know what this is…” She tapped at his cranial plug, which elicited a suppressed growl of disapproval from Jack. “I don't recognize the metals used, I'll take a shaving.” A quiet metallic rustle met Jack's ears, but was quickly overcome by something that sounded akin to a bonesaw. The sound of metal on metal screeching filled his ears, and the horrifically painful vibrations earned a tortured scream from him that only abated by the slightest when the saw blade broke with a twang.

“Attempts to take metal shaving have failed. I'll try something else later.” Poppy set the broken saw aside as Jack panted weakly and shuddered. “4859 is in excellent health, may have been a manual labourer. Skin inkings are very intricate, and-” The mare cocked her head to the side and peered. “Subject seems to have several metallic protrusions matching the one on the back of the skull spread across his body… how strange.” She trotted around him, poking and prodding eagerly. “Legs seem to have been replaced with some sort of complex metal prosthesis, again, I don’t recognize many of the materials used… However, having seen it in action, it seems to be very high quality. I wasn’t aware the human had lost its legs until we stripped him.” Poppy stood, and approached her trolley, pulling out a large blood drawing needle. “I’ll take a few samples for the lab.”

Jack winced as she pushed the needle in deep and drew out as much blood as the vial could take. The following hours went by painfully slowly, with the mare circling him, going on and on with her notes. Occasionally she would stop, take an often painful sample, and go back to what she was doing prior. Her stack of papers had reached a dangerously large proportion, and most of the wrangling team had left. Only Jack, Poppy, and one of the team remained in the processing room. When Poppy stepped away with her trolley full of samples and trimmings, Jack allowed himself a weak sigh of relief. Finally… He closed his eyes and willed his aching body to be quiet for even just a moment. His ears pricked as Poppy hoofed the cart off to another scientist at the door.

“Let’s schedule 4859 for physical tests tomorrow at two, okay? Oh, and please be careful with those shavings, they were very difficult to obtain.” The other scientist nodded, and trotted off with the cart in tow. Turning back, Poppy smiled at Jack and approached. She rubbed at his chest lightly. “You can be very well behaved when you want to be 4859.” She beamed happily down at him as he glared up at her. “Tomorrow is a big day for you too, you get to go for runs! Yes you do!” She ruffled Jack’s greasy hair, before turning to the door. The gurney clattered along behind her as she took Jack back to the enclosure. After saying her worthless goodbyes and placing his folded cammies on his stomach, and unclipped him from the gurney and used her magic to safely move him into a temporary holding pen.

Pulling on his pants with the care and speed of a man spent, Jack leaned against the wall and panted in exhaustion as the primary door rolled open. The human enclosure awaited, and if he didn’t shuffle forward fast enough, the wranglers would taze him in the back again. Falling forward onto the grass, Jack heard the soft thumping of feet approaching in soft grass. Someone with a large paw of a hand gave him a shake, and earned a disapproving grumble in return for the effort.

The other man simply sighed, and plucked Jack off the ground like he was a sack of wheat. Wheezing in surprise, Jack groaned as he was fireman carried across the enclosure to where he could only assume the other man slept. Being carefully set down against a smooth rock, Jack shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. Shooting the big man a thankful thumbs up, and managed a slow glance upwards. His eyes lingered on the other man’s forearm.

3901

Sighing softly to himself, Jack set his head back against the rock and stared up at the observation area. Somewhere up there was his gun, and a two megaton nuclear device. I’m not leaving without either. I don’t care how many bodies I leave on the floor. They wanted this.

One of the enclosure doors began to trundle open, rousing him from his dark ruminations. Another small pack of humans were herded in, all of which seemed exhausted. 3901 got up, and beckoned for Jack to do so as well with eagerness. Grunting in acknowledgement, Jack slowly levered himself up to his feet as the door closed behind the new group. Catching sight of a shock of vibrant red hair, Jack immediately perked up. 3901 treaded across the grass, and beckoned back toward Jack. A lithe red headed woman approached 3901, one of her trimmed eyebrows arched with curiosity. Without pause, 3901 herded her before Jack and made an excited gesture toward him, as if to say ‘Look who I found!’

The pair stared at each other in awkward silence; the woman running a calloused hand through her military cropped ginger hair. She snorted a laugh of disbelief as Jack stood stock still in stunned silence; his eyes wide and filled with swirling emotions. Her fingers and hands moved in a rhythmic pattern, easily recognizable as sign language.

{Hello Jack.}

Shivering as his hair stood on end, Jack slowly returned the sign. {Hello Elissa.}

Chapter Twenty: Devils Don't Do Captivity

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Shaking her head, Elissa looked away from Jack and up to the observation deck. She idly signed with ease, the skill having been picked up from the military and her ex-fiance. {How long have you been here?}

Turning his back on the pair, Jack treaded over to his spot and sank down to rest his haunches on the soft grass. Elissa and 3901 walked over, with the husky man taking a comfortable cross legged position, while Elissa remained standing. Jack signed back slowly as he followed her gaze up. {In this particular shithole? A day, maybe. In Equestria, maybe three to four months, I stopped counting.} Jack's hands faltered as several thoughts occurred to him at the exact same time. He didn't catch Elissa’s expression of disbelief and surprise. The thought that managed to escape first wasn't necessarily the most important to him, but it mattered deeply. {Did we win?} He looked up at the woman, and finally began noticing faint, soft lines etched into her fine face. She had a nasty little scar that marred her once beautiful face, going from her chin up to her nose. She looked older. So do I, I suppose.

Elissa paused, and gave him a soft, almost unusual smile. Jack became immediately suspicious of her motives. She hasn't smiled at me in years. She must want some kind of truce to get the hell out of here. When she found her words, they were delivered slowly and deliberately. {Yes. Thanks to you and the others.} She paused, and stared at him with soft blue eyes. The anger Jack held toward her felt almost blunted as he sat across from her, and the love he used to feel had the gall to poke its head up long enough to be squashed down savagely. She let out a quiet sigh and leaned against the tree. {How did you survive?}

The question caught him off guard, so his answer was equally confused. {What do you mean?}

{Judging from the crater in Detroit, you got two kilometers underground before detonation. How did you survive?} She watched him like a hawk, eager for answers.

Jack's mind ground to a screeching halt as he sank into his spot and thought back to what had led up to him ending up in Equestria. I didn't make it though… how… His thoughts all slammed together, churning out one, singular point that could not be ignored. It overrode all other thoughts and questions, bludgeoning its way to the top. I didn't make it….

I'm dead.

Elissa’s touch made him jump with a start, the feeling of her fingers almost a long forgotten joy in his mind. He swiftly squashed the feeling, forcing it into the back of his mind as he reinforced his walls toward her. Yanking his arm away from her, Jack fought to stay non-violent as he signed back with snappy fingers.

{I'm fine. I don't know what happened. No memory of it.} His eyes drifted down to the now stark black serial number tattooed on the underside of his forearm. {We need to figure a way out of here.} He sneered at the serial number.

3901 stood, and pointed to one of the upper access points; the one where the wrangling teams pulled people from. The door was opening, and a large tray of food was floating down. Jack frowned heavily as the equestrian humans clamoured and chirped excitedly in anticipation. 3901 approached as well, and beckoned to the other two terrans. Standing with a groan, Jack stretched his aching limbs and began to tread over to the food. When Elissa grabbed him gently by the wrist, he stopped dead in his tracks, his head refusing to turn to regard her. Elissa continued to hold onto him as she circled to where she could be seen. She gave him a soft, apologetic look, before releasing him and signing {I'm sorry.}

Jack grunted quietly at her, and turned back toward the food. His thoughts swam with indecision and confused emotions as he scooped up a T-bone steak and a number of small bits and pieces. Tearing the bone out of the steak, Jack stowed it away where no one could see. His eyes wandered up to the observation deck, and his thoughts turned decidedly bloody. He grinned with a sneer, and smiled as a plan formed in his head as he stuffed little shreds of cooked meat into his mouth.

I'm gonna teach all you smart ass motherfuckers why they called me Nasty Jack.

_________________________________________________________________

Something had gone very, very wrong. Striding through the forest with Field by her side, Flitter's mind raced as fast as possible while she churned through ideas and plans. Every failed mental plan caused her frown to deepen further into an enraged silent snarl. Field managed to keep pace with her, unable to build enough courage to interrupt her train of thought. The township loomed ahead, and was bustling with life with ponies roaming about and enjoying their days. Stopping just shy of the bridge, Flitter took a slow breath in. “Okay. We’ll check the noticeboard and see if there are any auctions coming in soon. Maybe they're holding him locally…”

Field nodded slowly, and swallowed thickly. “Okay Flitter, lead on.” He smiled, but didn't feel it. His lack of input annoyed Flitter to no end, but she couldn't entirely put him at fault.

Crossing the bridge into Ponyville, a very familiar, and highly unwanted voice called out to her. “Flitter! Hey!” Stopping in her tracks, Flitter threw a harsh glare over her shoulder at her very soon to be official ex. I don't have time for this shit. Goldie alighted behind Field and trotted past him. The stallion looked angry, but as a foal would when denied something. “Flitter, what. The. BUCK!?” He stormed up until he was almost muzzle to muzzle with her, the little vein in his temple throbbed like a fat target. “Why the buck have you been avoiding me!?”

Sighing with heavy annoyance, Flitter did her best to make it painfully obvious she wasn't in the mood for him. “Goldie.” She paused for a scant moment, her mind revving with excitement as she thought of how to get rid of him once and for all. Before she could get another word out, the stallion shoved her roughly to the ground, eliciting a cry of disapproval from Field.

Goldie sneered down at her. “So you're cheating on me, is that it? You're bucking some dirty Neck Biter? You disgusting slu-”

The end of his sentence died in a shrill scream of pain as Flitter rammed her calloused hoof into his foreleg, buckling it the wrong way. With an enraged snarl, she pounced, driving Goldie into the snowbank. Her body felt like it was energised with pure electric force as she began pounding Goldie's face with her hooves. Hoof fall after hoof fall struck his face, busting open and damaging his once pretty visage. Flitter grinned as she assaulted him, the feeling of real power finally flooding her system. When he was spitting up blood and teeth while sobbing, Flitter pulled back and pressed the blade of her knife against his throat and relished in the look of primal fear that crossed over his bloodied and broken face. Leaning in close, Flitter sneered at him and hissed. “I don't ever want to see you again you motherfucker, you hear me? If you ever touch me, or my sister again, I'll cut that limp excuse of a cock right off you and shove it down your fucking throat. You understand the words that I’m saying, bitch?” She trailed the edge of the knife down his belly and felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up as Goldie squealed in fear. “I'll kill you. I will end you. Nobody will ever even think it was me.” She pulled the knife away and gave him a hateful buck to the hind legs. “Now get your ugly ass out of my sight!”

Goldie took off as fast as his wings could carry him, his sobbing carried in the wind like sweet music. Flitter shivered, and shook her head. Is this what Jack feels whenever he gets angry? I don't think I can judge him at all anymore. Flitter turned away from the bloody thrashed snow to face Field. The stallion edged back a bit, his hackles raised in a primal attempt to scare away a predator. Flitter broke out into a well meaning smile. “I feel a lot better now!” She giggled weakly as Field's eyes remained huge and terrified.

“Y-you are a… a very scary mare Flitter…” He swallowed thickly and gestured shakily to her face. “You um… you have some… blood, on you…”

Flitter dabbed at her face with her hoof, and only seemed minorly surprised when it came away tacky and red. “Huh. I really kicked the shit out of him didn't I?” She smiled to herself as she gestured toward town. “Come on Fieldy, our humans aren't going to find themselves.”

Nodding in agreement, Field followed Flitter into town after she washed her face with a clump of snow. The morning was still young, so not too many ponies were out and about. The town hall was all but deserted, leaving the pair alone with the notice board. Flitter leafed through the thick fliers, praying for something, anything. Field squeaked, and gave her a shake. “I found one, three days from now!” The stallion tittered excitedly. “This has to be it, it's the only one!”

Hugging Field tight enough to elicit a groan as his muscles strained, Flitter grinned happily at him. “Fieldy, you beautiful bastard! Okay, okay, this is great!” Flitter tore the flier down from the board after releasing a thoroughly reddened batpony. Smacking the flier with a hoof, Flitter continued to smile. “This is perfect, it's even local. All we have to do is see if they're holding Jack, and we can bust him out.”

Field blinked, and frowned a bit toward the mare. “What about the tribe?”

Turning toward him, Flitter bumped his shoulder with her hoof. “We're busting them out too, but it'll be a ton easier if we have Jack helping us.”

With his frown increasing ever so slightly, Field did his best to look away from her. “I would prefer it if we could get them back without violence Flitter. I have some bits left, maybe-”

“Field, how much do you think somepony would sell Jack for?” Flitter stared at him levelly. “Let alone the tribe?” His increasingly heavy frown and downcast demeanour forced a quiet sigh out of Flitter as she rubbed her muzzle. “I'm sorry, I just don't see any other way at it yet….” The pregnant pause between them only grew, leaving the pair feeling awkward as they stood in the vacant town hall lobby. Letting out a breath, Flitter bumped Field's parka covered flank with her own toned hindquarters. “Come on, let's go get some coffee, and then head back to the camp. We'll tackle this later with level heads and a good plan.”

Sighing in defeat, Field nodded and forced a smile. “Yes, a drink would be very nice…” he glanced up at the mare curiously. “Are you sure you want to return to the camp and not your home? It’s going to be-”

“I’m not going home Field. Not until Jack’s safe.” Flitter turned toward the stallion. “Whatever it takes, I'm bringing him home.”

______________________________________________________________________

Dr. Maltenics steepled her hooves before her face as she stared down into the darkened enclosure. Somewhere in the dark was 4859, and the secrets he held so close to his chest. On her desk was an immaculately written letter from the Archmage himself; it disguised itself as a simple reminder of their agreement, while hiding deadly consequences. With everything that had happened in the capital as of late, Maltenics didn't have to strain her imagination as to how far the Archmage would go. Turning away from the enclosure, Maltenics sat back in her chair and popped the cork on her small wine bottle.

“A fine vintage.”

The familiar voice caused the mare to frown as she poured herself a small glass, not bothering to look toward her office door. “Did you need something Forge?”

The hippogriff at her door smiled without humour as he treaded in uninvited. The frown he received in return brought a hint of satisfaction into his mind as he made himself comfortable in the plush chair opposite the mare. “Is a simple check-in so terrible Lacy?” He arched his back, and let out a purr of satisfaction as it popped.

Showing her dislike for the other scientist, Maltenics steepled her hooves before her and rested her chin on them as she glared. “Don't you have an abomination to make? You wouldn't want to let down our mutual friend by being late again, now would you?”

Forge’s smirk slipped from his features as swiftly as it had appeared, and he set a small folder down on the table. “I've made excellent progress on my assignment. The sub-alpha made for a perfect frame.”

Rolling her eyes, Maltenics shooed at him to try and get the hippogriff to leave her office. “Save it for the full report. I have important work to do, and I can't afford to be interrupted-”

“I know you're not going to give the humans to the our friend, Lacy. So why don't you listen for a moment?” Maltenics’ blood ran cold as her heart fell into her stomach. Forge smiled once again without a hint of kindness as he extended a talon and slowly dragged the letter across the table towards himself. “Lacy, we both know what betraying our friend entails. I know why you've suddenly decided this, however, and I believe you're on to something.” He flipped open the folder he’d brought with him, revealing the images inside. Maltenics felt her stomach twist violently as Forge’s creation stared back with black, lifeless eyes. Forge maintained his smile. “I'm only a few days away from being able to test him. What I ask, in return for my silence on the matter, is that I be allowed to test it on your humans.”

Upturning her head in a harsh sneer, Maltenics glared vehemently at Forge. “That's idiotic. Why on Equis would I agree to that?”

“Because, whether 4859 lives or dies, you'll be able to study him. You can only learn so much until you bring out the scalpel. The others… well, what are a few broken eggs in the face of such a beautiful omelette? “ When the mare opened her mouth to shoot him down, the hippogriff launched across the desk and wrapped his talons around her throat. Maltenics let out a surprised, terror stricken gasp for air. Forge slowly softened his grip, but didn't remove his talons from her neck. “I… suggest you carefully consider your next words, Dr. Maltenics.”

Maltenics’ horn flared, and she removed his talons from her neck. “You’ll get your test, Dr. Forge. Now get the buck out of my office.” The other scientist smiled, and nodded as he took his manilla folder full of horrors with him. When the door clicked shut, Lacy deflated into her chair and rubbed at her eyes with her forehoof. She cast a glance over her desk; her knick knacks and papers strewn about and spattered with spilled wine. Letting out a soft sigh, she began cleaning up the mess. Shuffling some of the papers around, her hoof bumped into the grooved wooden grip of 4859’s weapon. A grim, violent thought traced seductively across her mind, before being brushed aside. Turning back to regard the enclosure, she searched once again for 4859. She found him soon enough, staring back at her through the dark. Maltenics set her mouth into a thin drawn line, and silently prayed that her humans could trump whatever abomination the Archmage was paying Forge to create.

________________________________________________________________

Jack’s eyes fluttered open as the enclosure lights slowly brightened, simulating daylight and waking him from his dreamless sleep. Through crud-sealed eyes, he scanned the room before rubbing at his eyes ineffectively. The Equestrian humans were slowly waking up, their chirps and mewls slowly growing to a quiet din. Pushing himself to his feet, Jack yawned tiredly as he stretched. The larger man, 3901, was already up, and busying himself with trying to repair his adidas track kilt. Elissa was slowly waking as well, her grubby locks of red hair bedraggled from sleeping on the grass. Jack’s eyes paused on her for a moment too long, and he gave his head a shake to clear his thoughts away like cobwebs. His attentions lingered on Akasha, who had split herself from the group shortly after her child had been ripped away by the ponies.

Would a kind gesture even be understood? Would it matter?

Slumping his shoulders in self-defeat, Jack plodded over to the woman who laid on her side, curled up into a ball. When he sat down next to her, the woman only momentarily glanced up from her arms towards him; her eyes glistening with tears.

It matters.

Without pause, Jack reached out and wrapped his arms carefully around the dirty, naked woman and pulled her halfway onto his lap. Cradling her head against his chest, Jack softly stroked her matted, greasy mane of hair in an attempt to console the grieving mother. Akasha didn’t bother fighting the embrace; her weak huffs and whining stuck like tacks inside Jack’s mind as she gripped at him and sobbed. Jack held her close and closed his eyes as his mood fouled darkly.

I’ll get him back.

The upper enclosure doors slowly began opening, revealing the recently awoken handlers. Jack sneered hard, and gave Akasha one final pet as he began getting up. Akasha pulled at him, chirping frantically at him. Pulling away from the woman, Jack leveled his smoldering gaze on the doors and the ponies that stood nearby. They were keenly fixated upon him, obviously there to take him to some other test. A plan hatched deep in Jack’s mind; his eyes falling on the pony with the fresh bandages over his recently broken nose. The mare with the pink mane was there as well, wearing her lab coat and carrying a clipboard. She smiled at Jack, but it faltered slightly when he smiled back like a vicious animal.

What about the shiv?

Save it. Recon.

Jack rolled his neck slowly, grunting in base pleasure as it popped loudly. The handlers approached slowly, and the noise of the enclosure increased. The other humans had finally noticed the ponies, and were making themselves heard. Jack’s eyes flicked down over the scientists coat; spying a name tag that read ‘Poppy Gallipoli’. Jack took a step forward, eliciting some nervous looks and readied cattle prods. The stallion with the broken nose got a little too close with his cattle prod, obviously wanting a bit of revenge for the pain. Without breaking step, Jack’s hand shot out like lightning, wrapping around the shaft of the prod to pull the pony towards him. Or, more specifically, his bootheel. The sound of soft tissue collapsing and pained, shrill screaming set an enthused grin on Jack’s face as he used the stolen cattle prod to earn himself a bit more breathing room. The handlers backed up considerably, and yelled for backup. Giving the prod a twirl in his hand, Jack made eye contact with Poppy.

The mare had stood her ground, and had passed her clipboard off to one of the handlers. She seemed unphased by the sudden violence as she took a step toward Jack. She smiled softly toward him, and spoke with the same tone one would use when coercing a dog forward. “Come on 4859, we’re not going to hurt you. I promise.”

Play along. Make them think you’re obedient.

Dropping the active prod onto the moaning handler, Jack cocked his head innocently and smiled at the mare as the handler screamed bloody murder as he was shocked. Seemingly uncaring toward the suffering handler, Poppy gently set a collar around Jack’s neck, and then a lead to it. “We don’t want you wandering off now.” She smiled sweetly, and motioned for him to follow. “Come on 4859, you get to go for a run today! Doesn’t that sound fun?” Poppy led him out of the enclosure, the large doors shutting behind him and the entourage of wranglers and handlers. The pink maned mare led him through the twisting white sanitized halls, until they reached a testing chamber. All manner of equipment was set up through the room, and several other scientists were present. Poppy led him through, and unclipped the lanyard as she joined the other scientists. Jack’s eyes flitted about, scanning the room. With the additional scientists in the room and not separated by a thick glass wall, the guards were on high alert. They all looked ready to pounce on him for doing so much as scratching his ass aggressively.

Breaking off from the group, Poppy led him over to the first machine, a treadmill. She motioned for him to get on it. “It’s okay, it’s not going to hurt you, we’re just going to run some tests.” Jack mentally rolled his eyes as he stepped onto the treadmill and felt it sag ever so slightly under his weight. The mare’s horn flashed, and the tread glowed under Jack’s boots. He arched a brow, before realizing it had no engine, and that she had to power it with her magic. The other scientists approached, and started attaching all sorts of probes to his body. Poppy started the rollers with her magic and smiled at him with encouragement. “Let’s see if you can beat the two kilometer record! There’ll be a reward if you can.”

Reward? For a 2k?

Jack fought back a laugh as he started off at a very slow walk.

This is going to be too easy.

Ten kilometers later, Jack was regretting having not stretched. He slowed, before letting the treadmill spit him off toward the ponies. A number of scientists were yammering back and forth, and the others approached him without a single care for their personal well being. They poked and prodded at his metal legs, while Jack wiped the sweat from his brow. Poppy smiled strangely toward him, sending an uncomfortable chill down Jack’s spine. “Good boy! You get to have a bath and a surprise!”

Jack’s pride deflated thoroughly as he shot a glare at the mare, who maintained her sunny disposition as if nothing were wrong. This bitch… okay, maybe a bath won’t be so bad. He tuned out the other scientists and their workings, allowing the rest of the tests to breeze by like nothing. Apparently they’d never had a soldier to test before; each test feeling like a dumbed down morning PT session. In the back of his mind, his thoughts went to the physical training that he’d done with Flitter. Without pause, he slapped the thoughts away and scowled as he was led out of the testing room.

Don’t you dare miss her. She sold you out. She did this. Flitter will get what’s coming to her. Her and that little prick Field. I’ll get them both back for this.

Jack forced his train of thought back onto the track of the present just as Poppy led him into what looked to be a washing area. The mare paused there for a long moment, as if considering something. Rolling his eyes, Jack began slipping out of his stiff cammies. She let out a quiet, hurried breath, before shaking her head. “Okay, time for your surprise.” She turned to the wrangles and nodded. “Bring her in please.”

Her?

The wranglers returned shortly, prodding along a very unhappy looking Elissa. Jack groaned inwardly as he sat at the edge of the large tub. Poppy glanced up at Elissa and frowned, before speaking. “You two, get clean. Cleeaaaan. Okay? Okay.” She cast her eyes back over to Jack for a long moment, before turning tail on the room and closing the door. Elissa huffed unhappily, before looking over toward Jack. Her eyes went from her half naked ex-fiance, to the tub of hot, soapy water. Making her decision right then and there, Elissa cast one last glance toward Jack, and began undressing. Jack’s eyes flicked over to the woman, taking in every curve that had once been his.

No. Nono. NO. Bad. It doesn’t matter how attractive she is. It doesn’t. It doesn’t matter how much you loved her.

Jack shook his head, and looked down at his metal legs. He sighed, and slipped off the last of his clothes, before lowering himself into the water. A quiet, almost impassioned groan escaped his lips as he sank in fully, drawing Elissa’s attentions. She laughed quietly, before shaking her head and joining him.

The pair sat across from each other, neither willing to move now that they’d sat down. Sinking into the water until only his eyes and the rest of his head were above water, Jack stared at Elissa. Said woman rolled her eyes, and rubbed her cheek, before signing. {Want me to get your back?}

Snorting out bubbles into the bath, Jack lifted himself up to shoot off a snippy reply. {What about Paul?}

Elissa seemed to have been expecting this, as she sighed, and smiled weakly. {Paul has been dead for almost ten years Jack. He died during the war.} Jack blinked slowly as he sat up in the tub. Elissa lowered her gaze to the soapy waters and shook her head. {It’s been ten years since you…} Her hands trailed off, as if she were building the courage to create the final word. {Died.} Jack sank into the waters again, his mind dumbstruck as she continued on. {I’ve had ten years to regret what happened. I always wanted to just… explain what happened. You have all the right to hate me Jack; I know I did for a long time.} Looking up at Elissa, Jack couldn’t bring himself to glare at her. He simply shrugged as a motion for her to continue. {When you went MIA, they pronounced you KIA. They found your legs, and presumed you dead. I grieved Jack. I grieved for months. I loved you, and you were just gone. Paul was a mistake, I’ll admit that openly.} She took a moment to collect her thoughts, before continuing. {When you suddenly came back into my life, I’d already moved on. I hated myself so much for not waiting, for not having faith in you, or us, I just… I lashed out, and I hurt you even more. For years, I regretted that every day that went by.} Elissa got up from her spot in the water, and moved closer to Jack, taking a seat at his side as she gently placed her hand over his own. She slowly mouthed ‘I’m sorry’.

Swallowing thickly, Jack curled his fingers around Elissa’s and closed his eyes. Breaking off for a moment, he looked over to her and signed back. {I’d like it if you got my back.} Elissa smiled softly, and nodded as she moved around behind him, and began washing his back. Her fingers stopped dead when she came close to his brand. She traced her hand around it, before wrapping her deceptively strong arms around his broad chest to hug him tightly. Resting his head against hers, Jack closed his eyes and let one of his hands sink down to rest of the wonderfully soft flesh of her thigh.

I’m getting you out of here too. We’re all getting out of here. I promise.

I promise.

Chapter Twenty One: The Devils Dues

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Field Note smiled brilliantly as he trotted onto the stage; the bright spotlights nearly blinding him as he gazed out at the crowd. He could feel tears in his eyes, tears of happiness in that all of his sacrifice and hard work was about to pay off. It felt like the greatest day of his life to date; all his work and sleepless nights cumulated toward this very moment. He could barely make out the face of the pony shaking his head vigorously as he stood before a crowd of hundreds, maybe thousands. Field felt his chest swell with pride as the speech began. “In recognition of outstanding achievements in the fields of physiology and human relations, we present the Trotbel prize to-”

“Fieeeeldy.”

Blinking in surprise, Field looked around as Flitters voice sounded out again all around him. His curiosity turned to horror as his award slipped from his hooves and the crowd began to dematerialize before him as he slowly began to wake up. “No! No please! Not like this!” His calls for mercy went unheeded, until he snapped awake in his sleeping bag.

Flitter withdrew her hooves, having shaken him awake. “You were crying in your sleep Field.” She smirked a small bit as the batpony’s face turned a deep red and he turned away from her to pout. “It's alright Fieldy, time to get up anyway.” The mare stood and stretched out, missing the swift glance Field sent her way as she did. Flapping her wings to get the circulation going, Flitter pulled on her hoodie and looked to Field as he remained inside his devilishly warm sleeping bag. “Come on, we have a human auction to attend.”

Groaning in exertion as he pulled himself out of his sleeping bag, Field slowly got dressed, his mind still lingering on the dream he’d never reach. Grabbing his bag of bits, Field looked over to Flitter and nodded. “I'm ready to go.” The mare smiled at him approvingly as she headed for the cave entrance. A cursory glance past the tarping showed nothing but a thickly snowed in forest, completely undisturbed by anything save for the wind. Flitter barely slowed by a fraction as she plowed through the snow drifts, leaving a slim trail for Field to follow along behind. The forest was disturbingly silent, the trees themselves barely making a sound as they softly swish and swayed in the wind. Field's eyes slowly swept about, taking it all in as he trotted behind Flitter. His eyes eventually returned to her, and he allowed himself a wistful sigh as he fell into a wonderfully warm daydream. Near the outskirts of Ponyville, Flitter stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head to ask Field a question. Her question was lost momentarily when he walked blissfully unaware into her hindquarters.

Shaking her head as Field backed up swiftly, Flitter ignored his bright red cheeks as she looked back over to Ponyville. “Where did the flyer say the auction was?” She looked back over her shoulder as he struggled with his bags.

“Aha! I found it!” Field's smile faded slightly when he looked back up at her with the crumpled ball of paper in his magic. Coughing quietly, he looked down at it and did his best to work the lines out of the paper. “Erm… Ponyville center… I don't know where that is…”

“I do.” Flitter turned back toward the town and started trotting, giving Field enough time to scramble to shove the flier back in his saddlebag and gallop through the snow to catch up. Flitter continued on once she could hear his laboured panting behind her again. “It's where they hold the annual Human show. You know, trainers and breeders bring out their best to try and win prizes. Makes sense, the place is meant to hold a lot of humans.” Flitter paused and cursed. “I should have brought some of his gear, that'd make it so much easier… dammit, Flitter you dummy…”

As Flitter quietly berated herself for the supposed slip-up, Field gave up on trying to muscle his way through the snow left in her wake. Tapping his flight talisman twice, he took to the skies and hovered along beside her with some effort. “Ponyville must have quite a market on humans to have a center.”

The mare snorted and shook her head. “No, it was just another waste of crown funds. The only breeders nearby are the Apples. I mean, there's plenty of trainers, and on occasion some breeders from out of town come to the shows, but generally we don't see many.” Flitter sighed. “So the mayor tries to make it seem like less of a waste by hosting all kinds of bullshit events, and only the same hoofful of ponies go.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Field. “Which means the auction won't have a ton of ponies at it.”

Trying to match her enthusiasm, Field smiled meekly and nodded. “I do hope so. This… job, may be quite difficult otherwise.” He cast his eyes around nervously, as if the few ponies out and about could read their minds and discover their intentions. Shaking her head at the stallion’s demeanour, Flitter continued to plow through the snow laden streets toward Ponyville center. The ticket booth was manned, and a lone stallion was working at cleaning the entrance of snow. Flitter motioned for Field to take point, and pay for their entrance. Nodding weakly at Flitter, Field trotted up and smiled at the mare behind the ticket counter. “Good, uhhh… good morning!” He pressed his smile, despite how fake it felt.

The mare glanced over with blatant disinterest, before swinging her chair over so she was facing him. “Entrance for two?” When Field nodded, and began fidgeting with his bit bag, she interrupted him as he went to speak. “Will you be purchasing anything today?” The stallion cast a questioning glance to Flitter, awaiting her answer to the question. Rolling her eyes, Flitter nodded, and the mare sighed. “That's twenty bits sir.” Taking the money from him readily, the mare pushed a pair of tickets to them and went back to reading her gossip magazine.

Not giving Field a moment to collect his thoughts, Flitter herded him through the door and took one of the tickets off him. “Okay, let's stick together. Pretend that we want to have a look at the merchandise before the auction.” At his wordless confirmation, Flitter smiled and patted him with her wing. “Take it easy Field, you're tense.”

“That's easy for you to say…” Field looked around nervously as he dispelled his flight talisman and pulled his Parka’s collar closer with his magic. “Okay. I'll follow your lead Flitter.”

Leading Field off through the center as ponies milled about while they waited for the auction to start, Flitter scanned for anything resembling a corral. The Apples had a small stall, and had obviously brought some of their overstock. A quick glance confirmed they didn't have Jack, or any of the tribals. Their humans just seemed too docile, too broken in and well trained. Next, much to Flitter's immediate disliking, was Miss Oakenbaulm and her select breeds. The older mare spotted her around the same time, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Before Flitter could drag Field past her stall, the older mare cleared her throat and drew the stallions attention, which inadvertently brought Flitter’s. “I see your human isn't with you Flitter. Are you looking to sell him today?” Her voice held a portion of edge to it, but not enough to warrant the aggressive response that Flitter had to quash.

Shaking her head as she pushed at Field to continue in, Flitter shot a scanning glance over Oakenbaulm’s stock. To her surprise, the older mare’s personal human was for sale. “No. He’s been foalnapped, and we were hoping maybe we could get lucky and find him here.”

To Flitter's immediate surprise, Oakenbaulm seemed genuinely concerned as she looked to Field. “You must be the human’s out-of-town owner. I'm sorry for your loss sir, but I do not believe that he's here. Trust me, I would have seen him.”

Field opened his mouth to protest, before immediately closing it as he scrapped his response. “Y-yes… I'm feeling his loss quite… keenly. We haven't had any luck finding him so far. “ Field did his best to ignore Flitter's annoyed look as the older mare nodded.

“I can understand the pain of that loss.” Oakenbaulm sat back and seemed to consider a thought for a scant moment, before smiling. “I have a proposition. My human here, she's… she seems to be a special case. However, whatever she lacks in the mental department, she seems to be very, very good at tracking scents. I'd be willing to sell her to you for a fair price.”

Rolling her eyes, Flitter opened her mouth to shoot down the offer, but was cut off by Field agreeing and opening his bit bag. “How much would you ask for her? She seems healthy.” Again, he ignored Flitter's annoyed snort.

“Two hundred, for you.” Miss Oakenbaulm smiled kindly at Field as he counted out two hundred bits. “Just keep her fed and bathed. She has a tendency to get very dirty.” As Field hoofed over the bits, Oakenbaulm peered closer at his face and smiled with recognition. “I know you, you’re Professor Field Note. I read your paper, before you were kicked out of Canterlot.”

Flushing from the recognition, Field shifted nervously and smiled. “Well it's um… always good to meet a fan! Hah…” Field laughed weakly with Oakenbaulm as the human was collared and leashed.

“Your work with human psychology makes for quite the read, Professor Note. Please, enjoy your new human, and good luck finding your missing one.” Glancing to Flitter, Oakenbaulm leaned forward and spoke quietly to him, but loudly enough for Flitter to easily hear. “You may want to reconsider the company you keep, Professor. Have a nice day now.” She smiled professionally despite Flitter's angry scowl.

Returning the pleasantries, Field gently tugged on the leash and found the human female very responsive. “Flitter? Let's go, shall we?” Shifting her glare to Field, Flitter watched as his smile wilted and returned to its semi-frightened frown from earlier that day. Nodding wordlessly, Flitter followed him out of the center and into the chilly winter air. The small human shivered and chirped in discomfort as she crossed her arms in front of her slight chest to try and conserve warmth.

“So, Field. “ Flitter began as she trotted next to him down the main street. Field immediately regretted his purchase at the tone she was using. His hopes lifted ever so slightly as she sighed dejectedly and looked to him. “Do you really think she’ll be any help?”

With his eyes scanning for a certain shop, Field did his best to smile with certainty. “I do. Trained tracking humans are very capable. Not as much as hounds with scents, but definitely more versatile. Now, where can we buy her some winter clothes?”

Flitter glanced up at the whining and shivering girl who had clamped herself to Field's side in an attempt to leech warmth from him. “Just down the street. Rarity started selling human clothes again. Don't know what pulled the stick out of her ass on that though… “

Field's response was consumed by a girlish yelp as the human stuck her icy cold hands down his parka and buried them deep into his fur. The girl let out a happy chirp as she nuzzled him. Flitter bit her hoof to keep from laughing as Field shivered unhappily. His new response was considerably more icy. “I would appreciate it if we hurried then.”

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Once the young human was more appropriately dressed for the weather, Field and Flitter began their trek back into the forest. The human trailed behind them on her leash, the rapid clomps of her booties in the snow broke the silence between Flitter and Field as they approached the boundary between Ponyville and the woods. With the available trail growing ever slimmer, Field choked up on the leash and brought the still unnamed girl close to his side as Flitter lead the way through to Jack's cave in the woods. Flitter approached the entrance and slipped inside, leaving Field and the girl outside while she found something appropriate to let the human hound get a scent off of. The girl shifted nervously from foot to foot, eliciting high pitched chirps as she looked around. Soon enough, she was pressed firmly against Field's side. Thankfully, Flitter soon stepped back through the optical camouflage tarp with an old worn shirt held in her mouth. Walking up to the girl, Flitter held the shirt before her.

“Track! Find him girl, go, track!”

The girl pressed her face into the fabric, sniffing and huffing in the cold. Without warning, she jerked back and wheeled on her heels to take off through the snow. Field squeaked as the leash went taut and the human pulled him across the frozen dirt and snow. His hooves caught on a hunk of fallen wood, sending him careening down into the snow face first. Flitter raced over top of the fallen stallion as the woman weaved through the trees, her leash trailing behind her like a flailing tail. Pumping her wings as she was forced to go wide around a copse of trees, Flitter strained to keep her eyes on the brightly dressed woman as she pushed through the snow. Without warning the woman stopped, just before the tribal encampment. Alighting down next to her, Flitter grinned as she looked up.

“What did you find girl?” Flitter prepared the shirt again, in case she'd forgotten the scent already. The girl hopped from foot to foot, whining as she looked about the camp. She chirped meekly, before skirting around the snow covered encampment. Picking up the trail again, she set off at a more reasonable pace, allowing Flitter to keep up without difficulty. Tossing a glance over her shoulder, Flitter scanned the forest and the sky for any sign of Field. Spotting him circling slowly, Flitter spread out a wing and whistled into her hoof. Drawing his attention with her brightly coloured wing, Flitter didn't see the human stop in her tracks until it was too late. Field landed in the fresh powder as Flitter was pulling her muzzle out of the humans rear. Flushing hotly as she avoided his smirking visage, Flitter took a look over at the human. She was pawing at the snow, digging something out. Trotting over to her side, Flitter immediately recognised the garish orange and yellow cap, frozen stiff as a board.

“That's his hat alright… what happened here?” Flitter looked up and slowly scanned the small clearing. In several places, the snow had accumulated in old thrashed drifts and across the clearing. Something metallic and green drew Flitter's attention; whatever it was was sticking out of a medium sized hole. Trotting over to the hole, Flitter found Jack's entrenching tool, stuck blade down in the frozen dirt. “Jack was digging here!” Flitter lifted her head to find Field, only to hear her name being called.

Field beckoned her over before a large tree, where a hoof sized hole had been shot clear through. Blood and a thick tuft of furred flesh had crystallized on a nearby rock that was protected mostly from the falling snow. Swallowing lightly, Field frowned heavily. “There was definitely a fight here… see if the human can get a scent off his hat, or the fur.”

Holding the frozen hat in front of the girl, the pair waited anxiously for her to pick up another trail. The girl sniffed at it, and made a face as she pulled it from Flitter's grasp and buried her face into it. Dropping the hat, she began pacing the clearing as she made strange, unhappy noises. Without warning the human stopped dead in her tracks and craned her head awkwardly, before bolting off into the woods. With the two ponies chasing her as fast as their hooves and wings could carry them, the girl weaved between trees and under branches. Bursting from the woods, she carried on through a seldom used path and over an old stone bridge. Ponyville began to grow before them as the human made a hard line toward the train station. The girl followed the tracks for a half kilometre, before slowing to a stop and sitting down cross legged in the snow. Flitter trotted beyond the girl, who arched up and nuzzled happily at the now panting Field. Flitter’s features twisted in anger and defeat as she stared off at the city that clung to the side of the mountains.

“Canterlot…”

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A sharp shake and a quiet chirp awoke Jack from yet another dreamless sleep; he jerked upwards at the touch and tried to find the source as Elissa and the other terran man remained sound asleep. Blinking through his morning fog, Jack found himself staring at a very pallid Akasha. She tugged at his hand, and murmured incomprehensibly. Alright alright, I'm up… Pushing himself up after carefully taking Elissa’s head off his lap, Jack groaned as he stretched out his sore limbs. Akasha tugged at him again, and grabbed onto his fingers to lead him to the source of her concerns. The culprit soon became apparent as Jack approached. Gover was laying in the shade of the trees in the fetal position; a small pile of ignored food lay near him. The man looked as if we were just skin and bone; his skeletal structure pushed through his pale discoloured flesh, becoming painfully visible.

Letting out a sad sigh, Jack sat down next to the small man and shook his head. You ain't gonna make it, are you buddy… As if he could hear Jack's unspoken thoughts, Gover slowly cracked an eye and mewled softly at Jack. His dull eyes were fogged with pain, and yet he still tried to sit up. Shaking his head, Jack held him down until his barely noticeable struggling stopped. I'm sorry buddy. I wish I could help you. I want to help you. A near panicked thought crossed Jack's mind, and he reached to the small pile of food. He spent the next ten minutes trying to get the sick man to eat something, anything.

When he failed to get the man to eat anything, Jack let out a quiet sigh and brought the much smaller man up to rest his upper body in his lap. Gover nuzzled in weakly, and let out a slow breath. Closing his eyes, Jack wrapped his right arm around Gover's neck, locking it to his left shoulder. He began tightening his chokehold, cutting off blood flow to Gover's brain. Without so much as a chirp or mewl in alarm, Glover slipped into unconsciousness. Grimacing, Jack jerked his body abruptly to the side, earning a muted crack. Jack held the man like that for a long moment, feeling him slip away. Setting his jaw tightly, Jack laid Gover's body down softly on the grass and stood, brushing off his pants. Crossing the dead tribals arms over his now still chest, Jack turned his back on the body and looked up to find every set of eyes in the enclosure resting on him. Unable to hide his sneer of disgust, he treaded over to the small creek and began washing his hands off.

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Up in the observation area, scientists gathered around with their clipboards and notepads as Dr. Forge smiled with barely suppressed egotistical confidence. Standing next to him was Dr. Maltenics. The mare smothered her desire to pluck the hippogriff right there on the spot, and allowed him to begin his practiced and perfected sales pitch. Of course, this was just a ‘test run’ so the real buyer wasn't present. Just colleagues sworn to the same silence as the two scientists.

“Ladies and gentlestallions, for centuries we have sent out children off to fight wars, to do battle with our enemies and to keep us safe. For centuries, our best and bravest have thrown their lives away for meaningless swathes of land, for petty political squabbles.” He turned toward the enclosure and gestured with a talon. “Many attempts have been made to weaponize humans to fight in our stead, but to no avail.” He smiled like a snake, and Maltenics failed to cover her scowl this time. “That problem, my friends and colleagues, is one I have solved.” He waved his full set of claws toward one of the enclosure doors. “Behold. My child of war.”

The door shuddered as it slid open, and some of the humans began to gather near it expecting food. The area behind it was pitch black, revealing nothing to the scientists who craned their necks to get a look at what Forge had created. One of the humans approached the open door, chirping quizzically. A massive, muscled hand shot out and wrapped around the human's head and yanked him back into the dark. The other humans squawked and squealed as they retreated from the doorway. Forge smiled cruelly as a pale arm planted itself into the grass and his child peered out from the dark, causing the scientists to collectively gasp. “Enjoy the show.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Fuck me running...

Jack took an involuntary step back as the aberration slowly pulled itself free from the dark. It looked human in size, just about Algeron's size if he had weighed another hundred pounds more. Ropey, sinuous muscle layered its massive frame and was covered by pale waxy skin that was pulled so taut over the aberration’s muscles that it looked as if it were about to burst out of its own skin. Its body was crisscrossed with surgical stitching to match the clear tubes filled with a mix of sickly yellow and pitch black fluids. It lumbered awkwardly into the enclosure like a child taking its first steps. Jack slowly moved to regroup with Elissa and 3901, but before he could reach them, he caught sight of the aberration’s face. Stopping dead in his tracks, he stared straight into Blunda’s blackened dead eyes. Blunda's soft childish lips curled upward in a disturbingly sincere smile. A shrill chirp brought Blunda's attentions away from Jack, freeing him from whatever force had caused his body to freeze in place.

Shaking his head, Jack set his legs in motion to rejoin his peers as Akasha slowly approached what had become of her child. She warbled softly as Jack dug out his bone shiv and nodded to Elissa and 3901. The aberration regarded Akasha with open curiosity as she approached with tears in her eyes. She slowly reached out to it, brushing her dirty fingertips against the pale waxy skin of Blunda's cheek. It's eerily long fingers curled around the back of Akasha's head, mimicking a loving embrace. The next moment, a sickening crack echoed through the enclosure, sending Jack's dinner from the night before up into his throat as the woman's grey matter and shattered skull leaked between Blunda's long fingers and her body spasmed and twitched wildly. Blunda's lips curled upward again as he shrieked with delight and began playing with the still spasming corpse how a child would play with a new toy.

The bile in the back of his throat subsided as white hot fury overcame Jack and he gripped his bone shiv with purpose. I'm going to put. You. DOWN. Baring his teeth, Jack let out a long whistle, drawing the attention of his hunters. With a rage fueled roar, he jabbed the shiv at the beast that had once been a child and let out his war cry.

“UUUURRAAAAHHHH!!”

His fury proved infectious as the previously stunned humans snarled and mirrored his warcry so violently that it echoed inside the observation platform, shaking the protective glass that separated horror from science. The humans charged the aberration, screaming their guttural tribal battlecry as the beast turned toward them and giggled with glee. Flesh slammed into flesh as the trapped humans assaulted the aberration with vehemence; grubby, dirty fingers and hands searched for purchase against the waxy skin and dug into fresh sutures and earned oily black blood in return. Blunda slammed one of his balled up fists down onto Aram’s head, crushing the large ex-alpha like a soda can. Ducking under a blow that shattered a tribals chest, Jack stabbed forward with the bone shiv. The crude weapon bit between sutures, and dug in deep into the aberration’s flesh. Oily black blood trickled forth, and the beast roared in aggravation. With lightning fast reflexes, it grabbed hold of Jack's legs and hurled him across the enclosure with contemptuous ease. The reinforced glass and its metal frame buckled loudly as he impacted it, causing the scientists behind it to cry out in surprise as he fell out of sight and into the small stream.

Water flooded into Jack's open mouth, all the air in his lungs having been forced out by the impact. He came up spluttering and gasping; throwing himself to the edge of the shallow stream as the battle raged on. Half of Isotta’s body splattered bloodily as it bounced across the floor and skidded to a stop a few feet away. We're getting slaughtered! Gritting his teeth and swallowing the pain that plagued his body, Jack shook his head and propelled himself back into the fray. The aberration flailed at the humans, its enjoyment of the fight gone now that somebody had stabbed it in the neck. The shiv lay buried inside its putrid flesh, the beast's oily black blood slowly trickling out around it. Ducking under its arms with enviable agility, Elissa ripped the shiv from the blackened laceration and moved to slip back out, only to be struck by one of the aberrations flailing arms and sent to the ground. Blunda let out a high pitched squeal of delight as he lifted both of his arms up to squash her like an insect underfoot.

The strikes never came down as 3901 slammed into the beast; the sound of the impact echoed through the enclosure. Grabbing onto the beast's barrel chest, 3901 held it at bay in a wrestling grapple as Elissa removed herself from harm's way. With a mighty roar, 3901 heaved the monster off its feet and sent it crashing to the floor with a herculean hip toss; the boom echoed through the clamour of the enclosure and shook the windows of the observation post. The burly man’s monstrous muscles bulged from beneath layers of fat as he grit his teeth in exertion. With a twist, 3901 twisted Blunda’s mutated arm until it popped free of its socket and pinned it against the floor. The few surviving humans pinned down its right arm as Jack scooped up a large palm sized rock. Pouncing onto Blunda's heaving chest, he brought the rock down in a hard, swiping strike that took the beast's boyish face clean off. Jack recoiled in horror as the flayed face fell off like a wet mask, revealing the blank fleshy slate underneath. Pushing his horror to the back of his mind, Jack brought the rock down again and again, earning gouts of blood and strange sickly yellow gel that spattered his arms and hands. The severed child's face began to howl and squeal in agony; the sound sending a chill down Jack's spine and burying itself deep in his mind as he smashed its skull to pieces. Jack smashed the rock against its pulverized skull again and again, only stopping when two pairs of arms grabbed him from behind and pulled him off the twitching corpse.

3901 and Elissa let him go as they took a step back; they both huffed from the exertion of earlier and wiped at the viscous fluids and sweat that spattered and traced their bodies. Jack shook his head slowly, and doubled over as he held his pounding head. Crimson blood trickled onto the fake grass and stone; he wasn't even sure if it was his own.

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Turning away from 4859 and his wonderfully gruesome handiwork, Dr. Maltenics failed to hide her smug satisfaction as she looked across her colleagues to see Forge still staring down at the enclosure with shocked disbelief. The hippogriff blinked rapidly, before slowly turning from the glass and treading away slowly. Maltenics felt a sense of joy overcome her, up until she heard the laughter coming from the enclosure. Manic, hateful laughter drew her attentions back to the now approaching 4859. The human was grinning ear to ear, and looking right into her eyes. With a savage grin, he pointed at her, before slowly drawing a finger across his throat.

The display sent a chill down her spine as she looked over to the lead security officer. “Have a team separate 4859 from the others. Solitary confinement, bite mask and jacket.” The stallion nodded and set off to alert his peers as Maltenics cast a glance back down at the destroyed enclosure. Only five humans remained of the thirty-two that had awoken that morning. Bodies and severed parts littered the ground and intestines were spread about like holiday garlands. The rotten creature that Forge had created lay dead. Maltenics closed her eyes for a long moment, before turning away from the window and trotting back to her office. She had a lot of work to do.

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When one of the outer doors began to open, Jack bolted for it, hell bent on escape. A team of pony wranglers were on the other side, completely unprepared for the blood raged human who burst through the small gap between the door and the floor. Jack wrapped his hands around the first ponies head, and pistoned his armoured kneecap into the stallions muzzle. The muted crunch and high pitched scream went unheeded as Jack roared with fury and launched himself at the yelling guards. His hand found purchase on the padded grip of a cattle prod; the weapon was soon arcing through the air, splitting a mare's face wide open as it discharged its battery into her.

“Somepony call for backup!”

A unicorn screamed bloody murder and hit the floor hard as Jack smashed the cattle prod to pieces across her glowing horn. He grunted in pain as a low voltage prod jammed into his side and locked his muscles. The remains of the team began their counter barrage, beating and battering him as roughly as they could. With a fury fueled snarl, Jack launched himself at one of the few ponies left and dug his thumbs deep into the big colourful eyes that stared at him in horror. He barely noticed that the door had closed behind him, cutting him off from his peers, or that reinforcements had arrived for the wranglers. He pressed his thumbs in deeper and didn't bother hiding the manic open toothed grin he wore. A bolt of lightning struck his side, sending Jack off of the thrashing and screaming pony. A half-dozen armoured guards pounced on him, pinning his arms to the ground as his side sizzled from the magic strike. They pressed a heavy metal mask down over his face and clamped it shut behind his head, before manhandling him into a straight jacket. With one final rebel yell, Jack head-butted one of the armoured guards, splitting open the stallion's face with the heavy metal contraption now clamped onto his head. Hooves punched downwards, driving the air from his lungs as high voltage cattle prods turned his body into an unresponsive wreck.

Finally, the world went black around him as he slipped into a beaten and bloodied unconsciousness. Mark’s echoing laughter was the last thing he heard.

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Flitter rubbed at her cheek as she and Field sat in Sugar Cube Corner; their coffees had long since grown cold. Another day had gone by with nothing. Field had tried to reach several old colleagues in Canterlot, but they either didn't return his letters or had nothing for the pair. The human girl was curled up on the carpet in the corner of the store, snoozing peacefully as they tried to plan. The doorbell clattered quietly, and Pinkie called out from the back in her high pitched singsong voice.

“Be there in a minute!~”

Not looking up at the newcomer, Flitter sighed and rubbed at her cheek tiredly. The human girl lifted her head and chirped curiously at the newcomer, who fluttered her wings to dislodge the snow that had fallen on them. The mare glanced at the curled up human, before looking back over at the pair seated by the window. Taking a steadying breath in, Cloud Chaser cleared her throat and spoke.

“Flitter? It's-”

“I know who it is Cloudy.” Flitter's response was fast and barbed, causing Cloud Chaser to wince as she trotted around to take a seat at the table. Flitter frowned heavily and cast an undesirable look toward her sister.

Smiling weakly as she rubbed at her forehoof, Cloud Chaser avoided Flitter's flat, angry gaze. “Listen, I…. I know I messed up, but could you come home? Please?” The mare fluttered her wings with worry as she kept her gaze low and apologetic.

“I can't.” Flitter took a swig of her cold coffee. “Nothing for me there anyway.”

Cloud Chaser's wings and features drooped at the verbal blow. “O-oh… maybe… maybe just for a few minutes then? Please?”

Field looked out the window in an awkward attempt to avoid the conversation as Flitter let out a long, pained sigh. “For once, maybe you could tell me what's really going on, and stop pussyhoofing around it. I'm a bit preoccupied, so make it good.”

Blinking in surprise, Cloud Chaser let her head hang as she crossed her hooves on the table. “I… okay. Mom’s holding an ‘intervention’ for you. I'm supposed to trick you into coming.”

“Oh, great!” Flitter snorted hotly. “An awesome reason to not go home. Just answer this question for me. Is mom fucking retarded?”

“No! No, I… okay, maybe…” The mare sighed weakly and rubbed at her eyes. “Look, I… I think Jack might get in trouble because of her. She said she was going to deal with him, and-” Cloud Chaser motioned to Field, who had since sat up and turned his full attention to the conversation with deepset worry etched on his features.

Flitter leaned forward across the table and stared hard at her sister. “Cloudy, who did Mom talk to? Who was going to do it?” When Cloud Chaser didn't answer fast enough, Flitter lunged across the table and grabbed her sister by her winter jacket’s collar and yanked her close, knocking over the cold coffees in the process. “Don’t fuck around on this, Cloudy. Don't you dare.”

Stuttering in fear, Cloud Chaser tried to pull away. “I-I d-don't know! I swear! I wasn't paying attention when she said the name!” She whimpered quietly as Flitter growled in aggravation and released her collar.

Flitter let out a slow, calming breath as she thought. She looked to Field and smiled without humour as she spoke. “Looks like I get to go to my own intervention and ask mommy dearest some questions.” Sliding out of the booth, Flitter left a few bits for the spilled coffee and tugged Cloud Chaser out of the store with her, leaving Field behind. As the stallion slowly slid out of the booth to find some paper towels, the violently pink cashier bounded out of the kitchen with batter splattered across her face and chest. The curl of her mane was smouldering as she looked at Field frantically.

“Hiyah! You wanna order?” She grinned like a lunatic, causing Field to draw a complete blank. She spread her smile to desperate, comical proportions. “Plllleeeeeaase? Mrs. Cake will be soooo mad if I missed a customer!”

His human murmured happily as she rolled over on the carpet, leaving Field on his own. He smiled sheepishly and nodded to the hyperactive mare. “Yeah, sure…”

______________________________________________________________________

The cell that they'd thrown Jack into was small, too small. Locked in the pitch black darkness with almost his entire body constricted, he was trapped with all the terrors his mind could conjure. Since they’d knocked him unconscious he'd lost all concept of time. Even the food was unscheduled, despite already being sparse. With the cold stone against his back, he couldn't help but begin to believe that the walls were slowly closing in on him. Settling the matter by clamping his eyes shut, Jack shifted uncomfortably and fell to his side with a grunt. The walls are getting closer, I can feel it! I can feel them getting closer… how much closer? Too close. Not enough room. Need to get out.

The rattling of cart wheels made his eyes shoot open behind his metal mask and his whole body to tense in preparation. The wheels stopped just before his door, and the vision slat slid open, blinding him with yellow clinical light. A voice he didn't recognise echoed through the tiny cell and set his teeth on edge.

“So… you're the human who destroyed my beautiful child… yes… your body will make for an excellent replacement. I will have to run tests on samples however.” The slat closed, and several muffled voices conversed behind the heavy iron door. The slat opened again, and red magic pinned him against the wall without care. The magic continued to press harder, as if trying to squeeze the air from his lungs. A muted pop sounded from his chest and it exploded in agony as the door began to open. Broken rib? Maybe. Gritting his teeth to swallow the pain behind his mask, Jack glared white hot needles at the wranglers who entered.

He recognised the leader; the mare he'd shot during the attack. Her horn glowed with the same aura as the one crushing his ribcage. You're dead. You're so fucking dead. I'm going to rip your horn off and gouge your goddamn eyes out with it. I'm going to rape you with it until you DIE! The mare smiled cruelly as she unlimbered her baton. “Not so big now, ain'tcha?” She tapped at his mask with the end of her baton. “Now be a good freak. Or don't, give me an excuse.” A sense of weightlessness passed over him as the wranglers lifted him with magic onto an unpadded gurney and strapped him down tightly. Then, they blinded him. Seems like they're not taking any chances. Jack grit his teeth and let his anger smolder to be used later. No way am I letting that bastard do that to me. I'll murder every pony in this goddamn building with my bare hands if I have to.

The gurney began to rattle down the hall, passing under lights that shone through the cloth that was covering his metal muzzle. They entered a room, and the gurney finally stopped. The male voice sounded out again, close to his side. “First, some samples.” The cloth covering his mask was removed, perhaps by accident, giving him open view of the new creature as it wielded a scalpel. Looks like a pony was raped by a house cat and carried it. Fuckin’ mutant! Jack spat past his mask as the scientist leaned close, striking him in the eye. Jack grinned savagely as the scientist recoiled and wiped at his eyes.

“Unruly bastard! Grah!” Forge wiped as the glob of spit that had splattered against his face as he glared down at the human. The molten fury that met Forge’s gaze caused him to pause, his body frozen in place. Jack sneered hatefully at the hippogriff, his inner desire to flay the muscle from the bastard’s bones wanted to become a reality so badly it made his teeth itch with anticipation. Forge let out a shuddering breath as he stared at Jack. With an air of reverence he spoke. “So much anger… so much suffering... it's beautiful…” The scientist waved a talon at the wranglers who all stood idly by staring at him as if he'd just lost his mind. “Begone. I have bone marrow to extract.” As the guards filed out, Forge leaned in close to Jack and smiled. “We’re going to reforge the world and make it beautiful, my friend… The corruption of the system, the sisters, the pointless battles and squabbles; it will all fall before us. It will be biblical.”

Jack jerked in his bindings in an attempt to burst free and murder Forge however he could. Laughing at the futile attempt, Forge retrieved a marrow needle and prepared it. “4859… Do you like hurting other people?” He chuckled as he inserted the needle deep into Jack's hip without anaesthetic. Jack gasped as his lower body began to burn in such deep agonizing pain it brought tears to his eyes and caused his breath to catch in his chest. With a cautious and uncaring pull, the now full needle was removed and set aside. Next came the scalpel; Forge began drawing incision markers across the portions of Jack's body that were exposed in preparation. “Next is tissue samples. I hope you don't mind too terribly.” The hippogriff smiled with sadistic glee as Jack's screams echoed through the halls.

_______________________________________________________________________

With Cloud Chaser galloping to catch up with her, Flitter said nothing as she stormed toward what she had called home. So Cloudy told Mom about Jack. Mom gets a friend to come remove him from the picture. Who... does mom know that could pull something like that off? Flitter wracked her brain for anything, but was drawing a blank. Maybe I should have paid more attention to her.

Behind her, Cloud Chaser swallowed nervously and finally fell into step beside Flitter. “So… somepony actually took Jack?” She sounded incredulous; the time she'd spent with the surly human had impressed upon her that he wouldn't go anywhere unless he wanted to, and convincing him otherwise would be…. unhealthy. At Flitter's single nod, Cloud Chaser let her head hang from the shame she felt. “I'm sorry Flitter, for… for everything. I know I'm a terrible sister, and I just… I'm sorry.” In her head, the proposed apology had been a lot more effective. In the real world, not so much.

“Save your breath, Cloudy.” The response was icy, even for Flitter. She felt a short pang of guilt as her sister's mouth worked like a fish's, before clamping shut with an audible click. The older mare let her head hang further in dejection as they neared the quaint cloudhome. Shaking off the regrets she had toward treating her elder sister so roughly, Flitter honed her attention down onto the only thing that mattered to her at that time. With a heavy pulse of her wings, Flitter took off toward the front door, leaving her sister in the dust. Not giving Cloud Chaser a moment to catch up, Flitter pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She could already hear the quiet, professional conversation in the living room before even crossing the threshold. Grace, and another pony she didn't recognise sat on the furniture chatting idly. Grace didn't bother looking to the door before speaking. “Cloudy, be a dear and make sure that flighty mare doesn't run off? It's been hard enough tra-”

With her teeth bared in aggression, Flitter stormed toward the couch. “Oh I'm not going anywhere, Mother.” The last word came out with so much pent up anger that it was closer to a loathing snarl than any real word. Grace turned on her over-plush politician’s rump to stare with wide-eyed, slack-jawed surprise as Flitter bristled with anger. “I'm not letting you leave either, until I've impressed upon you how deeply you have fucked UP.” By the time Flitter finished her sentence, her muzzle was pressed hard against Grace’s, pushing her mother's head back against the couch.

Grace fumbled with her words as she looked to the unnamed pony who blinked in surprise at the sheer vehemence that emanated from Flitter. The stallion pressed his hooves together as he steepled them before his mouth. “Flitter, I'm Doctor Sable. I'm a psychologist, and I'm here to-”

The rest of his sentence died in his throat as Flitter snapped a wing tip at him and shot him a furious look. “Can it. She's had my best friend foalnapped because she doesn't approve of him.” She bared her teeth at Grace and pressed in, pinning her to the couch. “So, who did you call up? Huh?”

The shock seemed to have worn off, as Grace pushed back at her daughter to get herself a tiny modicum of space. “Flitter, I am your mother and you will show me some respect! What has gotten into you!? What happened to my happy little filly?” The last question came out quietly strained as Grace pleaded with her eyes for answers.

Taking advantage of the momentary silence between the family, Dr. Sable interjected swiftly and with prepared words. “Flitter, you’ll get your answers, but violence isn't the solution.” He made a placating gesture with his hooves that seemed to calm her ever so slightly. “We're just going to have a quiet, civil chat. It will give you a chance to air your grievances. Does that sound alright?”

“... Yeah.” Flitter slowly sank into one of the empty chairs opposite her mother; soon Cloud Chaser slunk over and took a silent seat next to her mother.

Smiling pleasantly and disarmingly, Dr. Sable relaxed into his own chair. “Now, your mother requested that I come and help you over a supposed dangerous addiction to sexual activities with humans-” Flitter's cheeks blazed hotly and she looked like she could set her mother and sister on fire from across the room with her thoughts alone. Thankfully, the doctor continued and drew her attentions back to him. “- however I can see that this case is more complex. Now, I'm going to take a shot in the dark here, and say that you weren't always so quick to anger.”

Sinking into her chair as her anger abated, Flitter gave the stallion a long, searching gaze. His demeanour was disarming to say the least. Flitter slowly began to feel a strange calmness was over her as she nodded. “Yeah. I was a pushover. Did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Whined about everything and considered drowning myself on a semi-regular basis. Didn’t have any backbone, any… any pride in what I did.” She ignored the looks her family gave her, deciding to focus entirely upon the handsome stallion.

Said stallion raised a brow in surprise, before nodding in understanding. “Now, if you don't mind me asking, what brought about this drastic change in your attitude? You certainly don't seem anything like that.”

Letting out a quiet sigh as she rubbed at her face, Flitter sat forward and rested her hooves inside the hoody’s pouch. “You could say I… met somebody. Somebody so… just so…” she rolled her hooves as she searched for the right word.

“Corrupting.”

“Insane?”

Her mother and sister piped up, and both earned hot glares from Flitter, as well as a look of disapproval from Dr. Sable. He turned his attentions back to Flitter and motioned with his hooves. “Go on, I'm listening.”

Feeling herself smile at the friendliness of the doctor, Flitter continued to search her mind for the right word. “I… Jack is… Courageous. Stalwart. Unbending and unforgiving. He's… he is like a hero in a book, but at the same time he most definitely isn't.”

The doctor cocked his head at her as he harboured a half smile. “Care to explain?”

“I don't have the time to.”

Nodding, the doctor sat back and wrote something down on his notepad that Flitter couldn't see. “That's alright. I've… done some work with this kind of case. Now, how did he change you?”

Flitter smiled as she began to forget that her family was in the room. It was easier to breath when she did. “He saved my life, and I asked him if he could train me; to make me ‘tough’ like him. I had meant physically, but apparently he thought I meant mentally and emotionally too. When I reached a meaningful point in my training, I… I began to despise the ponies who had treated me badly before, the ponies who used me. Suddenly I wasn't the same worthless unemployed pegasus. I felt powerful, in control of my life. And then my mother somehow has him foalnapped.”

The psychologist nodded slowly, before turning his gaze upon Grace, who was scowling heavily. “Mayor Grace, could you explain why you thought it prudent to remove such a positive influence from your daughter's life?”

Turning her nose up, Grace sniffed indignantly. “I heard from my other daughter that Flitter’s new ‘friend’ was a psychopath, a danger to her life.” Cloud Chaser wilted under Flitter's enraged gaze as Grace continued unabated. “So I sent a letter to a friend of mine to take care of it. I can't have my daughter spending her days with dangerous maniacs. I just want what's best for her.”

“The only thing you want is what’s good for you.” Flitter snarled back at Grace as Dr. Sable interjected smoothly.

“Grace, your daughter is a grown mare, capable of making her own decisions. It's time you let her be that mare.” He ignored her as she fumed and snapped about needing his opinion on a family matter; his eyes returned to Flitter as he smiled readily. “Flitter, your mother has the right to be worried about you. Her concern is real, she just isn't showing it conventionally. Please, use caution when you have a moment to consider everything ahead of you.”

Nodding as she mulled his words, Flitter found herself smiling back with a sense of temporary ease. “I'm going to do the right thing. Mom, who did you send that letter to?”

The matronly mare was seething with anger, but Flitter had seen, and been on the receiving end of much, much worse. Through grit teeth, Grace hissed her answer. “Doctor Maltenics in Canterlot.” She frowned heavily with disgust as she snapped. “But you won't be able to do anything about it! She won't be releasing the human any time soon.”

Dueling the look of disgust with a shot of cocky assurance, Flitter grinned at her mother. “I wouldn't put bits on that if I were you. Field probably knows all about her.”

Grace looked as if she was about to have a hernia. “Professor Field Note!? You're associated with a thief as well!?” The mare stood on shaky hooves and trotted out of the room as she muttered under her breath, leaving the other three alone. Cloud Chaser shrank visibly and kept her eyes on the floor.

“I'm sorry Flitter…”

Patting her sister on the shoulder, Flitter looked to regard the psychologist one last time. “Thank you for the help doctor.”

He smiled readily in return and offered a wing for her to shake. “A pleasure. Please, if you are successful, I would love to meet this human friend of yours, he sounds at odds with the others I've met or read about. Good luck getting him home safe.” He watched as Flitter took his wing and shook it with an unexpected level of strength before flying out past the door like a shot. Dr. Sable's parting words passed right over her head as she flew. She rocketed across town, homing in on Field Note like a missile. They couldn't wait any longer, the train ride to Canterlot would take the better part of the day, and it was already midday. Setting her jaw, Flitter pumped her wings harder and focused intently on her target.

I'm not leaving you behind, Jack. It's my turn to save you.

_______________________________________________________________________

Dr. Forge took his time with 4859. He had to, a careless maneuver could cost him everything. And so, he made sure that the sample taking and preliminary testing went as slowly as he could allow them to. Of course, that meant drawn out agony for the human strapped down to the table before him. It meant little to Forge; it was simply more fuel for the fires that would drive 4859 to do his bidding, when the time came of course. The bonesaw shone sharply in the harsh lighting, highlighting the incision marks that he had made upon the human's forehead. The last of the samples he needed was a teeny, tiny sample of gray matter. 4859 hissed in pain through tightly clenched teeth as the scalpel bit into his forehead and opened him up. Dr. Forge hummed quietly to himself as he prepared to carefully remove the gray matter. The bonesaw caught on his skull as it glistened with fresh blood and caught the light. With a sure swipe, he ran it across the gleaming bone. Dr. Forge squawked in sudden surprise as the teeth of the bonesaw shattered as the ultra thin metal challenged its superior and fell short in every way. The hippogriff stared at the destroyed saw in utter shock, before slowly looking back down at his subject. The human barred his teeth savagely and began barking his rough and manic laughter. He was mocking Forge.

The surgery room’s door swung open swiftly, clanging like a bell as it hit the wall and Dr. Maltenics trotted in like a force of nature. Several guards flanked her, and at that moment Forge realised that his time with 4859 was over. For now. Maltenics was seething as her horn lit up and pressed the wayward scientist against the wall hard enough to drive the air from his lungs. She squeezed him hard, and for a very scant moment, enjoyed the look of pain that passed his features as she trotted closer. “I find it prudent to remind you, that this is my facility. Everything that happens in here happens because I say so.” She was practically pressing her muzzle against his face, her eyes burning angry holes into his as she kept him from getting his breath back. “This is my property, not yours. The next time you forget that little fact, I won't be so friendly.” She released her magic, dropping the bluing hippogriff. He hit the floor and gasped for air as Poppy and some of the guards wheeled 4859 out of the room to be bandaged up and placed back into solitary confinement. The remaining guards picked him up despite his best wishes and dragged him back to his office.

Poppy and the guards soon reached Jack's cell, where he was gently lifted off the gurney and set down on the blanket that had been spread out across a small section of floor. Poppy shooed the guards away, trusting herself to be able to keep the human in check as she stitched up the cut across his forehead and applied bandages to the various chunks of missing skin and muscle. Jack heaved as he sat against the wall, his stomach threatening to rebel now that the adrenaline had washed away to an aching emptiness in its wake. His body burned in pain as the cold air of the cell met his still bleeding wounds; his breaths came in stilted and through gritted teeth because of it. Poppy hummed softly as she cleaned away the caked on blood and did her best to soothe the pain.

Jack could barely bring himself to fight against the careful ministrations of the mare. With a groan of defeat, he slumped against the wall and allowed her to continue. Poppy nosed at him with her muzzle as she smiled kindly. “You're so strong, going through all of that…” The mare giggled as he grunted lightly in recognition of her comment. Her smile slipped slightly as she sat down on her haunches before Jack. “I don't think you're going to be here for very long… not with Dr. Forge and Maltenics going at it. We won't have much time together…”

Jack arched a brow at her as she let her head sag downwards. I want you to know, that if I wasn't trussed up like a turkey I would have beaten you to death with my bare hands. Just so we're clear on our relationship. His following mental quip died in his head as her horn lit up, gently pinning him down and caressing his body. Hey, hey no need to get frisky there horseface.

Poppy licked her lips as she looked up at Jack and smiled. “We're going to have to be quick.”

With his brows nearing his fringe in confusion and worry, Jack cocked his head at her. Uhh… swing that by me one more time? The mare’s magic began undoing his belt and tugging at his cammies, intent on getting at what they protected. Sudden realization flooded in with a thick lining of horror and panic. Are you fucking kidding me!? Get off me you furry cunt! Jack squirmed, intent on keeping himself as far away from her as possible. Poppy’s lustful eyes filled with sudden anger as she slamming a magic kinetic strike into his stomach, driving the air from his lungs.

“Don't make this difficult.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Authors note. We’re about to earn that sex tag. For those of you who are uncomfortable with what's about to happen, or dislike this sort of thing for any reason, feel free to scroll down to the next red line.]

Jack gasped for air as the mare finally succeeded in pulling his pants down and away from him, leaving his abused flesh open to the cold air of the cell. She licked her lips in anticipation as she gave his package an appreciative squeeze, earning a choked grunt from Jack. “Let's get you ready, hmm?” Using her magic to move him, Poppy pulled Jack down until he was laying flat on his back; his eyes burned angry holes into her as he laid trapped. A sense of predatory satisfaction spread throughout Poppy’s body, sending a lighting shiver of pleasure down to her swiftly dampening crotch. With a growl of wanting need, Poppy lifted his prick up with her magic to meet her fat orange tongue. Taking his head into her mouth, Poppy began rolling her tongue across it. She smiled as he failed to hold back a weak groan and slowly stiffened in her eager mouth.

Come ooon! Little Jack, don't you do this to me! Nononono- You fucking traitor! Jack thumped his head against the floor in hopes that the pain would stop his traitorous dick from getting any harder. It didn't, and the mare only seemed to grow more eager as she worked him until he was saluting her with painful stiffness. She pulled off him with a loud pop and seemed to admire his weaponry as it bobbed before her muzzle like a tasty treat. She let out a husky giggle as she lifted herself up, and repositioned so she was just above his lap, facing him. Using her magic to keep him in place, Poppy slowly lowered herself down onto him. The mare let out a high pitched gasp of pleasure as he pushed past her puffy lips and buried himself deep inside her now sopping warmth. Jack bit his tongue hard to keep himself quiet. Not gonna give her the satisfaction… this isn't happening… this isn't happening… this isn't happening…

Continuing his mental motto, Jack closed his eyes as Poppy moaned heatedly and began rocking her hips; the sound of her furry flanks slapping against his thighs burrowed into his mind like a voracious worm. The mare gasped as she rode him, his head sending little jolts of electric pleasure up her spine in sync with the squelching smacks and her hitched breathing. Poppy let out a heated giggle of pleasure as she leaned forward and began licking and kissing at his neck. “Ooohhh~ that feels amazing… Don't you dare stop…” Nipping at one of his ear lobes, Poppy wrapped her forehooves around the back of his neck and picked up speed. Finally, he failed to hold back his stilted moan of base pleasure; the sound came out as he shuddered underneath her. The sound sent Poppy over the edge; her muffled orgasmic mewl echoed in his ear as she soaked his crotch with her marecum.

Oh thank God… she's done…

Poppy shivered and panted as she sat up, his still stiff prick hilted inside her. She let out a husky growl as she began slowly riding him again. “Ah~ I-I know all about human endurance… we've got all the time in the world~”

Jack screwed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. This isn't happening. This isn't happening! He snarled in anger as she drove herself down onto him again with gusto; her pleasured moans only served as fuel for his burning rage. When I get out of here, I'm going to make you pay. I'm going to destroy you. When I get my hands on you, you're going to beg for death!

It felt like eternity. Having used him completely, Poppy spent a short minute quickly cleaning her own fur and wiping away the excess fluids that stained Jack's crotch before fixing her uniform. With a sultry smile she gave his neck one final licking kiss of approval before unceremoniously leaving the room. Feeling spent and used in the worst possible ways, Jack fluttered into unconsciousness and into the waiting nightmares. Unbeknownst to him, a very urgent letter had just landed on the Archmage’s lap, and two particular ponies had just boarded the night train to Canterlot.

Jack suddenly found himself in his old apartment again. He knew who had set this up. The pressures on his mind forced their way through the cracks in his psyche as the Lunar princess stood at the other end of his living room with her arms crossed across her chest. Luna stared at him, expecting an immediate assault upon her astral form. When it didn't come, she smiled to herself and spoke, not noticing the haunted expression on the human’s face. “Finally. I do hope you're passed your childish antics. Perhaps-”

Jack's manic laugh caught her off guard, drawing her attentions back up to him. He was grinning from ear to ear, but not in good humour. “Oh, ohohoh! I get it now! I get, I get it! I do I do!” Jack cackled as his psyche cracked again, and the dreamscape began to shudder. He stabbed an accusing finger at Luna as he spoke. “You wanna know how to use Delta King, tryin tah break me! Yoooou, wanna know aaaaall about him! Don’tchadon’tcha?” Luna took an involuntary step back as the apartment dissolved completely, and the dreamscape fell into the raging currents of his unconscious mind. Memories and nightmares flashed passed at astounding speeds, not allowing either party to see the contents; there was only enough time to feel the underlying emotions. Fear, anger and hopelessness saturated the dreamscape as Jack stood opposite to Luna. He barely noticed the swilling currents that threatened to drag him off to madness with their unpredictable eddies. He began closing the distance between him and Luna's human form. “You wanna see? Yah wanna see whatcha gonna get? Delta King’s gonna be the end of you, me, and everyone in a five kilometer radius! He’s our holy deliverer! Our flaming sword of humanity against the seething alien hoooordesaaah!” He roared like a frothing preacher before cackling at her as she frowned heavily at him.

“Jack, please, calm yourself.” She began forcing her magic into his mind to try and stabilize the dreamscape; her magic was hard pressed to subdue the chaotic eddies of his mind. Luna jerked in surprise as Jack closed the distance between them and roughly grabbed onto her, wheeling her around to look off into the distance with him.

Holding the lunar princess to his side, Jack began speaking in a low monotone that seemed eerie compared to his near manic screamings before. “Delta King is a HAVOK class tactical thermonuclear device carrying a modified two megatonne charge, designed to vapourize hardened subterranean structures.” A faint countdown echoed through the empty desert in Jack’s voice. He barred his teeth as he pulled Luna closer to his side. “Delta King is my grave. My final ‘fuck you’ to a fucked up world.”

Shaking her head, Luna tried to force her magic into the dream before they were both consumed by it. “Jack, please. You don’t-”

He shook his head, and returned his gaze to the horizon as the countdown continued. “You chose this. Those scientists of yours are bringing armageddon to your doorstep. Reap what you sow… Two… One…” Luna opened her mouth to interject, but found her jaw falling open in mute shock as the horizon flashed brilliantly as a second sun breached. The fireball burst forth from the ground, the shockwave sending the clouds themselves fleeing in terror. Jack released her from his grip and began walking towards the ever climbing mushroom cloud that boiled the sky. Jack lifted his arms toward the sky and bellowed as the wall of force and fire raced headlong to meet him. “BEHOLD, FOR I AM BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS.” The wall slammed into him, the flames stripping flesh from bone in an instant. Luna took an involuntary step back as even his bones were reduced to ash, leaving nothing but his shadow baked into the ground. The wall of fire rushed forward as she was snapped from her shock; her magic working like mad to pull her out of the dream before her projection was destroyed. She fell from the dream moments before the fire licked at her heels.

Jack awoke with a pained gasp, and found himself still laying on the cold stone floor of his cell. He wasn’t alone in the cell. His body protested loudly as he forced himself to sit up and face Mark. His friend chuckled and shook his head. “Hell of a show, Jackieboy.” Mark leaned forward, and helped Jack into a sitting position. “How you feeling? You look like hammered shit.” A cigarette appeared between Mark’s fingers as he offered it to Jack. Greedily taking the smoke into his mouth, Jack puffed aggressively after Mark had lit it and groaned in quiet pleasure. Mark grinned with uneven teeth as he leaned back. “I’ll be honest with you. I’m bored with the Archmage’s plans and posturing, and letting you die in here, cold and alone, is a serious waste of such raw… potential. So, I’m going to cut you a deal.” Jack’s eyes snapped up, locking onto Mark.

In his mind, only one word came up in response. Talk.

Chuckling to himself, Mark stood. “Your freedom. A chance to get the one thing you want above everything else. I’ll even give you back your voice. Hell, I’ll give your friends their voices back too, just because it’ll be funny. All you gotta do for me, is give me a good show.”

Jack found himself grinning past his mask and the burning cigarette that hung between his lips. A good show? I can do that.

The man before him smiled with no kindness as his eyes began to glow a sickly chaotic yellow. “Goooood. I was hoping you’d agree, Jackieboy, All you gotta do for me, is give me a bit of chaos. I don’t think that’ll be too hard for a man of your disposition.” Mark grabbed Jack by the head, and began pouring the yellow light into him. The pain was immense, but Jack forced his mind to focus. To focus, on the one thing that he wanted above everything else. It echoed inside his mind, gaining speed and building momentum until it burst forth like a fission bomb.

VENGEANCE

Chapter Twenty Two: Baba Yaga

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The solid iron wheels of the train clattered as they passed over countless rail ties on the journey up the mountain. A great number of ponies found the sound soothing, the passing scenery picturesque and serene. Under normal circumstances, Field would be mid-way through a pleasant nap or working on a paper. Unfortunately for him, he was stuck in a car with a chirpy human, an incensed Flitter, and a duffel bag of human devices of destruction. Flitter sat perched over the large canvas bag like a protective hen, and her eyes refused to roam beyond the window. Casting a perturbed glance toward his human, Field bit the bullet and cleared his throat. “Flitter, are you sure we need so… so much? I mean, it it necessary?” His eyes wandered to the bag and his mind began to ponder what the devices inside were capable of. He knew what the folded exoskeleton could do, but beyond that he didn’t recognize the various cylinders, balls, and blocks. He had caught fleeting sight of a human firearm, but didn’t recognize it as the stubby thundergun Jack had used, or his fire-starting ray gun.

Flitter however, apparently didn’t need a second thought to bring them along. “We won’t get a second chance at this. We do it right the first time.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek before continuing. “Jack will know what to do with it all.”

“No second chance…. Flitter, what makes you say that?” Field curled his hooves up underneath himself. His fetlocks were growing unruly, he’d have to get them cut.

To his dismay, Flitter didn’t answer right away; he wasn’t sure if her dramatic pause was deliberate or if she really was becoming that kind of pony. “I… I can’t say for sure. My gut just says that if we don’t do this right, it’s going to go very very badly.”

Swallowing with a suddenly dry throat, Field nodded his agreement and returned his gaze to the window. It was morning; Celestia’s sun had been hanging in the sun for the better part of two hours. He felt the tug of exhaustion pulling at his head, beckoning for him to lay his weary head down on the soft cushions of the seat. Flitter somehow managed to maintain her composure, and Field silently envied her for it. How she managed to stay alert and awake for the entire journey, he had no idea. Of course, he wouldn’t be sleeping for a long while, not if the coming events had any say.

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Underneath Canterlot, hidden away from prying eyes and scrying spells, the Archmage’s forces were preparing. The surly lot of bandits and killers joked and laughed as they donned their gear and sharpened their blades. Underneath the jokes however, they all knew that this raid wouldn’t be like the others. The facility was too big, and had it’s own in-house security. This didn’t seem to dissuade the groups lieutenant; a burly orange bruiser of an earth pony who hid a sharp and malicious mind bent toward crime under his intimidating muscles.

His name was Dandelion Permrose, but he would rather die than tell anypony that little nugget of information. Instead, he went by Dominus, Dom for short. Dom allowed himself a certain amount of bent pride as he watched over his ragtag little group of killers. Their most recent raid had scored them a set of experimental black powder guns that the griffons seemed to love so much. Personally, Dom hated the damned things. They were thunderously loud and took far too long to reload. The long barrel that allowed them questionable distance had been cut down for close quarters fighting, and while Dom had his reservations to the weapons, he admitted that they were brutally destructive and utterly deadly to anything on the receiving end when the shot actually connected. He’d personally shot a lunar guard with one, dropping the arrogant bastard with a single shot that had rendered the defensive talisman and thin iron breastplate underneath useless. Dom smiled at the memory, and gave his boomstick another stroke. It was a love/hate relationship.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Dom pulled his armour on and ensured that all the straps and buckles were tight and that nothing jingled beside his shot bag. Turning his gaze toward his assembled crew, he called out for attention. They had little in the way of discipline, but they respected him enough to listen. It helped that he would maim or kill anyone who didn’t without a moment’s hesitation. “Alright you lot, listen up!” He nodded to the unicorn at his side, a nasty little unicorn mare who held a passion for hurting other living creatures and hid a lovely submissive personality in bed. Her horn lit up, showing a rough map of the facility they were about to raid. “This is the headquarters for Dynamic Research and Medical Sciences International.” He made sure to speak slowly and loudly for the more mentally stunted of his crew. “Boss upstairs wants what they have, and to send a message. That message is the same as always, ‘DO NOT FUCK WITH US.” He grinned as his crew hooted and hollered their approval. Wanton violence without fear of reprisal was always good for moral. He waited a moment for the crew to quiet down before speaking again as he jabbed a hoof at a section of the map. “We’re teleporting into the center of the facility, and working our way up and out. If it looks important or weird, grab it. If it’s human, wrangle it. If it ain’t us and has four legs, kill it.” He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice to a warning growl. “We’re in and out as fast as possible, if I hear any of you are dragging ass to rape a lab coat instead of following the mission, you’ll be left behind for the guard to deal with. Am I clear?” The resounding affirmative brought the smile back to his scarred lips. “Good. Everyone head to the staging spot.” As his crew began hiking out of the camp cave, he bumped his second in command with his flank and grinned. “I got a good feeling about this mission.”

The mare grinned and licked her lips seductively. It was going to be a good night regardless. “Yah think’n so?”

He nodded as he pulled on his mask. “Yeah, call it a gut feeling, this one’s gonna be a massacre.”

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The cell was pitch black, the stone as cold as ever as he sat cross-legged. He ignored the feeling of the walls closing in; stuffing his weak fears deep down to be burned up as fuel. His voice echoed quietly in the tiny cell, reverberating in his skull and feeding his desire for the coming fight.

“Lord, hear your lost child in his time of need. Hear his call and grant him the strength he needs to break the shackles of imprisonment. Grant him the endurance to exact righteous vengeance, and oh merciful god, if it is his day to meet you at the gates, let his enemies meet your judgement before him.”

Jack took a long deep breath, and reveled in the sound of his own voice echoing in the tiny cell; as muffled by metal and stone as it was. His next words came through bared teeth that disguised themselves behind a sick smile.

“And lord forgive him, for he will sin.”

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Dr. Maltenics’ office was quiet, as it always was in the morning. Her coffee sat forgotten on her desk, its heat lost as she sat fixated with the object in her hooves. The small black device had proven to be quite the challenge to beat, but as always, she had persevered. The wheel of the weapon opened away from it, showing the six little brass cylinders sitting happy in their homes. Two had tiny indentations in their backs, and their heads were missing. It didn't take a genius to understand what it all meant, and Maltenics was most certainly a very smart pony. Clicking the cylinder back into place, Maltenics cocked the revolver's hammer and pointed it as she held it in her magic. She didn't dare pull the little trigger when the small safety switch had been turned off, she only had four of the little brass cylinders and she aimed to not waste them.

The knock at her door pulled her attentions away from the weapon and back into the present, where Poppy stood by the door with a small trolley. The mare seemed to literally glow with youthful exuberance. She'd had a good night apparently. Poppy beamed brightly at Maltenics as she wheeled the trolley in. “I brought the… energy thing, like you asked.” She gestured at the device as it sat on the trolley next to the multi-pocketed vest it had originally rested in.

Standing from her desk, Maltenics allowed herself a tired smile as she used her magic to pick up the vest and look it over. With a bit of effort concerning the sizing straps, there was a good chance it would fit an average sized pony. “Thank you Poppy.” Maltenics stared at the device and its strange trefoil warning symbols, as if they would suddenly speak and confide unto her all of their secrets if only she stared long enough. They didn't, and Poppy cleared her throat for attention.

“I didn't see Dr. Forge come in today.”

Snorting, Maltenics picked up the device and set it inside the vest for the time being. “Good.” Poppy shuffled quietly on her hooves, seemingly regarding Maltenics, the trolley, and the door. Unwilling to guess at what the young mare was thinking, Maltenics blew a few greying strands of her mane out of her eyes before speaking with tired impatience. “What is it Poppy.”

The mare started, as if she hadn't expected her blatant thoughts to be picked up. “Oh, um... I was wondering if maybe I could take today off? It's kind of my anniversary with my coltfriend. I filed for it a week ago.”

It took all of Maltenics’ willpower to keep herself from rolling her eyes before speaking. “Yes, fine. Just make sure you punch out before you leave please.” She forced her next words, in an attempt to sound friendly. “Enjoy your anniversary, Poppy.”

Said mare beamed brightly, her glow returning with visible vibrancy. “Oh thank you so much Lacey!” Poppy somehow managed to stop herself from hugging Maltenics as the older mare drew away and looked nonplussed. Instead Poppy coughed in embarrassment and offered a more respectful head bow. “Doctor Maltenics. Have, um.. Have a productive day!”

Sitting down at her desk, Maltenics flicked a hoof at Poppy with the hopes of shooing her away. “Mhm. Enjoy your day.” She lost all interest in the mare as she continued to speak her thanks as she moved toward the door. If Maltenics was truthful with herself, she doubted that Poppy's special somepony was really the reason for the day off. Of course, Lacey Maltenics didn't actually care. What she did care about was her cold coffee and how to replace it.

“It’s going to be a very long day.” Lacey muttered to herself as she poured the coffee out into the sink and trotted off to find a semi-fresh pot.

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The train eased into the station with a quiet squeal of well oiled wheels. Coming to a stop, the doors opened, and baggage handlers began to unload the trains cargo. Ponies began filing off, collecting their belongings and greeting waiting family and friends. Unnoticed by a great many ponies, Flitter and Field exited the train with their human and immediately trotted away from the busy station. Ducking down a well worn back alley, Flitter turned her head toward Field and the human.

“Well? This is your city Field. Where is this place?”

With her gaze resting solely upon him, Field felt whatever confidence he had left waiver. “I-I… okay, but we won't be able to just… To just walk in through the front door… I'm-”

“Stole something from them?” Flitter wagered, remembering her mother's words. When Field's dark fur paled, she allowed herself a smile. “It's alright, I don't really care. You're my friend and my ally. Just… what was it?” She asked as the stallion shook his head and began leading her through a number of small streets and back alleyways.

After a few minutes of silence, Field caved. “They… I was kicked from the Royal Science wing. I had a disagreement with one of the heads of staff, and my… my paper on human psychology was torn apart and laughed at in front of the entire scientific community. The mere idea of humans learning, or with capabilities beyond what we consider as ‘normal’ was thrown out as being absurd. It's all herd mentality in there, and once the herd has its mind set on something, it becomes nigh impossible to change that focus. So… I was disgraced. The only place I had left was DRMSI. I… I could have ended up in worse places, but… again, I had a disagreement. A… an unprofessional one. Lacey, erm… Dr. Maltenics is a very passionate, intense mare.” He glanced back at Flitter for a scant moment. “Like yourself…” He allowed himself to trail off as his hooves continued on their own volition.

Shifting the heavy, lumpy bag over her back, Flitter smiled at the stallion leading the way. “And? Go on, I'm hooked now. You had sex with your superior, aaand?”

Field's cheeks and eartips turned a lovely shade of vibrant pink, prompting Flitter to grin a little bit wider. “I… I was going to lose everything. So… I stole a… a small amount of field funds.”

“And how much is a small amount, Professor?”

Relenting, Field let his head hang slightly. “Ten thousand bits in royal treasury notes…”

Flitter's hooves faltered, almost sending her face first into cobblestone. She sputtered, staring wide eyed at the stallion as he pawed at the ground like a colt about to be chastised by an angry parent. “W-.... I… oh wow…”

With the large bulk of the DRMSI building looming in the distance against the morning light, Field pulled himself together and took a deep breath. “I did what I thought was right. And I've found definitive proof that my work, my theories, were all correct. A stallion… has to stand by what he believes in.” Field allowed his own smile to return, even if it was shadowed by Flitter's own impressed expression. “Besides, the funds did have my name on them.”

A grudging respect for the timid stallion standing before her began to build in Flitter's chest. “That's…” She smiled at him, before shaking her head and motioning to the building. “Is that it?” At his nod, Flitter's smile disappeared and found itself replaced by a look of grim determination. “Let's go save our friend.”

Nodding in agreement, Field cast one last look up to the top of the large building before leading Flitter the rest of the way. Upon reaching the last street Field stopped Flitter and asked the question that had been plaguing his mind. “Do you have a plan for getting in?” He shifted nervously as Flitter cased the front of the building.

“...yeah.” Flitter grinned grimly. “We’re going in through the front doors. We’ll need disguises.” Field turned his head toward Flitter and found her swiftly pulling off the well worn hoodie. Field felt the blush returning to his face with a vengeance. His eyes drifted across her for a scant moment, before he turned his head away. For a society that rarely wore clothes, the act of taking them off seemed much more intimate. He grunted in surprise as she hit him in the face with the balled up hoodie. Blinking, Field looked up at her as she began using a small clump of snow to freshen her face. Field watched in idle amazement as Flitter went from tough and driven to naïve and vulnerable in under ten seconds. Staring back at him was a mare with wide eyes and slumped shoulders, her wings shivering in the cold breeze. Flitter smiled sweetly at Field, and he felt a tinge of… something, spark deep inside his chest. Clearing her throat, Flitter gestured at the hoodie that still hung off his head. “You gonna keep staring or are you gonna put that on?”

Flushing hotly with embarrassment, Field struggled into the garment. After a moment of fighting and help from Flitter, Field was quickly disguised; thankfully the up-flipped hood did wonders to hide his short, blunt horn. Grinning at him with a confidence he wished he could feel, Flitter motioned toward the building. “Grab the bag and follow my lead. I’ll chat up the secretary, you stay inconspicuous.” Without giving him a chance to chip in on the plan or ask for more details, Flitter set off toward the doors. Cursing his luck, Field struggled to throw the bag over his back like Flitter had. Grabbing the human’s leash in his teeth, Field set off as swiftly as he could to catch up with Flitter. The mare pushed through the thick glass doors at the front of the building, and moved straight for the secretary’s desk. Field followed suite, but broke off to ‘admire’ some of the office’s decorations. His human chirped quietly and fidgeted, tugging at her leash as Flitter held the secretary's attention.

“Good morning, do you have an appointment today, or are you looking for job opportunities?” The secretary’s greeting was rote and well spoken, contrasting with Flitter’s play by ear response.

“Hi, yeah, I’m here for an appointment wiith…” Flitter’s brain churned away rapidly to remember the name that Field had dropped. “Ah, right, Dr. Maltenics. I’m Fixer” Flitter lent out a winning smile, one which earned a light returning smile from the secretary.

“Okay, let me just check our schedule for today.” The secretary began leafing through a thin schedule; her smile quickly thinned to a tiny line. “I’m not seeing your name on the list, Miss Fixer. What time were you supposed to have your appointment?”

“But my name should be on the lists for appointments today at two, I’m supposed to meet Dr. Maltenics for my interview.” Flitter pouted and fluttered her wings for effect. The secretary sighed quietly, and leaned in to look over the list one more time.

“I’m sorry, I’m not seeing your name here-” Flitter circled around behind the small desk, her attention supposedly on the small clipboard. The secretary sat up to inform her that she wasn’t allowed to be back there- only she didn’t get the chance. Grabbing the prim mare by the mane, Flitter slammed the mare’s muzzle into the desk hard enough to make everything on it bounce and clatter. Field jumped in surprise and the human squawked as the secretary slumped out of her chair and onto the floor. The guard on station yelled in surprise, before galloping at Flitter. With practised ease, Flitter snapped a hind hoof out and caught him in the chest. The stallion staggered, grunting in pain. Spinning with the help of her wings, Flitter slammed one of her hind hooves into the side of his head, knocking the stallion unconscious. Flitter took a moment to break her professional demeanor and celebrate her surprising success, before beckoning Field over quickly with her wing.

“Open the bag, there’s a silver roll in there. It’s duct tape. Tape them together under the desk, I’m gonna see if there’s any keys…” Field nodded as he opened up the bag; his mind floored as he tried to hunt down the elusive roll amongst weapons and explosives. Finally having found it, he fought with his magic to tie the pair up in a way that they wouldn’t suffer too terribly. Halfway through his work, Flitter jingled a small keyring and grinned like a madmare. “We’re in business Fieldy, now gimme my hoodie, I’m freezing my wings off.”

Trading back clothes, Flitter pulled out one of Jack’s last remaining t-shirts as Field finished securing the two unconscious ponies. Holding it up to the human girl, she ordered as firmly as she could. “Find him. Go on girl, find Jack!”
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The unicorn’s mass teleportation spell went off without a hitch, dumping Dom and his crew into the middle of the facility. A number of scientist’s jumped back and yelled in surprise as the twenty pony bandit crew brandished weapons toward them. The security guards present scrambled for their shock batons, for what little good it would do them. Dom grinned as he stepped forward and looked over all of the ponies present. “Ladies and Gents, our employer sends his regards.”

The coughing explosions echoed inside the room, and were quickly overcome by terrified screams and pained howls. The acrid smell of shot-powder swirled amongst spilled blood and chemicals as the scientists and the paltry security force were cut down by the first barrage. Brandishing blades and bludgeons, the bandits began their brutal tradework.

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The first echoing gunshot had awoken Lacey Maltenics from her power nap; she looked around in confusion, her mind not fully registering what the sudden noise had been. When the following barrage and screams reached her office, she felt her body begin to freeze with fear and disbelief.

“No...nononon… he… NO!” Anger scrambled in overtop fear, and the mare pulled on the vest that sat on her desk. Even without the device in it, it still had armoured plates inside it. Stuffing the device into its place in the vest, she checked the human weapon and strode out of her office. “You’re not taking anything else from me, Archmage.” She spat vehemently before gesturing at her stunned staff. “Go! Get to the exits! We have a security breach!”

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The echoing gunfire had caught both Field and Flitter by surprise, but the human leading them seemed to not notice, or care. The girl hounded her way down a long hallway, ever intent on finding her target. Not wanting to lose the girl in the chaos, the pair redoubled their efforts and galloped to catch up to her. Ponies rushed every which way, yelling in worry and fear as security did their best to herd them toward the exits. Silently, Flitter thanked whatever disaster that was currently in progress for the blanket of anonymity it had dumped overtop of them. They galloped right past armed guards without a single glance their way.

The human girl came to a skidding stop by a large set of sliding metal doors. Field set his jaw and let out a breath. “This is one of the enclosures. He’s probably in here, bored out of his mind.” He smiled toward Flitter in an attempt to force a confidence he truly did not feel. She didn’t return it. Swallowing again out of habit, Field began working the mechanism to open the door. Just as it began to open, a small group of guards came to a stop by them.

“Hey, you need to get out of here! It’s an emergency!” The guard motioned for them to get moving, but stopped as he squinted at them. “Hey… hey, you don’t work here, who are you!?” The guards brandished their weapons, only to be met by Flitters. The muzzle of the heavy pistol wavered as she held it in her wing.

“Stay back! I’ll-” Flitters threat was cut short when a set of hands wrapped around the grip of the weapon and pulled it from her weak grip. Turning her head around to greet Jack, she found her words lost again as she stared up at a slender, muscular woman and a man who held more physical similarities with a shaved bear than any human she’d ever seen before. The woman fired the pistol at the guards hooves, disintegrating a hunk of stone the size of a large fist. Regaining her composure, Flitter smiled grimly. “Stay back or she’ll shoot you.”

The woman rolled her eyes, and motioned for the guards to move down the hall, away from them. Thankfully, the guards decided they had better things to do than deal with more insane humans. Flitter looked up at the red haired woman and grinned as the small group of guards galloped off down the hallway away from them. “Hi. We’re looking for another human, name’s Jack. Tall guy, kinda scraggly, black hair?”

Surprise found itself written blatantly across the redhead’s features, before being stuffed down and replaced by a curious, yet suspicious look. Her hands began dancing about, making shapes that neither Flitter or Field understood. Realizing this, the redhead grunted in disgruntled disgust and looked to her companion, as if he held the answers. Whatever she was going to ask him, it was cut off as Field’s human butted her head into the redhead’s stomach and sniffed. The taller woman looked as if she were about to strike the smaller girl out of surprise, only the strike never came as the bloodhound girl abruptly pulled away and chirped vibrantly. Smiling at his group, Field began following his human again. “Looks like she picked up the new trail!”

Flitter and the redheaded woman shared a look between themselves that spoke of mutual distrust, and the tall woman held onto the pistol, much to Flitter’s chagrin. Not that it mattered, they had a lead, and more Terrans. What could go wrong? Flitter found herself smiling as she wondered how Jack would react upon being freed. She hoped for a strong hug. She definitely needed it.

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Jack struggled against the wall, the thin metal of the jacket’s buckles warping and twisting as he used brute force and a small section of protruding stone to break them open. His muscles burned from the continued awkward exertion, but he forced himself to keep at it. His arms could almost move, all he had to do was stay determined. He spoke quietly to himself to keep his mind on target; sharp and focused.

“Eight minutes since initial gunshots, maybe four more until they reach me. What if they aren’t here for me?” He pondered out loud as the sound of metal on stone scraped away at his ears. “Maybe. Doesn’t matter. Follow mission, complete objectives. Stay on course.” With one final twist and heave, the last buckles let go and his arms fell free to his side. He almost started laughing, if the sound of rapidly approaching hooves on stone hadn’t echoed inside his tiny, dark cell. Sit down, look trapped. Wait for the door to open.

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The bloodhound girl skidded to a stop before a heavy iron door that held a small sliding slat that covered the view port. “This has to be it!” Flitter practically yelled with excitement as she approached. Her hopes fell when her eyes found the heavy metal padlock locking the door shut. The redheaded woman lifted the pistol toward it as they grouped up before the door. Flitter jumped, and waved a hoof at her to get her to stop. “Wait! Your bullets might go right through and hit him, we need to open it a different way-” Flitter’s statement came to a screeching halt as she remembered a gift he had given her for her birthday along with the hoodie. A replacement for her bow. It had felt like a lifetime ago. Fishing the hand weaved det-cord bundle from her mane, Flitter wrapped it around the padlock and smiled at Field. “Fieldy, you wouldn’t happen to know any electricity spells, would you?” She gestured toward the padlock as he nodded. Field swallowed nervously as he felt all eyes on him; his horn sparkling lightly in the weak light. A small bolt of lightning lanced out from the tip of his horn, striking the cord. The resulting flash and explosion saw the padlock blown to bits, peppering the group and the hall with tiny bits of hot shrapnel. “Ah! Fuck me that was loud! I had that near my head!?” Flitter cursed as she shook her head. Ignoring the biting nips of shrapnel that had struck her legs and neck, she quickly ran up to the door and pulled it open. The cell was horribly tiny; it obviously would have broken several rules set by the geneighva convention on inequine treatment if it had held a pony. It was dark enough that Flitter almost had to squint to see the form trapped inside a bite mask and bound by a heavy straightjacket. Of course, she didn’t have to wait long to get a better look as Jack pounced from his seated position, roaring in anger as he took her off her hooves.

“YOU TRAITOR!”

Flitter’s train of thought completely derailed as she was slammed into the wall hard enough to drive the air from her lungs and Jack’s rage filled eyes drilled into hers. His pained voice had struck much deeper however, finding it’s way into the deepest recesses of her heart.

The shock of his flight only lasted momentarily for Field, who flung himself at Jack and tried to keep the human from killing Flitter with his bare hands. “Jack! We didn’t sell you out! It wasn’t us!” He pulled at Jack’s hands ineffectively.

Jack’s attention turned from Flitter to Field, and carried the same burning intensity. “You fuckin LIAR! How did they know where to find me!?” The bite mask did nothing to hide his animalistic snarl.

“Jack.” A third voice joined in, and Elissa’s hands gripped his. “I don’t think someone who betrayed you would come and save your sorry ass.” The woman licked her lips, still unused to the sudden return of her voice.

With tears in her eyes, Flitter nodded despite the hands holding her throat. “We’ve been looking for you all week… I’m sorry we weren’t faster, Jack… please, we’re trying to save you…” Flitter swallowed the lump that was blocking her throat as Jack’s murderous grip lessened and he let her hooves touch the ground again. “W-we brought your gear.”

Releasing Flitter fully, Jack turned away from the group and toward the bulky duffel bag that now sat on the floor. “yeah..yeahyeahyeah, makes sense… lied… Mark lied. probably not Mark anyway.” He kneeled down next to the bag and unzipped it to find an old friend waiting for him. “Get me out of this straightjacket.”

With the help of Elissa and Field, Jack was soon stripped of the straightjacket, but the bite mask’s lock proved to be too much. Flitter looked up at Jack, trying to catch his gaze. “Are you alright?” Her question went ignored as he pulled the exoskeleton from duffel bag and pulled it on. The chattering clicks and clacks filled the hall as he stooped and grabbed a number of grenades from the bag. A moment later, he locked his fingers around the lock holding the heavy metal mask over his face; with an angered yank he ripped it clear from the mask and pulled the heavy contraption off.

Elissa’s voice finally earned his attention as he stalked across the hall like a predatory animal. “Jack, what’s the plan?”

His enhanced fist shattered the protective glass covering the fire axe. Somewhere in his mind, Jack assured himself that there was a fire, somewhere. “Get the nuke.” With the large fire axe gripped in his enhanced hand, he turned toward the group and found them all taking an involuntary step back. “Maltenics has Delta King, and I’m getting him back.”

Nodding, Elissa treaded past the group and to Jack’s side, her stance and body language speaking of self-assuredness and highly trained skill. “I’ll take point. I’ve got the gun, after all.” Her cocksure smirk died as quickly as it had arrived when Jack’s eyes locked onto her. Thankfully, his attentions were pulled away by an unfamiliar voice and semi-familiar language sounding out from the large bear man.

“Мученик Кессель, почему ты должна вести войну на одной кобыле? Что, если она находится в правом?” He asked softly, as if pleading.

“Russian.” Jack muttered, before speaking back toward the bear man in a gravelly emotionless tone. “Война не определяет, кто прав, кто только осталось. И я намерен быть только один левый.” The larger man let his head hang as everyone else struggled to understand what words had passed between them. Turning back to Elissa, Jack’s voice held no warmth, only the threat of terrible, imminent violence. “You’re on point, GO.”

The screams were growing louder, closer. The occasional whip crack of gunfire echoed through the facilities halls, causing the smallest human in the group to whimper and pace behind Field like a scared puppy. Field himself stuck close to Flitter, who looked as if she was trying to hold back a whole slew of emotions. Elissa led the group through the halls, following the signage toward the offices. The woman moved like a predatory machine, clearing halls and motioning with her free hand as she stalked forward. A yell came from up ahead, and Elissa stepped out to look down the hall.

A familiar sound echoed in Jack’s mind, the sound of his .44 magnum being fired in anger. Elissa staggered as the powerful hollowpoint struck her neck, sending a spray of deep crimson arterial blood across the hall. The screams and yelling all fell away as Jack watched in horror as Elissa stumbled and fell, the sabot pistol falling from her grip as she gasped for air. Grabbing her by her arms, Jack pulled the bleeding and choking woman back and fell to his knees to try and staunch the bleeding. “Get a first aid kit! Somebody!” He clamped his augmented hands over her neck, but her blood continued to pulse through his fingers like water through a sieve. Her attempts to draw in breath sounded like air rushing through a ragged wet valve. “Don’t, don’t you fucking do this to me Elissa… don’t you fucking dare…” Jack grit his teeth in anger. “Where the fuck is that first aid kit!?”

Field was digging through the large duffel as fast as his magic could. “T-there isn’t one in here Jack, I-” His voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the now still and pale woman who laid in an ever expanding pool of her own blood. He watched as a shudder passed between Jack’s shoulder blades, his exoskeleton chattering in sync with his body. Jack slowly pulled the pistol from Elissa’s dead hands before running a hand over her face to close her eyes for the last time. Field didn’t have to see Jack’s face to know what was about to happen next.

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Dom was angry.

Scratch that, Dom was furious.

One of his crew had been stabbed by the director of the facility with his own damn knife, and then the crazy mare had pulled a gun on him! She’d actually had the nuts to pull the trigger too, but thankfully she was a terrible shot. He was quite sure he was going to be deaf in that ear for days, at least. On top of that, the damned mare had slipped past them in the chaos, and had escaped. “Somepony, go after that bitch-”

“URRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

The roar of animalistic rage boomed through the room, drawing Dom’s attention swiftly to the hallway behind them. Catching sight of the charging human, Dom suddenly realized that he hadn’t known what fury was. He was about to receive a hands on lesson, and that fact froze him in place. Jack’s axe slammed down onto the first of Dom’s crew, cleaving the surprised stallion's head in two without finesse. The stallion’s skull exploded like an overripe melon, sending shards of skull, brain, and blood showering outwards, painting the attacker and Dom’s ponies. The human struck out, as if stuck in the trance of some macabre dance of death. His augmented strength had sent the axe head hurtling through the bone and meat of the first stallion's head, and his momentum carried the hardened rear spike into a bandit mare’s chest. The iron armour they wore did little to stop the sheer pneumatic force behind the swing. The axe spike pinned the mare to the wall as the wooden handle of the weapon shattered, unable to cope with the furious force that wielded it. Without skipping a beat, Jack spun and leapt upon the next armed pony, his fingers clamping onto Dom’s second in command’s neck. The mare had a split second to scream in terror before her throat was ripped out as he spun, letting her take a round that had been meant for him. Jack slammed her head into the ground at the end of the spin and pressed the sabot pistol barrel against her temple; her brains were scattered by the sheer power, and her eyes burst from the pressure of the superheated sabot passing through her head. One of the surviving gunners fired, his lead ball skimming the human’s torso and drawing a thick gout of blood as it trailed his ribs. The wound didn’t seem to slow the human at all as he turned on his heels and kicked the gunner hard enough that Dom heard the ribs shattering from across the room. Before the stallion had a chance to gasp for breath, the human was upon him. Metal covered fingers bit into the stallion's muzzle and head, holding it in place as the human began hammering it’s other fist down onto the stallion's head. Bone shattered and muscle pulped beneath the onslaught, the process only taking a scant few seconds.

Dom cursed hard enough to send his mother twisting in her grave, and instantly regretted it as the human locked onto him. Dropping the now dead gunner to the floor, where his pulped grey matter could wriggle out of his nose and ears like tiny worms, the human turned to Dom. The pure hatred in the human’s eyes served as a reminder that ponies had once been a prey species, and a lesson that Terran’s had become predators. The human came at Dom like a cannonball, slamming into him like a train and shattering bones like dry twigs. Dom gasped for air as the human ripped his weapons away with contemptuous ease. Death however, didn’t come as swiftly Dom had expected it. In a voice laced with fury and promising terrible, brutal violence, the human hissed in his ear.

“Where the FUCK did that bitch go.”

Maltenics. He had to be talking about Maltenics. With a shaking hoof, Dom pointed toward the door the mare had escaped through. “T-there!” The human’s attention snapped to where Dom’s hoof was pointing, and he silently thanked every single alicorn he could think of. Using the distraction, Dom broke the tiny capsule he had around his neck. The spell went off, and he was swiftly spirited away to safety by the stored teleportation spell.

Jack snarled as the stallion escaped his punishment, but he at least had a direction to go in. Flitter’s voice caught him, just before he began moving for the door. “Jack! Please, let’s-”

Cutting her off, Jack snapped at her as he wiped a bit of bloody bone away from his eyes. “Take Field, the girl, and 3901. Take them, and get the fuck out of here! NOW!”

“I’m not leaving you Jack!” Flitter yelled back at him, before turning to Field and the other humans. “Look, just find a way out, we’ll catch up with you!” She didn’t wait for their agreement, as Jack had already kicked the door out of it’s frame. “Dammit, Jack, wait!” She took off after him, hoping to catch up before he gained too much distance and lost her in the facility.

_________________________________________________________________

Maltenics galloped through the halls, sweat beading on her forehead and her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. She bounded over the bodies of her colleagues, her friends. Dr. Forge had caused all of this. She had to make sure that he paid dearly. But first, she had to escape, and she had to make sure that none of the 4859’s belongings reached the Archmage. If it took every last ounce of strength she had, she would deny them their prize. Up ahead, she could see a number of her security force, and some of her scientists and wranglers bunched up in a group, moving toward the exit and fighting off a hoofful of bandits. One of the guards spotted her, and waved as he yelled her name. He didn’t see the small olive drab sphere as it landed in the middle of the group, but Lacey did. She didn’t expect the earth shaking explosion that followed to come from the little olive drab sphere. Horror struck as she blinked her eyes rapidly and saw the shattered remains of her coworkers, their lives dashed away by shrapnel and fire.

“MALTENICS!”

The voice didn’t belong to anybody she knew; who could hold so much anger toward her? Turning her head as she stood across from the exit, Lacey swiftly earned the answer to her question. The human, 4859 was moving toward her like a raging storm, a strange pistol in his grip and another sphere in his other hand. Words escaped her as the human barred his teeth. “I’m going to gut you for what you’ve done.”

Maltenics didn’t need any more prompting. Before the 4859 could lift his weapon toward her, Lacey bolted for the exit, her hooves skidding and slipping in the blood and viscera of her exterminated coworkers and the bandits. The light of day nearly blinded her as she barreled out of the exit and into a small back alley. Without pause, she galloped out onto the street and toward the castle. A number of royal guard were at the front, but after the display that 4859 had shown her, Lacey knew better than to get her hopes up over a hoofful of guards. Her only hope for safety was the castle grounds, if she could reach them. It was a long run, but she had a head start.

He began executing the heavily wounded survivors of the grenade blast systematically and without remorse, it was better to just end their suffering than to let them bleed out. A part of him was enraged and disappointed that his original capturer wasn’t among them. Jack burst through the fire escape once he was sure that the ponies were dead. Flitter followed shortly, galloping and hot on his heels. He jabbed a finger skyward and turned his head enough to bark an order at Flitter as she burst through the door after him. “Sky, track her!” She didn’t dare question it, or delay. With Flitter taking to the skies, Jack burst from the alley way, and spotted Maltenics galloping down the crowded street as fast as she could. Gritting his teeth, Jack took off like a shot after her. Despite what he wanted to do, a small portion of his mind held him back, preventing him from firing at her through the crowded streets. He ignored the yells that came from behind him. Whoever they were, they could wait.

Ponies called out in surprise as Maltenics weaved and ducked past ponies and carts. It was mid-afternoon, and a saturday to boot. The streets were crowded with all sorts of ponies. Behind her, she heard yelling, and then screaming. Maltenics made the mistake of looking over her shoulder. 4859 slammed into a cart as it crossed the street, his momentum and sheer physical force saw the cart shatter around him, scattering its cargo across the street. If it hurt, the human didn’t show it as he picked up his speed again and locked onto her. He was moving far too fast, too fast for any natural human. There was no equine way she could possibly outrun him, as insane as that sounded. Whatever was chasing her couldn’t possibly be entirely human. Panic set into her blood, and her small adrenal glands kicked in like her life depended on them. Rhythmic thumping met the mare’s ears as she turned a corner, and spotted a large, popular club. She didn’t pause to consider why it was open so early, the screams and yelling behind her were enough to drive her toward the doors. She could only hope that it was busy inside.

Lacey didn’t stop to tell the bouncer to let her in. Luck was on her side however, as the bouncer had just let a pair of giggling mares in through the door, so it was still open when she careened into it. The bouncer began to yell at her as the door clicked closed, and she entered the thrumming club. The music thumped in her ears , it’s violent currents had the sizable crowd dancing in sync. Maltenics did her best to disappear into the crowd, as hard as it was wearing a blood spattered lab coat and a tactical chest rig.

Outside, Jack fired a single round over the bouncer’s head, sending the stallion to the ground. Bounding over the prone stallion, Jack slammed into the heavy metal doors and took them right off their hinges. With a pained snarl, he pushed himself up and entered the club. His eyes strained against the sudden shift in light, the dancing strobes playing hell with his night vision. He snarled, sending several ponies back as they spotted him lifting his pistol. Firing a booming shot into the ceiling, he raised his voice so it could be heard over the music and screaming ponies, Jack bellowed as loudly as his tortured lungs could handle.

"MALTENICS! NO MATTER HOW FAR OR HOW FAST YOU RUN, THE WORLD ISN'T BIG ENOUGH TO HIDE YOU FROM ME!"

Lacey could feel the weight of his fury from across the room, she had to get out. She couldn’t let him get his hands on her. Bolting for the back door, Maltenics ducked her head down as she pushed through the door. Jack roared in anger and opened fire over the crowd, perforating the wall just behind Lacey as she galloped. The sabot pistol boomed like a cannon in the confined space, drowning out the terrified screams of the ponies there. Not wasting time plowing through the scared ponies, Jack took a running jump and vaulted over the crowd, using the roof mounted lights as monkey bars to help vault him the extra distance. The back door was swiftly booted clear from it’s hinges, and the chase continued as the club's owner was roused from her sleep.

The light of the world flooded back as Maltenics galloped out of the club. Tears stung her eyes as she turned down a back alley, only to find it as a dead end. “Nonononno! please celestia please, don’t let this happen… please!” Maltenics galloped for one of the doors inside the alleyway and yanked on the handle as hard as she could, all to no avail. A shadow fell over the alley, and Maltenics turned to face the human bearing down on her like a force of nature. Lifting the revolver, she fired.

The first round dug deep into Jack’s chest, shattering a rib and narrowly missing one of his lungs as it flowered perfectly and carved through him. The second round struck him high on the forehead. The round shattered violently, producing a vibrant spray of sparks and blood. Jack’s eyes rolled up into his head as his legs stopped responding mid-stride. He hit the ground hard, and skidded to a stop a few feet from Maltenics. Not wanting to take any chances, Lacey began taking shaky steps toward the human, the last round in the gun meant for the back of his head. A banshee scream took her attentions away from the downed human and up to the pegasus dive bombing her. The last round was struck, and punched a hoof sized hole in the pegasi’s wing. That didn’t stop her from tackling Lacey to the ground.

Screaming in pain and anger, Flitter slashed at the unicorn with her knife, taking the mare’s horn off in a shower of magical sparks and stored energy. The mare screamed in agony as Flitter lifted the knife up and drove it down toward Maltenics’ chest. The unicorn’s hooves barely caught Flitters own hooves in time, stopping the blade just before it skewered her. The fight became a power struggle, as Flitter shifted her body weight over the knife, intent on seeing it in the other mare’s chest for what she had done to Jack. Lacey groaned in pain and exertion as the knife drew closer. She blinked in surprise when the pegasus took a hoof off the knife, only to use it as a hammer on the pommel of the blade. The knife, in it’s incredible sharpness, dipped down through the armoured plates as if they weren’t there and into her sternum. Lacey gasped as her grip went limp on the knife, and the mare hammered the knife’s pommel again, driving it deep into her chest. The third hammer blow was simply to drive a point home. Lacey began choking on her own blood as the knife bobbed in her chest with every breath.

Flitter drew in a ragged breath that bordered a sob as the scientist drew her last breath and fell still with her eyes wide open in pain and terror on the cobblestone. Pain wracked Flitter’s entire body as she dragged herself off of Maltenics and over to Jack’s horribly still form. Rolling him onto his back felt like a monumental task as she bled steadily from her perforated wing. A sob broke through her defenses and wracked her chest painfully as her eyes fell on the jagged laceration that had split his head wide open, revealing a thick metal plate that was marred from the trident hollow point’s impact. His blood began soaking into her hooves as the royal guards arrived, though she didn’t notice either. Pulling Jack close, Flitter whimpered as his soft breath tickled her ear.

"Please don't go..."

END OF ACT ONE

Author's Notes:

Wow, hell of a haul on this one. For those of you who're worried, no, this isn't the end. Far from it. Act Two will be starting as soon as my editors and myself give the first five chapters a much needed overhaul.

I wanna hold a little contest, because I have disposable income. Who ever delivers the radest fan art by the 12th of January get's a prize! (Maybe money, or vidya, maybe I'll write you a poem or serenade you via soundcloud.) If a ton of people post (Which I'm not expecting) I'll probably do tiers or something. All art will get posted in the upcoming Authors notes (If it doesn't break any terms and conditions, or hurt my brain.) Send to me via PM!

Entry is over, but hey, maybe we'll get one or two in. Eventually.
I swear I'm not doing this because my cover art commission hasn't responded in a month. No I haven't paid yet, but still, holy balls.

Act Two, Chapter Twenty Three: System Shock

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He was floating.

No.

No, he was sinking.

He was sinking deep into the inky blackness, which clung and groped at him like a needy lover. It begged for him to stay, it begged him with her voice. He wanted to stay, he wanted to stay and give into her warm embrace. To stop fighting, to just give up. To feel some measure of peace, if only for a moment.

A spark of heat ignited deep within his chest, and slowly began to spread out through his body. No, no he didn’t want to stay. He wanted out. He had to get out. The embrace of the inky depths became a crushing force that pushed in on him like cell walls, forcing him down further. The air in his lungs turned to liquid fire, igniting his blood and spreading through his veins like acid. He began clawing his way up, up and up and finally out.

His head breached the surface of the pitch black liquid, and the wondrous stench of smoking gunpowder and burning crude oil filled his empty lungs. Without pause, he pulled himself out of the black oasis and onto the sandy shoreline. The sand spread out in every direction; the desert consumed all that entered it. It had once been a jungle, before that, a forest, a plot of farm land. Twisting trenches cut deep, bloody furrows in the sand, and tracers lit up the distant dark like dancing fireflies. The sky was as black as the oasis had been, but it was marred by the terrible beauty of the distant raging fires. Plumes of great flames raged and tore at the sky like demons at war with the heavens. The fighting in the distance boomed like thunder, and was accompanied by bright flashes that cast long shadows over the boiling sand.

His limbs felt leaden, his muscles moaned in agony as the lactic acids bit and tore at them like rabid dogs. He paid them no mind as he pulled himself ashore, where he stood up upon the coarse, hot sands. Resting half buried in the sand was a weapon, some matte black automatic rifle that had scared the masses. It laid in the sand, half covered by crumpled, discarded fatigues. He pulled the charred fatigues on over his naked body, only partially hiding the greasy black sweat stains that coated his body like a second skin. The uniform was stiff, whether from blood, sweat, ash, or a mix of all three, he didn’t know. He couldn’t find the willpower to care. The act of caring about something so trivial seemed like a waste. As he finished pulling on his fatigues, he felt a sense of satisfaction as he tucked the matte black automatic rifle into his shoulder. He began walking further into the desert, intent on leaving the oasis behind forever.

He could hear the oasis calling to him, begging him one last time to come back. His work was done, was it not?

No, he answered silently. His work wasn’t done.

What work could he possibly have left? He had done enough, he didn't have to suffer within his own skin anymore.

Racking the bolt back on the rifle, he barred his wolfish teeth and growled as he turned his back on the oasis and began treading through the sand and toward the raging fires that burned in the distance, toward the war that would consume him entirely. His answer was spoken through sharp, grit teeth and charred lips.

“There’s somebody I need to kill.”

_____________________________________________________________________

He was fighting. That was all he knew; he didn't know where, he didn't know who, or why, or how. All he knew was the visceral feeling of violence. So of course, when the rhythmic beeping met his ears, it was regarded with confusion. Beeping wasn't something he knew.

Wait…

Yes it was. It was something he knew. He began to focus on it, but found it difficult to hunt down. It was like he was thinking through a thick cotton. Lucid thoughts began cropping up, taking form inside his mind to distract him from his hunt. His matte black rifle tracked back and forth; it was an extension of him. He knew it, and it knew him. Thus when he thought that he'd found the source of the bothersome beeping, his rifle was the first to lash out at it. The howling full metal jacket rounds punched through the inky blackness, only to be stopped by a blinding light. The dark world that surrounded him began to cave in around the light, and he found his feet leaving the boiling sands. He began falling toward the light; his body tumbling and thrashing as the light pulled him in. With one final gasp that would have been a cry of angered defiance, he fell into the light, and opened his eyes for the first time in a long time.

He blinked rapidly, before being forced to squint as the soft light above him hummed away quietly. He was laying in a bed of some kind. It wasn't very comfortable, but it wasn't terrible either. He blinked once more as he forced himself up into a sitting position; his limbs replying with a concerning lack of strength and speed. His head swam dangerously and the beeping increased for a moment, only to return to normal.

Thoughts began bullying their way upwards through the thick cotton that plagued his mind. He decided to answer them out loud. For some reason, the sound of his own voice was soothing, almost reassuring.

Where am I?

The thought was a particularly tricky one. Why did he have to answer that one first?

“...hospital… maybe…” He blinked slowly, still trying to have his eyes adjust to the room around him. It smelled clean. Too clean, as if everything in and around it had been sterilized a dozen times over. There were fresh flowers at his bedside, as well as some cards and a glass of water. He didn't feel like reading. It probably would hurt too much anyway.

It took a full minute for him to realize that he was thirsty. Thirsty is the right word. Parched tongue, dry throat, hard to think. Thirsty. Water? He cautiously reached out to the glass and wrapped his fingers around it. It felt cool to the touch, and that was the last thought he had regarding it before pulling the glass over and draining the contents without pause. His fingers trembled as he held the glass, betraying his current lack of strength. It made him angry, but he couldn't understand why. To pull his mind away from the glass and his fingers, he decided to wrestle with the question that burned the brightest inside his head.

Who am I?

He didn't know. That bothered him, and he wanted it to not. He wracked his mind; searching through the disconnected soup that was his consciousness for the answer. He couldn't quite recall it… couldn’t reach it, or coerce it out of hiding. He knew the answer. He knew it, he just couldn't reach it. He had been in a kind of hospital, for science and humans. There had been fighting, he had… he had killed. It had felt… Had he enjoyed it? Nono, never mind that for now. He had hunted someone, but he couldn't recall their name or face. Somebody had died… somebody close to him.

The sudden, crisp image of a beautiful redheaded woman, drowning in her own blood as he held her flooded into his mind, bringing with it a whole horde of memories that had been hidden away from him. Sorrow struck first, digging its talons deep into his heart. He couldn’t begin to name the emotions that swirled around him when he thought of her face, the fear that had remained etched on it when she’d slipped away in his arms. She’d died in a scientific facility, killed by his gun. Had he killed her? No, no that didn’t make sense. If he’d killed her, why would his eyes burn with tears? He let his head hang, giving a moment of silence in memory of the beautiful woman that had been important to him before wiping the still manifesting tears away with the back of his hand. He couldn’t remember her name, nor why… why was she so important? He didn’t know, so he focused on what he did know. She’d died in that facility. They’d been in the facility with others, and something had happened. Something dark and wrong. He couldn’t reach the memories explaining why, but he could remember that he had been trying to escape. That he was willing to do whatever it took to escape that place. Suddenly, realization clicked into place within his mind.

“I know where I am… didn't escape? Thought I had… gotta… Gotta get out.” He grit his teeth as he forced his legs over the edge of the bed. His metallic legs forced more memories into his mind, and set his teeth on edge with their phantom pains. He would have time to mourn the nameless faces that haunted him later. He still didn't remember who he was; he only knew that he was angry, and that he had to get out. The machine protested loudly as he pulled out the needles and leads that rested inside his flesh, before going silent as the last needle was pulled free from his body. He was wearing some kind of hospital smock, probably to make it easier for the scientists who undoubtedly were still experimenting on him. He heard the clop of hooves on marble, swiftly approaching the door to his room. Anger flooded his veins and adrenaline fueled his muscles; the pain and weakness left him as he forced himself to stand and cross swiftly over to hide beside the door. His timing was impeccable as a small off-white mare with a syringe cutie mark burst in through the door. She had a cart with her, and skidded to a halt just before speaking.

“W-what? Where could he have- oh no.”

The mare's final words were from her realizing that he was stalking up behind her with a metal tray he'd taken from her cart. He didn't wait for her to turn, nor did he ask her why she was so worried about him. The metal tray did the talking for the both of them. The mare's body tensed the moment he slammed it against the side of her head, only to go limp a moment after as she fell to the floor unconscious. With that taken care of, he scanned the cart for anything useful. He found a razor sharp scalpel, which in turn found a home clutched tightly in his right hand. He regarded the unconscious pony for a moment, and then the scalpel in his hand.

Don’t have time for this. Leave her, leave her alone. Put her in the bed! Yeahyeah! Hide my absence! Genius.

With great effort, he hefted the unconscious mare up onto the bed and tucked the thin sheets around her. To anyone glancing into the room, it would look like a patient was sleeping. He turned away from her and moved for the door. It creaked quietly as he pushed it open cautiously and peered down the hall. The hall was devoid of life, which suited him just fine. His body protested again as he limped into the hall, only this time it's protests were loud enough to be heard. Forcing the pain down, he set off down the hall as quickly as he could. He wasn't very fast, and his rubberised heels squeaked at every step and pivot. He silently thanked whoever had manufactured the legs, as they were the only part of his body that responded with purpose and speed. Whenever he heard voices approaching, he would duck out of sight, be it into different rooms, storage closets, or under gurneys. Whether through good luck or providence, he somehow managed to escape the hospital wing without a single soul spotting him or sounding the alarm. The wrappings around his head had fallen off, but he’d ignored them. He felt better without them on anyway.

The sterilized hospital halls gave way to ornate marble and extravagant paintings, plaster busts, and lush carpets. It certainly didn't feel like the facility that he had first been held in. Maybe he'd gotten injured and had been sent to a secondary facility? That seemed the most likely, but it was growing harder to think the more he moved, so he left the answer half formed. He started hearing more voices, some of which were approaching him swiftly, if the rapid clop of armoured hooves were any indication. A sense of panic overcame him for a short moment, before his trained senses pushed it out and regained control. He slipped into a side room and shut the door as quietly behind him as he could manage before turning. He immediately regretted his decision as his eyes fell on the twenty or so ponies which stared back at him with mixed levels of curiosity. He was in some kind of messhall, and if the armour was any indication, he’d had the idiotic misfortune of stumbling headlong into the guard messhall during shift change.

__________________

A pair of guards stood from a table and approached him, but they didn't carry any weapons with them. One was a slate grey earth pony stallion with an equally grey mane, and the other was a creamy white unicorn with a cropped garish green mane. The stallion spoke first as he looked over the disheveled human in his dainty hospital gown. “Think he’s lost or somthin’ Baron?”

The mare didn't turn her head to regard her partner as she eyed up the fat ‘Y’ shaped scar the split the human's head nearly in half. “No, he's your cake stripper.” Her partner snorted and muttered something as she approached the human’s side. She sighed softly before nosing at the human’s hand. It recoiled away from her with lightning speed, and seemed to eye her with open suspicion. He began trying to back out of the door, his eyes narrowed down and burrowing deep into hers. Baron rolled her eyes before glancing over at her partner. “He probably slipped away from the eggheads down in research. Come on, let's get him back before they flip their lids.”

“not going back.”

The human's quiet, gravely voice caught the pair of guards off guard, so when his hand shot out and locked around Baron's horn and he pulled her against himself like a shield, none of the guards reacted how they should have right away. As the cries of alarm went up, the human brandished the scalpel and held it against Baron's throat. “BACK OFF! Tell them to back off!” He hissed in her ear with a tone that brokered no argument. Her breath caught as he held the tiny blade against her carotid artery.

Her partner Mythic did his best to placate the human; his eyes would often shift to the scalpel to ensure it wasn't biting through Baron's skin. “Easy big guy, we’re not gonna hurt yah, aight?”

That seemed to ease the blade off, if only a tiny bit as the human pushed the door open with one of his strange metal feet. “Not going back there. Leaving. Now. Where’s the damn exit…” One of his eyes began twitching uncontrollably, and pain flashed across the human's features. His voice came back as a bellow that led to the other guards brandishing sharp spears at him and his body shield. “I WANT OUT!”

Mythic winced and beckoned for the other guards to take it easy, whoever this human was, he was definitely in pain and desperate. Desperate creatures did desperate things. “Okay, we’ll take you outside, you just need to let my partner go, okay?” When the human continued backing out into the hall, Mythic followed him, refusing to take his eyes off for even a second. “What’s your name big guy?” His eyes flicked to the wall of guards that were now blocking both hallways. The guys in the messhall worked fast at least. They weren't doing anything, yet.

“I don't know.”

The human's response surprised him. Most of the remaining human servants now had proper names, those that didn’t were the ones that hadn't retained the sudden burst of intelligence they'd gained. “Yah don't know who you are?”

The human shook his head, sending shaggy locks of black hair this way and that. Baron looked pissed off and uncomfortable as she was forced to trot backwards on her hind hooves. The human didn’t look exactly strong, but the scalpel was definitely sharp.“No… I’m… a soldier, fighter. Always fighting, don't know where I am… who- BACK OFF!” His sudden bestial outburst and repositioning of the scalpel blade sent a terrified chill down Mythic’s shoulder blades. He turned to regard whoever had broken cordon and set off the human with an angry order, but found it dying in his throat as fast as it had formed as he saw Princess Celestia standing behind him.

She regarded the human and his hostage for a moment, before smiling at Mythic. “Private Ace, you've done a wonderful job so far. May I?” She gestured toward the situation, and earned a muted nod of permission that wasn’t needed. Celestia smiled graciously to her guardspony. “Thank you private.” She turned her full attention onto the human, who continued to protect his body with Corporal Baron. “I know who you are.” That certainly got his attention. Before he could question her, Celestia held up a single marred dog tag. “Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle, serial number 5467-7123-0019.”

Jack slowly lowered the scalpel, and his eyes unfocused as a slew of memories struck like a tidal wave. Celestia smiled, and took a few tentative steps forward. “You were hurt badly and you've been in a coma.”

His voice came out quiet and choked. “Kessle… her name was elissa… I...How long? How long was I out?” He looked up from the marble floor and held Celestia with his gaze. It was obvious he didn’t aim to injure the guard he was holding hostage. For now.

Before Celestia had a chance to answer, a pair of very familiar voices rang out over her as her sister and Flitter passed through the guard ranks and approached. Jack's attentions had been brought over as well, and at this point he was barely holding the corporal. Distrust lit across his face, and the progress Celestia had made with him seemed to vanish before her eyes as Jack pulled the unicorn mare closer. Sighing softly as she smiled at Jack, Celestia answered his question before he could get antsy and reconsider his scalpel. “You have been unconscious for seven months and six days. Please, let the corporal go. We don't mean you any harm, but I need you to release her. I know this all must be terribly frightening, so as a show of good faith, I'll have my guards stand down. They won’t interfere if you decide to run.” At her motion, her guard did so, albeit a bit slower than she'd hoped. Jack's eyes flicked about, as if searching for threats. When they returned to Celestia, he set his jaw and stared at her for what felt like an eternity. To hammer in the final point, Celestia smiled kindly and motioned toward the hall that branched off to the left, leading outside. “That is the way out. However, I believe you’d like some more answers. If you stay, I can offer those to you.” Celestia met Jack’s challenging stare with ease; she was forced to ignore both Luna and Flitter because of that. With a grunt of defeat, Jack released Corporal Baron’s horn. The mare moved away from him as quickly as possible, obviously not taking any chances in case Jack changed his mind. Celestia smiled as kindly as she could muster as Jack dropped his scalpel and spread his arms wide. His actions concerned the princess, it was as if he were inviting them to attack him, to seek out revenge and strike him down where he stood. When the attacks didn't come, he let his arms drop to his side like leaden weights. He somehow seemed smaller now, almost deflated. That thought fled Celestia’s mind when he turned his gaze to her. There was no defeat in his eyes, only a burning intensity that skirted defiance and foolhardy courage. His voice confirmed it.

“I need pants. My clothes. If you don't plan on strapping me back down to a table and torturing me a little bit more that is.” He purposefully kept his eyes locked onto her; avoiding both Luna and Flitter.

"We don't plan to do any harm to you, so long as you do the same."

“Don't think that's possible...” Luna muttered icily, but if her outburst had been heard by Jack, he didn’t show it.

“Yeah, yeah... alright. Let's go.” He pointedly ignored the other two ponies, though Celestia couldn't begin to fathom why. Simply another hurdle to overcome. She thought as she led the trio off to the royal hospital wing. The coming conversation was going to be one of the more interesting ones she'd had in recent months.

______________________________________________________________________

Once Jack was safely back in his room and the doctor had been summoned, Celestia requested a pot of tea be brought to the room as the others got comfortable. She watched over Jack, eyeing him critically as the medical staff looked him over and saw to his medical needs. She could easily tell that the human was tense, but obviously he had enough willpower to keep himself well behaved in return for answers. “So, Staff Sergeant. How is your memory faring you?”

Jack glanced away from the doctors as they patched up the bleeding holes where he’d yanked out the needles and leads. “Patchy. I… It’s coming back. Some things I’m having trouble with.”

Laying back on a cushion that had been brought at her request, Luna spoke in Celestia’s stead. “As we expected. You suffered massive head trauma, though the doctors have no idea what could have caused it.”

Nodding to Luna, Celestia spoke shortly after. “We were hoping that you could answer some questions as well. While Cadet Falenas, Professor Note and Mr. Morozov has told us all they can, there is a lot that we don’t know about what happened.”

“Right.” Jack winced as he rolled his shoulders; his whole body seemed to stay in motion as he worked out his joints and muscles. “My question first.” He didn’t wait to the royal to nod. “Who the hell are you people?”

The trio before him blinked in surprise, while Flitter seemed considerably wounded. The smaller mare looked away and closed her eyes in an attempt to hide that pain. Celestia cleared her throat, and offered her practiced and ready smile. “I’m Princess Celestia, this is my sister and co-ruler, Princess Luna. We are alicorns.”

Luna smirked a bit as she looked over at Jack. “We’ve met before, by the way. In your dreams, however you seemed to grow very hostile toward me near the end.”

Her statement earned a grunt from Jack. It was one of instant dislike. “Right, yeah… You’re the blue haired lady with personal space and privacy issues… surprised you all haven’t blown yourselves up yet.” He looked up and pierced Luna with a hard look. “Or did my little show scare you?”

Taking over as Luna went red in the muzzle with embarrassment and indignation, Celestia pounced on the line Jack had left out. “Yes, about that. This… Weapon, that you-”

“Weapon of Mass Destruction.” Jack corrected, earning a cough and a nod from Celestia.

“Yes, Weapon of ‘mass destruction’. It’s been locked up within the royal vault as of right now. I wished to know why you were pursuing the late Doctor Maltenics for it. By the reports you were willing to suffer serious bodily harm to have it returned to you.” Flitter shuffled on her cushion and kept her gaze on the floor. She’d flinched at the mention of the late doctor.

Jack either didn’t notice, or was adept at pretending to not. “Because it was only a matter of time before she did something stupid. Think of it as a kid with a loaded gun. You- your… your ponies, you’re not ready for that kind of shit.”

“And your people are?” Celestia asked, almost failing to hold back the indignant edge that her voice could have held.

“We didn’t know if the first bomb would have punched a hole in our ozone and sucked us all out into space. We were kids with a very big, loaded gun. You guys might not get so lucky.”

The matter-o-fact statement from the human sent a small chill down Celestia’s spine. She’d seen the memory because of Luna. She’d seen the weapon, as the human had known it. It didn’t take a genius to understand the level of harm such a thing would reap if used. “Yes… had the doctor activated the weapon, a good many of my ponies would have died. Whether you meant it or not, your actions saved lives. However.” Celestia let her smile slip from her face. “I know that you’ve killed some of my ponies.”

“I only killed the ones that tried to kill me and mine.” He looked up at her, and grinned unevenly. “All’s fair, right?”

“Of course.” Celestia fixed him with a flat, regal stare. “I wish to make two things clear, Staff Sergeant. I am very grateful for your actions and the actions of Cadet Falenas in saving this city and the ponies within, and I plan to reward you as I’ve rewarded her. At this time, it’s impossible for you to go home, so I’m going to offer you a place in the castle. However, I want one stipend to be very clear to you. If at any point you attack any of my ponies, or commit murder, you will be prosecuted to the full extent of Equestrian law. With the dangers that you pose, this will mean execution. Do you understand, Staff Sergeant Kessle?” She ignored the shocked looks that the medical staff gave her out of necessity. Nopony had been executed by law for hundreds of years.

The defiance that Celestia had expected from Jack vanished, and the professional soldier that hid deep inside him showed his face long enough to instill curiosity upon Celestia’s mind. “Crystal clear, ma’am.” He paused for a moment and blinked slowly at her as if he were quietly judging her. “Just as a warning for you, I will do whatever it takes to protect myself and anyone under my charge. If that means killing, don’t think for a second I’ll hesitate. We understand each other?”

Nodding to him, Celestia smiled without humour. “We do. Now, is there anything you want to know?”

“Where the fuck am I?”

The harsh language earned him disapproving looks and glares from everybody present, save for Celestia herself, who instead chuckled in good humour. “You are in Canterlot, the capital of Equestria.More specifically, you're within the halls of Canterlot Castle, the royal hospital wing.”

He nodded in return, and took a moment to look over the small collection of cards and flowers that decorated his bedside. They seemed familiar. A sudden pang of memory struck him; he was no longer in the presence of royalty or on an alien planet. He was propped up in some Californian military hospital, his legs shuddering burned stumps. His family had flown out as fast as they could at the news of his return, and a very large part of him wished that they hadn't. The morphine that coursed through him to keep him coherent during the visit did little to disguise the looks of horror and pain they all felt when they saw what little was left of him. He had felt it too, but it had long since shifted to a deep, festering self-loathing that leached off him like a parasite.

“Jack?”

The voice that lanced the memory belonged to the Lunar princess, but she wasn't the only pony in the room seemingly concerned with him. He shook his head to shake away the remnants of the memory before waving their concerns away with a hand. “M’fine. Just spaced for a second.”

“Of course.” Luna shuffled uncomfortably before yawning. “I apologise, but I have duties to attend to before I must raise the moon. I hope we get a chance to speak later Jack.” She stood, and spoke her goodbyes to the others in the room, before making her leave.

“Now, Staff Sergeant.” Celestia began as she got more comfortable. “Do you have any more questions?”

“One more off the top of my head, yeah.” Jack cracked his neck and readjusted his pillows. “Why can't I go home?”

Both ponies present cringed, but on varying degrees and for widely different reasons. Jack didn't comment, and Flitter refused to speak a word as Celestia cleared her throat. “The reason is… complicated. While we were able to send a great many of the other terrans back to their respective homes and time lines, the window we had between the Archmage's defeat and the time it took for Discord's chaotic magic to disperse has long since passed, making reconnecting to your worldstring impossible.”

Jack stared blankly at her. “I didn't understand a fuckin’ word that just came outta you.” He grunted. “Just gimme the Laymans terms, I don’t need any quantum physics lessons right now.”

Smiling as she checked the clock, Celestia sought out how she would explain the intricate nuances of magical extra-planar travel to a being who did have any magic to speak of, let alone understand it. “In Layponies terms the magic, and being who initially brought you here have either dissipated, or been encased in stone. We had a small window in which we sent back a little under one hundred Terran’s. Unfortunately, we couldn’t send you back in your condition, and now it is too late.”

The human before her seemed to take in the information faster than she’d predicted; at the very least he seemed satisfied with the answer. “Aight… Okay. So, why were we brought here in the first place?” He seemed to tense up, and his eyes grew unfocused for the moment before he shook his head and they sharpened once again.

Chalking the curious activity up to his injuries, Celestia cleared her throat. “The god of Chaos, Dicord-”

“God? Or just some dickhead with too much power?” Jack’s probing question held a razor sharp edge to it, and inwardly Celestia asked herself the same question.

“Discord is…” Celestia gave the question more thought, and rolled her hoof as she tried to convince the words to form. Speaking of her imprisoned acquaintance always seemed to stump her words uncharacteristically. “He is a being of immense chaotic power. He proclaims to be the god of chaos, and he is the one who brought you Terrans to Equus. He is thousands of years old, and utterly unpredictable.”

A sharp frown settled onto Jack’s features as he absorbed the information. “Right. We’ll see if that helps him...” Jack forced his mind back on track and probed with his next question. “I take it he tried to aim some of us? Make us do things?”

“Yes, through your dreams and through the situations he often placed you all in. He sees the world as his playground.” Celestia held back her own angered voice; instead she saw her own subconscious take form on Jack’s features. His frown became a hateful sneer that promised vicious violence. Internally she questioned the wisdom of keeping him within the castle. However, his emotions quickly came under control, and he shook his head.

“explains mark…” Jack sighed slowly, before slumping against the stack of pillows at his back. He let his eyes close, betraying the exhaustion he felt to the others in the room. His thoughts turned sharply to what he could remember of his late friend, or rather the being who had taken his form to try and use him as a weapon. Discord… yeah, you and me are gonna have a talk. Jack opened his eyes and fixed Celestia with his gaze. “Where is he.”

Celestia tilted her head, as if she were trying to read his thoughts. “He’s imprisoned in stone, within the gardens. I understand if you wish for revenge Staff Sergeant, but I want you to refrain from damaging the statue in any way.”

At the mention of damaging the statue, the thought seemed to slip from Jack’s features, leaving him listless and tired. “Yeah, don’t want him escaping. Alright, okay…” He closed his eyes once more and breathed slowly through his nose. “Thanks Princess. I… appreciate the honesty. Can I uh… get a moment with Flitter?” He glanced up at the princess, and in his peripheral saw the smaller mare’s head jerk upwards in surprise; her features wrestling between happiness, worry, and fear.

Nodding, Celestia stood and moved for the door. “I will leave you be. The medical staff are on call, so if you need anything please let them know. Have a pleasant day Staff Sergeant, I hope we can speak later when you are feeling more yourself.” She glanced over at Flitter and lent out a supportive smile and nod. “I will see you tomorrow when I take over in Luna’s stead, Cadet Falenas.” She left as Flitter nodded weakly.

The remaining two in the room stared at each other uncomfortably, until the door clicked closed and Jack let out a weak sigh. “Fuck me running…” He chuckled softly, before turning his weakly smiling visage toward Flitter. “Hey Sparky…” He began slowly getting out of the bed; his body protesting audibly with cracks, pops, and whirrs.

Flitter approached tentatively, her words failing her as her eyes burned. “Jack… I-” She barely held in a gasp of surprise as he awkwardly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her in as strong of a bear hug as he could muster. Jack’s legs gave out under him, sending them both to the floor. Pressing her head into his chest, Flitter wrapped her hooves and wings around him and nuzzled at a nearly frantic pace. She wanted to sob, but the feeling slipped away as his body shuddered in her grip. His fingers pushed through her fur and grasped at her as he pulled in faint stilted breathes. “i-i’m so sorry jack…” Flitter spoke quietly into his ear as she stopped nuzzling at his neck. Her heart pounded in her chest like a jackhammer as he hugged her close. “i saw you go down, and i thought… i thought you were dead… I killed her… I killed her Jack, and-”

Flitter’s sentence caught in her throat as he pulled his head away from her so he could look straight on at her. His eyes were rimmed in pained red, and he was smiling through thick emotion. Jack slowly ran his fingers through her mane and shushed her. “It’s… it’s alright… you saved my ass Flitter…” His smile grew even larger, betraying the intense pride he felt welling in his chest. “Thank you.”

________________________________________________________________

The minutes that passed felt like an eternity, but in both of their minds it was an eternity well spent. Flitter rested in Jack’s lap as he sat within his pile of covers and pillows that he’d pulled off the bed so he could rest on the floor comfortably. They didn’t say much, simply choosing to hold each other and regain control of their own rampant emotions. Jack’s came under control far too fast as he bottled them back up inside. His petting didn’t stop however, which suited Flitter just fine. Finally, she regained control of her ragged voice and spoke. “I um… I got a job… Or, I’m training for it…”

Jack smiled down at her as his hand petted down the small of her back. “Yeah? That why Princess Sunnybutt called you Cadet?” He grinned as Flitter failed to hold back a giggle.

“Y-yeah… I’m in military officer training. And I’m… I’m kind of helping Princess Luna as an aide. Turns out my memory really helps with a lot of things.” Flitter fidgeted and felt her cheeks begin to burn as Jack’s smile turned bright with surprise and pride.

He laughed, and shook his head as he dug his fingers in between her ears and scritched at her scalp. As Flitter cooed and squirmed into his fingers, he spoke. “No shit… An officer! How long do you think that’ll take?” He only eased up on the attention his fingers were giving the mare so she could actually think long enough to formulate an answer.

“A-a year and a half at most, with how I’m going apparently. I’m already four months in, but it’s supposed to take up to two or three, maybe four; I’m in really good shape though, so boot was a breeze…” She smiled as she remembered her initial tests. “And with my memory, theoretical lessons are painfully easy.” She giggled, which only served to fuel Jack’s smile even further. “There are these ‘tactics tests’ where we have control of a small set of guards and resources, and we have to try and complete objectives. I’ve um… I’ve been reviewing your PDA and human tactics… Let’s just say that… well, there was a Colonel who got really, really mad when a Cadet outmaneuvered him and demolished him in a mission that was supposed to be unwinnable. It was supposed to teach us that loss is always a possibility, and well, I think I prefer human thought instead. Defeat is only possible if you accept it. Otherwise it is only a setback.” Her blush only grew as Jack cackled and stroked her mane.

“Serves ‘em right, underestimating my girl. Shit, that’s great…” He chuckled happily and stroked Flitter’s ears as a sort of reward. “I’m really proud of you Flitter…” His smile faded slightly as Flitter nuzzled back into his chest. “I got a question for you though… If you killed that b- hrn- scientist, how in the nine hells aren’t you locked up somewhere? How am I not?”

Flitter’s now smile faded swiftly at the question as well; the answer was thankfully easy to reach and put out. “We can thank Princess Luna for that. Since we stopped Maltenics from using your weapon, we saved all of Canterlot, and Luna knew that Discord was pushing you. We kept a dangerous weapon away from Maltenics, and the Archmage. We both got royal pardons, after the whole crazy situation finished up.”

“What happened? And who the hell is the Archmage?” Jack asked with a quirked brow. It seemed like he’d missed a lot while he was under.

“The Archmage doesn’t really matter anymore, because he’s dead as a doornail. He did a lot of really bad stuff though, and almost destroyed Equestria, but the Elements of Harmony and Max stopped him just in time! I don’t really know the details, not a lot of ponies do anyway. I was also locked up at the time for the whole violent murder thing, or, I was, until I got busted out and conscripted into a rebel force to fight against the traitors.”

Jack blinked, and let out a whistle of respect. “Damn… I missed one hell of a party sounds like…” He went silent for a long while, letting his hands pet Flitter to her heart’s content. “I uh… do you…” Jack stumbled over his words, before shaking his head.

“Jack?” Flitter perked her head at him with worry. It wasn’t like him to have trouble speaking at all.

“The others that were with us, did they…?” He let the question trail off, not sure how to finish it.

“Field and Peter made it out fine, you’ll probably get to see them tomorrow.” Flitter patted his side reassuringly, and mentally prayed that he wouldn’t follow up with what she thought he would.

“Right, right… that’s good.” Jack swallowed thickly. “3901’s name is Peter?”

Flitter nodded, and smiled. “Yeah, he’s a big puppy bear. Though his Equish is um… really, really poor. He says he knows you though! When I asked, he went on a huge happy rant and I didn’t understand a word of it.”

Jack nodded as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Next was the question that he didn’t want to ask, and Flitter didn’t want to answer. “The woman who… The woman who died when we were escaping… Where did… what happened to her body?”

Failing to hide her pained cringe, Flitter swallowed thickly and rested her head against Jack’s chest for comfort. “She was cremated with the other humans that died, and her ashes went back to earth. There’s… there’s a big memorial statue in the gardens… Jack?”

His response took far too long to come from Jack as he sat on the floor, his eyes unfocused as he remained deep in thought. When it did come, it came through thick and emotional. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much else. I’ll have to visit this memorial sometime.”

“Jack, who was she?” Flitter asked quietly; she didn’t fail to see the flash of pain that struck behind his eyes.

“She… her name was Elissa. Yeah, same one that Jodied me. I… We were trapped in the same place, so we put our pasts behind us to try and escape. I… I ended up remembering why I cared for her so much, so… yeah... hurts.”

Smothering her desire to question Jack on why he would ever forgive someone who had hurt him how Goldie had hurt her, Flitter instead wrapped her wings around him and simply held on, giving him the support she knew he needed deep down. “I understand Jack… I’m here for you, no matter what, okay?”

Nodding as he hugged her close, Jack gave her a bearded nuzzle of his own. “Thanks Flitter. Let’s just… keep it to ourselves, okay? I don’t know who else I can trust here, and I don’t want anybody using you against me, or me against you, alright?” Flitter nodded her agreement, instead of arguing that nobody in the castle would do something like that. She knew the contrary.

“Better to be paranoid and alive, than not and dead, right?” Flitter smiled weakly as Jack nodded his agreeance.

“Truer words never spoken.” He went quiet, before yawning softly. “Mind bringing that blanket over here? I think I’m gonna nap on the floor for a bit.”

“Not the bed?” Flitter questioned with a smile. “I’m not sure if the doctor will like that very much.”

Grunting, Jack pulled her and the blanket close and held her against him. “If he don’t, he can lick my treads.” He groaned as he settled onto the floor and his next of pillows and linens. “Wake me if the world’s ending or food shows up.”

Flitter nodded, and rested her head against his chest, listening once again to his heartbeat. “I will.” She smiled to herself, feeling as if things were finally turning around, as if things were all going to be alright. Flitter closed her eyes, and pulled herself as close to Jack as equinely possible. She had missed his warmth, and she vowed to never lose it again.

Chapter Twenty Four: The Little Things

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When Jack next awoke, he was still on the floor, tangled in blankets and Flitter. She was apparently awake, and was arguing with one of the medical professionals as to why the floor was better than the rock hard bed. Jack cracked open an eye and affixed the nurse with a baleful eye. Thankfully, it wasn't the same nurse that he'd knocked unconscious the day prior. The nurse’s tiriad fell short when she caught the look that he was sending her way. Jack yawned wide, purposefully baring his canines at the mare before smacking his lips. “What?” He shot the question at the nurse, who blinked and stumbled with her words momentarily.

“Sir, we need to check your vitals and begin your physical rehabilitation.” She was already fiddling with the bulky machine, the one that Jack had been attached to when he’d woken up. “We also need to scan your head, to make sure your little adventure the other day didn't create a clot or cause any damage.”

“It sounds like you wanna just poke me fulla holes.” Jack said as he pushed himself up, bringing a surprised Flitter and his covers with him. “I'll tell you right now, you're not hooking me up to that machine, and I'm not laying down any more than I have to. I'll be handling my own physio, thank you very muchly.”

His statements only seemed to turn the nurse's attitude further downwards into the area of angry and unhelpful. “Sir, you're not in any position to argue.” The nurse's horn lit up, grabbing hold of the human's arms “Please lay down-” The mares anger popped without warning and was replaced by healthy fear as Jack set down Flitter and his bundle of covers on the bed, only to suddenly tread toward the nurse with an expression that betrayed fury.

With his arms clutched in magic, Jack leaned right into the mare's face and spoke slowly and levelly with a tone that brokered no argument. “I suggest you let me go right the fuck now.” The nurse nodded, and the magic around his arms dissipated. To her instant regret, he used his now free hands to pull the mare uncomfortably close. “I wanna make one thing crystal clear to your medical staff. If any of you touch me without my express permission, especially the unicorns, I will lose my shit. Understood?” At her scared nod, Jack smiled without kindness or humour. “Gooood.” He drawled. “Now, I'm willing to let you take my vitals manually, but after that I'm going for a walk to get some fresh air and find some food. So unless you're also a princess, or you hold an officer's rank within the ArmCan Marine Corps or Hades International, don't think for a second you can force me to do dick, sister.”

_____________

With his ground rules set for the medical staff, Jack's check-up went by with considerable speed and with gentle caution. During the lull of doctors, Jack stood and stretched out with a wide groan. Turning his attentions toward Flitter, he smiled mischievously and motioned toward the door with his head. “I need out of here. The Princess’ would prolly prefer it if I had an escort, so I'm lookin at you Sparky.” He grinned at her, which earned him one in return.

Rolling her eyes in good humour as she got up, Flitter shrugged her wings and smiled. “I definitely want out of here, I hate hospitals.”

Jack snorted and nodded as he cracked his neck. “Preachin to the choir sister. Lead on, before the docs actually get a princesstial decree that I have to sit still and let them poke me full of holes.”

Smiling at him, Flitter shook her head and lead the human out of the hospital wing. She knew she wasn't so much leading him as she was accompanying him, but the fact he had specifically worded it that way didn't escape her in the slightest. While she would have preferred Jack not riling up the medical staff, she felt that something larger was at play toward his aversion to doctors and the like. The fact he'd reacted so strongly toward simply being grabbed spoke volumes to her.

“Where’s the guard run? I need to go for a run, limber up and get some fresh air.” Jack was practically bouncing with pent up energy.

“Are you sure that’s wise? I mean, you've been in bed for a long time Jack. Maybe you should start off light?” Flitter had personally hoped for fold first.

Jack simply shot her a smile as he treaded down the marble-clad halls. “A run is light, and my legs are probably the only part’a me that’s even close to snuff.” He wiped under his nose with the back of his hand, before gesturing toward one of the doors.

Sighing in defeat, Flitter flapped her wings and glided the last bit of distance to the door. “Fine, just don't rile anypony else up, okay?” She suddenly felt her confidence in his behaviour drop like a stone as he fed her a shit eating grin. Shaking her head, Flitter pushed the door open and covered her eyes with a wing as the mid-summer sun beat down upon her through the door. Outside lay the Royal Guards training field, which housed all manner of fitness equipment, a kilometre long oval track, and an obstacle course. To confirm her fears, a good thirty ranked guards were out in the yard, training, and a small class of trainees were struggling through the physical training. Overall, the yard was busy, and Jack looked just a little too pleased.

Without pause, he began striding purposefully into the yard, his well worn grey digital camouflaged pants and olive drab ACMC shirt drawing a stark parallel between him and the multi-coloured furs of the unarmoured royal guards. Flitter joined him as he started stretching, but her eyes remained locked onto the drill sergeant that was swiftly crossing the yard toward them. “Heads up.” She muttered quietly, warning Jack.

Flitter halted her stretches to stand tall and salute the DI as he closed the distance. The instructor did not look pleased, nor did he tell her to stand easy. “Cadet Falenas, what on Celestia’s beautiful green earth are you doing dragging some damned animal into my yard!?” The drill instructor’s hackles were raised, and Flitter internally chastised herself for not having immediately asked for permission, even though it wasn't needed. She could only hope that Jack-

“DRILL INSTRUCTOR, WHAT THE FLYING FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, HARPIN’ ON MY MAH GAWD DAMNED ESCORT?” Jack had stormed over, his features locked down into harsh lines and his voice booming loud enough to make any Marine Corp drill instructor proud. He gestured with harsh, violent strokes of his hand, which had clamped down and formed a pseudo-knife. There was no stopping it now, Jack had fallen into full on motivation mode, and nothing save a bullet to the skull was going to save the poor corporal that had haplessly wandered into his crosshairs. Jack's demeanour had apparently struck deep inside the corporal, who had frozen in his place and stood at attention for his dressing down; dress him down Jack did. “CADET FALENAS IS ESCORTING ME, AT THE PRINCESS’ BEHEST, SO YOU DAMN WELL BETTER STOW THAT SHIT CORPORAL! DO YOU READ ME!?”

The frozen stallion snapped a salute and screamed back, thoroughly motivated. “Sir yes sir!”

The answer only seemed to enrage Jack as his cheeks flushed red with fury. “I COULDN'T HEAR YOU, CORPORAL!! DID THAT SOUND SATISFACTORY TO YOU!?”

The guard screamed louder, drawing even more attention to himself as all work in the yard halted to watch the strange event unfold. “SIR YES SIR!

Jack immediately grinned like a banshee and nodded his approval. “OUT-FUCKING-STANDING SON! NOW, GO COLLECT THOSE SORRY ASS BOOTS AND BRING THEM OVER HERE RICKY TICK! WE'RE GOING ON A RUN! OORAH?”

“HOOAH!”

Flitter sucked in a breath and fought to keep from laughing as the guard blanched at the sudden and irreparable look of legitimate anger crossed Jack's features. “HOOAH!? HOOAH!? HOOAH IS FOR ARMY PUKES WITH DICKS IN THEIR MOUTHS CORPORAL! OORAH SON, OORAH! OORAH?”

This time, the guard got it right, and galloped toward the slackjawed royal guards as if the reaper himself was after him. He didn't even stop to issue the order, he kept running as he motivated his trainees onto the track. With a savage grin Jack turned to Flitter and gestured to the track. “I feel better already. Now get goin’, I want to see you showin’ these pukes how it's done.” Flitter nodded as she smiled, and trotted over quickly to take position at the front. To nobody's surprise, Jack took his place at the front of the pack and led them with a bellow to start.

______

Above the track, Celestia watched as the surprisingly effective motivation Jack doled out had her guards moving faster than normal. She smiled to herself as she sipped at her tea. To her surprise, Jack began singing cadence, and her guards followed suite with ease. Up where she was, the Staff Sergeant's bellowing voice held no edge and instead took on a pleasant singsong quality.

“Hey, Hey Captain Jack
Meet me down
by the railroad track
With a Bottle in your hand
I'm gonna be a drinkin’ man
A drinkin’ man!”

Celestia sat back to enjoy the sight as her younger sister joined her; plopping down on a comfortable cushion to watch the unfolding events with open curiosity. “What is-” She paused as Celestia smiled and quietly shushed her, and the cadence continued down below.

“Hey, Hey Captain Jack
Meet me down
by the railroad track
With a K-bar in your hand
I'm gonna be a stabbin’ man!

A stabbin’ man!
A drinkin’ man!

Hey, hey Captain Jack
Meet me down by the railroad track
with a bible in your hand
I'm gonna be a preachin’ man!

A preachin’ man!
A stabbin’ man!
A drinkin’ man!

Hey, hey captain Jack
Meet me down by the railroad track
with a lady in your hand
I'm gonna be a lovin’ man!

A lovin’ man!
A preachin’ man!
A stabbin’ man!
A drinkin’ man!

Hey, hey captain Jack
Meet me down by the railroad track
with a rifle in my hand
I'm gonna be a shootin' man!

A shootin' man!
A lovin’ man!
A preachin’ man!
A stabbin’ man!
A drinkin’ man!

Hey, hey captain Jack
Meet me down by the railroad track
with an e-tool in my hand
I'm gonna be A killin’ man

A killin’ man!
A shootin' man!
A lovin’ man!
A preachin’ man!
A stabbin’ man!
A drinkin’ man!

The jogging group began going through numerous cadences that Jack led, until he ran dry. When he visibly faltered in his memory, Celestia smiled pridefully as Flitter pushed forward and began singing some of the Royal Guard’s cadences. The show had already drawn quite the crowd, as the group was already well beyond the normal limit for a training jog. Celestia raised a brow as several of the Coming Dawn’s surviving leadership watched silently from a balcony adjacent hers. Her eyes were drawn back to the group as they ended at the ten kilometer mark. Every last pony was visibly winded and flushed hot under their fur, but they all seemed to be in high spirits. Jack had turned a vibrant red and glossed with thick sweat that was visible even up on the balcony. He saluted the other DI’s, and shook several hooves. Celestia smiled as Flitter lead him off field, but the smile swiftly left her royal face. Once out of sight of the field, Jack doubled over against the castle wall and retched up bile violently. Flitter was immediately at his side, concern visibly etched on her face. With a visible look of pain that he swiftly squashed down, Jack stood straight and wiped his mouth clean. He shot a shaky smile at Flitter and spoke, though Celestia couldn’t hear what was being said from her vantage.

____

“Let's go get something to eat, I think I kicked my own ass enough for today.” Jack wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand again, pointedly ignoring the traces of blood that laced his vomit.

Flitter looked incredibly concerned and unhappy, and she had every right to be. “That was stupid, even for you Jack. What were you thinking? You could have really hurt yourself! You just came out of a coma, and you're weak-” Flitter swallowed her next words, and silently wished that she'd had the forethought to have just kept her mouth shut as Jack shot a dangerous warning glare at her.

“I am not weak.” He hissed furiously, before getting his voice under control. “I refuse to be. This is my lowest, don't expect me to ever fall this far again.” He straightened his back and stretched. “Now let's go eat, I don't want that run to go to waste.”

With her ears flattened against her skull, Flitter nodded and opened the door. “Alright Jack. Follow me.”

_________________________________________

The guard messhall was thankfully quiet when Private Mythic Ace sat down across the table from his partner, Corporal Baron. He pushed a food burdened tray in front of her, but didn’t press their boundaries any further than that. She was still furious, and he knew better than to set her off. Mythic sighed to himself as he prodded at the food before him; the food itself was at least pleasant and palatable. He’d had worse in his life, that was to be sure. He just couldn’t force himself to eat yet. Like Baron, his mind was stuck on the events of the day prior. While Baron was fuming over her inability to act, Mythic was stuck on the human. He already knew that he’d done everything by the book, he’d even gotten a compliment from Celestia herself. There was little he could change by tearing himself up on what he could have done differently.

“That human ever touches me again, I’ll kill him.”

Baron’s stilted, emotion laced voice pulled Mythic from his food prodding and musing thoughts. She was still glaring angrily, but now her eyes had shifted onto him. Bracing himself for the ensuing argument, Mythic took her bait. “Baron, we both know it was a misunderstanding-”

“The bloody knife to my throat seemed pretty bucking sure of itself Mythic! I thought we sent all the freaks back to their homes, but nooo! We had to treat a nutbar soldier like a foal with a broken leg.” Baron stabbed at her food aggressively, and began shoveling it into her mouth without care.

“That’s unfair Baron, how would you react if you woke up from a coma in a strange place surrounded by strange ponies? I mean, think about it. He’s supposed to be a soldier, and what’s the first thing a soldier would do?”

Not gracing him with a look up, Baron muttered out her response. “Assess the situation, grab a weapon and find a way out.”

Mythic let his hooves do the talking for him, expressly making a ‘See what I mean?’ gesture. “You didn’t get hurt Baron, that’s what matters, right? I bet you two bits that you might actually like the human if you got to know him.” The stallion smirked to himself as Baron rolled her eyes and snorted, before returning her attention to her food. His smirk slid off his face as the door opened, and the subject of their conversation waltzed in with a trainee junior officer in tow. “Oh balls.”

________

With the memories of the day prior making themselves known as he pushed through the door, Jack found himself almost embarrassed as he spotted the two guards that had approached him the day before. The grey stallion had spotted him immediately, but thankfully said nothing. Jack sent him a near apologetic look and a nod, before following Flitter to the mess line. The cook blinked in surprise when he turned around and found a human standing at his line, waiting expectantly.

Shaking off his surprise, the cook motioned to the selection of food that waited in small metal tubs. “We've got some balogna for our night guard, I'm told you humans need meat in your diets.”

Jack found it his turn to blink in surprise before grinning wide. He turned his eyes to Flitter and gestured toward the cook. “I like this guy. He gets it.” Jack smiled with enthusiasm as he looked back at the cook. “God, it's been years since I've had Newfie steaks… I'll take some of those. Uh, Bologna, that is, and uh… fuck it, just throw a bunch of sandwich stuff on there, I'll figure it out.” If the cook was offended by the harsh language, he didn't show it for a single second as he nodded to the request. Flitter simply requested ‘the usual’, whatever that was. As they shuffled down and collected their trays of food, Jack smiled readily as he began treading over toward the two guards he recognised. Before Flitter could realise what he was doing and head him off, he'd already reached the table. “Room for two more?” The grey earth pony glanced toward his partner, who had jerked away the moment she'd spotted Jack.

The stallion seemed to consider his options, and before the mare could say otherwise, he nodded and motioned to the table. “Sure pal, just keep it pleasant this time alright?”

Jack smiled toothily and nodded as he offered his hand. “Jack Kessle. Retired Marine Staff Sergeant and active PMC Specialist.” He jerked the thumb on his free hand toward Flitter. “Cadet officer Flitter Falenas.”

The grey stallion across from him took the offered hand and shook it readily as his partner looked disgusted. “I'm Private Mythic Ace, this is my partner, Corporal Match Baron. Royal Guard. Good to know the both of you.” Baron's look of disgust turned to anger as it was directed to Mythic.

Whether he saw the look of anger coming from the corporal, Jack didn't seem to act any differently as he smiled and began creating a sandwich from the pile of random fixings. “I wanted to apologise for yesterday. I was a little off kilter; hostage taking generally isn't my MO.”

Squirming uncomfortably in his seat as Baron turned her anger toward her food, Mythic tried his best to meet Jack's smile. “Right. Ah'm just glad that nopony got hurt, I’ve seen enough of that to last a lifetime.” At Jack's nod, Mythic took note of how his cadet officer seemed to relax, if only slightly. Now that tensions had been somewhat alleviated, Mythic found his questions beginning to crawl upwards. “So… are the Princess’s sending you back to Earth soon Staff Sergeant?”

Not pausing in his devouring of the loaded balogna sandwich, Jack shook his head and swallowed. “Neg, something about the window being closed and a bunch of magic bull. And call me Jack, or something. It's weird enough being called by my old rank, and I refuse to be known by an army ranking system.”

It was strange to Mythic; something about Jack's personality and demeanour had him stifling a smile. The man seemed to ooze professional cool, whether he meant to or not. It proved to be a stark contrast to the wild, dangerous man that had held Baron hostage the day prior. Mythic had only seen that kind of rapid personality shift in a small hoofful of ponies, which were either criminal sociopaths or Coming Dawn operators. He didn't know which he would have preferred Jack to be. “Right. So, think Celestia will be keeping you around like the other humans?” His question seemed to strike something inside the human, who nearly choked on his mouthful of food.

“There are others still here!?” He turned to Flitter, who looked both surprised and incredibly worried by the energy in Jack's outburst. “Why didn't you tell me?!”

Flitter held up her hooves in defence. “You didn't ask! We were going to see Peter later today anyway!”

Jack opened his mouth to protest loudly, but before he had the chance, his brain caught up and he visibly calmed. “Oh.” He chewed his cheek thoughtfully, before glancing back up at the ponies present. “How many Terrans are left here?”

Eager to have the questions end, Baron answered stiffly, with anger still lacing her voice. “Three.”

Mythic shot a worrying eye toward his partner, before giving a bit more detail to Jack. “In Canterlot we know of three. You, Max, and that… Peter?”

His answer seemed to cause Jack to deflate visibly. “Damn… sounds like a lonely sausage party.” He forced a single, huffing laugh at his own joke before taking a bite of his sandwich. Mythic raised a brow in curiosity as Flitter took on a worried expression regarding her friend. Before either pony could question Jack's badly hidden sullenness, he looked back up from his food and continued the questions. “Tell me about this Max guy. I've heard his name in the same sentence as ‘saved all our asses’. Colour me curious.” The doors to the mess hall boomed open, and the chorus of numerous guards coming in for shift change filled the nearly empty hall.

Not willing to put up with the additional questions and attention, Baron stood from the table abruptly. “Oh would you look at that, it's time for our patrol.” Without waiting for her partner, the mare stormed out of the messhall, shouldering through the oncoming crush of ponies while Mythic looked back toward Flitter and Jack apologetically.

“Sorry about Baron, she's…”

“Holding back the desire to stab me in the spleen with her fork?” Jack hazarded his guess, and earned a weak smile on return.

“She’s… we're uh… there's a lot going on, and your showing up yesterday didn't help. I'll try to explain later Staff Sergeant. Have a good day.” He nodded to Jack, and then to Flitter. “Cadet Officer.”

Smiling thinly toward the guard, Flitter nodded in kind. “Private.” She and Jack watched as the stallion about faced and trotted swiftly after his partner.

As Mythic neared the door, his hopes of escaping the mess hall unscathed were swiftly shattered by the sound of a familiar stallion. “Where yah goin’ in such a hurry, Slumdog? Tryin’ to reign in your wild-mare?” Mythic fought back an angry scowl and a scathing retort, instead opting for a rude earth pony gesture toward the stallion in question. The laughs and catcalls only increased as he pushed through the door and out into the hall.

Jack's frown grew into a serious grimace as the private was heckled on his way out by a table of burly looking ponies. Turning his attention solely to Flitter he didn't bother forcing a smile. “Let's go. I wanna talk.”

“What about your-” Flitter paused as her eyes passed over his empty plate. Had he really managed to scarf down the entire plate without her noticing? Apparently. Shaking her head as she pushed her own mostly finished tray away from herself, Flitter stood and collected both trays, dropping them off for cleaning. As she followed Jack through the door, her worry skyrocketed when Jack stopped long enough to make eye contact with the offending earth pony. The stallion smirked and opened his mouth to speak. The words caught in his mouth when Jack grinned broadly and pointed at him.

“I'll see you on the training field, turkey-fucker.” He ran his thumb across his throat to underline his meaning.

Not pausing to enjoy the shocked gasps and enraged cries that echoed through the mess hall, Jack strode through the doors. Flitter followed angrily. “Jack! You can't call a pegasus a turkey, or a turkey fucker!”

With his brow cocked in confusion, Jack turned his head to regard her. “Uhh… why? That's one of my tamer insults.”

Shaking her head, Flitter stopped and gestured back toward the mess hall. “That's really, really racist Jack! Like calling a unicorn a Hornhead, or an earthpony a dirtbag!”

Jack stared at her with confused, furrowed brows. “But those aren't- Oooh…” His eyes widened in realization, and he began laughing as he turned on his heels. He called over his shoulder and he walked back toward the messhall doors. “Be back in a tick.”

“Jack! Don't-” Flitter's warning fell on deaf ears as Jack reentered the messhall. “Fuck me flying…” She began walking back in the hopes of collecting Jack before he did something regrettable.

She was far too late.

“I do apologize to those I offended with my racist remark, I didn't know. So, on its stead, shithead over there will now be known as Private Fuckface. Good day gentlemen. Private Fuckface.” Flitter groaned as Jack ducked out of the doorway, narrowly dodging thrown cutlery. At the very least, the uproar in the messhall was mostly laughter. Jack grinned ear from ear and scooped up Flitter without warning. He began running down the hall, giggling to his heart's content.

_____________

Having managed to extricate herself from Jack's grip, Flitter finally had him back on track and moving toward the research labs. At the very least, Jack was in high spirits and had seemingly recovered from his earlier exercise. “Okay Jack. Peter’s in the labs. Please don't touch anything without permission, alright?”

Holding up his hands in his own defence, Jack offered her a winning smile. “Hey, I can behave. So long as they don't try anything shifty.”

Flitter grunted, not willing to even begin to consider what he meant by ‘anything shifty’. Nodding to the guards that stood ready by the lab doors, Flitter pushed them open and led Jack in.

Try as he might, Jack couldn't help but be a little impressed. The labs were contained inside a very large, vaulted hall, and the very air spoke of an environment of professionalism. Despite the technology gap that was present everywhere else, the labs felt quaintly modern. I bet if I closed my eyes, I could pretend I was back on earth… Jack had to fight back the urge to do so immediately. After all, he had a Russian manbear to meet. Refocusing on the labs, Jack began scanning around. It seemed as though the scientists were working on something electronic, possibly a radio. He couldn't tell with the old technology and magical replacements. Thankfully, Flitter took the lead. Walking through the labs, Jack found an easy smile on his face, one of few in recent memory that hadn't been aggressive or forced.

Soon enough the pair came upon what looked like a mountain of flesh and tracksuit, bent over a microscope and using a very tiny soldering gun with great care and skill. Flitter waited for the man to finish his solder before clearing her throat. The man perked his head and spoke in quiet Russian. <Is there something I can help you with?>

With a smirk, Jack answered in Russian. <Looking for a comrade named Peter.>

The other man was obviously not paying attention, as he turned angrily in his chair and fixed the large labcoat that rested over his comfortable tracksuit. <For the last time, my name is Petyr, Pe-Tyr. Say it with me, Pe…> Petyr froze as his mind suddenly came to the realization that somebody was speaking his native language at him. His head jerked upward, and his eyes bulged to nearly comical proportions as he stared at Jack in shock. <M-martyr Kessle! By God, it really is you! I knew, I knew you would survive! Martyr Kessle wouldn’t die from something as trivial as a headshot when he’s survived a nuclear explosion!> The man laughed happily, before making a cross on his chest and bowing to a now confused Jack. <It is truly an honour to meet you sir.>

The strangely incomprehensible and excited conversation had drawn attention from a number of ponies, one of which could only smile and shake his head as he approached Flitter. “Good afternoon Flitter.”

Turning to greet her friend, Flitter could only shake her head and laugh. “Afternoon Field. Jack refused to stay in bed, or follow doctors orders.”

Smiling as he invited Flitter into his office, Field shook his head. “Humans. I don't think I'll ever not be surprised by them.” Field left the door open to the workstation he shared with Petyr so the pair of humans would know where they went. Sitting down at his desk, Field started his automated coffee machine.

Flitter seemed surprised by the machine, and said so. “You two actually got that thing working? Wow.”

“That we did.” Field waited for the first cup to finish, before passing it to Flitter. “Petyr is truly a technological savant. We've already got working radio prototypes that reach out for a hundred miles and weigh less than half of the griffon's leading model. A coffee machine took him an afternoon.” Field sighed happily as he sipped at his own piping hot brew. “What do you think they're talking about?”

Turning her attention back to the window that showed the muted conversation beyond, Flitter could only shrug. “I have no idea, but Jack looks confused and concerned.”

“I'd rather take concerned Jack over a great many of the emotions he shows.” Field clicked his tongue as he shook a small bag of treats. The fuzzy covered dog bed shuffled at the sound, and before the second shake could sound out, a small human female scampered out and began nuzzling happily at Field. Field nuzzled the human back as he gave her one of the little treats. “Show Flitter what you learned!”

The girl nodded rapidly, and loped over to bearhug Flitter. “Fitter!”

Flitter laughed as the girl hugged her with all of her tiny might. “Hiii Toasty! Have you been a good girl today?” The human bloodhound nodded rapidly as she tried to curl up in Flitter's lap.

“Ye!”

Giggling at Toasty’s exuberance, Flitter let the small girl clamber up into her lap, despite the obvious size difference and awkward positioning. “I'm glad you kept her Field.”

“I'm just glad that Celestia’s commission let me.” Field relaxed into his chair and enjoyed his coffee. “I…” He trailed off, and gained Flitter's interest again. “I wanted to thank you again Flitter.”

Waving him off with a wing, Flitter glanced out the window as she petted Toasty’s messy mane of hair. “You already did Field, and you're the one that got in here with the years of research and monster portfolio you dropped in Celestia's lap. Probably helped that your rival got… You know, dead.”

“Be that as it may, I wouldn't be here without you or Jack.” Field turned his attentions back to the pair outside. “We really need to have Petyr learn more Equish.”

___________

Jack stared at Petyr with worry and confusion. <You keep calling me martyr. Why? How do you even know me?>

If Jack's confusion caused Petyr distress, he didn't show it. <You're one of the eight Martyrs who delivered humanity's salvation, how could I not know you? We learned of you in school, there's even a holiday! It's called Salvation day.>

The man's statement only seemed to floor Jack further. <There's a HOLIDAY because of me!? School programs!? Good God!> Jack rubbed at his face, before blowing air through his nose. <They made us heroes…god… okay… uh, Petyr, where are you from?>

Said man seemed confused by the sudden change in questioning, but seemed to accept it with excitement.

<Please, stop calling me martyr. Just call me Jack.> Jack rubbed at his cheek idly. <So you're a scientist? You don't look very old, man.>

Laughing as he sat down, Petyr allowed himself a moment to appear cocky and ultimately pleased with himself. <I have a gift with technology. I earned my Masters in engineering from TTI when I was twenty two, four years ago. I am very good at making things. I can make you things too, maybe upgrade your exo skeleton further?>

Jack's initial questions died violently at the mention of his exo skeleton. <Do you have it here? Where is it? I need it.>

Blinking in surprise at the earnestness of the request, Petyr nodded. <Yes, along with the things you had with you when you were injured. Your sabot pistol, explosives, ect. Myself and Professor Note have kept them away from the other scientists so to avoid any dangerous technology from entering unprepared hooves. I can release the exo to you, but I will need Celestia’s permission to release weapons to you.>

Nodding his head rapidly, Jack motioned for Petyr to hurry up. <That's fine, I just need the exo. Now. I need it now.>

<Yes, yes of course. I'll get the professor to unlock the safe.> Petyr stood and walked to the office with the weight and grace of a man several times smaller. He knocked politely before entering the office to face the two ponies inside. <Field, I need Martyr Kessle’s exo->

Field sighed and set his coffee aside as Petyr spewed Cyrillic at him. “Pete, you know I can't understand you, especially when you're worked up. What-” Field swallowed his words when Jack edged passed the much larger man.

“Exo. I need my Exo, Field.” The look on his face nearly spoke of desperation, and Field struggled to come up with a good reason why that would be. However, Jack wasn't one to take no for an answer.

“Alright Jack, just let me open my safe.” Field’s horn lit up, and the safe spinner began spinning wildly in seemingly random directions. Before Jack had a moment to get antsy, the safe door popped open, and Field motioned to the exo inside. There were important documents, money, and valuable artifacts inside as well, but Field knew Jack didn't care for anything but his exo skeleton at that point in time. Field waited for the human to pull his exo free before closing the safe and giving the spinner a twist for good measure. Jack threw on his exo and let out a purr of satisfaction as it whirred quietly and secured itself to his body. Everybody in the office watched him as he shivered and let out a stilted breath.

“Sorry Field… needed my Exo.” Jack regained his smile as he crossed the office and wrapped his arms around Field. The stallion let out a strangled bat screech as the air was forced from his lungs by Jack's overeager friendliness. The hug wasn't particularly painful, but the embarrassment caused by Flitter's enthused giggles hurt Field's ego more than any excessive hug could ever have. To make matters worse, Jack gave him a shake before dropping him back into his chair. “It's good to see you man! Really glad I didn't shoot either of you.”

Coughing into his hoof as Toasty eyed the man from her bed, Field returned a portion of Jack's smile. “It's good to see you up and about Jack. We were all worried about you for awhile there. Though, I am very surprised to see you up and about so quickly.”

Settling into a comfy chair that was meant for ponies, Jack cocked his head at Field before stealing Flitter's coffee and drinking half of it in one chug. He let out a coo of happiness as she protested, before regaining control of himself and ignoring her flailing hooves. “Yeah, if I was anyone but a Longbow, I’d still be laid up in a bed and doing months of physio. Or dead“ He held the cup of coffee further away from Flitter, who’s annoyance only grew louder.

Field raised a brow at Jack as Petyr slipped behind him to make a few more cups of coffee. “Can you explain?”

Rolling his eyes as he drained the cup, Jack relaxed into the chair. “Well, on account of me not really having any legs, or tendons, and being in really, really good shape. I wish I could tell you that Hades plugged me full’a nanobots or marinated my muscles with Cruedsinol, but that’s not the case. I only have muscle deg to deal with, and it feels like the hospital staff might’a used electrolysis to fight that off. Honestly I’m surprised I was out for so long. The bullet must have just skipped across my skull, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation, plate or no plate.” Jack shrugged before eagerly accepted his second cup of coffee with vibrant thanks to his large comrade. “Mmm! Damn that's good coffee!” He immediately swapped to Russian to sing praise for Petyr. <That's insane coffee Petyr, you'll be seeing more of me for sure!>

Rolling his eyes in good humour as Petyr beamed with pride, Field sat back at his desk. “A lot has happened while you've been under.” Perking a brow out of interest, Jack motioned for Field to continue. Taking the motion with a nod, Field sipped his coffee before continuing. “It seems that Terran humans weren't the only ones brought here by Discord. Whether on purpose or simply by accident, a large number of Terran objects have been cropping up across Equus. A good amount of which seems to be military hardware.” Jack immediately perked up, his interest piqued.

Flitter cleared her throat, politely informing Field that she would be handling the rest of the conversation without having to say so. She smiled apologetically toward Jack before speaking. “Field shouldn't have gotten your hopes up. There isn't a lot of this stuff turning up, it's mostly mundane things too, like broken electronics and trinkets. If you're interested in it still, I'm sure you could ask either Celestia or Luna about a job. Once you're done healing, of course.”

Jack grunted as he slouched back into his seat. “You sure know how to take the piss out of things now Flitter.” Slowly draining the last of his coffee, Jack finally turned his attention to Toasty, who was slowly but surely trying to sneak closer to Jack. “And who’s this?”

Smiling as he watched Toasty perk up at the attention, Field looked back toward Jack. “That’s Toast. She’s the human who sniffed you out in the DRMSI facility. She’s the only reason we found you so fast.” Field clicked his tongue, and Toast immediately perked up, her attention locked onto him.

A slight frown grace Jack’s features as he looked over the small girl. “Really now… Must have one helluva nose to pull that off.”

With a nod, Field pointed at Jack. “Who’s that Toasty?”

To Jack’s surprise and chagrin, the girl bounced up on her heels and hugged him as tightly as her little arms could allow. “Iz Jak! Finded!” She continued trying to snuggle into a now uncomfortable and struggling Jack as he shot a confused look toward Field that demanded answers.

All too happy to oblige, Field laughed to himself before answering. “When Discord’s ancient spell over the humans was broken, a good portion of Equestrian humans suddenly had the brain capacity of your average Terran. However… not all of them did. Most of them, about three quarters, reverted back to pre-terran brain power. Toasty is… she’s a special case. She’s stuck in the middle. She’s a drooling dolt to Terrans, but a venerable genius amongst Equestrian humans. The humans who were given terran intelligence were mostly sent back with the other Terrans to lead proper lives, but Toast would never get that chance. So I adopted her fully.”

To everyone’s surprise, Jack didn’t respond immediately as he settled with petting the girls hair. After a moment of clear thinking, he nodded to Field. “That’s good. She’s got a good home, and that’s all that matters.” He gave Toast an affectionate scratch behind the ears, which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy. “Are you happy, Toast?”

The girl nodded as she pushed her head into his fingers. “Ye.”

Apparently, that was enough for Jack, who smiled more readily at the others as he visibly relaxed. A few minutes of peaceful silence passed, before he spoke in quiet russian toward Petyr. Flitter and Field both muttered quietly between each other as the conversation went over their heads. The pair decided to chat quietly to each other, instead of trying to make heads or tails of the language.

Petyr was apparently surprised by the sudden attention he was getting, and his slow answer made it obvious. <I… I suppose that would be- I would be honoured.> Petyr smiled weakly as he wrung his hands together.

<Bullshit you don’t work out!> Jack leaned forward and grinned at Petyr. <You hip tossed that beastie like he weighed sweet fuck all. You have to work out.>

Holding his hands up defensively, Petyr shook his head. <Please don’t mention that monster, please. I haven’t told the ponies what happened there.>

The joking tone immediately fled the room as Jack’s features hardened. <What do you mean you haven’t told them? Did they find that bastard Forge?> Jack’s tone held a dangerous edge to it, so much so that Flitter and Field halted their conversation and turned their attentions back to the pair of men.

Begging Jack with his eyes and hands, Petyr sought frantically for an explanation. <Because I know nothing about the beast, or the man who made it! I can’t bring it up without making it seem like it isn’t as terrible as it is. Please, I understand why you would be angry, but now is not the time…” Petyr let out a sigh of relief as Jack turned his red-hot gaze away from him. <I will work with you. To find and destroy the man and any of his beasts. But we must keep it quiet, as competent as the ponies are with many things, dealing with such… such monstrous evils is not one of their strong suites. If we don’t do this right, many could die.>

Nodding in agreeance, Jack fixed Petyr with a hard, determined stare. <Men like Forge… they need to die Petyr. It’s now our duty to see that evil perish, properly and permanently.>

Flitter and Field exchanged glances, and quietly questioned what the conversation could be about to draw such dark tones. Petyr sighed softly, and deflated into his oversized chair.

The two men shook hands, and Flitter could no longer bear not knowing what had been decided right before her. “Okay, okay, what the heck are you two talking about? I don’t understand a single word of it.”

Jack grinned broadly at her as he stood and stretched, sending a rhythmic pop down his spine. “Petey’s gonna be my gym partner. You know, physio.” His half honest smile must have worked, as Flitter deflated and rolled her eyes.

“The tones of that language are all weird, because that certainly sounded a lot more serious that deciding ‘gym buddy’.” Flitter fluttered her wings as she grew uncomfortable in her seat.

To make matters worse, Jack chuckled softly at her and stood. “You must not hear much russian. Come on, you can escort me back to my room so the docs can poke and prod some more. It’ll be fun! Promise!” His enthusiasm somehow had Flitter’s smile returning, if a bit grudging. Agreeing to take him back to the hospital wing, Flitter and Jack said their goodbyes for the time being and left the two men of science to their work.

The walk back to the hospital proved to be thankfully quiet, although they did get a great number of strange looks and double takes as Jack strode down the halls with his exo skeleton powering his sore limbs. Upon seeing him, the doctors practically had a field day trying to figure out how a recent coma patient could walk so easily, let alone go on ten kilometer runs. Jack said his goodbyes to Flitter, before giving her a crushing hug as she tried to leave.

“See you tomorrow, right?” Jack asked quietly as a nurse fawned over his bandages.

Flitter, for her part, looked sorry as she answered. “Not for awhile, I have class to attend. But um… maybe come see me around six? My room is in Faustican Hall, eleventh door on the right after the north stairs.” She smiled a little more readily as Jack stole a pad of paper and a pen to write it all down. With one final smile, Flitter waved at him with her wing as she left him to the devices of the medical staff. Flitter assured herself that tomorrow would go by much easier, but a part of her questioned how easily Jack had ‘acclimated’ to the castle. Maybe he was just acting? That would explain the rapid and violent mood shifts and confrontational behaviour. It was like he was marking a psychological territory. Flitter shook the thoughts from her head as she trotted back to her room. After all, she wasn’t a psychologist, let alone one capable enough to understand the convoluted inner workings of a brain like Jacks. Maybe he really was that quick to acclimate. Flitter paused just before her door, and a smile spread across her features.

She wasn’t a psychologist, but she did know one.

Chapter Twenty Five: The Act of Forgetting

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It was dark.

He felt… strange. Like he couldn’t move. Like the walls were closing in on him again. Panic violently replaced the confusion as he fought against the jacket that pinned his arms to his sides. No matter how hard he fought, the jacket continued to slowly tighten around him like a body hugging constrictor snake. He could feel his ribs cracking and displacing in his chest with every ragged breath. He would die in this dank, tiny room, and there was nothing he could do about it. For all his rage, for all his strength, he couldn’t break free.

The panic slowly shifted to fear; a fear that permeated his body and corrupted everything it touched. He felt helpless, afraid, and weak. The fear had a name, a name that he’d always hated. Claustrophobia. How ironic was it that he was going to die in such a tiny space? It was only one of many ironic coincidences that he’d been forced to live with in his life. He’d lived in a world of tiny cars and micro apartments, of packed sky trains and toilet stalls thinner than his shoulders were wide; a world full of stuffy personnel carriers and bloody, dust filled foxholes. The very armour that held him together and kept him from the edge of death was like an intimately personal coffin in its tightness. Irony, he decided, at it’s finest.

When the cell door swung open and blinded him with sickly pale light, he felt a fleeting sliver of hope that died the moment he looked up. He knew the pony standing in the doorway. He knew what she was going to do, and that there wasn’t anything he could do to stop her. He wanted to be angry; he begged his rage to spike, to lend him the strength he needed to burst free from his bindings. His rage refused, instead choosing to wither away and be replaced by weakness. Weakness and Fear.

She was taking her time, toying with him and enjoying herself as she drew closer. He hated her. Hated the way her fur rustled against the straight jacket and tickled his exposed skin, hated the way her heated, catching breath rolled down his neck. He hated the way she used his body to sate her disgusting animal needs, but most of all, he hated himself. He hated how he felt when she came to him. How he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes, to acknowledge what was happening and find a way to turn it to his advantage. He hated how a tiny, loathed part of himself had enjoyed it. He hated how scared he was. He hated knowing that he was. All he had to do was breath. Just breath

Inhale. Count to four.

Exhale. Count to four.

Inhale. Smother the jolts of pleasure. Count to four.

Exhale. Feign apathy as she rides you. Count to four.

Inhale. Ignore how the world shimmers. Count to four.

Exhale. Pretend the world isn’t collapsing around you. Count to four.

Inhale. Forget the shame. Count to four.

Exhale. Reject the pain. Count to four.

Inhale. Wake up Jack.

Jack jerked awake in his hospital bed, a ragged gasping breath sounding out inside the small room. His heart was pounding like a wardrum inside his chest, and it took all the concentration he had to simply calm it. With shaky hands he wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow and kicked his legs off the side of the stiff bed. His exo skeleton flexed and twisted with him, giving him the strength that he needed. He needed it so badly, but he refused to acknowledge the thought in full. Shaking the thought free from his mind before it forced itself any further, Jack rubbed his eyes to clean them of sleep before standing and hunting down his clothes in the dark recovery room.

It was still dark outside the window, and the hospital halls were empty. With his clothes found and pulled on without care, he walked out into the hall and left the room behind.

“I need a drink…”

His silent proclamation went unanswered, but the sound of his own voice did wonders. It was something to focus his thoughts on, to muse over, as he wandered aimlessly through the castle halls in search of alcohol at Zero-Dark-Thirty. It was his voice; a mix of calm baritone and whiskey stones, a voice that had always been his. It was strong and confident, it was calm and courageous.

Everything he wasn’t.

With a quiet growl, Jack shook the traitorous thought from his head and rubbed at his eyes again. That drink couldn’t come fast enough, but his search was painfully in vain. He was beginning to notice the guards now. It was strange, they seemed so… different. In fact, they were different. Instead of the usual vibrant golden armour and smattering of white and grey furs, these guards wore darkened purple armour that partially hid a uniform dark grey fur and near glowing slitted eyes. It was at that point that Jack finally noticed that they were all bat ponies. Surprise edged forward, but was quickly batted down by a derisive thought of logic. Of course the night guards are bat ponies. That shit just makes sense. I wonder how much like normal bats they are… Do they like fruit? Fruit bats are a thing, right? I wonder if they like mangoes…. That’d be wicked, because if they like them, that means they have them. I’d kill for a fresh mango.

The guard that was the object of his internal discussion shifted uncomfortably as he stared at her. The mare fluttered her leathery wings and did her best to ignore him. Unfortunately for her, the movement only snapped Jack from his silent debate. Drawing closer to her, the mare let out a quiet breath of defeat as he spoke.

“Hey.”

The mare glanced over at him from her post. “What do you want human?”

Ignoring the slightly icy reception, Jack leaned against the wall next to the mare and looked down on her. She was stocky, and had a pleasantly dark purple mane. “I need a drink. Know where I can find one?”

“I do.” The voice that answered didn’t belong to either the guard or Jack. When the guard turned her head to see who had saved her the trouble, she immediately stiffened and snapped a swift salute.

“Princess Luna, I-” The guard began as Jack slowly turned on his heels to face the Lunar Diarch.

Instead, Luna held up her hoof to silence the guard. “It is alright, I’ll be handling the Staff Sergeant from here on. Thank you for your vigilance.” If the guard was visibly pleased with the compliment, Luna didn’t see it as Jack threw an exoskeleton powered arm around the back of her neck and gestured to the castle at large.

“Lead on then, Lu.”

Nodding to his request, the princess began leading him through the halls of the castle. Jack’s arm around her neck had withdrawn fully, and he’d created a noticeable gap between them. She had to wonder if it meant anything, or if he was simply being aloof. Regardless, she had more pressing matters regarding Jack on her mind. “Jack.”

“Hrm?”

“You’ve been having nightmares again.”

“Hrm.”

Luna sighed to herself and shook her head. “With your permission, I’d like to come into your mind and rid you of them.”

A short glance that scrutinised her face came from Jack as his brain processed what she’d said. “You suddenly decide to ask permission now?” His tone held a slight edge to it, but that was to be expected.

Nodding as she ignored his tone, Luna turned down another meandering hallway. “Yes. After you… openly expressed your disliking to my being inside your mind, I’ve decided that asking you prior is my best course of action.”

Perking a brow in curiosity, Jack decided to follow along. “Uh huh. And why’d you barge in anyway? You do that to a lot of folks?”

“I do, but it is my appointment to protect Equestria’s citizens in their sleep, namely by ridding them of unpleasant dreams and nightmares. When somepony is having a nightmare, it sends ripples through the dreamscape, so I find them and calm their dreams. Yours however… Several of you terran humans have had nightmares so powerful that they create waves. Waves so monstrous that they make navigating the dreamscape dangerous, even to myself. Normally, I go unnoticed within dreams, but in some like yours, they are too powerful for me to remain subtle.” Luna motioned to the grand dining hall doors, and the guards stationed there pulled the doors open for them before saluting sharply.

Withholding his retort until he was seated; Jack sank into one of the dining chairs with a groan. “Right. I guess most ponies only have nightmares about the sugarplums going bad, huh?”

Shaking her head as she sat down near him, Luna motioned to one of the staff to bring them something to eat. “Some, yes, but many do have real nightmares, and I must be there to help them. Whatever magic Discord used to seal away your terran minds has remained long after his defeat, thus making it difficult to even enter your mind.”

“The answer is no.”

His answer surprised her visibly, but Luna was quick to regain control of her emotions. “No? I won’t be invading your privacy, you have my word.” She had to focus to keep the shocked annoyance from her voice. “You agreed to it when we first met-”

“The answer is still no. You want me to have pleasant sleepy times? Then get me alcohol.” Jack turned his attention back to the approaching maid, who held a small platter in her magic.

“Excessive drinking isn’t the answer Jack.” Luna started, before offering a weak smile to the maid as she set down the tray of fine wine. She had to fight back a bemused smile as Jack sneered at the bottle.

“Hey, can I get a bottle of JD? Or… any whiskey? Bourbon? Scotch? I’ll take vodka, or craft beer, just… not wine, okay?” The main blinked in confusion, before slowly nodding and setting off to find something more to his taste. Jack didn’t turn his attentions back to Luna until an appropriately dark bottle of aged whiskey. The maid began pouring him a small glass, only to have the bottle and glass carefully snatched from her grip. “I’ll handle this, thaaank you. Buh bye now.” The maid raised a confused brow toward the princess, who shook her head and quietly released the maid with a thank you. She was about to sip at her own wine glass when Jack spoke again. “You are right though. Alcohol isn’t an answer.”

Luna blinked in shock as he downed his tumbler of straight whiskey. “You… agree? Then why-”

“Alcohol’s a solution.”

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Luna cocked her head toward Jack and stared at him. “But-” Realization suddenly struck within her like a bolt of lightning, and the look of confusion twisted into painfully bemused sense of disgust. “You…. You…” Luna shook her head and snorted derisively as she watched him take on a shit eating grin, before sucking back another glass. “Why must you drink so much, Jack? It is not healthy.” Luna’s features turned toward concern as his features softened; his eyes resting on the swirling burgundy contents of the bottle.

“That’s a good question, princess. I guess it’s replaced my meds, but there’s a couple answers besides that, so it really depends..”

Taking a small sip of her fine wine, Luna got comfortable and smiled at Jack to show her willingness to listen. “What does it depend on, Jack? Does it depend on many of your sorrows I’m willing to listen to?” At his loud, disgusted snort and eye roll, Luna couldn’t help but feel like she was at least half right. She kept her smile of victory to herself however.

“Sorrows. Right.” Jack practically spat the word out as he poured another drink. His cheeks had taken on a rosy tint, and he was obviously bent on draining the bottle in one sitting. “I’m not going to whine and cry about some ‘Woe is me, my life is terrible’ bullshit at you just to justify my drinking, or try and cry about ‘Oh I’ve seen so many terrible things! Boo fucking hoo.” He muttered hotly, before draining his drink again. Jabbing a finger at Luna, He continued onwards. “I drink to forget all that shit, and I drink because there’s something inside me that needs to die.”

With her feeling of victory having shrivelled up with regret, Luna nodded respectfully, before going to place a wing around the now buzzed and worked up man. To her surprise, he jerked away from her, his eyes betraying a dangerous flurry of emotions. Withdrawing her wing, Luna felt her ears flattening against her head out of sadness. “I apologise, I didn’t mean to-”

“Just… Don’t touch me. I don’t like being touched.” Jack failed to suppress the angry shiver that coursed through his body. To punish his body for shivering, he drained his glass again and wiped the overflow from his bristly beard.

“I’m trying to be your friend, Jack. Please, just… tell me what’s wrong? What happened in that facility? What did they, and Discord do to you to hurt you so deeply?”

Pointedly ignoring her probing questions, Jack looked up toward the vaulted ceiling and gestured toward it with his free hand. “What the fuck is the point of having such a high ceiling? I mean… that’s so much room that could be used for other shit! Just… Just think of all the activities you could have… The activities…”

“You’re changing the subject.” Luna stated pointedly as she sipped at her wine.

“Mhm.”

Letting out quiet sigh of defeat, Luna allowed herself a moment to relax into the chair under her. “Jack…”

“Hrm?”

He still wasn’t looking at her; his eyes still wandered the expansive vaulted ceiling of the grand dining hall. Luna sighed softly as she tried to get his attention. “Jack, I truly do want to help you…”

To her surprise, Jack turned his attention directly toward her and set down his drink. “You wanna help me? Then give me something to do. Give me a room away from all the busy royal bullshit, and keep me busy. That sound good?”

Luna took in a slow, soft breath as she considered his request. “I’ll speak with my sister about it, but I… I don’t see how that will help. You need rest. You’re mind needs rest.”

Rolling his eyes as he polished off the last of the bottle; Jack set his glass down and drummed his fingers on the thick wooden table. “The last thing my mind needs is time to think about any of that shit.” Before she could question him again, he stood and waggled his fingers at her. “Besides! Idle hands are the devil’s playthings, right!?”

Quickly standing so she could keep up with the now meandering staff sergeant, Luna couldn’t help but smile and shake her head. “I have a question. The wound on your head. Gunshot, correct?”

“Yarp.”

Luna allowed herself a quiet chuckle of victory. “I knew it. The doctors and the scientists refused to acknowledge it, but I knew!” Luna shook her head and snorted hotly as she muttered. “Too small to be a musket indeed.”

Aiming for the doors that led outside, Jack quirked a brow at Luna. “Wasn’t the gun on scene? What more did they need?”

Snorting as she pushed the doors open with her magic, Luna sucked in a deep breath and reveled in the cool Canterlot night air. “They refused to see something so small as a musket, and were staunch on how ‘if he were shot in the head with a musket, no plate could stop it blah blah blah’.” Luna shook her head as Jack shot her a grin. She did her best to hide her own smile. Her changed tactics were working. “I would like to see one of your weapons fired in the real world. If only to show those stiff collars that they’re all wrong.”

Jack tossed a sideways glance at the princess. “Don’t you… you know, have a human in house who can use a gun? Don’t you idiots already have my fucking guns? I mean, obviously Flitter or Field probably sold out my little cavern hideaway, so you guys probably have my full stock! So, what the hell’s been stopping you furry little bastards from figuring out how simple compressed chemical fucking reactions work?”

Luna was forced to wince as Jack’s voice raised at her, though it held no real edge to it. He was simply stating facts as he saw them. Aiming Jack toward a garden bench, Luna sat down and simply smiled toward the buzzed human. “Your friends didn’t ‘sell out’ your camping spot in the woods. And the weapons we have here are, as Mr. Morozov put it, ‘Out of Ammo’.”

To Luna’s surprise, Jack seemed surprised on both accounts, but only spoke of one. “Did I really burn througha whole sabot mag? Need to work on my pistol marksmanship apparently… Alright, okay, point made.” Jack flopped down onto the bench and let out a long winded sigh. “So you guys really are the good guys?”

Offering him a kind smile and a wing that was swiftly retracted out of forethought, Luna noded. “I would like to think so. We stand for peace and harmony amongst all, though I won’t lie and say that everyone under our rule shares this belief. We have our heroes, and our villians.” Luna’s smile grew ever so slightly as she looked over at Jack. “We always have room for more heroes.”

Her smile dimmed as he snorted hotly and deflated further into the bench. “Heroes… You’ve got the wrong man, Princess. A… a hero fights for what’s right, you’re… Listen, when I was a kid, I… I used to look up to a hero.” Luna perked her ears, and grew comfortable as she motioned for him to continue. Jack rubbed at his warm cheeks as he thought over his alcohol infused words. “I always wanted to be like Steve Rodgers, Captain America. He was a superhero. You know the type, staunch moral compass, never bending to anything, always… always the good guy.”

Smiling, Luna refrained from making physical contact with the tipsy human next to her. “Go on. What made this Captain Rodgers so appealing to you?”

Jack seemed to stare off into the dark for a long moment, before answering. “He stood for Freedom, Equality, and Justice. For everyone. He did what was right, even if it meant he had to take on the whole world to do it. Course, I was just a stupid farm kid, growing up in the ass of Canada, so he really did seem like… like he was someone I could be. It’s part of why I signed on with the corp. I wanted to be a hero still, or at least part of me did…”

Sensing the pain that laced his voice, Luna had to fight back to desire to lay a wing around his shoulders. “What changed?”

Snorting, Jack let his head loll back so he could stare up into the beautifully clear night sky. “The Captain didn’t change. I did. That stupid, childish ideology died pretty fast in the sandbox. My first deployment… it was… I still see it sometimes. It was really, really bad when we first showed up. I had to do a lot of shit that just… it haunts you, you know? I mean, we’re fighting in a place where a mother will hand a frag grenade to her child and tell them to run at us. And we’ve got to put a round in this kid, because if we don’t, we’re dead. He’s dead anyway, but he doesn’t understand, he’s just being a good kid.... We killed kids over there, we had to, because it was them or us. And let me tell you, when push came to shove, I chose me, every goddamn time. I chose me, and I chose my friends over them. I-I had to disarm IED’s, bombs, that were filled with all kinds of shit meant to be shrapnel; nails, screws, fucking marbles... Children’s toys, for God’s sake. I watch kids on our side so fresh outta high school, they weren’t shaving yet, get shipped out in pine boxes… Some die so quickly you don’t have time to even think about it, but then you get the ones that thrash around on gurneys because a pieces of white phosphorus hit them in the guts and they can see their spleen melting before their own fucking eyes, and…” He trailed off for a moment, his eyes growing unfocused. “It gets you thinking when you’re over there, in heat so bad it melts your boot treads to the asphalt, with locals who’ll do anything to kill or maim you… You start thinking that… that maybe they don’t deserve freedom, and equality, and justice… some of them don’t even deserve the kindness of the thirty cent hunk of fucking lead, or steel you put in them. And you just start to HATE them… They kill your friends, they take your legs, they torture you to the brink of death, just because they fucking can, and for what? For fucking what?” Jack stared at Luna, his eyes rimmed in pained red as he silently begged her for an answer. When she couldn’t offer him one, he turned his gaze back up to the stars. “Heroes like Steve Rodgers, perfect heroes, only exist in comic books. Calling people like me hero is a dishonour to the real ones. You want me to fight your wars, you want me to teach your ponies how to kill, you want someone deader than dead, you come talk to me. But I can’t be your hero. I’m just… I can’t be.”

Ignoring his initial request, Luna set one of her hooves down over his hands as they lay in his lap, loosely clasped and fidgeting. “For all the chaos he’s wrought upon us, Discord has given you a second chance Jack. A chance to be the man you wanted to be.”

She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sorrow strike her heart as Jack pulled his hands away from her hoof and stood up. “I doubt that Princess. I had my second chance a long time ago, and you wanna know what I did with it?” He turned to shoot her a sardonic smirk. “I volunteered for two more tours.” Turning on his heels, Jack began treading toward the castle; his prosthetic legs keeping him stable while the alcohol in his system fought to send him stumbling back and forth. Princess Luna didn’t offer anything else in the way of words as he shambled back into the castle, and off to his uncomfortable hospital bed.

__________________________________________________________

The next day started with a headache.

Jack’s pained groan echoed through the hospital wing, giving one nurse with a large bruise on the back of her head something to smile about. Kicking his legs off the side of the bed, Jack rubbed at his face and focused on simply breathing through the seething headache that threatened to pop his eyes out of his skull. It wasn’t too terrible of a headache, he’d certainly survived worse. A male doctor he didn’t recognise trotted in and began checking the machinery around him, and to Jack’s chagrin, the doctor started talking.

“You must have had quite the night Staff Sergeant, you wandered in here with a BAC of point two ninety. Any equestrian human would be dead after drinking as much as you.”

Rolling his eyes, Jack pushed himself out of the bed and began stretching. “Only two ninety? I wasn’t even drunk yet. Just didn’t pace myself at all.”

The doctor didn’t seem impressed, if there was reason to be. “I’m sure your ability to survive copious amounts of grain alcohol is the stuff of legends.” The stiff necked sarcasm seemed to drip from the stallion’s voice, and only served to earn Jack’s ire.

Before He could do anything about the stuffy doctor, an armoured sun guard trotted through the door and stood at attention. “Staff Sergeant, Princess Celestia has sent me to collect you.”

Jack waved at the guard as he rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah, fine, sure… Just lemme splash some water on my face.”

The guards features fell to a more serious tone. “Immediately, Staff Sergeant.”

All the guard got was an erect middle finger from Jack for his efforts. “If her highness can’t spare me ten fuckin’ seconds to wash my face, then you better be in the middle of a crisis. Are you?”

“Well, no-”

“Then fuck off.”

The guard blinked in surprise, before sneering angrily at Jack as he took his time in washing his face. “I’m warning you Staff Sergeant, stop wasting my- the princess’s time!”

With his eyes cleared up from the water, Jack fixed the guard with a warning glare as his Exoskeleton flexed. “Don’t push me kid, you won’t win.” Before the guard could dig the hole any deeper, recognition flitted across Jack’s face. “Hey, I know you! Private Fuckface!” His armoured fingers clamped down on the back of the private’s armoured collar; his fingertips dug into the soft gold. Jack then hefted the guard off his hooves up like a light bag. As the private flailed his legs and protested loudly to his manhandling, Jack simply grinned toothily and started walking with the guard slung over his shoulder. “Let’s go see the Princess, eh Fuckface?”

________________________________________________________________

Princess Celestia was having a good day. The weather was beautiful outside, the birds were singing and all of Canterlot was enjoying the beginning of a beautiful summer day. She was sitting in her tea room, awaiting a visit from a certain human. After what Luna had told her about her late night conversation with the man, Celestia wanted to speak with him privately. It had been several minutes since she’d requested that a guard collect him from the hospital, so they were due any moment. A commotion outside her tea room door drew her attention, and before she could question what it could possibly be, one of her guards opened the door and poked his head in.

“Erm… Princess Celestia? Staff Sergeant Kessle is here to see you…”

“Oh? Well send him in then.” Celestia sat up and smiled toward the door, only for her smile to slip from her features when Jack walked in with one of her guards slung over his shoulder like a bag. “Why are you carrying my guard, Staff Sergeant?”

His returning toothy grin reminded Celestia of a young rebel, reveling in his own bit of chaos. It almost made her smile. His answer brought it out of her. “Well, you see, Private FF here thought that you had ordered him to drag me here, because apparently it was an emergency so great, I wasn’t allowed to wash my face. So, since we were apparently in a hurry, I picked him up and carried him here.” At the end of his sentence, he held the struggling stallion out at arm's length, and promptly dropped him on his flanks without a hint of warning.

Immediately, the private jumped up and growled at Jack, before steadying himself before the Princess. “Princess Celestia, this-this, Fiend assaulted me, and manhandled me!” He had flushed fully, when Jack decided to chuckle at him. This only seemed to send the private further over the edge. “You see!? He’s a-”

“Private Bronze, you’re dismissed.” Celestia motioned for Jack to take a seat across from her.

Unable to take the hint, the Private sputtered and stared wide eyed at the Princess. “But- but princess-”

“No buts Private, dismissed. I’ll be speaking with your superior about your behaviour toward our guest.” The private deflated visibly, and immediately left the room with his tail tucked firmly between his legs. Before Jack had a chance to open his mouth and ruin the moment, Celestia cleared her throat and leveled her gaze onto him. “Staff Sergeant, in the future, please refrain from instigating the guards.”

Deciding that explanation and arguing would do him no good, Jack simply offered a quick salute as he sat down. “I’ll only ride them if they deserve it. Ma’am. Now, you needed something, or did you just want a drink?”

Celestia simply as she poured herself a cup of tea. “Both.” Sliding a cup of tea toward Jack with her magic, Celestia took the time to sip at her own. “How are you feeling?”

Relaxing into his cushion, Jack plopped several sugar cubes into his tea before taking a tentative sip. “Not bad. I’ll need to watch my calorie intake and workout on a regular schedule, but I’ll openly admit your docs did a damn good job keeping me in one piece. Even we have issues with keeping people in good shape during extended bed rest.”

Celestia smiled at the compliment as she sipped at her tea. “I’m glad to hear that. We use magic and our most advanced modern techniques in the Royal Hospital. I’ll pass along your approval to the staff.” Celestia shifted as she watched him pick up his teacup; his exoskeleton clicking and whirring quietly to compensate his strength. “May I ask, but why are you wearing that? What is it’s purpose?”

Looking down at his exoskeleton, Jack simply shrugged. “Powered exoskeleton, augments and increases user strength without the need of a large power source. I’m wearing it because… well, the coma took a lot out of me, so until I’m back up to par I’ll be wearing it more often.”

“I see, I did read a brief report on it, from Professor Field, though I expected it to be much larger. Very interesting.” Celestia smiled softly as she finished her tea and set it down. “I have been watching you, Staff Sergeant- May I call you Jack?” At his nod, she smiled and continued. “It is hard to ignore the leadership skills you possess, and while your means of motivation are… harsh, they seem to be highly effective. I’ve also heard that you’ve been practically demanding for something to do. So, if you still wish to help, I’d like to assign you to a squad of Royal Guards who are currently collecting terran objects as they appear. We may have more for you in the future if this proves to be successful.”

To his credit, Jack didn’t let his own excitement show. “Course. Now, I only got one concession to that.” At Celestia’s attention, He leaned back and stared directly at her. “Any military spec gear, or weapons of any kind, I want to be put under my supervision. As of right now, none of your folks have the training or knowhow to safely handle any of it. One wrong move with a grenade. One kid with a glock. One bad pony with a dirty bomb. It could all mean a whole lot of hurt if that kind of shit falls in the wrong hands. If you can do that for me, I’ll see that myself and Petyr help your folks reverse engineer and understand the safe civilian stuff.”

Considering the terms, Celestia nodded, and offered a hoof to the man sitting across from her. “I find those terms agreeable, Jack. But I want you to keep us aware of what you have in storage.”

“Done.”

“Good.” Celestia smiled and began creating a letter with the quill now held in her magic. “I would also like to assign you some guards, if that’s alright with you.”

Quirking a brow as he redirected his attention away from her magic, Jack found himself frowning at the princess. “Why? Can’t be for my protection.”

Maintaining her smile as she returned her gaze to him, Celestia nodded. “It is, we’ve had issues in the past, and I would like to avoid any unneeded altercations.”

Grunting in acknowledgement, Jack sighed and nodded. “Aight, fine. So, this puts me under your employ…” He stared at the document Celestia was drafting up before him. “I want autonomy from your Royal Guard. I don’t mess with their chain of command, and they don’t try and beat me with it.”

“Of course. Quarters have been prepared for you, though they aren’t… Hmm. They’re not exactly normal. It’s a repurposed store room, but I hope it’s to your liking.”

Waving a hand as he stood to stretch his limbs, Jack took in the view that Celestia’s tearoom afforded. “I’ve slept in worse, I’m sure.” He stared out at the sprawling city of Canterlot, his hands gripping the gilded railing. “Beautiful city.”

Joining the man at the railing, Celestia wondered if the city would have enthralled her like so many if she had never seen it prior. “Yes, it’s been damaged several times in recent memory, but Canterlot always rebuilds, Canterlot bounces back.”

“I need a way back to my camp.” Blinking in surprise at the sudden change of topic, Celestia allowed herself to scrutinize Jack’s face in an attempt to discover his motives. Thankfully, he didn’t leave her wondering for long. “I need to get my equipment. Can’t leave it out there for much longer.”

Nodding, Celestia’s magic wrapped around another page of parchment and her pen. After a moment, the page was incinerated, sending it on its way. “A sky-wagon will be ready by the time you reach the field. I’ll have your new guards escort you. They should be waiting outside for you.”

Rolling his shoulders, Jack smirked at her and started moving for the door. “I look forward to working with you.” Stopping at the door, he tossed a wayward glance over his shoulder. “I appreciate the trust.”

As the door clicked shut behind him, Celestia let out a breath of relief as the human left earshot. “I’m sorry Jack, but trust isn’t a word I would use to describe our relationship.”

____________________________________________________________

Just outside the door, Jack found himself with a wide grin on his face. “Well look at that, my two favourite guards!” In front of him stood Corporal Baron, and Private Ace, both of whom looked equally surprised. Baron’s look of surprise swiftly turned into pained defeat as Jack laughed and clapped his hands down onto their shoulders. “Come on ladies, we’ve got a ride to catch.”

____

Thankfully, boarding the prepared sky-wagon had been trivial, and now the trio were flying across the wide open fields leading to Ponyville. So far, neither guard had said much to the human sitting across from them. If it bothered Jack, he didn’t show it by keeping his attentions on the ground and the horizon. His empty backpack, retrieved from Field and Petyr, rustled at his feet every time the carriage banked and turned.

“You know, humans have been trying to fly for centuries. Always looked to the sky and yearned to be up there with the birds. A lot of people saw a freedom in that.” Jack said as he gazed out across the pristine land below Canterlot.

Mythic turned his attentions away from his upset partner and toward Jack. “I heard that you got Private Bronze in some pretty deep trouble.”

The corners of Jack’s mouth twisted upwards as he shot a sly look toward the stallion. “Private Fuckface‘s inability to keep his mouth got him in trouble. I simply carried him to it.”

Unable to keep herself silent any longer, Baron shot a glare toward both men as she leaned forward. “How long are we going to be following you around anyway? I didn’t join the Royal Guard to babysit crazy humans.”

“Baron!” Mythic snapped, his face a mask of disappointment.

“What? Neither of us did!”

Before the argument could carry on, they were both cut off by Jack laughing to himself. Shaking his head as he laughed harder, Jack pointed at Baron and giggled to himself. “That’s rich. Really. ‘Didn’t join the police force to keep folks safe’. That’s good, I’ll have to remember that.”

Baron’s cheeks flushed bright red as she glared at the human. “That’s not what I said! I-”

“So what did you join for, hmm?” Jack interrupted, his brows perked up at her. “Did you wanna go to war? Did you wanna see action?” He ignored Mythics quiet sigh of defeat as Baron puffed up her chest ever so slightly from an easily imagined insult.

“I joined to keep ponies safe, not baby sit soldiers.” She turned her ire toward Mythic. “We haven’t had an active patrol in days, just... Guard duty.”

Jack simply smiled as he motioned for the pegasi leading to start taking them down toward the forest. “You want action, Corporal? You wanna be in the thick of it?”

Despite sensing the trap laid bare in his words, Baron grit her teeth and followed it anyway. “Say I do.”

As the carriage came in for a deceptively soft landing, Jack shot a humourless smile toward the mare. “Then follow me and don’t lag behind. Either I’ll find trouble, or trouble will find me. Mark my fuckin’ words.” Ignoring the attention the arrival of a royal carriage had brought, Jack began walking quickly toward the forest that laid before him. Tossing a disapproving glance toward his partner, Private Mythic galloped to catch up with Jack as he neared the tree line. Baron glared vehemently at the pair, before letting out a strained breath and following after them.

The forest certainly seemed… darker, than it should have considering the time. A feeling of unease settled over Jack as he followed the old trail that weaved back and forth through the trees. The path itself was overgrown with vegetation, almost to the point it being consumed completely. Private Ace cleared his throat as he trotted a few paces behind Jack. “We need to be careful, ever since the battle, the Everfree has been spreading further.”

Cocking his head back so he could look at the greyscale earthpony, Jack quirked a brow in question. “I thought this was Whitetail?” His eyes instantly flicked back to the woods in question as something clattered through the trees.

Mythic shook his head as he trotted closer to Jack as he walked. “Not anymore. The Everfree overtook a big part of Whitetail. The locals in Ponyville had to cut down a lot of Whitetail to stop the spread. Since then all kinds of nasty things have been popping up.”

“The whole area is dangerous now.” Baron chimed in, though she didn’t sound happy about it. “We’ve had numerous reports of growing infected populations in the outer reaches and increasing numbers of attacks. Now there’s a permanent guard force in town just to keep ponies safe.”

“Figures.” Jack muttered as he hopped over a fallen tree trunk. “Whole place goes to shit while I’m gone.” He paused shortly, and narrowed his eyes at a patch of thick trees. “Maybe…” Pacing forward and off the overgrown path, Jack began blazing a trail through the undergrowth. He came to a sudden stop, not warning the two ponies who struggled to keep pace through the thick foliage. He kneeled down, ignoring their questioning as he began digging through the soft soil with his fingers. The pair exchanged a glance as he laughed, and pulled a metal stake from the ground. “We’re close. It’s one of my boundary spikes.”

“Boundary spikes?” Mythic questioned, which earned him another glare from Baron that he ignored.

Nodding as he continued forward, Jack smiled at the stallion. “Yeah, kind of a sonar slash radar device, set up a net of them and they’ll alert you the second something bigger than a field mouse enters the AO. Pretty nifty, but only really useful in static defense. I’ll have to dig them all up once I’ve got my HUD up and running.”

“I didn’t understand a word of that, Staff Sergeant.” Mythic blinked in confusion as he glanced toward his partner, who gave him the same look and simply shrugged in ignorance.

Jack simply smiled again as he spotted the rocky cliff face up ahead. “If you had a map of the area, and these spikes set up, the moment we entered their coverage we would appear on that map and it would track us constantly, making us easy to hunt down and eliminate. Or capture.”

The pair of guards seemed impressed despite themselves as they kept pace with the taller human. Since he knew Baron wouldn’t field the questions he wanted answered, Mythic was forced to try and find them himself. “So, what if the ponies entering are friendly? How do you tell the difference?”

“Simple.” Jack replied as he stopped and changed course again. “Little non-invasive implant set into the back of your head or on your sternum, it would essentially mark you as a different colour on the map, signifying friendly. It’s more complicated than that obviously, and involves a whole lot of talking between the chips, the spikes, the viewers HUD, and sometimes orbiting satellites, but that’s it in a nutshell.” Jack began running his hand along the rock face of the cliff in search of his camp. Within moments, he stopped and allowed himself a prideful smile. “Wait here.”

Mythic traded a look with Baron, before turning his head back to question Jack- only for the human to have disappeared completely. “Wha- Where did he go!?” The pair backed away from the rock wall as they scanned around frantically for their charge. “He just disappeared!”

Inside the cave, Jack bit his knuckles to keep himself from laughing out loud at the surprise of his guards. I’ll never get tired of tech-spooking these guys. With a shake of his head, Jack looked over his dark hideout. From what he could tell, almost everything was covered with a fine layer of dust and dirt. Fumbling around in his backpack, Jack produced a chemical glow stick and cracked it. The soft green light slowly filled the cave, and revealed old hoofprints sent into the dust and dirt. They tracked back and forth through the cave, but mostly focused on his solar array and his bed. Realization struck, and Jack couldn’t help but smile pridefully. Charging the PDA with the solar array, atta girl Flitter. Shaking his head to get his mind on task, Jack began breaking camp and collecting his belongings. Despite the time he’d spent in the cave, breaking camp only took him a handful of minutes; everything being designed with rapid movement and deployment in mind.

Eventually, his massive pack bulged with his camp and equipment, leaving him one last active camouflage tarp and his armour. Leaving the tarp for last, Jack softly treaded over to his armour and began a systems diagnostic. If the hoof prints in the dirt around it, and lack of dust on the armour were any indication, Flitter had taken it upon herself to keep it clean for him, despite not knowing if he would ever use it again. Stepping into the armour, Jack allowed himself a calming breath as it clattered closed around him. He was back in his personal coffin, and despite himself, he felt better for it.

As he prepared to exit the cave, a sliver of colour caught his attention. Kneeling down, Jack tugged at the pink ribbon, drawing it out of the rocks that had been beside his bed. Sudden recognition struck as he gingerly handled the dirty ribbon. It’s Flitters… guess it must have come off her one of the times she was here. I bet she’d like it back. Without any further though, Jack stuffed the abused ribbon into one of his bag’s pouches.

Slinging the light eighty kilogram bag over his back and engaging the magnetic anchors on it, Jack checked over his rifle as his HUD finished rolling through system startup diagnostics. All systems read across the board as green, and his weapon readout flickered to life. A satisfied smirk spread across his face as he slung the rifle across his chest and strode out of the cave.

“It’s got to be some kind some illusion magic…” Baron muttered to herself as she poked at the rock wall. She felt some kind of coarse fabric, and wood behind that under her hoof. However, she couldn’t feel any kind of magic in or around it. “It’s got to be more human technology…” Baron suddenly found her investigation coming to a screeching halt as the fabric parted, and an armoured goliath stepped out. The pair of guards cried out, and took several steps back as they readied their weapons- only to immediately slump as the armoured figure slapped his metal thigh and laughed at them.

“That’s the best reaction I’ve had yet! Hah!” Jack cackled and shook his head in amusement as his bodyguards flushed with embarrassment. He began pulling down the tarp and stuffing it into his bag as he spoke. “Seriously though, good reflexes guys. I-” Without warning, Jack’s voice halted and he tensed visibly. His HUD flashed as his boundary spikes pulsed pages of warnings at him. “Form up, we’ve got company!” At the surprised looks coming from Mythic and Baron, he snarled and jabbed a finger toward the dirt under him. “NOW!” Not waiting for them to get close, Jack unclasped the quad drone from his armoured hip and tossed it into the air. The drone unfolded, its rotors buzzing quietly as its micro-repulsors fired to steady it. Jabbing a hand toward the incoming red markers, Jack readied his rifle with his other as he barked a command for the drone. “Engage Harassment Protocol, code one-five-six-echo-niner!” The drone’s light laser array powered on as it pulsed away like a shot.

Mythic had drawn his spear and was brandishing it toward the dark forest. He could hear it now, the thumping and crashing of dozens of feet; bearing down on them through the forest. “How many? Can you tell?” He hopped that whatever science fiction technology the Staff Sergeant brought to the field could tell him that much at least. It did.

“Forty plus tangoes and climbing, I think they were stalking us, maybe caught a scent on the wind.” Jack watched as the drone began digitally marking the horde of charging infected humans. His shoulder rocket pod extended from his armour as the target markers began climbing upwards to sixty. “Wait for my command, we’ll begin a fighting retreat back to the trail and to the clearing we passed. I’ll fire a flare for extraction. On my mark!”

Baron and Mythic exchanged a worried glance as they finally spotted the horde breaking through the trees like a tidal wave. Mythic swallowed thickly and fixed his helmet’s chin strap. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. “Ready! He cried, before being mirrored by Baron.

“MARK! FOX THREE!” The hive rocket leapt from Jack’s shoulder and lanced forward as he opened fire with his rifle; the superheated lasers striking long before the rocket flowered mid-flight and struck its targets. The thundering cacophony of explosions ripped through the forest as Jack began jogging forward with his guards at his side. The drone received the weapons free command, and started pumping light laser fire into the infected from the air. The infected wave barely missed a beat; eager in closing the distance between them and their prey. Jack wasn’t about to let that happen so easily. “FOX THREE! WILLIE PETES, WATCH THE SHRAP!” The rocket lanced out of the rack on his shoulder and streaked eagerly toward its targets; it burst in the air, showering the forest and the infected within with burning white phosphorus shrapnel and chemical fumes. At the range the rocket airburst from, smaller high velocity shards snapped past the trio. Mythic recoiled as a shard meant for his face was taken by an extended armoured forearm that belonged to Jack. The shrapnel burned away at the hardened ceramic, but to no avail as the human continued to pour on the rifle fire.

“Leftside contact!” Baron yelled as her horn blazed and a shaped shield burst from the ground; a moment later a group of infected slammed into it. Her spear began making quick work of them, severing spines and stabbing through thin skulls. Mythic passed behind Jack, and leant his spear to hers to swiftly deal with the flanking threat. A horrible, shrieking cry overcame the trio as they retreated; one of the larger infected had managed to avoid Jack’s lancing beams and had flanked them with the cover of the trees. It was charging the armoured man, intent on bowling him over and opening them up for the rest of the horde. With speed belying his size, Mythic pounced from Baron’s flank to Jack; his hind hooves coiling like springs to deliver a bone crushing buck. The infected’s momentum came to a crushing halt, and it hit the ground in a heap of broken bones. Mythic’s sense of victory was short lived, as he realized that his own loss of momentum had left him in front of the trio, in front of Jack, and at the head of the horde. Training beat out panic, and he prepared to turn his spear toward the howling wall. As the first infected pounced at him, an armoured hand sank into Mythic’s golden collar and yanked him out of reach. Jack’s rifle barrel jabbed forward and sent a sharp line of vibrant light through the offending Infected’s eye socket.

Mythic grunted his thanks as Jack released him, before spotting the clearing. Mythic felt a smile creeping onto his features despite the danger. “There’s the clearing! We’re almost there, Baron!”

“I got it!” Baron’s shield flashed, and the infected piling upon it were sent twirling through the air like ragdolls.

The trio burst into the small clearing, and while mid-gallop, Baron arced her horn skyward and fired a brilliant green magical flare. Jack glanced over his shoulder and gave a short shrug, before pumping more fire into the horde. “I guess that works!” Retreating further into the clearing, Jack grimaced as a warning popped up over his weapon readout.

*Warning*

-Critical heat threshold in ten shots-

-Eight shots-

-Six shots-

Jack cursed, and barked out an order. “Disengage safeties, open primary heat sinks!” The barrel shroud of the rifle flowered aggressively, and heat began pouring from the weapon in waves. Even through his environmentally sealed armour, he could still feel the heat buffeting his hands and forearms like an oven on full blast. Switching to semi-automatic fire, Jack began picking his targets with a bit more precision. With another verbal order to his armour’s systems, his bag’s magnetic anchors disengaged, dropping his loaded bag into the center of the clearing. “FOX THREE!” Another hive rocket launched from his shoulder rack, and struck hard upon the now uncovered infected as they crossed into the clearing. His HUD began warning him about low munition levels, and he cursed violently. I can’t keep range with these things, and if they close Baron and Mythic are as good as fucked… You fucker’s want a meal? I’ll give y’all something to fucking eat! He turned on his heel and tossed the nearly overheating rifle toward Baron, who thankfully caught it in her magic instead of her hooves. “Use your shield and cover up! NOW!!”

Without questioning orders, Baron’s horn flashed and a thick bubble shield slammed down around her and Mythic. With their spears ready to assist through the magical barrier despite the numbers against them, the pair found themselves at a loss for words when Jack’s armour shifted around him. His plates slid outwards and exposing his heatsinks, making him seem like an even larger, more monstrous target. Their questions died when he roared over his external comms.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKERS WANT SOME OF THIS!? WELL COME AND GET ME!” Without pause, he bullrushed into the oncoming wave with his warning alarms blaring and his heatsinks open to the air. His armoured bulk slammed into the wall of flesh like a roaring train; several infected were driven to the ground and crushed under his armoured boots. The broiling heat the sink put off was enough to boil away the skin of any Infected foolish enough to grab onto him, not that it bothered them much. Slamming his armoured fists into the rotten, unprotected flesh was effective and visceral, but it just wasn’t enough. He didn’t have time to dedicate to confirming kills on single targets when the horde itself was a threat of simply overrunning him through sheer mass alone. Hellbent on keeping the hordes attention solely on him, Jack roared again. “BRING IT ON, BITCHES! COME ON! PRIME, GRADE ‘A’ MARINE BEEF, RIGHT FUCKING HERE!” Backhanding a particularly hardy infected off his right arm, Jack roared in animal aggression as he beat and bludgeoned his way through, not willing to let anything passed him. Can’t give up! Come on you bastard! Fight harder! HARDER!

“Staff Sergeant! Heads up!”

Jack’s eyes snapped upwards, catching sight of the spinning short sword coming toward him; it had to belong to Mythic, he hadn’t seen Baron carrying one. Snatching it out of the air with augmented reflexes, Jack cackled as he began cleaving through the oncoming infected like someone would hack through thick foliage. Without finesse, he hacked and cleaved through necrotic flesh, his own war cries drowning out the screeching howls of the infected. In his bloodlust, he didn’t notice the carriages appearing over the clearing, loaded with Ponyville guards. Magical lances of energy began peppering the horde around him, and his audio pick-ups caught snatches of barked orders over the pitching cries and keening moans of the infected that surrounded him. His drone buzzed overhead, giving him a good view of the field as it’s computer selected any infected that got too close to Baron’s shield and put said infected down with pinpoint laser fire. Two squads of armed guards had landed, and were now advancing on the melee, putting down any stragglers with efficient ease. Taking caution to avoid swiping in the guard’s direction, or accidentally throwing any live infected toward them, Jack redoubled his efforts in putting down every last infected that had the gaul to barr their rotten teeth at him. His armour shuttered closed, covering his heatsinks as the guards finally closed with him and aided in mopping up the surviving infected.

As quickly as it had come upon them, the fighting ended. Pulling his spear from an infected skull, Mythic let out an elated breath and allowed himself an impressed laugh. His laugh was met by Jack’s own enthused one as he treaded over corpses like they weren’t there. Mythic smiled openly toward the human as the other guards watched him with guarded curiosity. “That was something else, sir.” Mythic saluted the human as he stopped before him.

Chuckling as he disengaged his helmet seals; Jack tucked his helmet under his shoulder and held the gore stained short sword out by its blade. “Thanks for the assist, that was quick thinking.” He turned his eyes toward Baron as Mythic took the battered blade; Baron immediately met his gaze, as if awaiting his next order. Nodding to her, Jack smiled openly and sighed as the waves of adrenaline ebbed away. “I warned you two, stick around me long enough, and you’ll take on the world. Now, let’s go get those boundary spikes and leave our buddies here to clean up the mess.”

The guard captain present gaped in shock, before scowling hotly. “Hey, you three need to stay and help too! This is your damn mess anyway!”

All he got in return was a toothy grin from Jack and a silver tongued excuse. “Sorry sir, but we’re ona’ mission from Celestia ‘erself to retrieve human tech! Good job though! I’ll make sure you and your men’s excellent action is mentioned in our report.” Jack snapped a sloppy, cocky salute toward the officer in question, before retrieving his now cooled down rifle from Baron and herding his bodyguards along.

As they reentered the forest and avoided the myriad of broken, shattered bodies, Baron looked up toward Jack. “Are we going to fill out a report on this?”

“Nnnnope.”

“Are we even going to help them?”

“Eeenoope.” Jack was now grinning under his helmet; he found himself readily joined by Mythic, and reluctantly by Baron.

Sighing in faux defeat, Baron did her best to hide her own smile. “I guess that we’ll have to take a different route out this time.”

“Yup.”

Unable to hide her smile from Mythic, Baron shook her head. “If you say so. Sir.”

Chapter Twenty Six: Once a Devil Dog

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“And that is why Genghis Clop was able to succeed against the far superior pegasi forces for so long. Through cruel doings and unthinkable tactics he managed to evade capture. Today’s lesson is on how to overcome and defeat such unbecoming tactics.” The uniformed stallion began writing on the large blackboard, setting Flitter's teeth on edge.

“Using superior pegasi mobility, he shouldn't have been a problem.” Flitter muttered as she slouched in her seat. Considering she’d just completed the section on the Terran Genghis Khan, she had a fairly good grasp on the real tactics that the wizened teacher had glazed over. Or maybe he hadn't done so on purpose. Ancient pegasi were insanely prideful, so taking defeat from an earthpony would have had them practically frothing at the muzzle and flailing wildly in an attempt to squash the upstart and whitewash any achievements made by him. Said upstart of course ended up killing a king and siring an eighth of the modern earthpony population, so they had only truly succeeded on one front.

“Hey, hey Flitter.” Flitter perked up as her neighbor whispered her name. Her neighbor was a slight unicorn mare with a fine silvery coat and red mane who had come from a very prodigious noble family. Flitter had expected to immediately dislike the mare, but had quickly found it difficult. Her name was Hazel Dreams, and she was not only a fast learner, she was humble and personable.

Smiling tiredly over to Hazel, Flitter silently thanked the chance to turn her attention away from the class topic. “What's up Hazel?”

The mare smiled and scooted a touch closer as she opened her folder full of notes. “I heard you got to escort the new Terran around the castle yesterday, what's he like?”

Blinking in brief surprise before an easy smile overcame her features, Flitter relaxed and set down her quill. “You mean Jack? Yesterday wasn't my first time meeting him. I've known him for months.”

Hazel's eyes widened in curiosity. “Really? I heard from some of the others that he's really loud and mean.”

Flitter had to laugh, if only quietly. She covered her mouth with her wing to keep from making any further noise. “That's all you've heard? Loud and mean?” Flitter grinned and shook her head. “Well, they're right on both counts, but he's only mean if you provoke him. Otherwise he's like… a rambunctious country boy. Always getting into trouble, but sticking up for the people and things he believes in.” Flitter paused as the last part of her sentence forced its way up. “Usually… violently, but you get the point.”

“Do you think I can meet him?” Hazel looked so excited that Flitter found herself almost agreeing simply out of hoofjerk reaction.

“I… I'll ask him later when I see him. I don't think he’ll be in the hospital for much longer. Just a, uh… a word of warning? Yeah, don't touch him without permission.” Flitter didn't notice the sudden amount of attention that was slowly falling on her.

To her credit, neither did Hazel. “Why? That just sounds weird.”

“Because-” Flitter paused, and wracked her mind. Why doesn't Jack like anybody touching him all of a sudden? It must have been because of whatever happened in that place, but I can't think of anything that would make him react so violently… Realizing that she was staring into empty space, Flitter simply shrugged. “I don't really know. I'll have to ask him later.”

Hazel beamed happily and levitated her schedule; she quickly filled in a small section with her quill. “I can't wait to meet your friend Jack, I'm really interested in Earth and-”

“Ahem!” The teacher cleared his throat again, finally getting the pairs attentions. “I see your conversation takes more precedence than my lecture. Cadet Falenas, since you think my teaching is worthless, why don't you come down and teach the rest of the class how you would contain Genghis Clop?” The edge and aggression in the teacher's voice was painfully apparent, but if Flitter were being honest with herself, a small part of her had been praying heavily for the chance to stretch her knowledge of human tactics on the boxy planning of Equestrian warmakers. She also wanted to put the stuck up unicorn in his place.

Standing and gathering her supplies, Flitter began making her way down to the blackboard. “Gladly. You see, it's a real shame that we've decided to skim over Clop’s tactics and management abilities in favour of Fleethoof’s blunders. All Clop had was angry farmers and hastily trained militia ponies to pull from initially, and he still managed to beat back a full garrison of hardened and trained pegasi warriors.” Flitter set her supplies down on the teacher's desk and smirked at the stallion as he fumed. “The first mistake made was underestimating Clop, the second was underestimating how angry the farmers were over recent changes and food shortages. The first lesson is to never underestimate anyone. Be aware and be ready for anything. The third mistake comes from the pegasi response, which was to torch the village. They galvanized the farmers behind Clop by doing that. Don't give your enemies a reason to band together just to kick your ass.” Flitter spotted the beaming Hazel in the upper seat and had to fight to keep a straight face. “Now to battlefield tactics.” She gestured to the blackboard with the teachers yardstick. “Commander Fleethoof committed all of his troops in a full frontal attack, deeming the farmers unprepared and unwilling to fight. He was wrong, and the farmers baited his soldiers skillfully. Pulling them back into the forest where traps had been constructed, Clop broke the garrison into smaller, less effective units, cornered each unit, and wiped them out with sheer numbers and ferocity. He chose the battlefield, and it was to his force’s strengths. Don't let your enemy choose the battlefield if you can help it.”

“Cadet Falenas!” The teacher rumbled furiously. “The class is about how to defeat a rebel force such as Ghengis Clop’s! Not why you think he was a strategic genius!”

Wanting to sigh and roll her eyes while making snide comments about the teacher’s own brand of genius, Flitter again fought to keep a straight face. “Respectfully sir, if Commander Fleethoof didn't have his head so far up his own ass, then Clop would never have been able to gain any clout with the villagers. He would have remained a backwoods bandit that could be defeated through proper bait and trap tactics.” The teacher was now almost literally fuming, but Flitter knew that she was in the clear. If only because her other instructors were mostly holding in laughter. Now for the coup de gras. Grabbing the chalk from the wizened old coot, Flitter brought herself to a hover and began allocating troops and planning movements. “But assuming that the local commander has destroyed all chance of diplomatic solutions, Fleethoofs’s second in command could have avoided full route by cutting off Clop's avenue of reinforcement and escape, picked off his bodyguards with ranged weaponry, and then surrounded Clop himself. Without the villagers to reinforce him and no bodyguards from his personal cadre, Clop wouldn't last long against a numerically superior force of trained soldiers on his own. Failing containment, pegasi could easily harass his line of retreat, making future campaigns difficult with his loss of resources and ponypower.” Flitter took in a steady breath and allowed herself a thin smile. “Where you could draw him out, divide his forces, and wipe him out in a field of your choosing.”

Before the teacher could argue her choice of tactics, one of the instructors began clopping his hooves loudly on the stairs. The stallion began trotting down toward Flitter and the seething teacher. “Very good cadet! A wonderful showing of effective and thoughtful tactics, wouldn't you say so Mr. Chalk?”

Mr. Chalk looked as if he were about to spontaneously combust on the spot. He began collecting his supplies, his body shaking with rage. “Class is dismissed! I require pages one hundred to one hundred and twelve to be completed, all questions!” He began storming toward the door, before stopping and barking out one final order that earned a groan from all of the cadets present. “By Monday!!!”

The door slammed behind Mr. Chalk, but Flitter didn't allow herself a moment to relax. She snapped a salute to her instructor and stood at attention. “Sorry sir, I should have known my place.”

Her instructor simply waved the hoof down as he smiled and looked over the boards. “Cadet, one thing that we will always need are ponies willing to stand up and take charge when they are needed. But more importantly, we need those ponies to know what they're doing.” He nodded to her. “Dismissed Cadet.”

A smile finally slipped past Flitter's defenses as she snapped another respectful salute. “Yes sir, thank you sir.” Collecting her folder, Flitter began making her way out the door and into the large castle hall. Outside, waiting for her, was Hazel.

The mare squee’d and rapidly pranced in place. *Flitter, you are my hero! Seriously! That was amazing!”

Before Flitter could thank Hazel, or get even a cough in edgewise, an armoured stallion ran passed the large group of cadets. “Ponyville garrison just fought off a horde of infected humans! They're saying over one hundred confirmed!” He then continued on galloping, leaving the cadets confused and worried.

Swallowing nervously, Flitter glanced over at Hazel. “Ponyville garrison is fifteen soldiers, no way they fought off a hundred infected. Come on, let's go see if they're doppling it in.” Hazel immediately nodded and matched Flitter's stride as she cantered deeper into the castle.

The Doppling device had been invented only a few months prior, but was quickly being surpassed by radios as the desired means of communication. However, it was still the only device that could reach Ponyville from Canterlot. The operator sat at his desk, rapidly writing down calls as they came in. If any Terran human had spotted the device and its operator, they would be able to draw an immediate conclusion that it was a type of telegraph. Trotting up to the desk, Flitter cleared her throat and smiled at the operator.

“Can we see the recording of the Ponyville horde report?” She asked rather breathlessly as Hazel came to a stop beside her.

The operator glanced up, betraying the deep bags under his eyes. Without saying a word, he began digging through the recent reports until he found the slip. Sliding it gingerly across the desk to Flitter's waiting hooves, his attention didn't stay long enough to see the silent thanks Flitter tried to give him. Taking the report strip, Flitter began to read it out loud for Hazel's benefit despite the mare already leaning awkwardly over her shoulder to get a glimpse.

“Horde sighted in Everfree. Stop. Estimated strength over one hundred. Stop.” Flitter frowned heavily. If there was such a threat to the town, why wasn't the guard scrambling? She continued on, to Hazel's bated breath. “Explosions seen within Everfree. Stop. Unknown combatant engaging horde. Stop. Golem sightings confirmed. Stop.” Flitter sucked in a breath of elation as realization hit. Jack had dealt with the problem. “Horde destroyed entirely. Stop. Request reinforcements. Stop. Advise situation. Full stop.”

Hazel pranced in place as her imagination ran with the seemingly dark report. “I wonder what happened? Oh creators, how did a golem kill so many infected!? I have so many questions!” The mare pawed at her own face frantically. “Blaaaarg!”

Giggling at Hazel's exaggerated theatrics, Flitter returned the report and shook her head. “I got one word for you, answers everything!” Hazel's eyes went wide again, and Flitter's smile only grew. “Jack.”

_______________________________________________________________________

In the air over Canterlot, Jack wasn't solving problems. He was creating them. “We can't stay airborne!” The lead pegasi yelled as the chariot pitched threateningly.

“I told you my fat ass was too much for this dinky hunka flyin’ fuckin’ wood!” Jack cried as he clutched the railings with enough strength to splinter them under his pneumatic grip.

“YOU DIDN'T TELL US IT WEIGHED HALF A DAMN TON!” Baron screamed back as she wrapped herself around one of the railings opposite Jack. She had known that he had weighed too much when the pegasus team had been hard pressed with take off. It was simply a modern miracle that they had even made it as far as Canterlot. Unfortunately now there weren't any lush, flat fields for an emergency landing. Her eyes flicked to Mythic; she was hellbent on taking a piece out of his ass as well before she died. The desire withered as she saw the fully grown stallion clamped down on the bench, his grey fur whiter than hers. Earthponies were never meant to fly after all.

“Gawd fuckin dammit! Hey, pilot!” Jack bawled out at the pegasi flying. “Take us down one hundred more meters!”

The rear stallion cast a swift, confused glance over his shoulder at the Goliath dragging them down to their deaths. “WHAT!?”

Jack snarled and jabbed his finger downwards. “Dive! Dive motherfucka dive!”

Confusion began overriding fear and anger for Baron, if only slightly as the carriage pitched dangerously and the fliers started their steep dive. “What the buck are you planning Staff Sergeant!?”

To further enrage her, Jack was holding up an armoured hand and slowly curling fingers into a fist. “This suit’s good for combat drops, so long as I don't reach terminal velocity!”

Baron blinked owlishly at the insane human. “And how high is that!?”

Jack simply shrugged. “Around one hundred feet or so, I dunno, it's been awhile so I'm a little fuzzy! I also don't have a drag chute, sooo-” He suddenly dropped his last finger down, making a fist. Without warning he rolled off the back of the carriage; leaving his heavy bag and rifle behind. Internally, he wanted to yell something as he cannonballed through the air. Anything. A catchphrase, something awesome that would cement his place in the halls of cool. He wanted to, but he knew better than to open his mouth and let out the scream that was building in his chest. Breath Jack breath! Training took over within a millisecond as he let his momentum spin him on his axis so his feet were pointing downwards. First drop without a chute, let's see how good these shock absorbers are! The ground came rushing up far faster than it had any right to, and he smacked right into it.

Up above, Baron and everyone save Mythic were all either cursing brilliantly or struck silent as Jack's armoured body crashed through a large fountain and plowed through a public park. Ponies scattered in every direction as the team hauling the carriage righted themselves and came in for a swift landing. Other guards were converging on the park, obviously assuming some kind of threat as ponies panicked. One mare in particular looked close to foaming at the muzzle in fear as she screamed ‘the horror’ over and over again. The carriage came in for a fast landing, not bothering with a soft landing. Mythic bolted off the carriage before Baron had a chance to even lift a hoof toward the edge. The stallion began running toward the dust cloud that obscured the crash site. Before Baron had a moment to worry that her charge had gone and killed himself via high velocity fountain, she heard his voice and her fear turned to loathing.

“WOOOO! One hundred and six fuckin feeeet! Wooohooo! Did you see that shit!? That was badaaaaass! Hahahahaha!” Jack bounced from foot to foot as the adrenaline surged through his veins like an intoxicating drug. He was giggling and bouncing and ALIVE. His helmet scanned through the dust cloud, picking up Mythic's form approaching him swiftly. A number of guards were approaching as well, obviously not in the know about his impromptu non-combat drop. Planting his hands on his hips, Jack grinned like a madman inside his helmet. “And they said I'd never be an ODST!”

Still struck by the sheer audacity of the man standing before him, Mythic could only shake his head. “You killed a fountain. Sir.”

Jack turned on his heels and cocked his head at the demolished park fountain. “Huh. Man, I really did kill a fountain. Woops.” Noting the aggressive stances of the guards slowly surrounding him, Jack decided to take matters into his own obviously capable hands. “I need you to play along Ace.”

“What?”

“Just trust me.”

“No! You're-gak!”

Digging his fingers into Mythic's armoured collar, much as he'd done Private Fuckface’s; Jack hefted the struggling stallion and threw him over his shoulder like a rucksack. Popping his helmet off with his free hand and clipping it magnetically to his belt, Jack raised a hand to hail the approaching guard sergeant. “Don't worry boys, I caught him!”

The approaching guards paused, seemingly confused by the declaration coming from the now tiny headed Goliath. The lead sergeant blinked in confusion and looked to the other royal guard already present.

Seeing her future career on the line over a demolished fountain and the psychopath responsible, Baron swallowed her tongue and nodded, all while fixing Jack with a stare that could have melted steel beams.

Grabbing his bag and rifle from the cart, Jack nodded to the pegasi in charge. “Sorry boys, we're hoofing it from here.” He didn't wait to see the relieved looks that came from the exhausted and wounded flight crew as he turned back to the confused guards. “Don't you boys worry your little heads, I'll take this varmint to the dungeons right away!”

“Hey!” Mythic began protesting, but clamped his mouth shut grudgingly when he caught sight of the glare Baron was fixing on him.

Jack simply laughed as he started walking toward the park exit. “That's it! Fifty years dungeon!” Baron quickly matched his hurried stride, which broke out into a laughter infested run the moment they were out of sight. Once they had a bit of distance between them and the crash site, Jack set Mythic down on the cobblestone and reattached his heavy bag. With his rifle slung over his chest, he grinned at his bedraggled bodyguards and jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the castle. “You guys are the best. Seriously, when we get back to the castle, lunch is on me.”

“But the food is free!” Baron practically yelled, and only earned a laugh in return. She whirled to look to Mythic for support, but only for a tired, apathetic shrug. Stowing her fuming loathing toward the man, Baron kept her mouth clamped shut as she and Mythic ‘escorted’ Jack back to the castle. She was sure that her face, and the massive metallic idiot strutting before her were going to be plastered on the cover of every gossip rag and tabloid from Canterlot to Manehattan within hours. The photographers confirmed it as they slowly began to converge upon the trio, the meek snapping pictures, and the bold swooping right in to barrage them with questions.

“Who are you? Canterlot demands to know!”

“Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle, American-Canadian Federation Marine Corp!” Jack bellowed his answers as he marched through the streets with his steadily growing entourage of curious ponies, guards, and paparazzi.

“Are you invading Canterlot!?”

Jack grinned and shot a wink at the mare. “Baby, I'm a lover, not a fighter!”

Baron snorted and muttered “bullshit.”

The vultures ignored the muttered remark and continued on with their barrage of headline questions. “Are you a robot?” The asker was a small copper furred colt who had somehow managed to squeeze past the vultures.

Jack beamed a broad-toothed smile at the colt as he swooped down and scooped him up off the cobblestone. A large number of cameras began flashing and ponies began screaming. “He's going to eat that colt! Oh the horror!” The colt himself simply grinned as Jack set him down on one of his massive armoured shoulders; specifically the shoulder that lacked the rocket launcher rack. The rabble rousers were quickly dealt with by the trailing guard force, who were doing their damndest to avoid a riot.

Looking over at the colt, Jack was all smiles. “I'm only part robot, little man. All soldier though.”

The colt seemed elated as he bounced on the broad armoured pauldron. “I wanna be a big robot soldier too!”

If he were bothered by that declaration, Jack didn't show it. “What's your name kid?”

“I'm Copper Ingot! I'm five!”

Grinning ear to ear, Jack dug a handful of spent forty four magnum shells from on of his armour’s loose kevlar pockets. Holding a single shell out to Copper, Jack fixed him with a very serious look. “Your codename is Charlie Indigo Five. If you wanna be a soldier, eat balanced meals and get really active. You like sports?” At the colt’s nod, Jack continued. “Join a sport team and do your best. Pay attention in school, respect your elders, and remember; ‘Who dares, wins’. Got all that?”

Clutching the little shell casing between his tiny little copper furred hooves, the colt nodded reverently. “I promise I'll never forget!”

Setting the colt down carefully, Jack spun on his heels so he could see the kid as he walked backwards toward the castle gate. Snapping a salute at Copper, he bellowed over the sound of the clamouring crowd. “God speed Charlie Indigo!” Charlie beamed and did his best to salute back as Jack disappeared from sight.

The guards at the gate crossed their spears and cried for the armoured giant to halt, but as he was walking backwards and not paying attention, their spears were battered out of the way as if they hadn't been there at all. Jack slowed, and checked at his sides as his bodyguards slipped in behind him. “Shit, sorry boys! Hundred years dungeon!” The gate guards seemed to consider trying to apprehend him, but upon seeing the pair of bedraggled and exhausted guards that flanked him, they decided on the battle they knew they could win, and turned to keep the crowd off of palace grounds. As the trio escaped the hollering and questioning crowd, Baron hissed at Jack as he hefted his heavy helmet and tucked it under his arm.

“Have you lost your creator-damned mind Staff Sergeant!?”

“Yeah I think I dropped it back in Kansas.”

The whip quick smartass retort only served to boil Baron's blood even further. “You-!” She left out a hissing, infuriated breath through her nose and visibly shook. “You! Have gone insane!”

All the humour in Jack's features disappeared within a snap moment as he stopped just inside the castle halls and turned on Baron. “Okay, it probably looks that way, yeah, but I've had a pretty fucking shitty week so far, alright? I've been tortured by scientists, I've killed goddamn monsters that used to be people; I've watched friends and loved ones die in my fucking arms, I've been shot in the head with my own gun, I've woken up from a coma, I've fought off a literal horde of zombieass motherfuckers by myself! And I just survived a near lethal airdrop without a chute! SO YOU’LL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME, IF I SEEM A LITTLE JITTERY AT THIS CURRENT MOMENT IN TIME, CORPORAL!”

“Is everything alright Staff Sergeant?”

Jack whirled on his armoured heels with surprising agility and locked his eyes onto Celestia. “Yes ma’am, just straightening things out with my team, ma’am.” His voice held no humour, and assumed a snappy, clipped professional tone that betrayed him openly.

Celestia simply stared at the towering man. “That's good. I was worried you were about to make a foolish mistake.”

The pair of guards at his flanks stayed riveted in position as his jaw clenched and unclenched. “No ma’am. I've finished recovering my belongings, ma’am.”

Nodding, Celestia cast a slow glance over her own shoulder. “And why didn't you come in through the landing field?”

“The carriage wasn't as heavy as I had suggested, ma’am.” The unwavering laser-lock that his eyes held on her soon became unnerving for everyone standing by, save for the princess herself.

“That is a shame. Private Ace, Corporal Baron, you're dismissed for today. Staff Sergeant Kessle, if you would follow me, we have your room prepared.”

Without further words, Celestia turned and began trotting through the halls. Jack was quickly by her side; his heavy metal strides jerky and stiff. As the other guards relaxed and dispersed, Baron shook her head and glanced over at Mythic. “The man is a liability. Right Mythic?” When her partner didn't answer, she glanced over her shoulder again, only to find him trotting past her wordlessly. “Hey-Mythic! What gives, Private?” Her hooves stopped under her as Mythic shot a glowering, disapproving look at her while he maintained his silence. “Wha… I-” Baron didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Mythic trotted off to turn in his battered armour and bloody weapons. He had a long report to fill out.

_____________________________________________________

Celestia had been having a good day. Had, until Staff Sergeant Kessle had reportedly gotten into a one man gun battle with the denizens of the Everfree before jumping out of an overloaded carriage and plowing through a public park. While the princess was glad that nobody had been injured and a serious threat had been removed, the Staff Sergeant's ability to skate around and sometimes literally through trouble was beginning to give her a headache. “Staff Sergeant Kessle, do you know what a PR disaster is?”

He was still at her side; she couldn't miss his heavy stilted footfalls, or mistake them for anything but. “Yes ma’am.”

Celestia let out a slow breath through her nose as she continued walking. “Good. I wanted to make sure you knew exactly what you are.” She allowed her temporary anger to settle. She couldn't place all the blame at Jack's feet. While it was the easy option, it was not the right option. Before he could issue his gravelly ‘yes ma’am’ she spoke again, cutting him off mid ‘yes’. “Are you satisfied with your guards? Should I have them replaced?”

His answer was stiff and clipped, as expected. “No ma’am. They followed orders to a ‘T’ and worked together well during the attack.”

“And Corporal Baron?” Celestia asked. What she had witnessed could have easily landed the corporal with charges of insubordination if Jack had been wearing guard chevrons. However, he wasn't.

“She's right.”

Celestia paused just before the man's new room. That wasn't the answer she’d wanted, but it had been somewhat expected. Letting out a soft breath, Celestia looked up at Jack to find his eyes locked forward and dull. He had locked himself down entirely. Letting her eyes fall, Celestia sighed. “I owe you an apology Jack. You have undergone a great deal of stress in a very short period, and I have let my reservations about you colour our relationship.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She closed her eyes for a moment to hide the flicker of annoyance that crossed them. He was a victim of circumstance, and circumstance certainly seemed to have it out for him. It didn't help that he knew how to be infuriating. “I would like you to relax for these next few days Jack. Please.”

“Is that an order? Ma’am?”

Finally an emotion. Celestia could feel the edging challenge emitting from him. Hiding her own relieved smile, Celestia fixed him with a level royal stare. “If that is what it takes, then yes. I hereby order you to relax.” A feeling of fleeting victory passed through her mind as a split second smirk cracked his facade. It was gone just as fast. “These are your quarters. They are sparse, to avoid any more broken furniture than necessary.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

Finding their conversation coming to and end, Celestia finally tore her attention away from Jack's face, and allowed herself a moment to look over his armour. It was marred with marble dust and blackened from soot. Bloody splatters liberally dressed his plates, and the smell of death hung about him. “Wash your armour Staff Sergeant. And remove those severed fingers from your plates. Dismissed.” Jack didn't do so much as glance at the severed fingers that were trapped between his plates; having been pulled right out of the previous owner’s sockets. He snapped a smart, crashing salute that cracked the marble under him. Without a word to her, he opened the door to his quarters and disappeared inside. Celestia allowed herself a moment to linger as she considered the challenge before her. Shaking her head as she trotted away from the door, Celestia sighed and spoke quietly to herself. “And I thought rehabilitating Luna had been difficult…”

_______________________________________________________________________

For Flitter, her day was going considerably better compared to Jack's. As Celestia lowered the sun and Luna began her nightly vigil, Flitter set down her assignment papers and yawned tiredly as she trotted over to her small bed. Climbing into bed, Flitter gently inserted the soft earbuds into her ears and laid down next to Jack's PDA.

“Maybe funny movie tonight…” She mused quietly to herself as she picked up the little stylus between her lips and started scrolling through the selection the PDA had available. Settling on a movie that looked light hearted enough, Flitter settled into her bed and willed herself to drift to sleep.

A drumming knock at her door brought Flitter back from the edge of sleep and earned a deep, disapproving groan from her in return. Pulling the earbuds out and throwing her blankets off, Flitter dragged herself out of bed and set off toward the door. “I swear, Hazel if it's you…” Muttering under her breath as she reached the door, Flitter grumbled as the knocking returned. “I'm here! Geez…” Flitter pulled the door open and stuck her muzzle out. “Who is it- Jack!” Flitter exclaimed with open surprise as the bedraggled man lifted a hand for a simple wave.

“Howdy. I didn't wake you up, did I?” He looked even more exhausted than she felt as he leaned on the doorframe and smiled down at her.

Shaking her head as she opened the door fully, Flitter did her best to hide her own tired features. “Nope, I was just about to lay down and watch a movie. Are you feeling alright?”

During her short sentence, Jack's eyes had grown unfocused and he simply maintained a tired smile in an attempt to hide it. At her words he perked somewhat, before shrugging to admit ignorance. “No idea. I got a little lost trying to find your room. Mind if I duck in for a few?”

Nodding, Flitter stepped out of the way and beckoned him inside. There was nopony else out in the hall, save for a lone guard at the far end of the hall. Jack slowly pushed off the wall and meandered into her room; his eyes flicking back and forth to take it all in. The room was smaller than his own, but it was considerably more furnished and contained a certain amount of flair that his lacked entirely.

“Nice digs.”

Flitter closed the door behind him and locked it before turning back to Jack. He was still wearing his exo, despite the relative safety of the castle. “Yeah, they're beautiful.” Flitter trotted around him and hopped up onto her bed. “I'm still surprised that the princesses are just letting me live here. I mean, after everything that happened…”

“It's your fluffy personality.” Jack said with a gruff grunt as he relaxed against a dresser. Flitter took a moment to look up from the PDA at the man, gauging his features as best she could. His beard had grown to nearly unruly lengths, and his hair was a tangled black mess. If the deep bruises under his eyes were any indication, he hadn't slept properly since he'd woken up in the hospital. She couldn't blame him.

Hiding her worry, Flitter offered the PDA to him. “Do you want this back?”

Jack's eyes flicked upwards from the floor for a moment, and he seemed to consider it. “Mm… nah, I should have a little iPod somewhere I my bags, I'll just need to dig it out. Went and got the rest of my crap from the fob today.”

With the final piece clicking in to complete the puzzle, Flitter smiled. “So that's why you were in the Everfree. Your artillery battle with the infected humans sent a lot of guards into a frenzy out here. They were all freaking out about some Goliath armed to the teeth wading through an ocean of infected.”

The enthused laugh Flitter's exclamation earned from Jack was more than enough to have her smiling happily again. “No shit. Did you hear about the fountain I killed?” Flitter perked a brow and shuffled as her curiosity got the better of her. Smiling at her, Jack recounted his earlier misadventures in detail. Naturally, he left out Baron's insubordination and his tense chat with Celestia. Not to mention his own momentary break in cool at the castle doors.

Having finally gotten the details she craved, Flitter relaxed into her bed and let out a complacent sigh. “I'm really glad to have you back, Jack…”

He smiled weakly and reached out to softly scratch between her ears. “I'm glad to be awake. I'm starting physio tomorrow with Petyr, so if you need me at all I'll be with him.” Jack slowly pushed himself up from his seated position on the edge of Flitter's bed; he'd taken it during his recounting of his adventure.

“Heading out so soon?” Flitter asked with a hint of sadness in her voice, before she cut herself off with a tired yawn.

Nodding to her as he stretched out his sore arms, Jack hazarded an apologetic smile. “Yeah. I figure you need your sleep, and I wanted to check out the gardens anyways. Maybe find a place to wash up a bit.”

Sighing in defeat, Flitter nodded to him as he approached the door and unlocked it. “Do you think you could meet me at the academy tomorrow around five?”

Jack nodded, despite having no idea where an academy could be located in or around the castle. “Yeah, sure. I'll be there.” He paused at the door; drumming his fingers on the frame as he thought.

“Jack?”

Her voice brought him out of his silent musings, and earned a weak smile of apology in return. “Sorry, just thinking. Be seeing you Sparky.” Exiting out into the hallway and closing the door behind himself, Jack rubbed at the bridge of his nose before setting off down the hall again.

After a short stop in his new home base to rifle through his meager belongings, Jack set off unaccompanied once again to find the gardens. As he shuffled through the selection of music the tiny iPod offered, he hardly took notice of the change in guards around him. Gone were the stiff necked white and grey ponies with their soft gold armour, replaced by dark furred batponies whose darkened armour did well to blend in. Not that he entirely cared; his earbuds were in and his music was blaring loudly in his ears. Eventually he found his way outside; through sheer luck or providence, he had managed to find a door near the gardens. The cool summers night air washed out to greet him, rustling his cammies as he rubbed at his face. The gardens stretched out lazily across prime mountain real estate, with guards peppering it conservatively. A number of statues sat off in the darkness, and swiftly became his targets.

As he wandered aimlessly through the garden statues, Jack ignored the feeling of being watched. Finally, his target came into view. There was no mistaking it for what it was. The statue of a proud human stood vigil over the gardens, a large gold plaque resting on its base. The statues features were masculine, but lacked any defining detail. It was a face that could have been anyone's. Hell, it could have been his.

Tracing his fingers along the engraved plaque that held as many names as it could, Jack searched in vain for one in particular. When he didn't find it, Jack drew a dull knife from his hip sheath and began scratching and etching. After several minutes of ministrations, he'd managed to crudely carve her name into the gold plate. Jack took a step back and looked over the statue. “Elissa….” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “You were a good friend, and a terrible wife. I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't save you.” He let his hands fall limply to his side. The rest of his words felt stale and disgusting in his mouth, so he discarded them without a thought and turned his back on the statue. A Batpony stallion stood nearby, relaxing on a bench. When Jack began his morose walk back toward the castle, the stallion hopped off the bench and fixed his loose kit.

“Staff Sergeant Kessle?” Jack simply grunted in response as he kept walking through the gardens. The stallion trotted to keep up with him. “I'm Sergeant Varenikov. I'm your night guard.”

Finally, Jack turned his head to regard the Batpony. He was bigger than Field, but with lean muscles and a calm, confident posture. “You Royal Guard, Sergeant?”

Taven looked up toward the human and nodded. “Technically. I'm still a registered member of The Coming Dawn.”

Slowly quirking a brow down at the stallion as he meandered aimlessly through the gardens, Jack slowed his pace even more. “Coming Dawn? That some kind of special operations group?” At Taven’s nod, Jack chuffed quietly in amusement. “Sunbutt sent a shithot operator to babysit me. I'm honoured.”

The stallion next to him managed a faint smile. “Not anymore. I lost one of my wings during an op, so I was transferred again to castle duties.” Taven's smile vanished as Jack went to speak again, but went silent and came to an abrupt halt before the statue of Equestria’s greatest foe. Jack's eyes remained locked onto Discord's twisted form, and Taven could feel the anger and hate beginning to waft off the man like smoke. “Staff Sergeant, don't damage the statue. We don't know if it could release him.”

Jack swallowed thickly and tore his eyes off the thing that sat in front of him. “This is him, ain't it? The fucker who dragged us all here?” At Taven's nod, Jack clenched his augmented fists and returned his glowering gaze to the statue. Incredibly faint smug laughter echoed in his ears, as if goading him onwards. A sick grin began spreading across Jack's features. “Sergeant Varenikov, the garden’s got bird feeders, right?” Again Taven nodded, though his features were locked with guarded confusion. Jack simply grinned meanly. “Let's go find some bird seed.”

_______________________________________________________________________

With the statue of Discord slowly disappearing into the darkness behind the pair, Taven hazarded a curious glance toward the human who stalked silently beside him. He knew better than to ask why Jack had felt possessed to surround the statue in bird feed, but he had expected Jack's mood to have at least improved marginally. It hadn't. If anything, his mood had fallen even further.

“I'm going to get drunk.”

Taven regarded the man with curiosity as they walked back toward the castle. “Well, there’s the dining hall, but I don't think they serve alcohol this late. Besides that the guard commons serve hard cid-”

“Lead.”

Arching a brow in worry, Taven decided to ignore the mysteries that lay before him, instead deciding to lead Jack through the castle to the guard commons. As it turned out, it was under the castle, and the entrance was quite close to the on-duty guard mess. Taven had noticed how Jack's mood had lifted the moment they left the gilded halls and entered the more practical aesthetics of the commons. His attentions had immediately been drawn in by the forges that churned away, their forgemasters hammering away on swords, spears, and armour. Taven came to a stop when he realised that Jack had stopped to take in the forges. Circling back around to the man's side, Taven arched a brow. “Everything alright?”

“Mm?” Jack blinked as if he'd been awoken from a trance. Finally registering Taven's words, he nodded and motioned for Taven to keep moving. “Yeah, sorry. Got distracted.”

Chuckling to himself, Taven stopped just before the pub door. “This is it. I think there's a drink limit though and-”

“Can I open a tab?”

“Yyyeeess?” Taven drew out his answer, as he wasn't entirely sure. Despite his uncertainty, Jack pressed passed him and into the pub. The stallion let out a long, slow breath through his nostrils. “It's going to be a very long night…” Without another word, Taven pressed in after Jack.

Jack was already at the bar, coercing the barkeep to give him a tab. “Sunbutt’s gotta pay me soon anyway. It's not like I can hide from it.” The keep grunted and rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Just don't cause any trouble, human.”

With a winning smile that promised all kinds of trouble, Jack held one hand over his chest, and the other behind his back with crossed fingers. “Ah promise. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” When the barkeep recoiled in horror, Jack leaned onto the bar and grinned toothily. “Whiskey, neat.”

After a long and arduous conversation with the barkeep on what they had on tap, Jack was soon seated at a wall table facing the door with a large tankard of hard cider. Taven sat across from him with a smaller glass of water. Taking a swig of his drink, Jack looked more disappointed than anything else. “This is going to take forever.” He let out a long sigh before settling into his seat. “So, Taven. Were you royal guard before operating operationally?”

Taking a small sip of his water, Taven shook his head. “No sir, I enlisted in the Royal Equestrian Army. Served a term of service before Coming Dawn picked me up.”

“An enlisted man? Shit, now we're talking.” Jack smiled as he drained his tankard and shook his head. “This is going to take fore-” Jack's sentence died in his throat and was replaced by a troublemaking smirk. “Well if it isn't Private Fuckface…” The stallion and his squad of goons had just trotted in, and hadn't taken notice of the pair yet.

Taven groaned internally and shot Jack a warning look. “Staff Sergeant, if we could please avoid causing any trouble?”

The words seemed to make Jack pause and consider his actions for a moment. “We won't cause it.” He grinned wolfishly as he stood and went to refill his tankard. The stallion immediately spotted him, but said nothing as he immediately ducked back into whatever he had been doing prior. When Jack returned his features were sour with disappointment but his drink was full. Taven smiled in relief as the man sat down heavily and returned to his journey of heavy drinking.

______________________________________________________________________

After several empty tankards and three trips to the head, Jack had managed to get himself well and truly drunk. Staggering back to his room with Taven leading him through the mazelike halls, his internal musings became vocal and slurred.

“So…. So like, the fuck happened to your other wing?” Jack poked at Tavens remaining leathery wing, which fluttered at the agitation.

“I lost it in a fire, whole warehouse was rigged to go up. It's why I'm stuck on castle duty.”

“Shit man… I know how much it sucks to lose bits of yourself…” Jack's drunken fingers found a home between Taven's ears and scratched away merrily. The stallion moved to remove them, but then immediately thought better of it and simply accepted the scratches. Jack pivoted on his toes to turn down another hall. “I mean… hardest… hardest part is waking up in the morning, and…”

“Trying to move something that isn't there anymore?” The stallion hazarded a guess, which earned him a dramatic nod and a point from Jack.

“Ex-ex-fucking-xactly…. And then you remember and it just… it just fucking sucks.” Jack leaned against his door and groaned as he patted himself down. “The fuck are my keys…” Taven shook his head and opened the door for the drunkard, which earned a cry of amazement. “You had my keys! Sneaky bastard… hah…” Jack allowed himself to be herded into his room and toward the bed.

“Come on Staff Sergeant, let's get you some rest…” Taven's eyes flicked around the room, taking in the changes it had undergone with Jack's equipment present. His armour stood vigil against the wall, and the solar charger had all of its panels facing the bay doors.

Jack grunted as he walked slowly toward his bed. “Just call me Jack… not a marine anymore anyway…”

Sighing softly as he guided the drunk to his bed, Taven continued to look around the room. “Do you want to get undressed Jack?”

“Fuck NO. I will never, ever, be undressed around another pony ever the fuck again…” Jack pointed at Taven, before trying to move some of his errant hair out of the way with his free hand. “Ever.”

Slowly quirking a brow at the sudden serious tone Jack had taken on, Taven glanced toward the door and asked a little loudly. “Why?”

Gesturing harshly with his hands as he fought for the words to form in his addled mind, Jack soon let them fall limp at his sides. He then pulled his shirt up and showed Taven the place where his artistic and intricate tattoos melted into a ugly mess, where the brand had sunken into his muscles and scarred him for life. “Cuz they make you fuckin property. They like to touch, and prod, and FUCK.” His words came out as an enraged hiss spoken through grit teeth. Letting his shirt fall back into place, Jack let his fuming anger ebb away to a gnawing emptiness. “I doubt I can trust any of you.” His arms returned to limp forms by his side, and he cocked his head to regard the bed before him.

“I’ll…” Taven sought for the right words to use; he felt like he should at least say something. The words refused to come forward. “I’ll see you tomorrow Jack. I'll be outside your door if you need anything.” All the stallion got in return was an unhappy grunt as Jack flopped face first onto the mattress, not bothering to even climb under the silky covers. Excusing himself silently, Sergeant Varenikov took post outside the man's door. At the very least the rest of the night was calm and quiet.

Chapter Twenty Seven: Of Morals and Judgement

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The following morning came on violently through Jack's drawn curtains, bludgeoning its way through his deep dreamless sleep and rousing him with a groan. Sleep had nearly sealed his eyes shut, so when he cracked a single eye open it was with great effort and deep regret. The sun was just beginning to shine, and was now shining directly through his curtains and into his face; a quick glance at his battered and abused watch told him that he'd only slept a few hours. Kicking his heavy metal legs off the bed, Jack forced himself up, as he was already dressed, he didn't need to waste time. After a moment of collecting his thoughts and faculties, he pushed himself off the bed and toward the door, he had a Russian to meet up with.

The training grounds were practically devoid of life when he treaded out onto the soft grass, he had been moderately surprised that no guards had been at his door, but ultimately he shrugged it off. Jack was in the middle of warming up when Petyr emerged from the castle looking even more haggard than Jack felt.

Jack smirked as he stretched out, loosening his muscles. “You alright there champ?”

Waving a dismissive hand, Petyr sat down next to Jack and fished a small bagel out of a paper bag. He spoke in Russian out of habit. <Good morning, Jack.>

Jack joked as Petyr crammed the bagel down. <You run much?> At Petyr's shaking head, Jack rolled his eyes and bounced from foot to foot before stopping to pop his exo free and hand it to Petyr. <Four kilometres, no exo. Don't let me stop.>

Two hours into the physical training, Mythic found his way onto the field and sat next to Petyr, who was watching as Jack struggled and huffed his way through resistance training and weightlifting, Mythic quirked a brow toward Petyr. “Aren't you supposed to be working with him?”

Petyrs sentence started in Russian, before he realized and switched back to common. “Apologies, but no. I couldn't keep up with him anyway. He seems to be using me as a motivator. Hold on.” Petyr tilted his head toward Jack and bellowed <One more set!> The following groan from Jack brought a smile to the large man's face. “I'm not physical, not enough to keep up with a soldier.”

Nodding his understanding, Mythic sat back and sighed. “Sergeant Varenikov reported that the Staff Sergeant almost drowned himself in hard cider last night, are you sure it's a good idea to have him exerting himself so much?”

Smiling toward the stallion at his side, Petyr gestured toward Jack as he neared the end of his chin up set, his face red and glistening with sweat. “The martyr- sorry, Jack, made the decision, and I don't believe he's the kind of man to do something by half.”

“Let us hope that is true Mr. Morozov.” The new voice made the pair of men look over their shoulders, and then stand to attention. Princess Celestia smiled and nodded to the pair, before turning her eyes back to the spectacle of Jack abusing himself across the field, after a moment of watching, she turned her head toward Mythic. “Have Jack cleaned up, dressed, and at the carriage landing field in an hour. Please, private.”

Mythic snapped a salute. “If he asks what about your highness?”

“Tell him his first day of work is starting and I need him to work quickly.” At Mythic's nod, Celestia smiled toward Petyr. “And Mr. Morozov, the latest stage of our project is prepared for your approval.” The Russian immediately perked, and set off at a brisk pace with the princess, not a moment later Jack came jogging across the field toward Mythic.

Skidding to a stop, Jack wiped his brow with the back of his palm. “Where the fuck are they goin’?”

Sobering fast, Mythic stood at attention for his technical superior. “Something about a project. I have to get you cleaned and ready. Apparently you have work.”

“Uh huh.” Jack scratched at his bearded chin, before shrugging and pulling on his exo-skeleton. “Where’s Princess Bad Attitude?” At Mythic's confused eyebrow lift, Jack let out a slow, exasperated breath as he rolled a hand. “The corporal. Baron?”

“Oh!” Mythic exclaimed as they started walking back toward the castle doors. “She came down with something, the doctors think it may be from the infected humans.”

Jack snorted in disbelief as they slid passed a large group of guard trainees that were headed for the training field. “Remind me to get her a card, Bullshititis can be a career ender.” Refusing to comment, Mythic followed Jack as he tromped through the halls, as they neared his room, the man obviously became more interested in the prospect of work. “So what's the mission?”

“I don't know sir.”

As he pushed open the door to his room, Jack shot an unhappy glance toward Mythic before rolling his eyes. “Uh huh. Need to know, and I don't need to know. Never does change, does it…”

“I don't know what you mean sir.” Mythic's eyes drifted to the Staff Sergeant's armour as it stood rigid against the opposing wall. His rifle was settled against a small wood table, the weapon having been field stripped and cleaned the night prior before the binge drinking. Jack pulled off his sweat soaked T-shirt and tossed it to the foot of his bed. The smell of sweat, old cider, and stale blood almost made Mythic gag when it hit him.

“Grk-! S-staff Sergeant, when was the last time you bathed?”

Jack paused and seemed to think. “Uhh… whenever the doc's sponged me last, when I was under. I mean, I splashed some water on my pits and junk to stop the chaffing, but-”

“Go clean up!” Mythic exclaimed loudly, which earned him a snort from Jack. To make his point heard more clearly, Mythic gestured toward the bathroom door, finally, Jack relented and meandered off to find hotwater.

With the door clicking shut behind him, Jack sighed softly and let his exo-skeleton detach from his body, a soak in the tub was out of the question with their time limit, so instead he settled to simply scrub the worst of the grime off at the sink. Kicking off his pants, Jack crossed over to stand before the mirror, he immediately froze the moment he caught sight of himself. The man standing before him was wild. Wild, unkempt, and terribly haggard, he looked defeated, look of rage settled onto his features as he gripped the sink tightly with both hands and leaned in closer to the mirror, before him was a man who let bad things happen to him. Through clenched teeth Jack drew in a furious breath before heabutting the mirror.

The image instantly fractured, the mirror having spider webbed under the attack. He muttered hotly under his breath as his forehead throbbed and a small trickle of blood ran through his vision, tainting it red before being blinked away. Slowly, he brought his hand up to his forehead and traced it across. When it came away bloody he cursed again and started the sink. A few minutes later, after ignoring Mythic's worried knocks, Jack had cleaned himself within marginally acceptable limits and stepped out of the bathroom.

Mythic had been studying his rifle up close, but the moment the door opened he took a respectful step away and looked toward Jack, as far as he could tell, nothing had changed, save for the paling of Jack's skin. “Ready to- what happened to your head?” Mythic cocked his own head in confusion as Jack touched his bleeding forehead.

“Still? Hmm.” Jack looked around his barren room for a minute, before snapping his fingers and grabbing his discarded shirt, wrapping it around his head as a doo-rag, he grinned at the stallion and pulled on his exo skeleton. “What are you staring for, Mythic? Come on, let's go.” Jack said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder and stuffed two spare mags in his pouch pockets. Mythic was forced to abandon his question for the time being as he followed after Jack to the carriage field, where a uniformed pegasus was waiting for them.

“Good, you're on time, we've gotten a report of a strange object out in Whitetail woods, near Apple Acres. Go check it out and report back, the local who found it will meet you.” The stallion received a swift salute from Mythic and a noncommittal shrug from Jack. No further words were said as the pair boarded a small carriage and were spirited back to Ponyville.

As they came in for a landing, Jack noticed that a motley crew of ponies were waiting at their landing site. “Didn't he say local? As in, one? Looks like we've got a whole gaggle down there.” Jack quirked a brow at Mythic as he spoke, who simply shrugged innocently in return. “Great. Well, let's go influence the locals.”

The carriage same to a soft stop on the open ground, where Jack disembarked off the side and secured his firearm as Mythic trotted off the back with his spear. The carriage immediately took off again, leaving the pair with the group of three mares who were approaching, despite the small group of guards who stood near the edge of the clearing.

“Why is she hopping- Mythic I got a bad feeling about this.” Jack braced for immense discomfort as the trio closed the distance and circled him like vultures, the prismatic mare was the first to speak, regrettably.

“So is this the other guy?” She eyed him critically as she hovered in place. “Pssh, I bet Max could take him.”

Jack's features soured at the issued challenge, but he never got to answer it as a ball of pink fur bounced into his arms and hugged him like a bear. “WELCOME BAAAACK!”

His eye twitched and Mythic cleared his throat. Thankfully, the third mare cleared her’s as well and spoke. “Girls, it's rude to treat a guest like this! Give the man some space.” Jack practically dropped the pink bundle on her ass as she ‘aww’d sadly. Suppressing a shudder, Jack nodded to the fancy looking white unicorn. She smiled professionally and gestured to him. “Welcome to Ponyville, Mr…?”

“Staff Sergeant Kessle. You found something strange?” He ignored the rainbow mare’s prodding, until it started to drift lower. His hand shot out like a flash and clamped down on the hoof, causing the mare to jerk in surprise. Jack slowly turned his gaze down toward the mare and fixed her with a very serious glare. “Don't touch me.”

The mare yanked her hoof out of his now relaxed grip and gave it a shake. “Ow, geez, okay dude, chill… ow…”

Again, the mare cleared her throat. “I apologise for Rainbow’s prodding, she's always like this I'm afraid. I am Rarity, that’s Rainbow Dash, and the mare who is vibrating eagerly is Pinkie Pie.” Rarity pointed to each mare as she spoke, but upon reaching Pinkie, it was apparent that the young pink mare could no longer hold her piece.

“DID SHE LIKE THE CAKE!?” The mare balanced on her front hooves, on top of Dash’s head, who grunted in surprise and struggled to keep her balance with the added weight.

Jack blinked in surprise, taken aback by the show and the seemingly random question. “Uhhh….”

Pinkie only seemed to grow more desperate. “The cake! You needed a cake for your friends birthday!”

Lighting up in realization, Jack snapped his fingers and pointed at Pinkie. “Midnight cake lady!” The mare nodded rapidly, causing Dash’s neck to pop uncomfortably, while both Jack and Pinkie ignored her discomfort. “Yeah!” he exclaimed. “She loved it, thanks Pink.” He gave her an appreciative scratch under the chin, just before Dash collapsed under the weight of the bakery mare.

“Ow…”

Stifling an unladylike groan, Rarity simply sighed and cleared her throat again. “Mr. Kessle, could you please follow us?”

Jack shrugged, and slung his rifle over his shoulder again. “Sure. Why’re you three taking us there anyway? I’da figured those pissy cops over there would have taken the honours.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the Ponyville guards, causing Dash to snort and laugh.

“Because we're the Elements of Harmony!” Pinkie blurted out, cutting Rarity off mid explanation.

Now following the mares toward the woods, Jack perked a brow. “Sooo-... Like a band or something?”

The pink mare bouncing at his side grinned ear to ear, literally, as she rattled off the group's adventures for the past two years. Jack grimaced at the mare’s unpredictable antics and her incessant desire to touch him, but he listened intently on the overblown explanation as they walked through town and into the woods, with the occasional fact check by Rarity and more bravado from Dash, by the time the group reached the heart of the woods, Jack had a fairly decent idea of what they were trying to get across.

“So… lemme get this straight. There's six of you, and when danger pops up you blast it with friendship lasers?” At the confirmation, Jack shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, okay. I can dig it.”

“Ahem.” Rarity drew his attention away from the other ponies and pointed off into the trees. “It's right over there Mr. Kessle.” Without saying a word in return, Jack unslung his rifle and treaded through the undergrowth. Once he passed a small copse of trees, a large orange shipping container seemed to suddenly pop out from its hiding place amongst the forest.

Pausing to stare at the out of place object, Jack clucked his tongue and laughed lightly.

“Well that certainly is a thing.”

As he stepped through the underbrush, Dash zipped passed him and landed on top of the container. “We tried to open it, but the dumb thing is locked! I bet you won't be able to open it either.” The mare rubbed a hoof on her chest as if to shine it as Jack closed in on the container and the others followed suit. Giving the small, sturdy padlock a look over, Jack chewed his cheek for a moment before pistoning it clear off with his boot heel. The mare above him perked at the loud ping and looked down at him, only to gape a bit as he cracked the door open a sliver. “How did you-!?”

“Well, I don't think it's rigged.” Jack said, ignoring the surprised outcry as he peered through the small sliver of open container door.

Rarity looked to the others in her group, and sighed as she relented to ask her question. “Which means?”

He simply smiled at her as he stood and grabbed the door. “Which means the chance of us all being turned into a fine red mist is pretty low.” He paused as he gripped the door and the ponies all stared at him in horror. “Well, lowish.” With a grin he heaved the door open as it squealed on unoiled, abused hinges. The ponies all took an involuntary step back, save for Pinkie, who hovered over his shoulder with anticipation. Jack clapped his hands and stepped into the container. “Nooow~ Show daddy what you got.”

The inside of the container was unfortunately not as full as he’d been hoping, but from what he could tell the nondescript boxes came up about halfway in the container. There was a single black barrel resting against the wall, held in place by a heavy duty ratchet strap. Humming to himself, Jack freed the barrel before grabbing and hefting it toward the door. As the barrel crashed down heavily with a muted slosh, Dash landed next to Jack as he began working the lid. “So you’re pretty strong huh?”

“Mhm.”

Dash rolled her eyes as he edged a finger along the lid’s edge, trying to work it off. She refocused and circled him slowly. “And you're a soldier. You ever kill anybody?”

“Rainbow!” Rarity cried out in shock. “You can't ask something like that!”

“Why not?!” Dash shot back with attitude.

Before the argument could continue onward, Jack answered. “Yes, I've killed people before. You gotta be more specific though. I've killed Terran humans, Corvellans, and Equestrian humans. Maybe a few ponies. I dunno, it's still fuzzy.”

Ignoring the end of his statement, Dash hovered before him as he worked the lid. “What's a Corvellan?”

“Alien cocksucker.”

“You've fought aliens!? Aliens exist!?!!!” Dash shrieked in excited surprised, her voice cracking from the pitch.

Having nearly broken the seal, Jack sighed and spoke as if he were explaining something to a child. “Yes, me space marine, fight mean aliens with big guns. Fight hard. Kill lots. Wow. Such war. Much Semper Fi.” Finally, his armoured fingers breached the barrel seal, releasing a stench so foul it could only belong to fermented death. Jack, and everyone around him recoiled and gagged violently at the stench. Jack rubbed at his burning eyes and coughed, before pulling the shirt off his head to wrap around his mouth and nose. Approaching the barrel, he peered inside and let out a quiet laugh.

With her white fur turning a shade of sickly green, Rarity steadied herself long enough to ask. “W-what is so funny?”

Jack pointed an armoured finger toward the inside of the barrel as he cracked a half grin. “Kid inna can. Like a kid inna fridge, but less alive. Ooh! He had a glock too!” Jack reached into the barrel as Pinkie’s mane slowly deflated and straightened.

“That's not very funny…”

Inside the barrel was the desiccated corpse of a fairly tall human male, stuffed in so tightly he was almost eating his knees. His skin had bloated and turned to a sickly black; in several places it had split open like an overripe fruit. At some point the corpse had begun fermenting in its own juices, leaving behind the aroma that had Jack blinking back pained tears. “God that stinks worse than a haji shitting hole…” Fishing the glock out of the corpse's waistband with the tips of his fingers, Jack smiled at the sickened ponies. “It's an eighteen c! Score.” He ejected the magazine and racked the slide, ejecting the chambered round into his palm. He held the unloaded weapon toward the ponies with one hand as he resecured the barrel’s lid to quell the stench. “Someone wanna clean this? Uh, don't mind the liquified death on it.”

Unable to cope with the thought, combined with the smell and viscous goop stuck to the weapon, Rarity bolted from the tiny copse of trees to become violently sick. The other three looked like they weren't far behind her. Jack looked between them. “Anybody? No? Okay.” He set the pistol down on top of the barrel with its full magazine, before turning back toward the container. “I wonder how many more bodies I'll find in here…”

With Rarity having run off to vomit, and Pinkie following after her to escape the horror of the barrel, Jack was mostly left to himself to rifle through the container. Unfortunately for him, that left Dash mostly unattended and free to pester him with dozens of questions. Cracking open another crate and expecting to find another batch of tamagotchis, Jack let out a happy little cry of delight that drew both ponies attentions.

Dash practically climbed over him to get a look onto the crate. “What is it, I wanna see!”

Grinning happily, Jack held up a white and red carton of Marlboro cigarettes. “The fuckin jackpot! Now all I gotta do is find a lighter, and I'm set!” He looked back over the crate and shook his head. “Which might be likely. This crate is… random. Like random as fuck.” As the ponies looked to him for more explanation. He simply shrugged and dove back in.

By the time he finished looking through the crate for anything dangerous, the heavy duty ground carriages had arrived. Despite having found a large shipment of computer parts that Petyr was sure to put to good use, Jack hadn't found anything ultimately useful besides the single pistol. Cracking open the last crate, he narrowed his eyes and stole a quick glance over his shoulder. Sure that no one was watching him currently, he reached in and opened the small ammunition can, inside it sat a box of forty four magnum ammunition, a rusty zippo lighter that seemed to be engraved, and a small orange case marked with a red cross. Gingerly popping the case open, Jack felt his heart beat a bit harder as his eyes fell on the six syrettes of morphine, he had to suppress a shudder of delight just by thinking about how a shot would feel right then and there.

Licking his lips as a small bead of sweat rolled down his forehead; the cravings returned in full force. It took all of his willpower to simply shut the case and stuff it into his pants pocket before anyone grew curious, closing the lid of the ammunition can and packing it out with him, Jack stood and exited the container, shutting the doors behind himself, he nodded to the lead mover who stood by with his crew who were awaiting instructions. Suddenly finding his lips dry, Jack licked them again and spoke quietly. “It's clear. Inform the princess and take it up to Canterlot. Tell her to not open the barrel.” The pony nodded, and went to guiding his crew in loading the heavy metal container up, dumping the glock into a small baggie that he'd found a box of, Jack turned to nod at Mythic. “Ready?”

The stallion didn't respond, as he was muzzle down next to Rainbow, trying to figure out how the tamagotchis worked. “Ah! Aha! I got its food!” Mythic smiled triumphantly, while Dash scowled and returned to hers. “Ja- oh? Oh, we're leaving? Okay, let me just… gosh this thing is needy…”

Jack smiled grimly as he looked over the box of packaged toys. “That's a shame Private. Tamagotchis bind with their first owner. It's life is in your hooves now.” Both ponies looked up at him with worried confusion, and he decided to take it a step further. “Well, if you're not careful, they'll die, and there will be no way in the known world to bring them back.” He leaned over Dash’s shoulder and pointed at her new pet. “Looks like your little monster just left you a dookie to clean up. Better get on that before he gets sick and wastes away before your eyes. “

Dash whimpered fearfully as she searched frantically for her options. “How do I clean it up?!”

With a shudder, Mythic looked up at Jack with pain filled eyes. “Why would anyone make a toy this horrific?”

With a smile Jack patted his head and sighed. “To teach kids responsibility and the inevitability of death. Because no tamagotchi lived longer than a few months.” The pair stared at him with horror struck expressions, causing him to smile grimly and slap Mythic's shoulder. “Come on Private. Let's catch our ride and get the fuck out of here.”

“Wait!” Dash cried as she tore her eyes away from her tamagotchi. “Don't you want to meet Max?”

Jack turned and stared at Dash for a moment as he racked his mind. “...Who?”

The mare's features fell in disbelief as she stared at Jack, as if he had just grown a second head. “You don't know who Max is!? He helped save all of Equestria! He's like, the only other smart human left!”

Flicking the beat-up lighter out and stuffing one of the fresh cigarettes between his lips, Jack initially ignored the rant to read the lighter’s engraving. A sucking chest wound is nature’s way of telling you you've been ambushed. Haha. He mentally laughed at the inscription, before lighting his smoke. Sucking in a large lungful of carcinogenic smoke, he slowly let out his breath through his nose. “Riiiight, Maximilian, big damn hero.” He sucked in another lungful and let out a content, smoke filled sigh as the nicotine flooded his body. “I've got a very busy schedule. But if he decides to swing by the castle I can pencil in a few drinks.”

Scrunching up her muzzle at Jack as the smoke reached her, Dash waved a hoof in front of her own face as she spoke. “Well him and Twilight always go there all the time. They've got their own private room and everything. It's kinda lame. I mean, Canterlot sucks for fun stuff!” The prismatic mare began trotting at the pair’s side as they left the forest and walked toward Ponyville.

Snubbing the cigarette butt on his exo skeleton, Jack laughed once as he cast a glance down at Dash. “He. And what would you consider ‘fun’?”

“I'm glad you asked.” Dash smiled at him and waggled a brow, forcing Jack to immediately regret speaking a word to her. The entire walk back to Ponyville was a continuous list of all the things that Dash did for fun, her aspirations, and basically her entire life story. By the time the carriage had come into view, Jack had burned through half a pack and Mythic was far, far away within his own mind. Dash didn't seem to notice either case. “-But we should totally got to Scratch’s club! Maybe I can show you around and we can see where it goes?”

Suddenly finding his mind jerked back into the conversation, Jack jerked his head toward Rainbow; the look on his face causing her to pull back somewhat and paw at the dirt. Before she had a second to mutter, Jack blurted out what had immediately come to his mind. “I thought you were gay!”

The mare sputtered and gaped at him for a moment, but the expression swiftly turned to a hot scowl. “I am not!”

“Then- fuck, is that hair colour natural?!”

“Yeah! What about it, huh!?”

Jack pursed his lips and hummed in surprise. “I guess calling you Pride would have been a bit pretentious….” He shook his head, before waving a hand dismissively. “I'm not a fan of native tails. Sorry hotshot.”

Glowering hotly at the scraggly man as he clambered into the carriage, Dash huffed unhappily and kicked the dirt. “Just my luck… stupid Twilight… stupid Max… It's not fair that Twilight gets him all to herself.”

Jack simply shrugged as he kicked back in the carriage, using Mythic as an unwilling backrest. “What, Max went native? Huh. Guess some guys like that kind of shit. Weird. Yeah, okay, later nerd.” He grinned and waved as the carriage took off, leaving an emotionally struck Rainbow back on the ground. Jack simply chuckled and lit another cigarette as Mythic squirmed underneath him.

______________________________________________________________________

Celestia was standing at the edge of the landing field, awaiting the arrival of Jack's carriage. As much as she disliked waiting upon him, she needed to see him the moment he landed, and couldn't trust that he would see her soon enough upon landing. So, she was nipping the problem in the bud. Finally, the carriage came into view through the cloud layer, soon enough it made a skillfully soft landing on the field before her. The guards pulling the carriage were unharnessed by the ground crews, and the carriage was spirited off after Jack and Private Ace had gotten out. Jack stretched out, grunting as his body popped and cracked. Between his lips was a bobbing cigarette that glowed orange at the tip.

Approaching the pair, Celestia smiled and nodded as Private Ace perked and bowed to her. “Welcome back. I hope you didn't cause too many problems in Ponyville. “ Jack simply grinned as smoke billowed from his nostrils. Saying nothing on how it did little for his already ragged visage, Celestia continued. “Another human device was found in Canterlot during a royal guard search of an abandoned home. Mr. Morozov is looking over it as we speak.”

Jack simply nodded as he snubbed his smoke on his exo and held the sling of his rifle over his shoulder. He returned his attention to Celestia and quirked an inquisitive brow. “Alright? Now why the social call?”

Clearing her throat, Celestia fixed him with a very serious stare. “Griffonia’s Emperor is coming to the castle for a short visit soon, and I need you on your best behaviour.”

Rubbing at the bridge if his nose, he simply nodded and sighed. “Right, uh huh. A note would have worked too. Not like I would have run around ass naked and molested your guest. Well… maybe.”

Not wanting to witness the mental image of Jack's statement, Celestia shook her head clear of the thought. “Please go see Mr. Morozov. I will be accompanying you-”

“So you did miss me!” Jack exclaimed loudly as he threw an arm around the Princess's neck and began leading her back toward the castle, ignoring the tense response of the guards present, Jack smiled at the princess before scratching between her ears. “But then again, I can't blame you.”

With her ears flicking happily at the attention, but her features remaining neutral to avoid causing a negative reaction from her guards, Celestia pursed her lips and lit her horn. The man next to her yelped in surprise and she picked him up by his legs and carried him down the hall upside down. Celestia took care to not extend her grip either way beyond his thighs, lest her spell possibly fail when coming in contact with titanium or Jack react badly to unwanted touching. Jack simply grunted in defeat and fished around in his pockets for his pack of smokes. After a minute of dragging Jack by his legs, Celestia deemed it necessary to ask her questions. “Mr. Kessle?”

He grunted and squirmed in her grip, which resulted in defeat. “What?”

“How abundant is the element titanium on your world?”

Feeling an immediate shift in his attitude toward guarded suspicion, Jack crossed his arms across his chest and eyed the princess. “Very.”

She sighed quietly and set him down on his feet. “I ask because it worries me that more may have come across the barrier between our worlds. The economic ramifications alone are terrible, but-”

“You're worried some nut is going to use it against you. Maybe a nasty surprise at the worst possible time.”

Smiling thinly and nodding her agreement to his educated guess, Celestia resumed trotting with Jack at her side and his bodyguard trailing behind wordlessly. “As of recent events, I cannot overlook such a possibility. Is there anything we could do to stop a titanium weapon?”

Snorting as he light a another smoke, Jack cast a suspicious glance toward Celestia. “Am I a titanium weapon?”

An uncomfortable pause passed between the two as they came to a stop in the middle of the hall. Celestia closed her eyes for a moment and ignored the acrid burn of Jack's smoke. “Jack, you are more a shield than a weapon, whether you believe it yourself or not. I ask you as an ally, and hopefully a friend.”

“Acquaintance.” He responded dryly before answering properly. “Best way I can think of off the top of my head is a saboted light armour piercer with either a depleted uranium core or a tungsten carbide core. If I'm right the denser metals would punch right through regardless of armour. Uranium should kill them if they fuck off on you. Course if they aren't wearing armour, a copper jacketed hollow point will do the job just fine.”

Celestia stared blankly at him, before the realization slowly dawned on her. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying that if you got some shithead trying to shank you, kill him.” Jack pulled his cigarette from his lips and eyed its smoldering cherry.

“That's not how we do things here Jack. We're a peaceful nation, ponies aren't as inclined to violence as Terrans.” Celestia had looked over at him as he sucked the remaining tobacco back and snubbed the butt.

“Bullshit.” Jack flicked the butt away and stopped to stare directly at Celestia. The princess paused in surprise and stared at him as he continued. Pointing a pair of fingers at her for emphasis, Jack then pulled up his sleeve and pointed at the magical tag branded into his arm. “Four eight five nine. They knew I was intelligent, and they tortured me. I've killed thieves, murderers, and rapists here. You know what that means?” He didn't let her answer the rhetorical question. “It means your precious little marble is a lot closer to my dirty little ball of chaos than either of us would like.” He chuckled without humour. “Hell, put me in a real urban center here and I bet I'll feel right at home.” He paused, not looking at Celestia or Mythic as his eyes scanned the fine art and furnishings of the hall. “Still… You've made something amazing here, I can't deny that. But backing yourself into the corner of peace is only making you a juicier target for those who haven't.” He let out a quiet sigh. “Just some words to consider, I guess.”

With the two finally making eye contact, Celestia smiled pitifully toward him and bowed her head ever so slightly. “I will consider them, at the very least.” She paused to further consider the words, and her soft features fell. She had much to think about. “Are things truly so bad out in the world? I hadn't realized…”

Jack simply shrugged as they turned toward the door to the labs. “Sometimes you need to look at things from a lower perspective. See the forest for the trees, right? Now come on, you've got me interested in this thing you guys found and I'm tired of waxing philosophical.”

The trio pressed through the lab doors and into the organized chaos. Jack flicked open his packet of cigarettes and grasped for a spare to suck on, only to find it empty. His features turned sour as he crushed the packet and tossed it in a nearby trash can. As he turned his attention back to Celestia, he found her further up ahead looking over a jet black hardcase. Passing by a bank of experimental long range radios, Jack peered over the open lid. The others present all had their focus broken when he made a loud, happy noise. Ignoring any and all questions aimed at him, Jack reached into the hardcase and plucked the weapon from its foam resting place. The DP-28 machinegun had sat happily in the case with its tripod and loaded circular magazines, next to a heavy full face steel helmet. Jack cooed happily as he stroked the weapon and looked it over for damage or blemishes.

“I presume you know what this is then?” Field asked as he and everyone else watched the man fondle the weapon like a gentle lover.

“It's a machinegun!” He exclaimed giddily as he pulled the bolt back. “And everything is still here, it should still work!”

Petyr cleared his throat as he turned away from the case and turned his attentions elsewhere. “It must be very old then, Mar- Jack. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.”

Rolling his eyes as he set the weapon gingerly back into its case, Jack lifted up the heavy steel helmet and rolled it around in his hands, looking over the face plate and checking it for damage. The name Tachanka was stenciled onto it. “Come on Petey, you're Russian! This baby was a mainstay up until it was replaced with the RPK.”

“I'm a pacifist, such things do not interest me. Besides, I was born on Titan, I've never set foot on earth.”

Sputtering, Jack turned to stare incredulously at the man, before Luna broke his train of thought by leaning in and speaking. “Forgive me, but what is a machinegun?”

The Lunar princess pulled back ever so slightly when Jack whipped his head around to grin at her. “I'll show you!” He pulled the helmet on and snapped the hardcase shut. “I need training dummies, mannequins, anything like that, set up in the field by the training course. Celestia, I need my weapons out of the safe.” He pointed at Field's safe.

Surprised by the sudden animation of the man before her. Celestia thought hard on the idea of giving him access to more weapons. Of course, he already had several, and was bound to receive more. A little bit of shown trust may go along way in her favour. Nodding, Celestia looked to Field Note. “Please get them for him. I'll have someone bring mannequins out to the field. Is there anything else?”

Fishing out the ziplock baggie containing the contaminated glock, Jack grinned. “Got anyone who can clean this fast?”

______________________________________________________________________

For Flitter, class was dragging painfully. Almost half of the class had fallen asleep, and she could feel herself following suite swiftly as her head bobbed and her eyes demanded to be shut. The old crone up at the head of the class had decided to delve further into ancient pegasi military culture. He seemed to have it in his head that they were perfect in every way in regards to tactics, martial skill, and culture. Frankly Flitter found it so terribly boring that she had started doodling in her notebook, rather than taking notes. Beside her, Hazel was asleep on her shoulder and mumbling quietly.

However, when the class door swung open and a fully kitted guard trotted in, Flitter found herself sitting straighter to pay full attention. Only her attentions weren't aimed toward the professor. The guard cleared her throat and spoke loudly enough for the entire class to hear her clearly. “All officer candidates are to report to the training fields for a special demonstration, immediately.”

A curious murmur spread through the class as they all got up and began packing their things. Flitter gently shook Hazel awake as the professor complained to the guards present. Hazel jerked upward and began scribbling gibberish into her notepad, all while nodding her head and trying to blink the sleep away from her eyes. Flitter giggled lightly and smiled as she patted Hazel's back. “We're going on a field trip.”

Hazel quirked a tired brow toward Flitter, before noticing the class packing up. “Ohh...kay?” She began packing up her own things, before racing to catch up with Flitter and the others. The procession filed out orderly toward the guard training field, where a strange gathering of armoured mannequins were set up in and around some stone cover. Flitter immediately spotted Jack as he chatted casually with both princesses, a pack of scientists, and a number of royal guard officers. She couldn't hide her smile when he perked up and waved to her. As the class all took their seats on the audience bleachers, Princess Celestia trotted forward to address her subjects.

“Good afternoon everypony. I understand that you all are displeased over missing Professor Hill’s lecture on ancient Pegasonia, but today Staff Sergeant Kessle has a special presentation and lesson for everypony. So please pay attention and take notes.” The princess moved off to the side and watched as Jack stood at a small table, reloading and checking over the various weapons he had sitting by. Flitter noticed how Luna failed to hide her giddy prance as she returned to her sister's side.

Cracking his knuckles and snubbing his cigarette, Jack turned toward the crowd. “Alright, today’s lesson is on how to achieve peace through superior firepower.” He held up his a small grey pistol “This is the Glock eighteen c with an automatic fire selector and chambered in nine by nineteen millimeter. Now, I know that's a bunch of bullshit jargon at the moment, but it'll make sense in a moment. Probably.” He gestured toward the closest of the targets. “Anyways! Hypothetical scenario. Let's say that this here mannequin is the world's greatest swordsman. Getting within arm's reach is a death sentence. To make matters worse, his weapon is coated with a deadly poison! He wants to kill your VIP, and you don't have any magic nearby to deal with him. How do you take him down?” He listened for a minute, nodding and pretending to actually care about the answers. “All good answers, I'm sure. But, they all come with personal risk, right? Right. Well unfortunately for you four legs, they're also out of date!” He smiled as a lot of ponies frowned.

“There's always a level of danger, and Royal Guard tactics are the front line of warfare!” An indignant officer called out, which only brought a smug smirk onto Jack's features.

Hooking his thumbs into his beltline, Jack rocked on his heels and smiled at the officer. “That so? You guys got crossbows?” At the confusion, he rolled his eyes. “Right then. Let's make it interesting. If you can stop me, from stopping this here mannequin, I'll pay twenty of your little gold bits. If you don't! You pay up.” At the guard’s cocksure agreement, Jack smothered a predatory grin. Looking toward the princesses, he smiled sweetly. “A count down please.”

Luna nodded and watched intently as she began counting down from three. “Three.” The guard officer separated himself from his group and took a ready stance. Jack simply stood with his hands still hooked into his belt. “Two.” The guard took a steadying breath as Jack glanced toward the pistol that rested in his right hand. “One.” The final second passed by like an eternity for everyone. “G-” CRACCRACK Jack's arm had pulsed up in a split second and the weapon bucked twice, causing the observers to all jump and whiny in surprise. The mannequin rocked on its stand, one deep furrow cut through the side of its head, and the second half an inch from the first, punching through the skull.

Smiling like the smug bastard he truly was, Jack regarded the smoking gun, and then the shocked expression of the ponies around him. He raised his voice, using the moment of silence to his advantage. “Peace through superior firepower! Your enemy cannot stab your face if he can not reach you!” He turned the weapon in his grip and flicked a switch. Turning back to the mannequin, he leveled the pistol and let out two short automatic bursts, cutting the legs out from under the target. “Your enemy cannot finish his mission if he’s laying on the group bleeding from half a dozen neat little holes!” He suppressed a massive grin as the scientists and Luna all took down frantic notes. Placing the glock down on the table, Jack lifted his magnum. “This is the Chiappa Rhino, 200DS. It is chambered in forty four magnum, while the pistol you all just watched work is chambered in nine millimetre.” He ejected the magazine from the glock and plucked one of the remaining rounds from it. He then fished out a stray magnum round and offered them to the scientists. “I want to see both of those back, but compare the sizes. Bigger rounds carry more mass, but smaller rounds tend to be higher velocity. Larger mass means hitting harder, and increased velocity means it goes faster. Put the two together, and things like most armour-” He leveled his magnum with an armoured mannequin and fired. The thunderous report saw the crowd jump again, and the abused helmet on the mannequins ruined head twirl off in a twisted heap of golden scrap. “-Is worth sweet fuck all!” He gave the crowd a moment to recover, and for the bullets to go around.

“Then what's the point of wearing armour at all in a fight with a big thing like that?” Hazel asked as she sat next to Flitter.

Jack smiled and hooked his thumbs into his belt. “Because modern defenses will always be in an arms race with offence. I will demonstrate.” He hefted the heavy steel full face helmet off the table and pulled it securely down over his head. With his vision reduced to a tiny, unaugmented vision slit, Jack grasped the glock by the slide and chambered a single round. “Petyr, would you do the honours of shooting me in the head?”

The larger man baulked from the pistol and waved his hands in a dismissive action. “No, I refuse.”

Snorting inside the helmet, Jack waggled the weapon in front of Luna, who stared at it with wide eyes and failed to hide her desire. He waggled it once more, before the princess caved and snatched it up with her magic. “Yes, fine. How does it work?” Smiling under the helmet, Jack walked up close and gave her a quiet lesson on how to use the pistol. Once he was sure she wasn’t going to shoot him anywhere but the helmet, Jack took several paces back and lowered his head. The crowd all seemed to tense up in horrified expectation. Those who would had spoken up found themselves transfixed by the sheer idiocy of the demonstration. Luna slowly stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth and squintes at the sights as she levitated the pistol in her magic and drew a sloppy bead on the downturned helmet. A moment later, the pistol cracked, and the air was filled with a loud metallic twang as the low calibre bullet glanced off the thick steel. Standing tall, Jack pulled off the helmet and smiled.

“Point made? Point made! Moving on!” He set the dinged helmet down and braced himself against the table as he muttered quietly to himself. “ow, stupid...” Shaking the headache off, he turned back toward the crowd as they all watched attentively and took notes. “Now, let me ask you all this. Say you've got a whole squad, or hell, a whole platoon bearing down on your ass! You're the last one alive, and backup isn't coming! What do you do?”

Knowing better than to fall for Jack's bait, Flitter stayed silent and simply observed as another cadet perked up. “Retreat. If you’re outnumbered, then there’s no point in sacrificing your life for something so meaningless as a pile of dirt and rocks.”

Nodding, Jack look legitimately impressed. “Good answer Buttercup.” The mare blinked and openly pondered how he knew her name, but Jack ignored her and continued forward. “Now, in some circumstances that may be the best option, and at that point you take it. But let’s say for this hypothetical situation, you’re in such a position that retreat will only get you killed, and your buddies killed. I actually have a real reference for this. During one of Earth's largest wars, dubbed World War Two, there was a US army surgeon who found his frontline field hospital under attack by over one hundred enemy soldiers after they burst through the front. Captain Benjamin Salomon decided to hold the line by himself while nurses and less injured soldiers carried the critically wounded back behind the lines.” Jack laced his fingers behind his back and paced before the machinegun. “Salomon proceeded to kill over ninety eight of the battle hardened, blood thirsty enemy soldiers, and save the lives of everyone in the hospital and keeping the line from being smashed apart.” An incredulous gasp went out amongst those present.

“That’s impossible!” One of the officers called out, and Flitter inwardly groaned as her superiors continued to fall face first into Jack’s well laid out traps.

“It isn’t.” Jack crossed over to the machinegun and grabbed one of its fat disk magazine. Setting it in place, Jack pounded a fist against it to lock it into place, before racking the bolt. “Because Salomon had an advantage!” Jack then opened up across the field, liberally spraying every single mannequin with 7.62x54r rounds. The heavy rounds blew through the stone cover, and sent bits of mannequins and shredded armour flying in every direction as the thunderous cacophony of gunfire and chattering brass filled the field. Jack’s smile broke into a massive shit eating grin as he swivelled about, his heavy boots dancing through the pile of smoking brass. All too soon the weapon’s bolt locked open and the gun fell silent. Jack leaned on the weapon and surveyed the damage as the barrel of the machinegun smoked away merrily. Nodding in approval, Jack pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it off the smoking hot barrel. Turning toward the crowd, Jack grinned smugly as he pinned the cigarette between his lips. “Any questions?”

The remains of the stone cover crumbled loudly, filling the void of silence where every single pony present stared at him with wide eyes and expressions varying from terrified to aroused. Luna in particular seemed very hot and bothered, while Celestia looked gravely disturbed.

Jack sucked back on his cigarette and blew the smoke through his nose. “I’ll take that as a ‘No’ then.”

_________________________________________________________________

Several minutes after the thunderous showing of firepower, Flitter's class was released and given an assignment each to complete. Flitter waved off Hazel, and decided to wait at the edge of the field for Jack as he spoke with several very important ponies. It looked like he was explaining in detail how a firearm worked to a handful of officers and a large group of scientists. Flitter smiled softly and relaxed as she pulled out a local gossip magazine that featured a front cover sporting her favourite human.

He was grinning at the camera and covered in his bloodied and dust coated armour; a small brightly smiling colt was riding Jack’s shoulder as he made a strange two fingered gesture with his hand to the camera. His index and pinkie fingers were extended, while the others were folded into his hand. Underneath the picture was the bolded headline: Marine foalnaps colt in broad daylight!

Snorting derisively, Flitter idly flipped through the magazine as she waited. About halfway through the magazine, Flitter was drawn out of it by a very familiar and welcome voice. “Damn am I photogenic.”

Smiling as she got up and stowed the magazine, Flitter hugged Jack's leg tightly and nuzzled above the prosthetic. He laughed quietly and scratched between her ears as she spoke. “Are you alright? I can't believe you had princess Luna shoot you just to make a point!”

Coughing lightly and rubbing his face, Jack smiled weakly toward her. “Well… not one of my finer ideas, I'll admit. I kinda came to that conclusion the second the words left my damn mouth. I'm just lucky the princess is a terrible shot and the Ruskies know how to make a good helmet.” Flitter punched him in the thigh, earning a flinch and a yelp. “Ow, shit! What was that for?”

“For making me worry about you, you big dummy!” Flitter glared up at him, and was pleased to see him at least somewhat apologetic.

“Okay! Ow, Jesus you charliehorsed me… ow… Sorry.” He smiled weakly and gestured toward the door leading back into the castle as he rubbed his thigh. “Come on. I have something for you.”

Perking a brow in curiosity, Flitter followed Jack back to his room, where his night guard was waiting diligently at the door. The Sergeant nodded to them both, before resuming his vigil as he spoke. “I saw the show, very impressive Staff Sergeant.”

Jack rolled his eyes as he opened his door. “You keep calling me solely by rank and imma kick your ass.”

Taven smothered a grin. “Sure thing, Jack.” He watched as Flitter followed Jack into his room, before closing the door.

Inside, Flitter let out a soft sigh and flopped down on Jack's bed. “Ugh… I am so done with today…” Jack grunted his agreement as he went to his armour and dug through one of the pouches. Flitter didn't look up at him as he did. He soon crossed over the room, and set the glock and magnum down on his nightstand. The machinegun had been put back inside its hardcase and left by Jack's door. Flopping down onto the bed next to Flitter, Jack pulled out something pink and ribbony. Flitter looked to Jack in confusion, before she properly spotted the ribbon and gasped in surprise. “Y-you found it! O-oh…” She closed her eyes and managed a smile that was rife with emotion as Jack attempted to tie it nicely around her mane.

“I found it while I was packing camp. Forgot it the first night, so… yeah.” Jack patted her head when he finished tying the bow. “Right back where it belongs…” Wiping fledgling tears from her eyes, Flitter began leafing through her academy papers and books. Finding the one page she was searching for in particular, Flitter pulled it free and offered it to Jack. Raising a brow as he took it, Jack felt his own heart thump painfully as he stared down at an artist's rendition of his old squad. “Where-”

“I saw them in some of the videos, and I thought you'd like to have them with you.” Flitter smiled softly as Jack ran a thumb over the hoof drawn faces. Setting the paper down a little too quickly as his guts twisted up into painful knots, Jack pulled the small mare in for a very brief hug. Smiling weakly as they broke off, Flitter got up from the bed and gathered her things. “I need to go.”

A quiet moment passed between the two before Jack nodded. “Okay. See you around.”

“Be seeing you…” Flitter waved softly with a wing as she trotted out the door. The door clicked closed quietly behind her, and a moment of comparative silence passed.

Thumbing the picture idly, Jack suppressed a pained shudder as he stuffed it into his nightstand and slammed the little drawer closed. Standing on steadfast legs, Jack treaded out his door. “Sergeant.”

Taven perked immediately and began matching Jack's pace. “You need something?”

“Yeah.” Jack shakily lit a cigarette and puffed on it to calm his nerves and quell the thoughts of the medical case tucked away in his thigh pocket. “I need a bottle of whiskey or some kind of grain alcohol and somewhere I can get washed up properly.”

Eyeing Jack with suppressed worry, Taven nodded and began to lead. Soon enough, the Sergeant had managed to sneak a small bottle of hard alcohol out of the kitchen, and was currently leading Jack to the castle spa. The Staff present all seemed surprised to see the unlikely pair, but began getting things ready. A small human girl chirped curiously toward Jack, before being cajoled into doing her job of holding towels. With a grunt, Jack uncorked the bottle and didn't look at the mares as he spoke. “I need a private pool. Only humans and the Sergeant are allowed in.”

“But sir-” Taven cleared his throat and shook his head toward the mare, who sighed and relented, leading them to a side room. Once the door closed, leaving the pair alone, Jack took a long gulping pull off the bottle. Taven swallowed uncomfortably as Jack began stripping down to his skivvies. Once nearly naked, he sat at the pools edge and disconnected his legs. When his plugs and leg connectors were sealed, Jack took another long pull off the bottle before setting it aside and falling face first into the pool.

He sank slowly down to the bottom, his body trailing dirt, grime, and blood into the crystal clear water. His back hit the tiles at the bottom of the pool and he forced himself to relax. Closing his eyes and letting his mind wander, he ignored the creeping feeling of air leaking from his lips. I'm at home. I'm taking a bath at home. Everything is going to be alright. I'm okay.

I'm alright.

I'm okay.

I don't need anything.

I'm alright.

No I'm not.

Slowly opening his eyes and finding himself still submerged under the water, Jack let out a long stream of air through his nose and watched the bubbles bob to the surface. A furry face appeared over the pools edge and stared down at him, but the words it spoke were muffled and strained through the water. As his lungs began to burn from the lack of air left, Jack rolled up onto his rump and pushed himself to the surface with his arms. When his head breached the surface, he set his arms on the side of the pool to hold himself up. Taven let out a sigh of relief. “You scared me for a minute there… I wasn't sure how you'd swim back up without any legs…” The stallion looked over uncomfortably at the prosthetic legs as they stood stiff and ready by the edge of the pool.

“I went through water therapy in physio when I came back without legs. I can handle myself.” Jack answered gruffly as he pulled the bottle close and took a long draw from it.

“How did you lose them?”

Grunting as he set the bottle down at the pool’s edge, Jack rested his face on the cool tiles. “Bad luck. Now pass me that bar of soap.”

______________________________________________________________________

As Jack wandered back to his room and his bed, Peytr was busy. Very, very busy. The sound of heavy machinery pounding away filled the hidden yard as he and Celestia walked through side by side. Sparks rained down across dozens of levels of scaffold as ponies welded thick steel plates together. The project was coming along beautifully, and her sister project was almost complete.

“With the computer chips Martyr Kessle found, advanced tracking and other suites will be easier to complete, as well as the commander's post.” Petyr informed Celestia as they both climbed the stairs to the observation platform

“And the propulsion?” Celestia glanced back over at the large human.

“Will come in time. Communications was a primary concern, and the easiest to fix. If I can convince Martyr Kessle to part with his drone I am very confident we can bolster the technomagical output by using repulsor technology on Sword. Though I doubt we will be able to make the engine very small. Of course, experimental, so no good for Shield.”

Celestia nodded as they reached the platform. “Once Jack has been convinced to help our scientists reverse engineered your gunpowder and firearms, Sword will have her teeth as well.”

The pair looked over as the weapon pulpits of the project sat empty, but ready to receive dozens of weapons. Petyr sigh softly. “I still do not approve of building weapons of war, especially by such a peaceful peoples.”

“Neither do we.” Princess Luna spoke as she finished climbing the stairs, joining the pair to look out over the massive hull of sloped steel and riveted armour. “But if we are right, and Discord's warning proves to have merit… we will need every edge in this fight we can muster. Every blade, every bullet, every shell…” Her eyes drifted over the project. “Sword and Shield will be our first and last lines of defense.”

“Let us pray it never comes to that.” Celestia spoke quietly as she closed her eyes.

Petyr clasped his meaty hands together and bowed his head ever so slightly. <Yes, pray…>

Chapter Twenty Eight: Rage and Reparations

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Time passed by slowly during the coming weeks for Jack as it all seemed to merge together into an inconsistent paste of training, rough sleeps, heavy drinking and the occasional mission out into Equestria at large to retrieve strange objects. Sparsely sprinkled between the four facets were increasingly brief visits with Flitter, terse conversations with either princess, and time spent in the castle labs helping the scientists understand how basic ballistics and chemical reactions worked for firearms.

Rolling a capped syrette of morphine between his fingers, Jack sat facing away from his personal workbench with an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. Today was supposed to be the day that the griffon emperor finally arrived after so many setbacks and delays. Jack had agreed to stay out of the way, in return for enough bits to keep himself content while out on the town. Of course, spending those bits would actually require going outside the castle walls on foot. Swallowing thickly at the thought, Jack placed the syrette back inside the little medical case and set it aside. The bag of bits sat undisturbed on his workbench, next to the disassembled frame of an M16A4. It was lacking a lower receiver, so the weapon and its four mags of ammunition were practically useless.

He pondered what he could actually do in town and who he could finagle into coming with him for a long few minutes as he smoked. Flitter had begun to grow the tendency to snub his offers of adventure in place of studying and training. Of course, she was shaping up to be a fine officer, but it didn't change how it felt. He definitely couldn't invite the princesses, they'd draw far too much attention for his liking. Petyr was strictly ‘no fun allowed’, same with Field. Mythic and Baron were equally boring and stiff necked regarding Jack's brand of fun, and Taven would be asleep for several more hours. Sighing quietly as he stood and pulled a shirt over his now toned form, Jack rolled his shoulders and tied the bits bag to his belt. His magnum slipped into the concealed holster he'd scavenged from his ruined, empty plate carrier as he readied himself for a dangerous sortie beyond the wire. With an errant scratch at his scraggly beard, Jack walked toward his third floor balcony and simply stepped off the edge.

His exo skeleton and prosthetic legs absorbed the shock with ease, allowing him to stroll away unharmed and unimpeded. The gate guards seemed surprised to see him, but by now knew better than to think him an Equis human and let him pass unmolested. The sprawling metropolis of Canterlot laid itself bare before him, and Jack found himself even more lost on regards of what to do than before. Hooking his thumbs into his pockets, Jack began his leisurely stroll through the streets. Simply deciding on a random direction, Jack set off to explore and hopefully find somewhere to get terribly drunk before nightfall.

As he passed through the crowded streets, Jack took idle notice on how some ponies went far out of their way to avoid him. Some barely seemed to notice him, and others simply turned their noses skyward. A faint smile began to creep its way onto his face as he plugged his earbuds in and cranked up his music to drown out the rhythmic clipclop of hooves. Almost like Earth. As he wandered further into the city, the feeling of high class smug nobility gave way to middle class townhouse living and smaller streets that meandered aimlessly through the city. Eventually, Jack's wanderings found him standing before the boarded up front of the DRMSI building. His feet came to a halting stop as his hands clamped down hard. On a whim, he changed course toward the building's rear. A large bay door stood ready to accept shipments that would never arrive. Not anymore, thanks to him. Shoving his armoured fingers under the bay door, Jack heaved upwards and forced the rolling door upwards with his exo enhanced strength.

The inside of the building was dark and empty, having been emptied out months prior. Slowly walking under the bent door, Jack let it rattle back down and slam closed behind him with a crash. Now locked completely in the darkness of the loading bay, he took a deep breath of the dank air and began to walk into the building. He passed by labs and storage rooms, each as empty and as ransacked as the last. It appeared that the Royal Guard had been thorough in their searches, as barely a scrap of paper was left lying on the ground. As he began to get closer to the center of the building, Jack began spotting signs of combat. A blood spatter here, a musket ball embedded in the wall there, burns and stains and everything in between painted a hectic scene in his mind. Soon though, Jack found himself in a large, open lab that overlooked a familiar enclosure.

The past began replaying before him as he tried to recall it all in his mind's eye. The monstrous beast, snapping Akasha's neck and playing with her body. The primitive hunters throwing themselves against its hide to no avail. The sounds they made when it ripped them open. The sounds it made when it killed them. Like a child playing with it’s toys, a gleeful smile across it’s horrendous face.

Jack knew that whatever that thing had been, it’s creator was mad. Truly, utterly mad. He shuddered at the memories and grasped the guard rail to steady himself. His blood began to boil at the thought of the abomination that had once been a child, what it had done to the tribe. His tribe. They were dead and gone long before he had even awoken from his coma. The camp in the woods had been desolate and swiftly abandoned when he'd found the time to check in on the survivors. Cursing under his breath, Jack released the guard rail and turned his back on the enclosure to clear his mind. When he turned, Jack immediately spotted the faded name plate resting on the wood door leading into a ransacked office.

Dr. L. Maltenics, Project Lead

With his hands clenched tightly at his sides, Jack treaded into the office slowly and took it all in. To the side was a large bay window, like the observation platform, it had afforded her a view over the entire enclosure. The office was well ransacked, the guard having missed only a few scraps of paper and a small picture frame. Kneeling down and gingerly plucking the picture from it and the pile of shattered glass, Jack slowly turned the picture over in his hand. It was of an older stallion and a smaller colt. Maltenics’ family, presumably. Betraying thoughts flitted through Jack's mind as he gently set the picture down on the desk face up. Did I do the right thing?

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts away, Jack set off from the office and back into the facility. Of course I did the right thing. She had Delta King. And she was probably- No. No, she was apart of all of it. She's just as responsible for what happened as everyone else. Having a family doesn't make you any less guilty. Jack rubbed at his face as he wandered through the ruined halls. Without warning his heels skidded to a stop at a ‘T’ junction hallway. Stained into the floot tiles was long dried blood that etched the side of a fair sized woman. This is where she died. The event played again in his mind's eye against his will; clamping his eyes down and rubbing at them with his thumb and index finger did nothing as the sounds of Elissa choking to death on her own blood filled his mind. She'd held onto him as she'd died. In those final moments, she had relied on him to save her. He had failed. He had failed her, the tribe, everybody.

His body shuddered from the racking emotions as he slumped against the wall by the stain. “Oh God… I'm sorry Elissa….”

"jack..."

His eyes shot up and he immediately perked at the sound of her voice. “Elissa?” He forced himself to stand as the voice called out again, further down the hall. Following it as fast as he could, he pushed all reason from his mind. Maybe she hadn't died! This was a land of magic after all, anything was possible. Barrelling through a locked wood door that shattered under his weight and momentum, Jack found himself in another lab.

"Jack..."

“I'm here! Where are you?” He called out frantically as he turned in place. He found himself stopping just before a massive strapped operating table. Thick black stains marred the metal surface, and the straps were thick enough to probably hold even him down in his exo-skeleton. Realization dawned upon him as his eyes wandered over the equipment that was swiftly gathering dust. This is where they made monsters. Cold fury began to settle over his mind, and like a sickness, it spread through his entire being. Elissa’s voice echoed in his mind. Dr. Forge must die.

Through grit teeth, Jack smiled and openly agreed with her. “Doctor Forge is going to die.”

______________________________________________________________________

Finding his way out again had been child’s play, and it was back out into the street where he had chased Maltenics. Tracing his old steps, Jack soon found himself before a good sized club, nestled in with several other businesses. Despite the time, it was still open. The bouncer was standing outside, looking bored to death as the club must have been dead during the daylight hours. As Jack approached, the bouncer paid him no mind. By the time he had reached the doors, the bouncer had finally noticed him and was moving to get in his way.

“Woah there boy, no humans allowed. Go on, shoo!”

Jack snorted derisively as he continued walking toward the door. “What, you wanna see my ID?” He came to a teetering stop before the stallion as he started patting himself down. “Huh, gimme a second, must have left it in my other pants.”

The stallion at the door furrowed his brow as his mouth fell in disbelief. “Wait, you're- You're one of those smart humans!”

Rolling his eyes, Jack grinned wide for the bouncer. “Dingding! We have a winner! You wanna fuckin’ cookie or can I get my drink on?” Jack's venomous snark forced the stallion back a step as he scowled.

“Hey, I recognise you! You're that psycho human who barrelled through here a couple months ago and killed that mare! The boss wanted your hide on the wall! I oughta beat your butt right here and-”

The stallions sentence was cut short by a surprised yelp as Jack grabbed him by the scruff and hefted him off the ground with both hands. Pressing his face against the stallion's muzzle, Jack spoke in slow, careful words that did nothing to hide the violence he desired. “Then you go fuckin’ get her. I'll be inside, waiting for her. Capiche?” He dropped the dangling stallion on his ass. “Go on, go get her.” Jack snarled, before following the spooked pony through the club doors. The dance floor was empty, but the bar and booths were not. Ignoring the other patrons and the looks the present bouncers were giving him, Jack sidled up to the bar and grunted at the barkeep. “Something strong.”

Seemingly unphased by the look of the human before him, the mare shrugged and started pouring a glass of scotch and cola. She looked to Jack as she poured a single shot in, and continued to pour shots in as he rolled his hand, signalling her to continue. With room for maybe two shots left, he finally motioned for cola. The bartender slid the drink across to him, and arched a brow in curiosity as he drank. Draining the drink without pause, Jack smacked his lips and hummed thoughtfully.

“Not bad stuff huh?” The familiar voice asked, causing Jack to quirk a brow and turn toward it. To his surprise, Taven was sitting further down the bar. The stallion waved with a wing, and looked to be fairly far down his own chain of empty drinks.

Surprise was quickly overcome by jubilation in Jack's mind over having someone to drink with, finally. “What the hell are you doing here!? Don't you gotta guard my stupid ass in a couple hours?”

Taven laughed lightly as Jack took a seat next to him and had another drink poured. “It's my night off, so I figured, fuck it!”

Grinning and nodding, Jack toasted to the words and slugged back his drink. “To self destructive tendencies!” He toasted again.

Another voice joined them, this one he didn't know. “It must have been self destructive tendencies that brought you back here human.” Turning his head toward the effeminate voice, Jack caught sight of possibly the most angry unicorn he'd ever laid eyes on. The anger sat behind her eyes like a festering flame, and it served to keep Jack's traitorous tongue in check, If only for a few minutes. She was a relatively small white mare with a hilariously vibrant electric blue mane. “You're the one that ran through here like a banshee after some mare. Wrecked my wall and door.”

Meeting her gaze levelly, Jack simply shrugged. “I had a good reason, if it makes you feel better.”

She held her eyes on him for a long moment, as if sizing him up. Finally, she clicked her tongue and flashed a smile that held bigger canines than Jack's. “Okay. Follow me. I wanna chat at you.” She glanced over toward Taven, who was making a very good show of not wanting to be there. “Don't worry Taven, you're safe. For now.”

The guard grunted as he eyed his drink. “Thanks Scratch…”

She smiled like a hawk, before looking to Jack. “Come on, come on.” Without speaking, Jack plucked his third drink from the bar and followed behind her beyond the back door. They weaved their way through a small hallway that Jack had faint memories cannonballing down in pursuit of Maltenics. Coming to a temporary stop at one of the doors, Vinyl invited him into her lair.

As he sat down heavily on one of the plush, abused couches available, Jack sipped his drink and chewed his cheek before speaking. “So are we actually gonna talk or are you gonna try and kill me?” He took another sip of his drink and nodded his approval of it.

Smiling thinly, Vinyl sat down on her favourite seat and settled into it. “Chill dude. I bet you'd be a bitter cocksucker anyways.”

Relaxing only a tiny amount, Jack eyed the lair. “So, vampire, or something else?” He asked casually.

Vinyl seemed surprised, if only for a scant moment before chuckling. “Was it the teeth? Hm. You're sharper than you look boy.” Her demeanour changed smoothly from pissed off DJ to tired ancient. “So why did you decide to bust up my club?”

With a roll of his eyes and a scant barring of his teeth, Jack kicked up his feet and laid back on the couch as he answered. “Cuz if Dipshit the pony pressed the wrong button, Canterlot wouldn't be a mountain, it'd have been a crater. Mind if I smoke?”

Vinyl's mouth worked for a moment, before she pursed her lips thinly. “I'd suggest against it.” She stared at him as he sipped his drink and relaxed. “I still want money for repairs. Although….” She smiled, and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off.

“You have a very dangerous task I can do for you instead of paying to put me back in your ‘good books’.” He answered plainly, causing Vinyl to growl in disapproval.

“Let me finish, shithead.” She ran a hoof through her mane as he grinned. “You look like someone who can actually put up a fight, not just survive one.” He rolled his hand at her, motioning for her to continue with the compliments. “And I would say you're probably the right amount of crazy. How'd you like to beat a couple ponies into unconsciousness for sport?”

“First rule is you don't talk about fight club.”

Vinyl blinked and looked surprised. “How-... You know about it? Okay, makes my life easier.” She sat up and eyed him. “The Club lets bets go on before fights. So, boy, you're going to win the first two matches and throw the third.”

“No I'm not.” Vinyls temple vein bulged as she fumed silently at the man. He smiled thinly and sat up. “I'll fight, lord knows I need to beat the piss out of somebody, but if you expect me to lose just so you can make a couple extra bucks, you feel free to sign up for the third and make me.” Vinyl opened her mouth to snarl a threat at him, but found herself cut off yet again as he leaned forward and fixed her with a deadly serious stare. “And if you think you can threaten me with a painful death, I'd like to see you fuckin’ try, girly.”

A tense moment passed between the two, before Vinyl began laughing in amusement. “I like you! It's about time somebody in this town had some balls!” She grinned openly, baring her fangs at him. “Fight club starts at noon.”

“Noon?” Jack quirked a brow in confused curiosity. “Uh, Why?”

Vinyl simply smiled as she lounged and snagged a slice of cold pizza. “Night guards have better hearing. There's a backroom you can use to get ready.” She waved a hoof at him, signalling for him to leave. He did so, after snagging the last slice of pizza and running off to collect Taven. Vinyl glowered at the door for a moment before sighing and smiling without humour. “This should be entertaining.”

______________________________________________________________________

Back in the castle, Flitter was making use of her one day off to help Luna prepare the meeting room. During the dark days in Canterlot, the pair had fought together, and had found a sort of common ground. It had been Luna who had secured Flitter a position within the prestigious officers academy.

“I do hope the Emperor leaves his family in Griffonia this visit.” Luna said quietly as they adjusted the map on the table.

Flitter looked up from her corner with a curious expression. “Why’s that princess?”

The lunar princess rolled her eyes as she adjusted chairs and cushions with her magic. “He and his wife are lovely, being even more accepting of me than some of our own ponies after my return, but their daughter is a bully and their son is a brooding brat with a superiority complex.”

Nodding her understanding, Flitter finished the last of the organising and pawed at the stone floor. “Princess-”

“Please Flitter, call me Luna. After everything Discord put us through, I believe you've earned that much.” Luna smiled softly at Flitter as she trotted to the small mares side. “What is bothering you?”

Sighing softly, Flitter relented to the princess. “It's about Jack… I think he's doing really well now, but… I want to do more for him. What else can I do?”

There was a long pause as both mare looked to the windows and floor in thought. The answer was an obvious one at least. Luna sighed softly and wrapped a wing around Flitter's side. “Give him what he gave you, a stone to hold onto when the world goes mad.”

Flitter's features fell as she leaned against the princess. “Do you think he'll ever… like me? I mean… he seems to hate even being touched by ponies now, and I don't know why…”

“I believe that is a much more difficult question.” Luna gave Flitters side a pat with her large wing. “It has been a small miracle that he hasn't had a run in with Blueblood yet…” She shook her head and got back on topic. “If you make your feelings known to him, you will have your answer. It is a shame he woke up after Hearts and Hooves day.”

Flitter frowned softly and nodded her understanding. “I'll just… I'll think of something. “

“I'm sure you will Flitter. Ah, sister is coming. Let us greet her and the Emperor.” Luna affixed her royal regalia and nodded at Flitter's cadet uniform, which was pressed perfectly.

“Should I go?” Flitter asked cautiously as she glanced toward the door.

Smiling confidently toward the small pegasus, Luna shook her head. “I would like it if you stayed. I am grooming you for this sort of thing after all.”

Before either mare could speak another word, the Royal Guards at the doors pulled them open, and Celestia strode through with the griffon emperor at her side. The empress followed close behind, and thankfully not a single griffon more passed through the doors before they clicked closed behind the party. Emperor Wilhelm was by all means, a very large griffon. A veteran of many campaigns in combating rival griffon generals during the Griffonian Reunification Wars, he was a study of burly strength and commanding presence. The wizened griffon smiled as wide as was possible and ran a paw through his hair feathers before grasping Luna's offered hoof and shaking it respectfully.

“A pleasure to see you again Princess Luna.” His wife Ophelia cooed happily behind him, and was next to greet Luna warmly.

The empress was equally happy to see the princess of the night. “The telescopes you sent have made for many a wondrous night, princess.”

Luna smiled and bowed slightly to them both warmly. “It is a pleasure to see the both of you again, though I wish it were for more pleasant happenings.” She glanced to the door and felt her question rising in the back of her mind. “Have you left the prince and princess back at the capital?”

Sighing as he relaxed into a prepared chair, Emperor Wilhelm drummed his talons on the fine wood and gold trimming of the table. “Carolus is leading a small expedition to the north, despite my wishes otherwise. Gilda has come with us, but has decided against joining our meeting. She and her guard are out on the town, and I pensively ask for forgiveness for the trouble they will cause.” His eyes fell on Flitter, who was still standing at ease over Luna's shoulder. “This must be the young cadet Falenas I have heard rumblings about. A pleasure.” He offered his talons to Flitter, who regarded them with worry for a moment, before taking them and shaking.

“It is an honour, your majesty.” Flitter managed to keep her cool composure as she fell back on her training and held a calm face.

Clearing her throat as she sat down across the table from the others, Celestia looked to the pair of royal griffons. “Emperor Wilhelm, Empress Ophelia, we have much to discuss. We mustn't tarry.” The pair nodded, and everyone shifted their attentions to Celestia, who held grave features. “Nearing his defeat, Discord gave us a rare gift. A look into his plans, and a warning.” A confused look crossed the griffons' faces and Celestia continued. “He was willing to kill myself and Luna, to upset the balance of the entire world to stop this apparent threat. He left us with a prophecy.” She took a moment to compose herself. “When the forged Progeny run free and the second sun looms, Order will retake what is rightfully his.”

The group shuffled uncomfortably and mulled over the prophecy. The empress was the first to speak. “Is this ‘Order’ possibly a new threat? Like Sombra, or Discord himself?”

“Perhaps it is not. After all, Discord is the essence of chaos given form. What if this ‘Order’ is his balance? It would only make sense for him to try to turn us against this new being.” Emperor Wilhelm mused quietly as he drummed his talons. “A most disturbing revelation either way…”

Nodding her agreement with Celestia, Luna leaned forward slightly and smiled thinly. “We for one, have decided to not take this new threat, real or imagined, sitting on our rumps. After the events of Discord's human attack, we have learned that we cannot rely on the Elements for protection from all threats.” All eyes were now on Luna. “A sword and a shield are being created, to protect all from any threat.”

Celestia picked up where she left off. “We offer an armistice with Griffonia, one stronger than the trade agreements and goodwill we share now. To keep all creatures safe, and form a valid response to all threats regardless of nature.” She slid the prepared declaration across the table toward the Emperor and Empress who both read over it intently.

“I see… room for many more signatures on this page Celestia. Will the other nations be entering the fold?” Empress Ophelia asked as she shared a look with her husband.

“That is the plan, yes. Queen Omega of hive Alpharious will be arriving within the week, and Chancellor Selkin is due to arrive during the Grand Galloping Gala. The others have yet to respond.” Celestia rested her hooves on the table and regarded the griffons. “We must put aside age old grudges and bear arms together.”

Emperor Wilhelm stood and offered his paw to Celestia. “To a brighter future for all, together.”

Taking his paw with her hooves, Celestia held him with a level stare before nodding in agreement. “To a brighter future.”

______________________________________________________________________

The gathered crowd roared with approval as the two stallions collided in the ring, grunting and snarling at each other as they fought for dominance. Inside the warehouse on Canterlot’s edge, almost one hundred ponies had gathered to watch, bet, and participate in the spectacle of blood sport. Jack grinned openly as he waded through the crowd with Vinyl in front of him leading, and Taven behind him looking very surprised and uncomfortable. The crowd roared again as one of the stallions gained the advantage and slammed the other into the ground. As they reached fighter registry, Vinyl turned to Jack and motioned for him to get closer.

“I'm your manager. You better not be wasting my time human.” She warned, before getting down to business. “Not a lot of rules here. Bare hooves, no eye gouging, no groin shots, no magic unless specified, no weapons, and when the other fighter goes limp or taps you stop.” She paused to let it all sink in. “You need a nickname. How's ‘Fucking Bastard’ sound?”

Snorting, Jack cracked his knuckles and looked to the fight as the top stallion rained blows on the other stallion. “Nasty Jack.”

The mare scrunched her nose in distaste. “That's a shit nickname.”

He simply nodded and gestured toward the registry. “Uh huh. But it’s mine.” Rolling her eyes as she turned, Vinyl trotted up to the registry as Jack turned to Taven. “Okay, here's the plan.” He untied the sack of bits from his belt and handed them to Taven. “Bet for first fight knockout, second round tap. Me, obviously.” He disengaged his exo skeleton and stuffed it into the bag that Vinyl had provided for his belongings.

Taven frowned as he was handed everything. “I really don't like the feeling of all this Jack.”

Jack simply smiled at Taven. “You're my wingman Taven. I've got your back and you've got mine. Right?” He held out his closed fist, knuckles first to the stallion.

Returning the smile, albet weakly, Taven bumped Jack's fiat with his hoof. “You can rely on me Jack.” Jack grinned wide and snapped a swift salute, before joining Vinyl’s side for registry.

A few minutes later, Jack was added to the roster and awaiting his turn to enter the ring. Vinyl paced beside him, looking unhappy as he wrapped boxing tape around his hands and knuckles. “So you've fought before? Dammit, I should have asked that first…” Ignoring her question, Jack pulled his shirt off and rolled his shoulders to work the muscles. Vinyl turned her head toward him, regarding the myriad of intricate tattoos and scar tissue that ran his muscled body with interest. “And here I thought just your face was fucked up. Alright, well, at least you're in shape.”

The announcer interrupted any further discussion between the two as she bellowed. “AND NOW, FOR A NEEEWW FIIGHTEEER! GIVE A BIG WELCOME TO, NAAAASTYYYY JAAAAACK!” Jack held his head high and strode into the ring as the crowd roared their approval of fresh meat.

He hefted a wrapped hand high into the air and pounded his chest with the other as he roared. “UURAH!”

The crowd laughed as he paced, assuming his pumping to be bravado. The announcer mare smiled and directed the overhead spotlight to the opposite end of the ring. “AND NOW FOR A RETURNING FIGHTER, A FAN FAVOURITE, THE ONE, THE ONLYYYYY, GOOOOLLDEEEN WRAAAAATH!” The crowd roared louder than before as a large muscular earth pony trotted into the ring and bowed dramatically, eating up their attention. Vinyl winced painfully as the opposing fighter grinned. Taven glanced toward the mare as she held a towel and a water bottle.

“This isn't good Taven, Golden Wrath for the first fight?” She cursed unintelligibly under her breath before growling. “I better not be wasting my bits.”

Smiling weakly, Taven shrugged and returned his rapt attention to the fight that was about to begin. “Jack's full of surprises Vinyl…”

“FIIIIIGHT!”

The stallion charged forward, bellowing as he lowered his head. Jack's heels squeaked nearly imperceptible on the floor as he shifted off the the side out of the stallions charging path and brought his right leg up high for a kick. As Golden barreled passed, Jack's coiled leg snapped out and stomped the stallions foreleg at the knee midstride as all the stallions weight sat on it. The wet pop of a violently dislocated limb sounded out in the warehouse and Golden let out a surprised shriek of pain. The shriek didn't last long as Jack pounced on the downed stallion and drove a series of heavy hammer blows down onto his skull. Within seconds, the bloodied stallion was beaten into unconsciousness and Jack stood victorious. He began resuming his pre-exercise stretches, warming up for the second fight as the surprised announcer scrambled for her microphone. The fight had lasted less than twenty seconds.

“W-WE HAVE A WINNER BY KNOCK OUT! NAAAAASSTY JAAAAACK! WHAT AAAN UUPSEEET! PLACE YOUR BETS FOR THE SECOND ROUND, NASTY JACK VERSUS IIIINDIIIIGOOO RIIIIIPPEEER!”

Vinyl was clopping her hooves and cheering ecstatically. “Yeeaaaaah! You kicked his fuckin’ ass!” Jack simply shrugged and grinned as he cracked his knuckles, flexing the bloodied hand wraps. She turned to Taven and shook him by his collar. “We've got a champ!” The stallion seemed terrified as the mare pulled him close and grinned with her massive fangs showing.

Closing his eyes and focusing, Jack repeated his internal mantra.

Inhale. Count to four.

Exhale. Count to four.

Inhale. Make it hurt. Count to four.

Exhale. Make them remember your name. Count to four.

“LET'S GIVE A BIG WELCOME TO, IIIINDIIIIGO RIIIIPPEEERR!!! “

The crowd roared their bloodlust as Jack opened his eyes and locked onto the wiry pegasus. Jack muttered to himself as he stretched his arms across his toned chest. “Make him tap. Make it hurt.”

The following three fights were violent, bloody affairs as Jack worked out his aggression on the hapless fighters. He hadn't been paying attention to anything but the targets in front of him, so he hadn't been watching the crowd. Vinyl was grinning wide and clutching several bet stubs that had been checked off. Taven had made more accurate bets, but his pile looked considerably smaller. The sweat that clung to Jack's body was being patted away by Vinyl as she practically force fed him the water bottle.

“You're doing great, a couple more fights and-”

Jack shook his head as he finished the water and tossed the bottle aside. “One more. That's it. I doubt a new door and some fuckin’ plaster are worth that much.” He gestured lazily toward Vinyls stub pile, which forced her to scowl and attempt a poor plead.

“Come on man! Just a few more!” She dangled another water bottle before him and smiled as it was snatched up by the man.

The announcer trotted back to her little raised platform and picked up her microphone, interrupting Jack the moment he opened his mouth. “ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTS, WE HAVE A NEW FIGHTER ENTERING THE RING, A CHALLENGER FOR TONIGHT'S UPSTART CHAMP! GIVE A BIG WELCOME TO, SUUUURRGIIICAAAL FUUUURRRYYYY!”

Jack rolled his eyes at the name and glanced toward Vinyl. When he saw her eyes wide with shock, he turned to regard the newcomer. His own jaw tried to fall open, but was clamped shut post haste despite his own shock. Standing beside a cocky looking griffon, was a rather stocky woman with short brown hair. She smiled at him and waved, before dropping a locally made jacket into the griffons waiting talons. Jack turned from Vinyl without a word and approached the center of the ring, where the woman met him. The woman was well built and obviously in great shape, but to make matters much worse, Jack spied the instantly recognisable emblem of the SAS tattooed on her shoulder.

The woman raised her wrapped hands for him to tap. “This is gonna get bloody, innit marine?”

Jack returned her smile and tapped her hands, earning confused looks from the spectators. “It's the way of our people.” He immediately returned to his corner and adopted a considerably more professional stance. The woman took up a stance that spoke of predatory aggression and highly trained skills.

Behind him, Vinyl tried to get closer so she could be heard. “Who is she? You know her?”

Tensing as he waited for the call, Jack muttered. “Looks like we're only getting one fight after all.”

“FIIIIIGHT!”

Instead if the explosive starts the spectators were used to, both combatants only paced forward a few steps before beginning to slowly circle each other. All noise died down in the warehouse as everyone watched with bated breath to see what would happen. Surgical eyed Jack like a predatory cat, waiting for the split second his guard fell. He did everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen.

Without warning, the pair pulsed forward and struck at each other. The sounds of balled up fists meeting flesh echoed through the eerily quiet warehouse, only to be punctuated with a suppressed grunt of pain from Jack. The pair broke off again and returned to circling each other; Surgical wiped a thin line of blood from her mouth and Jack favoured the ribs that she’d driven her knee into. Again they met in the center, dodging and striking at each other, picking away at their rivals defenses. It was becoming painfully obvious that Surgical was far faster than Jack, on top if that she was fresh to the fight. A failed uppercut from Jack earned him a flat palmed strike to his nose, which crunched painfully and began bleeding profusely. Following through with a sweeping leg, Surgical cried out in surprise and pain as her fleshy shin impacted the ceramic plates that armoured the vital components of Jack's prosthetic legs. Blinking through the tears and ignoring the pain, Jack's fists lashed out and caught the woman off guard. Without pause he grabbed hold of her and tossed her hard into the ground.

The pair fell to the ground and began the immediate fight for ground control. Using what little advantage he had left, Jack focused on forcing Surgical to tap as fast as possible by pinning one of her well muscled arms between his legs and twisting. The woman grit her teeth in agony as she squirmed and tried to break free of the pin; her free hand grasped and scratched at his prosthetic. As Jack twisted the arm a little bit further and the muscles in her shoulder began giving way, Surgical fingers found purchase in his legs release socket and pulled. With his pin falling the pieces as his leg popped free from its socket, Jack had a scant moment to utter a nasally curse before the woman wrapped her own legs around his arm and pulled herself onto his chest unimpeded.

Jack's vision went white as he balled up fist struck his temple hard and rattled his brain. He felt his muscles screaming in pain as Surgical twisted them in ways they were never meant to go. He could barely hear the cries of Vinyl and Taven, urging him onwards to victory. The voices were quickly beaten out of his head as Surgical began hammering down on his head with both fists and verbally repeating her own mantra.

“Gotosleepgotosleepgotosleep-”

It was a pleasant moment when he fell away from his own battered body into the embrace of unconsciousness. That moment quickly faded as his eyes fluttered once, revealing Taven and Scratch standing above him, trying to rouse him. The sounds of the world were slowly beginning to filter back in over the sound of rushing blood inside his ears. The next to return was the painful throbbing agony that curled around his abused body.

“I think he's awake.” Taven peeked over into Jack's eyes and waved at him, trying to get his attention. He earned a very pained groan in response as Jack forced himself to sit up.

“Wherth muh legh…” Even his voice sounded beaten to a pulp as he tried to blink away the tears the broken nose brought forth.

“Oh, uh… here.” Taven dragged over his stray leg and looked to Jack with open worry. The stallion sighed to himself as Jack struggled to get his leg to pop back into place in its socket. After a moment of struggle, it connected with a muted click and his leg flexed. A bruised and bloodied hand jutted down into Jack's tunnel vision; as he looked up to see who it belonged to, he found it connected to Surgical. The woman smiled despite her abused features, and gave her hand a shake to emphasise it. Taking it with his own abused hand, Jack was helped up by the smaller woman, who clapped his back and laughed.

“You're a right tough bastard ain'tcha? I had to go fookin medieval on yah.”

The griffon at the woman's side sneered at Jack's ponies, who scowled at her in return. Jack simply shrugged as he wiped a bit of blood from his face. “Ah get that ah loht.” He winced as he gently touched his broken nose.

For her part, the woman winced in sympathy. “Well, good fookin fight there mate. Me an’ Gil gotta head to some fookin’ castle and see the folks. Maybe ring me up?”

“Oh what a cooihncidehnce… ah need tah go toh a chastle toh.” He muttered out and motioned for the bag Taven was carrying. Pulling his exo skeleton from it, Jack ignored the looks he got as he threw it on and let it hold him up.

“Yer a fookin Longbow? Shite. No wonder those limbs wouldn't pop easy like.” Surgical chuffed in mild amusement before limping a bit. “If’n we’re headed to the same place, mind letting me lean?”

Shrugging weakly, Jack looked to Vinyl and smirked. “Told yah, ohne fight.”

The mare scowled hotly at him. “You owe me bits for that lost bet.”

“Ah thought youh wahnted meh tah throw?” He flipped her off and grinned, despite the pain it caused him to. Turning to the others as Vinyl stormed off, Jack beckoned for them all to follow him.

______________________________________________________________________

By and large, the meeting with the Emperor had gone incredibly well, with both of the griffon rulers pledging to join the cause and to the additional caveats the treaty had entailed. Now, Wilhelm, Ophelia, Luna, and Celestia were walking through the halls, chatting pleasantly. A cry of alarm rippled out through the guards in the Grand entrance hall, which drew the Royal group’s attention. Celestia frowned heavily as she lead the group toward the disturbance. Her displeasure grew tenfold as her eyes fell on Jack and his bodyguard. The man looked like he'd picked a nasty fight and lost; his face was blackened with bruises and his nose was bent the wrong way. Next to him was another human, this one limping and equally beaten to a bloody pulp. They were both bleeding on her carpets. The pair and their followers froze upon spotting the Royal party descending the stairs towards them.

Wilhelm spoke first in a low warning growl as Ophelia frowned heavily. “Ada, what did I say about starting trouble?”

Celestia held a similar tone as she held Jack with her gaze as Luna groaned and rubbed her face with a hoof. “Likewise, Jack.”

The pair of bloody humans traded a glance between themselves, before speaking in unison. “I can explain.”

Chapter Twenty Nine: Fallout

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“Hey! Wait, nonononoNONO- OW! FUCK!” Jack cursed vibrantly as his nose cracked and crunched back into place as the doctors saw to his wounds. He snorted and sneezed, spattering the hospital smocks chest with mucusy blood. “Ow.”

The nurse smiled thinly with a hint of sadism. “Aw, I thought you were a big tough guy, did that hurt?” She only smiled further as Jack grumbled and cleared his nose loudly. The mare's horn flashed and she enveloped as much of his head as she could with magic.

Taven set his hoof over Jack's hand as he immediately tensed. “Easy big guy, it's just a spell to reduce the swelling…” Taven had been quite sure that he had been staring the end of his career dead in the eyes when the Royal party had descended upon them, but thankfully Jack and Ada had managed to take most of the brow beating. It had reached a point where Taven was half certain that Jack might have even enjoyed it. As Jack slowly relaxed and let out a muted sigh of relief as the swelling around his eyes went down, Taven found himself wondering again exactly how Jack had gotten so far out into the city without any supervision whatsoever. “Jack, where are your other guards?”

The large man grunted as he sat on the edge of the bed and held his eyes on the nurse. “Probably still guarding my door.”

“How did they not see you leaving?”

Jack smiled lightly. “Took a shortcut. Now, how much casheesh did we make off all of that little adventure?” He waited patiently as Taven dug through the payment of bank notes.

“Uhhm… Around twelve hundred.”

“That a lot?”

“More than I make in a month.”

A smarmy grin broke out across Jack's features as he fished a cigarette from one of his pockets and lit it. “Baller. Now let's get the fuck out of here, the smell of antiseptic is making me twitchy.” The pair swiftly moved to exit the hospital, only to run into Ada and the doctors struggling with her.

The woman cursed brightly from inside her hospital room, and not a moment later a unicorn orderly bolted from the room with a look of terror on his muzzle. “Let that fookin’ serve yah right!” A cackling laugh followed as Jack stuck his head in the room. The woman immediately looked away from the nurse at her side and toward Jack. “Well if it ain't the man o’ the hour! They fixed your face up nice didn't they?”

Smiling as he offered a hand to help her up and off the bed, Jack simply shrugged. “Fuckin’ horse magic, what can I say?” His smile turned to a grin as his two day guards cantered past Ada’s room and moved toward where he had been. “Man, I sure would hate to be those two in a minute.” He patted Taven's side lightly. “I'll see you tomorrow T’. Try not to stir up any trouble eh?”

The stallion smiled as exhaustion filtered through his body. “Without you around? Pretty much impossible. See you later Jack.” The pair saluted each other lazily before Taven split off and left to resume his normal day off.

With a groan, the woman on the bed hefted herself up onto her booted feet and winced as she favoured her injured leg. She gestured toward his legs as she spoke. “Nice clankers yah got. Thought they were real up til’ I kicked em’.” She winced again and shook her head, before pointing toward the door that led out of the hospital wing. Catching her drift, Jack grinned and nodded, helping her reach the doors. The pair swiftly exited the hospital, leaving Jack's confused guards behind to search for him.

Strolling leisurely through the gilded halls, Jack held a small ice pack against his face to keep the swelling down. He glanced toward Ada and considered his questions before speaking. “Where’s your charge?”

“Who, Gil? She's wither’ folks.” The woman idly scanned the artwork that adorned the walls. “Like the Royal palace. Wacked…”

Jack quirked a brow in curiosity. “You ever go inside Buckingham? Actually, what year were you taken?”

Pausing momentarily to consider his questions, Ada let out a slow sigh. “Yeah, got the George Cross over some tripe in Pakistan, awarded by the king ‘imself.” She seemed to chew her cheek as they walked. “Got taken right off the CQC course in Hereford, full kit and two mags for my L90, what good they fookin’ did for me.” Ada snorted lightly as she gazed out of one of the massive stained glass windows. “October first, twenty twenty.”

Stopping before his door, Jack gawked at the woman for a moment. “Then… you don't know?”

“Don't know what?”

“We got invaded!”

Ada rolled her eyes. “The fook are you on about marine? There's always someone getting fookin’ invaded-”

“Earth! Earth got fuckin’ invaded!” Jack shook his head as Ada jerked her head toward him and stared with wide eyes.

“You're takin’ the piss mate.”

“I'm not!” Jack opened the door to his room and began the arduous task of filling someone in on almost two decades of missed Terran history. With his armour and rifle as proof, as well as the videos in his helmets hard drive, his point was made, and Ada sat down heavily onto the bed.

“I missed it… biggest fookin fight in alla’ history and I fookin’ miss it to go play mute Sherlock Holmes in fantasyland…” She rubbed her face slowly as Jack grunted and nodded his agreement while digging out a fresh pack of smokes.

“So-” Jack paused to light his cigarette and take a seat at his workbench. “How the hell you know about the Longbow program? That was some pretty deep Secret Squirrel shit.”

Rolling her eyes as she snagged the smouldering cigarette from Jack's hand, Ada puffed and sat back with a content sigh. “Some Hades Corp. scumbag pitched the idea to the SAS, woulda took too if it didn't just up and kill perfectly healthy soldiers.” She shrugged, before looking over his armour. Her gaze remained for a long moment before she let out a long drawn out breath. “I fookin’ hate this place…” She took a short drag and scowled as Jack quirked a brow at her. “Don't gimme that fookin’ look marine. You couldn't ‘ave had it any better out here.”

Sitting back and idly fingering the magical tattoo on the inside of his forearm, Jack grimaced at the memory. “Hasn't been easy, but from what Sunbutt says there's no way home anyways. Make do, right?”

Snubbing her half finished smoke, Ada grunted at him and sat in a somewhat defeated position. “I need a fookin’ drink…”

“Now you're speakin’ my language, sister.” Jack smiled lightly as he stood and gestured toward the door. The woman at his side managed a grim smile, which quickly turned to guarded readiness when a pair of armour ponies burst through the door.

“There he is! By the sun and moon, Jack, where have you been!?” Mythic cried out as they approached. His hoofsteps faltered as both he and Baron registered the unamused looking woman sitting next to Jack. “Who's that?”

“She followed me home. Can I keep her?” Jack fought to keep his shit eating grin down and only received a cuff across the back of the head for his attempt.

“The only thing you're keeping marine, is the promise o’ booze. Come on now, march.” Ada prodded Jack along, earning pained grunts for her efforts as they passed by the two shocked guards.

As the door clicked closed behind the pair, Baron shuddered and let out a weak, defeated moan. “Now there's two of them…” Mythic shuddered and shook his head, before gently patting Baron’s side and leaving to follow the pair of humans before they could stir up too much trouble.

______________________________________________________________________

In the royal labs, the Royal party had arrived, and Petyr was in the middle of explaining how the extended range of the new radios was achievable to the Emperor and Empress. There was talk of placing at least one in every village for emergency purposes, even if the price would be high. To the side, Field was biding his time with his report of the progress of Sword and Shield. His eyes were immediately captured by Flitter as she stood at Luna’s side. He cleared his throat lightly, drawing the mare's attention. She smiled tiredly toward him as she spoke quietly.

“Hey Field, what's new?”

The stallion returned her smile readily. “Oh you know, our usual. You look very stunning in your uniform…”

Flitter's tired smile turned weak and embarrassed. “I look the same as everybody else Field.” She yawned quietly before rubbing at her face.

“Would you like some coffee? We just brewed a fresh pot.” Field offered, and found his smile returning as Flitter nodded.

In front of the Royal party, Petyr was doing his best to explain how the concept of radio towers to extend general range of radio signals would benefit everybody involved. The Emperor stroked his feathers in thought as Petyr fought passed his accent to get the point across. “I see… it seems so simple when put like that.” Wilhelm smiled toward the large man. “I should invite you to the capitol one of these days to show a thing or two to our scientists and engineers. I know my son would love to pick your brain on a number of subjects.”

As the others remained focused on the mundane radio and other projects of the science team, one member of the Royal party had grown bored and was idly snooping through paperwork as the others were distracted. Gilda’s brow slowly raised as she began slowly skimming through a collection of pictures involving some kind of golem and a strange musket. Under those pictures, was a conceptual breakdown on the complex interactions of a machinegun. The chemical formulas and technical drawings went far over her head. Soon enough however, she found something that pulled her attention away immediately. A detailed technical drawing, with the header SWORD. It was some kind of slopped box with a trio of long tubes protruding from it. If she could guess from the proposed scale, it was going to be big.

Petyr’s voice was growing closer, as was the click of talons and clop of hooves. Setting the drawings and pictures back down, Gilda did her best to look inconspicuous. “With the Martyr's help, the workings of the project have begun to move much faster-”

Ophelia smiled toward her daughter, before politely interrupting the human. “Forgive me, but who is this ‘Martyr’? I'm not familiar with that name.” Her husband nodded his agreement.

For his part, the large man seemed slightly embarrassed at his slip up. “My apologies, he's asked that I not call him that anymore. I believe you met Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle earlier? He is… somewhat of an idol among my people-” Petyr pointedly ignored the startled choke from Luna. “But I… may be somewhat biased toward him.” He admitted sheepishly.

Nodding their understanding, Wilhelm looked over the labs and nodded his approval. “We have been working on several projects of our own. I'll have Snowclaw send along our research. While I doubt you Equestrians have much use for weapons, I believe it will be a step toward our mutual goal.” He offered his talons to Celestia, who shook them readily.

“Mr. Field? Petyr? Please have copies of our current projects save for Sword and Shield sent to Ambassador Snowclaw.” Celestia smiled toward the Emperor. “It may come as a surprise that we have a weapons project of our own Wilhelm. With luck they won't be needed.”

Empress Ophelia treaded forward to nuzzle her beloved’s side. “And of Sword and Shield? Will you be sharing the works on them, whatever they may be?”

“Indeed we will.” Luna trotted to her sister's side. “When they are completed. You must understand that many of our officers may suffer a stroke if we went through with full military disclosure.”

Chuckling lightly as he nodded, Wilhelm looked to his wife and daughter. Letting out a soft sigh, he opened his beak to speak, only to be interrupted by a plume of dragon fire, and a tightly rolled scroll dropping into his outstretched paw. He took a moment to unroll it, and if the frown on his features was any indication, something was amiss. “I apologize, but we must take our leave immediately. Carolus has returned from the north far ahead of schedule.”

“What about Ada?” Gilda asked icily, noting the absence of her bodyguard to the others present.

Luna glanced to the others and smiled thinly. “I am quite sure she is wherever Jack is. Flitter, could you find them and inform Miss Ada that her group is leaving?”

Looking up from her cup of coffee, Flitter faltered for a second before setting the cup down and nodding. “I'll find him.” Field lowered his head in near dismay as the fresh coffee went unheeded. She quickly trotted out into the hall and paused to think of where Jack could be in the castle.

The first, most obvious location was his room, which stood empty and unguarded. The next was the dining hall, which besides from a few staff, was empty. A check in the spa and bathhouse was equally fruitless, and Flitter was about to employ the help of one of the guards when she was struck by the realization that he'd likely be drinking his face off. She immediately set off for the small guard tavern in the lower reaches of the castle. Passing by the forges and armoury, Flitter finally found the tavern door and pressed inside. Just as she entered, she heard Jack laughing.

“Oh God! That’s terrible!” He laughed raucously and drank as the woman across from him grinned and relaxed.

“Well, what about you marine? What’d you deal with? Couldn't have been any worse than everybody trying to season you for nummies and a human serial killer trying to smoke you.” Ada took a long drink and grinned at the marine, her cheeks flushed red. Flitter immediately disliked her.

Jack rubbed at his face as he stared at his drink. “Well, ponies, y’see, besides the whole treat you like a dog and casual torture crap, they got this weird bestiality kind of thing going. Little rapey.”

“What!? You're pulling me fookin’ leg! Oh lordy, that's nasty.” Ada laughed before pointing at him. “You go native? Eh marine? Maybe chase a bit of easy, literal tail?”

At the hot scowl Jack sent her way, Ada withdrew her teasing as he drank. “Not by any choice of mine. I'd rather never touch another pony if my life depended on it.” He leaned back into the booth and Flitter felt her hopes shimmer and die all in one fell swoop. With her ears pressed against her head she approached and cleared her throat. Jack perked and glanced over, only to grin tipsily and haul Flitter off her hooves and onto his lap before she had a chance to open her mouth. “If it isn't my favourite little commissioned pone! Flitter, this is Ada. Ada, Flitter, Flitter, Ada.”

Flitter squirmed in Jack's lap as Ada lazily lifted a hand in greeting. Grunting out her own greeting, Flitter fought to at least get comfortable as she spoke. “I'm supposed to tell you that the Emperor and Empress are leaving ahead of schedule.”

“Tsk, shite. A’ight then. Swear I can't go more than five bloody minutes before something goes arse up.” Ada levered herself up and stretched. Flitter felt her hackles rise as Jack watched the woman for a moment before getting up as well and setting Flitter down in the booth. Draining her mug of its contents, Ada hummed in thought before nodding in moderate approval. “Y’should come and visit Griffonstone. Maybe we’ll have some real drinks and see where the night goes.” She grinned and winked as she slapped Jack's shoulder. “See you around tinman.”

“Later Trouble.” Jack idly waved as he sat back down and finished his drink. His eyes followed Ada out, and lingered at the door for a long moment. He let out a light laugh as he shook his head. “Why's it always the women who can kick my ass who do this shit to me?” He looked over as Flitter ruffled her feathers and tried to appear not completely jealous and bristly. Naturally in his imbibed state, all he saw was a fluffy creature in need of attention. Flitter squeaked in surprise as he pulled her back into his lap and gave her ears rapid scratches. He ignored the looks his bodyguards gave him as he worked Flitter over with his fingers. “Who's a fluffy pone?”

“I-I am…”

“Yes you are! My favourite fluffy pone!”

Flitter squirmed in his grasp and felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as some of the guards present chuckled at her suffering. “J-jack- I- I need to tell you something-”

“Hmm?” His attentions didn't cease, and a lot of attention was now falling on the pair.

“Stop!” His hands immediately stopped as he leaned forward to get a good look at her. His own features were etched with equal imbibed confusion and concern. Flitter pulled away from him and shot a scowl at him. “Just… Don't, okay? What's gotten into you anyways?”

Immediate regret slowly filled Flitter's conscience as Jack's good mood visibly faded to be replaced by his neutral unhappy expression. “Sorry. Won't happen again.” He pulled a cigarette from his pocket pack and stuck it between his lips. “See you around.” He pushed himself up and out of the booth and lit his smoke as he treaded toward the door.

Cursing herself, Flitter hopped out of the booth and chased after him. Once they were in the hall Flitter called out to him as she galloped to catch up. “Jack! Wait!”

He didn't stop. “Why?”

“I-” Flitter growled to herself and flapped her wings, gliding the last of the distance to his side. “What's gotten into you?”

“What's gotten into me?” He turned on his heels and shot an angry glare at Flitter that had her ears pressed against her head. “The hell’s gotten into me? Oh, what? Now that you're an officer you can't be seen spending time with your lowly enlisted buddy?”

Flitter suppressed a pained whine as his words struck deep. Anger began to well up in her chest toward the intoxicated bastard before her. “What was I supposed to do Jack? You were embarrassing me!”

“Since when did anybody else's opinion of us matter Flitter?” His anger turned to pain as his scarred features twisted with sadness. “We're supposed to be in this together and all you're doing is pushing me away …”

“We are in this together-”

“It’s becoming pretty obvious that we're not.” Jack dropped his cigarette under his boot and squashed it into the marble.

“Stop being so fucking moody!” Flitter burst. “The hell happened to you, that you can't act and reason like a normal person anymore!? You're a mess! Just man the fuck up and cut this shit out!”

The brand scar pressed deep into his shoulder twinged in pain as his hands clenched tightly at his sides. “this place happened.” He muttered hotly before turning on his heels and treading out of the undercroft. Flitter called out to him but he didn't turn. “Come talk to me when I'm sober or when you can make time in your busy schedule.”

As Jack left the undercroft and his guards trailed behind him at a safe distance, Flitter let out a frustrated scream and flew off in the opposite direction toward her room to vent.

Jack's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he walked, his previous good mood all but gone now. He paused briefly at his door to regard it. Mythic glanced toward Baron, and took a step forward. “Sir? Are you alright?”

“You're dismissed.”

The pair of guards blinked in surprise. Mythic tilted his head ever so slightly as he took another tentative step forward. “Sir?”

“You heard me. You're dismissed.” He pushed into his room and let the door close loudly behind him.

Baron looked toward Mythic and shrugged. “Well, orders are orders right?”

The stallion shook his head and took his position by Jack's door. “Last I checked his name isn't Princess Jack. I'm not leaving my post.”

“Well then we should probably take up positions inside, unless we want him to slip away on us again.” Baron smirked as Mythic shot a flat glare at her, before nodding in defeat and opening the door so they could enter. Outside, the sun had begun its slow descent and was casting long shadows over Jack's quarters. The large container that they'd retrieved on their first mission sat squared up against the corner of the room, and was slowly being converted into a secure storage locker for all the myriad of weapons and dangerous items they'd retrieved. Jack himself had stripped off his exo skeleton and had sat down at his workbench seat. He eyed the pair of guards as they entered, but didn't send them away. Instead, he lit another cigarette and puffed on it thoughtfully.

“Guess my words aren’t worth shit anymore. Either of you ever fired a gun before?”

The question caught the pair off guard as they shared a glance between themselves and shook their heads. Mythic stood by the door with Baron as she spoke. “No, we don't have any muskets in the Royal Guard.”

Jack chewed his cheek thoughtfully and shrugged. “Well, if'n you two are actually gonna be any good at keeping me in check, you're gonna need to know.” He wandered into his container and began rooting around.

Approaching the container to peer in, Mythic quirked a brow with interest. “But we don't have hands, how could we?”

The stallion jumped a bit as Jack tossed a small pistol at him. The weapon bounced off his helmet, and was promptly caught in Baron's magic. Jack treaded out and pointed at it. “That's how. I've been fuckin’ about with an idea for a kinda saddle deal for you non-magical fuckers, but I still gotta wait on the boys in the forge.” He hefted a large stand up that held a piece of perforated wood. Treading over to Baron, he picked up the fully armoured mare and ignored her cries of protest as he set her down in position. Righting the weapon in her magic, he pulled it closer and aligned it before her. “Okay, line up the front sight with your target, and gently squeeze the trigger.” Baron glanced to Mythic with open worry as she held the pistol in her magic and Jack held her shoulders to steady her. With Mythic's encouraging roll of a hoof, Baron swallowed nervously and slowly squeezed the trigger. The following gunshot saw the small block of wood fall over with little fragments of wood fluttering down around it.

Pushing her helmet up with a hoof, Baron found herself smiling happily in astonishment. “I hit it!”

Gently rubbing his abused face, Jack forced a smile and patted her head. “Congrats, you now know everything you need to know about shooting someone.”

“That's… that's it?”

Grunting, Jack pulled the pistol out of her magic with a bit of effort and ejected the magazine before racking the slide. Popping the errant round back into the stick, he held the pistol so the mare could watch what he was doing. “Safety. If it’s on, the weapon doesn't fire. Mag goes in til’ it clicks. Mag release is here.” He racked the slide again, and shot the board a second time. “Simple as that.” He set the pistol down on his workbench and winced in pain.

Mythic took a few cautious steps forward as he watched Jack gently touch his busted up face. “Are you alright Jack?”

His fingers had been brushing across the smooth plastic of the morphine case, but Mythic's voice stopped them in their tracks. He sighed quietly and patted the case gently. “Truthfully? I ain't been alright for a long time.” He smiled weakly toward the pair. “But I'll live. Now, I gotta get some sleep.” He glanced out the window toward the failing light of the day. “Sergeant Varenikov should be on board soon. You two can go if you want.” The pair shared a look, before nodding respectfully. They didn't realise he was lying. Baron was first to the door, while Mythic lingered. Jack rubbed his split cheek and waved away the stallions unvoiced concerns.

When his guards had left and the door had clicked shut, Jack allowed his anger to finally rear its ugly head. “Act like a normal person… I can't believe that shit.” He snorted hotly and rubbed at his face despite the pain it caused him. His eyes flicked back to the morphine case and the niggling little voice of desire returned. “Maybe… just one wouldn't hurt… to help me get to sleep…” His fingers soon found purchase on the small case and it popped open easily. He didn't want to use any of the syrettes, but he had to. The needle punched through his skin with ease, and he failed to hold back his moan of ecstasy as he slumped into his bed. His following dreams were twisted by the potent drug.

______________________________________________________________________

Luna's hooves made no sound as she trotted cautiously through the twisting and weaving paths of the dreamworld. The ocean beneath her rippled like water as her hooves touched it; every dream visible to her sat like a calm, pleasant ball upon the water. She could see a faint, distorted vision of each dream as she passed; if she were to focus her mind enough, she could hear the faint sounds of those dreams. As she monitored the dreams of all those under her rule, she eventually came across one that was slowly becoming a nightmare. The vibrations of the distressing dream slowly reached out across the ocean of dreams and called her to it, so with little effort she slipped into the dream like a ghost and set about righting it. The small foal within the dream was scared that they'd never find their cutiemark, and that they would be left behind by all of their friends. It was simple enough for the princess to see to that fear, and by the time she lifted herself from the dream, its distressed vibrations had all but ceased and the foal was sleeping pleasantly.

As she set her hooves back onto the dream ocean’s surface an echoing thump sounded out from across the dreamscape and a small wave washed up around her hooves. A deep frown overtook Luna's expression and she immediately set out to see to the disturbance. She knew who it belonged to long before she saw it. The dream sat on top of the ocean like the others, but it was pulsating and shimmering with the colours of violence. The perfect sphere of Jack's dream swiftly became imperfect as it twisted and pulsed like a dying creature. Luna frowned heavily and stared at the nightmare as she considered her options. While she had agreed to stay out of Jack's dreams, his dreams had been subdued as of late. This new one was beginning to create waves that could threaten her if she was uncautious. With her mind made up, Luna pushed into the chaotic nightmare.

Her hooves sank into hot sand that bit and burned at her fur and flesh; the acrid stench of spent gunpowder and smell of burning ozone made her fur crawl. She soon realized that she wasn't within a simple dream, or memory dream, but within a suppressed portion of the psyche. It was almost as dark as the dreamscape she had just come from, but in the distance the sky was deeply scarred by rippling towers of flames that further stained the sky black. Far off in the distance she could see a solitary figure plodding through the deep sands. Setting off as quickly as she could, Luna worked to catch up with the figure. She soon came up upon Jack, clad in his EOD bomb suit. He turned momentarily to regard her, his face was split and bloody under the thick visor.

“They're burning the rigs.”

Luna quirked a brow in question just as the sky split open and oily rain began to fall. Quickly copying Jack's protective clothing to keep herself safe from the burning rains, Luna tensed with worry as the sands shifted violently beneath them and the oily black rain began to pool. In the pools she could just barely make out memories playing within them; those she could discern made her fur crawl. She would have to be incredibly careful, delving into psyche’s was incredibly dangerous at the best of times. And right now was not the best of times. The best way forward was to simply work Jack through whatever new issue he was having.

“Jack, what is troubling you?” Luna shifted nervously as her eyes scanned the ever shifting horizon. Something just seemed off about the dreamscape, like something was influencing it in ways she was not used to.

“Hurts.”

His quiet, muffled answer caught her off guard. She watched as he sat down heavily in the oil pitted sands and allowed the rain to build up on his thick visor. “What hurts?” She sat down before him, and felt her flanks sinking into the hot sands.

“Everything… I just… want to not hurt…” He shuddered in his suit. “I want to go home…” He slowly laid back onto the sand and stared up at the oily black clouds overhead.

“I am sorry Jack… Everything has been moving so fast we haven't had time to try and help you.” She internally berated herself for the slip up, and made a note of speaking to Celestia about it. “We just thought that since you were doing so well, perhaps you didn't need as much help as we thought.”

“Distractions.” He mumbled quietly. “Just gotta drink, and smoke, and train, and fight… makes it go away for a little while…” The dreamscape pulsed and seemed to crush in on itself; the sand now whipping around as high winds threw them this way and that.

Sighing to herself as the high velocity sands blasted the protective suit she wore, Luna allowed a moment of silence to pass between them. She knew better than to push the inner psyche too hard; it was a finicky aspect. It would speak of things that the waking mind would rather die than speak of. It would share secrets, and inner desires. It could give a look into the most inner workings of somebody’s mind, but any move, any word taken the wrong way, and the aspect could react unpredictably. Its domain was chaotic by nature, and if it lashed out, it could seriously harm even a highly skilled dreamwalker such as Luna. She would have to tread carefully and appeal to his inner nature.

A chuckling laugh pulled Luna out of her musings and to another man, leaning against a large round stone. The other man wore no protective equipment, but seemed otherwise unaffected by the buffeting sands. Of course, if the new man was going to be worried about anything, it would be the sucking chest wound that was sitting just to the left of his sternum. “Appeal to his inner nature? Tsk tsk.” The well tanned man smiled down at Jack. “Do you even know what his inner nature is? Do you seriously think it's even intact? Ol’ Nasty Jack here’s all kinds of busted up inside, I don't even think he knows. “

Luna stood and faced off against the newcomer as Jack remained motionless in the sand, allowing it to slowly bury him. “Identify yourself.” She narrowed her eyes at the man.

“Where are my manners? I'm Mark Volk. Or at least, he knows me as Mark Volk. The real Mark died years ago, but he still carries him. It's adorable in a futile sort of way. To you though, I'm a wonderful little gift he was left with when the big man brought him here.”

“Why?” Luna growled as she secretly charged a spell. She would have to be very careful with her casting, one errant spell could mean disaster.

Mark grinned and showed off his pearly white teeth. “To make sure he does the right thing. Now, I think it's time for his sleep to return. Buh bye now, Princess.” His hands glowed brightly as he lifted them to point toward the princess. Acting quickly, Luna sidestepped the blast and returned fire with her own magic. The sands were now so agitated that it was growing impossible to see anything save for the brightly coloured blasts of energy as the pair traded shots. “You're only making things worse, Princess.” Mark teased as he detonated the crawling dune she was taking cover behind. The man grunted as a bolt of energy from the princess’ returning fire grazed his across the side. “Do you honestly think you can make me leave? His head is mine, Princess!”

“You hold no power here, Aspect of Discord!” Luna shouted back as she jumped to cover. Her magic was having little effect on the man. She would have to think of something else, and fast. Drawing a weapon she knew from Jack's dreams and levitating it in her magic, Luna began laying suppressive fire down upon the mental intruder. Mark moved with unnatural grace as the steel spikes slammed into the sand around him, but he couldn't escape the storm entirely. As the man disappeared from sight, Luna rushed forward and grasped the drag handle on Jack's armour and slowly began pulling him free from the sinking dune with great effort. “Come on Jack, fight!”

He slowly turned his head toward her as she fired away at the sand dunes beyond. “Fight? I… but I've already fought so much… I just want to go home and sleep.” He twitched as the staccato gun blasts going off around him buffeted his body. Mark's returning fire began stitching the ground around them; the skies above pulsed a furious red as a round plucked at Jack's protective suit. “I want to go HOME.” He snarled as he pushed himself up and away from Luna. He staggered into the center of their firefight and clutched his heavy helmet before letting loose a gut wrenching howl of anguish. “GO AWAY!”

The skies ripped asunder as all hell rained down on Luna and Mark, the intruders within Jack's mind. The sand heaved and Luna spilled over a dune as great howling machines descended upon them, nose mounted cannons roaring loud enough to make Luna believe that the very fabric of the dreamscape was being ripped apart by them. The sand dunes began detonating with monstrous force, sending Luna and Mark flying. As she hit the ground hard and rolled, Luna prepared her next spell as quickly as her mind could handle. It was going to be sloppy and rushed, but if it worked she'd be alive. The roaring machines overhead loosed underslung bombs that hit the desert and burst into walls of seething flames that curled her fur under the suit even as the spell went off. A sphere of incandescent white light swiftly surrounded Luna, and soon she found herself falling through the dreamscape.

The fall lasted a mere second, before her projected aspect landed hard inside her physical body. She jerked in her bed as everything came back far too fast, and she fell off her bed because of it. A gasping breath rattled her chest as she struggled to sit up and her guards burst into her room. Ignoring their cries of alarm, Luna shuddered and spat out a mouthful of oily sand and shook her head. “I must check on Jack…”

Her pair of guards perked in confusion, but ultimately they ceded to her whims. The trio began a swift trot down the halls toward Jack's room, and found the door perforated and ruined by prior automatic gunfire. Any of the guards present in the hall had taken cover behind anything solid they could get their hooves on. “How long has it been since he started?” Luna asked with worry as she scanned the guards for any wounds.

“About five or so minutes Princess. We heard screaming and then gunfire. We haven't been able to enter.” The night guard answered as her eyes flicked to the destroyed door. A human maid wandered past them, completely unaware of the danger. When the maid wasn't perforated, Luna stood and cautiously began moving toward the door.

“Jack? Are you alright in there?” When no answer came, Luna slowly pushed the door open with her magic and peered inside. The large bed had been kicked over in a hurry, creating an impromptu barricade against any perceived attacks. A pair of beady eyes stared back at her over the bed's edge. Noting the lack of weaponry pointed toward her, she continued forward and trotted around the soft barricade. “Jack?”

The man blinked blearily at her. “What?” He set the automatic carbine rifle down and kicked at the shell casings that littered the floor.

“Are you alright?”

He peered at her, before sticking a finger in one of his ears and wiggling it. “What?”

“I said are you alright!”

“I can't hear kinda.” He groaned and sat down against the wall while cradling the stubby carbine. He continued to poke at his ears in a futile attempt to regain a portion of his hearing.

Luna rubbed her muzzle idly in frustration, but she couldn't take it out on the man before her. After all, it was somewhat her fault. “Should I call a doctor?”

He waved her off as he made faces. “I kinda heard that, I'm alright… ugh, maybe not…”

“What do you mean?” Luna perked a brow at the man as he slowly flopped over onto the floor and warm shell casings.

“Kinda still drunk, kinda really hung over… face hurts… nuearg….” He slowly curled in on himself like a dying spider, and only managed to look somewhat more pitiful. The sight brought a mildly amused chuckle out of Luna as she laid down on the floor next to him and pulled him in with her wings. Jack sucked in a breath through his nose and tensed immediately. “What're yah doin?”

“I am hugging you. Calm yourself.” She wrapped her wings around him and hugged him to her side. “It is generally considered friendly.”

Jack grunted as he relaxed somewhat. “Uh huh…”

The pair remained as they were for some few minutes, before Luna spoke. “So has Flitter spoken to you recently?”

His features twisted fouly as he fidgeted. “Yeah. She made things pretty clear on where we stand.” Pushing himself up and off the ground, Jack rubbed his bleary eyes and grunted in disgust. He stumbled into his bathroom and began splashing water onto his abused features. As the princess crossed over to his bathroom to see him, Jack ran his fingers through his twisted knots of beard and stared at himself through the numerous shards of cracked mirror that clung to the cabinet.

“What happened to the mirror?” Luna asked curiously as she peered at it.

“We had a disagreement on what should have been there. Things got violent.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the cabinet. “Does your world have aspirin?”

Luna nodded, and set off to have the guards bring him some. As she left earshot, Jack looked back over to his broken reflection and muttered to himself. “The hell is wrong with me?”

Chapter Thirty: Pig Iron Juggernaut

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The Royal meeting chambers stood empty, save for a solitary alicorn who gazed out across the magically enhanced map that laid across the large oaken table. Celestia sighed softly as she rested on her throne. It was moments like these, where she was completely alone and undisturbed that she was allowed to drop her royal mask. A thousand years of stress and hard decisions had earned her some very deep lines that she worked hard to hide. The door to the chambers cracked open, before swinging wide to allow her sister entrance. The doors closed behind her with nary a sound as she trotted in and took a seat at her own throne. Her fur was seemingly singed in several places, and Celestia could make out fine grains of sand in her sister’s coat.

“Are you alright, Lulu?” She asked with concern lacing her voice. It wasn't often that her sister allowed her appearance to drop so dramatically.

Luna sat back and groaned as she sank into her seat. “I went against my better judgement and dove into a REM dream.”

Celestia perked a brow in curiosity. “And?”

“It belonged to Jack.”

“Ah.”

Beginning the arduous process of clearing the sand from her coat and mane, Luna let out a grunt of agreement. “Discord left an aspect inside his psyche, same as the other humans. We had an altercation, and Jack's inner psyche lashed out.” She looked over as Celestia sighed and nodded. “He is hurting, Tia. We've neglected him in favour of more… likable humans and our projects, and I can see it having adverse effects on him.”

“What would you have me do, Lulu?” Celestia rumbled with frustration. “There is little we can do in this situation, the projects must be seen to.”

“There is, Tia.” Luna placed her hooves on the table. “We're alienating him inside what is supposed to be his new home. He is no better now than he was when he first came to us. If anything happens to him, we will be losing a valuable asset, and a possible ally.”

“While I agree that something must be done, there is little I can do at this time beside giving him his work. I have my hooves full directing the accord.” Celestia sighed softly and ran a hoof through her flowing mane. “Queen Omega will be arriving soon. Apparently she's heard reports from her network regarding Jack and she would like to meet him. Do you believe he is mentally fit enough to behave himself?”

Getting to her hooves, Luna nodded. “I do. And if you are unable to help him, then it is up to me.” She nuzzled Celestia lightly and managed a soft smile. “Try to rest today sister, I will see to the country.”

Nuzzling back at Luna, Celestia stood as well and smiled in return. “I doubt either of us will get a full sleep anytime soon. I wish you luck Lulu.” Celestia watched as her sister nodded, and trotted out of the meeting room. Her eyes returned to the map, and all of the insecure territory surrounding her land after a thousand years of peace. “I'm going to need more soldiers…”

______________________________________________________________________

Flitter paced back and forth, her wings fidgeting in agitation at her predicament. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night prior thanks to Jack, and today she had possibly the most important test of her entire life riding in front of her. It was her commission exam, the final test regarding her cumulative learning within the officer program at the academy. If she passed this, she'd move onto the next stage to earning her lieutenant bar. Needless to say, she was having a mild panic attack. Hazel traded a look with Field as they sat over the researchers officer table sharing a small pot of brewed coffee.

“Do you think she's going to pass out?” Hazel hazarded a guess meekly as Flitter muttered to herself and fidgeted excessively. She had her earbuds in, and was listening to the PDA as she paced.

Field looked equally unhappy about the situation, but Hazel couldn't discern why. “She's a very tough mare, I doubt a bit of hyperventilation will kill her…” Any further conversation was halted when the heavy bulk of Petyr’s footfalls shook the lab as he ran. Field immediately perked and looked out at the large man as he ran up, red in the face.

“I have the Martyr's drone, quickly pass me tools and we break down repulsor technology!” He gestured rapidly and spoke a rapid fire line of Russian. <Now, come on now, I haven't all day!>

Surprised by the indecipherable words being yelled at him, Field quickly pulled over the rolling tool box with his magic. “Should I get the others?”

“Da! Yes, now!”

Flitter pulled out her earbuds and rubbed her face as she looked over the unfolding scientific chaos. Hazel quickly extracted herself from the station and approached Flitter's side. “Hey, want to go get some food in town before your test? I find food always helps me think.”

“I'd… like that Hazel… let's go.”

Hazel smiled happily as she led Flitter toward the laboratory doors. “Maybe you can tell me what happened then.”

Grunting in disgust, Flitter's wings shivered with agitation and her ears pressed against her head. “I got in a fight with Jack last night. He was drunk and there was another human woman… ugh, he can be such a pigheaded bastard sometimes and I just want to smack it out of him, but…” Flitter sighed as they trotted down the halls. “He's still my friend Hazel, and I'm upset and frustrated that I can't help him through his problems. I said some things I didn't want to, and he took them really badly.”

With a wince of understanding, Hazel nodded and held the door open for Flitter as they trotted out into the blazing warm summer sun. “Sounds like you two need to sit down and talk.”

“We can't- I can't… I have too much to do, so I'll just… give him his space.” Flitter tilted her face up to suck up more of the wonderfully warm sun as Hazel sighed quietly at her side.

“Well, you know him best, let's hope you're making the right choice.”

Flitter winced and let her ears fold against her head as they neared their destination. “Yeah. Here's hoping.”

______________________________________________________________________

“Staff Sergeant Kessle, Princess Celestia has requested your presence in the meeting room, right away!” The gold armoured mare quickly cantered off after leaving the message with Jack as he sat in his room staring at the proposed plans for a battle saddle.

Waving his hand at the door but not turning his attention toward it, Jack muttered as he rubbed his sunken cheek. “Uh huh, be there in a moment.” He slowly pried himself away from the drawings and handed them to Baron. “Run these down to the foundry boys. Tell them I can't find anything wrong with the design, but if they're going to use a pack feed they need to protect it.” He stood and groaned as Baron nodded and cantered off. “Fuck me if the whole castle isn't alive when I'm hungover. First Petyr, now this shit.” Jack sighed lightly as he pulled on a clean shirt. “Come on Myth, let's go see what Sunbooty wants.”

With Mythic following on his heels. Jack made his way slowly down to the meeting room after making a swift detour into the kitchen to berate the fuming chef and steal some breakfast. The heavy gilded wood doors stood tall and ominous before him, but in his morning fog he barely noticed them as he ignored the guards stationed there and walked through. Inside the meeting room was a massive table, made to seat around thirty creatures, regardless of shape or size. Celestia and Luna sat side by side, and seemed to be waiting for him.

“Ah, so good of you to join us so quickly Jack.” Celestia spoke dryly with a hint of sarcasm. “A guest has expressed the desire to meet you in person.”

He grunted as he sat down heavily and gnawed idly at his pilfered breakfast. “Must be pretty important for you to want to be in the same room as me.” As Celestia opened her mouth to follow the line he'd left out, Jack waved a hand dismissively and leaned back into his chair. “Fuck it. Let's get this over with.”

Sighing at the terse conversation between her sister and Jack, Luna looked over toward the man across from her. “Jack, do you know what a changeling is?”

He quirked a brow as he spun a cigarette between his fingers. “I recognise the name, hold-” His features twisted as he tried to remember. A look of mild distress began to pass over his features, causing Luna to shift uncomfortably.

“Are you alright?”

His features twitched as he gestured erratically with his hand. “I… one of my brothers used to play a game that had them but…” The princesses looked to him with curiosity that swiftly turned to concern. “I can't remember his name…” Jack's fingers drifted up to the large ‘Y’ shaped scar that dominated his forehead. He seemed to suddenly remember that he was in the presence of others, and he promptly bottled everything up as swiftly as he could. “Sorry, continue.”

Clearing her throat, Celestia explained further. “A changeling is a shapeshifter. They have a natural insect-like appearance, but please refrain from calling them one. Queen Omega especially.” She looked up as the door opened and her guest entered.

Queen Omega was a considerable specimen of changeling physique, and was taller than Chrysalis had been when she had launched her attack. A short crop of vibrant orange silk mane framed her features as she scanned the room with attentive orange eyes. A well meaning smile spread across her muzzle as she and her retinue moved to take their seats. “Good day Princess Celestia, Luna.” She summoned a stack of paperwork and set it down on the table. “Is this the Maximilian human I have heard so much about? Or is this the Staff Sergeant Kessle?”

Jack for his part didn't make a complete idiot out of himself as he stood and bowed slightly, before offering his calloused hand toward the queen. “Staff Sergeant Kessle. Can't say I've ever met a Queen before. It's an honour.”

Taking the hand within her hoof, Omega smiled curiously, before her eyes opened wider and her pupils dilated. “M-my my, you certainly are an emotional powerhouse Mr. Kessle. You intelligent humans continue to be increasingly interesting.” She swallowed thickly and laughed lightly. “My apologies princesses, I was curious and got a bit more than I bargained for.” She quirked her head toward Jack as he looked over his hand with confusion. “I sampled your emotions.”

Raising a brow in worry, Jack retook his seat and managed a brief smirk. “Sounds dangerous for your health.”

The queen changeling hummed and sat back. “Very diverse, and heavily concentrated. You bottle everything up, don't you?”

“I use it as a Molotov.”

The pair shared a laugh as Luna and Celestia shared a look between each other that said where in the world did this come from? Biting the bullet, Luna cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Now that introductions have been made, I believe you had something for us?”

“I do.” Omega slid over the stack of parchment. “Over the last few months, we've been keeping Chrysalis’ hive under surveillance, and my operatives have been keeping their ‘ears to the ground’ as it were over these human devices you’ve been snatching up.” She pushed two fat folders forward to the princesses. “We have found a seemingly large cache of crates with strange markings, and some in Equish.” A set of sketched drawings immediately drew Jack’s attention. The words 84mm HEDP, and 7.62x51 NATO Tracer immediately stuck out. As his eyes flicked over the other symbols, he began to grow equally worried and excited. He managed to keep his excitement down, showing only worry. Omega picked up on his emotions immediately and her ears flicked in response. “You understand these, don’t you?”

He nodded in return and gestured toward the Panasian writing. “That’s probably Korean, I think. Maybe Japanese, but it’s all moonrunes to me. The rest…” He looked to the Princesses, before motioning subtly with his head toward Omega. When they gave him the nod, he continued. “Looks like explosives. Guns. Ammo. More than we’ve found all together, in one spot. Maybe some gear too.” He tapped the sketches. “This isn’t random. it can’t be. This is a stockpile.”

“What is this second report?” Celestia asked, doing her best to ignore the grim tones Jack’s words carried.

The second report was considerably larger, and seemed to pertain to a spot of dirt. Omega provided commentary, thankfully. “Chrysalis’ hive has gone dark, severing connections with the others. After her failure to take Canterlot, they have been severely weakened, so doing so makes little sense, unless-”

“Unless somebody else has her back.” Jack interrupted as he looked over the reports. The royalty around him seemed surprised, but thankfully he decided to expand on his claim. “If she’s supposed to be weak like you claim, then she’s probably depending on the other hives for supplies, right?” At Omega’s nod, he sighed. “So that means she’s getting it from somebody else now. Or something changed. Something to turn this Chrysalis to full isolationist mode and try her luck that way.” He paused for a moment. “How much distance between the two reports ground wise?”

“Twenty kilometers…” Omega slowly trailed off.

Jack set his jaw and nodded. “I need a team. Enough muscle to get every last crate out of the stockpile, I need eyes on the ground and I need a way to transport these materials fast.” He looked up at Celestia, his face not carrying a hint of emotion. “And I needed them yesterday.”

“The Coming Dawn is still under strength and recovering sister.” Luna spoke quickly as she looked over the reports. “I will alert some of my Elites, and have them escort Jack.”

Nodding, Celestia frowned grimly at the pages. “We’ll fly them all there by carriage, but this is… these reports are based around the Appaloosa area. The Sunlight Express runs the badlands corridor there, I'll send a request that they freeze all operations and cede control to the guard in the meantime.” She looked to Jack. “It's the fastest train in Equestria, completely steam powered.”

“Can it reach eighty eight miles per hour?” When the royalty around him earned looks of Confusion, Jack waved them off and stood. “I'll get a kit together. Expected resistance?”

Omega smiled thinly. “Little. My drones didn't find any forces nearby and a very small hoof full entered during surveillance. Of course, that doesn't mean much currently, as things could have changed. Chrysalis may become involved as well when you start moving the stockpile.”

“Fuck it. Let's get this party started.” Jack turned and strode out of the room, and the royalty followed.

“My Elites will meet you on the carriage field Jack.” Luna glanced to the side as Jack's guards stood at attention by the door waiting diligently for him.

Baron's eyes went to Queen Omega, and Omega looked to the small mare as well; the Queen’s twisted horn flashed brightly. “You have an infiltrator it seems.” The magic pulse struck Baron mid chest, stripping her of her disguise as her eyes went wide. Shock passed through those present as Baron screamed in surprise as her greenish blue carapace was exposed.

“No! You’ve ruined everything!” Baron's magic wrapped around the pistol grip of Jack's revolver and yanked it free from his holster. The small changeling leveled the weapon with the now surprised Omega's chest as the guards standing by tried to intervene. The magnum boomed explosively in the confined space of the corridor, and the round struck a target. The hollow point round cut through Jack's side like a knife through butter as he pivoted his body to create a meaty barrier between Baron and Omega. As pain lanced through his body, he pressed through it and brought his knee up to meet the mare's chitinous chin. The following impact rattled the changelings brain badly enough to cause her eyes to flutter. Slamming a balled up fist into the side of her head to finish the job his knee had started, Jack quickly ripped his stolen weapon away from the now unconscious Baron.

“It's one of Chrysalis’s infiltrators.” Omega noted with a hint of anger, before turning her attention to Jack as the Royal Guards surrounded the unconscious changeling and cuffed it. “Are you alright, Staff Sergeant?”

“Yeah.” Jack grunted as he held a hand to his side to stem the bleeding. “Just creased me. Fuckin’ Baron…” Celestia's magic wrapped around his side as he tried to see to it himself. Waving her off, Jack grunted at the pain. “Just stick a tampon in it, I don't have time to bleed!”

Grimacing as blood soaked through his previously clean shirt, Luna nodded to his request. “A medic will see to you enroute, get your kit and be moving Jack.”

“Jack be careful!” Celestia called out as the man set off at a jog, leaving both of his bodyguards behind. Mythic was still staring wide eyed at Baron's unconscious body with open shock and enraged betrayal. Giving the guard a well meaning touch to the shoulder as Baron was hauled off to the dungeon, Celestia did her best to control the damage. “We will discover why she betrayed us all. Do not fret.”

“She was my partner… my friend. “ Mythic shook his head and began a slow trot that sent him aimless through the castle as his mind reeled.

______________________________________________________________________

Jack's boots pounded down the hall as he ran, the sounds of whirring servos and squealing rubber was all he could hear, save for the keening whine in his ears from the forty four. He wanted to be angry, hell, he wanted a lot of things, but he would just have to deal with it all later. Bursting through his unguarded door and ignoring a fluttering piece of paper that fell from it, his eyes immediately went to his armour. He stopped just short of it, remembering how it had dragged down the heavy carriage. They couldn't afford that mistake this time around. Throwing on his exo skeleton and grabbing his laser rifle, Jack's eyes flicked to his morphine case, and without a second thought he snatched it up and grabbed his duffel bag full of explosives. Anything he couldn't secure, he'd turn to slag. Without having wasted a moment, he went running down the hall toward the landing field.

Waiting for him there was a friendly face. Taven shifted under his heavy armour and looked to Jack. “What's going on Jack? The elites are being deployed and I got pulled out of bed without any-” The stallion grunted as Jack scooped him off the ground and dumped into a carriage with a squad of heavily armoured night guard. He thumped the side of the carriage twice with his hand to signal the all ready.

“Good to go! Let's get these wheels of the ground!” The flight teams nodded and completed their pre-checks, before diving off the edge of the suspended field and off the mountain. The speed launch saw them picking up speed rapidly, before their wings extended and they leveled out. Jack turned to Taven and grinned. “We've got a HVT and some possible Op-For in the area. Smash and grab tactics, grab everything you can and load it onto the train. Anything we can't carry out gets slagged.” He looked to the other ponies. “Y’all got that?”

One of unicorn elites gave a lift of his head, indicating a question. “Who's the Op-For? What's our engagement protocol?”

Checking his gear as the flight team hauled ass across the clouds, Jack had to raise his voice to be heard above the winds. “Unknown Op-For, possible belonging to somebody named Chrysalis. Subdue who you can for questioning, if they're openly hostile, put them down.” The order brought up a frown amongst the guards, but they all nodded and returned to checking their own gear. Turning his attentions to Taven, Jack gave him a light fist bump to the shoulder. “You good with this, or should I have you hang back?”

Taven simply smiled and ran a wheystone across his spearhead. “A real mission? Count me in, Sarge.” He shared a grin with Jack, before noticing his blood stained and torn shirt. “You're wounded! Medic!” The guards around them made faces of confusion, but the unicorn medic slid across the open section of carriage to Jack's side.

Waving a dismissive hand, Jack chewed the side of his cheek in thought. “Stitches’ll bust if I move too much, bandages won't do shit right now…” He grunted at his own internally decided path; the morphine case slipped out of his pocket easily and popped open as he looked to the medic. “Can you cauterize?” When the medic slowly nodded and furrowed his brow, Jack flicked the tip off of one of the syrettes and smacked it into his bicep, adding to the track marks upon it. A cooing sigh escaped his lips and was swiftly stolen by the wind and he relaxed. “Do it.”

______________________________________________________________________

Taking in a deep breath to calm herself as she stood by the edge of the wargames table, opposite a fully pinned lieutenant. Her last test before her field assignment. She had to defeat another officer at the game. A deep frown spread across her muzzle as her eyes flicked to the small crowd. It was mostly composed of other officers, all of which were watching her like hawks on a rabbit. Thankfully, some friendly faces were present, namely Field, Hazel, and Petyr. She had left a message on Jack's door, but either hadn't seen it or had decided to not come.

“His loss…” Flitter muttered to herself as she looked over the field. She had the smaller force, and was tasked with escorting a valuable object from one end of the map to the other. The magical soldiers on the board stood ready to receive her orders. The officer across from her had a considerably larger force, and air superiority. However, Flitter had the cover of a thick forest to rely upon. This wasn't supposed to be a battle of attrition or pure martial strength. It was making due with what you had on hoof to get the job done. She had to show what she understood, and still win. Flitter narrowed her eyes at the map as she began planning out her attack.

No magical soldier belonging to the opposing lieutenant would stop her from completing her objective.

Not a single one.

______________________________________________________________________

The fast moving carriages came in for landing just at the outskirts of a desert town out in the middle of the badlands; the Lunar Elites dismounted with practiced smoothness while Jack vaulted the side rail and began walking for town. Midflight they’d received word that one of Omega's drones was going to meet them on the ground and take them to the target location, but they had to meet said drone first. The town seemed as if it were ripped directly from an old western flick to Jack, and he muttered about it to himself and his fingers drummed his rifle in anticipation.

As the team passed through town, their armoured and armed bulk drew a great deal of attention. Nearing the town square, the sounds of yelling and screaming reached their ears, and they began to double time it across the dirt packed streets. They came to a stop at the edge of a crowd consisting of what had to be most of the town's population surrounding a wooden stage, upon which twelve humans and three ponies were present. A deep scowl embedded itself Jack's features as he looked over the auction.

The humans present were bound and secured to each other, and generally looked skinny and miserable. Clenching his rifle grips, Jack fought to keep his feet where they were and the muzzle of his weapon. “This is fucking slavery, Taven…” The stallion at his side winced and refused to look up at him.

Before Jack had a moment to consider what he could do in his situation, somebody cleared their throat behind the group. Turning on his heels, Jack locked onto a small stallion who was wearing a protective trail duster. “Y’all them private security fellers?” He drawled loudly, drawing attention to the group for a moment, before sending it all away with disinterest.

Having been told the challenge, Jack forced a thin smile. “We're the stand ins.”

The stallion nodded and made a jerking motion with his head to have them follow him down an alleyway. Once they were out of earshot of the crowd and any stragglers, the informant began filling them in. “Spotted a small group moving boxes from the target building, numbers about four. Probably more hiding out in the hills. The Sunlight Express will be sitting on the tracks by the target building, empty, exactly twenty minutes from now. We’ll help you load the cargo, but we'll have to move fast if they have any friends out here.” The stallion reached the top of a small berm, and pointed toward a seemingly abandoned storehouse that was nestled in between a pair of decrepit frontier homes.

Nodding once, Jack turned to his squad. “I want two to three of you on overwatch. If anybody runs, or reinforcements arrive, take them out or pull back to the storehouse and advise. The rest of you, split into two teams, team one with me, team two prepped for breach through those top windows on my signal. Clear?” At the team's nod and immediate delegation of roles, Jack cracked his neck and smiled thinly. “Let's go ruin some days gentlemen.”

______________________________________________________________________

The opening moves had been made on the board, and all ambient noise in the room had died down to nary a peep as Flitter examined her board. She had to first get into a lightly defended area and retrieve her cargo; a quick order to her troops sent them off into three teams to hit the target area from all angles. With a bit of luck, the element of surprise would let her grab the cargo without suffering any casualties. With a calm breath, Flitter issued the order to attack.

______________________________________________________________________

Stacking up against the side of the storehouse, Jack dropped his duffel and pulled a shaped breaching charge and a spray can from the myriad contents of the bag. Sticking the breaching charge against the wooden wall, Jack proceeded to pop the cap off the can and began spraying a large rounded square of gel against the wall around the charge. Inside the insulating gel was a thin line of highly reactive thermite breaching wire, which was soon plugged into the breaching charge. The guards stacked against the wall gave him confused looks, but maintained distance as Jack held up his spare hand while he held his detonator. His fingers began to curl into his fist, counting down from five to zero. When his fist clenched, the gel pulsed brightly and the contained thermite reaction swiftly cut through the unreinforced wall. A split second later the charge detonated inwards, sending the entire cut section of the wall blasting inwards. Jack was the first through the breach and was swiftly followed by both teams. His team followed through the wall breach, while the second team battered down the front door and charged in.

“Clear!”

“First floor clear!”

“Contact, second floor office!” One of the guards called out before diving for cover behind a stack of heavy wood crates. Wood splinters erupted from the boxes edge moments later as a booming gunshot just narrowly missed the guard.

Jack pivoted on his toes and began stalking toward the gunfire muzzle first. Spotting the office, he laid down suppressive laser fire for the pinned guard to scamper to a better position. “YOU HAVE EXACTLY THREE SECONDS TO THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS! THREE! TWO! ONE!” He grinned as the ponies in the office fired another volley at him and received a flashbang grenade through the window for their efforts. Taven took cover next to him, waiting diligently with his thick shield as Jack began moving for the stairs. “In front of me Taven!” The stallion nodded and galloped up the stairs, before stacking up next to the door with his shield held forward next to his spear. Jack stomped forward and kicked the thick wood door clear off its hinges.

The door clattered loudly against the floor as Taven pushed in past Jack and gave him cover against the follow up volley of gunfire. The round lead balls shattered against his thick shield, but the stress bulges were growing deeper as they assaulted his bulwark. Taven roared as he speared one of the attacking ponies across the chest. “WEAPONS ON THE GROUND, YOU’RE ALL UNDER ARREST!”

A shotgun blast sounded out, sending a thick pointed slug through Taven's shield and across his guard armour. A unicorn with a black tactical pump action shotgun began wrestling with the weapon to chamber the next round as Jack leap-frogged over the now wounded Taven. Since Taven had given them a chance at mercy, he would not. The closest pony had the scruff of his neck crushed as Jack gripped him and violently ripped him toward the window. The stallion managed a startled scream that lasted less than a second as he burst through the window and slammed hard against the opposite wall before falling to the ground motionlessly. Jack continued forward, his rifle putting a high powered laser through the unprotected chest of another attacker. The mare went down soundlessly as all the air in her lungs was consumed by the heat of the penetrating shot.

Grabbing the unicorn’s shotgun by the barrel and ripping it from her magic, Jack racked the pump and shot her point blank between the eyes. “Supposed to pump it, dipshit.” Turning on his heels, he gestured out the window. “Office clear, eyes open for a fourth! Team one, secure our route!” He looked to Taven and smirked. “How you holding up there Warhorse?”

With an energetic smile, Taven nodded to Jack as the unicorn medic saw to the wound in his side. “Time of my life, sir.” The stallion's ears perked, and he immediately swivelled his head to a small door that was marked ‘janitor’. He pointed at it with a hoof, and Jack nodded in understanding.

“That's good, let's grab these crates and move.” Jack cautiously edged toward the door as he checked the shotgun's chamber. He placed his ear against the wood and listened. He drew back a step, before levelling the weapon with the door hinges. A pair of rapid booming blasts shook the office as he blasted the hinges clear and grabbed the holes with his augmented hand. Ripping the door clear from the entire office, Jack levelled the twelve gauge with a burly stallion's face. The stallion's eyes went wide and he immediately dropped his percussion cap revolver. The modified mouth grip caused the weapon to bounce slightly upon hitting the ground.

“I surrender!”

Jack sneered at the stallion as he grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him out of the closet. “Your choi-” his words fell short as recognition flicked across his mind. He'd seen this stallion before. Then it clicked. The stallion before him was the bandit leader from the DRMSI building. The one he'd almost killed.

Dominus’s own eyes went wide with the fear of recognition. “You! T-there’s no way! You're supposed to be dea-” Dom's sentence was cut short as Jack clubbed him over the head with the stock of the shotgun.

“Somebody secure the scumbag, let's roll people, start packing!”

______________________________________________________________________

Flitter smiled to herself as her soldiers performed a perfect raid and secured the objective. She'd held back almost all of her forces, to keep her numbers a secret from her enemy. The moment her soldiers were in the tree line, she had the objective hoofed off to another squad that went in a completely different direction. The rest of her forces would be there for a wonderful goose chase. Of course, the more of them that survived, the better.

Her enemy smirked to himself behind his screen and moved his pieces confidently across the field in a standard search pattern. He was hoping to catch her before her soldiers got clear of the original objective site. He had an airship dropping off a team of expert earth ponies as well on the area in an attempt to ensnare her. Unfortunately for him, Flitter had picked up a few dirty little tricks that belonged to humanity, like booby traps and guerilla warfare. The enemy officer scowled as one of his squads fell victim to a well placed magical trap, taking them out of the game.

The stallion immediately buckled down on his tactics, and pressed forward after the myriad trails her soldiers had left for them to follow.

The chase was on.

______________________________________________________________________

The Sunlight Express was the first self drawn steam engine in all of Equestria. And it had the beauty to match its claims. It's frame was wrought with shimmering steel and was gilded tastefully with gold. The cars that followed it were meant for the utmost luxury, equally gleaming and proud like the engine. Behind the passenger cars were two large cargo cars, making a painful contrast against the shining engine with their peeling paint and roughshod wood sides. A little over a dozen ponies clambered off the train as it came to a stop on the tracks at the marked position. The leader, the stallion who had greeted Jack and his team when they first arrived, stepped forward and nodded a greeting as his crew began loading the heavy crates and steel barrels with hoof and magic as the guards covered them.

The lead stallion looked off toward the homes that neighboured the tracks as the last of the crates and barrels were being loaded on. “We’re being watched.”

Jack nodded and waved a hand as the last of the cargo was swiftly loaded. “All the more reason to get the hell out of here. Who's the driver?”

“A friend. He won't stop for anything until you hit Canterlot.”

Jumping aboard the train after the last of his squad boarded the train. He hung off the side of the train, his rifle dangling on its sling off his chest as his duffel hugged his back. “You boys will be alright?”

The stallion grinned and a orange flame shimmered across his form, revealing a smaller changeling underneath bedecked in jet black carapace that was edged with vibrant orange markings. He swiftly returned to his disguise as he threw a glance over his shoulder. “They'll never see us. A pleasure working with you, human.”

Jack shot him a swift salute as the train started off down the tracks, its conductor dumping coal into the furnace to hit speed. The process had taken no longer than ten minutes.

______________________________________________________________________

Flitter's brain worked fast to think of possible escape routes for her soldiers as the enemy defenders closed in on them. She had been laying traps across the forest, and it had slowed her opponent down considerably, but they weren't enough. He was closing in on the largest of her squads, and it would look very bad if they were all killed or captured. Nodding to herself as she came to her decision, Flitter had her squad stop running and begin laying down a large amount of traps before digging in.

The ambush went perfectly, her traps taking the enemy by surprise the moment they were in the best killing zone. Her soldiers rained arrows and spears down on the staggered enemy forces, before finishing them off with a sword charge. With one of her enemy's largest squads down and out, things were beginning to look a little more fair. Of course, there was still the issue of his air superiority.

Setting her jaw as she maneuvered her forces around the board to flank and avoid his, Flitter took a scant moment to look up to the crowd. Her friends all waved their confidence to her, but the remaining lack of Jack was beginning to burn a small hole in her mind. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts out, Flitter focused entirely on the objective before her. If she could distract his forces long enough she would be in the clear.

‘Could’ being the term.

______________________________________________________________________

The squad leader of the Lunar Elites rolled his shoulders as he looked to Jack. “Are there any weapons in those crates we can use?”

As the train rocketed across the open desert, Jack felt a strange chill pass up his spine, as if be were being watched. He shook his head and blinked to clear it. “I hope so. You expecting trouble?” He winced as the morphine in his system began to ebb away, leaving him with the burning pain of his cauterised wound. He was sure it was bleeding again.

The stallion nodded as he looked over his soldiers as they took defensive positions in the car before the storage cars. “I'm always expecting trouble. Let's break out those weapons and prep.” At Jack's nod, the pair began walking toward the storage cars, which thankfully had access doors reachable from the passenger cars. The gentle rocking of the train caused the large crates and barrels to sway despite the straps and rope holding them in place.

Jack threaded his way toward the large olive drab pelican cases and paused to let the pony catch up after a second. He popped open the top of the crate, and felt his own heart skip a beat out of pure joy. “Two forty golfs! Oh man, today is starting to look up!”

Quirking a brow as he looked over the medium machineguns, the leader looked back to Jack for explanation, then immediately gave up. “I'll take them to the men.” He closed the lid on the pelican crate, and without a second thought, hauled the two hundred pound crate off the ground as if it weighed nothing. Jack lifted a finger to protest, but fell silent and lowered his head in resignation as he scooped up as many loose ammunition cans as he could.

Following the squad leader into the train car, Jack popped open the case again and pulled the M240g free. “Gather round children, Papa Kessle’s gonna teach you how to man a machinegun.” He looked around at the unit composition, and was generally pleased to find four unicorns within the group. “Uni’s will be weapon operators, so I need you guys to pay attention.” He popped the feed cover up and pointed at the button that controlled the lock. “Press that to release this. Take your ammo belt like so, and press it in until it clicks. Close your cover, give it a smack, rack the bolt.” He looked about, gauging how quickly they’d picked it up. “Okay, that’s reloading. Each gunner will have a spotter and feeder. Their job is spotting targets and keeping the gun firing. When firing, aim down the sights, focus on the front post. Hold the trigger down, and repeat the phrase ‘Die motherfucker die’.” The looks he got brought a light smile to his face. “That's your burst interval, keeps the gun from overheating. Any questions?” When there were none, he handed out the machineguns and three belts of ammunition per team. As the teams got used to the weapons and deployed the integrated bipods where they thought best, Jack had the spare guards run back and gather several more cans of ammo.

Lighting a cigarette as the train rattled across the desert, Jack turned to the squad leader and offered him one. To his surprise, the stallion took it and waited to be lit. Once he was, Jack puffed quietly and popped his question. “So. What's your name? Your armour's been scrubbed of any name or rank so I've internally been calling you Buddyguy.”

The guard leader chuckled as he smoked. “Captain Hard Tac. These white cigars aren't too bad.” He offered a hoof to Jack, who took it with a smile and a nod.

“Staff Sergeant Kessle.”

The pair shared a quiet moment as the two pony teams for set up within the car, their new weapons at the ready. Taven's voice sounded out as they began clattering through a skinny hill pass. “I saw contacts! I think we have inbound!”

Not a moment later, the train exploded into chaos.

______________________________________________________________________

Flitter grimaced as another of her squads was cut down by the enemy officers increasingly accurate troop deployments. She was quickly running out of forest to hide in, and he'd gotten wise to her ambushes a little too fast for her liking. Flitter wracked her mind for a way to turn the events to her favour, but it wasn't looking good.

Thankfully, no matter how many of her squads he caught, he couldn't get his hooves on the objective marker. It had changed hooves no less that eight times in the forest, taking separate routes and often changing direction to throw him off. She had to do what he wasn't expecting if she wanted to pull a win from this, something not in the books.

An idea struck like lightning in her mind, and her worried frown swiftly turned into a cruel smirk. That might just work. Let's see if you're expecting this.

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Heavy hooves clattered across the car tops and the guards called out contact across their positions. The bandits had used the hills for cover, and were now boarding the train, or galloping alongside. One of the machinegunners opened up, the weapon ripping and snarling like a beast in the unicorn's magic as it spewed out hunks of hot lead and rained smoking casing down upon the fine carpeted floors. The tracers arced high across the galloping bandits, before the guard corrected his aim and swiveled down. Windows ahead of the car exploded inwards as the roof boarders swung down on ropes through them and pegasi burst through.

Jack lifted a hand to point at the boarders, but the air from his lungs was stolen when a pegasus burst through the window next to him and tackled him out the next. The rushing of wind filled his ears as his face was blasted with high velocity sand. The pegasi released him, letting him hit the ground hard at close to sixty kilometers an hour. Thankfully, the exoskeleton saved him from a painful death, and only caused him to bounce across the ground and curse vibrantly. With a pained howl, Jack lashed out and managed to grasp the final bar of the last car’s frame, nearly ripping his arm and the exo out of their respective sockets. With his feet dragging behind him across the rail ties, Jack roared in exertion as he pulled himself back aboard.

All four gunners were now stitching the hills and open desert with 7.62x51 rounds, and on occasion a target would go tumbling, his or her limbs cut out from them and their body shattered by overwhelming firepower. Coughing up a mouthful of bloody sand, Jack shook his head and scrambled to the top of the train. The winds there were even worse, and his rubberised heels threatened to skid across the smooth surface. Four bandits were on top of the cargo cars, trying to disconnect them from the rest of the train. Jack snarled with fury and leveled the shotgun toward them, only to have the firing pin strike empty space. Racking the slide saw no rounds left in the weapon, and Jack's rage rising steadily. Before he could charge forward and get his augmented hands on the attackers, a strange sight off above the desert drew his attention. What appeared to be the bastard child of a pirates sailboat and a zeppelin was floating along by the train, ponies clambering across it.

Air superiority.

Shit.

Jack cursed mutely and turned his attentions back to the problem at hand. Charging forward across the train's roof, he grabbed the first earth pony by the tail and ripped them clear from the train. He lashed out violently, doing his best to dislodge the attackers from the train. A pair of heavy hooves bucked into his stomach as he backhanded a pegasus from the air, forcing him hard onto his ass. Grasping the edge of the car, Jack snarled at the earthpony responsible as his guts cried out in agony from the buck. The pony clomped over and sneered as he reared up to try and crush Jack's hands under his hooves. Pulling himself up with explosive force, Jack roared his anger toward the stallion as his hands sunk into his attackers tough hide and pulled him forward to the edge of the car. Holding the stallion’s head out passed his own body, Jack was soon rewarded when the swiftly approaching rocky outcroppings took the stallion’s head off with a wet spatter. Having nearly been scraped off the side of the train himself, Jack pulled himself up with a pained groan as the headless corpse slid slowly off the train. He dropped down between cars to access the door leading back to his allies.

The sounds of chattering machineguns and dying creatures met his ears immediately like a crude auditory assault. Stomping through the cars, Jack stopped momentarily to retrieve his laser rifle from where he'd left it and returned to the passenger cars. Most of the bandits had managed to board the train, but were now in a long range gunfight with two of the gunners, one of which was being seen to by the medic for a nasty bullet wound. The second M240g clacked dry as it spat the last of its empty casings and links out the side. Bandit return fire increased tenfold, driving the guards to cover behind velveteen seats and finely stained oak partitions. Their prisoner screamed in his bindings as he squirmed in an attempt to avoid getting shot as bullets smashed the car apart.

“Fuck sakes!”

Jack dove for cover as he cursed brightly and returned fire with his rifle. Taven was immediately at his side, a belt of ammunition slung over his armoured chest. “They've got an airship!”

“I noticed!” Jack yelled back before snatching the empty mg up from the wounded stallion and shouldering it. Pulling the belt from Taven and slamming it home, Jack racked the cocking handle of the mg and slapped a syrette of morphine into his bicep before snarling like a savage animal. “YOU MOTHERFUCKERS WANNA FIGHT!? ALRIGHT, COME GET SOME!” He stood amidst the oncoming fire, the MG letting loose a ripping roar to match the shooter as he pinned the trigger down and advanced like a force of nature. The tracers arced back and forth, blowing the luxury cars to bits as the bandits dove for cover. The cover did little as they were cut to ribbons and sent to the ground in bloody heaps. A particularly courageous bandit peeked from cover and fired his weapon at Jack, striking the ballistic front plate of his exo skeleton before ducking back into cover. Jack grinned monstrously as he pivoted the stream of tracers to the thin cover the bandit was behind. “You little fucking cocktease!”

The stallion screamed in horror and agony as his cover was shredded, and he soon joined it in a ruined pile as his midsection was bisected by tracers. The bandit's body was consumed with green fire, revealing a bullet riddled greenish blue changeling. Jack hit his cover hard as the M240g ran dry and its barrel steamed merrily. He now had about a single car between him and the surviving enemy forces. The car served as a no man's land between the firing lanes, it’s shredded guts providing next to no cover.

“It's going to broadside us, take cover!”

The guards behind him gave Jack pause as they called out warning. He cast a confused look over his shoulder, before his world turned to flaming shrapnel and cannon fire.

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Flitter growled as more of her units were struck down on the battlefield. Only half her forces remained, and they were ragged from fighting for so long.

It all came down to the airship. It was the lynchpin in her opponent's entire strategy. He was relying on it for resupply, medical assistance, and reconnaissance. Every minute it remained in the air was a minute she lost in her ever closing window.

Her distraction was coming along; it was almost in place, but the units she had been hoping to distract had long since moved on. She had several squads sitting on their hooves, doing nothing for her. A bolt of inspiration struck, and Flitter found her smile returning.

If that airship is so important, why not take it?

She began maneuvering her troops around, gathering her remaining pegasi into two large group while her distraction squad repositioned. All she needed was the right moment, and everything would fall right into place.

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The smoothbore deck cannons of the airship smashed through the thin walls of the passenger cars, their magical charges detonating upon impact. Flaming shrapnel rained down around the defenders and the wind whipped through the ruined cars. A moment of brief reprieve was given when the train sped into a mountain tunnel, marking the final stretch of the badlands.

Bolting from his prone position, Jack pounded back to friendly lines and dropped the 240g into waiting hooves that were quick to give a fresh belt a good home. Hard Tac followed along behind him as he continued into the cargo cars and began ripping through the crates. “What are you looking for!?”

He had to yell over the wind to be picked up, but Hard Tac’s message was heard, and promptly ignored mostly by Jack as he grabbed one of the smaller cases, marked 84mm HEDP. “Open this and take out two!” He immediately began searching again, before growing frantic as the train ran out of tunnel and daylight flooded the cars again.

A rhythmic chopping sound echoed through the small canyon they had entered, and incoming fire began perforating the car the guards were using as their base of operations. Cries of pain and surprise came from the car as Jack finally found what he was looking for. Pulling the heavy shoulder mounted weapon from its case, Jack grabbed the dual shell case from Hard Tac and went to the gap between cars. “Pass these up to me!”

With the man clambering up to the roof, Tac hefted the weapon and its munitions up. “I don't know what you're planning Staff Sergeant, but if you pull it off you're getting a medal!”

Standing with the M3 Gustav in his hands, Jack twisted the back funnel to the side and slammed one of the shells home. Clicking the weapon shut, he sighted the hostile airship and squeezed the trigger.

The gattling crank gun on the deck of the ship had swiveled, it’s brilliant brass finish catching the sun long enough to be a warning before it opened fire on the solitary figure on the roof of the burning train. Jack cried out in surprise and pain as the 30-06. rounds danced around him and punched through his body. His body lurched over backwards as his head exploded with painful white noise, and his prosthetics strained to keep him upwards. At the last moment his boots squealed, and he fell off the side of the train. The impacts had thrown his aim off, and the high speed munition had slammed against the front of the airship instead of its center. The armour piercing high explosive punched clear through the wooden boards and detonated, shattering the front of the ship as if it were a brittle toy. The incoming fire abated as Jack dangled off the side of the speeding train, his wounded arm sending high pitched white noise through his mind as he gripped the train with it. Behind him hung the M3, his good arm having kept a firm grip on it as he'd been knocked off the train.

As the gleaming trim of the train car began to peel away under his grip, Jack grit his teeth and willed his body to continue onwards. His exo skeleton whirred loudly under the strain and lack of muscle response, and the trimming popped out just a little bit further. Without warning, hooves came over the top and grabbed onto his wounded arm, and several sets of hooves and magic pushed him up from behind. Taven heaved with a mighty roar as the other guards pushed up, hauling Jack's wounded body up onto the roof.

“I’ve got you!”

With the morphine still in his system stemming the worst of the agonizing pain, Jack nodded and pointed toward the munition tubes. “Reload me!” He managed to cry out as the wounded airship lurched in the air to bring its weapons to bear.

Nodding, Taven pounced on the bouncing tubes and ripped the cap open before pulling the heavy shell free. Jack fought to hurl the empty shell free from the weapon with his abused arm. Taven slid the fresh shell into the empty space, and locked the rear of the weapon in place. Giving Jack's back a smack, he covered his ears in preparation for the shot.

With all of his focus and effort, Jack hefted the weapon up onto his shoulder and sighted the ships center mass before squeezing the trigger. The primer of the shell ignited, and the shell exploded out of the recoilless rifle. The tipped warhead sailed straight and true, smashing through the ship’s middle. The resulting explosion of the high explosive warhead slamming into the gunpowder stockpile ripped the ship asunder from inside, and scattered its flaming remains across the valley.

A victorious cry ripped through the ruined train and Jack managed a pained smile as he sagged. “Semper Fi, scumfuckers…”

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Flitter's gambit had paid off in full. Almost all of her remaining forces had converged on the airship and assaulted it from all sides. Her soldiers clambered over its sides, dispatching the crew with ease. The airship's colours swiftly changed to her control colours, and the stallion across the table from her frowned deeply as his own forces moved to pin her down.

The attacks had already begun, but now she had the advantage. Using the airship as an escape vessel, Flitter began to lead the bulk of his forces directly away from her objective carrying squad, which could now continue on unmolested through the forest and to the target area.

Her opponent smiled as his reserves came in, and pegasi teams began swarming the airship that was doing its best to avoid being taken down. As he prepared to remove it from play, a small buzzer sounded, marking the end of the game. The officer looked up from the board, perplexed at why. His features fell into open shock as he stared at the squad that had eluded him for so long, standing in the final area.

“Excellent showing! Low casualties and exemplar tactics!” Flitter's strategy teacher grinned happily as the other officers nodded in agreement. A few ponies present clopped their hooves and the one human present clapped. Flitter smiled bashfully as she looked back over toward the board.

Her instructor, a fully pinned Colonel, trotted over with his head held high. “Congratulations Cadet. You've earned the right to wear your bar.” He pinned the silver bars to Flitter's stiff collar, and she felt her heart skip a beat. “Your field training will begin soon. We’ll be in touch.” He stood stiffly and saluted her; it was a gesture that she returned almost on instinct as she fought to keep her beaming smile to a simple happy grin.

As the Colonel trotted away and the other officers filed out of the room, Flitter let out a silent squee of elation as she rapidly pranced in place. Hazel and the others soon joined her on the floor, and shared in her excitement. “You're almost a full officer now! Sheesh Flits, by the time I get my bars you'll be a captain!” Hazel nuzzled her friend happily as the men behind her smiled.

Flitter's eyes drifted across the group, and a tiny part of her heart broke when she realized yet again that Jack had still not joined them. As she moved to talk with the others, a cry rippled through the halls and a quick response team galloped passed the proving grounds. Flitter furrowed her brow and trotted out into the hall. “What's going on?”

One of the soldiers present glanced to her momentarily. “Sunlight Express just blazed through Ponyville, on fire!” Petyr and Field both shared a look of deep worry as Hazel gasped.

As the soldier cantered off, Petyr turned to Field. “Come, The Martyr must have succeeded if the train came under attack.” While Field nodded his agreement, Flitter turned toward the pair with a glowering look.

“You two knew where Jack was and you didn't say anything?” Both men shrank as she growled furiously at them, but before she could continue further with her planned fury, Hazel bumped her flank and interrupted her train of thought.

“Come on, we don't want to miss them coming into the station! They might need our help!”

While Flitter wanted to give the pair a piece of her mind, she was forced to relent and nod. After all, Hazel was right. Any trouble Jack got into was always big trouble. “Right… let's go.”

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By the time the group reached the train station, the station was already crowded with emergency responders, the press, royal guards, and the royals themselves. Everybody was waiting with bated breath as the train’s high pitched whistle sounded out through the tunnels. Soon the gleaming engine breached the darkness, and its ruined cars followed suite. Silence fell across the station as the wreck of the finest train in all of Equestria limped into the station. Many of its cars were heavily damaged and burning. Flitter recognised a plethora of large bullet holes riddling every single car, and not a single window stood intact. One of the middle cars was almost entirely missing, its flaming, ruined frame standing in a twisted smouldering heap where it had once stood proud.

Cameras began flashing, capturing the carnage as one of the passenger car doors was kicked off its rollers and Lunar Elite guards began piling out. They were all bandaged and bloody, their grey features marred with black soot and blood. Four of them were carrying large weapons, while the others had belt upon belt of ammunition laid across their broad breastplates. A bound stallion was thrown from the door, and Flitter felt her heart skip for a moment as Jack all but fell out of the train after him. With his exo keeping his sturdy, he stood tall and forced a smile through the haze of his narcotics and pain.

“Sorry we’re late.”

The press went wild, their cameras flashing rapidly as they tried to press passed the Royal Guard barricades to assault the wounded soldiers with questions. Flitter cast a brief glance over to Luna and Celestia, her curiosity getting the better of her momentarily. Luna looked intensely relieved, and was approaching the group, while Celestia looked grave and unhappy. The solar princess swiftly hid the look and ordered a separate crew to detach the final cars and bring their contents to the castle post haste.

Flitter shook her head, and focused on Jack, specifically how she could reach him. She was thankful to see his guard Sergeant Varenikov keeping him steady, but the fact he had to be kept steady was intensely worrying. An ambulance wagon landed on the station, and almost all of the guards loaded into it, with Jack being made to lay on the gurney as the guard leader lit them both a cigar as the doors closed and the wagon sped off. Flitter cursed, and immediately turned on her hooves to take off for the castle.

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“Ah killed a fuckin’ pirate ship.” Jack mumbled to himself before sucking on the cigar. The guard around him chuckled as best they could despite their own wounds.

“We all saw. Hell of a show, Kessle.” Hard Tac patted the man's side as the wagon doc set about trying to staunch the worst of the bleeding belonging to the human. Jack had taken the brunt of the incoming fire, and even his stubborn hide was decidedly not bullet proof. But, despite the sheer volume of fire the team had suffered, they were all alive and laughing.

Examining one of Jack's spent morphine syrettes, Taven nudged the doped up man as the doctor held a compress against the deep graze on his cheek. “Jack, what is this stuff anyways?”

“Mmms… morphine…” He was now a bleary wreck, the last of his adrenaline having bled off, leaving nothing but the low of the morphine. “s’good…”

“Some kind of painkiller, has to be.” Hard Tac slid forward as he held a bandage against his side. “Maybe the lab tech's can make more? This stuff could save lives in the field.”

When Jack didn't respond, the two stallions looked over to find the man quietly unconscious. They chuckled in disbelief as the onboard doctors did their best to keep him in one piece. Soon, the wagon landed at the castle, and the real process began.

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Flitter paced nervously before the hospital doors as she waited for word from the doctors. The entire team had been mangled badly, and had only been able to climb aboard the ambulance wagon because of tense nerves and adrenaline. Her worst fears had been confirmed when Jack was the first into surgery, one that had lasted eight hours due to ‘complications’. The word left a solid stone of worry in her stomach, and the lack of communication between her and the doctors only made things worse. There had been a panic to find a matching blood type, and that was all she knew.

Trotting up next to Flitter, Hazel nuzzled her friend softly. “I'm sure he’ll pull through Flitter, he's been through worse after all.”

Smiling weakly, Flitter nodded and began to speak, only to be cut off as a nurse came through the doors into the waiting room with Princess Luna in tow. The Princess smiled tiredly toward Flitter as the nurse looked up from her clipboard. “First lieutenant Falenas? Your friend pulled through.” A heavy sigh of relief escaped Flitter, one she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. However, the nurse wasn't finished. “We found a high level of some unidentified chemical saturating his blood stream and blocking pain receptors. We were hoping maybe you could shed some light on what it could be.”

Blinking in confusion, Flitter drew a complete blank. “No, I have no idea. Can I go see him now?”

The nurse sighed to herself and checked something on the clipboard. “Of course. Room three.”

Princess Luna nuzzled Flitter lightly as she trotted passed. “Congratulations on your promotion Flitter. I will be near if you need me.” The pair shared a smile, before Flitter and Hazel trotted in to see Jack.

They found him easily enough, with a myriad of machines hooked up to his body. His left arm was in a sling, and his face was heavily bandaged. A nurse was in the room, adjusting some equipment as they walked in. She seemed surprised, and withdrew her hooves. “Can I help you?”

Flitter looked over Jack's beaten body and felt a flash of guilt over her previous thoughts. “N-no… Is he awake?”

The nurse shook her head and smiled sweetly. “No, I'm afraid not. He will need to be kept under for a little while so he can recover.”

A sense of intense disappointment passed over Flitter as she let her head sag a bit and her ears flattened. “Oh… alright… when he wakes up, can you tell him Flitter was here to see him?” When the nurse nodded, Flitter managed a weak smile. “Thank you. What's your name?”

The mare smiled brightly as she leaned on the bed. “Poppy Gallipoli. I just transferred here. Don't worry though, I'm an expert on human physiology. “ Flitter nodded her understanding and thanks, before saying her goodbyes and slowly trotting out with Hazel at her side. Poppy turned back to Jack's bedside and lightly rubbed at his thigh. “Especially this one’s…” She smiled wolfishly as the outer doors closed behind Flitter.

Chapter Thirty One: Discovery

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Flitter sat at a document strewn desk pouring over the after-action reports that had come from the elite Lunar guard. They all lined up perfectly, painting a firestorm of gunfire and rapid violence, but by all accounts, the attack itself didn't make sense. Dime a dozen bandits didn't have the funding to pull something this scale, and Chrysalis' hive didn't have the resources to alienate themselves by attacking Equestria's assets. Of course, answers would be more forthcoming if the captured bandit was actually willing to talk. Flitter rubbed her cheeks and focused on the reports; she was subconsciously hoping that if she stared at them long enough, she would have a eureka moment and crack it wide open. Unfortunately, both she and three other officers were at the same impasse. The two groups were working together in some fashion, had funding, and were being supplied with some very serious hardware.

“Has anyone gotten the wreckage report from the downed airship?” One of the officers asked after she sipped her coffee. One of the other officers held up his hoof, before sliding the folder across the table. Flitter had already read through it, or at least, what there was to read. It was the smallest of the folders by far, mostly because Jack had reduced the ship to flaming splinters. Any intelligence that had been present on the airship had gone up in smoke. Eyewitness accounts marked the airship as griffon make and model, but no defining marks could be seen, nor was it flying any colours when it had attacked. The fact it had made it across the border unnoticed while carrying military grade weapons was especially worrisome for a lot of ponies.

All their Intel pointed to one fact. Somebody was funding the location and return of human weapons, somebody who had the funds to bring a hive into the fold. This somebody was willing to attack Equestrian guards and destroy property on Equestrian soil. On top of that, the entire plan was very recent.

Flitter sighed to herself as she got up from the table. “I'm going to see Jack. Good luck guys.” The other officers waved idly to her as they quietly discussed possibilities. Flitter trotted from the room and entered the castle proper; she'd been visiting Jack since he'd been admitted two days ago, but he had yet to truly wake up from the magically induced sleep. Thankfully, the unicorn doctors were healing his wounds quickly, so when he did wake up he wouldn't be bed ridden.

Trotting through the hospital wing, Flitter pushed passed the curtain that separated Jack from the rest of the ward. His nurse was there, using her magic to massage the man's inactive muscles and clean his body. Flitter smiled and greeted the mare. “Hello Poppy. How's Jack today?”

The mare smiled brightly and her magic cut off. “Wonderful, the doctors should be waking him up today. His wounds were fairly easy to heal with all of us here and his body’s natural healing rate.”

With a happy smile to answer the good news, Flitter sat down in the chair by his bed. She began writing a small notice to the team Jack had led on the mission. A good few of them had made it apparent that they wanted to be present when he woke up and Flitter didn't want to let them down. She passed it off to one of the guards outside the room with the request it be delivered immediately, before rejoining Jack. “So, will you be helping Jack once he wakes up?” Flitter smiled toward Poppy as she asked her question.

The mare shrugged as she checked the machines. “I don't think so. I have a lot of paperwork to do anyways. Oh, looks like the doctors are here to wake him up. I hope to see you again soon Flitter.”

Any further conversation was stolen away when the doctors filled in, and the Lunar guards gathered outside the curtains. Flitter frowned slightly at the lack of Field and Petyr’s presence, but they had been incredibly busy with their projects as of late. The doctors horns lit up, releasing the spell holding his mind down in black peacefulness. The effect was immediate, as Jack's eyes rolled in his skull and focused instantly. The machines blared for a moment as his readings spiked, before steadying as his eyes scanned the hospital room. His tensed muscles relaxed somewhat, and the doctors began their short work of checking over everything. For the entire process, Jack sat silently, watching the ponies around him like a hawk.

When the doctors finished their work, they were quick to trot out, leaving Flitter alone with Jack for a short moment. He finally seemed to be relaxing, but the strange hawkish attentiveness stuck. “Where am I?”

Flitter was taken aback by the sound of his voice more than the question itself. His voice was nearly toneless, like he was focusing entirely on speaking clearly. “You're in the castle’s hospital, Jack.”

He blinked slowly, before letting his eyes stray across the small room as he asked another flat toned question. “How long was I out?”

“Two days.” Flitter found herself fidgeting uncomfortably as his eyes returned to her. His next question was voiced differently, in a nearly curious tone.

“Was anyone else in here with me?”

A short pause passed by them as Flitter wracked her brain for names. “A few doctors, me, Sergeant Taven, Captain Hard Tac, Petyr and your nurse Poppy.”

Jack coughed and lurched in his bed, before scratching at his face to hide it. It was gone now, but for a split second Flitter had seen two things in his eyes. Anger, and fear. “Alright.” His voice came out barely controlled and guttural, but he quickly swallowed it all down and bottled it up. “Did all the guys survive?”

“I told you I heard his voice!” A stallion's voice rang out beyond the curtain, and without warning the squad pushed in and surrounded Jack. Their voices overcame Flitter's, squashing and stepping over her questions. She watched as Jack swiftly resumed acting like his old self, laughing and joking with the Elites.

“I had to carry you into the ambulance Kessle.” Hard Tac started as he fished out a cigar. “After you got perforated trying to save our mangy asses. And you're only down for two days? The hell do they make you terrans out of?” He clipped the cigar and offered it to Jack, who took it with a smarmy grin.

“Blood and Iron.” He puffed away at his now lit stogie as Hard Tac laughed with the other stallions.

“Blood and Iron he says! I swear Jack, you've got to be the nastiest bastard this side of the mountains.” The stallion took Jack's hand with both hooves. “You ever need a squad, we’re ready.”

Jack waved the thought off as he kicked his legs off the bed and hopped up. “Oh come on, that was all you guys! I mean, I was pretty amazing, but you guys kicked some serious ass.” Jack grinned as the squad around him laughed. He slowly pushed himself up and stretched, his body popping and crackling as it settled.

“We're going to get some drinks to celebrate. Can I count you in staff sergeant?” Hard Tac puffed on his stogie lightly as he eyed the human and waited for his answer. To his and the squad's disappointment Jack shook his head.

“Not right away. I got a few things I need to take care of. Knock a few back for me though, I'll be there soon enough.”

“Aye Kessle.” Hard Tac gave him a nod of respect before gathering the squad up and pulling them out of the hospital.

Flitter stood by Jack's bed, her mind swimming with questions she knew she couldn't just outright ask. With her voice failing her when she needed it most, Flitter only managed to ask her worst question. “Jack, are you alright?”

“You keep asking like you're expecting the answer to change.” He said quietly as he leaned on the bed and ran his fingers through his scraggly hair. “I'm fine.” He smiled toward her, before his eyes focused on the little gold bar adorning her collar. “When’d you get your butter bar?”

A slight frown crossed her features for a moment as he deflected the subject back onto her. “When you left. I left you a note on your door about my test, but you were busy with your mission.”

He grunted quietly, nodding his understanding. Flitter had somewhat expected an apology, but one was not forthcoming. “Is Baron still locked up?”

Flitter cocked her head in confusion. “Why would Corporal Baron be locked up?”

A short paused passed between them, before Jack lightly shrugged. “A question for the royals then.” He straightened and popped his back with a grunt before moving toward the curtains. Flitter was hot on his heels as she wracked her brain for a way to salvage things.

“Erm… Toasty misses you?” Flitter began to cringe at how lame her words sounded when Jack paused and turned on his heels to look at her questioningly.

“Does she?” He blinked in surprise, but didn't smile. He seemed heavily distracted. “I'll have to visit her and the guys soon…”

Letting out a suppressed snort of annoyance with herself, Flitter trotted up to his side. “Are you sure you're alright? You're acting a little weird.”

Jack's face twitched, and turned up into a fake smile. “When don't I?” He frowned slightly. “Don't answer that, it's a joke.”

Flitter nosed his side as she trotted passed. “Alright. I hope we can talk later Jack. In private.”

He shrugged noncommittally and kept his hands snug against his side. “Maybe. I doubt it though.”

“Huh?” Flitter blinked in surprise as pain prodded her heart.

Jack continued moving for the hospital doors. “Oh come on Flitter. You're an officer now, and I'm just a noncom monkey running ops. I doubt our schedules would even line up remotely. B’sides, I wouldn't want to bother you with my weird.”

He smiled thinly as Flitter's ears flattened against her skull. “Okay. Well, um… I guess I'll find Hazel and Poppy, and go for coffee in the meantime.” Flitter watched as the man immediately tensed, his fists curling tightly at his sides. I knew it. Flitter thought to herself sourly. He knew Poppy. “Will I see you later?” She asked softly as concern laced her voice.

Rubbing idly at the numbers tattooed on his forearm, Jack shrugged and looked around the hospital quickly. “Up to you Flitter…” Jack set his jaw and grimaced as his fingernails dug into his own tattooed flesh.

Sighing weakly as she stood by his side, Flitter nuzzled him softly before pulling away slowly. “Jack, I… I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I was frustrated and… I took it out on you.”

With a soft grunt, Jack nodded and shrugged. “It's fine Flitter. Didn't bother me none.”

“I mean it Jack.” Flitter looked up at him with soft eyes. “You're my friend, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.” She carefully nuzzled his closest hand.

Kneeling down, Jack pulled her into a brief hug. “I know… I'm sorry my head's not where it should be lately, just…” He pulled away and rubbed the back of his head. “Just got a lot of shit on the go.”

“I want to help, Jack.” Flitter nuzzled his hand, before he set both on her head and slowly scratched at her ears.

“I'll be fine, Sparky. I'll see you later, alright?” He smiled down at her as he stood. Flitter swallowed sadly and nodded as she tried to keep her ears from airplaning. Jack gave her one last ear rub for good measure, before turning on his heels and heading off down the hall. As the pair went their separate ways, both their minds drifted to the same topic, the same problem.

Poppy Gallipoli, and how to deal with her.

_____________________________________________________________________

Jack's heels squeaked and squealed as he treaded down the castle halls toward the Labs, his mind racing far ahead of him. She's here! Fuck! He growled to himself as his hands clamped by his side. And she was my nurse. She had me unconscious. When I find her, she's dead. Ain't no amount of luck in this whole world to keep her away from me. He barged through the lab doors and focused himself fully; he was immediately caught off guard by how busy the labs were. Scientists and researchers passed back and forth between work stations, and a moderate hum of mixed conversations filled the air. As Jack neared Petyr and Field's station, his eyes passed over a mannequin of a pony that was bedecked in body armour and tactical gear. The helmet immediately made him think of the old world war German stahlhelm, with its flared neck protector and light steel construction. With his attentions stolen by the mannequin, he nearly ran directly into Princess Celestia’s royal rear.

Celestia turned to face him, her eyes gauging him curiously before she motioned toward the recent addition to the labs. Jack quirked a brow and moved to her side, only to find himself staring at a small test firing range that was protected and muted by thick glass. A large stallion stood inside with a saddle mounted rifle strapped to his side, and a firing bit snug in his mouth. Field stood by with Petyr and several other scientists taking notes. On cue, the stallion fired the rifle, and it ejected a golden cartridge that sparkled as it clattered against the ground. Jack smiled as he looked over the belt fed rifle that sported a fine wood body and gold banding. Thankfully, the barrel seemed to be steel, which it proved when the stallion pinned down the trigger and fired a long line of rounds into the target down range without any issue.

“Decent fire rate. Maybe four hundred?” Jack asked curiously, which caused Princess Luna’s ears to perk.

The Princess turned and smiled broadly at Jack. “Ah! You're finally awake Jack. That is good, I had feared you would miss all of our progress.”

He managed a smile as he rubbed his tattooed forearm. “Can't keep me down with a couple ounces of lead. Looks like you guys got the new rifle working. Kinda looks like a BAR on steroids. What cartridge did you end up settling on?”

Luna clopped her hooves happily and cantered over to a table to show him several gold cast rounds. “We decided to mirror your 7.62x51 ‘nato’ rounds, but we just couldn't get the gunpowder to work. So, we used magically charged crushed gemstones as a propellant!” The princess seemed incredibly proud of the idea, while Jack seemed skeptical.

“I guess anything can explode if you magic it.” He shrugged, before looking around. The cache of weapons recovered from the train all sat in the labs, and several of the boxes seemed to have been busted open, their contents being poured over by the scientists. “You guys sure do seem busy. You starting a war or something?”

As Luna began to speak, somebody cleared their throat loudly and interrupted her. Celestia trotted forward, with Field and Petyr by her side. “We do not aim to start wars, Staff Sergeant. We aim to stop them before they start.” She smiled lightly toward Jack. “This is the humble beginnings of a world wide accord to peace with our allies.” She paused, and began to speak again, only to be interrupted by a happy squeal and a short bolt of woman tackling Jack by his midriff.

Jack grunted loudly as Toast clamped onto him and nuzzled him like mad. “Jak!”

Smiling weakly as his stomach protested, Jack rubbed his hands through her mess of hair as he wheezed. “Hiya Toasty…” He patted her head. “You gotta be a quiet girl right now okay?”

The girl looked up at him with wide happy eyes and nodded dramatically as she placed a finger over her slight lips. “Shh, quiet Toast.” She smiled when he did, and hugged his belly tightly. “Jak.” He looked up at Celestia, who was smiling in good humour at his plight. He rolled his hand, signalling her to continue with what she had been saying prior.

“We have a new initiative. A change in how we do things around here. We are starting a militia, which will train next to the Royal Guard with these new weapons. Next to the militia, we will have a special group.” Jack immediately perked, his attentions piqued. “A special operations unit, like the Coming Dawn and the Lunar Elites. Only this group will have its choice pick of soldiers from across the world from nations who sign the accord.” The princess smiled toward the man as he straightened subconsciously. “We will also need somebody to train everyone. We want that someone to be you Jack.”

His excitement immediately fled from his features, and those present watched as he visibly deflated. “You want me to be a drill instructor?” The pain in his voice became horribly apparent as he rubbed his tattooed forearm. “I… I guess I can do that.”

Not wanting to drag Jack's hopes and dreams in the mud any further, Luna spoke with good humour. “Worry not Jack, you will be joining field operations once both groups are capable of training themselves.”

He began to perk again, but his hopes were once again crushed by Celestia. “Once you have gone through your psychiatric evaluation.”

“A psych eval?” Jack's features twisted slightly in trepidation. He became immediately suspicious, and his eyes flicked to Luna. The princess smiled weakly and nodded, which gave him zero confidence. “Great. Where and when?” He asked stiffly.

Celestia smiled toward him as she began trotting for the door. “Soon. Until then, rest Jack. And welcome to the group.”

“Does it have a name?”

The princess paused, glancing over at him in thought. “No, it doesn't. Do you have any ideas? You are the first member after all.”

He paused for a moment, mulling over a thought. “JSOG. Joint Special Operations Group. Semper fidelis, semper paratus.” The group before him stopped and looked over at him with open confusion and curiosity. Coughing into his hand, Jack quietly spoke again. “Always faithful, always prepared.”

With a smile Luna stepped forward from the group. “A fine name and motto.”

Her sister maintained a neutral expression as she interjected. “A work in progress title. We shall discuss possibilities later. For now, we have things to attend to. Mr. Morozov, please forward Shield to Emperor Wilhelm.”

Jack held up a hand, asking for a moment. “What about Baron and the bandit we captured? What have we gotten from them?”

“The changeling known as Baron hasn't given us anything to work with, and the bandit has refused to speak a word.”

With his features scrunched in distaste, Jack rubbed his beard. “What do you mean ‘nothing to work with’?”

Celestia smiled lightly. “She has informed us that she is not allied with Queen Chrysalis's hive, but with her being a drone infiltrator, the likeliness of that statement being true is very low.”

Sighing lightly to himself, Jack looked to Celestia. “I'd like a chance to talk to her soon, and if you want I can make your bandit talk.”

The Princess immediately frowned. “We do not condone torture Jack. I refuse to allow you to beat a prisoner within an inch of his life.”

“Who said anything about beating? I promise, there won't be a single bruise on his body from what I'll do. Trust me, he’ll sing when I'm done.”

Her frown turned into a very grave stare. “Jack, I will hold you to that promise, but if you lie to me-” the Princess cut herself off and smiled thinly. “I'll send word ahead to let you try. Feel free.” Without another word, Celestia trotted out of the labs, leaving Luna behind.

Luna coughed and smiled weakly. “You really do bring out the best in my sister.” She sighed lightly, before bumping Jack. “So what do you think? Impressive?”

Turning his attentions down toward the small woman still clamped around his midriff, Jack smiled toward Luna for a moment. “Hell yeah. For a nation to go from full on peace to this so quickly is… well it's pretty damn impressive. “ He scritched and scratched at Toasty's ears, causing the small woman to coo and nuzzle into his hands loudly.

The princess smiled weakly as she stood by him and looked over the labs. “I wouldn't say that the nation has accepted the idea… we haven't even broached it to the public, or gone into full production.” She sighed lightly. “But I'm sure that it will go over well so long as Tia is the one to do it.” The Lunar princess began trotting for the door. “I will be seeing you Jack. Please behave.”

“Not a chance.” He shot a well meaning grin towards the princess as she trotted out, shaking her head. When the doors closed, Jack began giving Toasty his full attention. “Who's a good girl?”

“Toast?”

“That's right, you are!” He grinned happily at the distraction and messed her mop of hair, much to her enjoyment.

“Yay!” Toasty hugged his leg tightly as she nuzzled into his thigh. The small raven haired girl smiled happily and soon rested her face against his leg. “Jak.”

As Jack smiled in good humor, Field approached with a small smile of his own. “She's always so docile until you show up. I've actually been thinking about breeding her, if you're interested-” Field's sentence died in his throat as Jack glared knives at him. “-but of course it's just a thought, and I probably won't…”

“Up to you Field.” Jack said quietly, before smiling again. “Hey Pete! You wanna go train in a bit?

The large man shook his head as he picked over Jack's gutted drone. “My apology, but I am busy.”

Jack's smile faded slightly as he rocked on his heels. “Alright then. Uh… I guess I'll see you guys around.” He chewed his cheek for a moment before carefully separating himself from Toast. He quietly said goodbye to the dopey girl, before making his way out of the labs and off into the castle proper.

_____________________________________________________________________

Flitter sat in the booth of her favourite cafe in Canterlot, silently musing over what she knew. Hazel had just entered, and was making her way over to the silently fuming pegasus.

“Flitter? Are you alright?” She asked quietly as she slid into the seat across from Flitter. A waitress trotted over before Flitter could answer, and took Hazel's order. As the mare trotted off, Flitter spoke.

“I think I found out what's going on with Jack. It's Poppy, that mare who was his nurse in the hospital?” Hazel nodded her agreement, and motioned for Flitter to continue. “I think she's done something to him.”

Hazel thanked the waitress for her drink and quietly sipped it before speaking. “What makes you think that? She seems really nice and knowledgeable. “

“He flinched when I said her name.” Flitter said plainly, causing Hazel to sit up straight and stare at her.

“Wow, um… okay, yeah you might be onto something there Flitter.” She scooted closer in her seat and leaned on the table. “So what's the plan then?”

Flitter sighed and stirred her coffee. “I don't know yet, but if she's done something to him, it had to be when he was awake and not able to do anything about it…” She frowned. “The DRMSI building… but the castle would never hire anyone from that terrible place, would they?”

Sipping her coffee as she thought, Hazel tapped Flitter's hind leg with her own. “Why don't you ask Princess Luna to see the employee records?”

“I think I'll do that Hazel.” Flitter smiled thinly and drank more of her lukewarm coffee. “Now, the question is what do I do if and when I prove she worked there?”

Cocking her head a bit as she rested her hooves on the table. “Confront her? You know she did something, we just don't know what. And if she won't talk, then we'll just have to ask Jack. Or, Princess Luna could go into his head and find out.”

Groaning lightly, Flitter slumped at the table and rested her cheek in her upturned hoof. “I don't like any of those options, but they'll have to work for now.” She paused for a short moment as she stared down at her swirling coffee. “I need to figure this out before Jack does something rash… Warn the princesses if I can't. “

“Do you really think he'd… hurt her?” Hazel squirmed uncomfortably at the thought while Flitter scoffed.

“I think if she hurt him as badly as I think she did… If I don't stop her myself then he might just kill her.” Flitter considered just letting said solution work itself out, but decided against it. “As much as I think he'd enjoy that, I can't let him do something like that in front of the princesses.”

Hazel sat quietly, regarding the swirling creme in her fancy coffee. She chewed her lip in thought before looking up from her drink to Flitter. She smiled as best she could as she spoke. “When do we start?”

Standing from the booth, Flitter set some bits down next to her drink. “Right now.”

“But I haven't finished my drink!”

“...Five minutes from now then.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Flitter approached Luna's chambers with the high hopes that the Princess was there, and awake. While she was sure it wouldn't be an issue if either point weren't the case, but it would make things much more difficult. The guards stationed at her door crossed their spears before her, despite knowing exactly who she was. Flitter smiled lightly at the pair as they demanded to know why she was here.

“Here to speak with the princess. Is she awake?”

The highest ranking guard, a colour sergeant, shook his head. “No. She's in the dungeons with the human. Should I take a message lieutenant?”

Flitter shook her head. “No thank you, I'll go find her.” She quickly about-faced and began trotting toward the dungeon at a brisk pace. Worried thoughts flitted through her mind as she cantered past Hazel. Her friend quickly matched her pace, following her through the halls as she was filled in. Flitter quietly worried about what exactly she was going to see going on down there.

______________________________________________________________________

Jack sat across a small wood table from the bandit, Dom. Dom glared daggers at the human as he smoked silently, staring back. Jack's lips curled upward as Captain Hard Tac arrived with the things he'd requested. Princess Luna stood by outside the room, overseeing the process. Dom's eyes flicked to the captain as he set down the bucket of water and Taven wheeled in what appeared to be an acetylene blowtorch.

Leaning back in his chair, Jack smiled cruelly. “Because I'm such an awesome guy, I'm gonna give you a choice in which enhanced interrogation method I use. Wh-” Before he had a chance to get his next word out, the stallion's hoof jerked out and pointed toward the bucket. Jack chuckled, and was joined by Hard Tac and Taven. “As I was about to say, if you don't talk, I'll use both. Now! I've always wanted to waterboard somebody.” He grabbed Dom by his shoulders and hauled him over the table as Hard Tac pulled a potato sack over his head. The stallion thrashed and cried out as they elevated his hind hooves and let his head hang off the table. Once the stallion's entire body was at a slight incline, Jack rolled his shoulders and winked at Luna. “Taven, hold him down.”

Said stallion frowned slightly as he trotted over and held Dominus down as Jack retrieved the bucket of water. “Is this going to hurt him?”

“Not physically.” Jack grinned at Taven before licking his teeth. “Alright tough guy, who do you work for?”

“Eat a bag of dicks human!”

“Wow, rude.” He began pouring the water directly onto the stallion's face, and the effects were immediate as he stiffened and tried to jerk away from the water. His hooves began to twitch slightly as he made weak coughing noises. Jack finally abated the flow and roared his question again.

“Who do you work for, scumbag!? I can do this all day!” The stallion below him struggled against the hooves holding him down as the wet sack pressed against his face. Jack scowled as he hefted the bucket again. “Your call.” He began pouring again, and continued to pressure the stallion until he finally cracked.

Dom coughed and sputtered, before shouting. “Okay! Okay I'll talk!” He wheezed as the hooves holding him down released and the sack was pulled off his head. He glared up at Jack and spat. “I'll talk.”

Smiling thinly and without a hint of kindness, Jack leaned closer to the wet stallion. “Only one hour? We can go for a few more if you want.” He clicked his tongue as Dom shook his head vehemently. “Fine. Suit yourself. Alright, what's your name?”

“...Dandelion Permrose.”

Suppressing a laugh by biting down on his knuckles, Jack grinned. “Alright Dandy, who was funding your operation?”

Dandelion scowled and looked away. “I don't know, I never met them face to face. I just had letters show up.”

“I don't believe you prettyboy. I want a name!” Jack stepped forward and got up in Dandelion's face as he grabbed the stallion by the scruff of his neck.

The stallion cringed away and closed his eyes. “Okay! Fuck! He always went by QC! He was the one that sent those changeling fuckers!”

Princess Luna stepped forward, a heavy frown on her features. “Queen Chrysalis. How many weapons did you find for her?” Jack looked to Luna, before carefully tightening his grip on Dandelion.

“I-I don't know, maybe two warehouses full? I never got to do inventory, we would just get the place full and then the next day it would be empty and payment would be sitting on the desk. It was more money than I'd ever seen, even working for Darkflare, how was I supposed to turn that down!?” Jack cursed quietly, causing Dandelion to jump slightly. “We found these weird crates okay? They were metal and they had a weird symbol on them! I can… I think I remember it.”

Without pause Princess Luna turned to one of the guards present. “Get us a piece of parchment and a stick of charcoal, immediately.” She waited as the guard nodded and galloped off, only to return a minute later with the requested items. Hoofing them over to Dandelion, both she and Jack watched as he crudely sketched. When the work was done, Jack's features had grown grave and he seemed to be deep in thought.

Stepping out of the cell, Jack walked down the hall with Luna and turned to face her. “That symbol’s the biohazard warning symbol. If that's on military cases, we're in trouble.”

A matching frown spread across her own features as she looked over at Jack. “What are the possibilities?”

He scratched idly at his cheek before beginning. “Well, best case scenario is that it's medical waste. Worse case? Biological or chemical weapons. VX nerve agent, mustard gas, Anthrax, any of em. If that's the case we're in deep, deep trouble.” At Luna's confused expression, he continued. “If she's got chem weapons, and she's got the guts to use em, hundreds, if not thousands are gonna die in one of the worst ways possible and there won't be shit we can do about it. Depending on the weapon, it'll burn out your eyes and skin, fill your lungs with fluid, or shut down your nervous system violently. Your body turns against itself and the show isn't pretty no matter what gets used. And if they get used in Canterlot?” He didn't voice the outcome of that particular event, because he didn't have to. “We’re gonna have to take those weapons out of play, and fast, if they’re real.”

Luna scowled hotly for once as she considered her options. “But where is she getting these funds? She is funding these bandits, but somebody is funding her…” The Princess started as Jack began scratching her ears with both his hands, but slowly relaxed within a moment. “Thank you, that feels lovely…”

Glancing over his shoulder at the sound of hooves descending stairs, Jack released Luna's ears and gave her neck a quick rub and a pat. He immediately brightened as he spotted Flitter descending toward them. “Well if it isn't our favourite winged critter.”

Looking up from the stairs, Flitter smiled toward the pair. “Hello Princess, Jack.” She trotted closer and stopped before them. “Princess, can we talk in private?”

The Princess smiled before nodding. “Of course, Flitter. Just one moment.” She turned toward one of the guards who stood by silently. “Have someone properly interrogate Mr. Permrose. If he doesn't cooperate please retrieve Jack.” She gave the man a mischievous wink, which earned her a grin in return. “Now, would you like to speak in my chambers Flitter?” At Flitter's silent nod, Luna turned her head toward Jack and gave him a nod. “We will be seeing you Jack. Good luck in… whatever it is you've decided to do with the rest of your day.”

“Bar.” He answered honestly, before saluting with two fingers and spinning on his heels to walk off toward Taven and Hard side

Sighing and muttering lightly under her breath, Luna turned to Flitter and gave her a short nuzzle, while her ears flicked and yearned for the attention they had been given moments ago. “Shall we?”

_____________________________________________________________________

The trot to Luna's chambers was a long one, as they were on almost the opposite end of the castle from the dungeons. Upon reaching her room's gilded doors and armed guards, Luna pushed the doors open wide with her magic and beckoned Flitter in. Smiling her thanks as she sat down on a cushion and tucked her legs underneath herself, Flitter let out a long sigh as the doors closed and Luna laid down across from her.

“So, Flitter. What is troubling you?”

Flitter rubbed her muzzle and deflated slightly. “It's about Jack.” Luna nodded in understanding, but decided to let Flitter continue. “I think I might be able to find out what happened to him at the DRMSI building. I need access to the recovered records though.”

Mulling the request over, Luna's horn glowed and a small stone floated over to Flitter. “It has been a concern of mine since he woke, and I'm sure that it has been causing you trouble as well. I will give you access to the recovered records, but I suggest you go to the building itself and take a better look. This is a recording talisman. When activated it records everything before it, images, voices, everything. It can also access less sophisticated viewing talismans, which the DRMSI build will likely have.“

With the small talisman cradled gently in her hooves, Flitter felt the weight of responsibility come to rest on her shoulders fully. “I've… never seen one of these before in person… it's really expensive, isn't it?”

“It is a new version, based off of the human technology we recovered. Our first ‘magitech’ device, as Mr. Morozov called it. I had it made on request. Even the royal guard does not have access to them yet.” Luna smiled softly toward Flitter. “My gift to you, a graduation present.”

An emotional scoff escaped Flitter as she held the talisman. “My family hasn't gotten me anything, for any reason in years…” She got up and crossed the small space between them to nuzzle Princess Luna affectionately. “Thank you Luna… for everything.”

Nuzzling back at Flitter, Luna smiled happily. “It has done wonders for me to have a true friend in you Flitter. You and Jack have been… my friends, and I believe I am most certainly better off with the both of you by my side. Please, help Jack.”

Standing and straightening her mane, Flitter fought to keep her emotions in check. “I'll always be your friend Luna. You're not just a princess to me.” She swallowed thickly. “I… I need to meet up with Hazel. We have a break and enter to commit.”

Luna nodded to Flitter, and gestured toward the door with a wing. “Be careful in there Flitter, and don't get caught.” She smiled coyly as Flitter stood and nodded. “Please, bring the talisman back if you find anything. And be careful with it, Mr. Morozov would have an attack if he heard it were destroyed.” Smiling toward Luna as she neared the doors, Flitter nodded her understanding and slipped away, fully intent on breaking the law.

_____________________________________________________________________

“So, what in Tartarus were you gonna use that cutting torch for Jack?” Hard Tac trotted next to Taven, Jack, and a small handful of elite soldiers. They were all out of uniform, and their natural colours were allowed to show. It had heavily confused Jack when Hard Tac had gone from steel grey to a ruddy brown, and the wings present on his armour turned out to be enchantments disguising the sturdy earthpony. Thankfully Taven hadn't changed a bit.

Jack laughed as he fished a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with his abused little lighter. “I was gonna trick him into thinking I was burning him alive with the cutting torch, while poking him with a popsicle and cooking a hunk of meat out of his view. Saw it in a movie once, and I always wanted to try it.” The guards around him laughed incredulously as they approached the entrance to the little night club that was nestled in one of Canterlot’s less reputable neighbourhoods. Jack perked upon seeing it. “Hey, I wonder if Vinyl's in?”

Taven and Tac looked toward Jack, but Tac showed intense interest. “You know Miss Scratch?”

Coughing lightly into his hoof as he walked, Taven cleared his throat and laughed weakly. “Long story sir. Jack seems to be one of the only living creatures on this planet who've pissed her off.”

“Wait, you actually managed to piss her off, and you lived to tell the tale?” Hard Tac whistled, impressed. “Well now I know for sure that you're bugshit nuts.” He began moving for the back of the line that was forming, but stopped as Jack went to the front. He changed course, and curiously followed the human.

The bouncer at the door held up a hoof without looking up as the small group approached. “Sorry, back of the line fel-” the mare slowly looked up at Jack as he grinned. “Oh.” She managed. “It's you.” She scowled, before rolling her eyes. “Go.” Jack turned on his heel to grin at his group before treading in with them in tow. The line outside cried out in indignation, but were ignored by both parties.

Music pummeled them the moment they pushed through the doors and into the crowded club. The ponies at his back rubbed their eyes momentarily as they got used to the shift in lighting, while Jack narrowed his eyes and scanned the club. Not finding whatever it was he was on the lookout for, Jack led the group toward the bar and took a heavy seat down on one of the stools. Ordering a round of drinks as he plopped the sat sack of bits down on the counter, Jack took a moment to scowl at the sack as he counted the pay.

“You fuckers can't figure out paper money fast enough, this shit is ridiculous.” He turned in his seat and glared at Taven. “I mean come on, how hard is it to slap some numbers on some fucking paper!?”

Taven blinked in shock and confusion as Hard Tac laughed and pulled his drink over. “So, Kessle. Now that we're away from all those eavesdropping ears and gossiping maids, how're you feeling? Really?”

A moment passed where the question went unanswered as Jack slugged back his drink and ordered another. “Really really, or really really?” He grinned as the group around him cajoled him into talking. “Fine! Fine, fuck, you ladies wanna know bad enough…” he quietly sipped his second drink as the music thumped against his temples. “I've been better, yeah, but I've been worse. Anything you can walk away from, right?” The stallions around him nodded and lifted their glasses, taking a long drink to the impromptu toast. Jack relaxed slightly as he lit a cigarette. “So, who's ready to get shitfaced?”

“I know I am.” A familiar feminine voice sounded behind Jack, and as he turned to regard it, he found himself grinning as he stared at Vinyl.

“Hey! How's it goin there Scratch?” Jack passed her a drink from the tray and relaxed against the bar as she drank.

The mare smiled at him lightly. “Better. I don't want to skin you anymore. So, stag party, or company outing?” She winked at the group, causing Taven to shrink and suckle his drink while the other guards all drew closer.

“A ‘they're dead and we're not’ drink session.” Jack informed her as he rolled his shoulders.

“Ooh~” Vinyl cooed as she drew closer and sat down at the bar. “Is it that train you destroyed? That was pretty awesome. The look on the royals faces when you kicked open the doors was priceless!”

Jack relaxed against the bar as the stallions behind him began their own conversations and began to split up slowly. “You saw that?”

“Not in person, but it was all over the news. ‘Staff Sergeant Kessle at it again!’ The reader letter column was hilarious.” The mare laughed as she finished her drink, before looking to him with mischievous eyes. “You feel like making some quick cash?”

“Five bits a minute.” He said blandly as he reached over and began scratching both her ears. Vinyls hooves jerked as she shuddered, before pressing her head into his hands.

“You're a shithead…. Right there~” She relaxed and sighed, before groaning as he stopped his scratchings to light rub the side of her head and give it a pat before pulling his hands away. Vinyl sat for a moment, her features scrunched up as she tried to focus again. “You're really good at that… ugh, okay, bastard. I meant the club.”

“I know what you meant. I'm not interested tonight.” He wrapped an arm around an unexpecting Hard Tac and pulled him in with a headlock as he protested and struggled. “I'm getting drunk with my boys!”

Sighing whimsically, Vinyl grinned and shook her head and hopped off the stool. “Well Jack, if you change your mind, you know where I hang. And if you boys want some company tonight, you know where I am.” She winked before turning on her hooves and setting off toward the back rooms as the next musical set began.

Hard Tac twisted out of his headlock and leaned over Jack's shoulder, watching the mare as she trotted away. “I hate to see you leave, but damn do I love watching you walk away…” He patted Jack's opposite shoulder with his hoof. “I'm gonna try and tag it. Wingman?”

Laughing at the request, Jack drank and shook his head in good humour. “Tac, I'll fly wingman for you any day, but that one? She'll suck the life right out of yah.”

“I was married once Jack, I know-” Tac began before Taven stuck his head over the stallions shoulder and cut him off.

“He means literally sir.”

The stallion blinked as he looked between the two, before looking back toward the doors his desired alabaster booty had disappeared through. “...shit...”

Taven laughed as he patted the captain's shoulder. “You're welcome sir. Besides, she's in a proper relationship, so I'm pretty sure she would just suck the life out of you.”

“Just like my ex.” Tac muttered, earning a loud laugh from Jack as he nodded his understanding. Tac sighed to himself before sitting up straight. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party fuckin’ rolling!” His proclamation met cheers of approval, just as more drinks arrived.

_____________________________________________________________________

As Hazel and Flitter neared the DRMSI building and the sun continued it's steady fall toward the earth, shadows fell across Canterlot, hiding them as they rounded the back end of the large building. Hazel shifted uncomfortably behind Flitter as she kneeled down and looked at the mangled bottom of the rolling door.

“Finger marks… Jack came back here recently…”

Hazel fidgeted uncomfortably as she cast a look over her shoulder. “Flitter what if somepony comes?”

Grasping the heavy rolling door with her hooves as best she could, Flitter heaved upwards, and only succeeded in lifting the door a marginal amount. Through gritted teeth she managed a strained “help now.” Hazel nodded and her horn lit up, shining a faint pink light over the pair of them as they strained to heft the door upwards. The mangled remains of the lock finally fell from the door and hit the ground with a muted metallic clatter. The pair slipped inside, and set the door down gently.

Squinting in the dark, Flitter smiled thankfully when Hazel's horn shone again, and a dull ball of light appeared before them. Flitter looked to Hazel as she moved through the small loading bay, her senses sharp and wary. “Let's see if we can't find out where their viewing talisman control center. Maybe we can find something there the guard didn't.”

“I hope so…” Hazel shivered as they entered the building proper and the loading dock gave way to the clean halls of the building. “This place is giving me the heebie jeebies…”

“You and me both…”

The pair cautiously travelled through the halls, most of which were clean, save for the ever growing layer of dust on them. Flitter could just make out the unique prints of Jack's boots in the older dust, and she decided to follow them. The bootprints led them into what looked to be an observation area over a large enclosure. Hazel gazed out over the enclosure with open curiosity.

“Almost looks nice, huh?”

Flitter's eyes remained on the deeply imprinted forms of Jack's hands in the metal guard rail. “Yeah… real nice.” She lifted her gaze toward the enclosure, and immediately spotted the patches of grass and faux rock that were slightly darker coloured from spilled blood or pressed down by fallen bodies. Pulling away from the edge, Flitter narrowed her eyes and began to trot around. “Now, if I were a talisman control room, where would I be?”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she changed direction again and began trotting out of the observation level and back into the facility proper. Her hooves carried her through increasingly damaged halls, and she soon passed by the first blood stain that had refused to come out. It spattered the wall, perfectly matching the impact mark of a heavy lead bullet. Flitter swallowed uncomfortably, before turning her head to look toward Hazel. Her words halted in her throat as her eyes fell on the words ‘security control’. A thin smile crossed her features as she changed course directly for it. Trying the door handle, a deep frown crossed her features as she found it securely locked. From the deep dents in the doors body, it was apparent that somebody had tried to force their way in and had failed.

“Is this it?” Hazel asked quietly as she stood next to Flitter.

“I think so.” Flitter carefully pulled the mono-edged kabar from its semi-hidden place in her uniform, before slowly sliding it between the door and the frame. A muted clack sounded as it cut through the deadbolt with ease. Flitter smirked to herself as she gave the door a push and it slowly swung open. The room beyond was untouched by the general chaos that had consumed the innards of the rest of the building. Several large panels of enchanted glass stood by, their talisman feeds blank. A small, comfortable looking chair sat nearby, knocked over as if the previous occupant had jumped right out of it. Hazel picked it up, allowing Flitter to sit as she curiously searched the rest of the tiny office.

The advanced talisman slid into place over the control board, and Flitter couldn't help but smile as one of the panes of glass flickered, and a magically produced image appeared upon its surface. The picture was of an abandoned room, it's contents torn through and discarded across the floor. Licking her lips before slowly speaking the date of her and Field's rescue attempt, Flitter watched with growing anticipation as the image began to reverse, going faster and faster until ponies appeared in the image, moving backwards and in a panic. The motion slowed, until everything was finally back to normal. The room she was looking into was orderly and clean, and a trio of ponies stood around a small coffee machine. The door burst in, the the scientists jumped. Bandits moved into the room, shooting one of the stallions dead and setting upon the other two with bladed instruments. Flitter's stomach churned, and she was glad that the she hadn't told the talisman to broadcast sound. She began flicking through the available points, until she finally found the human enclosure. Inside she recognised Petyr immediately, and the woman Jack had called Elissa.

“I don't see Jack in there…” Hazel started as she peered over Flitter's shoulder at the screen.

Chewing her cheek as she nodded, Flitter began to reverse time again, until something large and savage flashed across the pane. She immediately stopped, and found herself staring directly into the eyes of an abomination. It's lips were split into a hellish grin as its monstrous hands ripped a human in two. Flitter swallowed as her throat went dry, and allowed the event to play out before her. The woman Elissa pulled what looked to be a small bone from its neck, before being struck down. Flitter sucked in a breath as the abomination lifted both hands to squash her beneath them; Flitter's held breath escaped as Petyr slammed into the beast and wrestled it. The pair struggled as Elissa wormed away, before Petyr let out a silent roar and sent the abomination hurtling toward the ground. The image jumped at the impact, and before a second had passed Jack burst from the small stream and scooped up a large rock. He pounced onto the beast's chest and brought the rock down hard across its head. Flitter heard Hazel gag heavily as the things face was taken clean off, revealing a completely blank slate of flesh. Jack recoiled as well, before redoubling his efforts in braining the creature. He only stopped striking it when Petyr and Elissa dragged him from its twitching corpse.

Flitter shuddered as Jack looked up by the camera with a look of pure, unadulterated loathing that disguised itself with a twisted grin and drew a finger across his neck. Moments later, a large team of wranglers entered the room, and Jack had bounded out of the camera's sight. Flitter began flicking through the available cameras, doing her absolute best to follow him. She watched as he fought the wranglers tooth and nail, only to be crushed and beaten down. They dogpiled his fallen form after a unicorn blasted him with a half bolt of lightning. As he thrashed and convulsed they pinned him down and began strapping him into the straightjacket he had worn when she'd found him. The heavy metal mask was locked over his head.

A deep frown settled over Flitter's features and remained there as she followed Jack through the facility, and to his isolation cell. The view inside was of an incredibly cramped cell that was beyond cruel, and Jack seemed to be suffering for it. Flitter moved time forward, and followed along as Forge tortured him for biological samples. Hazel had long since trotted away, unable to continue to watch the cruelties play out before her eyes. Flitter remained glued to the pane, taking in every single detail as it happened. When Maltenics and the guards burst into Forge’s office, she nearly cheered, before remembering that she'd all but murdered that mare in a random back alley.

Hazel slowly trotted back over, not risking a look over Flitter's shoulder as she spoke. “Can we go yet?”

Sighing as Jack was taken back to his solitary confinement cell, Flitter nearly nodded before stopping dead as she spotted Poppy. Turning on the sound, Flitter focused solely on what was in front of her. She relaxed slightly as she realized that Poppy was just bandaging Jack's wounds and cleaning him up as best she could.

“I don't think you're going to be here for very long… not with Dr. Forge and Maltenics going at it. We won't have much time together…” Flitter made a face as Poppy began to get a little bit more touchy with her ministrations. Poppy licked her lips as she looked up at Jack and smiled. “We're going to have to be quick.” Flitter came to the crashing realization of what she was doing almost the same moment Jack did, and when the mare drove a kinetic strike into Jack's stomach to cease his struggling, Flitter's own stomach dropped like a rock. Poppy gripped Jack before her and spoke so evenly it was disturbing. “Don't make this difficult.”

Flitter watched with open horror and disgust as Poppy forced herself onto him, but as the recording continued onward, Flitter's horror was slowly replaced by a cold fury that curled in her chest like a rabid animal slavering to be set free. She watched until Poppy decided that she'd had enough, and left Jack abandoned on the cold stone floor, shivering and twitching as he fell into an uneasy sleep.

A voice broke Flitter from her thoughts of vengeance. It belonged to Hazel, and she sounded horribly uncomfortable. “U-uh… Flitter? I… oh Celestia… what are we gonna do?”

Pulling the talisman from the console, Flitter stared at it for a long while before answering slowly. “I'm going to destroy her.”

Hazel pulled back slightly. “Do… do you mean you're gonna… kill her?”

Shaking her head as she pocketed the talisman, Flitter looked up at her friend and watched as Hazel visibly shrank under her gaze. “I know I want to. But if I kill her, some ponies will still love her. I'll go to jail, and lose everything. No, I'm not gonna kill her, but when I'm done, she's going to beg me to.” Flitter sneered hotly at the floor. “And after she does… I just might.”

Chapter Thirty Two: Reparations

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Far beyond Equestria's borders, within the towering steepled walls of the Griffonian empire’s capital, a prodigal son returned to little fanfare and a small greeting party. The griffon was young, and being several years younger than his older sister, it meant that his title as prince was utterly worthless. He growled to himself as he walked through the castle’s torchlit halls. “Not for long…” His eyes flicked to the thick leather satchel that clung to his protective cold weather clothing. Inside it lay the key to everything he had ever desired.

His name was Prince Carolus Rex, son of Emperor Wilhelm and Empress Ophelia, and second heir to the throne. He was fast, cunning, and strong. He could beat any opponent that was sent his way in a contest of arms, and even with his young age, his list of achievements was impressive. But, despite all of his work, all of his sweat and toil, he would only ever be seen as the spare. One heir, one spare, as his uncle had once said. The thought set his teeth on edge and saw his talons raking across the stone of the hallway. His eyes flicked to his satchel, and for a moment all he wanted to do was to pull the artefact from inside it and wear it. For he knew that the moment he put that mask on, everything would change.

“I will refrain…” he muttered to himself as he patted the satchel with care. The satchel hadn't left his side during his return from the north, and not one soul had seen inside it, save for himself. Of course, the expedition dig team had seen it, but they were no longer a worry that crossed his mind. As Carolus walked through the halls, he nearly jumped out of his feathers as Gilda's retainer and bodyguard slipped from the shadows beside him like a phantom.

“You're home early, lad.”

Carolus bit his tongue to keep from growling at Ada. He didn't want her sticking her ugly little snout in his plans, and he knew damn well she would if he gave her any kind of inkling. “Yes, Ada.” He started, and his mind churned out an excuse. “There was an accident, so I have returned in the meantime.” It was a half truth, but a truth none the less.

Ada lifted her brows in brief disbelief as she nodded. “Right. Emperor said he was chatting with your team lead. Must have been some accident.” The woman eyed him subtly, and it made his feathers crawl with disgust.

“Eight good workers dead. I would say so, yes.” He answered a little too stiffly for his own liking, but it seemed as though the strange human woman had bought it at face value.

“Righto. Emperor wantsa word with you.” She moved around him, her eyes staying on him like a predators.

Carolus didn't need to hide his sneer as she circled around behind him. “Of course father wants a word. Thank you, Ada.” He began walking away quickly, but his senses remained on high alert for if Ada began following him. Despite his alertness, he couldn't make out her footfalls in the slightest. Ada had spent three months hunting a dangerous human serial killer in the capital, one who had completely evaded local forces and had left a trail of mangled bodies in his wake. He knew that if he slipped up around her before the time was right, everything would go wrong. She was the kind of human to hunt its prey until the prey collapsed of exhaustion, and his machinations were no different. Casting a worrying look over his shoulder, Carolus let out a soft sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he didn't spot the woman in the hall behind him.

His father's chambers were before him, and after taking a moment to compose himself and to shift his satchel further to the back, Carolus opened the doors and walked inside. “Father, I have returned.”

Emperor Wilhelm stood before his fireplace, his talons laced behind his back as he stood on his hind legs. He turned his head ever so slightly as Carolus spoke. Falling to all fours, Wilhelm still stood tall over Carolus as he treaded over and smiled. “My boy, I am so glad to see you well.” Carolus grunted as his father hugged him tightly and threatened to crush his spine.

With a grunt, Carolus was finally released, allowing him to smooth his disturbed feathers and fur. “I am well enough father. The flight back took much longer than it had any right to.”

Nodding in agreement, Wilhelm carefully lowered himself into his favourite chair and sighed. “Foreman Jolz tells me the temple you found is quite extensive, and disturbing.”

Sitting down next to his father before the crackling fire, Carolus thought hard on how to word his excitement. “Indeed it was. It must be several thousand years old, possibly predating the Equestrians.” He fought to keep from growling the name in disgust. “It is a shame the central chamber collapsed when it did, there were so many peculiar artefacts…”

“You didn't happen to… take, anything from the chamber, right Carolus?” Wilhelm turned his full attention toward his son, which made the smaller griffon want to fidget over the lie he was about to tell.

“No father. While the ruins were intriguing, I deferred to Jolz.”

Wilhelm nodded slowly as he stroked his chin with his talons. “Jolz tells me the men feel uneasy in the ruins. He says that he believes they may have broken a magical seal upon entering them.”

Snorting hotly, Carolus rolled his claws as he made a show of relaxing into the chair. “The men are superstitious father. The collapse was because those fools didn't use enough load bearing posts while excavating.”

With his beak opening to push the matter further, the Emperor was interrupted by a small flash of purple dragon fire and a sizable folder flopping onto his waiting side table. He turned his attentions away from his son, and picked up the heavy folder marked Shield. He began flipping through it, and his brows slowly crept up into his fringe. “By Rohk….” He let out an incredulous laugh as he continued to flip through. “Where in the world did you get the idea to make this Celestia?

“What is it father? What have the Equestrians done now?” Carolus edged forward in his seat.

Wilhelm set the thick folder down and smiled as he shook his head. “They've raised the bar in military engineering.” He huffed in mock annoyance before letting out a shrill whistle that immediately brought a guard. He pushed the folder toward the guard. “Take this to Kasink. I want production to begin immediately, as per our agreement with Princess Celestia.” The guard nodded and took off with the folder tucked protectively against his breastplate.

Doing his best to hide his dislike for being ignored and having information withheld from him, Carolus pushed forward again. “What is this about father? What agreement?”

His father simply smiled as he leaned back into his chair. “We're now allies with Equestria, and soon to be several other nations.”

Shock struck like a load of bricks in the young prince's mind. “...Allies, father? We're… allied with those pacifists?” He nearly spat the word out in anger, but managed to refrain.

Annoyance settled across Wilhelm's features as he looked toward his son. “Carolus, we have been allies with the Equestrians for almost forty years. We are now entering into an official military alliance as per the pancontinental accord. Whether you believe them to be inept on the field or not does not matter. They are our allies.” Wilhelm pulled out a crystal decanter of fine brandy, and poured two glasses. He offered the second to his son, who looked away from the glass as if it were offensive. Wilhelm made a strong gesture with the glass and his tone came out as unquestioning. “Drink, Carolus. To peace.”

Forcing a thin smile that barely managed to hide his blatant thoughts, Carolus carefully picked up the offered glass and swirled the contents thoughtfully. “With luck hopefully the Equestrians will be of some use to us.” He held up his glass in a mock toast. “To peace.” The pair drank, and Carolus quietly excused himself from his father's presence. Without another word he turned away and strode out of the room as swiftly as his legs could carry him. The Emperor did not call after him, nor did he follow.

______________________________________________________________________

Back in Canterlot, Flitter paced inside her room anxiously as she waited for Princess Luna to send for her. A day had passed since she'd returned from her evidence hunt within the DRMSI building, but she had yet to do anything with the recording talisman. She had gotten hung up heavily on her own worries regarding what she had found, and especially how she was going to deal with it all. A big part of her wanted to hunt down Poppy and confront her, to force her to confess what she'd done to Jack, for the recording talisman. Of course, Flitter couldn't exactly do that, because while she thought Poppy a vile, disgusting mare, what Poppy had done wasn't exactly illegal.

Before Flitter could think further on the issue, a knock sounded against her door and a voice echoed behind it. “Lieutenant Falenas? Princess Luna requests your presence in the meeting hall.” Flitter's heart skipped with worry for a moment. Why the meeting hall?

“S-sure… thank you. “ Despite her worries, Flitter straightened her uniform and began the short trot to the meeting hall. Upon entering, her heart sank even further as she saw Princess Celestia sitting next to Princess Luna. Two more ponies were present, the first being Captain Hard Tac, and another familiar face. Dr. Sable sat abreast from Princess Celestia, and seemed to brighten visibly when she recognised him.

Princess Celestia nodded to Flitter before speaking. “Good morning, Flitter, thank you for coming to the meeting so quickly. The stallion next to Luna is Captain Hard Tac, and the stallion on my right is Doctor Sable, one of our Royal psychologists. We'll be reviewing the evidence you've found regarding Jack.”

“Good to see you again Flitter, you look better.” Sable began, a light smile on his features. “And a Lieutenant as well. Very impressive.”

Doing her best to keep herself kempt and professional, Flitter lent Sable a small smile and a nod. “It's very good to see you again Doctor.”

Hard Tac grunted as he adjusted his seat placement slightly. “Can we get on with this? I'm helping Jack build the new obstacle course and I don't really feel like listening to passive flirting.”

Despite herself, Flitter felt her cheeks begin to flush. “When I found the DRMSI talisman control room, I got as much of the evidence as I could. It's… bad.” She hoofed the talisman over to Luna, before taking an offered seat next to Hard Tac.

The Captain seemed quite displeased toward the entire ordeal. He turned his head toward Flitter and spoke quietly as Luna fiddled with the talisman and started the recording, but with the sound on full. “I don't see the point of this. Sure, Jack's got issues, but so does almost every other soldier under my command. This witch hunt is useless.”

Turning her head toward the Captain, Luna cleared her throat when she began to play back the recording and watched as the humans in the enclosure wandered aimlessly. “This isn't a witch-hunt, Captain. We want to help him, but to help we have to know what's-” Luna's words froze in her throat as the abomination meandered into the projected image. The entire group went silent and watched as the infantile horror slaughtered the humans present and giggled merrily before Jack stabbed it in the neck. The strength and ferocity of the abomination was impressive to say the least, but it finally fell to violent predatory teamwork. Doctor Sable looked ill as Jack turned it's featureless face into bony mush with the stone. The princesses began to quietly discuss between each other, before Hard Tac blurted out.

“What the fuck was that thing?”

Princess Celestia shook her head slowly and sighed as Jack was hogtied in his straightjacket and hauled off. “For once… I am pleased that Jack killed something.” She trailed off and fell silent as Jack ended up in Forge's lab. Her features began to twist with anger that she held in check heavily. “This hippogriff wasn't present when the guards arrived, neither in the bodies or survivors. I would have recognised him from this if he had been.” She frowned heavily as Jack screamed in agony and writhed on the operating table. “When we find him, there will be a very lengthy sentence for inequine treatment of humans…”

Shaking her head as Maltenics saved Jack and had him transferred back to his solitary cell, Flitter looked toward Luna. “He won't be the only one.” The group looked toward Flitter, before their attentions were returned to the recording as Poppy entered. As the recording turned foul, the temperature in the room fell as rage overcame Luna's features. Celestia looked as if she were having a crisis of faith.

“Have we truly turned so dark? What happened to my little ponies?”

Luna failed to hide an open toothed sneer as the recording ended. “It seems some ponies need to be reminded how to be decent.”

“I recognise that mare!” Hard Tac called out. “That's the nurse, Poppy, she works in the fuckin’ castle!” The captain was almost as angry as Luna. Almost.

Calling the guards in, Celestia made the polite request that both Jack and Poppy be collected and brought to the meeting room. As the order was being issued, both Flitter and Tac shared a look of recognition over how ugly things could turn. Tac however, was the only one to voice his opinion. “Princess Celestia, ma’am. With all due respect, I think it's going to be a very bad idea to have those two in the same room.”

For her part, Celestia looked utterly unsurprised. “I am aware, Captain. Precautions will be taken, and I need to see what he does.” The pair of military ponies next to her fought to keep straight faces, while Luna felt no such need.

“Sister. Perhaps we should discuss such things prior to ordering them, don't you think?” Luna shifted in her chair, her eyes focusing on her elder sister entirely.

Celestia sighed softly as she looked to Luna and the others around her. “If he is going to be properly joining the Equestrian military, teaching our soldiers, and leading special operations, we need to know that he is mentally sound and able to control himself in utterly despicable situations.”

Grunting under her breath, Luna sat back and adopted a very displeased look. “Thank you for admitting to what this travesty is.”

For the first time since greeting Flitter, Sable spoke up as he organised his notes and files. “For all intents and purposes, this will give us a very effective means in seeing how he deals with stressful situations.”

Before any further comment could be made, the doors to the room swung open and the subject of their discussion strode in with a mildly irritated look on his disheveled features. Covered in dirt and flecks of mud, Jack was flushed and sweaty. “What's going on T? I'm a bit busy-” He paused halfway through his sentence, his eyes flicking over the group before him as he came to a stop in the middle of the room.

Clearing her throat, Celestia fixed him with a monarch’s stare. “Staff Sergeant, please refer to myself and my sister by our proper titles, it's unbecoming and disrespectful from someone of your rank.” She spent a moment to consider her next words as he went from a relaxed stance to a more professional one as his old training finally seeped in.

With his features becoming expressionless, Jack nodded once as he laced his dirty fingers behind his back. “Of course, Princess. I apologise.” His tone was clipped quickly, but his eyes still questioned them. He got his answer when the doors opened again and a pair of guards escorted Nurse Gallipoli into the room.

His demeanour immediately changed the moment his eyes met hers, and at that moment in time Celestia quietly asked herself if she was going to have to witness a murder. Gone was any trace of slack and unprofessionalism, replaced by a terrible intensity that was born from a deep ingrained hatred that flared like a rocket. He was like a tensed spring with murderous intentions, and she would have to head them off before his mind came up with a viable excuse for violence. “Staff Sergeant, do you recognise this mare?”

His voice came out a low, measured drawl. “Yeeaah.” His eyes didn't leave Poppy’s, and the mare was showing open discomfort at the predatory intensity.

“What's this about princess, I haven't done anything wrong!” Poppy protested loudly as she slowly shrank away from the man across from her. Her words caused Jack’s nostrils to flare and the others present to hide their own dislike for her.

Celestia had no inclination to hide her distaste. “Poppy Gallipoli, you are accused of inequine treatment of humans, unlawful detainment of humans, and sexual assault. How do you plead?”

Both pony and human seemed to be physically struck with the accusation, but it was Jack's silent reaction that cut the deepest in Flitter's mind. His attention snapped away from Poppy and to the group, where his expression of mixed horror and pain caused them to become unsettled. Flitter felt an immediate wash of shame as his eyes silently questioned ‘how could you tell them? Why?’

Poppy collected herself swiftly; her fearful expression falling away like a mask to reveal uncaring eyes. “I didn't do anything illegal. This is unlawful detainment and I demand my lawyer be present for any further discussion.”

Fighting the urge to jump from his seat and throttle the ugly creature before him, Hard Tac decided on an open sneer. “lawyer my ass… We've got a recording talisman that says differently, we watched the whole thing. We know what you did.” Tac almost immediately regretted his words as Jack's features fell further into shame and disgust with himself. The look was covered by military training in an instant, but Tac had seen it, as had the others.

A near smirk slipped onto Poppy's face as she looked over toward the Captain. “I didn't do anything wrong.”

“So you admit that you abused the Staff Sergeant during his incarceration?” Princess Celestia placed her hooves together as she stared levelly at the mare.

“My lawyer-”

“Isn't coming.” Celestia answered coldly. “It is my right as your ruler to decide that, and you don't have the privilege of one today.” Luna's eyes briefly flicked toward her sister in worried questioning, but nothing was said between them. “I want a confession of your guilt Miss Gallipoli, so we can begin your reparations.”

With a roll of her eyes, Poppy almost seemed to relax. “I'm sorry princess, but legally, I didn't do anything wrong. Sure, if he had been a pony, it would be illegal. If he had been one of our normal humans, it would be illegal. But he isn't. He's one of those Terran humans, and they don't have any rights. What I did wasn't illegal in the slightest.” She glanced over toward Jack as his his fury slowly rose. “Heck, he wasn't even that good of a lay.” The mare allowed her smirk to remain as the gathered group before her all showed their mutual disgust openly.

With grave features, Celestia sat back in her seat and considered her options. Luna shifted toward her and hissed. “Is this true? No laws exist to protect them?”

Nodding once, Celestia took on a briefly apologetic look. “Not entirely, no. Some exist, and more were going to be enacted, but unfortunately as of right now she is right. This doesn't mean we're powerless. On the contrary.” Celestia looked back toward Jack, who’s eyes flicked up to meet hers. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw him straining. “Staff Sergeant Kessle, you are the injured party in all this, what would you like done?”

Immediately Poppy spoke up as Jack blinked in surprise. “He doesn't get to decide that kind of thing! I'm not guilty of anything here! I-”

“THOU WILL BE SILENT, SCOUNDREL!” Luna bellowed, cowing the mare immediately and causing Jack's eyes to widen in open surprise. “You mistake benevolence for complacency, but make no mistake that myself and my sister hold absolute power in this kingdom, and that our word is utter and final!” The Princess's ethereal mane whipped and thrashed as she spoke; several of the stars within flashed and flared to mirror her broiling fury. Her eyes flicked back to Jack and she spoke authoritatively. “What would you have done?”

With his knuckles popping under strain as he clenched his fists into tight balls, Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets as he did his damndest to avoid even looking at the mare. “I don't care what you do to her. Make her pay or strip titles, I could care less.” He feigned nonchalance as his eyes stared off beyond the five before him.

Celestia eyed Jack cautiously for a moment before making her decision. “Poppy Gallipoli, you are hereby fined ten thousand bits in damages, and your medical license is stripped. You will never work in the medical industry again.”

“You can't do that! You can't! I have a foal and a husband to support!”

“Then consider yourself lucky he didn't ask you to be jailed.” Celestia answered coldly. “For your heinous actions, the punishment will be meted immediately. May this be a lesson to you, Poppy Gallipoli. Guards, remove her from Royal grounds.”

Poppy cried out in indignation as the guards grabbed onto her and dragged her off. Jack watched as her hooves skittered and slid across the polished marble. He watched until the doors closed behind her, and his eyes remained on the doors for some time before Luna cleared her throat. “Jack?”

He idly turned his head toward them; his features held little emotion, and his voice carried the same level. “Are we done here?”

Celestia leaned forward on her seat ever so slightly. “Unfortunately, no. Jack, I would like you to meet Doctor Sable. He's a royal psychiatrist and he will be aiding us in our work with you. You will be meeting with him in his room every Tuesday at four, and he has the clearance to accompany you through the castle if he deems it necessary. Your body guards can take you to his room when the time comes.” She watched as Sable lifted a hoof in greeting, only to be ignored as Jack fished his PDA from one of his pockets and plugged in the data.

“Great.” He rumbled. “That it?”

With a sigh, Celestia nodded. “Yes, we are done here Staff Sergeant. You are dismissed.” He spun on his heels toward the door, and began to immediately walk toward them, his pace only interrupted when Celestia spoke again. “Staff Sergeant?” He paused at the door, waiting for her word. “I apologise for what happened, and for subjecting you to such unneeded stress.”

His fists clenched and he still didn't turn to face them. The moment the princess finished speaking, he continued out the door without a word.

Shaking his head, Hard Tac looked toward the princesses. “Permission to speak freely?”

“Denied.” Celestia looked toward the Captain. “You will be working with Doctor Sable regarding the Staff Sergeant's condition, I expect you to harbour his requests, should he have any. You're dismissed, Captain.”

Without pause Tac stood from his seat and saluted with a snap. “Thank you ma'am.” He immediately followed after Jack in hopes of heading off any self destructive activities.

Sighing lightly as he scribbled down notes and thoughts, Sable glanced up at the princesses and Flitter. “Today was… eye opening. I'll have a preliminary report ready by the end of the day, Princess Celestia.” He turned his attention to Flitter as he smiled. “Could I interest you in lunch?”

“No, no thank you. I've lost my appetite.” Flitter shook her head, before standing. She cast a glanced over toward Luna, who gave her a nod and silent permission to leave. Getting up and following after Hard Tack and Jack, Flitter could only hope that Jack wouldn't redirect his anger somewhere unhealthy.

______________________________________________________________________

Elsewhere in the castle, Jack's boot heels quietly squeaked across the marble in his room as he paced back and forth with a lot cigarette dangling from his lips. The stress was beginning to cut deeply as he fought to keep his anger in check.

“It was a test!” He muttered hotly to himself. “Hang the meat before the dog and see if he snaps, is that all I am? Huh?” His features twisted as anger seeped into his mind like a toxin. “Motherfucker!” In a bout of rage he lashed out, kicking his chair across the room before running his dirty fingers through his long hair. “FUCK!” Unfiltered anger began to flood his system, causing him to shudder and twitch erratically as he fought to control himself. He sucked back the remainder of the cigarette, leaving only the smouldering butt squashed between his lips. He flicked it out the open window and cursed as the nicotine did nothing to calm his nerves. There was a knock at his door and a single silent moment passed before his anger met it. “I'm busy!”

Despite his words, the door swung open and Taven trotted into the room. He looked over the shattered chair, then to Jack. “You need a hoof sir?”

Scoffing lightly in mock amusement, Jack waved a hand and opened his mouth to tell the stallion off, to tell him to leave him alone, but the words died in his throat. Leaning against his desk heavily as the anger ebbed momentarily, he chuckled weakly. “I want to go for a run. Get some fresh air and clear my head.”

“Would you like me to come along?” Taven asked lightly as his ears flicked. The man in front of him stank of stress, sweat, and nicotine.

Jack nodded a little bit too jerkily for his own liking as he pulled on his exo skeleton. “Yeah. Don't let me go near any bars.” He rubbed at his arms as the exo plugs buried themselves deep into his muscles. “I want to think straight.” His hand paused over the butt of his revolver, and he slowly closed his eyes as he suppressed his thoughts. Leaving the weapon on the table and his holster empty, Jack shook his head and turned to Taven. “Sound good?”

Nodding, Taven smiled lightly. “How far are we going?”

He was answered with a stressed shrug. “As far as I need to.” Nodding in understanding, Taven began to strip out of his heavy armour; leaving a small dagger strapped to his right hind leg. He flapped his leathery wing for a moment before grimacing and gesturing toward the door. Without a word passing between them, the pair exited the room and began a quick walk toward the doors.

As the pair walked toward the grand entrance, Jack's eyes flicked to the side and caught sight of Flitter and Hard Tac approaching. They both held looks of concern on their features, but Flitter's was considerably more pronounced. Hard Tac waved a hoof as they approached. “Hey, wait up a minute, Jack.”

“I'm a little busy.” He answered stiffly as he returned his gaze to the doors and continued his approach.

Flitter called out as they drew closer. “Jack, please, we just want to talk-”

“We don't have anything to talk about.” Taven glanced up at Jack as he roughly grasped the door handles and pushed the grand doors wide open.

“Jack! Don't run away from this, please!” Flitter pleaded, and was rewarded with Jack stopping dead in his tracks and spinning on his heels to face them.

As he treaded toward the pair, Jack pointed at them both and let loose a fraction of his anger. It came out in a perfectly calculated voice and flat, measured tone. “Let me be clear, I'm not running from a goddamn thing. I'm going for a run to clear my head after that slap to the face y’all fuckin dragged me into without any warning.” The pair before him deflated slightly, with Flitter looking hurt and Tac taking on a miffed expression. Jack continued on. “We have nothing to talk about.” He emphasised hotly. “I'll be back. Don't wait up.”

Taven flapped his wing and cantering to catch up with Jack as he treaded hotly out of the castle and into the pleasantly warm sunlight. As they began to walk toward the main gate, Taven spoke. “Rough day?”

Nodding in agreement with the question, Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, you could say that. Try to keep pace.” Without further pause, Jack set off at a brisk jog to warm himself up, before picking up speed as they hit the main road out of Canterlot. His legs began to pump harder, propelling him down the road at slowly increasing speeds. Taven soon was forced to run at full gallop to simply keep up with Jack's machine-like strides. Groups of ponies moved to the side for the human as he ran, while the occasional Equestrian human made an attempt to follow. Soon enough, the edge of Canterlot was behind him, and Jack let himself go. Pushing his body as far as it could go Jack took off down the road; Taven became hard-pressed to keep a decent pacing with Jack as the road pounded away under his striding feet.

Eventually, Jack began to slow his pace until he came to a standstill some six kilometers from Ponyville. Taven soon slowed and stopped next to him on the worn dirt road; Jack panted lightly as he ran the back of his hand over his forehead, the stress of the day bleeding away in the form of sweat and pain. Choosing a shady spot under a large tree by the road, Jack slowly walked over toward it as Taven followed. The pair sat down, and some time passed before either spoke.

“Are you religious Taven?” Jack asked quietly as he rested his hands on his knees.

Quirking a brow as he rested next to Jack in the grass, Taven shrugged as he panted. “I couldn't really say.”

With a quiet huff of begrudging amusement, Jack smirked and nodded. “Fair enough… on earth, most of the population is religious to some degree. “ He paused for a long moment. “You know… I was always told that God, my God, had a plan for everyone, that he would watch out for you if you were pious enough and all that shit. “ He sank into the grass and looked up at the tree above them. “I think his plan for me is either twisted comedic relief, or some kind of long drawn out snuff film.”

“I think you don't give yourself enough credit sir.” Taven said as he tucked his legs underneath himself.

“Huh.” Jack rested his hands on his stomach for a long time as his eyes remained skyward. “I'm… I'm just tired, man…” He grunted in mild surprise as Taven thumped his head down onto Jack’s stomach like a tired dog, before looking up at him with his ears flicking. A soft ‘hah’ escaped Jack as he looked back up to the sky and slowly scratched the stallion's ears and petted him.

What felt like hours passed until the sun began to set, setting the sky ablaze with reds and vibrant oranges. Jack sat up and cast a long gaze off toward the gleaming city in the distance. “I guess we better get moving…”

Looking up from his spot on Jack's lap, Taven shrugged again, though secretly he didn't want to run back, uphill. “We're closer to Ponyville, let's just catch the train back.”

Jack nodded in agreement and slowly got to his feet before dusting himself off. “Good plan.” He paused for a moment as he considered his hands. “Hey, Taven?”

The stallion looked up toward Jack with curious eyes as he pulled his leathery wing in close. “Yes sir?”

“I appreciate what you're doin’ for me. What everyone is doing. I know sometimes it doesn't look like it, but I do.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared forward toward the village ahead of them.

Giving Jack's thigh a bump with with flank, Taven managed to keep his smile in check as they walked toward town. “That's what friends are for, Jack.”

“Hah… yeah, yeah I guess you're right.” Jack managed the ghost of a smile before glancing back at Taven. “If you even think about breaking into song, I'll hit you.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it sir.” Taven said briskly as they walked. Five minutes later, he began humming a catchy tune that quickly burrowed into Jack's head like a tick.

As the words formed in Jack's head, filling in the tune, he scowled at the bat pony at his side. “Y’all are evil little fuckers.” He shook his head. “I mean seriously, why in god's name does an entire species need to have the ability to break into spontaneous song at the drop of a hat? That's some nasty tomfuckery.”

Shrugging innocently, Taven failed to hide his small grin. “What can I say? We're more productive with music.” He began to sing softly, much to Jack's chagrin.

“I hate you.”

“I thought you said you really appreciated everything I was doing?” Taven asked with a slick smile that was answered with a scowl.

“And you're making me regret every goddamn one of those words.”

Eventually, the pair made it back to Canterlot, despite arriving late into the night and to a nearly empty castle. Parting for the night, Taven changed shifts with a quiet Mythic and set off to find his bed. Passing by the training grounds, Taven slowed his pace to look over the recently excavated ground. He hadn't the foggiest idea of what exactly Jack was planning, but he was sure that it would be the bane of every single recruit to come through the castle doors.

Chapter Thirty Three: Green to Drop

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The iron head of the shovel slammed deep into the soft earth, carving chunks out so Jack could hurl the clump over his shoulder toward the ever growing pile of moved earth. Off to his side was a small group of ponies, hammering away at some of the obstacles he'd needed made. Sitting back against the cool earth as the sun baked him, Jack watched as the ponies called cadence and slowly pulled the log wall upwards with nothing but a single pulley and sheer strength.

“Raw horsepower.” He muttered to himself with a split grin before digging in again. The sections of earth that he'd cleared away were being covered with overarching strands of barbed wire, forcing anyone coming through to have to crawl, or risk getting caught. A soft chirp drew his attention up to one of the human servants, who waited and watched curiously as he held a platter with several glasses of water and some towels. “Oh? Thanks bud.” Jack pulled himself from the ditch and poured some of the water over his head, before wiping his face with one of the towels. Glancing over toward Mythic, Jack lifted a hand to get the stallions attention. “Hey, what time is it?”

Mythic slowly looked up at him, before glancing over toward the shadows on the ground and the sun. “Maybe three.”

With a light sigh, Jack pulled his shirt back on and waved to the work crew. “I'll be back in a few hours guys, finish your sections and take a break.” He looked back over toward Mythic as he set his hands on his hips. “I figure wash up and go meet this shrink for my dressing down, what do you think?”

“Don't care sir. It's your call.” The stallion answered flatly.

Pursing his lips lightly in concern, Jack began walking toward the castle doors. “You talk to Baron recently?”

He pretended to not see Mythic's angry sneer. “Only once. I know you didn't.”

“I couldn't think of anything to say or ask.” He confessed as they walked toward the baths, which earned a grunt of begrudging agreement from Mythic.

“Right…”

Pushing open the bathhouse doors, Jack nodded to the mares and singular human who worked the baths. They knew better by now than to ask him what he wanted, or to offer help. Jack carefully snagged some supplies before breaking right toward the private baths. One of the mares called out to him as he opened the door, but was too late as he interrupted Princess Luna and Flitter's chat. The pair looked up toward him in surprise as his cheeks flushed lightly. “Sorry! My bad ladies!” He pulled back as swiftly as he could, but just wasn't fast enough as Luna called out to him.

“Jack, wait!”

Cursing under his breath, Jack slowly pushed the door back open and stuck his head back through. “Yes ma’am?”

Rolling her eyes at the formality, Luna beckoned him in and smiled as he slowly reentered the room. “Hello Jack, join us, please.”

“Do I have a choice?”

Luna smiled lightly as Flitter remained quiet at her side. “Yes, of course. But if you'd rather the girls outside wash you, or wait for us to finish, you are out of luck with the private baths.”

He frowned slightly as he glanced toward the doors. “All full? Shit…” His eyes flicked back toward the pair, eliciting a short sigh of defeat from him. “I just don't want to get my only pair of ginch soaked before a meeting with your shrink.” He began slowly pulling his sweat and dirt stained clothes off, leaving them in a pile to be collected and cleaned by the workers. Fishing around in his pants pockets, he produced a small package and opened it.

“And why would you be doing that?” Luna asked curiously.

“I'm not going naked in front of the pair of you.” He answered stiffly as he began placing the small rubber covers over his plugs.

Smirking to herself as Flitter sank further into the warm water, Luna propped up a smarmy grin. “And why would that be? Ponies are almost always naked, and we have both seen naked humans before.”

Shooting a short glare at the princess as he pulled his pants off and began detaching his legs, Jack spoke condescendingly. “Oh yeah, because there’s nothing in this world as attractive as a naked man with no legs trying to flop into a bathtub. Bathpool. Whatever.”

Earning a snicker from Luna as she shook her head, Jack sat down on the hard tiles and unfastened the final bolts holding his legs in place. Pulling them off carefully, he stood them up straight next to his pile of clothes like a pair of stiff boots. Flitter watched him carefully as she tried to avoid being caught staring. She squeaked softly in surprise as Jack gracelessly flopped face first into the pool after pulling the rubber stoppers over his prosthetic leg connectors. Both mares watched as he slowly sank to the bottom of the bath, unmoving and slowly streaming bubbles.

“Just when I'd gotten used to his weird…” Luna muttered lightly as she stared at the submerged man.

“Should I go, Luna?” Flitter asked quietly as she shifted uncomfortably at the princess’ side.

Shaking her head, the princess laid a wet wing over her back and pulled her closer. “Of course not. It looks like Jack is resurfacing.” She smiled lightly as said man slowly pushed up through the water, until his face was mostly out of the water. “Welcome back. Enjoying the water?” If his slow groan of contentment could be construed as anything, it was a yes. Luna smirked at his actions before speaking again. “I honestly didn't know your legs came off. I thought they were permanent additions.”

Grunting as he sank again slightly, Jack closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “Right.”

With a short glance over her shoulder toward Flitter, Luna was struck with an idea. “Would you like one of us to get your back?” She held back her betraying smile as Flitter's attentions snapped back into reality and her brows shot up in shock.

“Sure.”

Giving Flitter a gentle push with her wing, Luna relaxed into her seat as the smaller mare slowly made her way over toward the man as he scooted away from the wall, making room for her. “So, Jack. After your meeting with Sable, how would you like to go to Ponyville and help design the uniforms for JSOG and the militia?”

His eyes immediately widened as he straightened instinctively. “Yes ma’am.” He flinched slightly as Flitter sat down behind him, her wet fur touching his bare back.

“Good. I believe you've already met Rarity. She runs the boutique in the town, and you'll be helping her remain… grounded, in her designs.”

Nodding again as he grabbed a bar of soap and began cleaning himself as Flitter gingerly cleaned his back, Jack glanced up at the soaked princess. “Anything else Princess?”

“Please, Jack, I would prefer you remain informal when in private.” Luna smiled softly toward him as his features soured ever so slightly.

“Princess Celestia's demand seemed pretty unflinching on that.” He rolled his branded shoulder as Flitter tried to wash out the deep scar furrows in his back.

Sighing softly as she wrapped a towel around her ethereal mane, the princess shook her head. “Tia was under a great deal of stress yesterday, so you will have to excuse her being upset. She doesn't hate you, you know.”

“Fooled me.” Jack moved again, causing Flitter to flinch slightly and apologize, only to have the apology waved off. “Didn't hurt, keep it up.”

“Jack, about yesterday. “ Luna began as she pulled herself from the bath and began drying off with her magic.

Flitter winced as Jack immediately tensed. “I'd rather not discuss it right now.”

“I believe Poppy got off far too easy. I will be pursuing her actions quietly and searching for something to build a legal case against.”

To Flitter's surprise and embarrassment, Jack gripped her hind leg softly to steady himself. “Just keep her the hell away from me.” His voice came out a growl to disguise the shame that it had held. “I might not be able to behave so well next time.”

“I would not judge you too harshly, Jack.” Luna finished drying herself and nodded. “I must be going. Have a good day, both of you. Flitter, remember what I said about the gala, time is growing short.” Without further discussion, the lunar princess made her way out of the baths, leaving Jack and Flitter alone in the pleasantly warm water.

Flitter remained behind Jack, nearly frozen in her movements as her mind raced. “Jack… about yesterday…”

“I'm sorry.”

The rest of her words died in her throat, to be replaced by a shocked “bwah?”

Pulling away so he could look at her, Jack rubbed his neck and sighed. “I was… I was pissed off and hurt, and I took it out on the two people who I had no right to. So, I'm sorry.” Staring at the man before her as he looked down and scratched at his forearm tattoo, Flitter pounced forward without warning and hugged him tightly, earning a grunt of surprise. Pushing her muzzle into his chest, Flitter nuzzled him in an attempt to convey what she didn't trust words to do. Jack sighed as he began to pet the back of her head. “I'll take that as an ‘apology accepted’ then.”

“Jackass.”

Jack smiled faintly as he relaxed. “I deserved that.”

“Yes you did.” Flitter pulled away from him and slapped her hoof against the water, spraying him. “And you deserved that too.” The mare found herself smiling again as he rolled his eyes and focused on cleaning himself. Giving his head a shake as he washed out his hair, Jack took a moment to consider its length. A look of dissatisfaction spread across his features as he seemed to become lost in thought to Flitter for a short moment, causing her to edge forward with concern. “So… Jack… you're going to see Sable today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Over what Poppy did to you?”

He paused in his next answer; his eyes remained locked firmly on his hands and his unwanted tattoo. “How much did you see?”

Flitter shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the question. “We… we saw everything. The.. Thing you killed, what the hippogriff did to you, and… Poppy.” She watched as his features fell further.

“Everyone in the room saw?”

She nodded again. “Yes.”

With his tongue running over his teeth, Jack nodded slowly as he let out a slow breath from his nose. “Right.” He pulled himself from the bath and wrapped a towel around his waist as he sat on the bath’s edge trying to bolt his legs back on.

“Jack, we don't think any less of you because of what happened, okay?” Flitter rested her forehooves on the edge of the bath and looked up at him with concern.

Grunting as he pulled himself up and gave his legs a testing shaking, he avoided looking at her as he began drying off. “I do.” He finished drying off before looking to her. “Mind turning around so I can get out of my wet skivs?”

Looking down in defeat, Flitter nodded as she turned in the bath and sank down. The sounds of Jack's struggles against the sopping wet undergarments brought a weak smile to her features as her ears flicked in curiosity. She knew better than to look. “So…. What are your plans for the gala?”

“The fuck is a gala?”

This time Flitter turned, but only to give him an incredulous look. Flitter immediately regretted her decision and turned back around as her cheeks flushed hotly. “I-it's um… A big festival. All of Canterlot celebrates.”

“Will there be alcohol?”

“Yes?”

Jack grinned as he cinched his belt tight. “Well then I know what I'll be doing.”

With a sigh of slight annoyance, Flitter shifted in the bath. “You have a problem Jack. Can I turn around now?”

“You're just realizing this? And yes, you can turn around again.” He smirked faintly as Flitter turned bright red and began to climb out of the bath. “So what are you doing then for this ‘Gala’?”

As she began drying herself off, Flitter glanced up at the man before her. “I'll be spending most of it with Luna and Hazel. I was… hoping we could dance…”

He seemed to chew the idea over, giving it thought. “Alright. We'll see what happens I guess.” He grabbed another dry towel and began speed drying the pegasus, much to her surprise and chagrin.

“N-no, don't dry me like this, I'll be fluffy!” Flitter cried out as he rapidly fluffed and dried her coat with the towel.

“You say that like it's supposed to stop me.” Jack chuckled as he quickly finished up, leaving Flitter as a fluffed ball of fur and disapproval.

“Sometimes I really hate you.”

He grinned and shot her a mocking two fingered salute as he started for the door. “Only because I didn't hand dry your rear end.”

Blushing hotly, Flitter scowled at him as her tail wagged. “S-shut up!”

His cackle of amusement carried as he walked out. “Make me, lieutenant!”

______________________________________________________________________

Doctor Ginger Sable sat behind his desk, organising his papers and files on his next appointment. This one interested him greatly, and not just because of the mare the man spent most of his time with. Sable looked over the open folder again and for a moment he relished the idea of the challenge Staff Sergeant Kessle would offer him. Soon after having that thought, a brisk knock sounded high up on his door, dragging his attentions away from the files. Knowing who it was in advance saw Sable sticking the folders back in his desk before calling out. “Come in!” The door opened and Jack walked in, giving him a brief nod of greeting as he closed the door behind himself. Sable put up a smile as he placed his hooves together on his desk. “Ah, hello, Staff Sergeant. Take a seat please.”

Jack sat down heavily on the small couch, his eyes flicking about to take in the décor of the room. “Nice office.”

“Thank you.” Sable made a show of pulling up one of the folders and cracking it open, pretending that he hadn't already gone over it three separate times. “Do you mind if I call you Jack?”

“Go ahead.”

Sable smiled. “Alright, Jack. You can call me Ginger if you'd like.”

“Right.”

Shuffling the papers on his desk, Sable made another show of getting comfortable while carefully casting his spell. It was a simple spell that made the target a bit more docile and willing to talk. Nothing invasive, and certainly legal. “Why don't you get comfortable Jack, then we can start.”

“I am comfortable.”

A moment of brief surprise and annoyance crossed Sable’s mind and he considered recasting his spell, but ultimately decided not to. “Alright. Now, you understand why you're here, correct?”

Jack fought back a frown as he leaned back into the couch. “There's no good reason for us to talk besides that reason, so let's get this over with.”

Chuckling, Sable let out a smile and sigh. “You military types are always the same when you come in here. Always acting like the session is a tooth that needs to be pulled as quickly as possible to avoid pain. We have to do this properly, and from the beginning.” He leaned forward in his seat. “So let's start from the beginning of your service.”

Smothering a pained groan, Jack got comfortable and looked up at the ceiling. “My older brother joined the army, and I couldn't be outdone. So I said ‘fuck it, imma join the marines.”

______________________________________________________________________

Sable smiled as he listened to the Staff Sergeant recount his work prior; it helped paint a picture of his mindset before coming to Equestria. Of course, there had been tales that had churned Sable's stomach, if not for the graphic content, but for the sheer casual tone Jack used when he spoke of them. He had been shocked when Jack spoke candidly about the mission that had brought him to Equestria; that he had agreed to sacrifice himself for the apparent continued survival of his race. It was impressive, and selfless. Sable rolled his hoof as he searched for his words. “So you volunteered for this mission? That’s…”

“I didn't volunteer,” Jack said flatly, shattering the illusion Sable held in his head. “I was volunteered. Of course, it had to be me.”

Furrowing his brow, Sable felt himself scooting slightly closer. “Why do you think that?”

“Somebody else might have gotten it wrong.” He elaborated as Sable took on a confused expression. “I'm a trained demolitions expert. Setting explosives or disarming them, I can do it all with one arm behind my back and half blind. I was the last trained demo with the Longbows on the entire Eastern seaboard, as hard as that is to believe.” He took a moment to drink from his glass of water. “They couldn't trust Delta King to some poor grunt. Too much could go wrong. It had to be me.”

“I see.” Sable flipped a page. “Let's jump forward a bit. Your first encounter with Flitter and infected humans. What drove you to action? From what I understand, for someone in your position there wasn't a very good reason to get involved.”

Jack shrugged as he glanced toward the clock. “People were in trouble. Quick scan didn't ping any enemy armour, so I trusted my gear to tank any threats that were present.” He laughed lightly at the memory. “I thought that I'd been drugged and I was watching someone's pets running around screaming. I almost didn't open fire on the infected until they attacked me.”

Humming, the psychologist scribbled something down on his pad of paper before continuing. “I understand that you had a serious misunderstanding with Flitter's family?”

Snorting hotly as he leaned forward, Jack looked over at the unicorn. “Misunderstanding would be an understatement. Flitter's sister stole from her, jodie'd her, and then dragged her into a den of killers and rapists.” Sable lifted a brow at the last comment, and rolled his hoof as a way to ask for details. Jack sighed gruffly as he rubbed his face. “She and her sister went to meet these guys because Cloud Chaser missed a payment or something asinine. They decided to beat the shit out of Flitter, and quite verbally planned to rape them both and sell them, or kill them. I don't think they'd decided fully by the time I blew the door down and made them reconsider their positions.” His features began to grow a hot scowl. “And then Cloud Chaser squeals to Momma Fuckface, and I get tagged and bagged by Mercs R’ Us. So on so forth, now I'm here wasting breath.”

“Mm.” A long moment passed between the two as Sable jotted down notes and occasionally glanced up to gauge Jack's posture. “Let's talk about something more recent. The weapons depot, and the subsequent debacle.”

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Went textbook, up until the bandits hit us and we lost air superiority.”

“You made the decision to arm the Lunar Elite Guard with human weapons, which at that point in time were government property. And then you used some sort of explosive device to utterly destroy an enemy vessel on crown land. A vessel that could have contained valuable intelligence. On top of all that, your fire fight caused thousands of bits in damages to the greatest train engine in all of Equestria.”

“I didn't think it was that great. Didn't even hit eighty eight miles per hour. ” Jack rubbed his finger nails as Sable cocked his head in confusion. “Honestly? If I hadn't handed out those guns, we wouldn't be having this conversation, period. I did everything I deemed necessary to achieve victory and get those boys back alive. Any bureaucrat who has a problem with how I did things can fuck off.”

Sable frowned as he wrote on his pad of paper. “And that's your official statement on the matter?”

Rolling his eyes as he laid down on the couch and stared up, Jack shot a quick glance at Sable. “I'm pretty sure my original statement is a bit gargled with blood from how many times I got shot, saving lives. So yeah. My official statement. “

“Do you believe you could have done anything differently since you arrived on Equestria?” Sable asked as he rested his muzzle on his upturned hooves.

Slowly looking back toward the ceiling, Jack simply shrugged in return. “Nothing in my control. Maybe kept my mouth shut on a few occasions but that's it.”

“Hmm.” The psychologist stared at the man as he thought. “How do you feel about the sexual abuse you underwent? And the torture?”

“I think the migraine I've had since I sat down is starting to grate on my nerves. It's worth more mention that some shitty fuck session I was forced into.” Jack stated icily as he shifted and shot a hard look over to Sable, who nodded meekly and flipped a page.

“If I could have you meet Grace, Flitter's mother, what would you do?”

The question saw Jack quirking a brow and sitting up to get more comfortable. “If I had to behave, I'd inform her in no uncertain terms that she is a fuckin’ terrible person, and somehow, an even worse parent. How someone so kind and thoughtful ever fell out of her worthless snatch continues to amaze me.” He looked over as Sable choked on a laugh. “Something funny?”

Waving a hoof, the stallion shook his head. “I apologize, I didn't mean to interrupt. Now, about your alcoholism.”

“Oh lord, here we go.”

______________________________________________________________________

It was some hours later that Celestia was finally able to relax in her room and read over the report that Doctor Sable had sent her regarding Jack and his brain, and she did so over a small cup of tea and a large slice of cake. Flipping open the folder, Celestia began to read casually as she snacked. As she flipped through the pages, a curious expression spread across her features, and soon she found herself staring at the final note from the doctor.

“Mr. Kessle suffers from the same issues that many of our older military field veterans suffer from, if only on a profoundly acute level. He is an intense and strange man and has suffered for his experiences, but I see no reason why he should be withheld from combat duties. I suggest he be observed as best as possible in case his case worsens, but in my professional opinion, I believe that he will put the good of the country and its ponies over personal gain. Regards, Doctor Ginger Sable.”

Celestia sighed lightly to herself before sipping her tea. “That's the end of that then.” She pulled out another stack of papers and saw to stamping them, before sending them off in a puff of smoke. Just as she was about to lay into her slice of cake, another small stack of papers puffed into existence before her. The top most of the papers was Rarity’s designs for the new militia, and JSOG. Looking over the proposed designs, Celestia felt her brows slowly raising in surprise. “Now that is certainly a uniform.”

Stamping approval of the new uniforms, Celestia looked toward her cake with unguarded desire, only to be interrupted again by a knock at her door. A short sigh of annoyance left her as she called out. “It is open.”

To the princess’ surprise, Queen Omega trotted through and bowed her head shortly. “Sorry to interrupt your dessert Celestia, but my spies found Chrysalis's hive entrance.”

Celestia blinked in surprise as she got up. “Omega, I wasn't aware you were in the castle. Are you sure it's her entrance?”

The queen nodded as she glanced out the window. “Yes, without a doubt. Disappearances from the nearby town have also increased twofold since the depot raid as well. We also have reason to suspect that those ‘chemical weapons’ that your human was so upset over may be present in the hive still, and that she may indeed plan on using them soon.”

“I see…” Celestia's expression grew grave as she recalled the warnings of doom that Jack had uttered. “Is there anything else?”

Giving her head a nod, Omega turned toward the window and squints to see beyond it. “We have reason to believe that someone will be making an attempt on Staff Sergeant Kessle’s life in the near future. We don't know when or where, just the rumblings that somebody wants him gone.”

“What about the Elements, and Max?” Celestia asked with barely concealed worry.

“None that we have heard so far. My spies near them report nothing out of the ordinary either.” The queen buzzed her iridescent orange wings as she continued to stare out the window. “Will you be attacking Chrysalis's hive soon?”

Standing from her cushions, Celestia trotted to the Queen’s side. “I must inform my advisors and form a plan, but yes. I am hoping for a surgical strike to disable the weapons Queen Chrysalis is so seemingly eager to unleash.”

Omega nodded in understanding, before brushing up against Celestia's side as she smiled sultrily. “Then I shall be going. If you have need of me, you know where you can find me.” She hummed thoughtfully before slipping away without a sound.

Shaking her head at the changeling’s antics, Celestia turned back to her cushions and cake, fully intent on finally getting to her treat. Her ears flattened and her lips pursed in disappointment as her eyes fell on the empty plate. “Mother bucker….”

______________________________________________________________________

The next morning was a rough one for Jack, coupling a very late night with copious drinking to apologize to Hard Tac had turned out to be a very bad idea. Curling up under his bed to avoid the spears of light that threatened to burn his eyes out, all Jack could do to answer the pounding on his door was groan and curl up into a tighter ball around his bottle of whiskey. The door to his room opened and the clop of hooves sounded over the tiles as two ponies trotted in and looked around.

“I don't see him. Private, you're absolutely sure he didn't come out?” The masculine voice belonging to the mystery stallion asked.

Mythic grunted gruffly in annoyance as he pawed the tile. “No I didn't, and his window is still closed, so he didn't leave that way-”

“The fuck you guys want, making so much damn noise?” Jack asked weakly from under the bed.

“Staff Sergeant?” The unknown stallion stuck his muzzle down under the bed and stared at the small ball of angry hangover. “What are you doing under here?”

Jack groaned as he slowly cracked an eye and looked toward the young guard before him. “Hiding from the sun.”

“Staff Sergeant, I'm here to collect you and bring you down to operations, Princess Celestia has called for you.” The stallion watched as the hungover ball of hatred slowly unfurled like a spider dying in reverse. Slowly pulling himself out from under the bed, Jack sat down heavily on his bed and took a short pull off of the bottle still clenched in his hand. The stallion looked shocked as he spoke, while Mythic barely mustered a smirk and a shake of his head. “Staff Sergeant, are you drunk?”

“Not yet. Just having some hair of the dog.” Jack muttered as he carefully pushed the package on his bed to the side to avoid possibly damaging it. He hadn't dealt with the Ponyville fashionista for four hours straight just to damage the final product. Setting the bottle down on his nightstand, Jack levered himself up and slowly trod off to his bathroom to splash water onto his face.

The still unnamed stallion followed him, his golden armour making far too much noise for Jack's liking. “Sir, it's important that we hurry, it's an emergency.”

Immediately Jack burst from the bathroom, his movements fluid and with purpose as he grabbed his laser rifle and slung it over his back. “Well why the fuck didn't you say so god dammit! Come on, let's go!” He shooed the surprised guard out of his room before following said pony down through the twisting halls of the castle toward the operations room.

The operations room was a fairly large, circular affair with a large round table set in the center. A large bank of radio equipment sat against the far left wall, opposed to a detailed map of the entire country on the right wall. Ponies trotted to and fro, carrying intelligence and orders for others as they flowed around the Princesses as they stared at the map. Jack subconsciously straightened himself and tucked his rifle into parade rest against his shoulder as he waited. The guard who had escorted him in crashed into a salute, causing Jack to wince in pain at the sound. “Corporal Gate, reporting with Staff Sergeant Kessle as ordered, ma’am!”

Turning away from the map, Luna nodded to the golden guard. “Thank you corporal, you are dismissed.” She looked to Jack as the guard crashed into another salute and about-faced before trotting out stiffly. The princess looked worried as she spoke. “Thank you for coming Jack, but we believe that we've found Chrysalis's chemical weapons cache.”

Jack's features hardened as he nodded. “Alright, talk to me. What're we doing about it, what's the plan?”

Turning to finally face Jack, Celestia gave him a nod of greeting. “You're to join a squad of Coming Dawn operatives and infiltrate the hive. Once inside, you will then have three objectives. One, destroy any and all weapons caches the changelings may have. Two, recover any prisoners they may have. Three, assassinate Queen Chrysalis if possible.”

“The weapons are top priority though, right?” Jack stepped closer to the map wall and stared at the proposed layout of the hive. When Luna confirmed his question, he started to glare at the hive map. “What's the projected enemy numbers?”

“Several thousand, if not more.”

He winced at the casual estimation as his mind churned in thought, searching for a better plan. “Then your plan isn't going to work. If we're going in blind, a large group is going to be found out nearly immediately, or get bogged down when they tarpit us.” He sucked his teeth as he thought. “Is Corporal Baron still in the cells?”

The princesses shared a look between themselves, before returning their attentions to the man as Luna spoke. “Yes, the changeling is still imprisoned.”

“I'll need to talk with her. Nothing better than a guide. If she agrees, or if she doesn't, I'll need to operate alone on this one, with that squad acting as QRF and civilian escort incase we do extract civs.”

The officers present all stared at the man as if he'd completely lost his mind. The princesses didn't seem convinced, and Celestia stated as much. “As excellent as your arms and armour are, Staff Sergeant, I doubt that you'll be able to fight the entire hive by yourself.”

His smile brought friend to most of the faces present. “That's why I'm not going to fight them, at least not right away.” He looked toward the group behind him and began to strut slightly. “When I first arrived on Equestria, I used a six by ten optical camouflage tarpaulin to avoid detection. It hides just about everything from thermal imagery, magnetics, and the naked eye. If I'm right, I could hide myself in armour, and one small pony. The weapons will be slag and fumes before they even know I was there.” He smothered his cocksure smirk as the officers murmured amongst themselves and nodded.

Luna nodded to him and stood. “Myself and my sister have agreed to use this plan, but with three squads ready to attack in case the plan fails. Private Juniper will take you to the changeling's cell.” The princess smiled. “Oh and Staff Sergeant? You've been cleared for field operations. Congratulations.”

Openly grinning at the news, Jack snapped a salute before following the private out of the operations room and through the castle. They soon entered the bowels of the castle, and it wasn't long until the dungeon door groaned as it slowly opened.

“Be careful, changeling's are innate liars,” the private remarked with a sneer. “Don't get too close either.”

Jack nodded as he looked toward the solitary cell that sat embedded deep in the rock. “Thank you private. You're dismissed.” The private hesitated a moment, before nodding and trotting off. The dungeon door groaned as it closed behind her, marking Jack as alone in the place with only the sole jailer, who Jack had yet to see. He began approaching the cell that had been pointed out as Baron's, and when he reached the bars he found the cell to be nearly pitch black. The torch had been allowed to sputter and die, leaving the ex-guard continually bathed in darkness. “Baron.” There was the sound of someone inhaling sharply, but no response came afterwards. Jack continued on as he approached the bars to the cell. “I know you're in here Baron.”

“...leave me alone Jack…” Baron's voice answered quietly from the darkness. “and stop calling me that… I don't deserve a name…”

Crossing his arms as he leaned against the bars, Jack quirked a brow as he looked into the near pitch black cell. “Ain't gonna happen Baron.” He squatted down, bringing himself to level with the small shape that laid on the floor up against the back wall. “I'd like to talk for a few minutes, if that's alright with you.”

“...Fine… Sure…”

Furrowing his brow at the weak voice, Jack got comfortable sitting on his haunches. “You been eating alright?”

The answer took almost a minute to leave Baron as she shifted slightly, still keeping what Jack assumed to be her back toward the cell door. “Just hate and sadness…”

“Hm.” Chewing his cheek, Jack nodded as he tried to think. “Right. How long have you been in the guard?”

“Five years.”

“Did your queen send you?”

Finally, Jack caught sight of the changeling's face as she shifted again and shot a weak glare at him. “No. I… I left the hive and hid amongst ponies. I didn't even take anybody, I came up with the identity all on my own. Forged a birth certificate, all of it…”

“Then what?”

Baron looked away again. “Chrysalis attacked Canterlot over two years ago, and got everyone hating changelings… I almost got caught…”

Nodding as the picture began to form in his mind, Jack rested his arms against the bars of the cell. “So when Queen Omega called you out as an infiltrator-”

“I panicked. I shouldn't have attacked her, and…” There was a soft sniff inside the cell. “Jack, sir… I'm sorry I hurt you, I was just scared…”

“Baron,” Jack said as he stood back up. “How'd you like to get out of here?”

There was a long, pregnant pause as Baron remained motionless at the back of the cell. “W-what?”

He smiled lightly toward her. “I'm on a mission to infiltrate your old hive and do some mission impossible shit. I need someone to guide me through. Someone I can trust.”

The changeling's wings buzzed loudly as she pushed herself up and cantered to the bars to look him in the eye. Baron's old voice returned for a moment when she spoke next. “Sir, don't yank my chain on this.”

“Is that a yes? Or should I find another changeling who wants a shot at redemption?” He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at her.

Baron's chitinous features hardened as she shook her head. “No, I'm…” she looked down for a moment. “Whatever it takes, I'll show everyone that I'm… I'm not one of her changelings. I am mine and nobody else's,” she declared resolutely.

“Good, that's good.” Jack smiled as he stood, but within a moment he pulled his face closer to his and his smile shriveled to a near glare. “But just so we are crystal clear, if you have second thoughts about your allegiance, don't think that I won't hesitate.”

Doing her best to remain stoic as her ears flattened against her skull, Baron nodded in understanding. “Yes sir. When do we start?”

“Today, I just gotta get you out of this here cell. You know where the jailor is? Haven't seen em yet, and that's kind of weirding me out.” Jack turned on his heels as he scanned the dungeon carefully. There wasn't a single soul in sight, and most of the torches had long since guttered and died. A chill passed between his shoulder blades and his hand instinctively went for his holstered sidearm. He hadn't used his sabot pistol in quite a while, but it was more than enough overkill for anything that could possibly attack him.

Baron pressed up against the bars and looked out, hoping to catch a glimpse at whatever had spooked the human. “What is it sir?”

With his eyes scanning the darkness with distrust, Jack slowly began to relax. “Nothing. Just a chill I guess.” He snapped the holster button back down, but his eyes remained on the dark cells. “I'll be back.” Without warning he turned on his heels and began a quick walk toward the dungeon door. Passing by the turn in the hallway, Jack paused and waited by the wall. He carefully stuck his head out passed the corner, and watched the darkness carefully.

Not a second later, a small black changeling almost seemed to emerge from the shadows, carrying a small pistol of some sort in its magic. “The queen sends her regards, soldier-”

“JA-”

Baron's call of alarm was drowned out by the hypersonic boom of the steel spike passing down the hallway and turning the changelings torso into a fine mint green paste. The force of the impact caused the would be assassin to hurtle through the air, before coming to a sloppy skidding stop on the flagstone floor. Jack trod back into view, his pistol unlimbered and ready for additional contacts. When none presented themselves, be plucked the dropped weapon up off the ground and eyed it suspiciously.

A Browning Hi-Power?

Jack frowned at the weapon before pocketing it as the guards burst into the prison armed to the teeth and prepared for battle. They came to a stop just before Jack, their eyes falling on the remains of the attacker. “Uh...sir? Is everything alright?” The private who had escorted Jack asked awkwardly.

“Yeah, just peachy. You guys seem to have a bug problem.” He toed the nearly dismembered head of the assassin. “I need Corporal Baron's cell unlocked and her care put under my charge.”

The private’s eyes snapped up to stare at him in shock, while the other guards showed a mixed scene of disgust, contempt, and uncaring eyes. “What? Why would you want-”

“Private, I am nursing one hell of a hangover right now, and I just rung my own bell a minute ago. If I have to listen to you jaw on about some bullshit about traitors and racism, I'll rip the cell door out of the wall and take my bug regardless, and it'll be on your ass. Crystal?”

The private swallowed thickly before nodding. “Yes sir. Chance, Daisy, could you guys try and find Key's keys?” The named pair exchanged looks, before returning their gazes to the thoroughly unimpressed Jack.

Said man tapped his prosthetic foot in irritation. “Now would be great guys, I've got a suicide mission to get to.” He watched as the pair nodded a little too quickly and cantered off to find what had happened to the jailor. Soon enough, they returned with a groggy jailor and a ring of keys. After several tries, Baron's cell door swung open, and the cuffs around her hooves were unlocked. Finally, with the inhibitor horn ring pulled off and her magic returned, Baron followed Jack out of the dungeon and to his quarters without a sound.

Throwing on his exo-skeleton and pulling down one of his tarps, Jack began going over everything that he'd need while Baron stood by the window basking in the sunlight. His armour chattered and closed around him, and as his armour's system began booting up, Baron finally broke a smile and assumed a disguise of a pale cream coloured mare with a brilliant orange mane. “Thank you sir…”

Striding into his large container and rifling through his collection of weapons and explosives, Jack simply grunted in response before he appeared next with a bandoleer of 40mm grenades slung across his waist and a suppressed Sig P250 in his grip. He handed the pistol to Baron as he looked at her through the visor slit of his armour. “Remember how to use this?” At Baron's nod, he nodded in return and went back into his container. “And don't thank me for anything until the mission is done and we're having chow.” He strode back into the container and began rifling through its contents. “So that killer, you know him?”

“Not personally, but he was an infiltrator. You can tell by the ears.” Baron stuck her head into the container and watched as Jack slung two more bandoleers of incendiary grenades across his chest plate, before hefting his M240g and settling the barrel shroud against his shoulder pauldron. Baron quirked a brow at the weapon, her eyes remaining locked onto the M203 grenade launcher that was attached to the barrel shroud via metal banding. “I don’t know what that is, but it looks wrong.”

“Hey! A little frankengun makes life worthwhile!” Jack hugged the weapon lightly before shaking his head and setting it down on his workbench. “So, do changelings have any special abilities that’d let them detect someone without line of sight?”

The changeling mare cocked her head slightly in confusion. “What?”

Slinging a large canvas bag of 7.62x51 ammunition and thermite charges over his back, Jack began taking down his optical camouflage tarping. “I mean can they figure out where I am without needing to see me?”

Baron furrowed her brow at the question as Jack folded the first tarp and stuck it in one of his many pouches. “We have to know someone is there to harvest emotions, and nobody will be looking to feed in the hive, so no.”

Laughing as he gave the second tarp a snap as he threw it over himself, Baron gasped as the armoured marine all but vanished before her eyes. Jack’s voice came through from the same place, confusing her further. “Good, because if they did have some kind of special magic, I was gonna feel like a huge dipshit.” He lifted up the tarp, showing just his burdened chestplate and helmet.

Gasping in realization, Baron quickly moved forward and prodded the tarp. “Is this an invisibility cloak!? How on Equis did you ever get your grubby mitts on one?!”

Rolling his eyes behind his helmet, Jack ushered the mare under the tarp and dropped it. “It’s an optical camouflage tarp, not an invisibility cloak. Chrissake’, we’re infiltrating a changeling hive, not faffing off in Hogsmeade. Besides, you saw this when I grabbed it at my first base of operations.” He gently coerced her to stand behind him and walk in step. “Try to follow my lead, let’s figure this out and get in step here as opposed to there.”

“Right… Lead on.”

The pair began their long and initially awkward walk to the carriage staging area concealed under the optical tarp. On occasion they would pass by a patrolling guard, or a castle servant, but they were never seen. Rarely would a staff member stop and their ears would perk to the sound of Jack’s heavy boot heels treading across the fine floors of the castle, but they would always move on when the sound grew distant. By the time they neared the staging area, the pair had gotten into step and were beginning to get the hang of things.

The staging area itself was a mid sized grassy field that rested against the castle, where several carriages stood ready for anything, and the flight crews milled about. Three such carriages were standing ready, their flight crews beginning their pre-flight checks prior to boarding. Three squads of armed guards stood at the ready, with Luna standing before them. As Jack approached under the optical tarp, he took in the fact that four out of the ten ponies in each squad was kitted out with the prototype rifles and saddle systems, plus the prototype equine style body armours. The rest of the guards were all wearing metal armour whose colours had been muted heavily to help blend in regardless of environment. Luna pawed the ground before looking about anxiously. It was obvious who she was waiting for. The princess lifted her head as the sound of Jack’s heavy boot heels grew closer, and she gave her soldiers one last glance to gauge their preparedness before turning her attention back to the doors. When Jack didn’t appear, her features fell to confusion, then to shock as he all but materialised directly in front of her.

Nearly letting out a shriek of surprise, Luna had to hold herself back from launching a magical attack on the huge figure that had all but appeared in her face. It didn’t help that Jack was laughing and her guards had been surprised as well.

“That was good!” He exclaimed as he began folding the tarp up. “We’ve got our pacing set, that’s good.” He hefted his machinegun and rested its barrel shroud against his shoulder. “So, I hope you’ve got a better idea than walking or catching the train, because none of these wagons are gonna get me off the ground.” He stated simply to Luna as he looked over all of the carriages available. It was a simple truth, but it hurt some of those present none the less.

Pursing her lips in slight annoyance, Luna looked toward the sky. “I wasn’t just waiting for you.” She let a smirk slide onto her features. “Today seems to be a sort of field test day for several prototypes we’ve been working on. This one, is one that Mr. Morozov has been working very diligently on.” Her ears perked slightly and her smile increased.

The sound of thumping rotor blades was swiftly caught in Jack’s helmet’s audio pickups, and he cocked his head to stare out into the clear blue sky. He began to squint against the sun, and his helmet automatically compensated by tinting his visor input. Jack’s eyes widened in surprise as the small black shape dropped down with the sun at its back, it’s twin rotor blades thumping choppily through the air as it came in fast on the staging area. The dual rotored equestrian helicopter swayed to the side to compensate for its speed, before setting down on the grass as the downwash from its rotors fanned the entire area. Jack began laughing happily as he clapped his armoured hands together.

“The Huey and the Osprey had a baby and it’s fuckin adorable! AHAHAH!” He shook his head as he began approaching, tossing his canvas bag of ammunition and explosives into the helicopter. “Oh good lord today is just a rollercoaster. Okay Baron, let’s go kick some ass.” He sat down on the side of the helo with his feet hanging out the open door. The changeling bounded up beside him and settled into one of the seats, her excitement showing through the layer of serious professionalism she’d brought back up. The ground crews gave the cream coloured mare curious looks as she climbed into the prototype vehicle, but ultimately ignored her as Princess Luna approached.

“Squads Orion, Gestalt, and Hound are your backup, they will hold at distance and wait for your signal. They have radios on them, I believe your channel three. Be safe.” She smiled and nodded, before trotted back to give the vehicle room to wind up its rotors again.

Jack leaned back as the helicopter lurched off the ground, it’s twin turbo magitech engine wailing as its props chopped heavily at the air. He found himself smiling under his helmet, and humming ‘fortunate son’ as the three carriages took off after them and the helicopters twin rotors shifted forward to give it more thrust. The copilot turned toward his two passengers. “We’re a half hour out, get comfortable.”

Soon the rolling green fields of Canterlot’s surrounding areas gave way to the farmlands of Ponyville, which eventually shifted toward the rocky badlands. The sand below looked as uninviting as the sands back home, and Jack found himself turning his attentions away from the scenery and back toward the fight to come. He hardened his features and closed his eyes.

Those changeling’s wouldn’t stand a chance.

Chapter Thirty Four: Condition Red

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“Five minutes from the drop zone,” the pilot stated calmly as the desert below them blitzed passed at high speed. The sun was reaching up toward its highest point in the sky, baking everything below it with intense summer heat. Jack had remained out the door with a single leg that rested on the skid while he checked over his gear and ran diagnostics for the fifth time during the flight.

“Affirmative pilot, bring us in low and fast, then pull back to your safe zone. Prepare for fast extraction, possibly hot.”

The pilot turned his head to nod toward the armoured human; the word Snake was stenciled across his flight helmet. “Copy that, what's your callsign today sir?”

“Operation callsign is Spectre One Actual. Keep comms to a minimum, I doubt you'll have me for long when I'm underground. All callsigns copy?” After a short pause, three additional voices sounded affirmatives in his helmet feed. “Good, Snake and the transports will drop us off a full klick from the entrance and with our backs to the sun. We'll walk the rest of the way. Orion squad, I want you guys up on the south ridge for overwatch and comms coverage. Hound and Gestalt, hold at two hundred meters and do not engage any targets if you can help it. Spectre One will likely stir up a hornet's nest when we blow the caches, so in case shit hits the fan, pull back to Orion squad's position and hold until unable. All copy?”

Another flurry of copies sounded in his helmet as Baron looked over from her seat. “Staff Sergeant?”

Muting his comms bar by nipping his helmet's control bit with his teeth, Jack turned his armoured head toward the changeling. “Yeah Baron?”

“Does… Mythic talk about me at all?”

Jack turned his head away to look back out toward the desert plateaus in the distance. “Keep your mind on mission Baron.” The mare nodded her understanding and returned her attention to the opposite door. After a moment Jack spoke again. “He's still hurt pretty bad over it. I suggest taking care of it when we're back, as soon as you can.”

“Yes sir… thank you.”

“Any time Baron.” He shifted as the vehicle dove suddenly toward the ground, it's twin rotors swiveling to compensate for the rapid deceleration.

“Skids aren't hitting dirt, de-ass the bird!” Snake called out over comms just as Jack jumped from the helicopter thirty feet up as it compensated for its dive and came to an early hover. Baron slipped out after him, her wings only snapping open at the last moment to avoid being buffeted by rotor wash.

“Snake, you are clear! I say again, you're clear!” Jack waved off the bird, which twisted on its axis and shot off toward one of the plateaus in the distance. The carriages landed silently behind him, disgorging their cargo before slipping off the ground after Snake. Turning toward the thirty ponies as they approached, Jack nodded to them. “Alright, combat spread of one hundred meters between squad, twenty per man, diamond formation. Let's move people!” He turned on his toes and set off at a brisk walk with his weapon at the ready. The equestrian desert really was just as unpleasant as the desert back home. Jack grimaced at the memories before shaking them off and focusing his attentions directly to the task at hand. Hitting the break-off point for his back-up, Jack slowed considerably and unfurled the optical camouflage tarp. “Camo up, get under here Baron.”

The mare slipped underneath the tarp and waited patiently as the squad's all went their separate ways. “I know where the entrance is from here. I can direct you.”

“Do it.”

With Baron quietly directing him toward the entrance, finding the large hole in the ground was a trivial issue at the most. It was quite large, looking more like a heavily sloped sinkhole than a dug out position. No guards were visible outside in the sun. Jack waited for Baron's word to move, and when it came he began to carefully stalk toward the entrance to the hive. “All call signs, Spectre One is entering the hive. Keep your eyes on.” Jack slowed his pace even further as they entered the shade of the tunnel, and he became acutely aware that the tunnel wasn't empty. Flicking through his vision modes, Jack paused on magnetics as the chitin of the changeling's present outlined them readily against the hard packed clay and rock. Without a word he began creeping forward as to keep the sounds of his boot heels silent. The hidden sentries didn't budge an inch as he slowly passed by them, and entered the hive proper. Deeper down through the tunnels, he could just barely pick up the crinkle of chitin and the sound of buzzing wings.

Taking a quiet breath, Jack moved forward until they hit an empty crossroad. Crouching down, he got as close to Baron as possible before speaking. “Any idea where a crazy queen would keep chemical weapons?” Without speaking, Baron shrugged before nodding slightly. She pointed forward into the dark tunnels, far beyond where the last of the scorching daylight could reach. Jack paused and activated his helmet's night vision before beginning the slow pace deeper into the hive.

The further down they went, the more Jack felt completely lost. It was like he was wandering aimlessly in the world's largest, most convoluted anthill, and everything in it wanted to kill him and lay eggs in his eye sockets. The darkness was so absolute that his NV mode struggled to compensate, resulting in everything coming out as a grainy dark green. A chittering screech sounded out, and he immediately dropped to a knee and scanned for the culprit. Baron drew closer and whispered so quietly his audio pickups struggled to refine the words for him.

“Soldiers.”

A company of heavily armed and armoured changelings stomped passed, hissing and chittering at each other. Switching on magnetics again, Jack smothered a vehement curse as his his helmet traced the outlines of heavy armour and stolen Terran weaponry. It was a motley assortment of surplus firearms that couldn't threaten him in the slightest, but would shred any Equestrian caught in its path. While he doubted they could hit much, their sheer numbers alone would be enough to be dangerous. Once the company passed by, Jack spoke quietly. “This complicated things. I need to think. Take lead, I'll follow.”

Nodding, Baron took a cautious lead that saw them going even deeper underground. After what felt like hours spent in the pitch black, Jack finally saw light. The light was a pale, sickly blue that ebbed and rose naturally from a small patch of strange lichen. Drawing closer, Jack cocked his head in curiosity as he looked at the light producing fungus. In the center of the growth was a small cluster of naturally forming crystals, which seemed to glow just slightly brighter when he reached out to touch them. He stopped himself before touching the crystal, and looked to Baron. “These dangerous?”

She looked up at him from under the tarp, then looked up at the crystals. “No, but they are valuable to the hive-” She stopped as Jack plucked the whole cluster off the wall and stuck the glowing crystals in one of his pouch pockets. Sighing softly, Baron shook her head and motioned. “Nearly to the breeding dens. The store rooms will likely be close. A hives most valuable possessions are always close to the young.”

“Makes my life easier. Any idea where the queen would be?”

“Once you destroy those weapons, she’ll find you.” Baron spoke softly as a drone buzzed passed, several small eggs in its clutches.

Jack smiled grimly under his helmet as he watched the drone disappear into the dark. “Even better.” He stood and began stalking forward again. Every human instinct in his bones was screaming for him to turn around and get back to the surface. His instincts keened and cried, begging him to get out of this place that he had no business in. Jack tightened his hold on the machine gun's grip; using it as a means to try and sooth his rampaging instincts. As he and Baron drew closer to the heart of the hive, the amount of changelings that they passed began to escalate dramatically in number, to the point where Jack would often have to hug the side of the cave and program the tarp to appear as an outcropping of rock to avoid being run into.

A number of close calls saw his alertness running deep into the red and every fiber of his body tensed for the moment everything went pear shaped. He no longer had any remote clue of how deep they were underground, and the only sense of time he had was the small chronometer tucked away in the corner of his HUD ticking away. They'd been underground, moving slowly for nearly three hours now without any contact with the surface, and he doubted that their signals could possible weave out of the anthill of tunnels.

“Jack.” Baron's concerned voice caused his pace to halt as he crouched again and cocked his head toward her. She pointed a hoof off to a small offshoot tunnel. “Prisoners.”

“How can you tell?” He peered at the tunnel, but in the green hue cast by his goggles it looked like every other tunnel.

“There's so much fear I can't help but taste it…” Baron shifted uncomfortably, and Jack was beginning to forge a picture of why she would leave the hive behind.

Fighting back the urge to shake his head, Jack rested on his haunches. “The weapons are priority one. Make a mental note and we’ll circle back around.” He didn't need to wait for more than a second before she was ready to leave again. As they passed by, his audio pickups caught just the faintest of sobs coming from the dark tunnel. Weapons first, then prisoners. Focus, old man.

Further down the tunnels, a sharp, keening howl that ended with a chirrup sounded and echoed toward Jack and Baron. The traitorous changeling tensed and translated quietly. “Hurry, more soldiers for the cause.”

Before Jack could question it, a scream of terror sounded out from behind them, back by the prisoners tunnel. A pair of changelings appeared dragging a pony who was heavily bound in the strange green goop. Jack paused and watched as they dragged the thrashing stallion toward them, before trotting passed without issue. Jack motioned toward the pair and their prisoner, and began to follow behind them closely.

The stallion begged and pleaded frantically for his life, promising life and gold to whatever cause they wanted, just so long as they let him live. His captors said nothing, and continued to drag him into the breeding chambers. Jack and Baron followed closely behind, using the trio before them as a ram to get through the throngs of changelings that scuttled and trotted to and fro.

Entering the breeding chamber, Jack's boot heels dug into the dirt hard to bring himself to a sudden halt as his every primal instinct began screaming for him to bolt. The circular room held a large number of ponies and what appeared to be a single buffalo, each stuck to the walls with the green goop. Each and every single one of them was bloated beyond reprieve, and most seemed dead. The few that were conscious seemed to be in horrible agony. Jack soon found out why when the changelings set the struggling stallion down on a large, flat stone with his belly open to the air. The stallion began to sob and plead as a changeling that Jack had never seen prior slunk out from the shadows. The frills across its head marked it as openly different, if the colourfully pulsating stomach hadn't already. Jack watched in curiosity, and then horror, as the breeder mounted the stallion and unfurled its ovipositor. As it stabbed into the stallion's stomach and began to pump him full of eggs, Jack fought back a gag of horror as the stallion thrashed and moaned, before foam filled his mouth as his stomach and chest were swelled to bursting with eggs. The two changelings dragged the gagging stallion toward the wall, and planted him against it, using the green goop to secure him as the life drained from his eyes.

“Jack, we need to go…”

As Baron spoke, the breeder perked and turned it's head toward the tunnel where they were standing and let out a chirrup of confusion. Jack's hand went back, and carefully began to coax Baron backwards as he backtracked. Once back out in the tunnel, Jack and Baron picked up the pace as Jack eagerly put distance between them and the breeding grounds. He made a note to stop by there on the way out and vaporize everything that moved.

Shaking her head, Baron lead him further and further down, until the tunnel sloped no more and the ground leveled out. Even in his armoured suit the place felt unnervingly chilly. Baron seemed to pause, growing heavily uncomfortable before pointing to an off shooting tunnel that was considerably larger than most others. They began stalking down it under the cover of the tarps, and soon reached its end. The room before Jack and Baron was full to the brim with barrels and crates that were marked with the biohazard warning symbol. Some had been opened, and several changelings buzzed about. Jack slowly approached one of the barrels, and had felt his heart drop like a stone when he read the warning label.

Corvellan Tox Darts; handle with care.

“Fuck.”

Jack backed up as his eyes fell on the open barrel and the slender crystalline darts that were utterly deadly to human physiology. Looking about, he realized that the darts weren't the only weapons the queen had available. In specialized, marked cases sat a large number of VX nerve agent artillery shells, waiting to be used. Moving through the room and eyeing every label for his on-board cameras, Jack began planting the high explosive incendiary charges wherever he could hide them. His mind began to race with worry.

Mustard Gas, VX, Tox Darts… If I blow all this, we might not get out of here… He set his jaw and continued to place the charges, until he only had two more left. Crouching down next to Baron, Jack kept his eyes warily on the roving changelings. “Charges set, think this is the only spot?”

Nodding, Baron whispered to him. “For these, yes. Chrysalis is utterly obsessed with order and compartmentalization. I think if we go further we’ll find a weapons stockpile.”

Sucking air quietly through his teeth, Jack regarded his final two charges. Not enough to ensure complete destruction of anything he found to be sure, and with all the rock in the way there was no guarantee that his detonator could penetrate far enough if they had to stray far. “I'll have to use detcord… maybe we'll get lucky and hit a munitions stockpile… “ He began unreeling a small length of det cord and wiring it to the first C4 block’s detonator. After a moment he pulled away, and began silently stringing cord out behind them. “Alright, let's go.”

Nodding as she turned under the tarp, Baron began to slowly creep through the chemical storeroom and onto the next. The tunnel between the two contained another small batch of crystals, which Jack was forced to ignore on account of there being far too many changelings for him to safely snag it. As he unreeled the detcord, Jack carefully brushed it to the side of the cave with his boot, and occasionally scuffed small clumps of dirt over the wire to conceal it. The tunnel went longer than they'd expected, and by the time they entered the next store room Jack had nearly run out of detcord on the small reel had had brought. Carefully checking the closest crate, Jack sneered hotly as Baron approached and spoke. “What are those?”

Looking over the disposable tube launchers, Jack felt furious with himself for not bringing far more explosive charges and wiring. “AT4’s… bad news for me. I'll-” he cut himself off quickly as a squad of soldiers entered the store room and began snapping and snarling at each other in the changeling native language. Jack got as close to Baron as he could and asked. “What are they saying?”

“They've spotted ponies outside, soldiers. They're going to attack them.”

“Shit. god dammit... New plan.” Jack set the charge over the anti-tank launchers and strung the next one as far as he could in hopes of detonating unseen ordnance. “Tss- go.” He hissed and shooed Baron back they way they came, back through the chemical room and toward the prisoners. Moving with new-found urgency, Jack nearly moved too fast for Baron to keep up under the tarp. The tunnel was considerably smaller than the storeroom tunnels, and it was covered in slimy green goop. Jack's boots began sinking in, leaving deep tread-marks in the gunk as he walked.

Entering the room, the pair stopped to gauge the situation, and Jack came to a very disturbing revelation.

There were far too many ponies to sneak out.

Nearly twenty ponies were corralled near the back end of the room and trapped in near full body cocoons of hardened changeling gunk. There were eight changeling soldiers in the room, and four drones from what they could see. Regret further entrenched itself in Jack's mind as he realized that Baron was the only one with a suppressed weapon. Doing this quietly would be incredibly difficult. With his mind churning fast for viable solutions, the call for another breeder went out, and the soldiers grabbed a mare from one of the cocoons. Kicking and fighting, the mare called out to one of the other ponies, a small colt.

“MOMMA!” The colt screamed in terror as strained against his bonds as the changelings began to drag the mare away.

The mare struggled heavily, and managed to buck one of her assailants as they dragged her. Breaking free temporarily, she galloped to her child's side and began trying to pull the goop off. “Sandy! Mommy's going to be okay! Everything is going to be okay!” There were tears streaming down her cheeks as the changelings jumped on her and pulled her away.

Shifting under the tarp, Jack jutted his hand toward Baron. “Gun.” Not asking any questions, Baron stuck the butt of the pistol into his outstretched hand and took a small step back.

As the changeling drones struggled with the the thrashing mother, the soldiers began to approach with blunt weapons in their magical grips. The mare kicked again, striking one of the drones across the jaw. “NO! Leave me ALONE!” She flinched as one of the soldiers lifted his weapon to strike her, but the expected sound of metal meeting soft flesh was interrupted by the suppressed whip-crack of the .40 cal slug leaving the pistol's barrel, and the resulting sound of clattering armour as the soldier fell forward with a neat hole above his left eye.

Tossing the tarp back to reveal himself fully and keep Baron hidden, Jack surged forward and jammed his service knife into a drones throat. The pistol clicked and popped and the slugs found easy targets in the surprised changelings who scrambled to action. The soldiers were the first to fall as they were the far more dangerous of the two types, and the drones didn't last much longer as they tried to attack him from the sides or flee. Jamming his service knife through the skull chitin of the second last drone, Jack twirled on the tips of his toes to draw a bead on the fleeing drone. Without warning the drone fell flat on its face, and Baron’s magic wrapped around its head.

Jack straightened and ignored the crunch of vertebrae as Baron snapped the drone’s neck. He looked toward the mare who had been about to be dragged off. She was on the ground, curled up and protecting her face from the flurry of violence. He reached down and gently picked her up, placing her on her hooves as he tilted his helmet toward the shocked ponies still stuck to the walls. “All of you stay quiet, we're getting you all out of here.”

The mare nodded as she looked up at the massive figure that had simply popped into existence to solely save her life. “T-thank you… who are you?”

Jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Baron as she appeared from under the tarp, causing some of the ponies to gasp in surprise. “We're JSOG, and we're here to save you.”

The process of cutting the ponies down and freeing them of the goop took far too long for Jack's liking, but he thanked his luck over and over as they all just managed to fit under both optical tarps in a tightly packed group that sniffles and fought back scared sobs. With strict orders to stay absolutely silent under them, Jack hoped to hell that he could get all of the exhausted and terrified ponies to the surface.

The mare who had been the catalyst for the snap decision broke ranks under the tarp so she could approach him. “S-sir? My… my husband, they took him hours ago… could you please look for him? They took so many of us, please, you have to save my husband!” She begged as quietly as she could, but panic saw her voice rising fast.

Already knowing the truth behind her husband's fate, Jack simply nodded. “If I get the chance, but we need to leave, now.” His ears pricked at the chittering call for another breeder. He could just barely pick up the sound of numerous hooves approaching. Grinding his teeth in annoyance, Jack shook his head and took several quick strides to where he thought Baron might be. “Baron, we gotta go. I'll never fit under the tarps with you guys.” He looked over as the tawny mare slipped back under the tarp and huddled with the others.

Baron stuck her head out from under the tarp several feet ahead. “Staff Sergeant, we need to go.”

Grunting in annoyance, he moved to her side and repeated himself. “I'll act as a diversion. They’ll be so focused on me they'll never find you.”

With an apprehensive look, Baron glanced back to the tunnel where the call went once again unheeded. “Won't you get lost?”

“You'll be right just in front of me, just yell directions if you have or have someone show their tail whenever we hit an intersection. Sound good?” When Baron nodded and slipped back under the tarp, he looked over to where he knew the ponies were all huddled together in fear. “All of you, you'll be doing this nice and slow. I know you all want out of here, but stick together and follow the Corporal’s lead no matter what.” He turned toward the tunnel and cursed as a loud keen of alarm was sounded.

Lifting his machinegun, Jack let out a short choppy burst that sent the crier spinning. “Fuck it, I'm going loud, Baron, go!” He moved forward the moment he saw the tawny mare's tail poking out from under the tarp. His foot falls felt infinitely quieter now that he was stalking with his m240g at the ready, but in reality his boots made more noise than the entire group combined as he carelessly crushed a corpse under foot and allowed his weight to enter each stride. The cry of alarm had stirred the hornet's nest, and the moment he exited the prison tunnel he came under attack. The drones all but threw themselves at him, trying to pin him down with magic or stick him in place with their goop. He swatted them down, crushing skulls and firing point blank into their crunchy bodies, before focusing on the armed soldiers as they took up firing positions and began to open fire. The inaccurate fire was supplemented by its volume, and soon the small rounds were dancing off his chest, creating sparks and cutting into his chest rig webbing.

Pulling a white phosphorus grenade free from his webbing, Jack hurled it down the hall and brought his detonator up as the canister exploded and peppered the soldiers with burning fragments that perforated their chitin and set the soft flesh underneath ablaze. Flicking open the safety catch, Jack squeezed the detonator and breathed a sigh of relief as the immediate cacophonous rumble of chain detonating C4 reached him in the tunnels. The hive shuddered from the blast, and dirt rained down from the ceiling. Grinning viciously as he let out another short burst of fire to keep the changelings down, Jack focused on following the tawny mare's tail through the pitch black tunnels.

Just for once, everything is going alr- Jack looked up as the ground rumbled again, and large clumps of dirt rained down on the group. His eyes widened and he called out in alarm. “Roof’s coming down, look out!” He gave the tawny mare's hind quarters a swift kick and quickly jumped back just before the tunnel collapsed before him. “Shit! Is everyone okay!?” He called out, hoping his voice could penetrate the dirt. To his relief, Baron called out.

“Jack! We're okay, but you're cut off! We'll start digging toward you!”

“No!” He called out before casting a worried look over his shoulder. “Just get those civvies out of here! I'll find another way out!”

Baron answered nearly immediately. “I'm not leaving you behind sir!”

“That's an order corporal! I'll be fine, just get those civs to safety!” He turned on his heels and let loose another burst to drive back the changelings that were creeping up on him. “Fuck it… I guess I'll burn the breeding grounds. “ He stalked forward, the muzzle of his 240g tracking back and forth like a bloodhound as he flicked back and forth through night vision and magnetic vision modes. The tunnels were lousy with changelings, and he couldn't go more than five steps without fending off some kind of attack.

It seemed as though the main artery tunnel was filling to the brim with changelings in an effort to contain him, but thankfully, the side tunnel heading toward the breeding chamber was nearly empty. The changeling soldier standing guard didn't stand a chance as his weapon left minuscule pockmarks across Jack's chest plate; his life ended at Jack's knuckles. Striding into the breeding chamber, Jack slung his 240g across his chest and unlimbered two grenades. Pulling the pins and letting the handles spiral off, he hurled them toward the thickest concentrations of bloated creatures. To his horror, the seemingly dead ponies began to gurgle screams as the WP shrapnel dug deep and split them open, spilling their unholy spawn like cut marble sacks. Lifting his weapon again, Jack began firing single shots; blasting holes in the suffering ponies he couldn't save. The flames were beginning to spread, apparently whatever greasy oil the eggs were covered in was flammable. Thick black smoke billowed up in his night vision mode as he ensured that each pony was put down, and that their eggs were burning. As he neared finishing his work, the first of the eggs began to pop loudly from the heat.

Just as he was turning to leave, Jack paused as his eyes fell on another tunnel that almost seemed tucked off to the side of the breeding grounds. Hefting his weapon, he treaded forward and pushed through the oily smoke. Warning symbols for toxic elements popped up on his HUD, but we quickly disregarded it as he entered the small sloped tunnel and began going down. “Just wish I had my drone…” Jack lamented as he slowed and peeked around the corner. He slowly stepped out from the corner, and entered the next room in a state of shock.

The room was nearly covered in the light creating crystals and fungus, which cast an eerie blue haze across the horrors inside the room. Three massively bloated creatures lay on beds of light fungus and changeling goop as they quivered and warbled; the oily black smoke from the next room over was beginning to leak into their's, and they could smell it. Smaller changelings that Jack didn't recognize buzzed about, tending eagerly to the creatures needs. As he slowly stepped further into the room, Jack almost felt as if he couldn't lift his weapon.

“Hey!”

Jack was jerked out of his horror by the guttural unknown voice, and as his mind cleared his weapon lifted. As he squeezed the trigger, it dawned on him that the bloated monsters had human features. Arcing his fire across the room and gunning down everything before him indiscriminately, Jack barely missed a lanky man who dove to the ground and snarled in fury.

“BASTARD!” The unknown man popped out from behind a broodmother and fired on Jack with a pistol whose small caliber rounds sparked and ricocheted off his thick armour. Jack pivoted to bring his weapon to bear on the unknown man, and found that he wasn't entirely a man. The man's skin was an inky jet black, even in the pale blue light, and his forehead ridged upwards to form a chitin plated horn. The man snarled in hatred and bared his steak-knife teeth at Jack, before deftly ducking under the incoming rounds. “You're gonna pay for this you sonuva bitch!”

“Not if I hit you first, freak.” Jack snarled back and strode forward, his weapon hunting for a target as foul blood poured from the murdered broodmothers. Without warning, Jack lurched forward as something slammed into his back and forced his considerable bulk off balance. Twisting uncomfortably to confront the attacker, he had just enough time to see the man sprint from the to the tunnel and out into the hive at large. “Shit…” Jack took the momentary reprieve to swap out belts of ammunition, and made the mental note that he’d already burned through two hundred of his eight hundred round stockpile. He was down to three white phosphorus grenades, and still had a full complement of HE 40mm grenades and his armour's waning micro-rocket supply. He silently prayed that it would be enough for him to find another tunnel out of the twisting hive.

As Jack started back the way he came, he cast in last glance over his shoulder at the twisted creatures that may have once been human. They aren't so nasty when they're dead… He mused quietly to himself, before being interrupted by a howling screech of anger that came from the main breeding room. A rising shriek of anger from dozens of mouths rose to meet the initial cry, and Jack promptly decided to find a separate route.

Searching the twisted breeding from somewhat frantically, Jack grinned in relief as he found another, even smaller tunnel leading off into the dark. The tunnel was so small that he would have to pull off his pack and throw it before himself as he commando crawled through on his armoured stomach. As the tunnel grew tighter, Jack began to worry intently as his armoured shoulders scraped across dirt and rock. He felt the mental pressure, the fear of getting stuck where nobody could ever reach him. Nobody that would help him, at least. As he grunted in exertion, he all but ran head first into a viscous membrane of thin changeling goop.

“Shit is just all over the place…”

Struggling to reach his knife, Jack finally managed to snag the blade with his fingers before cutting through the membrane.

Hope flooded him as he looked through the end of the tunnel and into a massive antechamber that reach hundreds of meters up to a rocky ceiling. The antechamber was riddled with passages big and small, and held no small number of changelings. Lacking any other choice, Jack pulled himself halfway out of the passage, before allowing gravity to take over for him. Rolling as he slid free from the tight tunnel, Jack used his hands to push off from the wall and to give himself enough momentum to complete his flip. Landing heavily on top of a changeling soldier who popped like an armoured balloon, Jack straightened and slung his ammo bag back over his shoulder before opening fire without warning.

The changelings keened and squealed as they were cut down like chaff before the scythe, and Jack continued to fire until the last of his belt chattered through the receiver. Ripping the next belt from his bag, Jack spun on his toes and gauged his situation. Surrounded on all sides with more changelings pouring in by the second, Jack found himself smiling despite everything. “Great, they can't escape now.” He hefted his weapon and loosed a 40mm grenade into a cluster of targets, and was rewarded when dismembered hunks of meat and chitin was tossed about by the explosion. He let out a roar of defiance to match their keening chitters as they continued to press in around him.

Pinning down the trigger as he opened the M203 and ejected the large empty casing, Jack backpedaled and span, arcing his fire wildly and randomly in an attempt to keep the changelings off him. Suddenly, a warning icon blared in his eyes, and his trained instincts sent him down to the dirt. He grunted in exertion at the impact, but thanks to his reflexes, the inbound anti-tank rocket slammed into the antechamber wall instead of his chest, the resulting rocky shrapnel killing and wounding a score of inbound drones. Rolling and jumping to his feet, Jack slammed the M203 shut on the next round and pivoted on his heels, hunting the owner of the launcher. The hair on his neck rose as his eyes fell upon the company of soldiers taking defensive positions amongst the rocks. Another AT4 launcher was leveled at him, and he only just managed to fire his grenade in time. The HE grenade exploded just behind the rocks, tossing the rocket soldier out of cover. Whether out of reflexive trigger pull or happenstance, the launcher fired upwards as it was dropped, and it's rocket slammed into the roof far above the fight. Jack backed up and covered his head with a heavy gauntlet as chunks of rock rained down.

Seizing the initiative, Jack loaded another HE grenade and prepared to fire, before being struck in the chest by a massive iridescent ball of magic. The blast lifted him off his feet and sent him sprawling. He popped back to his feet and ripped his WP grenade bandolier free, before hurling the damaged, sputtering grenades into the oncoming horde. It wasn't long before they exploded, showering the area in burning shrapnel.

“YOU DARE ATTACK MY HIVE!?” Another blast ripped up the ground at his feet as he jumped back and hunted for his target. He found her within seconds. The tall changeling snarled at him as her horn charged again. “I WILL DELIVER YOUR HEAD TO MY LORD, AND BE REWARDED!” She fired another blast at him, and caught his shoulder pauldron, setting it ablaze. “NO CREATURE CROSSES QUEEN CHRYSALIS AND LIVES!”

Snarling in return, Jack leveled his M240g at the queen and pinned down the trigger. The rounds struck a near invisible shield, which sent them off in random directions as it pulsed with every hit. The queen laughed at him, and charged her horn for another attack. “SOLDIERS, KILL THE HUMAN AND BRING ME HIS HEAD!”

Jack cursed vibrantly as the sudden incoming fire forced him to take cover behind a mound of bodies as the changeling fire deflected and spalled off his armour. His HUD began blaring warnings as his ceramic plating shattered and the titanium underlayer came under fire. He barely took notice as a stray round clipped his comms array, showering the area in sparks and electronics debris.

Definitely not good! God I hope Baron made it out of here, cause I don't know if I will!

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Up top, Baron felt her heart surge with joy, and her body fill with the relief of the ponies following her as they breached the entrance of the tunnel and exited out into the daylight. What had taken her and Jack three hours to creep through, Baron had basically jogged with the ponies following her in an hour. Whatever Jack had done had sent the entire hive into a frenzy, and they had all but abandoned the upper layers. Pulling off the optical tarping, Baron waved frantically toward the sand berm that Hound and Gestalt squad had been using for cover. Between them and safety was almost two dozen changeling corpses that were slowly cooling in the sand. Relief saturated her as eight firearm wielding ponies appeared over the berm and aimed at them. The civilians broke rank from behind Baron, and galloped pell-mell toward their saviours. For a moment Baron was struck with panic as the soldiers all tensed and their weapon barrels aimed.

“Hound, Gestalt, friendlies!” She yelled as loudly as she could manage, and breathed a shallow breath of thanks as the weapons lowered and the sword wielding guards emerged to secure the terrified civilians. She picked up the pace, galloping to the squads after retrieving Jack's tarps and folding them with her magic.

“Where's Spectre One Actual!?” The squad leader demanded as the first of the carriages landed and began loading civilians.

Baron shook her head as she stowed her weapon. “We got separated when one of the tunnels collapsed, He said he was going to find another way around.”

Without warning the squad leader grabbed her and slammed her hard against a large boulder before putting his hooves to her throat. “You changeling whore!” He hissed. “You left him behind, didn't you!?” The two squads were beginning to converge on her with confusion. “Traitorous bitch left him to die!” Baron gasped for breath as the soldiers confusion turned to red hot hate within seconds.

“Hey!” The tawny mare galloped over, trying to separate the soldiers from her. “Leave her alone! She helped save us!”

“She's a changeling!”

“I don't care! She saved us all!” The tawny mare yelled, drawing the attentions of the remaining civilians. The crowd began moving toward the soldiers, shouting their affirmations and condemning the attack.

Looking incredibly unhappy with the turn of events, the squad leader turned toward the tawny mare and dropped Baron to the sand. “Well then what happened to the Staff Sergeant?”

“The roof collapsed, and he got separated from us. He said he was going to find another way around, but I think he distracted the hive instead.” The tawny mare hugged her colt, who trembled between her legs like a leaf.

The squad leader cursed in anger as he ran a hoof through his short shock of mane. “Shit. Okay, civilians on the carriages, we’ll deal with this later.” He shot a baleful glare at Baron before turning back toward where the carriages had landed, and silently thanked his stars as the additional carriage that he'd requested arrived just in time. He could hear the sound of the strange prototype VTOL approaching in the distance, and soon his radio crackled.

“Snake to Spectre One Actual, come in Spectre One Actual.”

The squad leader shook his head as he answered his radio. “Spectre One Actual is MIA, we're extracting the civilians and pulling back to wait for further orders.”

“The hell you mean he's MIA? How do you lose a half tonne of ‘Pissed off and Armed’?”

Before the squad leader had a chance to answer, the ground shook, and nearly fell out from under his hooves. The soldiers and civilians all ran from the opening hole in the ground, until it had opened up into a massive sinkhole. The sounds of keening changelings, chattering gunfire, and occasional explosions echoed up through the hole as the squad's gathered around the edge and peered down into the darkness. Tracer fire arced back and forth, before being answered with magical blasts.

“It's Jack! He's down there!” Baron cried out ecstatically. “We've got to get him out!”

“And how in Tartarus do you suggest we do that, changeling?” The squad leader snarled at her. “He's not even answering his comms!”

Baron glared at him as the weapon on her hip became a prudent idea in her mind that refused to leave. She turned from him, and began galloping for the prototype VTOL as Snake brought it in for a soft landing. Bounding into the heli, Baron practically glomped the poor pilot. “What do you say we put the bird through her paces? The Staff Sergeant is a little stuck and he's gonna need a hot-shot pilot to pull him out.” She asked with a smile.

Looking toward the large hole in the ground, Snake grinned and sped up his rotors again. “Well, little lady, I'll do it for you, since you asked so nicely.”

______________________________________________________________________

Jack roared in defiance as he popped out of cover and fired another HE grenade toward the company before him. The round exploded violently, cutting down the incoming fire by a small amount as he danced and dove, trying to avoid the heavy magical blasts. The changeling queen cackled as she struck his midriff with a smaller blast and sent him sprawling.

“You wanna play it like that? Okay!” Jack’s HUD flooded with target markers as his targeting computers marked out every soldier that hid behind the rocks. His micro-rocket launcher extended from his shoulder and armed his remaining rockets “HIVE, THREE ROUNDS, AIRBURST AT HALF METER! FIRE!”

The rockets let out ear piercing shrieks as they leapt off his shoulder and flowered mid-air. The submunitions spiraled and danced around each other as they each independently tracked their targets, before detonating at less than a half meter’s distance away. Their unfortunate targets were reduced to a fine paste as the volatile mix of high explosive, concussive force, and shrapnel ripped them to shreds.

Slamming his last belt of ammunition home, Jack racked the weapons charging handle with a snarl and immediately began applying pressure again on the Queen, who was still reeling from the attack. Her shield shone like a beacon in the dark as it struggled to handle the weight of fire he was pouring down upon it. Cracks began appearing in the dome as her horn began charging again, and Jack continued to advance on the Queen who buzzed her wings and prepared to escape.

“THIS ISN’T THE LAST YOU’LL SEE OF ME, HUMAN, MARK MY-” The Queen's words were stolen away from her as a 40mm grenade impacted her shield, creating a small hole about the size of a dime and a massive spider web of tiny cracks.

“Arm Dum-Dum, fire on target!” Jack bellowed as his shoulder launcher swiveled and targeted the tiny hole. The anti-tank rocket whistled off his shoulder, hitting supersonic speeds within the split second it had left. The tungsten carbide coating peeled away as the rocket struck the hole, and the depleted uranium core shot through. The changeling Queen’s head simply vanished as the core struck her mid muzzle and vaporize everything above her neck. Her crown was sent twirling to the ground, where it sat spinning and smoking for a moment until Jack crushed it under foot.

A cry went up amongst the changelings that turned into a feral keening. The surviving soldiers seemed stunned, while the drones became aimless and lost. With the changelings in disarray, Jack began scanning for an exit. A body slammed into his side without warning, and more fire began pouring down upon him as frenzied soldiers began flooding into the antechamber. Cursing his luck, Jack fired his last 40mm grenade into the largest cluster and plucked a fallen soldier's weapon off the ground. As the frenzied horde began pushing in on him again, the sound of approaching helicopter blades filled his audio pickups, and drew his attention to the roof.

The roof had been blown away, leaving a massive, gaping wound in the earth. Jack gawked in shock and broke into an excited grin as the prototype helicopter hovered for a moment, before pivoting on its axis and shooting down nose first into the hole. Threading the needle that was a very right drop with his incredibly expensive prototype helicopter, Snake sent himself plummeting toward the ground, before pulling up at the last possible second. Swinging the tail end of the craft around, Baron stuck her head out of the troop bay.

“Jack, get in!”

Rounds began punching into and off the craft's fuselage, and off of Jack's damaged armour. He turned his back on the craft and began firing into the crowd of disorganised soldiers. As he fired, he quickly backed up until his armoured ass met the floor of the helo.

“I'm in, gogogogogogo!” He thumped the fuselage with a fist, before firing his stolen weapon until it's bolt locked back.

Snake swiveled the helicopter again, and sent it's nose pitching upwards, before pouring every last iota of power the engines could handle into the rotors. The craft whined and shook violently as it hurtled toward the hole in the ground. Hunks of rock were falling free from the edges of the hole, threatening to destroy the rotors as they fell past. Bracing for a possible impact, Jack grabbed hold of Baron and sucked in a breath as the craft approached the hole at high speed.

______________________________________________________________________

The last of the civilians had finally been loaded onto the carriages, and the soldiers were swiftly piling in. Hound’s squad leader cast one last look toward the hole that the traitorous changeling and psychotic pilot had gone through. Shaking his head, the soldier turned his back on the hole and gave the order to take off. Then, just as the flight crew was getting ready to take off, the rhythmic clatter of the prototype’s blades caused everyone present to pause and look back toward the hole. Without warning, the craft shot out of the hole and arced high in the air, before levelling off and circling the carriages on the ground. In the troop bay, the ponies on the ground could see the armoured bulk of a man resting a foot on the helo’s landing skid. Collectively the saved civilians and the soldiers around them cheered and stomped their hooves as he saluted the crowd below

The tawny mare's colt hugged her leg as he stared on with open awe as the soldier's carriage lifted off to follow in the VTOL’s wake. Looking up at his mother, the colt smiled happily. “Mom? Was that a super hero?”

Hugging her son as tightly as she could bear, the mare nodded weakly and laughed as she looked over all of the relieved and exhausted faces. “I think so honey… I know he's certainly my hero.” The mare sighed heavily in relief and watched the ground below them zip by as she held her son.

Chapter Thirty Five: Brewing Trouble

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The Royal castle grounds were abuzz with activity as the public and throngs of reporters all vied for a clear view of the large stage and podium that had been hastily erected to house the open air press conference. Despite the Crown's best attempts to keep news of the Hive raid under wraps, an intel leak had sprung, and the ravenous media had pounced upon it. Spinning newspapers and magazines spattered in blurry pictures of a strange twin rotored craft and an armoured Goliath alongside artist renditions of a ravenous horde of cartoonish changelings, the media had set the population into a frenzy. Conspiracy theories were strung along, nobles out of the know bickered, and unnamed ‘professional military sources’ fed tiny tidbits of information without background. Celestia and Luna had watched from above with growing apprehension as their subordinates scrambled to cover the leaks.

But, like the old Terran tale about a little Dutch boy with his finger in the dike, the impending collapse of order was coming upon them swiftly.

Thus, Celestia had announced a press conference, promising the truth and explanations to a curious populace.

“You sure they need me out there?” Jack asked as he sat propped up on his bed with bandages around his bare chest.

Taven rolled his eyes as he shifted in his parade dress. “Yes, you're supposed to ease the worries that the princesses have a remorseless killing machine at their disposal.”

Chuckling as he sat up, only to interrupt his own mirth with a grunt of pain, Jack settled on a light smirk as he rubbed his bruised chest. “So don't show up armed to the teeth, or sober. Gooootcha.”

Rolling his eyes at the marine’s slow movements, Taven began prodding him out of bed, earning a long string of curses and complaints.”Come on Staff Sergeant, they might give you a medal.”

“Ow. Fuck, ow! Stahp!” Jack flailed a hand at the Batpony, swatting him across the muzzle several times as he was pushed and prodded out of bed. “I'm wounded! This is uncalled for harassment!

Pushing Jack off the bed, Taven fought down a smile of his own as Jack hit the floor with a muted thump.

“...ow.”

“Ready to get up now? There's supposed to be free breakfast.”

Hopping to his feet and ignoring the sore bruises that painted his chest black and purple, Jack stretched and grunted as his body popped and crackled. “See, you shoulda opened with that.” He rubbed at his bandages lightly before meandering into the bathroom.

“Those bruises can't be bothering you that much, Jack. You complained less when you got shot.” Taven leaned against the wall by the bathroom door and listened as the tap started.

Splashing water on his face, Jack grunted before responding. “Cuz the doctors fixed me up with all of that fancy healing magic and gave me a fuckin’ lolipop. I think they held back on me in revenge this time around. Stingey bastards.”

With a laugh, Taven stuck his head inside the door. “Held back on what, the healing magic or the candy?”

“Both! I only knocked out one nurse, and that was… how long ago was that….?” He made a face as his brain churned to remember. A look of concern began to cross his features before he was interrupted.

Taven shook his head before pulling it back out of the bathroom. “I'm surprised you even got hurt. I thought that suit of yours was impervious to magic and anything short of the apocalypse.”

“Yeah, well-” Jack spat into the sink and began running a comb through his scraggly beard. “The rest of me ain't. And getting tossed around like a ragdoll and shot to bits tends to leave bruises.”

“Still, an entire hive on your own, that's-”

“Wasn't the game plan and really goddamn dumb. Now I'm down a sack of explosives, four micro-rockets and my chestplate looks like… uh… a hill range of some sort… uh… fuck, it looks shot to shit. I mean, that ceramic plate isn't gonna be easy to replace out here. Hell, the comms unit alone is a nasty loss… What I wouldn't give for just one box of spare parts.”

Sighing as Jack walked out of the bathroom and began the hunt for his clean cammies, Taven began to follow him around. “I bet the princesses can have it fixed up right away Jack. It just won't be the super tiny, ultra fancy technology you're used to.”

Slipping into his cammies and sighing softly as he straightened himself out, Jack looked toward the door. “Yeah, I think their scientists just about creamed themselves when I left my armour there to be ‘repaired’.” He muttered quietly about the princesses screwing him, and Taven pretended that he didn't catch every word that was said. Sighing as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Jack gestured toward the door. “Let's get this over with.”

______________________________________________________________________

Fidgeting as she stood next to Celestia and Luna. Flitter knew that the crowd outside was growing to ridiculous proportions. The courtyard was filled to the brim, and the skies above were choked with flitting pegasi. The press were thankfully mostly sequestered off in their own separate section, making them easier to avoid, but Flitter had been warned that junior journalists and lower profile writers would be lacing the crowd to be sure.

She had always hated crowds. Flitter closed her eyes as she rubbed her cheek lightly. The reports that had rolled in from the squad's accompanying Jack had initially been blown off as nonsense by the higher ups, or had been until Flitter had managed to hook Jack's helmet up to his PDA. Watching the entire mission unfold before their eyes had changed the brass’s tune quickly, and all remaining voices of disbelief went silent when Chrysalis's head was reduced to a fine mist. Congratulations went around the tables again and again, even from officer's who'd had no part in the operation. They had all just been so pleased with themselves that it didn't matter. There were talk of medals, of rewards and promotions. Of course, Flitter knew that almost none of them were meant for Baron, or Jack, or Snake.

Flitter shook her head to clear away the rogue thoughts and forced herself to focus on the now. Celestia was about to go out and greet the crowd, whereas She and Luna were to walk out with Jack. Baron would go unmentioned and Snake would only be mentioned in passing. Of course. That was how things were supposed to go. The top brass didn't want some human or a changeling outdoing their best. Or at least, they didn't want the public to know one had.

“Are you two ready?” Celestia looked over the both of them, a look of motherly concern gracing her features.

Nodding as she shined her shoe on her chest, Luna smiled in return. “Yes-” she turned her head to gauge Flitter, before turning back. “We're ready. Sergeant Taven should be retrieving Jack now.”

“Good.” Celestia nodded. “That's good. I imagine the crowd will have many questions for him.” She took a breath as she looked back toward the castle doors and the sound of Jack's boots grew closer. “Let us begin.”

Trotting with dignified precision onto the stage, Celestia stopped before the podium and greeted her little ponies.

Back inside the castle, Jack rounded the final corner and was greeted by Flitter and Luna. Smiling lightly to try and disguise his lack of sleep, Jack snapped a fast and sloppy salute as he walked. “So the game plan is for me to run around screaming, right?”

Luna smirked as she watched her sister explain the recent events, and briefly outline the mission in the most politically correct terms possible. “No, they don't need a reenactment of your first time in the castle.”

“Very funny, princess.” Jack muttered as he fixed himself up and finished tucking his shirt in. “Anything I should avoid talking about?”

Looking up to her mentor, Flitter received a nod of approval. Smiling toward Jack, she began to detail things to him. “Try to avoid talking about our new gear, don't go into detail about the mission or the offensive abilities of the changelings, and um… try not to mention the ponies you had to… provide mercy to.” That section of the mission had churned stomachs, and Flitter was sure the screams would haunt her for the rest of her life. If the look of pain that flicked across his eyes when she spoke of it was any indication, Flitter knew that they'd be with Jack as well. “Please don't detail JSOG, ummm... Am I missing anything?” She looked up toward Luna for guidance.

“Try to avoid informing the public that you performed nearly the entire mission without back-up. Our soldiers would never forgive you.”

Jack smiled winningly toward the pair as Celestia neared the point where she'd call them out. “Of course I didn't do it alone, I had Baron, and I mean, I wouldn't want to offend those guys who stayed behind and kept my seat warm. Real MVP’s.” He refocused on the doors and took a breath. “I fuckin’ hate crowds.”

Outside, Celestia called out the trio, and the crowd stomped their applause. Forced to leave the safety of the castle by the ponies behind him, Jack took the betrayal in stride and marched out like he was a marine coming fresh off the block. Standing behind Celestia with his hands clasped behind his back, Jack put on a small smile and did his best to not fall asleep standing. He soon didn't have to worry, with all the flashbulbs going off like gunshots and ponies screaming for his attention. The tiny ball of stress that had settled into his mind over the ordeal began to steadily grow, up until he was called to the podium to answer questions.

Gripping the podium with both hands to steady himself against the onslaught, Jack had to swallow his tongue and smother his grimace as he was grilled by the public and press. Who was he, why was he here, was he apologetic over how many ponies had been hurt during the human uprising? The questions drilled on, getting deeper into the root of things. How many changelings did he kill? Were the changelings a real threat to Canterlot? Are they going to retaliate? What is a chemical weapon? How was he able to kill so easily? Did he threaten our soldiers needlessly for glory? Jack's fake smile had long since bled away into his expressionless mask. Occasionally the princesses would take control of the questions, leading the crowd away from sensitive topics and letting them in on vague truths while he stood there, trying to keep his cool.

The entire ordeal made him sick.

With the flashbulbs blanketed his eyes with spots that refused to ebb, and the drilling questions of the press that shamelessly buried knives in his brain, Jack was swiftly losing patience with the situation entirely.

“Who gave you the right to kill indiscriminately?” One reporter snarked hotly toward Jack. The reporter was a pegasi, who hovered before the podium with a microphone and a stuck up look. Jack had been warned prior about the sensationalist firestarters, and this pegasi was certainly one of them.

What gives you the right? The question bounced away inside his head, churning the images that the entire event had dredged up from the past. What gives me the right? He grit his teeth in fury as Luna moved to intercept the question. Gripping the podium with both hands and leaning forward. “Who gave me the right?” He practically snarled, causing all eyes to fall on him instantly. “The Marine Corp gave me the right to defend myself and my brothers in arms. My government, gave me the right to defend all peoples in need! Your government gave me the right to defend you, in your time of need! The enemies of freedom, the enemies who would slaughter innocents wholesale, GAVE ME THE GODDAMN RIGHT TO KILL THEM! Every serial killer, every war criminal, every last bastard who would drag a mother away from her child to murder her, GAVE ME THE RIGHT! And you know what? Give me the chance and I'll parade right back in there and finish the job!” Luna placed a hoof on his side and tried to whisper something into his ear, but he'd already gone too far, and there was no turning back. “I'll take on every killer, every blood stained terror from here to the moons of Saturn if I have to! I'll fight and kill every last one of those ravenous bastards if it means a child doesn't have to go through that pain! To see the things I've seen! To live the horrors I've lived!“

Tugging hard on his hand, Luna spoke loudly in his ear as the public and press clamoured for more, demanding details and juicy tidbits. “That's enough Jack, let's get you inside.”

Nodding jerkily, Jack turned from the podium and left the chaos for Celestia to contend with. “Please, everyone calm down-”

The castle doors slammed shut behind Luna, and the others, shutting out the maelstrom of outside. Working his palms into his eyes, Jack let out a long groan of anger as Luna shook her head and shared a look of concern with Flitter. With his anger obviously being pent up so badly to the point that he practically vibrated, Jack clenched his fists and shook his head vehemently.

“Fuckin’ bullshit….”

Luna turned toward him with displeasure evident on her features. “Jack, go cool off. I need to help my sister deal with this. Taven, Flitter, could you…?” The princess smiled weakly as the pair nodded. Jack paced the grand entrance, his hands laced behind his head as he focused on breathing. Leaning close to the pair, Luna spoke in a near whisper. “Please keep an eye on him, and don't let any of the castle staff ask him questions.” Quietly, the princess turned away from the pair and trotted back outside, inadvertently letting in a burst of noise from outside. It sounded like the crowd was in an uproar.

Turning to Flitter, Taven cast a long glance over toward Jack as he paced and cursed under his breath. “Any ideas?”

Shaking her head to the Sergeant, Flitter looked from the doors and then back to Jack. “What a disaster…” She perked immediately as Jack turned on his heels and began to stomp down the halls. “Come on, let's make sure he's left alone.”

With Flitter and Taven cantering to catch up to him, Jack ran his fingers through his mop of hair and let out a strained breath through clenched teeth. “Doesn't matter where I am, nothing ever changes.” The familiar itch returned to his veins, that quiet little keening need for something to take the edge off, the tiny voice begging for release. He glanced over his shoulder at the pair following him and shook his head. Not in front of them, you worthless junkie.

He nearly passed by the kitchen, but a quick thought sent him back toward the door. Taven sighed stiffly while Flitter cocked an eyebrow. “Jack?”

“Just a pitstop.” He ducked into the kitchen and made an immediate beeline for the alcohol cabinet. Before his tails could intervene though, the head chef spotted him and flew into a rage.

“YOU! Get out of my kitchen you filthy mongrel! DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!” The diminutive unicorn stallion stormed over, intent on impeding Jack's progress to the cabinets holding his prize. Flashing his horn, the chef grabbed several knives and brandished them at the rampaging human.

All of the fire for fight in the unicorn's eyes died when Jack grabbed him by the horn and squeezed his hand like a vice. Leaning close Jack barred his teeth and snarled. “You pull a weapon on me, you better be damn ready to use it. “ He suddenly released the chef's horn and spread his arms. “Well? Do it. Come on, don't be shy, just stab me already.”

The chef stared at him as if he'd gone mad, but from the look in Jack's eyes, that wasn't too far from the truth. The knives in the chef's grip faltered as he backed up slightly. “I-”

Jack snarled “Pussy.” before continuing his path to the alcohol cabinet. Pulling it open he only grabbed two of the lowest shelf of drinks. With both bottles tucked under his arm he marched straight passed the cowed chef and his own shadows. Resuming his course to his room, Jack hadn't even arrived in his hall by the time he was tucked thoroughly into the first bottle.

Shouldering his door open, Jack all but fell onto his bed. Taking a long pull off the bottle that finished it off, he began pulling at his leg pins. Taven and Flitter closed the door behind themselves, before casting worried looks over at him. Kicking off his legs, Jack all but ripped off his cammie top before taking another long pull of the second bottle. “No matter where I fucking go, nothing seems to change. You know how annoying that is?” He made a face as the two ponies closed the distance.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, while Taven stood back, Flitter sighed and asked “What do you mean?”

“I mean the fuckin’ civies and the god damn media! It's always the same questions! Did you kill anyone? Huh? Didyah didyah?” He took another pull before flopping down into the covers. “Yeah, yeah I have… I've gotten a lot of people killed…”

Placing a hoof on his stumped thigh, Flitter glanced over toward Taven with concern in her eyes. “Jack, you did everything you could in the hive. Those ponies are alive because of you.”

“And if I'd been a little faster, that kid would still have his father.” Jack shot back hotly before his anger ebbed away to sorrow. “Never fucking fast enough… I wasn't ready for that shit…” He shuddered and stared at the ceiling with wide eyes as Taven carefully removed the bottle from his grip. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath through his nose. “Y'all can go now… y’got me back here. I'm not going anywhere.”

Moving so her head was now resting on his tattooed and scarred chest, Flitter gave him a reassuring nuzzle. “I'm not going anywhere Jack.” She glanced over as Taven carefully pulled his armour plates off. “And neither is Taven. We're going to make sure you're alright.”

“Alright you big bastard, I'm coming up there.” Taven declared as he hopped up onto the bed and lightly head-butted Jack. “And to Tartarus with those media buzzards. You could have run into a burning building to save kittens, and they would heckle you for animal abuse.”

Huffing in agreement and continuing to stare at the ceiling above, Jack wrapped his arms around both ponies heads and pulled them in close. With their muzzles nearly touching and Jack's fingers scritching away slowly, Flitter flushed and diverted her eyes. “Sergeant.”

“Lieutenant.” Taven answered briskly as he settled in for the long haul. “Staff Sergeant, you are more warm than any furless creature has a right to be.”

Jack grunted lightly before letting our a long breath. “It's the alcohol…” He shifted in the bed; his stumped thighs kicking uselessly against the sheets as he fought for purchase. “God damn legs…” He grit his teeth in anger. “God damn IED’s…”

Putting her hooves on his chest and making calming noises, Flitter gently nuzzled him back down. “Shh, easy Jack, easy… it's gonna be alright. You did all you could.”

Allowing himself to be coaxed down, Jack felt himself slowly succumbing to the effects of his shotgunned bottle of booze and the desire to just go to sleep and never wake up. “They looked like people… why did they look like people?” Flitter and Taven shared a look of concern as the human below them eventually passed out. His sleep was turbulent and rife with nightmares, but that wasn't his only worry.

______________________________________________________________________

Far away from the bustle of Canterlot, and deep underground within the broken remains of a changeling hive, Chrysalis's noble caste bickered between each other and vied to be the loudest voice present. They argued back and forth over the future of their hive, and over who would lead it to said future.

One of the nobles, the leader of the infiltrator caste, shook her head in regards to the leader of the soldier caste’s plan. “Xerox, that plan is foolish and you know it! We can no longer force ourselves onto the ponies or other hives for sustenance, brute force has failed us, as have you.”

“And what would you have us doing, hmm Hewlett? Scatter to the four winds and disappear into pony civilisation with our tails between our legs? That's unacceptable! Our hive was attacked because Chrysalis’ pony brained schemes failed her once and for all, and her new master failed to provide her with aid that was promised!”

Glancing up from his hoof, the leader of the worker caste, Erebus, snorted in derision. “The weapons are gone, your soldiers are decimated, and if my drone’s claims are correct, which I believe then to be, one of your caste led the iron golem into our home. You've got no ground to stand on. I say we move our hive and re-establish ourselves elsewhere.”

“You'll watch your tongue, drone-lord!”

The nobles conversation quickly devolved back into squabbling and bickering as the rest of the hive watched on. High up in one of the many offshooting tunnels, a small pack of human-changeling hybrid survivors gathered and looked over the bickering nobles. Almost all of the hybrids were twisted, lame creatures that Chrysalis's doctors had deemed genetic failures upon hatching, but one among them had been everything she had wish for. He was strong and swift, cunning and intelligent. She had been grooming him in silence, grooming him to overtake the worthless nobles below him.

One of the more intelligent hybrid approached their leader and peeked over the edge of the tunnel at the nobles down below. “You should be down there, Darneil. You hear the Lord’s voice, like our queen did.”

Setting his chitin covered hand on his brother's bulbous hunched back, Darneil simply gazed down at the heated argument that festered below. “And our new lord demands order. Those below us have no respect for it.” His wings buzzed with agitation as he looked down upon them. “I must recover our Lord's gift to our Queen, before the usurpers find it. They will bow to order; whether through force or free will, it matters not to me.”

Darneil set off back into the tunnels, headed toward the Queen's old chambers, while his twisted brethren melted back into the shadows. Working his way through the maze of tunnels, on occasion Darneil would pass over the deep-set tread marks the Iron Goliath had left in his wake. The smell of burnt flesh and gunpowder still clung to the hive, tainting it. Bodies were still being disposed of, and a large number of tunnels had become unstable from the blast. Entering the Queen's chambers, Darneil began his search while he considered the golem. The nobles believed it to be a construct of the Equestrians, a tool made for war that had struck the hive down like a petulant child. Darneil knew better, for he had seen the creature, heard it speak. He had watched how it had moved, how it struck down soldiers and breeders with fury and malice.

He knew the golem was no such creature, but instead a man. A man who could be killed.

A feeling of calm spread across Darneil’s chitin as he neared the Queen's lockbox. Finding the box unlocked, Darneil slowly lifted the lid and felt his breath catch in his chest as his eyes fell on the artefact within. Gingerly reaching forward to pluck it from its velvet entrapments, Darneil couldn't stop himself from running his jet black fingers over the perfectly smooth, symmetrical mask. It contorted itself in his grip, shifting from a Queen's mask, to a King's. Without hesitation, Darneil placed the mask over his face, and found it to fit his features perfectly.

All thoughts fled his mind as the mask stuck it's metal tendrils into his head and clamped on. What should have been agonizing was instead pleasurable, and soon he found his new thoughts arriving in an orderly fashion. A cold smile spread under the metal mask, and the hybrid’s eyes began to glow a ghostly white.

It was time to reclaim what had been lost.

______________________________________________________________________

Across the mountain ranges that defined the border between Equestria and Griffonian, an equally sinister plot was broiling in the heart of the griffon capital. In the shadows of his room, Carolus Rex watched as his family spoke with Ada while she stood by one of their landed airships. She was on her way to Canterlot, to help another human with a project that worried him. A part of him was simply elated to have the nosey bitch out of his feathers, while the more pragmatic portion of his brain quietly mused that an unwatched enemy was twice as strong. With a huff, Carolus turned from the window and paced across his room.

The time wasn't right to enact the plan that had come to him in his dreams. Conditions were not met, and to act now would mean anarchy and disorder. If there was one thing that Carolus had grown to hate in his time since returning from the frigid north, it was chaos.

His father had been keeping things from him. Rumblings of a multi-nation military group had become the topic of discussion amongst the soldiers of the capital. Only the best were being chosen for intensive special training in the Equestrian capital, and they were going to be chosen very soon. Carolus had nearly raged when he had learned of the news. Not only had his family kept it from him, but they had chosen Ada to go instead of him. While leaving the capital was not in his best interests, it stung to have a filthy human chosen over his own prowess. He knew in his heart that he was the better soldier, and anything to suggest otherwise was a slight against his honor.

Carolus’ eyes flicked to the locked box in which he held the artefact he had retrieved from the northern ruins. It was speaking to him when he dreamt, he knew it. How else would he have discovered that General Steelfeather was planning a coup of his own? Pulling the general into the fold had been a trivial task for Carolus, as the artefact had told him everything he needed to know to do so. The general claimed that he and his soldiers would be loyal, but Carolus had a way to ensure loyalty would be no issue.

Resting his claws upon the fine oak lockbox, Carolus sighed as a wave of calm washed over him and ideas sprung up within his mind like spring lillies. A rare smile graced his features as he turned to watch Ada’s small cutter lift off and begin its journey into Equestria.

“Enjoy your trip while you can, Ada. Learn as much as you can, and when you return, you'll be mine.” He grinned savagely. “All mine.”

______________________________________________________________________

Deep in the recessed of Jack's mind, the small gift that he had been given stirred from his short slumber. Mark furrowed his brow as he looked eastward across the arcing fields of Jack's brain. Though he was a simple shard of his original self, he still held great amounts of power, and could sense the machinations of his greatest foe begin to grind into action. Grumbling and muttering to himself, Mark crossed over Jack's cerebral cortex and dove into his subconscious.

Jack was having another nightmare, this one seemed to be an unholy amalgamation of his recent actions in the changeling hive, and the torture he refused to talk about to anybody. Mark rolled his eyes as Jack's subconscious weaved a terrible image that caused the man to murmur and shift in his sleep.

“Okay big guy, you've played enough.” Mark pushed the twisted changeling version of Dr. Forge off of Jack as he threatened to spear Jack with his ovipositor. Grinning widely at the mangled face before him, Mark patted Jack's bloodied cheek. “Rise and shine buddy boy. You don't want to miss all the fun.”

As Jack stirred violently from his sleep and fell out of bed, Mark smiled and hummed to himself as he began to meander back to whence he came.

Flailing on the floor as he searched for his legs, Jack mumbled and cursed as his stomach rebelled in memory of his nightmare. Crawling frantically across the floor to the bathroom, he barely reached the toilet before vomiting painfully. Voices of concern sounded from his bed, but he felt the need to ignore them as he cleaned himself up and crawled back out of the bathroom.

“Are you alright Jack?” Flitter asked quietly as she brought his legs over to him.

Nodding quickly, Jack began rapidly reattaching his legs. “Yes. I… I need to get out to the field. I need to train.” He stared off toward the east of his room. “I need to train.”

Chapter Thirty Six: Stalwart Liberty

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It was some days later, after the mess of the press conference, and Corporal Ada Forth’s arrival in Canterlot, that Celestia was finally able to get everything prepared for her big reveal of her plans to the public. Of course, the damage Jack's outburst had created would certainly cause issues for her regardless. Celestia had planned on chastising the Staff Sergeant over his choice of words to the public, but had decided against it when he began pouring himself entirely into completing the new training course, and overseeing the new construction that had been ordered to take place in the Royal Equestrian Army’s only base of operations and training camp. Something had obviously clicked in his head, and now he was rarely seen doing anything but working or drinking in his room.

Corporal Forth had arrived shortly after the construction of the castle training grounds had been completed, and Celestia quietly thanked the Emperor for sending a more level head that Jack could easily defer to. The woman had taken up residence in one of the guest wings, and so far Celestia had yet to hear one complaint.

Right on time, a quick knock sounded against her door, causing Celestia to smile as she opened the door with her magic. “Please, come in everyone.” She turned to watch as Jack and Ada walked in, and were followed by Flitter, Mythic, Petyr, and Field. Smiling to the small group, Celestia began preparing herself. “Thank you all for coming. Are you all ready for teleportation?”

Jack blinked in concern and struggled to get his thoughts to catch up. “Uh… nooo...? What about my titanium?” He looked to Ada, who looked equally concerned and confused.

“Do not worry Staff Sergeant.” Celestia's horn lit up as her spell charged, creating a bubble of magic around the entire group. “So long as the magic doesn't touch your titanium, we’ll be fine. Off we go.”

In a flash, the entire group disappeared from Celestia's study, and teleported to the observation point near a very large hangar. Immediately, Jack's legs began spasming and trying to move as his brain fired off confused signals. Letting out a noise of distress the marine fell over onto the grass and gagged. The corporal didn't fair much better as she reeled and lurched forward, retching onto the grass. The others only seemed somewhat ruffled by the sudden displacement.

“Oh god...” Jack mumbled as he fought to get his bearings. “Where am I?” He drunkenly sat up and looked to the still ill Ada with concern. “You alright, Ada?” He relaxed and groaned as the woman nodded jerkily.

“My apologies, the first time is always rough.” Celestia mentioned apologetically before looking to her sister and the small group of technicians that were standing by a large radio set. “Is everything ready?”

The technicians nodded, while Jack and Ada were picked up and cleaned off. “Yes, Princess, Shield is reporting green across the board and ready for lift off. The radio relay stations in Manehattan, Stalliongrad, and Canterlot are reporting that they are live and waiting for the signal. The nation is ready to hear you.”

Taking in a small breath, Celestia turned to her group, and the stands that had been erected in the field to house her command staff, and the engineering staff. Nearly a hundred ponies sat in the bleachers, waiting eagerly to see the fruit of their labours. Celestia smiled as Jack and the others took their seats; once everyone was prepared and Luna had reached her side, she began her planned speech.

“For nearly a thousand years, Equestria has been a nation that enjoyed unending peace, and happiness. In my rule, I have seen to it that my ponies are safe from any and all threats.” She took a breath, allowing her smile to wash over those present. “But as of recent, the world has become far more violent than it has in those long thousand years. Our enemies are plenty, and our people lack the means to defend themselves. Our enemies have invaded us, taken us, and killed some of us…” Celestia took a short moment of silence in memory of those she couldn't protect. “But that ends today, for today marks the day that Equestria and her allies refuse to stand idle while evil seeds this world. Today is the day that three new lines of defence are launched. The first being the rejuvenation of the Royal Equestrian Army, and the beginning of its subsidiary, the Royal Militia.” She smiled as those present clopped their hooves and clapped their hands. “The second is a special initiative that will see the absolute best our partnered nations can provide, striking down and rooting out evil wherever it may hide and fester. The Joint Special Operations Group is hereby started, under Royal decree.” Again there was the clopping of hooves, and the now more enthusiastic clapping of hands. Taking a moment to allow the applause to die down, Celestia smiled proudly. “And our third line, a joint endeavour between Equestria and the humans of Terra, our largest, and latest combination of magic and technology-” She looked to the techs and nodded, and watched as they sent the all clear. The roof of the hangar began to shift, opening up to allow the beast inside to rise. A massive sloped hull of riveted steel plates and a flat topped deck rose from the hangar, the airship’s towering superstructure nearly blocked out the sun. Celestia beamed with pride as the massive rotor engines lifted the steel behemoth free from its mooring shackles, and it lifted into the sky. “The Sky-Carrier, HMS Stalwart Liberty. Acting as a mobile relief station and defense platform, it's magical generators can produce a shield large enough to blanket Canterlot completely from harm.”

The crowd watched with wide eyes as the Sky-Carrier rose further into the air, and a familiar tilt-rotored VTOL took off from its flight deck. The applause came suddenly, and shook the bleachers like thunder. Jack shared a look of surprised excitement with Ada, before he looked back to Celestia.

The princess breathed a silent breath of relief as the ship maneuvered and floated closer. “This ship, and it's sister, will mark the beginning of a new era of peace, not just for Equestria, but the entire world. Thank you for listening, my ponies.” She nodded to the technicians, who cut the feed and transferred it to a nearby station to play music. Turning back toward the bleachers as the VTOL buzzed closer, Celestia cleared her throat for everyone’s attention. “Thank you all so much for your hard work and toil. I'm sure the engine troubles that Codename Sword is suffering will be dealt with swiftly. Those of you who were told you would be given a guided tour, your carriages will arrive shortly. If my group could please join me?” She looked to Jack and the others, who quickly stood and approached.

Behind Celestia, Snake brought the VTOL in for a skilled, soft landing in the grass, and waited for the group to board. Once everyone was aboard, he lifted off and began his return trip to the ship. Passing by the flight deck, Jack was finally afforded a good look at the vessel. It was visually similar to earlier aircraft carriers from world war two, but it was obviously geared toward beings and vehicles that could land and take off in a very small area. Instead of having a completely flat deck, the Stalwart Liberty housed a large number of defensive gun nests, and protective superstructure for a myriad of emergency services. Smack dab in the middle of the flight deck was a frail looking rod that shot straight up and nearly met the command tower in height.

“That's the shield rod. In the center of the ship sits the generators and the shield talisman bank. In combat, the ship can shield itself, or it can use its full power to deploy over a much larger area.” Luna said proudly as the VTOL was waved in by flight crew on the deck. Snake brought the craft in for a landing, and immediately cut the engines as the ground crew began to drag it toward an elevator. “But of course, the Stalwart has the ability to evacuate entire towns in a single swoop, and it has facilities to treat even the worst of wounds. Regardless of threat, she’ll be able to defend against it.”

The elevator rattled down, into the innards of the carrier. Another ground crew was waiting as the elevator finished its descent down the side of the carrier, and they quickly pulled the VTOL into the hangar. Inside was a host of carriages, and one more VTOL. Once the vehicle came to a stop, the passengers were allowed to disembark. Standing by the edge of the hangar, a proud blue unicorn stallion in a sharp white uniform began marching with a pair of attendants greeted the group.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. Welcome aboard the Liberty!” He saluted sharply toward the princess.

Nodding toward the stallion, Celestia began introductions. “This is Captain Berry Chord, our first airship captain. How is she performing, captain?”

The captain greeted each guest personally, before answering the question. “Stellar, beyond stellar! Our launch went perfectly, and all systems are green. I personally can't wait for our maiden voyage!“ The captain grinned broadly, before turning to Petyr and Field. “Mr. Morosov, your work on the magitech generators is amazing, Mr. Note, your work in hybridising the human technology will go down in history! Thank you.” He turned back toward his ship. “Well come on then! I'm giddy like a school colt to get this tour underway!”

The tour was a thorough one, taking them through every major facet of the Sky-Carrier’s guts and inner workings. The massive magical generators baffled Jack as they set his teeth fillings on edge; their power output visible in a central flux chamber that crackled with violent purple lightning. The medical facilities were obviously top notch, and the ship seemed to be clearly honouring tried and true human designs, but it certainly held an air of elegance unakin to human naval vessels. While the heavy bulkheads to guard against sinking were not present, heavy duty blast doors were placed strategically through the ship, ensuring any boarders would have to fight claw and fang for every single inch. The operations tower was a considerably more open affair, with maps and charts readily available on rollers and massive control consoles dominating nearly every wall. A strategy table contested the center of the room, where a small, magical token for the Stalwart Liberty sat placidly over a large field. Jack poked the small round stone it was being projected from, before shaking his head and muttering ‘magic’.

Soon the official tour was over, but Jack wasn't entirely satisfied. While the rest of the group looked around, or spoke quietly with the captain and his aids, Jack slipped out and exited out onto the flight deck. He wandered passed the gun nests, and eyed the armaments critically. A pair of heavy machineguns were set up in every nest, and they seemed to be yet another Equestrian invention that had been heavily inspired by Earther designs. The guns in use reminded Jack of the Browning M2, but seemed far too guilded for his taste. At the very least they had the appropriate anti-air sights on them, and an open swivel. Nearing the end of the flight deck, Jack found himself a comfortable seat against a blinking marker post. He fished out his squashed packet of cigarettes, and sparked one as he looked over the Equestrian countryside as it spread off in every direction.

The soft clop of hooves made him perk momentarily, and cast a look over his shoulder at the approaching pony. Snake lifted his hoof in greeting as he approached, before taking a seat near Jack. “I hope this spot isn't taken.”

Smiling as he puffed off his smoke, Jack offered one of his remaining cigarettes to the yellow pegasi pilot. He took the moment to quickly scan Snake's flight uniform, to learn what he could before being rude. It was crisp and freshly pressed, and had a pair of leaves pinned to the collars. “Still not used to Equestrian rank badges. Major?”

Snake nodded, and offered his hoof with a smirk as he took the cigarette with his wing and stuck it in his mouth. “Major Dandelion Price.”

“I can see why you prefer to go by Snake.” Jack said jokingly as he shook the Major's hoof and lit the cigarette. Jack looked back toward the countryside and puffed thoughtfully. “Thanks for the save back in the hive.”

Shrugging as he opened a small satchel and fished out a can of fruit and a fork, Snake looked out toward the horizon as well. “It's my job Sergeant, to make sure you crazy ground pounders all make it home alright.”

“Right, and plunging head first into hell is just operation normal.” Jack smiled as he glanced back toward the flight deck, and caught sight of Ada approaching. He lifted a hand in greeting, and had it returned swiftly.

The young woman approached, before squatting down and snagging Jack's smoke from his fingers. “These’ll kill yah luv.” She smirked as he scowled at her, before she took a short drag off of the last of the cigarette. “Princess wants t’ head back t’ the castle soon. Flyin’ there.” She said with a relieved smile, obviously not wanting a repeat of the teleportation. “She's got some kinda big plan. So I figure, wanna head on the town and cause trouble after?” She grinned lightly toward Jack.

“I know just the place, Corporal.” He leaned over and stole his smoke back, before sucking in the last of it. Crushing it under his boot, be stood and offered a calloused hand to the woman.

“Damn, just got comfy.” Ada griped as she accepted the hand up.

Shaking his head as he looked over toward Snake, Jack offered the same hand. “Come on Major, let's go home.”

As the trio walked back across the flight deck, Ada took another long look around and shook her head. “Y’know, when I first got ‘ere, I couldn't believe the Griff's had flying galleons. Just confused the piss out of me. Now I'm standing on twenty thousand tonnes of steel, and my brain jus’ refuses to figure the silliness. Fookin’ ponies, eh Staff Sergeant?”

While Jack agreed with the sentiment, he wasn't about to start his tirade about magic and the related bullshit. Thankfully, the Major seemed at least slightly knowledgeable about how the ship was even able to stay afloat. “Those magitech generators you all saw? Well, almost three quarters of their power goes into magically reducing the weight of the ship. I think as of right now it only weighs a few thousand tons, and the engines are more than powerful enough to keep it up and moving at that weight.”

“Huh.” Ada and Jack spoke at the same time, before shrugging at each other. As they continued down the deck, Jack watched as Celestia and her remaining group exited the command tower and neared Snake's VTOL. Flitter waved over toward them, and beckoned them in as the princess’ spoke with the captain. Jack pretended to not see the look of disapproval that slipped through Flitter's eyes when she glanced at Ada.

“Thank you again Captain Chord, and please, have a safe voyage.” Celestia gave the captain a nod as he saluted sharply. Turning to the approaching humans, Celestia smiled. “Ah. So nice of you to rejoin us. The Major will be flying you two back to the castle, where I will need to see you, Jack, immediately. “ She shared a look with Luna, before looking back to her group. “Is everyone ready?”

Flitter held up her hoof as Celestia's horn charged. “Can I fly back with them, Princess? I've never gotten to ride in the helicopter.” She smiled as best she could, and knew that Luna could see right through her paltry excuse.

“No, I'm sorry lieutenant, but we need you to be present for preparations.” Celestia continued charging her horn as Flitter's features fell, and within seconds, the entire group vanished with a pop and a flash before Jack and Ada.

“Alright, I'll be honest with you Ada.” Jack began as he laced his hands together behind his head. “That looked really fucking cool.”

“....Aye… it did.” The pair sighed as they turned toward the more conventional means of travel. “What'd you think she’s got planned?”

He shrugged as he clambered into the crew hold of the VTOL and strapped himself in. “Hell if I know, probably the usual super secret princess club shit.”

Snake stuck his head around the partition wall to get a look at the pair. “Ready?” He nodded at the pair of thumbs up he received, and began starting the engines. He perked slightly as his bulky headset crackled and voice came through. “Look’s like we're getting Wonderbolt escort into the capital.”

Quirking a brow, Jack leaned forward and yelled to be heard over the roar of the rotors. “Why do we need an escort!?” At the Major's simple shrug, he grunted, and asked a second question. “The fuck is a wonderbolt!?”

The Major laughed as the helicopter lifted smoothly off the deck and twisted on its axis. “The only branch of the military anyone gives a fuck about!” He put full power into the engines, shooting the craft forward and toward the capital. As the Equestrian countryside blurred passed underneath them, Jack slid open one of the side doors, and relaxed against the deck as the wind buffeted him.

“You're messin’ my hair Staff Sergeant!” Ada complained jokingly as she slid closer to the open door and Jack. The pair shared a light laugh, before Ada suddenly pointed passed his head toward the horizon. “That's gotta be our escort!”

Approaching fast on the horizon was a pair of blurred shapes with smoke trails following them. The pair of dots swiftly closed the distance, and blitzed over the craft. Jack tried his best to follow the blurs, but eventually lost sight of them as they rolled back around. Once they reappeared, matching Snake's speed, Jack burst out laughing.

“They're super spandex pegasi! Look!” He pointed at the one that had alighted to the side with the open door. It was obviously a mare, and one with a vibrant flame-esque mane. Her smoke trail appeared to be on fire as well. Jack tossed a salute out the door, and earned an aileron roll from the speedy pony. “They some kind of airshow group, like the Blue Angels?”

Shrugging as he sent his craft shooting across a massive orchard, Snake chanced a look over his shoulder. “Kinda, yeah. Wonderbolts are basically the heroes of all pegasi. You know, the fastest, toughest fliers Equestria has to offer. Some ponies are crazy about them-”

“Look out!” Ada cried as a prismatic bolt shot in front of the craft and in the path of the roaring engines.

Cursing loudly, Snake slammed down on his flight stick, sending them into a steep dive to avoid the inbound pegasi. Jack yelled in surprise as he was tossed about the crew compartment like a ragdoll, and then out the open door. Held in by only the fat braided canvas lanyard that was strapped around his waist, Jack howled in pain as it went taut and cut into him. The craft rolled again to avoid a particularly large tree, and Jack was slammed hard into the fuselage. Eschewing her own safety, Ada opened her seat harness and dove to the edge of the crew compartment in a bid to snag Jack as he dangled. As the orchard tree tops zipped by below his feet, the VTOL keened and roared while it's pilot weaved back and forth, trying to avoid the rainbow coloured pegasi that continued to blitz it. With a roar of exertion, Jack hauled himself up on his lanyard and snagged Ada’s outstretched hand, just as his feet hit a small tree house. His feet ripped the shingles clean off as Snake was finally able to gain altitude. With great effort, Jack was finally able to haul himself back into the crew compartment with Ada’s help.

The first thing he managed to say as he sucked in great gulps of air was “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?”

“Some civilian just tried to take us down, the bolts caught them!” Snake managed breathlessly as he leveled the VTOL out. “Everyone alright back there?!”

Ada gave the pilot a thumbs up, before motioning to Jack's stomach. “I need to see the wound Jack!”

Currently holding a hand over the pulsing pain in his stomach where the lanyard had tightened, Jack tried to wave her off. “I'm fine! Just hurts like hell! How far to Canterlot?!”

“You're not fine Jack, you're bleeding all over the place!” Ada gestured angrily toward his stomach as she pulled his stained top up.

Seeing the blood leaking off his abs, Jack cursed and let his head sag back. “Fuck!” The skin had been yanked off by the lanyard, cutting a fat red line across his abdomen that exposed the muscle underneath. Now that the adrenaline had begun to ebb, Jack could feel the pulsing pain increase agonisingly further and further, even as Ada did her best to see to the wound.

Thankfully, Canterlot wasn't too far out from where the altercation had happened, and when the VTOL came in for its landing, the culprit was already having her hide tanned by both wonderbolts. Ada was out of the VTOL the moment it set down, and was waving down a doctor. Soon enough, a medic was found, and to make matters worse, both princesses and their group from before were on the field and approaching.

When the niggling need to suppress the pain however possible reared its head again, Jack wasn't able to fend it off. Popping open the battered plastic case, Jack thumbed the last remaining needle free from its prison. He glanced up, making sure nobody was watching, before plunging the needle’s contents into his trademarked bicep. Relief flooded his system, blocking out most of the pain and placing a pleasant fuzz over his mind. With the pain that arced across his stomach forgotten, Jack stood up from the VTOL and fixed his bloody shirt. Looking to the side of the VTOL, he chuckled lightly as he placed his hand on the large dent in the fuselage that was suspiciously human shaped. Shaking his head, he began to meander over toward the gathering group and the doctor.

Ada was the first to take notice, as she wasn't all that interested in the wayward civilian. Her eyes went wide and she cursed loud enough to draw everyone's attention. “Jesus fookin christ, Jack! How in the bloody hell are you able to stand!?” She hurried over, rushing the unicorn doctor along. Now with the rest of the group looking at him, they all assumed a look of serious concern and shock over the blood that stained through his white shirt and dribbled down his cammies.

As the doctor pulled up his shirt, revealing the extent of the damage to the others as she began to work, Jack looked to the others and smiled. “Tis but a flesh wound.”

“You pulled your fookin skin off Jack! That's not a bloody flesh wound!” The others shared the Corporal's sentiment as they crowded around with concern.

Looking over her shoulder at the now downtrodden Rainbow Dash, Celestia shook her head. “While I'm glad you've still got your sense of humour Staff Sergeant, we really should take you to the hospital. The ceremony can wait for when you're not bleeding all over yourself.”

“I'm fine! Look, she's already using her magic. Magic fixes everything, right?” He grinned a little dopily, and had it returned weakly by most of the group, save for Ada, who narrowed her eyes at him.

Taking his arm, Ada looked to the present royalty. “I'll take the blighter to medical, your ‘ighness. I still want to know why this fookin’ civi’ tried to take us down though.”

Looking indignant at Ada’s tone, Dash pawed the ground and continued to look down, to avoid the angry glares from the wonderbolts at her side. “I thought that your machine was another bad guy, and that the wonderbolts were trying to stop you, so I came to help.”

“They were flying escort you stupid shite!” Ada yelled at the pegasi, her face flushing red.

“Well I know that now!” Dash yelled back as she took a confrontational step forward.

“You coulda killed the Staff Sergeant, pasting him across the fookin ground!”

“It's not my fault!”

The pair began to argue heatedly, before they were interrupted by a shout. “That's enough you two!” Luna stomped her hoof, silencing any argument. “What is done is done. Let us be thankful that nobody was killed, but right now Jack needs proper medical attention.” She glared at both women, who thankfully backed off from their confrontation.

Ada shot a hateful glare at Dash, before throwing Jack's arm over her shoulder. “I'll take 'im. You all go back to whatever the bloody hell you were plannin’.”

As Jack lifted a finger to ask a question, he was interrupted by Flitter, who pressed up against his side and looked up at him with worry. “I'll help you, corporal.”

For a scant moment, Ada looked peeved at the intrusion, but the look swiftly vanished. “Yeah, fine, whatever. Let's go!”

Without any further interruption, the pair hauled Jack off toward the castle hospital. For the entire walk there, Ada held her tongue and glared forward as her question went unspoken. Flitter did her best to see that Jack wasn't going to hurt himself, but as they continued down the halls, the pain of his wounds became more apparent as the morphine high quickly slipped from his body. What had been good for over an hour of relief was barely good for ten minutes of respite now, and the moment the pain returned with all of its biting fury, the tingling need for more morphine swiftly followed on its heels.

The doctors worked as quickly as they could, cleaning the wound and removing the excess skin, before applying a magical graft bandage. While the pain remained, Jack could now move around without bleeding everywhere. Wincing as he sat on the edge of the bed, he did his best to hide the burning that stretched across his stomach.

“Well…” He grunted as he pushed off the bed and got to his feet. “At least we know the Major can fly.” He grinned weakly at the pair who were standing with him.

While Ada rolled her eyes, and Flitter smiled, Jack caught sight of Princess Luna approaching. Smiling at him as she closed the distance, the princess came to a stop before him and cleared her throat as she looked at the girls. “Would you two please come with me?” At their nods, her attention shifted to Jack. “Are you well enough to move on your own Jack?”

He nodded as he scratched at the back of his head. “Still stings, but I can move around. Just no more stunning heroics for me today.”

Smiling lightly at his humor, Luna nodded. “Could you please go get changed and meet Sergeant Taven and Private Mythic? They'll take you where you need to go. Please don't tarry.” With one final smile, the princess led the two girls off to places unknown, and Jack was left alone to find his way back to his room.

Once inside his small haven, Jack collapsed into his bed and let out a pent up groan of agony. His stomach itched and burned as the graft bandage worked it's magic on his abused flesh. “Fuck my life… ugh… ow..owowow…” He winced and bit his lip as he slowly pushed himself back up, and went about changing out of his blood stained clothes. Eventually stepping out into the hall in his clean clothes, Jack was greeted by his two guards.

Taven looked relieved to see that Jack was mostly fine, while Mythic seemed grumpy and indifferent, as usual. Taven trotted forward, and motioned Jack to follow. “We're meeting in the foyer. Did you wash up?”

“Nah. I just splashed some water on my face and rubbed on some pitstick.”

“So a spa visit by your terms.” Taven grinned and prodded.

Unable to keep a faint grin from his features, Jack gave the stallion a light shove. “Can it, batboy.” They continued down the hall for a while longer, before Jack spoke again. “So what's this meeting about?”

Mythic simply grunted the response. “We don't know.” Taven simply shrugged in agreement.

“Great. Stellar.” Jack sighed as he fought the urge to scratch at his bandages. “Let's get this over with so I can drink.”

______________________________________________________________________

Within the castle's foyer was a large gathering of nobles and military officials who weren't busy with the Stalwart Liberty. At the head of the group was Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Slowing as he entered the foyer and all attention turned to him, Jack suddenly felt horribly underdressed for whatever event he was about to attend. Celestia smiled up at him, and he couldn't help but notice how considerably more regal she looked.

“Could you join us at the front please, Mr. Kessle?” Nodding quickly at the Princess’ request, Jack double timed it down the stairs, and marched up to the front. With a slightly quieter voice, Celestia spoke to him again. “When you went to get changed, I had hoped that you were going to wear something more formal.”

Grunting in response, Jack clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his spine. “If someone had told me to, instead of staying quiet, I would have.”

The princess smirked lightly as she stepped forward. “Sass is unbecoming of you, Jack. Now, please behave.” She stepped up to the top of the steps, and regarded the small crowd before her. “Thank you all for coming for this ceremony. I know it seems like I've been holding a large number of speeches lately, but I promise that is is the last of them. For the week.” The princess smiled as the crowd chuckled in good humour. “We are here to thank Staff Sergeant Kessle for his bravery, and courage under fire. Staff Sergeant, could you step forward please?”

Doing so, Jack suddenly felt horribly self-conscious about his scraggly appearance, and began to wish and pine for a chance to actually do something about it.

Princess Celestia smiled toward him, giving him a nod of approval and calming, she continued. “Since his agreement to render aid to us, the Staff Sergeant has continually thrown himself into situations that would leave our own injured or worse. With the help of two of his bodyguards, he defended the town of Ponyville from an infected horde of unprecedented size. He then went on to remove arms and ammunition from an enemy that would have surely used them against us, while again putting himself in the line of fire to keep his squad members safe when said enemy attacked.” She paused for a moment as she let her words sink in. “And finally, his recent actions against Queen Chrysalis's changeling hive. Entering the hive with little backup, he nearly single handedly destroyed the seat of power, destroyed powerful weapons of destruction, and saved twenty of Equestria's citizens from further harm. He was prepared to sacrifice himself to ensure our citizens escape, and while that sacrifice was not needed, the meaning behind it has not been forgotten. Staff Sergeant Kessle, would you kneel?”

Thoroughly embarrassed from the surprising speech, Jack could feel pride worming it's way back into his body and mind after its long hiatus. Going down on one knee, Jack muttered softly to the princess. “Hope you know what you're doing.”

“Of course I know what I'm doing, I'm a princess.” Celestia said softly as she unsheathed the sword that Luna had held ready for her. Giving the exquisite thin sword a twirl, Celestia held it before herself and above Jack. “Jack Kessle, for your bravery and loyalty, I dub thee, Knight.” She gently tapped his shoulders with the blade, before tapping his head. “Sister, would you retrieve the Knight-Sergeant’s weapon of station?” Celestia smiled just a little brighter as the specially made sword was brought over. “Rise, Knight-Sergeant Kessle.” She stepped aside as a fully flushed Jack stood tall and proud.

Stepping forward with the sword in her magic, Princess Luna held the weapon out to him and bowed her head momentarily as he took it. Holding onto the fine gold wrought mahogany sheath for dear life, Jack fought back the feeling of being overwhelmed as the crowd broke out into hoof stomping applause. Celestia thanked the crowd for their time, before reminding them that the Gala was only a few days away, and that they needed to prepare themselves. With the ceremony officially over, and the crowd dispersing, Jack's peers were finally allowed to reach his side and pester him as his brain tried to keep him under control.

“Congratulations Jack.” Flitter nosed his side as she smiled; watching her friend struggle with the praise.

“Was that supposed to be special?” Ada jeered before punching his shoulder as he stared at his new knightly sabre. “Yah dopey blighter, stop staring’ at your new toy!”

Trying and failing to keep his chest from swelling, Jack carefully strapped the broad sabre’s sheath around his waist. Turning, he held up a finger to ask for a moment of his peers time, before quickly marching to Celestia’s side. “I need to ask for something.”

The princess looked to him and smiled lightly. “Ah, now that you have station you think you can just march around asking for things, hmm?” She winked at him in good humour. “Go ahead, Jack.”

“I want a royal pardon for Baron and the permission to hire anyone I see fit into JSOG.”

The princess blinked in surprise, before smiling further in approval. “Granted. I was expecting something else, but I believe I prefer this.” She looked to her sister for a moment. “We have another gift for you, but it can wait. For now, relax, and clean yourself up. Try to prepare Corporal Ada for the Gala.”

“I'm not ready for the Gala, Celestia.” He sighed lightly before shrugging. “I'll do what I can, so long as you foot the bill. That Rarity charges an arm and a leg, I swear.”

With a huff of a laugh, Celestia simply shook her head and began to leave. “Try not to find trouble, Sir Kessle.”

“I don't find trouble, Trouble has my ass on radarlock.” He grinned a bit, before shooting her a short salute as he turned back to his friends and began his night.

______________________________________________________________________

Chapter Thirty Seven: The Grandest of Galas

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In the days leading up to the event, the Gala was all anyone could talk about. It was supposed to be even more grand this year, but if speculation was to be believed, the street party might just be bigger. When the night finally came, those who had prepared the longest worried the most.

Princess Luna paced back and forth at the top of the stairs that sat before the grand entrance hall; her dress billowed and shone with the thousands of stars embedded within it. Considering how the Gala the year prior had gone for her, she had every right to worry about this year's. “Have you checked on Jack?”

Busy following the disquieted princess around was Flitter, who was quickly feeling like her starched uniform was far too plain. “He's with JSOG, Luna. I'm sure he's fine.”

Finally, the clock chimed, and the giddy Gala-goers began to stream into the castle. Luna glanced toward her aide with imploring eyes. “Please, go check on him. We have several ambassadors coming tonight, and I'd rather he not spoil things by getting utterly drunk and rambunctious.”

Smiling toward the princess, Flitter nodded and began to head toward Jack's wing. As she grew closer, she could hear his music thumping away, and soon enough she could hear laughter. Nearing his door, Flitter took a spare moment to reread his warning sign. Trespassers will be molested and shot. The threat always brought a smirk to her features. Giving her head a shake, Flitter pushed the door open and entered. Gathered around a small table was most of the JSOG team, which consisted of five people in total. All the eyes turned toward the door. And immediately Flitter noticed the lack of both Ada and Jack. She was surprised to find both Petyr and Field Note sitting at the table, playing poker with Taven, Hard Tac, and a well disguised Baron. Some of them lifted hooves in greeting, while the others went back to the game.

“Where's Jack and Ada?” Flitter asked as she entered the room and took a seat.

Motioning toward the bathroom door, Hard Tac placed his bet, causing Taven to curse. “She's helping him trim up, whatever that means.” Both soldiers were in their dress uniforms, and seemed utterly polished. Baron eyed the bet and the stallion who had placed it with scrutiny. She was wearing considerably more plain clothes; it was obvious she didn't plan on joining in on the festivities within the castle.

Doing her best to hide a small frown at the captain's words, Flitter took a seat by the table and waited. “What are you playing?”

Grudgingly matching Tac’s bet, Taven sat back and checked his cards again. “Texas hold’em. One of Jack's games.” The stallion looked to the massive human who sat next to him. “Your bet, Pete.”

“Da, da…” The big man stared hard at his cards as a curse sounded from the bathroom. Flitter immediately perked at the sound.

“Don't worry, Flitter dear.” Field fixed his bow tie and shifted in his smart suit. “He's been whining and cursing up a storm in there for almost an hour.” The bat pony smiled winningly toward her, but didn't receive a smile in return.

As Flitter was beginning to remove her attentions from the bathroom door, it swung open and Ada marched out, cleaning her hands on a towel. The woman's athletic frame was hugged tightly by a sly red strapless dress that seemed more tease than practical as it hugged her curves and flaunted her assets. Jealousy flared in Flitter's mind as she watched the human adjust her pert bust and plant her hands on her hips. “I've done all I can for the sod.”

“I'm not a sod, you damn blimey!” Jack stormed out of the bathroom, and the card game stopped in its tracks. “Okay, now you're all making me self conscious.” The man standing before them with a slightly bemused expression lacked the rough, scraggly mane of black hair that Jack did; instead replacing it with a high and tight buzzcut. A good hooful of scars danced across his skull, marking out injuries and surgeries. The bushy beard that had consumed most of his face was now long gone, leaving a severe jaw line and thin drawn lips open to the air. His cheeks looked blatantly gaunt, giving him the visage of a skull wrapped in scarred leather. This newcomer wore a fine form fitting black dress coat with brilliant crimson trimming and gold clasps, as well as a smartly cut pair of sky blue uniform dress pants with a blood stripe going down the outer seam of each leg. He almost seemed to stand taller while in the uniform, his back straight and his polished boots pointing forward.

“Sweet Celestia, Ada, you're a miracle worker. There really was a soldier under all that!” Hard Tac grinned as the corporal waved off the praise and gave Jack a long once over that would have sent Flitter's blood boiling, if she had been paying attention to anything but the new and improved Jack that stood before her. Ada admired her handiwork for moment before speaking.

“I suppose he looks th’ part.” She grinned mischievously. “The lieutenant certainly seems t’ think so.”

The realization that everyone knew she was staring caused Flitter's cheeks and ears to burn a bright red. Smiling in good humour as he strapped his sabre to his hip, Jack simply shook his head at the group before him.

“You know Jack, they captured your likeness very well.” Petyr stood from the table and fixed his button up vest. The big man's clothes were obviously custom tailored to fit his bulk, but again Rarity had outdone herself and made him a fine outfit that consisted of a red silk vest, black dress pants, and a black button up shirt.

Quirking a brow at the larger man. Jack finished suiting up as he placed his white uniform hat over his trimmed dome. “What do you mean Pete?”

“Your likeness. In the movie.”

Jack paused and slowly looked toward Petyr. “They made a movie about me?” The small incredulous smile on his face was beginning to spread into an open toothed grin. “Was it any good?”

To his chagrin, the larger man shook his head no. “Now knowing you personally, they did a horrible job on your character, and the set pieces are unbelievable.”

“...Was it rated R?”

“PG-13.”

“Fuck!” Jack cursed brightly and scowled hotly. “Alright, everyone up, card game’s on hold. Let's go make ourselves seen at this damn tea party.” He fixed his uniform again as the others stood and got ready.

Baron simply lounged in her simple clothes as the others moved about. “I'll hold down the fort until one of you comes back, I suppose.”

Waving a hand as the group began to exit, Jack smiled to the disguised changeling. “I'll send a hooker up for you.” He ducked out of the way of a small clump of flying brass shell casings that had been used as poker chips and laughed as he left Baron behind to her own devices. Joining his group outside, he began the short walk into the main castle halls. Far before they reached the foyer, he could hear music and the rumble of a thousand quiet conversations. Discomfort began to settle over his brain, and to cope he began to gently scratch the fur between Taven's ears.

The stallion shook his head a little, before melting slightly, much to the amusement of Ada. “Didn't figure you for the type, luv.” She took careful note of how jealous Flitter looked as her own ears flicked.

Rolling his eyes as he focused on calming himself, Jack simply shrugged and continued. “Flitter's hair is all done up, Hardy is all the way on your other side, and you'll break my fingers. Petyr and Field ain't the type to enjoy random petting.” He grinned slightly. “Besides, he doesn't seem to mind.” Jack dug his trimmed fingertips into the base of the stallion's tufted ears and began scratching away merrily.

Frowning toward Taven as the batpony’s wing fidgeted and fluttered, Field shook his head as Taven emitted a low pitched 'eeee’ of enjoyment. “How embarrassing.”

“Can it, nerd.” Jack pointed at the stallion threateningly as he continued to torture his bodyguard. His grin was brought back by the sniggering laughter coming from Ada. Looking toward the main doors that lead into the grand hall, Jack took in a steadying breath. “Alright team, divide and conquer. This is all about the hearts and minds, so try not to smack anybody in the mouth.”

Glancing at the trim human at his side, Hard Tac snorted lightly. “That for us, or you?”

“Me.” Jack answered. “Definitely me.”

Entering the main hall, the group immediately drew the attention of the few present guards and the crier. The crier stood before the main doors, and announced every group that came in to the gathered crowd. The crier cleared his throat as the group approached. “Good evening. Names?” As the group gave him their ranks and names, he split them up into groups of two. Flitter felt her heart squeeze painfully as Ada and Jack were linked together by the crier, and she was placed with Sergeant Varenikov. She tried to hide her heated glower by glaring at the floor as Jack offered the crook of his arm to the fit woman and she took it readily. The crier called out their names, and Jack walked proudly into the maelstrom of political deceit and smiling lies.

After entering with Taven at her side, Flitter began to immediately seek out Luna as she tried to ignore Jack and Ada. Finding the Lunar diarch was simplistic, but getting to her through the throng of pompous nobles and stuffed political figures was proving to be problematic. Carefully weaving through the crowd, Flitter took note that Taven was still by her side. “You don't need to escort me around, Sergeant.”

Shrugging lightly, Taven continued to follow her. “If you want, I'll leave. I don't really have much else to do here.”

Looking down for a moment, Flitter simply shrugged and allowed the enlisted stallion to escort her through the crowd. Weaving her way through the press of hoity ponies, Flitter trotted up beside Princess Luna. On the outside, the princess now seemed utterly calm and composed, but the little nuances, like the ear flicks and the tiny clenching and unclenching of her jaw told Flitter that whatever issue Luna was having wasn’t dealt with. “Princess? Are you alright?” Flitter ensured to keep her voice low; when Luna’s eyes flicked over to regard her, Flitter couldn’t help but smile a bit. “Jack is behaving.”

The Princess of the Night sighed softly, and pressed a weary smile out for her aide. “I had my first chat with the Nagalan Chancellor, Selkin.” Flitter watched Luna without blinking, taking in all of the facial twitches and tells. Luna shook her head and scoffed. “Naturally it lasted all of two minutes before I offended him. I must try to find him and apologize…”

“Well… it’s not too surprising Princess, the Nagala are a very strict species, they’re all about the little things. Proper posture, proper eye contact, enunciation; they’ve got a set of rules for every social encounter and the smallest slight can set them off.” Flitter glanced up, and realized Luna was staring at her with wide eyes. Feeling her cheeks flush hotly; Flitter look down and pawed at the marble. “I’m just… paraphrasing from the book of course, I’ve never met one before , so-” Flitters sentenced squeaked to a stop as Princess Luna grabbed her muzzle with both hooves and turned her head so she was looking at the refreshment table. Her expression swiftly matched the princesses’ with wide saucer eyes and a keening look of abject horror.

In tandem, they both uttered the same word to express the situation that was unfolding onto their laps. “Shit.”

Standing by the alcoholic refreshment table, Jack juggled between bowls as be filled them with what he had been told was a rich red Cabernet Sauvignon. Having filled his bowls full of expensive wine, he wheeled on his heels and ignored the scoffing mutterings coming from the nobility around him. Marching back over to Ada and his new pint-sized snake friend, he handed a bowl to each of them before taking a seat on the marble ledge.

“A bowl, marine? Little unsophisticated innit?” Ada smirked lightly as the Nagalan Chancellor’s forked tongue flicked at the wine.

Jack simply shrugged as he took a swig of the rich red wine. “I'd rather not be getting up every five minutes for another glass.” He grinned toward the Chancellor. “Liking it so far, Selkin?”

The three foot tall Nagalan flicked his tongue again as his thin pencil moustache twitched on his scaly face. “It issss… acceptable, while it hassss a mossst pleasssing aroma, it ssseemsss robussst; we lack sssuch thingsss in the homelandsss. Isss a bowl sssuitable?” He cocked his cobra shaped ‘head’ at Jack, who was halfway through his own bowl.

Chuckling as he took another drink, Jack nodded in agreement. “Normally not a big fan of wine; it's for women on diets, like clear liquor.” His joke earned a snort of a laugh and a rib jab from Ada, and a low hiss of approval from the Chancellor.

“Women on dietssss… Assss you sssay, Sssserrah Kessssle.” Selkin’s pencil moustache twisted up in a serpentine smile. “The princessssesss wish for the Nagala to join in their union of nationssss, but tell me Ssserrahsss. Why should the Nagala care? We have been ssssuccesssssful in our sssssolitude.”

Jack's eyes followed Ada as she stood and straightened her dress out. He followed her curves for a moment, before redirecting his eyes upwards. “Off to make friends Corporal?”

“Mhm.” She smiled toward him, before finishing her bowl of wine. “I'm off to win the fookin hearts and minds. Luck, Jack.”

Waving to her as she began to walk off, Jack took one final moment to appreciate Rarity's hard work and rigorous SAS training, before returning his attentions to Selkin. “Sorry Selkin, had to check out the view. Now, where were we?”

The diminutive cobra-man bobbed his head in understanding. “I too have an attractive female I cannot approach. I assssked you, why my people sssshould join.”

“It's less can't and more shouldn't.” Rolling a hand as he finished off his drink, Jack gave the question some thought before speaking. “Well, I can answer why on the military scale of things, but having open trade routes and access to out of country resources will be huge for your people, trust me.” His eyes flicked back to the crowd, and he finally caught Flitter and Luna staring at him nervously. Rolling his eyes at them, he turned his attentions back to the snake man and launched back into his explanation.

“I think he has it covered, somehow…” Flitter shook her head lightly before smiling up at Luna. “He cleans up really nicely, doesn't he?”

Smiling toward the scene before her, Luna nodded lightly and began to relax. “Yes, indeed he does. I barely recognised him when he walked in. I know you couldn't stop staring.” The princess teased lightly, causing Flitter to blush brightly. Patting the smaller pony on the back, Luna found herself smiling easier. “It's alright Flitter, your feelings aren't wrong. In fact, I'm sure my niece would help you with your quest of swooning.”

“I'm not swooning…” Flitter muttered softly to herself. “I just… I'll figure it out Luna… Maybe I could ask Miss Sparkle? I mean, she won over Max pretty easily, maybe she has some pointers when it comes to human men.”

“I believe she arrived with the rest of the Bearers, you should seek her out, Flitter. Before Ada makes your situation even more difficult.” Luna looked over toward the slim woman as she chatted idly with the two wonderbolts who had made an appearance. “She seems to have an appeal, and she's most definitely using it to tease our little marine.” Her ears perked slightly as Chancellor Selkin slithered up toward her. “Chancellor, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Knight Ssssergeant Kesssssle ssssspeaksssss ssssense, and I have come to ratify our agreement.” The snake man swayed slightly, having been seduced by the bowl full of red wine. “He has alsssso convinced me to assssk for a bottle of wine to bring back to my queen.”

Glancing up at the refreshment table, Luna caught Jack's smirk and light hearted wave, before he refilled his bowl and meandered off into the crowd. Shifting her gaze immediately back down to the small Nagalan, Luna nodded respectfully. “Of course Chancellor, we'll do so after the Gala. For now, enjoy yourself, and I'll be sure to have a fine bottle sent to your accommodations.”

“Acceptable…” The Chancellor swayed again as his fork tongue darted out to taste the air. Without further words, he began to slither off into the crowd, occasionally causing a noble to jump in surprise.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Luna smiled genuinely toward Flitter. “Remind me to hug a marine when the night is done. Actually, where-” The princess paused and looked about. “I have lost sight of him, and for some reason I feel as if I should be intensely worried.”

“I see him, ma’am.” Taven said quietly, before pointing off toward the exit. Jack was standing by Ada, the wonderbolts, and a slowly growing group of ponies. He was motioning wildly with his hands, gesturing and posturing as he told a vivid tale.

“So we're locked down at the bottom of this skinny ass canyon, with sixty year old Soviet lead snapping and whizzing over our heads like wasps, and our radio guy had been fighting for an hour to get somebody to just come and give us a hand. Mind, we're out in the middle of nowhere, and nobody in the right mind is gonna come and get us. So, I'm sitting there next to Asta, when this call comes in over the radio. It sounds like some kind of country hick, asking for our position!” He laughs and smiles, before drinking more wine. “So we're like 'aight, fine’ thinking it's gonna be a couple of fast movers dropping JDAMs on top of us, or, from the sound of this guy's voice, a fuckin’ crop duster to buzz by and dust them with cow shit or something. So imagine our surprise, when a pair of Super Cobra gunships drop into the canyon like leaves,” He mimicked the side to side falling motion with his hands. “And they come in sideways, dropping Hellfire's and twenty mil gatling rounds down on the shitty little collection of mud-huts above us, scattering haji and giving us enough cover to climb the goat trail up to this hamlet.” He smiled and shook his head. “Crazy bastards stayed on station long enough for us to start kicking doors in.”

The group before him smiled at the tale before returning to their muted singular conversations, while a scant few remained focused on the marine. The leader of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire, glanced up toward him as he finished off his bowl of alcohol. “So this world you're from, it sounds like your people are always at war. How do you people get anything done if you're so busy killing each other?”

Ada smirked and patted Jack's back as she answered the question. “Conflict breeds ingenuity. And we've had a lotta conflict. ‘Aven't we?” Nodding in agreement, Jack smiled brightly as his cheeks slowly tinted red from his copious drinking. Shaking her head in amusement, Ada caught sight of a prismatic pest approaching, and her enthusiasm immediately shriveled up and died.

Coming to a stop before the small group, Dash smiled sheepishly and waved. “Hey. Mind if I join in?”

“Ye-” Ada started, before being cut off by Jack.

“Come on in!” He leaned over and wrapped an arm around the mare's neck, dragging her into the group. “You guys met this chick before? She's crazy, I swear.” He grinned happily as the Wonderbolts chuckled in good humour, and Ada glowered toward the mare. “If she hadn't nearly turned me to paste, I'm sure Ada wouldn't be so sour!” He shot a smirky grin at the woman, and received a hard punch in the shoulder for his efforts.

“Wait… you're not angry at me?” Dash brightened considerably. “Awesome!” The mare bumped his thigh lightly as she smiled. “Listen, I'm sorry about attacking you, the thing you were in just looked super evil!”

Shrugging as he finished off his bowl of wine, Jack smiled openly at her. “Just stay away from Snake, he might smack you one for talking shit about his ride.” He glanced around, somewhat enjoying the mild orchestral music that was wafting from the stage. He began to stop paying attention to the group around him and the conversation that was starting up without him. Eventually, his eyes fell on a face he had never expected to see in the castle. Excusing himself from the group, Jack strode over the the off white mare with the electric blue mane, who was making eyes at one of the orchestra players. Stealing up behind the occupied Vinyl, Jack flicked both of her ears without warning, earning a started yelp from her.

“Max you fu- oh, shit, hey Jack.” Vinyl rubbed her ears and glared half heartedly at him. “Well don't you look like a fancy idiot.” She said as she gestured to his getup, before cracking a mild smile as she shifted in her luxuriant dress. “How's it going Killer?”

“Speak for yourself, we're in the same boat.” He ran a hand through his cropped hair, still getting used to the feeling. “It's goin. Just figured I'd come over and be friendly like.” He smiled toward her, before glancing at the slate grey cello player she'd been staring at prior. “You should go talk to her, I doubt she'll bite.”

“Wait, you think-” Vinyl snorted and burst into open laughter. “Dude, we're dating.” She grinned toothily at him. “And she doesn't bite, but she certainly likes being bit.” Vinyl waggled her brows as Jack feigned a gagging noise.

“Gak! Gross, lesb’ns!” He gave her shoulder a light shove before laughing. “Fuck, alright, I'll leave you to it.”

“Hey, are you gonna be taking part in the dance?” Vinyl looked out to the crowd. “Cause I'd kill to see you and Max try to outdo each other.”

Simply shrugging as he he rested his hands on his belt line, Jack looked out toward the crowd and saw that the gaggle of nobles and affluent were beginning to spread out, making room in the center of the room. “Haven't seen him all night, but I might dance a bit. It's been forever though, so it might be more graceful flailing.” He smiled at the memory and shook his head. “Looks like they're gearing up for it now, I'd better skedaddle before-”

He was cut off mid sentence as Ada swooped in and snagged him by the elbow. “Y’know how to dance, right marine?”

Blinking in surprise as the woman hauled him toward the open floor, Jack's smile shriveled slightly at the idea. “Uh… kind of? I mean, I can do a mean tango when tequila is involved, but anything else and-” He grunted as she hauled him into the center with the other couples and clamped onto his arm.

“If y’ step on my toes I'll snap your dick in half.” Ada said as she smiled toward the crowd while Jack grimaced and tried to hide it with a thin, fake smile.

“Okay…”

Off in the crowd, Flitter felt her blood pressure skyrocket as Ada beat her to the punch and hauled Jack onto the dance floor. Failing to hide her rage, Flitter barely noticed the stallion at her side as she seethed. Sighing lightly as Flitter slowly destroyed herself from within, Taven nudged her side and began pulling her toward the floor. “Come on, let's show them what's up.”

Resisting the pull, Flitter looked toward the doors as she fought tears. “Sergeant, I-I… I need to go, okay?”

Pulling the mare close, Taven whispered into her ear. “You're not going to win Jack over if you run off to sulk every time another woman shows interest. Desperation doesn't appeal to him.”

“I'm not-!” Flitter stopped herself from shouting, and quickly realized just how badly she was reacting as her ears flattened. “I'm…. I'm not desperate…”

“Then show him. It's just a dance.” Taven offered his hoof to her, and with some short deliberation, it was taken.

“It's just a dance…” Flitter said softly toward herself as they entered the space with the small group of other dancers. Flitter fought to keep her gaze away from Jack and Ada as they took their places. “Do you know how to dance Sergeant?”

Nodding, Taven took the appropriate position and rested a hoof on her side. “I know the basics. I'd appreciate it if you called me Taven for now.”

Flushing lightly at the mild contact, Flitter nodded and got into position. “Of course, sorry… I don't do well with big crowds so I'm stressing out and… ugh.”

“That's alright Flitter, at least you're not drunk to cope like Jack.” Taven grinned slightly, showing off his fangs for a scant moment before he looked back to the other gathered dancers as they waited for the music to start. “Oh, it looks like princess Sparkle and Maximilian have finally shown up. This should be good.”

Looking away from the woman clamped onto his arm, Jack immediately brightened as a young, fit man walked onto the floor with a short alicorn at his side. The pair took their places, and seemed utterly consumed by each other's presence. Jack shifted slightly, before slowly returning his attentions to the woman at his arm. He smiled toward Ada and earned a humorous eye roll from the woman for his efforts. Perking a brow, he quietly spoke with her. “What? What was that for?”

“Y’like a dog, swear to god. 'Oh, friend? Friend! Hello new friend.’ Now you're all sad 'cause he's more interested in his bestiality kink than being your buddy.” She teased as she took his hand in hers and set her manicured hand on his uniformed shoulder. “Put your other hand around my waist, yeah, like that.” She smiled toward as she pulled herself slightly closer. “Ready?”

With his hand resting on the small of Ada's back, Jack fought back a scowl at her words and simply nodded as he looked over and caught Taven's eye. Nodding his approval toward the stallion, Jack returned his attentions to the svelte woman in his arms. “You know, you look really pretty in that dress.”

Humming in approval at the comment, Ada perked her chest slightly and grinned mischievously. “Yer just innit for the view, ain'tcha Jack?” Sucking in a breath of surprise when he pulled her closer as the music started, Ada smiled and relaxed as they started to slowly dance across the floor. “Not bad… for a marine.”

Taking extra caution to not crush her delicate toes under his vulcanized rubber treads, Jack gave Ada a careful, well timed spin that earned him a shooting glare from Flitter. “I'm trying. Must be the wine, making me fancy.” They waltzed closer to the gathered crowd, where Jack suddenly reached out and plucked a wine glass from a server's tray. “Yoink.”

Unable to not watch the pair before her, Flitter gave her head a shake and focused on Taven. “Sorry Taven, I'm… getting distracted.”

The stallion simply shrugged as he maneuvered her passed the other couples. “It is pretty impressive how he can drink so much and still move.” Taven gave her a gentle spin, before catching her with an outstretched wing. “He still can't dance though.” The stallion chuckled as Jack nearly dropped Ada during a dip. The man quickly recovered, and scooped up another wine glass to suck down. Sharing a smile with Flitter, Taven shook his head. “He's got to be the funniest alcoholic I've ever known.”

Feeling a modicum of stress leaving her system as she danced, Flitter managed a meek smile. “So how obvious is it?”

“It's pretty obvious every time you're near him.”

Flitter frowned inwardly and looked away toward the crowd around them. “He’ll never see me how I see him, will he?”

“We'll talk about it outside.” Taven set Flitter into a low dip and continued to gracefully dance across the ballroom. Taven watched as Jack cautiously stumbled through the long dance, before surprising everybody with a deep bowing dip that nearly saw Ada on the floor, before pulling her up as the music ended. Shaking his head at the marine’s antics and need to compete, Taven and Flitter bowed to the applause of the crowd, before exiting the floor while the others mulled about. Leading Flitter outside into the dark, Taven took a seat on one of the benches overlooking a well dressed apple farmers bakery stand. “Jack is… I don't think so, Flitter. Not with what happened with that mare Poppy.”

Nodding sadly, Flitter took a seat next to him on the bench. “I know… he's just gotten comfortable around us, and it's been months… should I… let him go?”

“No.” Taven stretched his leathery wing and sighed as Flitter looked to him in surprise. “He's your friend Flitter, your best friend even. Maybe he doesn't see you in that light right now, but down the road?”

“So I should stick around just in case he decides to change his mind?” Flitter shook her head. “I… I'm in love with him Taven, but I… I can't stay if he can't love me back. Not while Ada flirts shamelessly with him.”

“Can I butt in on this conversation?” A new voice asked, causing the pair to look over. Princess Sparkle smiled warmly at them as she leaned against Max, who smiled idly as he watched the revelries continue in the castle.

“Princess!” Flitter exclaimed as she and Taven went to bow, only to be stopped by a vehement head shake by the short alicorn.

“Please, no bowing. I'm hardly royalty.” She smiled kindly toward the pair as she leaned against Max's leg. “So I hear you're having boy troubles?”

Max quietly huffed with amusement as he looked back toward the busy ballroom. “I don't think that guy counts as a boy, Twi.”

“Well… whatever, the question still stands.” Twilight shifted and bumped his leg with her slightly pudgy flank. When Flitter nodded weakly and gazed inward toward where Jack was sharing more stories with anyone who would listen to his drunk tales of valor. Twilight followed her gaze and smiled softly as she spoke. “Human men are… you need to be direct. Go talk to him, tell him how you feel. I know that if I had just talked with Max, the start of our relationship would have been much less…”

“You chasing me through the streets while in heat?” Max offered casually, which caused the princess to turn bright red and cough.

“Y-yes, um… that.” She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself slightly.

Shaking her head at the show, Flitter looked down at her hooves and thought hard on how to broach the subject. “Thank you Princess.”

Smiling brightly, Twilight nodded and rubbed her face against her human's thigh. “No problem! Mr. Kessle seems like a nice man, I don't see why he wouldn't listen.” The princess shared a loving look with Max, before they quietly excused themselves and split off, heading toward the observatory.

Moments later, Jack appeared from the hall and quickly trotted out to where the pair were. Looking around, he frowned lightly and rolled his eyes. “Go fuckin’ figure, everyone says 'go talk to Max, go talk to Max!’ but the mother fucker always fucks off on me. Slippery one eyed bastard.” He huffed and planted his hands on his belt. Shaking his head, he smiled toward Taven and Flitter as they sat next to each other on the bench. “I'm not interrupting anything am I?” He asked with a light teasing leer.

Coughing into his hoof as Flitter flushed at the implied accusation, Taven shook his head. “Nope, just chatting. I was just about to go.”

“Actually!” Jack exclaimed as he held up a finger. “We're plannin’ on goin’ into town and participating in the revelries with Baron. Just chattered with Vinyl, and she's letting us into the club for free tonight!” He rocked on his heels with drunken excitement. “Come on guys, even Pete's comin’ along!”

Infected by his drunken excitement, Flitter found herself smiling meekly as she nodded. “Sure, I'd like that Jack. What do you say Taven?” She turned to her impromptu wingbat and sent him a silently pleading look.

Sighing as Flitter looked to him with desperation, Taven flashed a fang filled grin at Jack. “Wouldn't miss it for the world.”

Grinning happily at the approval, Jack shot the pair a thumbs up as he wheeled on his heels and started back toward the Gala. “Great! Meet back at HQ in thirty minutes! Selkin! We're going on an adventure!” The snake man seemed to materialise from the crowd and coiled up around Jack's torso, taking a perch on his shoulder as he hefted his wine glass.

“Adventure!”

Walking passed the drunken pair as they began to gallivant, Celestia shook her head in humor as she trotted with a uniformed officer of the army. The pair seemed very interested in Flitter, who hopped up and saluted swiftly to the uniformed Colonel. As the so far unnamed Colonel told her to stand at ease, Celestia smiled softly toward the eager young officer before her. “Good evening Flitter, I hope you are having a lovely evening.” Flitter nodded quickly, and stood at parade rest as Taven simply stood by her side. Nodding, Celestia motioned toward the Colonel. “This is Colonel Glow. Colonel Glow, this is First Lieutenant Falenas.”

The stallion nodded and smiled toward Flitter as he ruffled his large burgundy wings. He had a shortly cropped brown mane, and a pair of even blue eyes. “It's good to meet you. I've been hearing good things about Thunder’s daughter, and I'm glad to see it wasn't all crap.” He offered his hoof toward the now shocked Flitter. “I served with your father. He was a damn fine soldier, and a better friend.”

Shaking his hoof as she fought against her own shock, Flitter nodded on instinct. “Yes sir, can I help you with anything?”

“I hope you can. I hear that you're still without a posting, is that correct?” When she nodded, Glow smiled. “I'd like to offer you a posting in Twin Peaks Pass in my command staff, effective immediately.”

Shock reset in her brain, and this time Flitter couldn't keep herself from staring at the Colonel with a slack jaw. “I… I'd be honoured to sir! I-” She paused mid-sentence, remembering Jack. “I um… may I have a night to consider your proposal, sir?”

“Of course Lieutenant, after all, a posting with the Rangers isn't exactly a walk in the park. I would understand if you wanted an easier first posting.” The Colonel said with a near smirk as Flitter tensed at the joking accusation.

“I'll have my answer for you tomorrow morning, sir.” She saluted sharply toward the Colonel, who saluted back and turned to leave with Celestia. Once they were gone, Flitter deflated slightly as the shock finally passed through her system. Taven quirked a brow at her as she groaned and shook her head. “Well that makes things complicated…”

“Flitter Falenas, is that you!?”

Flitter's blood ran cold in her veins, and she fought to keep an angry growl from escaping her lips. The giddy feeling that she'd been entertaining had all but fled her mind. Turning to the offensive voice, Flitter smiled thinly toward her lavishly dressed mother. “Good evening, Grace.”

“Oh, too good to call me 'mother’ now?” Grace trotted over, her expensive dress nearly trailing through the grass. She was smiling toward Flitter, though it held no warmth, and it was quick to vanish. “Your sister and I thought you were dead! What in Tartarus are you doing at the Gala!?”

Bristling with barely withheld anger, Flitter ignored the worried glance from Taven as she regained her composure. “We, if you really must know, I joined the army and I'm here on a professional level as Princess Luna's temporary aide.”

“You WHAT!?” Grace squawked in shock, before the condescension came in thick. “Don't lie to me young lady, what have you really been doing?”

“She's not lying ma'am.” Taven said levely as Flitter glared. “She's an officer in the Royal Army, and was just given a posting.”

Grace simply rolled her eyes at Taven as she snorted derisively. “I have no reason to believe the word of a Leatherwing. Flitter, you-”

“The fuck did you just call my friend?” Fury overcame Flitter as she stormed closer to her mother.

Seemingly unaffected by the anger in her daughter's eyes, Grace simply shook her head and stuck her nose up. “Flitter. That is no way to speak to your mother. Now, go-”

“Shut the fuck up for once in your life!” Flitter yelled at Grace, causing several Gala goers to stop and turn as anger overcame the pegasus. “Just because you manage to squeeze two kids out of your sopping fuckhole doesn't make you a mother! You are by far, one if the shittiest ponies I've ever known! You only care about yourself and your damn career! I don't think you're even capable of loving, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how my dad managed to even be near you long enough to fuck you! You're rude, you're vile, and I honestly hope that you contract a horrible fucking disease and die!” By the time Flitter's assault finished, she was nose to nose with the shocked Grace, and a good crowd was watching on as the officer ripped into the mayor of Cloudsdale.

Without warning, Grace cuffed her estranged daughter across the muzzle hard enough to produce a crack. “You will watch your tone, you little brat! I gave you everything-” Grace's own tirade came to a jarring halt as Flitter rocked back forward on her hooves and drove her hoof into Grace's face. Knocking the older pegasus over, Flitter clambered onto her and began raining trained blows down upon her face. Flitter was barely aware of the hooves trying to pull her off as years of psychological abuse burst through the dams of her self control.

“Lieutenant! Flitter stop!” The voice didn't belong to her mother, it belonged to Taven. As the stallion hauled her off of the now bleeding and bawling Grace, Taven held a hoof out to the approaching guards. “That mare attacked her, it was self defence.”

Taking the word of one of their own as truth, the pair of guards grabbed Grace and hauled her up. “Ma’am, we're going to take you to a hospital, but you are going to be barred from the Gala.”

The loss of political clout seemed to cut through the shock and pain, causing Grace to jerk her head upward. “You can't be serious! It's the word of a Leatherwing over mine, and I'm the mayor of Cloudsdale! I'll have your jobs!”

“Is that so?” Luna's voice came out as a level growl of disbelief as she approached the altercation. “You dare attack my friend, and aide, and then have the gaul to spit racial slurs at one of my guard?” She glared stellar daggers down at the rapidly shrinking Grace. Lifting her own nose in the air at Grace, Luna spoke levely and with an icy air of calm. “Consider yourself banned from the castle grounds for life, and your position as mayor on hold. Cloudsdale deserves a mayor who isn't an utterly foul example of a pony. Guards, remove this wretch out of my sight.”

Watching as her bloodied mother was hauled off, kicking and screaming, Flitter sat down heavily on the bench and cradled her face in her hooves. Sitting down gently next to Flitter, Luna carefully set a large wing over her back and pulled her in for a hug. Pressing her face into the princess' fur, Flitter failed to suppress an emotionally pained keening whine and a shudder. The weakness only lasted a moment, before Flitter pulled away and wiped her eyes.

“Thank you, I…” She sniffed again and dabbed her eyes as the Lunar diarch gently stroked her back with a wing.

Sitting down on the bench next to the mares, Taven smiled lightly toward her and patted her hoof with his own. “You don't need to thank us Flitter. I'd do that any day of the week for you. All of us would.”

Giving her aide a light nuzzle that mused her mane, Luna smiled toward the pair. “Indeed we would. To be honest, when I heard the hide tanning you were giving that vile mare, I thought for a moment that somehow Jack had been turned into a mare.” She grinned slightly as Flitter laughed wetly and wiped her eyes again.

Chuckling at the joke, Taven offered his hoof to Flitter. “Come on Lt, let's get you cleaned up and we'll go meet up with Jack.” The mare nodded as she took his hoof and allowed herself to be led off to a bathroom the be cleaned up. Her uniform was only slightly spattered with blood from Grace's nose, which she had assuredly broken. The knowledge made her feel slightly better about herself as Taven helped her clean the tears off her fur and straighten her mane, which had taken the better part of an hour to originally fix up.

Sighing softly, Flitter bumped Taven’s flank, earning a somewhat surprised, curious look from the operative. “Thanks for having my back, Taven… I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there.” She smiled toward him, and earned a friendly nod in return.

“‘Course. We stick together, or we die alone.” He grinned somewhat at the grim metaphor, before motioning toward the door. “Come on, I bet we're late as it is.”

Nodding in agreement, Flitter quickly matched step with the bigger stallion, and made her way to Jack's room. Beyond the door they could hear raucous laughter and loud movements as things scraped around in the room. Entering, the pair were just in time to catch Jack's responding insult to Ada’s insulting crack at Canadian culture. “Ah’ve reloaded me rooty tooty point n shooties, had me scones at Cheeki Nandos for dintah’, I do believe I’m ready to waffle stomp all over their chimney pomps I do!” Mocking her voice and putting on his best bastardized cockney accent, Jack grinned as the Brit flushed with indignant anger and embarrassment.

“So ‘elp me god… I will murder you.” She muttered quietly as the group around her all laughed loudly.

“God save the king!” Jack chirped drunkenly, before Ada bounced a thick book off his head. Rubbing his head as he laughed, Jack grinned at the woman. “What, no comeback this time, Corporal? Qu’es ce fuck!?” His eyes drifted to the door, before lighting up again at the sight of Flitter and Taven. “Yooo! Look what the bat dragged in!”

“How nice for you all to finally join us.” Petyr said felt as he continued to stare at Baron, trying to crack her poker face.

“Sorry we're late.” Taven apologized as he waved Flitter through. “We ran into some unsavoury guests.”

“Nothing serious.” Flitter assured as best she could.

The group at the table let out a concerted groan of disbelief and discontent as the freed changeling cleaned the table, again. Grinning happily as she took the bits, Baron shot a smile toward Flitter and Taven. “I guess this means we're heading out finally?”

Ruffling Flitter's fixed mane affectionately, Jack nodded. “Yep! Come on ladies and gents, let's go man about town.”

Chatting between each other as they trotted through the busy castle halls, the special operatives eventually found themselves exiting the gilded halls and leaving the stuffy noble celebration behind. Outside the castle walls, they descended into a massive street celebration, where it seemed like the entire city was taking part. Stall vendors yelled over the din of the crowd, hawking their wares to the party goers. The group began to have issues navigating the crowd, and would have never found Vinyl's club if not for Jack's height advantage and seeming comfort in crowds. The small building squatted off the main thoroughfare, but it's thumping music could be heard for over a city block. Approaching the club doors, Jack whistled over the sheer length of the line; it curled around the building, and snaked off across several storefronts. The bouncer at the door lifted his head, and caught sight of the group approaching. Sighing hard, the bouncer simply opened the door and waved them in as the line booed and jeered.

If the music had been loud outside, it was even louder inside the club. It felt like the bass was punching Jack in every organ, and his grin was growing ever steadily. Motioning toward the bar, Jack ordered two hard drinks without speaking, and when they arrived, he offered the second to the snake man that was still perched on his shoulders. Knocking back the shot, Selkin nearly fell off of him. Whatever the Chancellor had to say about the alcohol was lost against the waves of music and bass. Ordering a full round of shots, Jack drunkenly navigated the thick crowd and had to play keep away with the shots to keep the plastered politician from drinking himself to death. Setting the tray down at the table in the booth his group had appropriated, Jack began dispersing the alcohol amongst the group, before proposing a toast over the thrum of the club.

“To all the poor bastards who didn't make it!” He hefted his shot up and slammed it back, before pouring the spare shot out on the floor as the others drank.

Gagging at the harsh bite of the booze, Flitter shook her head and winced as Petyr smacked his lips and Ada cooed. “Celestia… how do you drink this crap Jack?” She looked up at him as he sank down another two shots. “Hey. Maybe you oughta slow down? We still have plenty of night ahead of us…”

“See, Flitter wants to be a desi’ driver!” Ada smacked Flitter's back a little too roughly, causing her to grunt in pain as Jack laughed.

“Ah’ll be fine!” He rolled his hand for emphasis as he slouched into the booth. “S’ides, ah got my friends here, ah couldn't be any better.” He grinned happily as he pulled Baron into a bear hug that saw her eyes bulging comically. As the group began to delve into personal conversations amid the loud music, Jack suddenly pulled Baron back to his side and pointed out into the crowd. “Baron, Baron it's Mythic! We gotta go getem!”

Looking nearly panicked, Baron quickly shook her head no. “I should leave him alone, Jack…”

“No, fuck that! You guys gotta talk! You just sit on your damn hands and you'll regret it forever.” He gripped her shoulders and looked Baron in the eyes. “Ah know you're scared you're gonna lose him, but you gotta try.”

Looking up at Jack with wide eyes, Baron swallowed weakly, before knocking back one of his shots to bolster her courage. “Okay, I'm going in.” She began to scoot over Jack's lap, earning a laugh from Ada.

Waving to the changeling as she weaved her way through the crowd to the grouchy guard, Jack relaxed and knocked back another shot. “Now let's see if he's gonna try an kill’er.” The group watched as Baron crossed over to Mythic and took a seat next to him at the busy bar. The stallion turned his head slightly toward her, before flinching back in shock. Baron set her hoof over his and spoke, but the words were lost to distance and music. Slowly, Mythic seemed to relax, but his shocked expression didn't leave his features. After a minute, Baron gestured toward the booth that held the group, and Mythic nervously looked over. Jack and his company waved with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and the stallion seemed to flush. The group returned to their own conversations, while Jack continued to monitor Baron. When the two ponies embraced tightly, he whooped loudly enough to draw the attention of everyone in the club momentarily.

Taking the moment where everyone was distracted by the act, Taven nudged Flitter and motioned toward Jack when he had her attention. Fear niggled at the edge of her mind as she rapidly burned through every possible conversation and outcome inside her head. As she lifted a hoof to tap Jack's shoulder, Ada piped up as she finished her drink.

“Let's fookin dance!” She motioned for everyone to leave the booth, and was met by raucous agreement as they all started filing out. As Jack turned her head to smile broadly toward Flitter, Ada tugged on his crisp dress blues. “Come on then, you drunken navy reject! Let's see how you really dance when yah don't have a stick up yer bum!”

He jabbed a drunken finger at her, as if accepting the challenge. “Ah will step on every last one of your cute little toes!” With his attention stolen, Flitter was forced to act fast; grabbing onto his arm, Flitter shot him a pleading look that immediately grounded his ass. He motioned to Ada that he'd be on the floor momentarily, before turning what little drunken attentions he had left onto Flitter. “Wuz up Sparky?”

Inside Flitter's mind, everything went into panic mode. She felt as if she was physically fighting to get the words passed the lump in her throat, to get those three little words out into the open. When she failed to speak immediately, Jack quirked a brow. They were alone in the booth now, and she had his undivided attention, however small it was. “I-i…”

“Ah can't hear you Sparky, yah gotta speak up!”

Terror cut through her mind, and the words she needed tumbled away. “I've been given a posting. I'm… I'm taking it.” Shame in her mind became horribly apparent as a sad frown flicked across his features, before being covered up by a happy smile.

“Thats great news! Your first deployment!” He hugged her tightly and nuzzled into her mane with his close shaven chin. “Ah’m so proud of you!”

“Y-yeah…” Flitter tried to share his enthusiasm, but inside she felt hollow.

“Come on, let's hit the floor!” He scooted from the booth, and pulled her free as well. Not fighting against him, Flitter allowed herself to be dragged off into the maelstrom of bodies and abusive music. Trying her best to enjoy the closeness with Jack, Flitter soon found herself separated from him. She knew that Ada had pounced upon him as soon as she could have. Catching sight of the pair briefly through the crush of bodies, Flitter was quick to realize exactly why humans had been barred from the Gala dance floor. The incredibly close, lustful dancing set her heart on fire, the aches of which brought tears to her eyes. Fighting back the tears, Flitter began making her way toward the exit.

She was swiftly blocked by a familiar baticorn’s body however, and he smiled toward her with drunken enthusiasm. “Heeey!” Field yelled to her as he danced before her. “Leaving so soon?” At her swift nod and attempt to scoot past him, Field quickly intercepted her again. “You want some company maybe?”

“I’m not interested Field.” Flitter tried to move around him again, only to earn an angered glare.

“Is it because I'm a freak?” Field demanded.

Shaking her head at him, Flitter fought down the pain in her heart. “No, Field, I'm just not interested right now-”

“He's never gonna love you, so why don't you give the rest of us a chance, huh?”

Pushing past the drunk stallion and the inbound form of Petyr, Flitter managed a short look to the big human that spelled everything out for him immediately. Petyr nodded in understanding, and swiftly wrangled the irate Field as Flitter slipped from the club and all but bolted back to the castle.

______________________________________________________________________

The night flew on for Jack and Ada, and while the others eventually went their own ways, the pair stuck together through the night. Having had more than enough to drink, Jack carried Selkin back to the castle as Ada leaned on him for support.

“That wasss an amazing adventure, Ssserrah Kessssle!” Selkin writhed and squirmed against Jack, but wasn't allowed to slither on his own, having proven that he was far too drunk to be trusted to not fall on his face.

Patting the snake man's head, Jack eased open the door to the Chancellor’s castle room and deposited him on the huge bed. “Alright buddy, that door over there is the bathroom, if'n you gotta puke try and get there.”

Selkin waved him off as he coiled up in bed. “Good night, my friend….”

Chuckling lightly as he slowly walked toward the door, Jack lightly waved to the politician. “Night buddy.” Closing the door behind him, Jack grinned to Ada. “That's the last one, where am I dropping you off?”

Snaking her fingers around his waist, Ada smiled lustfully, Ada motioned down the hall. “Let's see your room and figure from there.”

Chuckling as he put a hand around her waist, Jack began to tread down the halls toward his room. “Sounds like a plan.” The walk was thankfully quiet, as almost every single Gala-goer had either left or retired for the night.

Reaching his bedroom door, Jack paused and let his scarred hand rest on her wide hip. Ada smiled lightly, and didn't remove his hand as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I had fun tonight Jack. Been a long fookin time since anyone treated me like a real woman and not a bloody attack hound.” She ran her hand up his arm and her smile turned sultry. “I know we're supposed to be working together, and this's a little unprofessional, but uh… you fancy a shag?”

Grinning as he opened the door, Jack nodded to her. “Yeah, yeah ah think ah can fancy that a lot.

Sighing with relief, Ada stepped into his room and let her hair down. “Oh thank Christ, I thought I was gonna go mad. Been two bloody years!”

Pulling off and carefully folding his uniform jacket as best he could, Jack nodded in understanding. “Three years over here.” Setting his white peaked cap aside on his nightstand, he began working at his polished belt, before a pair of slim hands interrupted him.

“Don't you go takin’ all the fun away for me now, Jack.” Ada said as she had him turn around to face her. Looking down on the slightly shorter woman as he ran both hands down her hips, Jack huffed in amusement before cupping both his hands under the cleft of her toned ass. Pulling her up to meet his lips. Jack closed his eyes. Wrapping her arms around the back of his head, Ada locked lips with him like a woman starved for love and attention. The kiss lasted for a mere few seconds before Jack sat down on his bed and Ada shifted in his lap, her hands wrapping around his back and searching for purchase. He jerked slightly as her hand crossed the deep brand scar on his back, but she was quick to move her hand away. Again, they met as they both pulled drunkenly at each other's fine clothes. Once nude, Ada pushed the large man down and straddled him as she let out a shivering giggle. Tracing a finger down his chest, she leaned in close and nipped at his lip. “Leave the lights on Jack, I wanna see this. I want to see you.”

Pulling her close on his lap and earning a husky moan for his efforts, Jack rested his forehead against hers as she settled on top of him. “Don't you worry darlin’... I'll be here all night.”

The night came to a close, with cries of pleasure being muted by the thick castle walls. Across the castle, in her own room, Flitter tearfully packed her bag and violently degraded herself verbally for her failure to raise her voice. She had been given the chance, she'd been given all the support and encouragement that her friends could spare her, but it hadn't been enough to overcome her cowardice. Curling up into a ball of self hatred on the bed, flitter pulled Jack's PDA close and began weakly scrolling through the videos of him. Since the cave, he'd taken a few pictures and videos of his time in Canterlot, and Flitter knew that there were several were he spoke. She already missed his voice, his hands. Would it be too late to go to him now? She checked the time, and shook her head. No, it was far too late, and there was the chance he would have unsavoury company. Eventually, she fell into a fitful rest, with Jack's PDA playing before her.

Author's Notes:

Oh lord. Okay, first off, fuck this chapter. Fuck it in the mouth. This was probably one of the hardest chapters to write, if only because I've written it before and I ended up running into something like 3 writers blocks. Thankfully, I managed to get it pumped out, and it's been edited pretty much fully. (I'm sure I missed something) For those who've joined the story a little later, I'm referencing what was known as Omake 2: Electric Boogaloo. I ended up removing it from the chapter list and revamping it for this chapter. For those interested in seeing how jack's drunken Gala adventure went originally, the link can be found here: DAS LINK

This chapter could also be renamed 'Jack fucks up, Part 17392618'

In other news, Urimas Ebonheart has done some awesome artwork for ballad!

Chapter Thirty Eight: The Snake of Regret

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It was always when he was asleep that he smelled it. That light smell of mid summer dextri-wheat on the wind. Of course, it never was real wheat, it was just his damaged brain, filling in blanks with painful memories as he slept. When he awoke, the fleeting sensation of homesickness would linger behind like a real illness.

Groaning softly as the midday sun shone through his curtains and struck him in the face like a mallet, Jack rolled over onto his side and took a deep breath in through his nose. The teasing thought of home caused by the dextri-wheat was slowly fading to be replaced by another pair of smells; alcohol, and something beautiful that smelled ever so faintly of flowers. With his brain clunking into gear and scrambling to fill in the blanks caused by consciousness, Jack weakly cracked open a bloodshot eye as he mumbled out the first thing that came to mind when he saw the pale, sculpted back of a slim woman sharing his bed.

“-lissa?”

He asked softly, not believing his eyes for a moment. She'd come back, and- wait, no. That was wrong. Jack screwed his eyes shut as the abused lump of grey matter between his ears thumped awkwardly out of first gear. Elissa wasn't coming back. Elissa was dead. Had been, for, what? Eight, ten months now? Maybe more? A year? He slowly groaned as his mental gear shift ground away and awkwardly plunked an answer into his lap. He had gotten completely sloshed the night before, and he'd gone and slept with his equally drunk subordinate.

“Crap…”

The night before was a slurry of sensations and snippets of memory. A cry of lust here, a tearful face there. He screwed his eyes closed tighter and willed himself to just die there in bed. Flitter had needed to say something important, something that had hurt, but at the same time was… bittersweet? Why had she been crying? Jack mentally cursed himself as he slowly pushed up off the bed and sat up. With the cobwebs of his mind clearing away to allow his hangover full access, Jack tried to focus, but found himself unable. He knew he was naked, sitting in the silken sheets, and knew he felt spent. Looking back over at Ada's unconscious form, Jack thumped himself softly in the face with his hand, before slowly dragging it down his features.

“i need to stop drinking… the hell is wrong with me?”

The headache was beginning to cut into him like a serrated blade, and the thought of just falling back over and dying became a topic to be toyed with fondly. However fondly he viewed the idea, he was more inclined to punish himself. Living proved to be ample enough torture for the time being. Reaching out to put a hand on Ada's trim waist, Jack hesitated for a mere second, before grunting and giving her a light shake.

“Ada.” He shook her again, earning a meek, pained groan from the naked Special Air Servicewoman. “Wake up.” If he was gonna suffer, she was gonna suffer with him.

Groaning quietly, Ada weakly swatted his hand off her side and rolled onto her belly, showing off a pair of angry pink hand shaped welts on both of her ass cheeks. An unintelligible plead to 'fook off' was offered, and only served to annoy him.

No, again, that wasn't right. He wasn't annoyed with her. He was pissed off with himself. He’d known better, and he’d still done it. Blinking away more of the grungy sleep that clung to his eyes, Jack took a brief moment to admire the view afforded of her backside. He couldn't entirely blame himself, Ada was definitely a looker. Of course, she could likely kill him. Just like Elissa. Annoyance at himself rose again, shooing away the lecherous thoughts as they began to grow. They both needed to wake up and deal with the mess they'd made. Giving her shapely rear a good smack and squeeze across the welt left the night prior, Jack was rewarded with a loud squeak of a yelp. The hangover seemed to catch up with Ada, causing her to curl in on herself as she covered her eyes and let out a long groan.

“ughgod… Jack, kill me, luv…”

Grunting at the shared pain, Jack began to slowly push himself from the bed, only for Ada to grab hold of his arm and pull him down. Unable and unwilling to keep himself sitting up, Jack simply flopped back into the ruffled sheets and stared up at the ceiling. He could feel the weight of sleep rolling back toward him as Ada pulled herself up onto his chest and buried her face between his scarred pectorals. Despite the hammering headache and his sore body, Jack almost felt content enough to simply wrap his arms around the woman and welcome the novelty of romantic closeness into his life again.

That fun little idea was swift to be booted out of his head as his bladder remembered itself and made its needs known. Lurching up, Jack did his best to gently roll Ada over onto her back before shambling off to the bathroom.

Having relieved himself, Jack leaned heavily on the small sink as he splashed copious amounts of water onto his face. He'd been quick to discover welts across his back, earned from raking nails, and a dancing set of light hickeys across his neck and jaw. Splashing more water onto his face, Jack slowly lowered himself onto his toilet and cradled his face in his hands. Begging the headache to leave him be, Jack found himself becoming slowly aware that he could still taste her. Running his tongue across his teeth, Jack forced himself up, and back into his room to hunt for his clothes.

During his slow shambling search, Ada finally found the willpower to sit up in the bed and watch him as he meandered about. Seeming to not mind her own stark nudity, Ada soon got up and began traipsing across the room. Snagging one of his cigarettes, Ada wandered to his balcony and opened the door. Once his pants were found, Jack joined her on the small balcony as she rested her elbows on the railing, seemingly completely uncaring about her nudity seeing daylight. Offering the naked woman his lighter, Jack turned and leaned against the railing as he allowed himself to begin a proper wake up.

“So, about last night…” He started as he lit his own cigarette.

“What about it?” Ada glanced over her shoulder at him. He couldn't quite catch the look on her face, but he knew she was trying to read him. “You regret it?”

“No-” He answered swiftly as he took a drag. “Just figuring shit.” He was lying, but only slightly. Did he regret last night? Maybe. It was too early to think about that though. For now, he could get away with it.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, Ada afforded him a pained, tired smile. “I don't. So stop sweatin’, luv.” She lightly pecked his jawline, before smiling again. “B’sides, I had fun.”

“We're gonna have to keep this quiet.” He muttered to himself, but loud enough for her to easily hear. “It's uh… unprofessional.”

Rolling her eyes as she trailed her fingers down his arm, Ada simply shrugged as she strolled back into his room. “If’n you want, Jack. Don't think your brass is gonna bust your nuts. I'm stealing your clothes.” She added as she began rifling through his drawers in search for something to wear until she could retrieve her own.

Sighing to himself as he finished his smoke, Jack shrugged and snubbed the butt on the railing. He could think about it later. Right now, he could only consider two things. The pretty body now wearing one of his shirts currently searching for her panties. And the taste of her lingering in his mouth. Once Ada was dressed, she set off toward the door, only to be stopped when Jack gently grabbed her by the arm. Looking slightly off put, Ada glanced over toward him. “Whatcha want-” The woman inhaled sharply in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her in for a strong, passionate kiss. The woman appeared intoxicated once they separated. Licking her lips, Ada shot him a sultry grin, before giving him a parting squeeze below the belt before heading for her own room. Carrying her crumpled dress and shoes with her as she went barefoot, the servicewoman glanced over her shoulder at him at the corner of the hall. A quick glance around confirmed that nobody was present, and before Jack could turn to enter his room, she spun on her toes and lifted the hem of her stolen shirt, flashing him her beautifully sculpted chest. With a cocky grin she blew a kiss at him, before traipsing off and leaving him to his own flustered devices. Giving up on himself, Jack found a semi-clean shirt and set off to find food.

The grand dining hall was empty, as it usually was when he woke up hungover. Thankfully, some of the kitchen staff entered, and as they already knew his hangover rituals, set off to get him some food. Resting his cheek against his propped up hand, Jack heard the doors opening behind him, but didn't bother to look. The sound of shoed hooves greeted his ears, and after a moment, Princess Luna stood next to him, wearing a severe expression.

“Jack. May I speak with you?” Her voice was terse and clipped, owing to a temper she couldn't control as well as her older sister.

Lifting his free hand for a meaningless gesture, Jack continued to wait for his food. “Not goin’ anywhere. You may as well say your piece.”

Sitting down next to Jack, Luna's sharp expression softened for a moment. “Jack, you have a very serious problem with drinking.”

“Oh, oh my god, I had no idea.” He couldn't keep the sarcasm from dripping out of his words, and it earned him a snappy glare.

“Jack, you alone drank over a thousand bits worth of wine last night, and proceeded to get an ambassador utterly drunk in the process. You nearly made a fool of yourself before every big name in the capital.” The concern was leaking into Luna's words, which she failed to hide with her indignant annoyance toward him.

“I also continued to drink when we left.” He added, helping nobody.

Letting out a sigh, Luna shook her head and looked toward the inbound food. “For your information, Chancellor Selkin has recovered from your misadventure, but could not keep quiet about it during our accords draft this morning. You made quite the impression on him.”

“Cool.” He mumbled quietly as the staff left the plate of leftovers before him. Tucking into the food like a man starved, it took a few minutes before Luna had a chance to interject.

“Did Flitter speak with you last night about anything?” She was testing the waters, which put him slightly on edge.

“Something… I can barely remember.” He worked his knuckle into his temple, as if the mild pain could unlock the memory. Surprisingly enough, it did. “She said she was getting deployed- Aww fuck!” He cursed loudly as he pressed his hand into his face. “Is she still here?”

The look of mild concern crossed the princess' features as she crossed her hooves on the table. “Did she not say anything else to you? She left this morning for Twin Peaks.”

“No, she didn't say anything to me!” Standing quickly, Jack grit his teeth as the blood rushed from his head and his headache quadrupled. Setting off at a brisk march, he began making his way toward her room. Maybe she hadn't left yet. Maybe he wouldn't be too late. Reaching her door, Jack knocked rapidly, and was greeted with silence. Opening the door, Jack strode into the room and looked around near frantically. It was empty, like he'd been afraid it would be. On the dresser was his PDA. Cursing quietly, Jack pocketed the device and sat down on the edge of her bed. She hadn't even said goodbye. Or maybe she had tried, and had found him passed out drunk with a naked woman in his bed. Indignant anger flooded his system, and it was all directed inwards.

Through the anger he wondered where she was. Could he contact her? Probably not. He sighed sadly and ran a hand through his shortly cropped hair. He had duties to attend to, and instructors to train. Still, he couldn't focus on that, he could only turn his thoughts toward his friend.

“I hope you stay safe, Flitter… where ever you are.”

Staring out the window as the desert rolled passed her, Flitter did her best to think of anything but Canterlot and the people within it. With the train gently swaying under her, she at least had something to focus on. The train ride to the hamlet below Twin Peaks was a three day journey by train, and a minimum of two by air. Once in the village, she'd be greeted by an army officer. From there…

Flitter's features fell again as her mind wandered off track. She should have left Jack a note, or a video, or something. Anything would have been better than leaving wordlessly. She'd been too scared to even knock on his door that morning, being too afraid of exactly what she'd see. How could anybody expect her to lead soldiers when she couldn't say three stupid simple words?

Her thoughts became a maelstrom of regret and anger as she stared out at the passing desert. The look on Jack's face when she'd told him about her posting had nearly broken her heart, but he had still been happy for her, proud of her. Her own mother couldn't even bring herself to care, let alone feel pride, and there was Jack, hugging the crap out of her because he was proud of her. Flitter's features fell further, and she felt her emotions welling up in an attempt to break free. Pressing her hooves into her face, Flitter tried to think of anything but Jack.

He'll never love you, why don't you give the rest of us a chance?

Field's harsh words slipped free from the tangled knot of thought in her head, and brought an immediate scowl to her features. The stallion had been drunk and frustrated, but she couldn't forgive him that easily. Laying down on the bench seat, Flitter rested her chin on her forehooves and willed herself to rest. She had a long journey ahead of her, and the more rested she was, the better.

The train's shrill whistle awoke Flitter for the third time as it pulled into Twin Peak Station. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Flitter cast a glance out the window at the small military village the train had stopped in. Twin Peak Village was where the primary barracks for the REA was housed, as well as the administration buildings. It had started as a border base, but the influx of soldier's families and travellers through the pass had created a boomtown that housed nearly three thousand souls. Further up the mountain was Twin Peaks Primary, the leading outpost in Equestria. It saw more action than anybody in all of Equestria would believe. Bandits were still a blight on the area, as it was too far from any major griffon population center for their government to truly care, and Equestria could never launch any full scale operations to oust the bandits from their caves. The outpost was the first line of defence, as very few were willing to attempt to try and fly or climb over the utterly treacherous peaks.

Gathering her two bags, Flitter fixed her officers cap and straightened her starched uniform, before trotting off the train and into her new life for the next eighteen months. Waiting for her was another officer, and a bright eyed private who took her bags. The officer greeted her flatly, and didn't offer a name. Without any pomp, the pair led Flitter through the town, and into the base camp. The small fort was surrounded by thick stone walls, and was barred by a heavy iron portcullis. The private informed her that she could find her bags in her room, while the officer's clipped tone ordered her to follow along into the keep.

Following along quietly, Flitter scanned around, making sure to memorise every twist and turn of the old keep. They passed by the barracks, where close to one hundred of the ranger corps rested between shifts up in the outpost. They skipped it for the time being, but Flitter knew she'd see the inside soon enough. The officer opened a recently refurbished door and motioned for her to enter, before letting the door go and trotting off after she'd entered. The room turned out to be a small office, one where Colonel Glow was seated and leafing through his stack of paperwork. Snapping to attention and saluting, Flitter announced herself.

Looking up at the mare, Colonel Glow smiled lightly. “Ah. Good morning, Lieutenant!” He shifted in his seat and fluttered his burgundy wings. “I hope the train ride was pleasant?”

“I slept most of the way, sir.” Flitter returned the smile she was given by the officer as he stood from his seat.

“Great. Did Captain Whirlwind have your bags taken?” At her nod, he nodded back and began trotting to the door. “Excellent. Don't mind Whirlwind, she's always had a stick up her rear.” Straightening his uniform, Colonel Glow gestured toward the door as he smiled. “Follow me, I'll give you the grand tour.”

Following the Colonel out into the fort, Flitter was given a far more thorough tour of the base than she'd gotten from Whirlwind. Colonel Glow seemed pleased that she was there, and Flitter found herself slowly becoming wary of his possible motives. Finishing the tour before the officers quarters, Glow looked toward her and smiled lightly. “Get comfortable, Lieutenant. You're going to be here for awhile.” He looked as if he were about to leave. “Oh, and feel free to requisition extra blankets if you need them, the fort gets downright chilly some nights. Now, get some rest or grab some chow, I'm sure you're exhausted from your trip.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Flitter glanced down the hall for a moment. “When do I start?”

The stallion chuckled lightly as if she'd told a joke. “Yeah, you're Thunder's filly. You start tomorrow at seven sharp, come see me in my office and I'll have you briefed fully. I'll be placing you with Sergeant Minerva, and you'll be heading up top with her tomorrow, so get a good rest. Carry on, Lieutenant.” He shot her a salute, and swiftly had it returned before he trotted off, likely back to his office.

Having now been left alone in the fort, Flitter was allowed a moment to think. Immediately, her thoughts began to roll back toward Canterlot, and she was forced to shake her head to jar the memories away. She had to keep herself busy, otherwise she'd fall into the pitfall that was her own head. Making a quick stop at her new room to unpack, Flitter soon made her way down to the barracks to find the so-called Sergeant Minerva.

The barracks was a madhouse. Flitter almost felt petrified as she entered into the flurry of moving bodies and yelling voices. The company was getting ready for their shift change, and that always meant chaos apparently. Catcalls and heckling flew across the room as the soldiers packed their bags and cleaned their bunks. Taking a moment to compose herself, Flitter began trotting down the line in search for her sergeant.

“OFFICER ON DECK!”

As the company crashed to attention and the din died immediately, Flitter found herself standing rigid from the booming voice. A half second later she realized that the order had been over her, and managed to smile a little at herself. “As you were.” The soldiers seemed to fall back into quietly packing, before slowly edging back into their rambunctious act. A rough looking orange pegasus mare approached Flitter at a quick trot, before coming to a short stop and tossing up a salute.

“You need something, ma'am?”

Saluting the mare in return, Flitter nodded. “I'm looking for Sergeant Minerva.”

The orange pegasus slowly blinked, as if unimpressed. “Speaking to her.”

“Oh!” Flitter smiled toward the Sergeant. “The Colonel has attached me to your unit for the shift, and I wanted to meet you before we went in the field.”

For a scant moment, a brief grimace flicked across the Sergeant's features before she locked it down under a stern stony visage. “Course’.” Gesturing to the company around them, she began moving to what Flitter had to assume was her office. “This is Diamond Company, we're replacing Bravo tomorrow. You ever been up to Twin Peak pass before ma'am?” When Flitter shook her head, Minerva frowned again. “Requisition extra everything, it's colder than Tartarus up there, even mid-summer. Get a face mask too.” Flitter quickly nodded, taking mental notes. “Get a weapon and armour too. I know that's not normal for you officer types, but it's better if some bandit can't just pick you off while you're off taking a leak.” Minerva shifted for a moment, looking over Flitter with a mildly concerned eye. “You do know how to fight, right?”

Smiling to her sergeant, Flitter nodded lightly. “Better than you'd think. I had a good trainer.”

“I'll believe it when I see it.” The Sergeant pushed into her 'office;’ if the tiny section of barracks that was walled off with blankets was worth the title of office, Flitter would never truly know. Sitting down on her bed and gesturing toward the lone chair, Minerva let her dull lilac coloured mane down and seemed to relax, if only slightly. “Drink?” She offered the tiny flask to Flitter.

“No, no thank you.” Flitter shook her head. “I've never liked alcohol much.”

Shrugging as she took a swig, Minerva’s wings shuddered as she put the small flask away. “Alright. Lieutenant-”

“Please, just call me Flitter when we're not in a professional setting.” Flitter smiled lightly, and only earned a grunt of approval in return.

“Fine, Flitter. Word to the wise. We mares are rare up here, in fact ninety percent of the grunts under you are stallions. That means you've got to meet their standards of physicality and see things how they see it.” Minerva looked toward her blanket walls for a moment before continuing. “There's also a few bad apples in the company. So make sure if you're going anywhere, you bring someone you trust with you.”

Quirking a brow with light disbelief, Flitter frowned at the news. “So you're saying one of the men might try and rape me?”

Coughing at the brutal forwardness, Minerva nodded. “Yeah, uh… yeah. Hasn't happened in a few years, but there's still the chance. It'll also help in case you go outside the wire and get picked up by a bandit pack. If that happens, well… okay, try to not get captured. Once you're over that border, there's sweet fuck all we can do. So unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a bandit rutting post, keep your head on a swivel and never go anywhere alone.”

Grimacing at the thought, Flitter nodded. “Definitely not going to happen. Anything else I should know?”

“We've got about twenty raw recruits; I don't know how acquainted you are with watching things die, and I sincerely doubt you've killed anybody, but I know that they're all green as grass. That kind of shit is gonna mess up some of them. You need to watch out for it, from them as well as yourself.”

“I think I'll be alright in that respect, Minerva.” Flitter leaned back on the chair while the Sergeant looked over at her with curiosity. What Minerva didn't know was that when Flitter had seen her first death on video, it had haunted her dreams for weeks, if not months. That is, it had until she'd butchered Lacey Maltenics. None the less, Minerva seemed skeptical, but kept it to herself.

“Well ma'am, I suppose we'll find out eventually. It was nice talking to you, and I appreciate you coming here for a meet and greet.”

Standing and adjusting her uniform, Flitter smiled brightly to the rough mare. “I'll see you tomorrow, Minerva.” Turning on her hooves, Flitter left the Sergeant alone and carried on toward her own room. As she trotted through the barracks. She made sure to appear as professional, yet as friendly as possible. Most of the enlisted soldiers ignored her, while a few readily returned the smile and nod. Out of the corner of her eye, Flitter made note of one sour stallion who glared daggers at her as she walked passed. The trot to her room was a thankfully short one, as she still had to see to her things.

Unpacking everything that she wouldn't be bringing up the mountain with her, Flitter's eyes fell on the plainly wrapped gift Luna had given her when she'd left. Carefully unwrapping the box, Flitter opened it to find a truly fitting gift. The equestrian pattern pistol was a mirror of what the special forces soldiers in the field would be using. It used a magically charged .40cal round, had canted sights, and was mouth operated. The grip was custom tailored to fit her specifically, and the slide was blued. As a final touch, Luna’s crest was stamped upon the slide. The weapon came with four magazines loaded with ten rounds a piece, and a custom underwing holster that worked in tandem with the ka-bar sheath.

Going over the weapon, Flitter recalled every lesson Jack had given her over firearms, and the demonstrations that she had seen. She was glad that he'd at least shown her how to operate this kind of weapon. After clicking the safety on, Flitter set the pistol down on her night stand and began undressing for the night. Curling up in the small bed, Flitter willed herself to fall into the lovely land of unconsciousness.

It would take her three hours to rid herself of the guilty thoughts she had, and her sleep would be a rough one.

Chapter Thirty Nine: Training Day

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He could smell it again. That wheaty smell of home. It remained just on the edge of his senses, teasing him as he slept. As he tossed and turned in his sleep, the door to his room quietly clicked, and began to creep open. A solitary figure stole into his room through the cracked door and slowly began to move toward his bed. Once at the bed, the figure crouched down and reached out toward the man.

Being roused from his shapeless dream by someone shaking his shoulder, Jack blearily cracked an eye. “Whossit?”

“Jak!” Toasty's enthusiastic voice caused him to groan loudly and roll onto his back, which only served as an invite for the girl as she pounced onto the bed and gave him another giddy shake. “Jaaaaak!”

“Whhaaaaaat?” He growled as he grabbed a pillow and pressed it against his face.

“Walks!” Cracking open an eye and moving the pillow, Jack managed a half glare at the young girl as she sat perched on the side of his bed. She cocked her head at him and pouted adorably as she lifted her leash and shook it. “Walkies.”

“Where's Field?” Jack grumbled as he pushed himself up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. “And Pete?”

“Mad and busibusy!” Toast leaned forward and head-butted his chest lightly, earning a grunt from the much larger man. “Pweeeeaaaase?” She gave him her best puppy eyes as she clutched the leash to her chest.

“Okaaaay… just gimme a moment, Toasty, love of God…”

“Yay!” She all but tackled him back into the bed, and hugged him tightly as he groaned in protest. “Wuv you!”

“Uh huh…” Jack patted her head as he sat up in bed and looked around his room. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary to his sleep addled mind.

It took considerably longer to get ready with Toast running laps around him, headbutting and nuzzling at him like an overeager puppy. After a few minutes of letting his brain heat up, Jack finally managed to get fully dressed. Attaching the leash to her collar, Jack whistled to get the small girl to follow along. It took all of three seconds for her to run ahead and strain the leash with her neck. Being forced to give her a gentle yank to curb her enthusiasm, Jack led the girl out to the gardens, where she could roam a little more freely.

Watching as Toast wandered about and gnawed on plants, Jack sank into the solitary bench that looked out across the collection of statues that dominated the garden. One statue in particular drew his attention. The birdshit stained visage of Discord stood where it always did, with it's flock of birds squawking and calling out as they circled the statue’s head. Smirking as he looked at the statue, Jack returned his watch to Toast. The girl was now face down in the grass, rolling about and huffing loudly.

“You know, watching a human walk another is utterly surreal.” Hard Tac sat down next to Jack on the bench and smiled lightly as he held a cup of coffee in his hooves. “Griffons arrived last night, finally.”

Nodding in understanding, Jack continued to watch as Toast frolicked. “Then we start this morning. Get our little command staff together and put on some training clothes.”

“What?” Hard Tac looked struck. “You're gonna make me go through boot camp too?” He didn't sound overly upset, but it was far too early in the morning for Jack to really care.

“I'm joining too. Never ask your men to do something you wouldn't.”

“I know Jack, I'm joking.” The stallion shifted slightly. “So how are you holding up?”

Slowly raising a tired brow, Jack chanced a glance at the captain. “How am I holding up?”

“Yeah, you know, losing Flitter and all that.”

Rolling his eyes as he fished out a cigarette and lit it, Jack looked unhappy about the question. “I didn't lose her Tac, she wasn't mine to lose. Regardless, she only got posted. She's coming back.”

“And when she does, what about Ada?” He glanced down at Toast as she flopped down at the foot of the bench, panting and sweaty.

Clipping the leash back onto her collar, Jack hefted the squirming girl over his shoulder and looked to the stallion beside him. “You're asking a lot of questions way too early in the morning.”

“I'm just saying, Jack. You should put some thought toward it before you dive headlong into it.” The captain got up from the bench and began to follow Jack, just as the light of morning was beginning to crest the horizon. Jack looked out as well, and caught sight of Celestia on her perch; her horn glowing brightly as she raised the sun. Jack looked away and shook his head vehemently as he muttered. Shifting Toast on his shoulder as he walked, Jack pointedly avoided answering Tac.

“Are the volunteers in the new barracks?”

Sighing as his advice was passed over, Tac nodded. “Yeah, ready to go. Why?”

Entering the castle, Jack smirked at Tac. “Because it's almost time for Reveille.” Depositing Toast back on her feet, Jack clapped his hands and moved to get her attention. “Come on Toast! Let's go! Let's go girl!” The excitable girl pranced from foot to foot as her full attention was taken up by Jack. “Come on girl, back to the lab!” Jack glanced to Tac for a moment. “See you there.” A second later, he split off at a run, with Toast hot on his heels and squealing with happiness.

Minutes later, Jack tromped into the labs with a thoroughly tuckered out Toast once again slung over his shoulder. Looking up from his work station, Petyr smiled briefly at the sight as Jack waved and carefully dropped Toast onto her bed in the corner. Speaking in Russian, Petyr greeted him quietly. (Good morning Jack. How are you?)

Shrugging as he leaned against the work station and looked out across the labs, Jack quirked a brow at the large white tarp that covered something that seemed very familiar. (Doing fine Petyr. Is that my armour?)

(Yes, we are nearly finished repairs. Just the few final touches on the new radio pack, and you are good.) Petyr tossed a treat toward the panting Toast, who snatched it up and gnawed on it like an animal. Standing, Jack began to walk over toward the covered armour, and Petyr was quick to join him. (I believe Celestia wanted to show this to you personally, it is your reward for the work in the hive.) At Jack's huff of amusement, Petyr smiled and shook his head as he pulled off the tarp. Jack's huff of amusement swiftly turned to a low whistle of attraction. The mottled grey-green ceramic breastplate had been replaced with a shining bulwark of a lightly coloured metal. Spanning across the chest was a stylised sun and moon, with a sword pinned between them. His combat webbing had been replaced, and apparently reinforced. A larger, bulkier comms set sat on the back of the armour and it's antenna stuck up over his head, but would make little difference to his load bearing limit and his movements.

(Oh she's a pretty girl…) Jack traced his hand across the shining bulwark breastplate.

(It's mithril. The princesses assure me it is almost as strong as titanium, and they have also enchanted it, but I couldn't tell you the specifics of that.) Petyr rapped his knuckles off the thick breastplate, causing it to shimmer slightly.

Whistling as he looked over the changes, Jack didn't notice the lab pony approaching until she cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, Knight Sergeant Kessle?” She smiled nervously and adjusted her glasses as Jack turned back toward her. “Hi, I'm Aurora, I've been assigned to your armour system. I'll be your go-to girl when you're on station with the Stalwart Liberty.” The mare was a dull grey unicorn with vibrant purple eyes, and she puffed up proudly from her proclamation.

Smiling lightly, Jack offered a calloused hand to the chirpy tech. The mare looked toward his hand for a moment, before gingerly giving it a shake. “Good to meet you Aurora.” Jack looked toward his armour, causing Aurora to do so as well. “Any questions you have about it? I know my coffin pretty well by now.”

Petyr grimaced at the comparison, while Aurora only looked confused. “Coffin? I don't think anybody could die in this, except from illness or age. You could probably wrestle Cerberus for his favourite chew toy and come out on top.”

Humming with amusement, Jack simply shook his head and tried to keep his mind off of how many Longbows he’d seen die in their mobile coffins. “Like I said, questions?”

“Yes! Sorry, I get side tracked really easily.” Aurora paused as she looked up toward him. “You're a lot taller in person… Sorry! Off track again!” She flipped through her clipboard full of papers and reports as she mumbled softly to herself. “Where-o-where… aha!” She pulled a thick leaflet of papers free and beamed victoriously. “When we were cleaning your armour, we found what Mr Morosov-”

“Morozov.” Petyr corrected.

“Morozov, sorry…” Aurora flushed slightly as she looked over the paperwork again. “Ah, right, umm… Mr Morozov, told us it was your stimulant delivery system.” Jack nodded, and the mare wiped her brow. “We… well, we're confused, and… well, disturbed by what we've found in your delivery system. You know, besides the system being scary on its own…”

“Rapid fire needles in your skull and down your spine doesn't sound like a good idea to you?” Jack teased lightly, causing the mare to pale to a lighter grey.

“No… no, Celestia no, it sounds awful… erm… right. Back on track. We found traces of a strong poison that veterinarians use to euthanize humans, and a full delivery vial, that's forty millilitres or CCs, of another chemical that… it's chemical composition is so utterly… Insane, that we used three separate machines to check our results.” She looked down again. “When we tested a fraction of the formula on a human test subject, the subject flew into a frothing rage, destroying everything in the test chamber, before dying of a massive brain hemorrhage.”

“And?” Jack asked casually; it did little to hide his open distaste for human testing.

“And we… we wanted to know why. Why on Equis would you have these chemicals in your armour? These would kill you!” She had worked herself up at this point, and looked overly distraught.

“Well.” Jack leaned against his armour and scratched at the back of his head. “The poison is actually a medical grade pain killer, morphine. The second is the BZ combat stimulant.”

Frowning heavily, Petyr spoke to clarify. “The 'BZ’ stimulant is the Bezikiner stimulant, which after the war, was outlawed utterly. It causes massive trauma to the whole body, Jack; often one dose is enough to permanently cripple grown men.”

“Yeah,” Jack grinned a little as he looked around. “Guess it's a good thing I got that first dose out of the way, huh Pete? And the second, and the third...” At the Russian's horrified look, Jack turned his attention to the armour tech. “We usually called it Berserker in the field. It's like an anabolic steroid, four different kinds of engineered psychotropics, military grade pain suppressants, and an adrenaline hit all in one convenient shot.”

“And…” Aurora scribbled his words down frantically on the notepad. “You… you take this shot willingly? In combat? And you've survived?”

Tapping his chest, Jack hummed lightly in thought. “Pretty sure I survived. Something about my brain chemistry just lets the drugs work without issues I guess.” He patted his armour. “For when you absolutely, positively, need to rip somebody's skull in half from the top down.” His smile faded slightly as he looked to Aurora. “I need access to more morphine, I'm all out.”

“I… I don't know if my boss will okay that…” Aurora pawed at the floor in discomfort.

“Then tell me where I can get it on my own.” Jack removed his hand from his armour as Aurora looked away.

“I'll talk to my supervisor, okay?” At Jack's nod, she cleared her throat and looked over her shoulder. “Well, I've taken up enough of your time. It was nice meeting you!” Both humans waved her goodbye, and watched as she cantered off. At almost the same moment the mare disappeared, Field appeared from the same door. The stallion looked dog tired and pissed off.

Waving lightly as he prepared to leave, Jack greeted the stallion with Petyr. To their surprise, Field ignored them both and sat heavily at his workstation. “Hey, Field.” Jack called out. “I took Toasty out for some exercise this morning, so make sure she drinks lots of water.”

“Whatever.”

Jack and Petyr shared a look of mild concern between each other, before Jack simply shook his head. “You guys happen to have a megaphone around here?”

“A megaphone? Well... yes, we do, but why would-”

“I have my reasons and they're awesome.” Jack answered quickly, cutting off Petyr. Sighing with mild exasperation, Petyr set off to retrieve the megaphone.

“Please bring it back.”

Waving as he treaded off, Jack swung by his room to quickly snag his PDA and get everything set up. He soon met up with Hard Tac, who was waiting outside of the volunteer barracks. Looking up from his small magazine, Tac lifted a brow. “A megaphone?”

“No time to find a musician.” Jack selected the track from his selection of alarms, and turned the megaphone up. Grinning like a bastard, Jack looked toward the still confused Tac. “It begins.” At that, he started treading toward the door, just as the keening bugle call shook the windows. The door slammed open as Jack strode in, and the volunteers were already reeling and scrambling to get out of bed. The electronic reveille boom loudly, almost drowning out Jack's voice as he bellowed. “COME ON YOU LAZY SACKS, UP AND AT EM, GOGOGOGOGO!!!” He gestured toward the door, and began sending his groggy recruits out to the training field.

It took less than two minutes to have the thirty odd volunteers lined up and standing rigid in the field; all of them held serious expressions. Shutting off the megaphone, Jack marched before the gathered group and took his place before them.

“Good morning volunteers!” He grinned as the unit stood a little straighter, and Ada entered the grounds and began walking toward him. “Now that I have your undivided attention, we can get started.” He began pacing before them. “Now, I know all of you have formal military training, and are likely the best of the best from your respective branches. Problem is, is that each branch does their bullshit differently. So!” Jack came to a stop before Baron. “We're starting with some intense physical training. To gauge where everybody is. We're gonna have a long month ahead of us, so I want you all to work together. Remember, teamwork is the difference between coming home to real food and hot baths, and coming home in a pine box.” He nodded to Ada, who stepped forward.

“Alroight’ you sorry lot! I want three teams of ten, on the double!” She watched like a hawk as the volunteers shuffled around, creating three cohesive groups quickly. “Our target is the base of the mountain, we're taking the road down, and then coming back up twice. First team to pull it off gets to shower for an extra five! If a team finishes and is missing volunteers, that team fails! You must finish with your entire team, or you do not finish at all!” She stood to attention as Jack smiled.

“Alright ladies and gents, select your team leaders. They'll be reporting to me when we finish. You have two minutes!” He grinned as he turned away, and leaned toward Ada. “I'm thinking some team building exercises before we get into weapons and gear. I wanna make sure these guys can work together before we go crazy.”

“Good thinking, luv.” Ada winked at him. “See you on the trail, Jack.” Refraining from any show of closeness, the pair turned from their impromptu leadership huddle to find the teams arguing heatedly.

Sighing to himself, Jack shook his head. “We're screwed.”

“Yep.” Ada smirked at him. “I'll handle the chickens, you take care of the ponies.” Nodding in agreement, the pair launched into dual verbal assaults on the teams that occasionally overlapped each other. The storm of curses and threats cajoled the teams enough that their mutual disliking for each other seemed to vanish, if only on the surface. The yelling continued until they were nearly exiting the castle grounds, in which Jack and Ada took the lead as he called cadence. Ponies in the street watched with curiosity and terror as the mixed unit of military griffons and guardsponies jogged through the streets, led by a pair of bellowing humans.

Flitter shivered heavily as the bitterly cold wind cut through her winter fatigues, but she fought back against chattering her teeth as she marched next to Sergeant Minerva. The company was nearly to Peaks camp, where they would relieve Dog Company. As her squad slowed, Flitter cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the convoy behind her. Several wagon laden with supplies were split up and tucked between squads of marching rangers. One of those carts held the outpost’s brand new radio system.

Shifting again to try and have her parka cover a bit more of her body, Flitter resumed looking forward and idly listening to a talkative private chatter about everything you could do with oranges, and how apples were inferior.

Colonel Glow’s voice broke through the monotony as he flapped in and landed next to her. “Lieutenant, you've got comprehensive training with those new firearms, right?”

Nodding quickly, Flitter gave him her full attention. “Yes sir. I trained with Knight Sergeant Kessle and tested some of the prototypes.”

Clapping her on the back with a wing, Glow grinned. “Good, that makes you the most knowledgeable, uninjured pony on them for over a thousand miles around. Last minute shipment arrived with the new radio equipment, and the 'specialist’ who came with them is being shipped back down the mountain with a broken leg. Can you help out?”

“Of course sir.” Flitter smiled toward him. “I'll do my very best. Thankfully, the rifles are simple to use, so it shouldn't be hard.”

“Excellent!” Colonel Glow beamed with appreciation. “I'll have you go over the shipment when we arrive, Sergeant Minerva can handle getting your colts settled in.”

Nodding in understanding, Flitter cast a brief look over her shoulder at her unit's Sergeant. “I'll go let her know, Colonel. Is that all?”

Shaking his head once, Colonel Glow looked up the mountain trail. “When you've finished that, I'll want to see you in my office.”

“I hope it won't take too long sir, I want to make the right impression on my unit.” Flitter shifted nervously under her pack and heavy uniform.

Smiling a little, the Colonel nodded in understanding. “ I won't take up too much of your time, I promise. Besides, we'll be on station for a month before we get rotated out again, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know your unit. Twenty minutes won't make much of a difference.”

After informing Sergeant Minerva of her assignment, Flitter made a point of leading her unit the rest of the way. Up the twisting mountain road. Only once was the convoy interrupted, and that was to let a heavily burdened merchants cart trundle passed. The griffon merchant nervously eyed the heavy military wagons, but before long she had vanished over the last rise, and the convoy resumed its course through the narrow pass.

After another hour of marching, the convoy finally crested the mountain, and Twin Peaks base came into view. The base was certainly nothing to write home about. Consisting of several hardened structures, and six cylindrical snow covered barracks that lay spread out across the symmetrical compound. Tall stone walls guarded the front, while the mountains girded the back and sides. Lines of barbed wire crisscrossed before the wall, where several indistinguishable soldiers could be seen patrolling. A cry of identity went out as the tip of the convoy reached the compound, and the heavy wooden gates creaked open to allow them entry.

Colonel Glow flew over the convoy, and landed in the compound's courtyard to meet the officer he was replacing. Flitter watched the two stallions chat idly as the convoy trundled into the compound and the gates closed behind them. The unpacking began immediately, seeing all manner of supplies sorted, accounted for, and stored in hardened buildings. Flitter's attention perked when the heavy wooden crates housing the brand new firearms were unloaded from their wagon. Fluttering over, Flitter began reading through the shipping manifest. Her brow slowly raised as she looked over the long list of technical names and designations.

“Everything in order lieutenant?” Colonel Glow asked from behind her, causing her to stiffen slightly.

“Yes, Sir.” Flitter nodded before bringing his attention to the list. “Though I think there's been a clerical mistake. It says here we've received just a little over fifty thousand rounds of seven-six twos, and only a thousand for the fifties.”

Blinking in confusion, Glow looked a little closer. “I have no idea what you're talking about.” The stallion looked utterly confused.

Laughing lightly, Flitter gestured to several of the opened crates. “Okay sir, crash course. These little bullets are for our rifles, we have a lot of those, and we won't be using a lot because our rifles shoot kind of slow. These big bullets are for our HMGs, and we've only got a thousand of them.”

“Okay.” He nodded continuously in understanding before speaking again. “What's an HMG?”

“Heavy machinegun. Sir.”

“What's a machinegun?”

Flitter's mind flicked back to the myriad combat videos she'd watched, and the weapons tests she'd been allowed to observe. The combat videos stuck the hardest, watching infantry getting scythed down by the guttering chatter of the fifty. Licking her lips lightly, Flitter smiled to her Colonel. “I think I'll have to just show everyone all together.”

Nodding in understanding, Colonel Glow clapped her on the back again. “You're the professional here, Flitter. I'll take your word for it. I'll have the boys set up a spot for you. If you're done with the itinerary, meet me in my office.”

“Yes sir, right away sir.” Flitter quickly stowed the itinerary with the crates, and followed the Colonel. He led her into the rearmost building, which turned out to have a large section of its rooms carved into the mountain side. Following the Colonel into the bowels of the mountain, Flitter soon found herself in a small, yet cozy office. Sitting behind a finely stained oak desk, Colonel Glow removed the heaviest of his kit and sank into his chair with a happy groan.

“Take a seat Flitter.” He gestured toward a comfortable looking chair. “Drink?” He offered a decanter of deep amber liquid to her, only to have it turned down.

“No thank you sir, I'm not a fan of drinking anymore.” Flitter removed her heavy coat and hung it from the rack before taking a seat.

Smiling as he poured himself a conservative glass, the Colonel looked toward Flitter. “I try to be as familiar with my officers as possible. So when it's appropriate, I'd appreciate it if you just called me Sunny.” At Flitter's smile and nod, Sunny relaxed into his chair and let out a sigh. “I knew your father very well. He was a damn fine soldier, but more than that he was my friend.”

Looking down for a moment, Flitter managed to hold her smile up and nod. “Thank you.”

“Did they ever tell you how he died?”

With her attentions fully captured, Flitter's head snapped up and her eyes locked onto the Colonel, causing the stallion to be caught by the intensity. “No. I know he died because of bandits.”

Swallowing a light sip of his brandy, Sunny set his glass down and pressed his hooves together on the desk. “The day that Thunder died, we almost lost the compound. A bandit warlord had risen to power, and hit us mid shift change. We weren't expecting them to hit us when we were all here, but the convoy was exhausted, and the defenders were burned out. Two hundred of those bastards fell on us, and the only reason we pulled through was because of your father.” Sunny took another sip as Flitter shifted in her seat. “He held the line, and we killed them to a man.” The Colonel took another swig. “I know it must not be a comfort, knowing that he died a hero, but it's the best I can do.”

Frowning slightly, Flitter looked down and tried to imagine it all in her head. “How did he die?”

“I just-”

“Sir.” Flitter looked up and locked gazes with the Colonel. “How did he die?”

Sighing softly as he swirled his drink, Sunny relented. “The bandit warlord ran him through. Thunder overloaded his aegis talisman and took the bastard with him.” Sunny huffed weakly with mock amusement. “Didn't even know they could overload, let alone explode like a keg of powder.” Flitter twitched slightly as the mental image of her father being turned to paste filled her mind. As the mare blinked back tears, Sunny winced and leaned forward to put a hoof over hers. “I'm sorry, Flitter.”

Shaking her head, Flitter managed a small smile. “Thank you sir. It means a lot. I just hope I can live up to his shadow.”

Chuckling lightly as he finished his drink, Sunny began rooting through his desk. “I expect you to do better, Lieutenant.” Setting a pair of burnished Lieutenant's bars on the table, Sunny slid them toward her. When Flitter reached out to gingerly take them, Sunny trapped his hoof down with hers. With an utterly serious, stony visage, Sunny spoke. “We don't need anymore heroes to be buried up here, Flitter. There's a graveyard down the mountain full of them, and I'm sick of burying them. So don't you dare get killed on my watch.” He gave her hoof a light squeeze, before releasing her. “They're your father's or were, before he was Colonel. He would have wanted you to have them.”

Looking over the old bars, Flitter cupped them gingerly in her hooves before looking up at Sunny. “I can't promise anything, Sir. I'll do my best, but if it means protecting the company and Equestria, I won't hesitate.”

“Hmm.” Sunny smiled as he leaned back in his chair. “I suppose it was too much to ask Thunder's filly to behave.” He leaned forward again. “Are you absolutely sure, Flitter? Are you ready to do anything for your country? Are you ready to kill for it?”

“I already have.” Flitter answered, and was rewarded by the Colonel being shocked to silence. “And I will do it again in a heartbeat. Evil triumphs when good hesitates. I won't.” Sitting up straight, Flitter gently deposited the bars into her uniform breast pocket. “Is that everything sir? There's a lot I need to do before I unpack my kit.” At Sunny’s nod, Flitter stood and retrieved her heavy jacket. “I look forward to working under you, Sir.”

Leaving the office, Flitter's mind moved away from the thoughts of her father, toward the list of things she had to do before nightfall. The radio set likely needed calibration, and she had the codes for Canterlot in her head. The troops needed a lesson on firearms, she still had to meet her unit properly. And she still needed to unpack. That was all before she even considered getting a bite to eat. Sighing as she set off, Flitter found herself smiling. She had a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it. It was a challenge she could relish, and attack fully. And attack it she would.

The sound of metal crashing against metal sounded out in the courtyard as Jack circled a wizened griffon. Holding his sabre awkwardly, Jack struggled to fend off the attacks of his trainer.

“Come on you ape, you call that sword fighting!?” Hard Tac jeered from the sidelines as Jack took another glancing blow that caused him to grunt in pain as the training blade zapped him. Chuckling as he sat back, Tac glanced to Ada. Who sat next to him. “And I thought his dancing was bad.”

Shaking her head as Jack took another hit and his trainer continued to chew on him, Ada made a face at Hard Tac. “We haven't used bloody swords in over two hundred fookin’ years mate, it's all cruise missiles and Apaches.” She smirked as Jack yelped at another landed strike. “He's gonna feel that.”

“Yup.” Baron sat down heavily, sheened with minty smelling sweat. The rest of JSOG was finishing up with their regime of training, and were all showing up to watch their fearless leader get his pasty ass handed to him on a platter.

With the crowd around him growing, and his body aching from the continuous landed strikes, Jack's anger began to froth up to the top. Calling a momentary pause, Jack angrily treaded off to set down his lightweight sabre and pick up a considerably heavier bastard sword. His trainer made a face, as if the idea of a heavier weapon was humourous.

“The hell are you doing Jack?” Ada asked nobody in particular as she relaxed in the grass.

“He's getting a bigger stick.” Taven answered as Jack bared his teeth at the griffon and launched into his attack with a roar.

The crowd around him whooped with approval as Jack landed his first hit, glancing across the trainer's shoulder. Pressing forward, Jack began to build momentum, and pressed forward inexorably. The griffon trainer began to backpedal as Jack hammered away at him, using the heavier weapon to his advantage. With a roaring bellow, Jack sent his opponents longsword flying off into the yard. His unit yelled their approval as he stood poised to deliver the final blow. His trainer nodded his mild approval before speaking.

“I suppose such a small weapon won't work for a man such as yourself. Just be careful, Knight Sergeant, you won't be able to bludgeon everything into submission. We'll work further on your technique tomorrow.”

“That's what the exo-skeleton is for, sir.” Jack nodded to his trainer as he huffed and puffed for breath. As the trainer left the field, Jack planted the training sword into the dirt and leaned heavily on it. He was flushed with sweat, and almost every muscle in his body was bulging under the strain of adrenaline. As the others approached, he managed a laugh. “There’s no better workout than getting your ass handed to you, right guys? Right.”

As Jack pulled the sword from the dirt, Ada tossed a fresh towel over his face. “Come on, Knight Sergeant, we're hitting the bathhouse. You smell like wet dog.”

“Thanks, Corporal.” Jack answered breathlessly as he put the weapon away and wiped his brow with the towel. “You know how to raise my morale.”

Winking as the unit set off for the bathhouse, Ada grabbed his wrist and led him onwards. “Come on, up, ya fookin Devil Dog. Let's get you washed.”

Waving her off as he wiped his face clean with the towel, Jack planted his hands on his hips. “I'm gonna stick around and work on my form.”

“You sure Jack?” Ada eyed him critically as he took a long drink of water. “Your trainer's already left, an’ I fookin doubt we're gonna be getting into any sword fights today.”

Nodding as he wiped his brow, Jack picked up the sword again and hefted it over his shoulder. “Problem is, is that the old hawk is right. My form is garbage, and I aim to remedy that.” He gave her a light smile as the others began to leave. “Besides, the dummies are still here, and I've got gas to spare.”

Smirking at her superior, Ada shrugged and conceded the victory to him. “Fine, if’n that's whatcha want Jack. I'll just get Taven or Hardy to scrub my back instead.” She smirked a little bit more as Jack was torn between pouting and scowling.

“That's cheating.”

Smiling openly and sticking her tongue out at him, Ada turned on the balls of her feet and moved to rejoin the others. “Never show up to a fair fight Jack!” As Ada sashayed off to join the others, Jack shook his head and focused on his breathing. Advancing upon the dummies, he readied his training weapon and continued to practice.

It took him hours to stop treating the large sword as a bayonet, and even longer to stop flailing at the dummies with unfocused attacks that relied on raw strength. Pulling up all of the pointers he had been given, and had promptly ignored through frustration, Jack slowed down and began to mold his form. He was so far from competent it hurt him to think about it. When night fell, he dragged himself from the training field; with his limbs feeling as if they'd been cast from solid tungsten and filled with molten lead. Struggling to his room, Jack shouldered the door open and immediately regretted it. Grumbling and weakly rubbing at his throbbing shoulder, he began shedding his training gear, which constituted as weighted ankle and arm bands, and a heavy weighted vest. With the twenty extra kilos dropped from him, Jack sighed happily and rolled his shoulders.

“Hey there, Devil Dog.” Ada's voice sounded from the room, causing him to crack an eye open as he stood in the room, already half undressed. The woman was sitting on the edge of his bed, with a book sitting next to her. She was wearing her JSOG fatigues, which had been pressed and starched recently.

“Hey, Ada.” Jack picked up his training weights and set them down in a pile off to the side. “Need something?” He asked as he slowly plodded over to his bed and sat down next to her.

“Yup.” She set the book aside. “Shirt off.”

Sighing hard, Jack rubbed at his face. “Ada-”

He was interrupted as she prodded him between his ribs and flicked the hem of his soaked shirt. “Up and off Jack.” She hummed lightly in amusement as he grumbled and peeling the soaked garment off. “Good man, now, on yer gut.” As he went to protest loudly, Ada fixed him with a disapproving glance. “My ground game is better than yours. Don't make this hard.”

“Fine, fine. You got me.” Flopping onto his face and cantering himself on the bed, Jack let out a slow groan as he practically deflated into the down filled mattress. “So what's up?” He grunted as Ada threw a leg over his rear and straddled him.

“Good lord man! You're wetter than me knickers on range day!” Ada quickly hopped off his back and retrieved a towel, only to return quickly and begin drying him off roughly. Once he was dried, Ada pressed her hands into his back and began working the distressed and knotted muscles. “Oh you knotty man.”

Groaning loudly at her antics, Jack settled to glare at the wall. “That's another five laps for that pun.”

“You just like making me sweaty.” Ada's hands slowed when she reached his branded shoulder. He could feel her hesitation as her fingers came to a stop at the edge of the deep brand.

“It looks worse than it is. I still have almost my full range of motion.” He winced involuntarily as she traced the ugly lettering with a finger.

“How many of these were meant for other people, Jack?” Ada asked softly as she traced the network of scars and puckered, tattooed flesh.

“...too many, but some days… not enough. Y’know?”

Taking the light stroke and pat to his side as a sign, Jack rolled onto his back and Ada repositioned on top of him. There was a moment where she traced his chest with her finger and looked down on his with eyes filled with a heavy emotion. He couldn't tell exactly what it was, but he disliked it immediately. “What's a country boy like you doing so far from home?” She asked softly as she slowly laid down next to him and rested her leg across his.

Closing his eyes as she got comfortable and ran her fingers through his shortly cropped hair. “Something needs killing, and a God figured I was the man for the job.” At her confused look, Jack huffed with amusement. “No joke.”

“Chosen by God to lay the hurt down on some cunts, aye?” Ada laughed softly next to him as her hands roamed. “Sounds like the pitch for a bad flick.”

“A God. He's a prick too.” Jack smiled toward her. “Long story, and yes, it fits the b-grade movie bill.” The pair shared a soft laugh as Jack's hands hunted hers down and pinned them in place on his body. Humming happily, Ada threw her leg over his side and pulled herself up so she was once again straddling him. Leaning in, she locked lips with Jack, while freeing her hands and running them through his stubbly hair. Wrapping his arms around her, Jack pulled the feisty brit in and held her close, before letting his own hands wander and pull at her uniform.

Pushing deep into his reserves, Jack found more than enough energy for the workout Ada posed. Unfortunately for Jack, the next day would drag in an ungodly level of agony for him, as his body made a solid attempt at shrivelling up and dying. Despite his current nightly activities he would continue to train and work, in preparation for his unit's first mission. His men and women trained equally hard, meeting his brutal standard and improving upon it until the guard began to look upon them with equal amounts of awe and impressed horror.

Eventually transferring to the Stalwart Liberty, JSOG entered active service, and Jack's trained militia drill Sergeants set about recruiting the first generation of Equestrian militia. Jack wouldn't be seeing the fruits of his labours for months to come, but see them he would.

Flitter's initial start in the Twin Peaks outpost started rocky, with her new squad not expecting high standards from the unassuming mare. That would quickly change when she began training them all in rifle marksmanship, and destroyed every single one of them with her own rifle. With the improved equipment and radio system, the outpost flourished, and was able to send out more coordinated patrols. The local bandits began to feel the intense pressure when Flitter's suggestion for the deployment of snipers passed through the chain of command without a hitch. Friendly casualties dropped to an all time low for the battalion, while confirmed bandit kills leapt through the roof. Merchants on the trail would come to smile when they heard the harsh whip crack of an army Long Engagement Rifle Platform. With the eventual delivery of brand new howitzer systems and an agreement from the griffon monarchy, the thunderous boom of artillery would become an equally welcome sound to travellers who had once spent fortunes on mercenary guards, bandit bribes and road tithes. A new age of safety was dawning for the Twin Peaks pass, and a certain pegasus lieutenant found herself at the forefront of that coming age.

Chapter Forty: Beginners Luck

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Two months after JSOG is cleared for field operations.

Bovine hooves clopped mutely and kicked up tufts of dirt as the young minotaur heifer ran through the roughshod path that rounded her small village. She was panting heavily, her blood up in a panic as she frantically weaved across the path, dodging and weaving between discarded carts and personal belongings left behind in the rush. The path ended just prior to the largest building in the village; the herd hall. Presently, the inhabitants of the small village were currently streaming into the hall, carrying what they could. Calves mewled and cried out in fear as the cows tried to herd their young into the hall. Beside the streaming crowd stood the Chief, and the Outlander.

“Yuma! Chief Yuma!” The heifer called out, struggling to raise her voice over the panicked din of the crowd as they pushed into the hall. The Chief’s eyes flicked to the small heifer, and she strode over as quickly as possible. Kneeling next to the girl, Yuma leaned in to hear her panicked message as the Outlander simply watched and guided the herd with an armoured hand. “T-the raiders! On the horizon!” The heifer cried out.

The raiders. Yuma shook her head and scowled as she rested a hand on the girl's head. The raiders had already killed the bulls of the village in battle, and now their leader aimed to take the village for himself; no doubt he was already planning how he would split the cows between himself and his inner circle. The elderly and sick would be put to death, and the children would share similarly gruesome fates. Or at least, that's what Yuma figured the raider chieftain was planning. What he didn't know, was that her village had been gifted something truly marvelous; a means to communicate further than the eye could see, to call for help from all who would listen.

Yuma had called for help. Her father had ordered her to, his last act as chieftain before he had been killed on the field of battle. The voices on the device had promised help, but she had barely believed that those promises would come true. And yet, that promise now stood next to her, his armour clad boots slowly sinking into the damp ground.

“So, lemme get this straight fer the record.” Knight Sergeant Kessle drawled lightly as he hefted the heavy Equestrian pattern assault rifle up and loaded a magazine. “Those boys wanna come in here, and rape n’ pillage you like a Viking barmitzvah?”

Yuma certainly didn't like the Outlander. He was loud, and brash, and he carried himself with a calm that acted as if her life, and nearly one hundred others were not hanging in the balance. “Yes.” She spoke lowly as she adjusted her scalemail armour. It had belonged to her grandfather, and fit her poorly. “They aim to enslave us. I am to send my tribe's strongest to defeat theirs.” She didn't have to make note of how she was the only minotaur in the village capable of fighting.

“Hmm. Well, preparations should almost be done, so let's go meet this cocksucker and split his head open.”

Huffing in mock amusement, Yuma brandished her spear and began walking toward the front of her village. “You know Outlander, your cavalier attitude is beginning to make me think you actually believe we can win.” She glanced down at the shorter creature. “Tell me, what are these 'preparations’ you speak of?”

“It's a surprise.” She could almost hear his smarmy smirk, and it caused her to grunt in disgust.

“I have learned to loathe surprises.” Yuma came to a momentary pause as the hills came into view, and the two hundred strong raiding band made itself seen against the horizon.

Unabated by the showing of odds, Kessle simply hummed and cradled the rifle like a child. “So have I. Except surprise fellatio. That, I like.” He chuckled at his own humour as he began walking ahead of her. “Come on Yuma, let's get this honour battle over with.”

Shaking her head, Yuma quickened her pace to keep up with the man, and soon she could see the leader of the raiders break off from the main force. The bull closed the ground between them far too quickly, and only came to a stop at the last moment, in an effort to spook Yuma and her Outlander ally. Snorting hotly across his thick iron nose ring, the bull grinned savagely. “Is this all your pitiful village could muster? One scared heifer and an Outlander?” He chuckled warmly and shook his head. “And who is your champion then, girl?”

“Y’know, that's a cute little nose ring, your boyfriend get it for you?” Jack taunted as he stared at the bull. Watching the raider's cocky grin turn to anger in a split second only pushed him further. “I hope those horns are real, boy, cause I'm gonna use ‘em as handlebars when I fuck you up.”

“That is enough, Knight Sergeant!” Yuma hissed as the massive bull fumed. “You are facing me, Eldron Blackheart! I am my village's champion, and I will stop you and your warband!”

“I'll cut your head off and use it to warn the next village!” Eldron declared as he unsheathed his sword and swung hard at Yuma.

Yelling in surprise at the sudden attack, Yuma leapt back and deflected the energy of the blow with the shaft of her spear. Her counter attack saw the iron head of her spear sparking and skidding off Eldon's thick breastplate. The bull swung again, this time cleaving off one of her dangling braids. The loss of the braid was like a hammer blow to Yuma, but she continued onwards, striking upwards as the bull over extended himself. The strike landed true, piercing between the plates of the raider's breastplate and plunging through the thick mass of muscle that constituted his shoulder. Bellowing in anger, Eldron grabbed hold of the spear as it impaled him, and snapped the shaft with his raw strength. Caught off guard and weaponless, Yuma was unprepared as Eldron brought his sword down, and cleaved her left arm off at the elbow.

Dropping like a stone to the ground as she clutched her spurting stump in shock, Yuma barely had a moment to look up as Eldron brought his sword back down toward her head.

A metal clad hand shot out above her head, catching the sword mid-swing and stopping it dead. The hand slowly closed as Eldron struggled to pull his weapon free, and he was forced to watch as pure hydraulic pressure saw his weapon warp and crumple. Dropping the ruined sword, Jack engaged the strike plates on his gauntlets. “Ah was willing to let you two do this your way, but now we're gonna do it mine.”

Striking out with shocking speed, Jack pistoned a fist into Eldon's chest, causing the thick breastplate to buckle and split. Eldron gasped on empty lungs and swung awkwardly at Jack, only to have the breathless attack side stepped. Hammering his strike plates into the raider’s armoured torso, Jack was rewarded for his efforts when a section of the layered plate fell away, and his armoured fist sank into the bulls muscular chest. The rippling muscle burst under the attack as Eldon's lung collapsed and his ribs shattered. Gasping for air and gagging up blood, Eldron began to fall back, only to have Jack grab him by the horns and pull him down hard into an upward pistoning knee. Shattering the raider chieftain's face, Jack broke one of the sharpened horns free from the bulls head. Spinning in in his palms until the points were facing down, Jack slammed the goring horn down into the raider's eye socket. For good measure, Jack reeled his right fist back, before slamming it forward into the shattered backside of the severed horn, driving it out the back of the dead bull's skull. Letting the cadaver drop to the ground, He immediately broke open his first aid pouch and kneeled next to the downed form of Yuma. The Cow's arm was completely severed, and she was looking pale from the blood loss. A glance out at the horizon already confirmed the raider army was charging. They’d had no intention of ever leaving, honourable victory or no. Tsking softly as he applied a magical tourniquet to the stump of Yuma's arm, Jack propped her up to watch as the army bored down on them.

“Yuma, stay awake. Focus on my voice.” Jack pulled his helmet off for the first time since arriving at the small village with JSOG. He smiled readily toward her as the magic did its work and stabilized her wound. “Did you know that the Claymore mine has an effective kill zone of almost one hundred meters?” Bringing the detonator up as the raider's entered his kill zone, Jack smiled confidently. “Never show up to a fair fight Yuma.” As he triggered the detonator, rippling thunder tore across the hillside as two dozen equestrian made Claymore mines went off in rapid succession. The steel balls shot out, shredding armour, muscle, and bone with equal ease. As the screams of terror and confusion sounded out, Jack keyed his mic and spoke. “Operation Wolverines is in effect, all guns are free to fire.”

Yuma watched with unhidden shock as expertly disguised trapdoors swung open from the grassy plain, and JSOG soldiers opened fire on the raider's with automatic weapons. “All… all this time… you knew how this would end?” Yuma managed to speak weakly, drawing Jack's attention as he waved over his medic.

“Well I didn't anticipate you being so damn bullheaded about rushing off to your death. That was supposed to be me, but yeah, just about.” Jack grinned and patted her shoulder. “We’ll get that arm reattached in no time. Or hell, we'll make you a new one!” Standing, Jack hefted his rifle and ambled off to join the mop up operation. As he left, and the medic applied anaesthetic to the wounded Yuma, the last thing she would hear before losing consciousness was a faint 'oorah’ carrying on the wind.

When Yuma next awoke, it was to the sound of quiet buzzing. Blinking away bleary sleep from her eyes. Yuma lifted her left hand to rub her cheek, only to find nothing touching her skin. Opening her eyes fully against their will, the young chief looked down at herself, before starting in shock. Her left arm was missing at the elbow, and she was wearing a strange, stiff smock that was light green. Looking around, Yuma found herself against a wall of metal, and surrounded by curtains. The buzzing was coming from above her, the culprit being a small light that hummed gently while it was on. Sitting up on the stiff bed, Yuma furrowed her brow heavily before slowly swinging her legs off the bed. Her hooves clonked quietly against the metal decking, and she was just about to stand when a painful twinge pulled at her right arm. Looking back at it, Yuma scowled before pulling out the tubes and leads. The strange machine at her bedside immediately began to emit a single monotone as she stood on weak legs.

Stumbling as she pushed passed through the curtains, Yuma shook her head and looked around the medical bay furtively. The metal walls were all around her, and the air began to taste strangely used. The only immediate exit that she could see was a heavy metal bulkhead, which was opening before her. A small pony rushed in, only to run straight into Yuma. The doctor fixed her glasses before looking up at what she had run into, only to find that Yuma had taken a shaky stride out the bulkhead door.

“Hey! You can’t leave!” The doctor was quick to give chase, only to find that the minotaur chieftain had already disappeared into the maze of halls. “Oh shoot… the captain is going to kill me!”

While the unfortunate doctor was cursing her luck, Yuma was picking up speed as her mind began to reel and thrash. The walls seemed to go on forever, getting tighter and tighter around her as the pipes above her rattled and groaned. Ponies in her path jumped to the sides and yelled to her, but none were heard as panic set itself in control of Yuma’s mind. Regaining her usual stride, Yuma ducked through another bulkhead only to come across a certain Knight Sergeant, who only managed a startled ‘NUAH?!’ as she ran into him, bowling him over. Losing her precarious balance, Yuma hit the deck plates and skidded into the next bulkhead, which had been closed just prior to her collision.

“Ow.” Jack slowly pushed himself up off the deck and rubbed his face. “Anybody get the plates off that truck?” Groaning as he straightened out, Jack shook his head and slowly jogged to the downed Yuma. “Yuma? Hey, Yuma!” He snapped his fingers before her face, causing the cow to finally open her eyes and look up toward him in panic. Doing his best to calm her as equestrian air-sailors gathered round and jockeyed for a glimpse of the calamity, Jack kneeled down next to the chieftain. “Hey, easy there Yuma, you’re alright, you’re safe.” Placing his hands over her shoulders in a meek attempt to keep her from bolting up again, Jack found the large minotaur finally looking at him.

“K-knight Sergeant Kessle?” She questioned shakily, causing him to grin a bit and nod.

“Yeah, in the flesh.”

Yuma swallowed thickly and almost seemed to furrow her brow in confusion. “I thought you’d be taller…”

“O-” Jack deflated visibly as the heifer blinked at him. “Wow. Okay, uh… thanks.” Sighing as he helped her up, Jack made sure to keep a careful hand on her furry back. “Come on, let’s get you back to the doc’s. You shouldn’t be running around here with your butt hanging in the wind.”

To his dismay, she shook her head vehemently and grabbed onto his starched uniform with her remaining hand. “NO. No, please, I need to get air, I can’t stay in here, I need air!” Yuma clutched at his shirt, nearly dragging him off the floor as he waved his arms in a placating manner.

“Okay okay! Easy Yuma, easy! I’ll take you up top and you can get some air.” Placing both hands over Yuma’s large paw, Jack let out a silent breath of relief as the minotaur quickly nodded and set him down.

“Please, Knight Sergeant-” Yuma began softly as she held the bandaged stump of her left arm, only to be interrupted by jack as he carefully grabbed hold of her right hand and began to lead her on.

“It’s alright Yuma, just follow me.”

“Okay… yes… okay.” Yuma nodded again, and allowed herself to be led up to the top deck. The moment the last bulkhead opened, Yuma sucked in a huge breath of the fresh air that buffeted them both as they stepped out onto the flight deck. Several carriages and a small handful of the VTOL transports sat ready for deployment, while their maintenance crews ran checks and cared for the machines. The tip of a nearby mountain was just visible from the flight deck. Approaching the end of the deck, Yuma nearly found herself floored by the sudden sense of vertigo that overcame her when she caught a glimpse over the edge of the deck. “W-where are we!?”

Sitting down on the deck, jack motioned for her to follow suit. “You’re on the HMS Stalwart Liberty, biggest airship in the whole damn world. Your village is almost right under us.”

Slowly sitting down with awkward one armed gracelessness, Yuma shivered at the cold air that tousled her thick fur. “My… my village!” Her eyes went wide. “Did we save my village?”

Thankfully, her question was answered by a sure smile and a nod from Jack. “Yep. Not a single one of your people got so much as a papercut. You were the only injury on our side. Well, except for Donovan. Idiot got caught up in his webbing and ate shit getting out of his spider hole.” Jack chuckled and shook his head as he looked out to watch the impending sunset. “Fuckin’ Donovan.”

“I…” Yuma looked down upon the familiar plains that surrounded her lifelong home. “You saved my people…”

“Me? Nah. I just kicked the shit out of an asshole. You’ve got JSOG and the Air-Navy boys to thank for all the hard work, and to be fair, it’s kind of our job to do it.” He grinned slightly as he crossed his legs, before noticing her gaze slowly drift to her amputated arm. “Hey.”

Tearing her gaze away from the bandaged stump, Yuma looked to Jack. “Yes, Knight Sergeant?”

“Don’t focus too much on it, alright? What’s done is done, and you can’t change the past. Besides, you’ve got some of the best doctors in the entire world looking after you, and our boys in R&D are working on getting you a replacement.” At her shocked look, he nodded. “I’m being serious.”

Shaking her head, Yuma looked toward her stump again. “How am I supposed to keep my people safe with only one arm? I am worthless to them now…”

“Oh fuck off with that.” Jack snarked heavily, a frown crossing his features as Yuma looked back to him. “We both know that ain’t true. Hell, a good leader only needs one arm anyway.” He cast a careful glance over his shoulder toward the medical team that was standing by. “Yuma, I’ve been where you’re at right now. I’ve lost limbs before. I know how shitty it is, how god awful it makes you feel.” Yuma slowly frowned as her eyes were cast down. “But you can’t let that shit define you. Your people need you, and you’ve still got plenty to offer.”

“You…” Yuma sighed softly before nodding. “For such a brash, strange human, you have sage words…” Yuma hugged her knees lightly with her remaining arm. “Thank you, Knight Sergeant.”

“Call me Jack.” Standing, Jack offered his hand to the heifer. “Come on, I know you don’t wanna go back inside, but you scared the crap out of the doctors when you bolted outta medbay.”

Taking the hand, and carefully standing up, Yuma nodded to him before slowly looking over to the medical team. “I understand…” Without warning, Yuma hugged the marine with one arm, hefting him off the deck and causing him to squawk in surprise and mild pain as she squashed him. “Thank you, Jack. I will… return to the insides of this metal beast…” Setting him back down on the deck and leaving him to wheeze for air, Yuma slowly plodded back toward the medical team, who promptly chaperoned her back to the on-ship hospital.

As Jack regained his composure, Ada walked over, smiling and shaking her head. “Always a ladies man, hey Jack?” She smirked a bit as he scowled at her. “Oh don’t be sour, luv. It was a nice thing you did. Shame you never take me to see the sun set.” Ada leaned on Jack as she looked out upon the horizon over the massive plains; the setting sun set the sky ablaze as it slowly set, casting a myriad of pinks, purples, oranges, yellows, and reds across the cloud filled sky.

“It’s cuz’ I only take nice girls to see the sunset.” Jack sniped, causing Ada to jerk and gawk.

“You twat! That hurt!” Punching him in the shoulder before bursting out laughing, Ada shook her head and slipped her arm around his. “So, whatdoya’ think? Beginners luck, or recurring theme?”

Turning toward her with a light smile, Jack set his hands on her hips. “Good guys winning, and the innocents get saved? I think I’d be okay with that repeating itself. Did Candle’s suggestion go through alright?”

Nodding as she slipped her own arms around him, Ada visibly relaxed. “Mhm. Give it a fortnight and our relief aid will show up. They’re gonna build them a wall, supply ‘em with rifles, and show them how to shoot.” Humming as she looked out across the plains, then back to Jack, Ada openly smiled and drew herself closer. “You make a good leader Jack.”

Hugging the lithe woman closer, Jack hummed lightly with amusement. “Beginners luck.” As the pair leaned closer to lock lips, Ada’s radio crackled lightly and the voice of the Captain came through clear.

“Jack, Ada, This is the Captain. So sorry to interrupt, but you two realize the entire bridge crew is watching you, right? Right. If you two are done then, I need you both on the bridge. Over.”

Jack and Ada both stopped just as their noses touched, before casting a furtive glance toward the bridge. A large number of silhouettes were visible in the windows, causing the pair to curse in unison. Pulling away, Ada straightened her uniform and cleared her throat before radioing back. “Yes Captain, we’ll be right up. Over.” Setting her radio back in her uniform, Ada pursed her lips tightly. “Well, we’ll never hear the end of that. Let’s go see what the tosser wants-” Ada found her words cut off as Jack snorted and rolled his eyes, before embracing her and kissing her quickly. When he released her, Ada stammered and blushed. “W-what the bloody hell was that for?”

“Somebody just lost a bet and I want to mock them. Come on Corporal, let’s go see what the Cap’n has for us. I bet it’s something neat.”

Letting out a flustered huff, Ada was quick to follow Jack as he quickly marched off to the bridge to receive their next set of orders from the crown.

Several thousand kilometers away, deep in Griffonian territory, Prince Carolus Rex was sharing a table with one of his country's most powerful generals. General Skytalon was respected by the crown, and feared by his rivals for being a shrewd tactician and dervish on the field. Of course, that didn’t interest Carolus, as much as the General’s ability to be a foul political animal did.

Sitting across from the heavyset grey griffon, Carolus smiled as he sipped his wine. “So I have your support then, General?”

“Aye. I won’t sit on MY tail feathers while the so called Emperor marries Equestria! The very idea makes me sick!” Skytalon slammed his fat fist down onto the table, causing the place setting to jump. To his internal surprise, the smaller prince didn’t do so much as flinch.

“Indeed.” Carolus finished his wine glass, before carefully setting it down onto the table. “General, my father is losing his mind. He would sell us as Equestria’s cuckold, pawn our best warriors off to them for nothing. My mother follows him blindly like a fool, and my sister is so obsessed with Equestria, she abandoned her station to live there for a time.” Carolus steepled his talons before himself. “I cannot in good faith, allow them to rule; to abuse our great empire so.”

“Here here!” Skytalon boomed, and his trusted staff echoed the sentiment. “To think, he has a damned human bitch running around the castle like an untrained mutt! She should be carved into steaks by now.” The general muttered, before loudly demanding a human flank steak. “As great as your father once was, he has obviously lost his damned mind!” Skytalon shifted in his seat as Carolus glanced up at him. “So, my prince, what is your plan?”

As he slowly opened his satchel, which he had kept protectively by his side for the entire meal, Carolus’ beak twitched with the ghost of a smile. “My Plan, dear general, requires upmost loyalty.” Pulling the mask free from his bag, General Skytalon had a scant second to be confused, before a blue pulse lashed out from the mask as Carolus slipped it on. The General and his command staff spasmed as it struck them, before relaxing as the glow in their eyes faded away. Removing the mask, Carolus looked toward the General as he watched Carolus with unparalleled attention. When his steak arrived, it went untouched. “General.” Carolus began as he stood from his seat. “You will serve your purpose, General. You will help me take what is rightfully mine, and with the help of our Lord, Griffonkind will take their place as rulers of the world. Order, will reign.” Carolus ran a gentle talon over the mask in his bag. “And I will be its ruler.”

Humming to himself, Carolus paced over to the General’s side of the table, and took a sampling nibble of the flank steak. Scowling, Carolus looked to the staff. “Bring the cook out here.” The staff were quick to do so, hauling the cook out to the table. The cook prostrated himself before Carolus, but he said nothing as Carolus threw the steak onto the floor. “You call that a steak? A cook is supposed to put his heart into his work, not feed a lord rubbish! Show me your heart, because I doubt you have one.” Without pause, the chef pulled a razor sharp blade from one of the guard’s belts with ease, and quickly set to work on the Prince’s ghastly order.

To Carolus’ dismay, a carrier hawk burst through the open window as the chef was breaking his own ribs, interrupting the Prince’s train of thought. Growling at the smaller bird, Carolus yanked the missive free from its leg and unfurled it. His attitude quickly shifted from foul to gleeful as he read. “My my… Arcturus, you have been busy. A field test? Well, I will have to see this for myself, If I’m to trust your work at all.” Quickly drafting up a response, Carolus tied the response around the hawk’s leg, before shooing it out the window. Turning, Carolus almost smiled. “General!” His barking voice had the general stand up stock straight in an instant. “I need your fastest transport to the Crystal Empire border.”

General Skytalon swiftly saluted, before bowing. “At once, my lord. It will be done.”

Moving toward the door as the cook finished carving out his own heart, Carolus ignored the offered lump of bloody muscle as he walked out the door and wondered out loud to himself. “Now, Dr. Forge… what have you been doing with my money for all these months?”

Chapter Forty One: Snowblind Part One

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“JSOG squad leaders, please report to the bridge. JSOG squads leaders, report to the bridge.”

The voice sounding out over the intercom struck through the velvety haze of Jack’s dreams as he lay sprawled out on his small bunk with his face buried in the stiff mattress. With a quiet groan he slowly cracked an eye, before fumbling around for his PDA. Groaning louder as he saw the time on its screen, he groggily swung his legs off the bed and let himself fall the short distance to the metal deck. Quickly pulling on his uniform top over his undershirt, Jack took a short moment to make himself presentable in the mirror before marching out the door. He’d made it a scant two feet before he was ambushed by Hard Tac. The Captain looked equally ruffled, with the hints of sleep still clinging to his eyes.

“Hey, Jack. How’d the plains treat you?”

It had been only a few days since Jack’s squad had saved Chief Yuma’s village from raiders. After that they’d been retasked to hunt down the splintering remnants of Eldron Blackheart's auxiliaries. The job had been easy, and Jack had considered it training for his squad. “Reminded me of home, but with less wheat.”

“Yeah?” Hard Tac smiled a bit as he matched Jack’s striding steps through the halls of the air-carrier. “I hear we’re building the village walls and arming them, how’s that working out?”

Shrugging in ignorance, Jack failed to suppress a wide yawn that saw him baring his teeth. “Ugh, sorry. I couldn’t tell you really, that’s not my mess.”

Hopping through a heavy bulkhead door and nodding to the air-sailors that saluted at them, Hard Tac looked once again at Jack. “You know what this briefing is about? I heard there might be trouble in the Crystal Empire. Wonder if we’re headed there.”

Quirking a brow as they began to ascend the stairs to the bridge, Jack pursued the question. “Couldn’t tell you, that’s the first I’ve heard of the place. What’s it like?”

“Cold and shitty. Well, everywhere except the capital. Place is greener than Canterlot. Weird country, bloody history.”

Sighing, Jack opened the bridge door for Tac. “Great, sounds like fun.”

“Ah, Gentlemen, there you are!” The captain of the Stalwart Liberty stood on the bridge, looking toward the pair entering through the door as he smiled. As they came to a sharp salute in tandem, the captain shot one back before looking back out the window and across the plains. “Please, follow me to the briefing room.” Without pause, the captain spun on his hooves and began a quick march to the adjacent briefing room. Closing the bulkhead behind the pair as they entered after him, Captain Chord quickly lost his signature smile. “I’m afraid I have another mission for you two.” Turning on the new projector, Captain Chord placed translucent slides onto its glass surface. “Four days ago, two colts went missing from the remote village of Jadetowne, near the northern edge of the Crystal Empire’s territory. A search party was sent out, only for one of the searchers to go missing as well.” The slide was a general overview of the township and the surrounding wilderness; a majority of the landscape was dominated by arctic trees. “Two days ago, a small crystal guard unit was sent to investigate. The patrol found this, in one of the clearings.” The captain placed the next slide down, and Jack felt his stomach twinge mildly in shock. The missing pony was there, as far as he could tell from the limbs and viscera spattered about. The older pony, a small mare by the looks of it, was being propped up, with her hooves extended toward the sky. Her body was being held up by small sticks that were laced together in such a way that they could hold the weight of what was left of the pony. Most of her head seemed to be missing, but from the angle it wasn't quite clear. Two points began to stick out in Jack’s mind as he watched as the next few slides were placed down, all containing the same images, but taken from different angles.

“She’s missing her face, and she looks chewed.”

Nodding once in agreement, the captain placed a blurred slide, containing a indiscernible silhouette that was partially hidden by the trees surrounding the area. The body looked strange, and blended in well with the snow and trees. “The minds in Canterlot believe this is the work of a psychotic Griffon, or possibly bandits.”

Shifting in his seat, Tac began to glare at the stills on the wall. “Then the minds in Canterlot are idiots. Unless the bandits are cannibalistic; at that point, why not attack the village? It took two days for the guard to get there, it’s not like it would have been hard.”

“Whatever that is, it doesn’t look local.” Jack crossed his arms and continued to stare at the image, before sighing quietly. “We won’t know until we get down there.” Jack stated grimly as he rested his hands on the large oak table. “Who’s deploying?”

Going back to the area map, Captain Chord turned to regard both men. “The Imperial Crown has asked that our best be sent to deal with this threat, before any more lives are lost. They’re taking this very, very seriously. I want Bravo squad to secure the town against any attacks, and Alpha to enter the forest and root out the ones responsible. Charlie will remain onboard and act as backup if needed.”

Nodding in understanding, Jack brought up his PDA and began taking pictures of the area map. “Alright. That shouldn’t be too hard. Will we have air support?”

“Doubtful.” The captain shook his head, before continuing. “Unfortunately, the weather down there is supposed to get rather nasty by the time we arrive, so our aircrews are being grounded until it clears. You’ll be deploying by rappel line from the deck.”

With frowns spreading across both soldier’s faces, Tac was the first to salute as Jack remained deep in thought. “They won’t get past us sir. What’s our rules of engagement?”

“Alive if possible, but live rounds are authorized. Trust me when I say that nobody here will shed tears over this bugger getting what he deserves. Any further questions?”

“No sir.” Both soldiers spoke again in tandem, earning the ghost of a smile from the captain.

“Good. We’re leaving immediately, the construction crew and trainers will be retrieved later. We’ll be there in three days time, so get your squads prepared and stocked. Dismissed.” Chord saluted both men before him, and received a pair of sharp salutes in return, before they filled out and left him alone in the briefing room.

Flicking through the photos on his PDA, Jack’s frown continued to grow as Hard Tac led him and spoke. “I’m going to need to borrow Ada for this one, I need her for locking down the village.”

Grunting in acknowledgment, Jack continued to scrutinize the map and the terrain. “Fine, she’s the urban combat expert, but I’ll need Baron in return. If it’s a camp, she can infiltrate.”

“You want Mythic too?”

“Yeah.” Jack nodded as he closed his PDA and stuffed it in his pants. “He’s a good comms jockey, and I’ll need that in the boonies.”

“Any ideas what to do if that blizzard locks us down?” Tac hopped through the bulkhead and stepped onto the lift that led further into the bowels of the carrier.

Joining him, and then sending the lift rattling downward, Jack rolled his right shoulder and winced as it worked his brand. “Yeah, Alpha will pull back and we'll set up an operations center in the village. I'll continue to work. My suit is heated and sealed, so I can keep moving no matter how ugly she gets.”

Nodding in understanding, Tac didn't seem to agree with the sentiment. “I don't like that idea, but you do have a point. If the blizzard locks us down, it'll lock our target down as well. He won't be expecting you to come trudging along.” Tac huffed with mild amusement. “I'd be worried about your safety, but if it kills you, I'm just gonna get Stalwart to shell the forest with those pack guns.”

“Hah, fucker.” Jack shook his head as he grinned slightly. The lift came to a stop within the primary carrier staging hangar, and as Jack lifted the metal grate that served as a door, both he and Tac were met by the normal flurry of activity that constituted Stalwart Liberty's daily work orders. The hangar was gargantuan, holding nearly an entire army group's worth of equipment within itself, and still having room for swaths of technicians to move freely. Pegasi flitted back and forth through the lofty roof, accessing the higher levels and hanging equipment with ease. Currently, Jack couldn't see across the entire tent city that made up all the work stations and storage grounds “At least use incendiary shells. I gotta look good for when God sends me to hell.”

Starting the long trot through the bustling tent city full of air-sailors, Hard Tac cast a curious glance over his shoulder as he weaved through. “I never took you for a religious man.”

Narrowly scooting out of the way of a young mare carrying a stack of parts, Jack only shrugged ever so slightly. “How I was raised. Mom was Catholic, but I was never all that good at it.”

“Oh?” Tac slowed his pace to walk beside Jack. “What makes you think that?”

“Thou shalt not kill is one of the major tenants.” The human mumbled plainly as he entered the JSOG staging area.

“Ah.” Tac smiled slightly, but it soon disappeared when he saw the somewhat downcast expression on Jack’s features. He watched as Jack produced his hidden hip flask and downed what had to be half its contents. Frowning at the act, Tac closed what little distance was between himself and Jack so the others present wouldn’t hear what he had to say. “For the love of… Jack, we’re on deployment.” Tac furrowed his brow as the human took a chaser swig before screwing the cap back on. “Jack, seriously, I love a little drink here and there, but… have you considered that you might have a problem?”

Throwing a dark look down at Hard Tac, Jack stowed his hip flask and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Like, just this one? Or the entire laundry list of shit that’s fucked with me?”

Internally wincing at the unsubtle edge Jack’s words had held, Tac swiftly searched for a diplomatic solution to the situation he’d gotten himself into. “We’re just worried about you Jack. I’ve been looking to quit recently, and I think you should join me.”

“I’m pretty sure the cumulative hangover will kill me outright, if I don’t finish the job myself.” Setting his features into a dark frown, Jack began to stride into the bay. “Let’s go brief the troops.”

“Jack-”

“Later, Captain.” Turning away from the Captain, Jack strode into the JSOG troop bay and raised his voice enough to be heard by everybody within it. “Alright children, gather ‘round! Crown Jewel has a big mission for us, so listen up!”

The cold air of Twin Peaks cut through Flitter's armour and insulation like a knife, leaving her fighting shivers and muted curses as she trudged along her mountain patrol route. The squad behind her no doubt shared a mirror image of her own internal complaints, but she had to keep hers at bay. They were her subordinates, and she had to set an example, even if it physically pained her.

Cresting the rocky rise, Flitter and her squad were afforded a brilliant view of the pass leading into griffon territory. It was truly breathtaking looking over the weaving pass that snaked through stone and snow, but she wasn't paid to admire the view. Turning to check her squad, she spoke up. “We’re nearly there. Let's keep up the pace.” The usual grumblings met her ears as her squad readjusted their packs and rifles. To placate herself and the squad, she gave them her reasoning for not stopping. “If you colts think the cold is bad now, try cooling off while you rest.” She smiled behind her muzzle mask as she caught a few scowls in return. “We'll rest at the relay, there's cover there from the wind.”

The rest of the trot went fairly quietly, with the cutting cold wind only picking up at the last moment as they entered the naturally protected divet the radio relay sat inside. Sergeant Minerva took direct control of the squad, sending them in to clear the area and set up survival tents. Sighing with relief as the cutting wind was abated by the natural outcropping, Flitter started for the tiny building that would give her access to the relay’s controls. The relay tower itself jutted up a good fifteen meters off the top of the mountain, it's skeletal steel structure covered in ice and frost as it bore the worst of the weather. Slipping into the small control room, Flitter pulled off her insulated helmet and pulled the thick scarf away from her face. Beginning her routine check of the intricate equipment, Flitter allowed herself to relax somewhat. Finding the delicate equipment to be in good working order, Flitter keyed in her code and slipped the thin headset over her ears.

“This is Hellion One Lima, come in Fortress Actual.” Flitter pressed a hoof against her headset as she waited for her response.

It came quickly in the form of a commanding voice. “This is Fortress Actual, go ahead, Hellion.”

Smiling to herself as she flipped open her area map and consulted her orders, Flitter began her check-in process. “Hellion confirming that we have arrived at the first relay and are taking a breather.”

“Copy that, Hellion. Carry on to the second relay and report. We've got reports that some Empire deserters might be in the area, so keep your ears up.”

Frowning at the news, Flitter consulted her map again. She was well within Equestrian territory, but if the deserters were looking to act as bandits, they wouldn't be caring about borders. “Full copy, anything else?”

“There's a storm brewing north-north west so prepare to bunker down at relay two. That's all, Hellion. Watch your tails out there.”

“Thanks for the heads up Fortress, Hellion out.” Turning off the radio, Flitter hung up the headset and pulled her protective gear back on. Leaving the small room, Flitter was struck in the face by the cold, but saw the slowly growing fire her squad had built as a welcoming sight. Trotting over, Flitter took a seat by the fire and began warming her wings. A good portion of the squad were quietly chatting as they are and rested, but Sergeant Minerva was solely focused on Flitter.

“Any news ma’am?”

As Flitter nodded, most of the squad turned their attention to her. “We're only taking a ten minute breather, there's a storm brewing to our north west, and if we get caught out in it we'll be in deep shit.” She flapped her covered wings lightly in their protective coverings, getting the blood flowing to them again. “We also have word of Imperial deserters in the area. We don't know if they're hostile, so we need to be very cautious.”

While a few of her soldiers frowned at the news, the rest seemed to take it in stride and continued their short rest. With the fire warming their spirits, the small patrol began to seem more willing to move forward. To Flitter's mild surprise, Sergeant Minerva sat down next to her and offered her a slip of dehydrated apple. Nodding her thanks, Flitter began to eat quietly when Minerva spoke.

“So, lieutenant. What was it like fighting the humans?”

Perking a brow at the question, Flitter finished the hunk of apple and thought for a moment as the rest of the squad turned their attentions toward her. “I only fought against them in Canterlot when Discord attacked. It was…” She rubbed her cheek lightly. “Harder than it should have been. They weren't all fighters, and a lot of the guard underestimated them. A lot of people died because of that. Then, you know, both sides found out they were just a distraction and were going to die either way.” She shifted lightly. “I'd rather not talk about that, if that's alright.”

“How did the humans fight?” One of her privates asked as he shifted closer to the flames.

Considering the question, Flitter shrugged her wings. “I can't really go into detail for most of them save for one; they were all so varied. Well, except for one thing. They hated us with a violent passion.”

Frowning at the statement, Minerva got comfortable. “And what about the one you can tell us about?”

Smiling lightly, Flitter glanced to Minerva. “That would be Knight Sergeant Kessle. He's… where do I even start?” She asked herself as the small squad turned their full attention to her.

“I recognise that name.” Corporal Frost sat forward. “He was in one of those tabloids claiming the crown was employing psychos. It was all bs, those rags always are.”

Nodding to the corporal, Flitter elaborated. “Jack has… a bad relationship with the press. Like a predisposed hatred.” She shook her head. “I trained under him for months. He's the one who made me who I am. Taught me everything.”

“So how does he fight?”

Smiling at the flames, Flitter considered how she would word it. “Like… A force of nature. Jack is…” She sighed quietly to herself. “He is shock and awe. Doesn't stop, doesn't slow down.”

“Sounds like you regard him pretty well.” Minerva was frowning lightly, but Flitter didn't know why.

“I do. He's…” Flitter's features softened considerably with hidden regret. “He’s my best friend. He can just be an ass sometimes.” Her admittance caused a few smiles to crop up.

Not happy with the simple explanations, Minerva pushed on in search of more info. “I heard something like that. Apparently Celestia has him and some group of shit-hot operators running around saving the world. He's supposed to be a hero.”

Getting up and fixing her protective gear, Flitter stared Minerva in the eye as she answered. “Because he is. He's mine.” Covering her wings again, Flitter motioned for the squad to get up. “Up and attem’ Hellion, we've got a patrol to finish and a storm to beat. We've chatted enough.”

With groans of defeat, her squad quickly broke camp and donned their protective gear, before setting back out on the patrol path. The storm could be seen violently brewing on the northern horizon above the mountains, and the winds were already picking up as the temperature plummeted further, well below freezing. Just as the blizzard began to cut down their visibility to near zero, Flitter caught sight of the second relay, it's bright pathing flags barely visible through the driving snow. Hurrying her squad forward to the protective cavern the second relay was housed in, Flitter only allowed herself a sigh of relief when her whole squad was inside the mouth of the cavern. The howling winds picked up almost immediately, and the land beyond the cavern mouth became a solid sheet of white death.

As her eyes grew accustomed to the natural dark of the cave, Flitter began to look for the relay control room. What she found instead was rifle barrels pointing at her and her squad. Tensing and holding a wing out to stop her sergeant, Flitter narrowed her eyes as her squad cursed and stood their ground as they leveled their own rifles. There were only three guards she could see, but they had scant cover inside the cave. Thinking on her hooves as the unseen guards kept their rifles trained on the squad, Flitter stepped forward and cleared her throat.

“I'm Lieutenant Falenas of the Equestrian Mountain Rangers, I'd like to talk to the griffon in charge.” Her authoritative voice carrying over the wind outside and echoing through the cave. In the dark, she could make out a griffon guard scamper off further into the cave. An uncomfortable silence passed over the cave, before the sound of claws over rocks met her ears as a skinny griffon in cold weather military fatigues approached.

The griffon was obviously male, but rather small to be a leadership position. He regarded Flitter as he approached, an old hard calibre revolver sitting at his hip. The markings on his uniform had been pulled off or defiled, selling him out as a deserter. “Afternoon.” His voice was softer than she'd expected, but it was unwavering at the presence of gun barrels pointed at him. “I'm Knight Holden, and I lead these men. You are this band's leader, correct?”

Nodding, Flitter approached the Knight; her wing resting over her concealed pistol. “Yes I am. Might you tell us why you're here?”

“Yes, please, join us away from the storm. We don't want any conflict with you mountain rangers. We've had enough of it.” Turning to head deeper into the cave, the griffon guards lowered their rifles, and in kind saw the saddle mounted battle rifles of the rangers lowered as well.

Following Knight Holden deeper into the cave, Flitter found that the deserters had made their camp around the small prefab structure that housed the second relay’s equipment. The relay tower itself punched through the rock above, creating a place where smoke could exit the cave. A smattering of tents decorated the rocks, and several cooking fires could be seen. With her brief look over the camp, Flitter was able to make the easy, but uncomfortable assumption that the deserters easily outnumbered her squad two to one. Beckoning Minerva over, Flitter spoke quietly into her ear. “Check the equipment for tampering. It'll be obvious. If it is, tell me you couldn't raise command. Go, quiet.”

Nodding silently, Minerva grabbed Private Lemon and set off for the comms hut. The rest of the squad loyally followed Flitter as she joined the knight at the central fire. Knight Holden sat down before the fire, and smiled lightly toward Flitter. “I admit, I was hoping to avoid meeting any of your patrols, but I am glad we can speak peacefully. I'm sure you have questions?”

“I do.” Flitter sat down on the warm stones and was joined by her squad. “Firstly, what in the hell you boys are doing out in our turf.”

Caught off guard by the strength and authority in the mare's voice, Knight Holden shifted on his feline haunches. “Well, caught between our own land and yours, I decided to take our chances moving into Equestria. The storm has just driven us to cover for now. I heard that your crown is looking for mercenaries?”

With little warning bells going off in her head, Flitter hid her frown and warmed her hooves at the fire. “They were bringing in the best of our militaries. Not mercenaries.”

“Oh. Well, that certainly is a shame.” The Knight scratched at his cheek. The tension in the cave was slowly rising, and only abated for Flitter when Sergeant Minerva reappeared. The subtle look on the mares features immediately gave her cause for worry again.

Sitting down next to Flitter, Minerva leaned in close to speak. “We can't raise CP, storm is playing hell with the relay. It's like you thought ma’am.”

“Understood sergeant. Get some chow in yourself and the stallions.” Flitter gave the nod to her sergeant, who in turn gathered the rest of the squad and set off to prepare camp, and remain ready for whatever plan Flitter was concocting.

Getting up, the knight smiled toward Flitter. “Would you care to join me in my tent? We can discuss things further, there.”

Considering the offer and hiding her distrust of the deserter, Flitter pushed a professional smile and stood before nodding. “I'd be honoured.” With his smile growing at her agreement, Knight Holden led her off to the edge of the deserter camp, to the largest tent there. Two griffon soldiers stood to attention, bringing their aging smooth bore muskets up. The knight simply waved a wing, motioning for them to stand easy. Entering the tent after him, Flitter was met with a finely furnished interior, replete with a soft looking travelling bed and several maps of the area, as well as the Knight's armour and weapons. “Tea?”

“No thank you. I'm more a coffee mare.” She shifted, and didn't undo the battle rifle that was strapped to her body.

Obviously, her movement caught the Knight's attention and he looked over the brand new rifle. “That is a fine weapon. You Rangers seem a cut above the rest of your forces.”

“Rangers aren't the Royal Guard. So, our head's aren't entirely crammed up our collective asses.” Sitting down on a fine cushion, Flitter took care to hide her side arm, and keep her rifle's firing bit away from her mouth.

Her statement earned her a boisterous laugh from the griffon as he sat down and poured tea. “Indeed. How many of you are there?”

“Enough to be a threat.” Flitter answered flatly, before frowning. “I think we can both be honest. The storm isn't why you're here.”

“Now.” Knight Holden began as he drank his tea. “I do not appreciate this accusation. In fact, I resent it.”

With a thin smile, Flitter leaned forward ever so slightly. “Fine. I'm curious, why did you and your men desert?”

“General Skytalon has become increasingly untrustworthy in the eyes of myself and many of the men these past few months. Word is, he’s changing drastically, even now. I'm out here, trying to find a place for us all, away from that madness.” The knight swirled his tea lightly, before sipping.

Not fully believing Holden's words, Flitter made a show of checking her rifle visually. “How long have you been working with the bandits?” Her words caught Holden off guard, causing his beak to gawk slightly, before anger overcame his features.

“So, you think you are smart, hmm? I was trying to be civil, but you ponies always insist on doing it the hard way. You want me to take you prisoner? Fine. We outnumber you. You can't run, you can't call for help. You and your squad are now our prisoners. Now, accept your position and undo your rifle.” As Flitter's features hardened, she began undoing the straps of her battle-saddle. Once it was off, the griffon motioned to her uniform. Scowling hard, Flitter began to undo the buttons up front. The frown on Holden's features slowly began to creep into a smile. “I admit, while you ponies disgust me, the cold only serves to make loneliness all the worse. My leader wants a bargaining chip, so you fools stop pushing down on us all. Your squad will be that bargaining chip. And you. You will be a prize.” He drew a knife from his hip, and began approaching her.

Without warning, the griffon dove for Flitter, his claws outstretched to grab her by the throat. Rolling onto her back from her sitting position, Flitter caught the griffon mid lunge with her hind legs outstretched, causing his momentum to send him flying over her with a yowl. He landed on his paws; turning with cat-like grace to tackle her down. What met him was two forty calibre slugs to the chest and stomach. The built in suppressor of Flitter's side arm reduced the blasts to twin thump-cracks and a clacking action. The twinkling sound of the brass bouncing off the stone floor filled the tent as Holden failed to suck in air; the wound in his chest doing the only sucking of air for him.

Approaching the griffon knight, Flitter kicked his knife away. “A sucking chest wound is nature's way of telling you, you fucked up.” Leaving the convulsing Knight to his fate, Flitter buttoned the front of her winter fatigues up, before trotting toward the tent flap. The shadows of the guards were moving toward the tent flap.

“Sire? Is everything-”

The bandit's words were cut down as Flitter shot them both through the fabric walls, dropping the pair. No yells of surprise went out as Flitter exited the tent and began making her way toward where her own soldiers were waiting. In the dark, she could just barely make out Sergeant Minerva, and the number of griffons watching them. “Sergeant Minerva!” Flitter called out, bringing the camp's full attention to her. The sudden gunshot from Flitter caught everyone off guard as it struck the griffon watching the mare in the throat. “Fire drill three, diamond formation!”

Thankfully, the Sergeant had conveyed the danger of the situation to the men, and none of them had stripped down on their armour or removed their weapons, so when Flitter's bellowed order came, they leapt into action. With the griffon bandits caught off guard, and using only antiquated muskets, the rangers made short work of them with bullet and bayonet. Working through the cavern with clockwork precision, each griffon bandit met his end at the three shot report of equestrian rifles. By the end of the surprise firefight, the enemy force was wiped out, leaving only the Mountain Rangers standing over the still warm bodies.

Kneeling down to put pressure in a musket ball wound on one of her privates, Flitter looked up toward Sergeant Minerva as she approached. “Hello Sergeant. Good work with the men. Was anybody else hurt?”

“A couple grazes, cuts, and a rolled foreleg. No casualties ma’am.” Minerva nodded toward Flitter. “I'm sorry ma’am, but who trained you?” She glanced over her shoulder at the remains of the deserter camp. “Because that's not OCS training.”

Laughing lightly as the squad medic sealed up the private's wound, Flitter got comfortable on her haunches and looked up toward Minerva. “Thanks for noticing sergeant. It's impossible to impress you enlisted folks.” She grinned at her own joke as Minerva finally cracked a smile of her own. Her lack of answer did not escape Minerva.

“I… if you say so ma’am. Private Lemon and Corporal Knock are working on restoring comms. The rest are stacking bodies. Total is twenty three bandits, and one knight.”

Nodding at the report, Flitter stood to retrieve her rifle from the Knight's tent. “Good work sergeant. Once the bodies are out of the way, have the men eat and rest, before scouring the camp. Bring any Intel to me.”

Saluting quickly, Minerva nodded. “Yes ma’am. Right away.”

“Dismissed, Sergeant.” As Minerva broke off to issue Flitter's orders, she herself returned to Knight Holden's tent, only to find a mild surprise laying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. “Hmm. I'm impressed, ser Knight. A sucking chest wound and you're still alive. You're tough, I'll give you that.” Flitter stepped over the writhing form of Holden and retrieved her rifle. Once her saddle was secured by her side, she turned back to the griffon and crouched next to him. Holden gasped for breath quietly as he reached out for her. Coldness slipped over Flitter's emotions as she looked over his crumpled, pathetic form. “If you point to where you keep your Intel, I'll help you.” With the last of his strength, Holden pointed a quivering claw toward a chest in the back of the tent. Nodding, Flitter drew her kabar knife and thrust it under his chin and into his skull. With the last of his breath escaping as a soft gurgling sigh, Flitter pulled her knife free and wiped it clean on the griffons feathers, before sheathing it. “Thanks for the help.” For a moment she sat, staring at the body, alone with her thoughts. Finally, they came to a head, and she quietly spoke to herself. “Is this how he feels?” Running a hoof through her short cropped mane, Flitter sighed softly and shook her head. “Get over yourself Flitter. Jack wouldn't get hung up over this...”

Turning back to the chest, Flitter trotted to it and began rummaging through its contents, in search of orders and maps. Once the storm abated enough to call for aid, Flitter and her squad were recalled to Twin Peaks for debriefing. As Flitter's reputation began to grow and spread across the base, over a thousand kilometers away, Jack descended into his own snowy hell.

Chapter Forty Two: Snowblind Part Two

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“This is it Captain! This is as close as we can get!” The aeronaut ensign yelled over the sound of the heavy, snow burdened winds buffeted the windows of the Stalwart Liberty's bridge.

“Full stop, drop the anchor.” Captain Chord peered across the empty flight deck of his great vessel, though the malignant weather afforded him with nothing but a sheet of white that blanketed everything. The weather telemetry had been off regarding the storm, and it had struck the vessel a day early. So far north, no pegasi could ever hope to control such violent, unpredictable weather. So bad were the winds that, at their cusp, they threatened to push the mighty vessel off course and dash her against the very mountains she used for cover against the worst of the storm. Deep in the carrier, aeronauts were dropping the proverbial anchors of Stalwart Liberty; decreasing the magic that held her aloft by reducing her weight. “Radio, is our away team ready for deployment?”

The mare manning the large radio set began the check-in process, before giving a definitive nod toward the captain. “Boogeyman and Cerberus squads reporting green to go and requesting orders.”

Sighing mildly as he shook his head, Captain Chord rested in his chair and steepled his hooves before his muzzle. “The humans aren't allowed to name squads any more.” he sighed once more, before continuing. “Tell them to deploy.”

As the order went out, thick lengths of rope were hurled from the top deck, and a dozen of the toughest soldiers Equestria had to offer descended into the raging blizzard.

“Alright, form a line, make sure those tethers are secure!” Jack spoke loudly into his comms, though he was shielded from the storm by his armour. Despite his protection, he could still hardly see a foot in front of himself, and he didn’t doubt that his squad could barely hear his barked order over the howling winds. Bringing up a picture of the map on his hud, and judging his compass bearing, he prepped to blaze a trail through the snow, toward the remote village. “I want to hear if anybody needs to stop! I don't need anybody dying today! Not to some goddamn snow!”

“We're all secured back here Jack!” Hard Tac's voice was a welcome one in his ear as they began to plod through the snow, though it was made choppy and indistinct by the wind. “We're six kilometers from the village. So everyone stay in the Knight Sergeant's trail!”

“Don't want any of you sorry sods getting any more lost than Jack already is!” Ada joked, prompting a light chuckle from the line that was lost in the wind.

Hours later, in a small, remote village named Jadetowne, a young stallion was trotting home with a small bundle of food when he saw the faintest shimmer of a thin red light out in the tundra. Stopping in his tracks, the crystal pony squinted, as if hoping it would force the snow and wind to afford him a better look at whatever had caused the light. When the light didn't reappear, the young stallion simply sighed and shrugged to himself and moved to carry on to his home. As he readjusted his saddle bags, the red light appeared again, closer this time. Fear began to creep into the stallion's mind as the thin red line became prominent in the blizzard, shining weakly through the snow. Soon, a shape accompanied it, and the stallion galloped straight to the mayor's home.

The cry of alarm went out, but only a tiny handful of beings answered. Three were the crystal guard that had first responded to the distress of the village, and the rest were villagers. They gathered as quickly as they could at the edge of the village, intent on stopping the strange red eyed creature. Hunkering down in the snow, one defender used his wings to find a perch on one of the rooftops. Sighting his hunting musket, the snowy griffon slipped a small ball of snow into his beak to hide his breath. The approaching being was large to be sure, but he had felled larger. As his talon rested on the trigger guard, he saw something that gave him pause. The being was not alone, in fact, it was followed by eleven more figures, ranging from ponies of all types, to griffons, and what he had to assume was a human pack mule. “Hold your fire!” He called out to the militia below, who all perked curiously up at the generally quiet griffon. They lowered their spears and crossbows, before turning their attentions back to the strange conga-line that approached them.

Soon, the red eyed figure reached the village, and to the griffon's surprise, the towering figure lifted a hand in greeting.

“JSOG, we're here to help. The crown sent us.”

One of the crystal guard stood from his position, and lifted a hoof in greeting. “Hail construct, stay where you are, and send your leader forth!”

This seemed to give the towering, bipedal creature pause. The snowy griffon on the roof made the mental decision that it had to be a minotaur, if a rather small one. What it was doing in so cold a land was his best guess. Without sending anyone forward, the armoured minotaur simply began walking forward again, causing the guards to tense.

“I said HOLD!” Arms were raised again, and the crystal guard all brandished their weapons menacingly. The sudden aggression spurred an immediate and well trained response from the line, as the supposed soldiers all spread out and leveled weapons at the supposed threat. The snowy griffon simply lined up his shot, drawing a bead on the big minotaur. Within moments he found himself staring down the barrel of a rather large, odd looking rifle

“Stand down! I am Captain Tac of Joint Special Operations Group! You will put down your weapon immediately!” A burly stallion had freed himself from the line, and was angrily approaching the militia.

The crystal guard leading the squad thankfully lowered his weapon after a moment's deliberation, and held up a hoof before speaking. “Hold your fire, Simoh.” The guard carefully approached the angry captain of the motley group. Apparently, an accord was reached, as Captain Tac waved a hoof to his group, and they all relaxed. Weapons were lowered, and the newcomers approached, entering the town proper. By this time, the crystal pony townsfolk had stuck their heads out, to possibly catch a glimpse of the action.

Simoh, however, did not care much for the group now that the danger had passed. Leaving the roof, he landed deftly and cast a last look toward the strange group. His wonder toward the large armoured minotaur was increased the more he watched it. Sighing as he slung his rifle over his back, Simoh approached. “Warden Constable? Should I take them to the mayor?”

The crystal guard glanced over his shoulder at the diminutive griffon, before shrugging. “Fine, Simoh. I would appreciate it.”

The new group seemed to turn their attentions to Simoh, before assembling with what he could only describe as military precision. Soon he found himself leading a pack of well armed and armoured strangers to the mayor's home. As he walked, Simoh couldn't shake the feeling that the minotaur was watching him intently. It was an odd sensation to the hunter. Despite the feeling, Simoh shrugged it off and continued toward the mayor's home. With a rap of his talons on the door, Simoh stood aside as the mayor's rapidly clopping hooves approached the door and it was flung open with urgency.

The wispy white mane of the aging earth pony mayor flopped forward as he stuck his head out the door toward the newcomers. “Are you the group causing so much commotion? What do you want? Why are you here?”

Stepping forward, Captain Tac nodded to the mayor. “Mayor Aspen? The crown sent us, we're here to help with your missing pony problem.”

Realization swiftly dawned on the aging mayor, and his visage went from worried and distrusting, to frantic and nearly excited. “So my letter was received! I had worried so much that they wouldn't send anybody but the Warden Constable! Three more ponies have gone missing, and now every pony is too afraid to leave their homes! Well… save for a few, I suppose. Steven, our mailpony, still does his rounds.”

“Sir, we need a place to set up our base of operations. We have sensitive equipment with us.” Tac motioned toward Mythic, who was burdened with the bulky comms set.

Peering at the group momentarily, the Mayor nodded with exaggeration. “Of course! You may use my home for the time being, there should be plenty of space for you all.” The mayor stood backed up, and motioned for them all to enter. “Please, do come in. I'll have some cocoa on in a jiffy.”

Nodding his thanks, Captain Tac stood aside and waved the soldiers in. “We would have been here sooner, but we nearly had an altercation with your militia.”

“Oh dear…” The mayor tapped his muzzle lightly. “Do forgive them, they are all riding on nerves I'm afraid, I hope nobody was hurt.” Glancing to the snowy griffon hunter, who was moments from escaping, the mayor cleared his throat. “Simoh, our saviours will need a guide for the woods, would you be a handy chap and lend them a hoof? Err… claw?”

The response from the griffon was slow coming as his shoulders slouched ever so slightly. “It would seem I have little choice.”

Smiling, the old earth pony motioned toward the group as they all began to spread out and set down heavy bags. “Beak up, I'll send the warden constable with you.”

“I have the utmost faith in his abilities.” Simoh responded flatly, and without much emotion.

Before Simoh's dry sarcasm could be registered by Mayor Aspen, the wizened old pony cried out in sudden realization. “Captain!” With Tac’s attention secured, Mayor Aspen trotted over and gestured toward Ada. “Is your human house broken?”

For a moment, the entire squad stared in shock at the pony, before Baron let out a barely suppressed snicker. The small snicker swiftly led to a complete breakdown as the squad shared in their amusement. The laughter seemed to confuse both Simoh and Mayor Aspen, while only causing Ada to frown. Wiping his eyes, Captain Tac chuckled and shook his head. “Well Mayor, Ada’s manners might not be wonderful, but we’ll have to leave Jack outside!” The exclamation drew another bout of laughter from the squad, and a smug smirk from the British soldier.

“Hey!” Jack pulled off his helmet and glared lightly at Tac. “I resent that statement!”

“By Celestia's light, a talking human!” The mayor declared loudly in shock, causing Jack to pause in his following insult.

“Riiiight…” Jack smiled weakly toward the Mayor, and the now openly curious griffon. “Mhm… uh, well, I’m Knight-Sergeant Jack Kessle, and this is Lance Corporal Ada. We are both intelligent, and if we're treated like animals we are both inclined toward violence.” Clapping his hands together, Jack smiled. “Questions? No? Great, moving on!”

Raising a hoof, the mayor spoke up. “Actually, I have several academic questions that-”

“Great!” Jack strode over in his armour, and set both hands on Ada's firm shoulders. “The Lance Corporal just loves to answer questions! I'm busy, right now. With the whole wander into a blizzard and kill something shtick. You know how it is.”

Glaring up at Jack, Ada muttered “I hate you.” causing Jack to smile wide and pat her shoulders.

Clearing his throat, the mayor nodded his understanding. “Well, as you seem rather eager to go back out, Simoh will accompany you, as will our Constables. Those crystal ponies are so much more capable of enduring such foul weather, they shouldn't have any problems. The rest of you may have to stay behind, as I am quite sure the storm outside is only going to get worse.”

Taking the information in stride, Tac motioned to the squad and had them form a circle. “Alright, Cerberus squad is the entrenchment squad. I want a proper cordon set up and comms operational within the hour. Private Ace, I know you're with Boogeyman squad, but I need you to stay behind and get things set up. On account of the weather, Jack's the only one of us who can hash it right now. You’re going to keep him on the horn.”

Mythic nodded, before saluting. “I'm on it sir.”

Looking to Ada, the captain smiled ever so slightly as she produced a map from one of her many pockets, all while shedding thick clothing. “Right.” The woman looked the squad around her as she did mental calculations. “Farley, Simmons, and Glasswork with take the Northwest corridor. Get a position entrenched that covers the forest. Ironbeak, Long claw, and Fireball will take the south west. Radio when your positions are secure.” The athletic woman continued to plan and point at the map, as Captain Tac spoke again to the confused mayor.

“Sir, we’re going to evacuate the outer civilians. We need them to take shelter closer to the center of town. Is there a building they can use?”

The mayor hummed lightly as he tapped his chin. “There is the longhouse, and the old worship place the griffons used to use before they all left…”

Nodding, Tac soon had the mayor point them out on the map, before detailing the remaining special forces soldiers to corral the bumpkin ponies in a better defensive location, before fortifying it. As they planned, Jack had already silently slipped out the door with the snowy griffon following him from the air. It didn't take long to find the crystal constables, but it took considerably more effort to convince them that they were supposed to follow him into the woods, in the middle of a blizzard.

Soon, Jack and his small militia squad exited town, and entered the forest.

“God, visibility is next to shit out here.” Jack quietly complained into his comms as he flicked on thermal vision, which didn't help in the slightest. Turning to the others, he spoke up so they could hear. “Can you lead me to where you found the first body?”

Though his features were scrunched into a scowl, the warden constable nodded, and took the lead. Once deeper on the forest, visibility cleared slightly as the trees blocked the worst of the storm. With the crystal ponies leading, Jack was given the chance to focus on something besides snow and trees. “So.” He began, getting Simoh's attention. “You're part snow leopard, right?”

“Excuse me?” Simoh turned his full attention to the human as he cradled his cold rifle.

Coughing, Jack drummed his M240g with his fingers. “That was racist, wasn't it? Right… you look… more snowy, than other griffons I've met.”

“And you talk far more than any human I've ever met.”

“Heh… yeah, I get that a lot. Usually following or followed by how I'm an awful person and swearing.” This earned a very mild smile from Simoh, which Jack took as open invitation to chatter idly as he scanned the forest. “I-” Before he could get the first word out of his mouth, Simoh interrupted him.

“The entire village used to be comprised of griffons such as myself, and earth ponies. Everybody soon left when the crystal ponies awoke.”

“Awoke?” Jack listened curiously. Despite himself, he found the diminutive griffon endearing. He soon found himself listening to an abridged version of the return of Sombra, and the battle that had taken place in the capital. “Waitwaitwait, you're saying that he threw his own wife off the balcony?” Jack barely suppressed a snicker. “Are you fuckin serious?”

“He's dead serious.” The Warden Constable interrupted. “We have reached the place where the first body was found.”

Sighing lightly, Jack checked his weapon and took a few steps forward. “Alright, yeah, I think I can see the trees that were in the report.” He slowly entered the area and scanned around, trying to discern anything through the snow. Behind him, he could hear the crystal constables complaining to each other quietly.

“Couldn't find anything when we could see; what could this human do that we can't?”

“Quiet. The crown sent him here for a reason. He can't just be wandering around aimlessly.”

As he wandered aimlessly, Jack pursed his lips inside his helmet and kept quiet to them as he radioed Mythic. “Hey, Mythic, what's the word on the village?”

The response took a minute to come in through the interference and static. “-there, I've got you, Jack. What were you saying?” After he repeated himself, Jack waited patiently for the response. “Well, we've got the outer perimeter secured, but the locals don't seem like they want to cooperate all that much. We've had some families outright refuse to move. Oh-” There was muffled chatter on the other end that Jack strained to make out. “Ada says you're an awful person. Apparently the mayor hasn't stopped grilling her with questions since you left.”

That earned a slight grin from Jack as he scanned the area again. “Great, great. Okay, well, we've reached the first site, and-”

“Knight Sergeant!” One of the constables called out, waving to him.

“Holding report, we may have something here.” Keying off his mic, Jack secured his grip on his weapon and brought it to the low ready as he stomped over the the crystal pony. “What is it?”

Pointing to a particular tree, the constable spoke. “There's claw marks in the tree.”

Furrowing his brow, Jack approached the tree to take a better look. “So? I don't see-...” Trailing off as he found a three inch deep trio of claw marks in the thick tree, Jack slowly began to pan his vision around. As he was about to speak again, he caught sight of something unnatural just at the edge of the blowing snow. Motioning snappily to those following him, and getting their attention quickly with the urgency of his motions, Jack began to slowly tread toward the shape in the snow.

His brows furrowed further, until he was practically glaring at the unknown thing as he drew closer. “It's… the fuck?” He asked nobody in particular as he stepped over a strange bundle of sticks. They were bent and twisted, into a very crude four legged form. Something was inside the head. Beginning to pull apart the head, Jack ignored the quietly concerned muttering brought in by his companions.

Inside the head was a large patch of skin and fur. Specifically, a cutie mark.

“Oh.” Jack stated quietly into his comms.

“What? What is it?”

Picking up the scrap of marked flesh, Jack showed it to the group gathering around him, before looking over the cutie mark as the constables argued. “Mythic, ask the mayor if any of the missing ponies had a bottle of milk as an ass brand.”

There was a brief pause, before the confirmation came through, and Tac took over the radio headset. “Jack, that was one of the recent missing ponies, see if there's any tracks leading around. Can you tell how fresh that wound is?”

Dropping the scrap, Jack rubbed his bloody fingers together as he turned and looked around the area. “Very…” Tracing his fingers across the scar in the tree, Jack tilted his head and stared out into the forest. “There's a trail of marks, in the trees.” The constables began moving on his word toward the trail.

At the last possible moment, Jack spied the faintest flick of movement through the snow and trees. As he drew in a breath to yell warning, something the colour of ivory shot out from the woods, landing on top of one of the constables. The crystal pony seemed to disappear into the snowbank as a spray of fresh powder flew up, obscuring Jack's view at the remaining two constables began yelling.

“CONTACT CONTACT! WE HAVE CONTACT IN GRID FIVE OH NINE CHARLIE!” Jack hefted his machinegun up and tried to draw a bead on the ivory coloured thing. As the powder settled, he couldn't spot it. The two constables had drawn swords and had backed up against each other, and were yelling. “Come on come on…. Where are you?” His sights panned and hunted, to no avail.

“Jack!” Captain Tac yelled in his ear. “What's going on out there!?”

With his weapon raised and his finger hovering close to the trigger, Jack began quickly treading over to the fallen constable. The pony had been crushed, and his guts had split open from the immense pressure. His neck was squashed and twisted awkwardly. “It's fast, one constable KIA. Definitely not a bandit. I couldn't pick it up on thermals or backscatter.” Jack listened intently, trying to hear where it could be.

The sound that met his ears was quiet, almost indiscernible over the blizzard. It was a child's giggle of amusement, and it froze Jack to his core.

His eyes widened in terror as his breath hitched in his throat; his mind reeled back hard, launching him back into that all too clean building. The stench of the thing assaulted his nostrils, and all he could see was his tribe being slaughtered by a giggling monster. Little voices whispered in his ears as he took an involuntary step back, but soon they became screams of an order to report. Jack licked his dry lips and slipped his armoured finger into the trigger guard.

“JACK, REPORT!”

The giggle sounded again, this time from behind him. Spinning on his heels, Jack depressed the trigger and began walking tracers across the trees where ever he saw the slightest hint of movement. Now everybody was screaming. The screams began to mold and morph, reaching a soul shaking crescendo as his own joined them. He wasn't aware his comms were on, and his external mic was keyed. His scream became a roar of indignation that carried and carried and echoed, bouncing in his mind and helmet.

The belt in his weapon rattled as it ran through the receiver, and soon the underslung grenade launcher belched. A small copse of trees shattered, spraying the area with wooden shrapnel. Something heavy slapped against his back, and the shriek of rended plating met his ears Without warning, the last of his belt chattered out and his weapon fell silent. The sudden silence that followed felt like a void that crushed down onto him.

Letting out a shuddering breath, Jack turned in place, trying to get another visual on the beast as his hands fumbled with a task that had been ingrained deep into them. Racking the action saw the next belt loaded, but as he turned, he found himself as the only friendly left in the clearing. One of the constables had gone to pieces, with the upper portion stuck up a tall tree, and his lower portion scattered across the ground. The third constable, the warden, was sitting on his haunches in the snow. His neck was bent and distended unnaturally, as if something had wrenched it all the way around in one fluid motion.

“Knight Sergeant! Are you still alive down there!?”

It was a new voice, but he recognised it. It belonged to Simoh.

“Simoh?”

The snowy griffon landed in the clearing next to him. His white feathers had been splattered with gore, and his rifle bore a pair of twin scars across its furniture that looked like they had promised death, but had failed. “So it didn't kill you. I hit the beast, but it hardly flinched.”

As Jack opened his mouth, no noise came from it as he choked on the knot inside it. Another burst from his radio caused him to stiffen in surprise. “Jack, do you copy!? This is Ada, do you copy!?”

Swallowing thickly, Jack nodded. “I'm here. The constables are dead. It's fast. I couldn't hit it. Repeat, target is still alive.” He began pacing back toward the path they had followed in, and found another pair of large misshapen tracks following theirs, heading toward the village. “oh Jesus… ADA!” The woman scrambled with the headset as he began running. “Tighten the cordon, load AP! Its coming straight for you!” Jack broke into a full sprint through the snow, and he began praying to anybody who would listen that he'd get there before he lost anybody else.

His prayers went unanswered as he charged through the forest and automatic weapons fire crackled in the distance. He'd hoped that maybe he had been paranoid with his claim, but for once, he was painfully correct. Blazing his way back up the trail, it took him several long minutes to reach the edge of the forest at a dead run. The gunfire was sporadic by the time he hit open terrain, and Simoh took off ahead of him.

He could hear the screams again, but now they weren't just inside his head. The sounds of terror filled the air, and smoke was beginning to rise from the quaint village.

“Somebody, report! I've reached the village, where do you need me!?” Jack bounded onto one of the streets, only to find empty homes and spent shell casings. When no report or response came, he cursed violently and carried on toward the mayor's home.

He found the first of the dead moments later. The pair of JSOG soldiers had been trying to herd a family out, only to get attacked from behind. Honey had been struck with the beast's rending claws, and had died on the spot with her back split wide open. Brassfeather had died fighting. His weapon still smoked where it lay, but the steam from rapidly cooling blood on the snow made it nearly unnoticeable. He winced as he retrieved their tags and closed their eyes. The family of crystal ponies hadn't fared much better, but he didn't was time looking them over.

A scream drew his attention again, this one coming from behind the home he was standing before. Snarling angrily in his helmet, Jack bolted for the home's door. His heavy body shattered it as if it were made of balsa wood, and he crashed through the quiet family home. The rear door didn't fair much better as he lowered his shoulder and plowed through it.

The beast turned on its heels, it's foalish features twisting with glee as it dropped the remains of its pony plaything. It wasn't fast enough, this time. His muzzle jerked upwards, and stitched the foul creature from hip to shoulder with tracer fire from the MG240g. Falling backwards, the ivory coloured beast rolled and ran on all fours; a house soon obscured it from his sights. The trail of rounds punched holes in the side of the home, before he released the trigger and briefly checked the area for survivors. To his surprise, he found two. A tiny filly was being huddled by a somewhat older colt, who glared with all his might and yelled when Jack found their hiding spot.

“GO AWAY MONSTER!”

A dull wooden sword thwacked off his breastplate, and served to mollify his mind as he shifted his weapon to a single hand and crouched next to the pair of children. “I'm going to take you somewhere safe.”

The colt seemed to become torn as he floated the unintimidating weapon before himself. His eyes flicked to the bawling filly clutching his chest fur, before moving back to stare up at Jack's towering form. He didn't have much of a choice in the end as Jack moved forward and scooped them both up with his left arm.

The children cried and squirmed, but ultimately settled as he set off again with his weapon up and tracking. Finding himself on the main road of the village, Jack's comms crackled as somebody began broadcasting. “All surviving JSOG operatives, fall back to the mayor's home immediately, I say again, fall back!”

Responding immediately as he shifted the foals on his arm, Jack turned and scanned the area as he jogged. “This is Boogeyman lead, I need a sitrep!”

“Situation is Fubar, sir! The outer cordon is gone, no response from the operatives there! We have several wounded and a lot of civilians with us!”

Muttering a curse to himself, Jack began to double time it toward the mayor's home. He could see the place, it was bristling with guns and buzzing with activity. To his immense relief, he spotted Captain Tac almost immediately and lifted his weapon up, getting Tacs attention.

The captain lifted a hoof in return, before jerking and lifting his weapon muzzle. “JACK, LOOK OUT-”

The warning came far too late as the creature slammed into his side, and swung its claws toward the narrow vision slit in his helmet. The pitched shriek of its claws against his helmet reverberated deeply, and almost drowned out the sounds of the foals screaming in terror as Jack was knocked off his feet and set upon by the beast. His free fist jerked upwards on impact, and drove the muzzle of his weapon into its face. The blow did little more than annoy it, but it drew it's attentions away from the children as the creature raked it's claws across the weapon. Bits of plastic and metal sheared off, and the weapon was torn from his grip.

Giggling, the ivory monstrosity went to run its claws through the narrow slit of Jack's visor, only to be struck in the face by a burst of rounds.

“Come on you bloody monster!”

Ada and Tac were firing on it, drawing it's attention for the last needed moment. With a roar, Jack pistoned his now free fist into it’s childish features. The crunch of bone was heard, and the creature let out a howl that shouldn't have belonged to any mortal creature. Abandoning its attack on Jack, it bounded off him in an attempt to get away. It found its best exit blocked by Tac, who was dumping his magazine into it. Snarling, the creature leapt upon him.

Dropping the foals in the snow, Jack hastily drew one of his side arms and fired at the beast, succeeding in striking it in the back as it ripped into Captain Tac. The screams of terror and orders were becoming one, and utterly indiscernible from each other.

With fire beginning to pour down on its abused frame, the beast seemingly gave up on Tac, and bounded back into the forest to lick its wounds.

Running toward Tac’s fallen form, Jack dropped to his knees and slid through the snow to the pony’s side as he ripped open his medkit. Tossing his helmet aside, Jack began to work on Hard Tac. There was blood everywhere; the deeply red-black blood was splashed across the snow, and continued to seep out as Jack struggled to plug all of the wounds with his meager medical knowledge.

“Just hold on, Hardie, I'll get you out of here… I'll get you out…”

The hand placed on his shoulder didn't stop him as he continued to dress the gaping chest wound his friend had suffered. “GET ME THE FUCKING MEDIC!” Jack roared at the hand's owner, who withdrew ever so slightly, before Ada grabbed his cheeks and pulled his attention away from Tac.

“Jack, luv, please…” The woman's features were screwed up with concern and the lingering touches of fear.

“I can save him.” Jack pressed through clenched teeth and the knot in his throat. Turning his attention back to Tac, he only found the brave stallion's corpse cooling in the snow. Clenching his armoured fists tightly, Jack sunk down to rest on his haunches. Screwing his eyes shut, Jack soon slumped forward onto his curled fists.

Sitting down before him, Ada hugged his face to her neck and began to slowly stroke his head. “Nothin’ you coulda done…”

Forcing his eyes open, Jack looked to Tac. As much as it hurt to admit, Ada was right. What little was left of Tac's chest was a shredded ruin of flesh, bones, and tactical gear. His weapon was equally destroyed.

“What’re your orders, Knight Sergeant?” Ada asked with uncharacteristic softness.

“Orders?”

He wasn't so much questioning her, as he was tasting the word, feeling it out and finding it bitter.

“You're our commanding officer now.” Ada stood and glanced over her shoulder at the small drawing crowd. “Jack-”

She silenced herself as he leaned forward, and brushed Hard Tac's eyelids shut. “Ah’m sorry, brother.” Swallowing, Jack stood and turned away from the corpse to look at the remains of Cerberus and Boogeyman squad. Seven of them remained, including himself. He could see some of them were hurt, but they were hiding it. Standing tall, Jack stuck his helmet under his arm. “Form up!” As they did so, the civilians began to gather to watch. The two foals he'd grabbed seemed to have been reunited with somebody, and were too busy being ushered inside to watch. Jack began formulating a plan in his head as he approached the squad. “I need sitreps on injuries and remaining ammo. Who's got what. Let's hear it people.” The reports came in clear and concise. Injuries were relatively light. It seemed that anybody the creature wounded tended to die. Rifle ammunition was lower than he would have liked. But their munitions were practically unused, considering they'd been ambushed in a civilian heavy zone. Tapping idly at his armoured thigh, Jack nodded as the last of the reports came through.

“Alright, gather around.” Jack waited for his surviving unit to get into a huddle, before sharing his plan. “Mythic, I'm glad you're alive. I need you to get Stalwart on the horn and have them get in position for a howitzer barrage.”

Lifting a brow, Baron was the first to question it. “What's the plan, sir? The forest is huge, there's no way we'd hit it.”

Smiling a little bit too much than was appropriate for the situation, Jack cast a glance up toward the loitering hunter, Simoh. “Mr. Simoh! You know these woods like the back of your hand. Think you could point out on a map where a ugly cocksucker might lick his wounds for the night?”

Looking somewhat surprised, and confused, Simoh nodded and agreed. “I could, yes. But it would be impossible to find in this blizzard.”

“That's fine.” Jack maintained his smile. “Artillery doesn't give a fuck about concealment.”

“You're going to try and kill it with an artillery strike?” Casus spoke in question. Casus was likely the biggest, burliest griffon the Empire had sent. And he'd taken to the training like a fish to water.

Nodding again, Jack set his hands on his hips. “I doubt we'll kill it. Might injure it if we're lucky. But that's not what I'm going for. We're gonna piss it off something fierce, and goad it into a kill zone. It's fast, but it ain't fuckin bright. The last one was a fucking idiot, so I doubt that slimy little cocksucker, Forge, improved much on their mental faculties.” His statement caused a ripple of concern to emerge from the soldiers, but Jack didn't speak of it further. “We're going to take out remaining munitions and rig them in a staggered pattern to act as warning bells. Piss it off more, hurt it as it comes at us. It'll enter our kill zone here.” He motioned to the large open area that seemed to act as the mayor's courtyard entrance. “ We pour on the concentrated fire, and I'll take it down.”

“And… how do you propose you'll be doing that?” Mythic had spoken now. The team definitely didn't look comfortable with the idea, but nobody was calling it out as straight foolishness. Yet.

Drawing his sabot pistol, Jack looked over the squad. “He's fast and tough. He's not stronger than me. You all slow him down, and I'll jump him. If I can get a bead on him, I'll put him down for good.”

The squad spoke quietly to each other, mulling over the plan. It took less than a minute for them to make a decision. “It's a shite plan, but it's the best we've got. We're behind you all the way.” Ada thumped her chestplate, which earned nods and voices of agreement.

Forcing a grin, Jack looked over his squad. “Let's show this bastard what JSOG is capable of! Oorah?”

“Oorah!”

Preparations began immediately as JSOG gathered their dead and stripped them of gear. As they began to draw the kill zone out on the map, one of the civilians stepped forward and declared that the other civilians wanted to do something to help. Jack mulled it over as Simoh worked with Mythic in making a list of coordinates.

“We need barricades set up out here, and for all of you civs to gather up somewhere safe.”

The depressed looking crystal pony simply nodded, and spread the word amongst the willing. The mayor was soon almost in tears as his furniture was borrowed and repurposed as a barricade. Several large bore muskets were produced from the village houses, and the bodies using them at least knew how to aim. The last few civilians were rounded up from their homes, and took refuge inside the mayor's home.

As the grenade tripwires were set in place by the newly christened Grinder squad, Jack entered the mayor's home and made a beeline toward Mythic and Simoh. He did his best to ignore the five dead bodies lying on the floor, respectfully covered with a sheet. They were family, and he'd gotten them killed. He had trained them, and had choked when they needed him most.

Jack struggled to push the thoughts down as he moved to stand over Mythic and Simoh. On the map were four circles, all deep inside the thick forest. “These are the spots?” He questioned thickly.

Looking to Jack, Simoh nodded and began to explain what each one was. Mostly they were small, natural caves, but one was a hundred year old, abandoned mine. Little warning bells went off in Jack's head as Simoh spoke of it. If Forge was set up in the area, the mine was the most likely place for it.

“Alright… Mythic, do you have Stalwart on the horn?”

The stallion nodded and offered the bulky headset. “Yes sir, Captain Chord is on the line right now.”

Nodding his thanks, Jack slipped the headset on and spoke. “This is Knight-Sergeant Kessle, do you read, Stalwart Liberty?”

Chord's voice was a welcome one, however muffled by static it was. “Go ahead Jack. What's your report?”

“We have made contact with the enemy. Five KIA, including Captain Tac. I have assumed operational command.”

There was a brief pause, and Jack pondered if his message had gotten through the storm at all. “We copy, Knight Sergeant. What is your plan?”

“Surviving operatives had been placed in a new squad, designation Grinder. I need a few artillery barrages from Stalwart on our signal.” When the captain agreed, and confirmed he had a pad of paper, Jack began slowly listing off the map coordinates. “I need ten round fire missions for each coordinate, high explosive.”

“That's almost our entire complement of those one fifty five shells. We will only have smoke and those phosphor shells left.”

Jack winced, and looked over the map again. Shooing Mythic and Simoh away, Jack spoke again to the captain, this time with a low voice. “Prepare a second fire mission with the phosphor shells.” He then read off coordinates for the area surrounding the manor, and the manor itself. “Mission danger close, only to be used in the event I'm killed and our lines are breached. If that happens, the whole region might be at risk.”

“What are you fighting down there, old boy?” The captain sounded concerned, and he had ever right to be.

“I need you to prepare a message for Celestia. She'll understand, hopefully. Dr. Forge has created another one of his children, and I'm fairly certain he may be operating in the area still. Did you catch all that?” When the confirmation came through, Jack wiped his forehead and nodded to himself. “We're ready for those fire missions. Radio before they start and we’ll be ready.”

“Noted. Good luck out there Knight Sergeant. May the sisters guide you. Over.”

Setting down the headset, Jack muttered to himself. “They're as lost as I am.” Striding outside, Jack found the last of Grinder squad gathering behind the furniture and door barricades, along with the impromptu militia. He didn't expect the militia to get more than a single shot off, but it was the thought that counted. As he descended the steps, Jack nearly stepped on a small foal as he ran passed him and turned. Smothering a curse, Jack looked down at the child in confusion. Only to recognise him after a moment as the colt who'd threatened him with a wooden sword.

“Are you gonna kill the monster, Mister?”

Sighing, Jack squatted down and nodded toward the colt. “My friends and I are certainly going to try.”

The colt then surprised him, by offering the hilt of his wooden sword to Jack. “My papa says humans are bad luck and shouldn't talk because it's a crime against nature, but you're not bad at all!”

Carefully taking the offered sword, Jack found himself legitimately surprised. “I… thank you, little guy.” He smiled weakly to the colt. “I’ll put it to good use…”

Smiling with the sense that his duty had been filled, the colt turned and started toward the rest of the civilians, where a stern looking, but visibly depressed stallion began to give the colt grief.

Sighing softly, Jack scratched the back of his head and continued to walk down the steps. His heavy boots sank deep into the snow, despite it already being packed down by hooves, feet, talons, and paws. Some of his operatives were busy running a crash course for the locals in how to draw a bead and not die violently, and he could see the stragglers of his squad coming in, sans munitions. If they survived, it would be another hour at least before the civilians could return to their homes or run the risk of having their asses blown off. Ada was approaching, and she waved him down as he turned his helmet over to take a look at the damage done to the side.

“I want to give you a walk-around. You're the demo expert.” She gestured to the village, and he caught her meaning.

“I'm sure you boys did fine.” He tucked the scuffed helmet under his arm and nodded to her. “Lead on, Corporal.”

Ada led him off into the town, showing him the expertly placed staggered grenade traps. Once they were deep enough into the town, and away from the squad, Ada stopped him. She looked him over, concern evident on her hard features. “How’re you holding up, luv?” She was speaking quietly as she stood before him.

Glancing around, Jack set his back against a wall and let himself relax, if only slightly. “I can hack it. I really wish I didn't have to, but I can.” He scratched at his head again, and looked down to the snow.

“I didn't mean leadership.” Ada moved closer. “I never heard somebody twig out so hard. You went off your bloody rocker.”

Cringing at her claim, Jack nodded. “I know, I just… it put me somewhere I never wanted to be again.” When she furrowed her brows, he explained to her what had happened in the DRMSI building, the monstrosities Forge created, and all the people he'd lost there.

When he finished, Ada’s expression had shifted from concern, to anger, then to sympathetic pain. “Jack…”

He stopped her by putting a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don't tear yourself up over it.” He smiled weakly. “It won't happen again. I just… wasn't expecting it. I'll handle it, and I'm not gonna let you guys down again.”

Standing on the tips of her toes, Ada planted a long, passionate kiss on his lips that he returned readily as his hands went around her back. It ended far too soon for either of their liking. Smiling softly, Ada traced a finger down his jaw. “I've got your six, you stubborn cunt…”

Laughing softly as he continued to hold her, Jack rested his forehead against hers. “Careful Corporal, you're flirting with an officer now.”

“You gonna report me to the Queen?” She asked with a smirk.

“I'll put you in for corporal punishment.”

Shaking her head in humor, Ada pulled away from him. “I'll report to your bunk when we waste this little prick.”

In the distance, a thundering rumble echoed through the village, causing the pair to turn. “Well.” Jack set his helmet down over his head. “Let's see what it thinks of our spicy bait.”

The pair returned to the lines, and hunkered down as the fire mission went on for several minutes. The moment it ended, tensions ramped up violently, and everybody waited with bated breath and hair-triggers.

An echoing howl wafted in on the air, filling the silence for a moment and causing everyone to tense. Less than a minute later, the howl sounded again, but closer this time. The next warning they heard was the sound of a frag grenade going off in the south end of the village, followed by a screech. Grenades began going off in rapid sequence, and the vile sounds of the beast drew rapidly closer. The last blast was visible as it blew a plume of powder into the air, and within moments the charred beast careened into the kill zone.

It looked furious.

It took a hair of a moment for the fire to pour in, but by then it had locked onto them and was running on all fours toward them. It was only the sheer weight of fire that arrested it's run; forcing it up onto two legs and cover its face with its claws. The beast howled as it neared the barricade, and Jack bounded over the furniture to meet it before it could reach the others. Leading with his kabar and following with his sabot pistol, Jack collided with the beast with a concussive boom as it slammed headlong into his mithral breastplate.

Both of its hands lashed out. The first scraped across the shining emblem on his chest, and the second was caught by his kabar. The knife's mono-molecular blade carved through its impossibly tough hides, and sheared the hand off at the wrist. Before Jack could fire his pistol however, the gushing stump of its arm collided with the weapon, knocking it away from his reach.

The beast's howl reached an ear shattering pitch as its momentum caused Jack's feet to falter. The beast bore him to the ground, and flipped awkwardly with the armoured marine as he fell onto his back. It's fury was directed solely toward him at that moment. It raised its remaining hand, and brought it down for Jack's throat.

Above the cacophony of rattling rifles, screams of terror, yelled orders, and the beast howling, one musket thumped. The large bore ball slammed into the beast's right eye, and turned the socket to an oozing mess that saw the beast wretch backwards in agony. As it opened its mouth and shrieked like a wounded child, Jack wrenched the cylindrical form of a white phosphorus grenade from his webbing. Pulling the pin and letting the spool fling itself free, Jack lunged off the ground and grabbed the beast by it's stolen face. Shoving the spool end into the beast's throat, Jack brought his fist down on the flat end, driving it deeper into the beast's throat. Pulling his legs free, Jack kicked the beast mid-chest with both boots, driving it off of him. The beast stumbled back, wrenching and gagging for two seconds before it's chest visibly expanded, sick colours plumes of smoke and fire burst from its face. The beast jerked and thrashed as it clawed at its face in a poor attempt to dislodge the burning device. Standing, Jack gripped the beast's stolen face, and ripped it free to reveal the featureless head that lay behind. Smokey light was visible where the mouth should have been.

Somebody yelled Jack's name, and when he turned, he found his sabot pistol sailing through the air toward him. Catching the weapon deftly, he cleared the snow from its frame, and put it to full power. Levelling the weapon's muzzle to the beast's chest, he squeezed the trigger.

The tungsten nail blasted from the weapon as the magrail sped it to hypersonic velocities, and it pierced the tough hide of the beast as if it weren't there. The pressure of impact from the shot nearly toppled it over, before a split second later the superheated ball of bright plasma struck the same spot and followed the path of least resistance burrowed by the nail. A soda can sized hunk of flesh was blasted from its body, and what wasn't vaporised was scattered to the wind in steaming giblets. The concussive boom of the shot was a god's petulant shove, sending the beast head over heels into the snow. It keened in pain as Jack treaded over and plugged it twice more.

A cheer went up as the beast fell still; it's chest smoked and boiled, and the putrid poison gas of the white phosphorus grenade was beginning to seep out of its splayed open chest cavity. Jack began to walk away, before pausing, and turning back towards it. “I'm going to check it for vitals!” He yelled to his squad, before walking to the beast's side and dumping another three rounds into it. “No vitals detected.”

Far, far away from the action, the hippogriff named Forge watched as his favourite son was murdered by the squad of special operations soldiers. Carolus was looking over his shoulder, watching it all unfold through the magical eye that Forge had cast to follow his child. He ran a talon over the image of the armoured figure as they shot his child dead. “4859…” Forge's voice held a reverent quality to it, which forced a sneer of disgust onto Carolus’ beak.

“Your creation has failed, Forge. I'm not impressed.”

That, was something Forge had not wanted to hear at all. Turning away from the mirror of scrying, Forge began to quickly trot into his lab. “The testing grounds was tainted by 4859’s presence. Had he not, you would be singing praise!” Forge began pouring over a large table covered with documents. “Stronger… too much speed, not enough strength…”

Sneering, Carolus began to stalk toward the preoccupied scientist. “And who, might I ask, is 4859?”

“The basis for my newest work! 4859’s samples proved to be irreplaceable, especially for my child's bone structure. It's nigh unbreakable by conventional-” Forge squawked in shock as Carolus pounced on him from behind and moved his talons to throttle the scientist.

“I do believe, Doctor Forge, that you are lying to me.” Carolus tightened his grip on the smaller hippogriff's throat, and felt a twinge of gleeful enjoyment in his mind. “Because, your beast certainly seems to have been broken.”

“C-conventional means, sir!” Forge gasped for air as Carolus released him. “4859 is… is far from conventional…”

Carolus furrowed his brow and turned back to the mirror of scrying. The human and his squad were celebrating. Within moments, Carolus’ features lit up with foul joy. “Ada? Well well…” The griffon prince hummed as he thought. “I will have this nuisance removed for you, Forge. We have a pony in Canterlot who knows other ponies. they will solve our problem. Plans are almost in place, and I trust that with this ‘4859’ removed from the picture, that your current creations will suffice?”

Casting a look toward the large glass tubes that lined the walls of his laboratory, Forge did his best to hide a scowl. “Killing 4859 would be a hideous waste of potential, but with the time frame you have given me… My progeny will exceed your standards.” The scientist turned toward the young griffon. “Emperor Carolus.”

Carolus smiled grimly, as his mind went to the dread plans that were moving forward as they spoke. The mask at his side pulsed with power, but he knew better than to use it on Forge. The doctor needed all the mental faculties he could draw together. “The throne is rightfully mine, and I will take it by force.”

Nodding as if he were agreeing with an upset chick, Forge pushed up his spectacles. “If you wish, I may convert the human female’s flesh to something more suiting of a guard when she is captured.”

“Ada?” Carolus’ features twisted slightly with indignant anger and unpleasant joy. “You won't be touching her, doctor. I will see to breaking her, personally. She's stood in my way long enough in helping Gilda... Nobody will steal this from me.” Carolus moved away from the mirror and deeper into the lab, where the second set of keys to his master's plan lay sleeping in tanks of glass and foul yellow liquid. “Any other human like her is yours, however. I care not for these unwanted, misplaced freaks. They are Discord's children, and I would see them all serve Order until their very souls fade.” His smile began to grow as he recalled his father's schedule. “In fact, one of Celestia's pets is on their way to the capital right now…”

“I will prepare another tank, my Emperor…” Forge bowed with a conviction that was entirely forced.

Carolus hardly seemed to notice however, as he continued to walk out of the laboratory. His plans were coming along swimmingly, and even though there had been a speed bump in testing- he thought to it with a smile- he would bring them all in line, for Order.

Chapter Forty Three: Unsuspecting

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It had taken almost a day for Stalwart Liberty to break through the softening blizzard, and by the time they had arrived at Jadetowne, the situation on the ground was well under control. Celebration was cut short, simply by the reminder of those who had been cut down. Word had been sent to the crystal capital, and a contingent of their forces were marching toward the small village to secure the forest, and hopefully uncover the laboratory that Jack was certain lay hidden under the snow, somewhere.

With their fallen resting in pine boxes within one of the Stalwart’s holds, Jack was finally able to strip himself from his armour and allow the techs to take a good look at it. The Beast's claws had shredded the ceramic plating on his back, but the titanium underlay had stood strong and barely suffered a scratch. His armour was scorched and spattered with blood, but it would all wash off or buff out.

With a quiet sigh, Jack began to limp his battered body back to his bunk, before an aeronaut galloped up to him and saluted. “Knight Sergeant Kessle? Captain Chord has requested your presence on the bridge.”

Grunting lightly, Jack scratched at his cheek. “Couldn't have just said it over the loudspeakers… Alright, dismissed.” The aeronaut shot him a fast salute, and cantered off after receiving one in return. With a groan, Jack rolled his stiff shoulder and limped his way up to the bridge. He could already hear the rumours spreading through the ship; of the monster that'd shrugged off bullets and given JSOG a bloody nose that was now lying on a gurney in medical. Jack didn't want to inform them that it was more of a grievous wound than a busted nose, considering that their task force had been cut in half, and JSOG had suffered the loss of nearly an eighth of its strength. It had felt like losing a leg, or two. The familiarity of the pain was incredibly unwelcome. Replacing the fallen would be an arduous and unpleasant affair for everybody.

The bridge was the usual flurry of activity as the airship prepared for flight. The blizzard had calmed enough that they wouldn't be man-handled the entire way, so the captain was willing to risk it.

“Aweigh anchor. Take us away, Mr. Wheelhouse.” Captain Chord sat in his chair, looking over the entire bridge as the announcement to prepare for departure was sounded, and the ship began to lift up in the air.

“You know, you ponies have it easy. You have job security the moment you hit puberty.” Jack couldn't help but snark as he leaned on the wall with his good arm against the bulkhead.

Rising from his chair, Captain Chord nodded to another pony. “Mr. Navigator, plot us a course to Canterlot, post haste. Sergeant Kessle, the briefing room, please.” Nodding to the orders, Jack moved off and entered the briefing room. Captain Chord closed the bulkhead door behind himself, and removed his cap. “Let me say that I'm sorry for the loss both you and your team has suffered. They were all exemplary soldiers, and we'll be worse without them.”

Sighing hard, Jack sank down into one of the chairs. “They were the best you all had. I'd be dead if it weren't for a bit of convenient engineering and Hardy’s sacrifice. Thing would have ripped my head clean off.”

“It did a number on you as it is, I can tell.” The captain took a seat in the chair opposite from Jack, and produced a small flask. Taking a swig, the captain winced before offering the flask to Jack. “It's brandy.”

Gently taking the flask, Jack looked the object over with mild interest. “Its funny… Hardy had asked me to quit drinking with him, now it just seems…” He rolled his hand, before placing the flask back down on the table. “It seems wrong…”

Nodding to the sentiment, Chord placed the flask back in the pocket he'd fished it from, and sat up straight. “We will be dropping you off in Canterlot. The Stalwart is heading back to the Maripony naval yards for a refit and refuel.” The captain looked over toward Jack as he rested in the fine chair. “The empire will want to bury their dead with full honours, but with your injuries, and the report the Princesses will no doubt want, I do not see you being able to see them off.”

Chord internally winced as Jack's features twisted slowly in pain; the captain idly imagined that the human would have the same expression if he had wrenched a knife in his side. “Right… well.. best I get my words in now then…” Jack began slowly squeezing and relaxing his fist as it rested on the table. Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat up. “I have letters to write. Do you need anything else?”

Shaking his head, Chord stood. “No. See one of the doctors and get some rest. I'll make sure one of my ensigns runs you down the addresses and names of their families.”

“Don't bother. I wrote them all down. I know Hardy did as well…” With a groan, Jack rose from the chair and snapped a salute to the captain. “Sir.”

Saluting the man back, Chord collected his hat. “Dismissed, Knight Sergeant.”

By the time Jack reached his bunk, his left shoulder ached and burned, while his hip simply protested in the form of a limp he just couldn't force himself to hide. The medbay was another floor down, and he wasn't in the right mind to force himself down there to get berated over the extents the body can handle regarding abuse.

Sinking down hard into his bunk, Jack let out a quiet groan of protest to his situation as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the next bunk. He could feel the weight of exhaustion bearing down on him, driving him further into the bed. His staring at the other bunk was held for another few minutes, before he sat up, and forced himself to the small desk his shared bunkroom had. Pulling out a small bound journal and flipping it open, he began thumbing through some of the pages. Finding what he needed, Jack began slowly reading the short blurb that he'd extracted from Hardy’s personal file back when JSOG had been but an idea. The stallion was divorced, but apparently he had a son. According to the file, and the scant few conversations Tac had had over his son, he rarely got any time with the young colt. Something to do with custody. Scratching at his face, Jack began to write.

Dear Miss Elson,

It is by my deepest regret that I must inform you of your ex-husbands untimely death. As he has no next of kin on file, this letter must find its way to you. While at this time, the details of the operation he died in cannot be shared and you can't be told what he was fighting or who he died to protect, I hope my simple words may give you some form of peace and reconciliation. Hard Tac was an invaluable addition to this team, and one of my good friends. His loss weighs heavy, but know that he truly did die a hero, fighting to his last breath so others could carry on.

I hope this letter finds you in good health, and I pray his soul keeps you and yours safe.

Semper Fidelis

Knight Sergeant Jack Kessle

Jack scowled at the letter and flexed his hand. Writing with quills was a massive pain in the ass, he decided with a mutter. As he carefully rolled up the letter and slid it off to the side so he could prepare for the next, a soft knocking sounded on the bulkhead. Looking up, Jack found Ada looking over him.

“Y’should be in medbay, you stubborn twat.” She spoke softly toward him, and earned a weak smile for it. “What're y’writin?”

“The Letters.” Jack stated quietly, and Ada caught his meaning almost immediately.

“Ah…” She looked over the small desk as she entered the room and pulled the bulkhead closed behind her. On the desk were several broken quills and crunched up balls of paper. “Are those… feathers?”

“Yeaaahh… Ponies haven't gotten the art of the ballpoint pen down, so-” Jack went silent as Ada pulled a bic pen from her remaining kit. Jack looked up toward the woman as she smirked mildly. “I will eat your ass for that fucking pen.”

Snorting a surprised laugh out, Ada curled a fist in front of her face and tried to cover her giggles. “J-just take the fookin pen, you deviant.”

Without a word or complaint, Jack snagged the pen and set it on the table. “Before we lose track of it all, I'm going to need reports from the team so I can send an update to Sunflanks.” To his surprise, Ada dropped a surmised munitions report before him, as well as an injury list, and civilian casualty list. “When the hell did you guys write this all out?” Jack puzzled openly.

“Well, we all knew you’d need them. What else were the boys supposed to do for a day after the mess was cleaned up?” She set her hands onto his tense shoulders and began to crudely massage them. Still, the pleasant pressure earned a soft groan from Jack as his shoulders sagged.

“Right…” He flagged even further; his elbows soon having to support him as Ada worked him over. “What would I ever do without you…”

“Lose yer damned mind.” Ada answered honestly, which earned a smile and nod from Jack. “Come on, luv. You need rest. You'll have days to finish those letters, and you're all sorts of black and blue.” She began pulling lightly at his clothes, and prodding him toward the naval bunk. In his abused state, the bunk managed to be highly enticing, with its stiff mattress and enclosed spaces.

With a groan, Jack flopped onto the bunk and immediately regretted it as he flopped onto his bad shoulder. Muffling his blue streak of cursing by biting his tongue, Jack instead let out a pained sigh. As he pulled off his sweat streaked shirt, Ada began pulling off her own and undressing before him. Watching the woman with appreciative eyes, Jack couldn't help but open his mouth. “I get company too? Did you ever get around to reading the Equestrian’s rules on fraternisation?”

Clambering onto Jack's lap and pushing him back into the bunk, Ada smirked and shook her head. “Fook no. And I know y’haven't either. Cheeky bastard.” She adjusted herself as he nodded lightly.

“Guilty as charged… So, how's the rest of the team doing?”

“I swear Jack, y’fookin rebound so hard between damned good NCO and complete bastard, I'm surprised y’haven't given y’self whiplash.” As he opened his mouth to protest, Ada shushed him with a finger over his lips. “They’re your lads, I know. They're hard cunts, and they're more worried ‘bout you, y’bastard.” Lowering herself to lay on his chest, Ada graced his lips with hers. “And so am I.”

Running a hand through her short raven coloured hair, Jack embraced the woman. “That… that thing fucked me up pretty bad, Ada… But…” He looked up to meet her eyes. “I think I'll tough that out too, so long as I got you and the boys.”

Humming happily at the statement, Ada got comfortable laying next to him and partially on top. “Y’bunkmates won't be back for awhile. I told em to 'fook off for a spell. Hopefully we'll get some chatter from Canterlot and figure how fooked the rest of our black ops buggers are doin.”

“And Simoh?” Jack questioned quietly as he relaxed and drew closer to the warm body beside him. The griffon hunter had been given an offer when Stalwart Liberty: either stay in his tiny village or pack a bag and hoof it back to the flying metal ship. Jack had barely said 'leave town’ when Simoh had turned to him and asked, “When do we leave?”

“Y’can tell he's spooked, but they all usually are when they get on board.”

Nodding in agreement, Jack began slowly stroking her hair as she rested her chin in the crook of his shoulder. “And what about you?” He asked softly, drawing her attention.

“Me? I'm all sunshine and rainbows, Cowboy.” She smiled as he rolled his eyes, but the smile slowly faded as he looked back to her with concern. “I'm…” She hesitated for a moment before sighing and speaking. “I done some real hard shite in the name o’ King and Country… Gone into some real cock-ups and come up roses. Gone into sure things and come out missing mates and starin’ a thousand meters off… Don't make it much easier though, losing y’mates… there's just more faces than you can count and y'can't make out what they're saying…”

Before she could continue much further, Jack interrupted her by gently lifting her chin and kissing her with soft passion. It only lasted a moment, and when they broke off he spoke. “I know… God knows I know… You're not alone. I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere quietly. And, so long as I have you here with me... Ah know ah’m gonna make it too.”

“Oh, you.. you twat…” Ada looked away from him and smiled as she rubbed at her eyes. “Y’got me misty eyed… bastard…” She looked back toward him before trailing her hand down his cheek. “You… you are something else, Jack…” Taking one of his hands in hers, Ada curled up with Jack and his battered body; they both managed to get something any soldier would kill gladly for. A quiet, long sleep.

The Stalwart Liberty loomed over Canterlot Castle, drawing the eyes of a good portion of the capital as it flew overhead with the Wonderbolts flying escort before it docked. A full honour guard was present as the loading bay doors opened, and the aeronauts began carrying the caskets out. Jack and Ada made sure that they saw to Hard Tac's coffin themselves. Celestia and Luna stood nearby, watching as the pine caskets traded hand and hoof. The caskets belonging to griffons were separated, and loaded respectfully into a large carriage. By now, the team knew they'd be splitting up, and began saying their goodbyes. Almost all of the griffons in JSOG were going to fly escort for their fallen kin, and Ada was going with them. It accounted for almost half of JSOG’s remaining strength.

Knowing better than to have a more intimate goodbye in front of everybody present, Jack and Ada simply saluted each other sharply, and embraced before splitting up. They'd had their moment to say a more proper goodbye on the ship, though both of them would deny it when asked.

With his letters and a written report in hand, Jack approached the Princesses and stomped a sharp salute while in armour. “Grinder Squad, reporting mission complete.” His eyes flicked to the side as a team of scientists and doctors wheeled out the covered gurney that contained the beast. Its brackish yellow blood had stained through the white canvas tarp.

Taking the offered physical report and letters for delivery, Celestia nodded to Jack. “Thank you, Knight Sergeant, and let me apologize personally for the losses. Cadence and Shining have sent a battalion of Crystal Guard to scour the forest. You will be kept apprised of the situation as it unfolds, you have my word. We are taking this very seriously.”

As Jack nodded and handed over his reports, one of the many guards shifted uncomfortably in his armour and slipped off into an adjacent corridor. Pulling a scrap of parchment from his armour, the guard quickly jotted down two words, before rolling up the scrap of paper and dousing it with the roiling liquid that came from the tiny vial he'd been trusted with. The note incinerated itself, and the smoke of its immolation sped off and out of the castle. The guard sagged slightly as the weight of the world was taken off his shoulders. He'd done his part, now all he had to do was make sure he was on leave when they came to work.

The corpse of the beast had been wheeled deep into the castle, and Jack was sure they were carving it apart and picking at its organs even as he walked toward the laboratory. He idly wondered what Petyr would think of the foul little thing; whether he'd have the same reaction Jack had suffered. No, he decided, probably not.

Entering the lab, Jack was unphased by the rabid level of activity that made the chamber buzz. There had to be three dozen of Equestria's best and brightest foaming at the mouth as they galloped about and papers flew everywhere. Chuckling at the chaos, Jack strode in, with his helmet tucked under his arm. The Beast was the centrepiece of the show, and the ponies were frantic over it as it lay curled up like a withered husk. As he searched the room, Jack found himself slowly developing a frown. He couldn't see Petyr anywhere, and that man wasn't easy to miss at the best of times. Eventually Jack spotted Field sitting in his workplace, glaring down at some papers as Toasty pressed her face against the glass to get a better look of all the frantic ponies.

As he began to maneuver toward the small office, Jack nearly stepped on a familiar female unicorn. Aurora squeaked as Jack cursed and lifted his leg out of her way.

“Knight Sergeant Kessle!” Aurora cried out as she fixed her glasses. “You're alive!” The mare smiled, before she got a good look at his armour. “GAAAAH! What did you do to your beautiful armour!?” The mare began circling him rapidly. “I swear, I miss one deployment and you just trash it!” The small unicorn looked up at him accusingly. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Caught flat-footed by the beration, Jack blanked and sputtered as he gestured to the dead thing in the middle of the science maelstrom. “Fuckin- fuck! Blame that dickhead on the table over there!” He grumbled as the mare climbed up his back and began inspecting the damage up close.

“By the Princesses! These cuts go right down to the titanium! These plates are trash now!”

Jack felt the plates being pulled free by the mare. Apparently she'd learned how to disengage them manually. “Hey! I'm still in this stuff!” The ruined ceramic plate banged loudly as it was tossed aside by the irate armour technician. “God damn Aurora. Let me get out of this shit first!”

“If you want to complain, don't trash your armour so badly next time!” She yelled back at him, drawing a few eyes that didn't remain for long. With a foul mutter, Jack treaded over to the select section of the labs where he knew they did work on his armour. Disengaging his armour’s locks, the front chattered and slid open, allowing him to escape as Aurora got to work.

“I'll be around for a bit. Don't go digging around in the systems Aurora, there's classified information in there.” Jack stared at the tech as she waved a hoof at him dismissively and floated a whole toolbox over to herself. Shaking his head, Jack set his helmet down on the bench and began weaving his way through the labs to Field Note's office. Toast had noticed him long before, and was prancing about and pawing at the glass door frantically as he approached. Bracing himself, Jack opened the door and caught Toast as she pounced on him.

“JAAAAK!” The giddy girl squirmed and nuzzled and hugged as he struggled to keep a gentle grip on her.

“Yes yes, hello, Toasty!” Jack hugged her lightly, on account of his exo-skeleton. He began scratching rapidly at her scalp and the back of her head, which saw her features sag as the rest of her went limp from the pleasantness.

“N-nnehhh- Mmhnnn~” Toasty nuzzled into his hand before whining loudly as he set her down on the floor.

“Toasty, go lay down.” Jack pointed at her bed in the corner, and the girl was all too willing to oblige. With the giddy girl dealt with, Jack sat down at the spare chair next to Field. Chuckling lightly over the antics of the girl as she snuggled into her bedding, Jack turned his attention fully to Field. “How’re you holding up Field?”

The stallion seemed to ignore him for a moment as he continued to glare at the paper before his hooves. As Jack leaned over to try and read a snippet, Field laid the sheath of papers down and turned toward Jack. “Can I help you with something?”

Caught off guard by the chill in Field's voice, Jack leaned back slightly in his seat. “Just coming over to say hello, Field. You don't need to bite my head off.”

Field stared at him for a moment, before picking his papers back up. “Petyr has gone to the Empire for a visit. Their Emperor is some sort of technophile.” Field turned the page as Jack scowled lightly.

“Figures…” Casting a glance to the scientists as they attempted to peel the beast open, and promptly failed, Jack looked back to Field with curiosity. “Aren't you a biologist? I'd have figured you to be chomping at the bit to have a go at the ugly fucker.”

Not looking up from his paper, Field Note simply shrugged his wings. “My field is human biology, physiology, and psychology, not monster. Besides, I can tell it went several rounds with you, and there is little left of it I'm interested in.”

Jack had found that he just wasn't able to take his eyes off the damn thing as the scientists peeled and pried at its ruined chest cavity. “You know magic too, yeah?”

“Yes, more than some unicorns I would wager.” Field had perked somewhat at the curious tone Jack's voice held.

“What kind of magic would let that thing wear somebody else's face?” Jack asked softly as he stared at the featureless head of the creature.

Now ignoring his paper, Field leaned over to look out the window at the thing. “It does not have a face, Jack.”

“I tore it off.”

“Oh.” Field shifted slightly, before squinting at the thing. “And that was under it…” Field soon had Jack recounting it's features when it had had a face, and how the face may as well have been its own the way they were connected. By the end of it, Field was rapidly jotting notes. “Ugh, I wish Flitter were here to draw this out… This is… curious. I've never heard of this kind of magic, save for old mentions of necromancy, but this seems like a far flung offshoot of even that…”

“Maybe that's why it was so tough… We put just under two thousand rounds into it, and it only gave a fuck when I used rail and plasma.”

Sighing, Field set his quill aside. “I will speak to some of my more professional peers. With luck we'll be able to parse this creature’s secrets from it.”

Standing, Jack patted Field lightly on the shoulder. “If you figure a way for me to kill them before they kill any more of mine, I'll owe you, big time.”

“Yes, yes, I'm sure your prizes are lovely.” Field was already muzzle deep in his new project, and was clearly not paying attention to him.

Huffing quietly to himself, Jack kneeled down by Toast's bed; the girl practically bowled him over as she jumped up and hugged him. “Jaaaaaak~” She squirmed about as he gave her a brief hug and a head rub. “Jak walks?” She asked curiously as she tilted her head at him.

Chuckling mildly, Jack lightly played with the girl's ears. “Yes Toasty, I'll take you for walks soon.” He grinned as she squee’d happily and rubbed her head into his fingers. As he removed his his hands, Toast all but fell over. Whining loudly as Jack left, Toast ran to the window and pressed herself against it to watch as he walked out of the labs.

To Jack's surprise when he exited the labs, he found Luna waiting for him. The princess looked up as he exited, and the ghost of a smile graced her features. “Ah, Jack. I was waiting for you.”

“You were?” Jack scratched at the back of his head and looked around.

“Yes, I was. We must speak, about the leadership of JSOG.”

“Oh. Joy.”

Luna led Jack through the weaving halls to the royal planning room. Considering the number of guards about, Jack made the assumption that Celestia was inside the room. His assumption proved correct as Luna pulled the door open with her magic and declared her arrival to the occupants. At the large table sat Celestia, and a trio of older ponies wearing military uniforms that boasted many ribbons, medals and stars.

“Please excuse the use of the planning room for this, Jack. I was quite certain you would prefer this over the throne room.”

Snapping a salute to Celestia alone, Jack took a seat as he was motioned to do so. “It's fine. You wanted to talk?”

“Yes, indeed I do. You see, Jack, some of my Generals are uncomfortable that currently, the best armed military in all of the world is currently run by a pack of Sergeants and a single Captain who is unfortunately very dead at this time.”

One of the Generals piped up the moment he was able. “Princess, we were merely voicing our concerns about the structural integrity of the unit! Would it be so terrible if more officers were within its command structure? A proper General could whip them into shape!”

Jack's jaw clenched at the statement, but to his surprise both Princesses cast glances to him, as if they were gauging how he would react. Rolling his jaw slightly, Jack forced a smile. “Don't mind me asking, but would this supposed General be for JSOG only? It seems a little strange that you all would want to take sole command of a platoon.”

“Oh, well son.” One of the Generals shifted forward and spoke as if he were explaining things to a child. “This General wouldn't command only this little special interests group-”

“Joint Special Operations Group. Hence the acronym. Sir.” Jack corrected, earning a light glare from the stallion he'd interrupted.

“Regardless.” The stallion continued. “The General in question would have command of the army.”

“So you'd make JSOG an army unit.” Jack spoke flatly, and watched as the generals turned to each other.

“The unit would be a part of the air force, not the army.”

“That's absurd. They operate on the ground.”

“They use naval units to travel, they'd be a naval unit!”

“Air force. Gentlemen-”

“I'll give up my stars before I see that unit go the the bloody air force!”

As the Generals bickered, Jack cast a solitary glance to the two beings who had the only control over the unit. Luna seemed unhappy, while Celestia seemed mildly amused. Meeting his gaze, Celestia motioned faintly to the Generals.

So he was just their attack dog. Lovely.

“Generals.” Jack spoke, and the trio before him ignored him utterly. Growing quickly tired of the situation. “ATTEN-SHUN!” He boomed in the small room, startling the trio of generals and waking Luna from her attempted nap. “Gentlemen! It is to my understanding that you're trying to lay claim to an international force, is that correct?”

The air force General leaned forward and motioned lightly with his hooves. “Well, you see son-”

“General, I am Knight Sergeant Kessle, and you ain't my Poppa. You will refer to me the rank given to me by your sovereign rulers, do I make myself clear?”

The generals all stared at the tall human in shock, before the air force General bristled and muttered an understanding before he spoke again. “Knight Sergeant Kessle. We're merely trying to discuss whose jurisdiction your little force falls under, so we can apply leadership as we see fit.”

“You don't know whose jurisdiction we fall under?” Jack fought to hide his grin. “Well, allow me to point you in the right direction. There's two of them. Right there.” He pointed toward the princesses, and as the bickering Generals went to interrupt him again, Jack interrupted them first. “JSOG is an international task force, and it may only be lead by the leaders of the member nations and those they appoint as leaders! So unless you three are trying to undermine the authority of your own leaders, the Griffonian Empire, Omega Hive, and the Serpent Imperium, I suggest you all back off and go back to your yards.”

Before the three stallions could get words in edgewise or display how upset they were to being dressed down, Celestia cleared her throat. “Thank you, Knight Sergeant. I couldn't have said it better myself.” Jack raised a brow as Celestia smiled. Normally she wasn't so pleased when he gave people a verbal working over. “I understand the concerns you three have forwarded, and in light of recent events, I have decided a worthy figurehead for the Joint Special Operations Group.” Celestia stood from her seat, as did Luna. Now Jack was concerned. “Jack Kessle of Earth.” Celestia started as she stood before him, staring him directly in the eyes. “Kneel, please.” As he cautiously followed her instruction, Jack felt a tapping on both shoulders.

“We, the princesses of Equestria, bestow upon you the rank of Knight Captain. You will take operational control of your current unit, and put forward requests for your subordinates to be elevated to knighthood. You will continue to answer only to myself, Princess Luna, and the other signing members of the treaty, unless told otherwise by myself or Princess Luna. Do you understand?”

He nodded, despite the shock still setting in.

“Good. Rise, Knight Captain Kessle. General Stormfront, General Ironsides, General Wave, you are dismissed. Do not question my authority again.” As Jack rose and fought the urge to fidget, he watched as the three stallions quickly filed out of the room.

“That was… intense.”

Luna approached him, smiling mildly. “While intense, it was rather entertaining.”

Celestia smiled as she removed Jack's old pins and replaced them with the new pins of his station. “I apologise for putting you on the spot, Jack. I had simply grown tired of those three acting like they were the top of the chain of command.”

“So you wanted me to beat them with said chain until they remembered who was?” Jack hazarded a guess, and was rewarded with a royal chuckle.

“An apt way of putting it. Yes.” Celestia sighed softly as she motioned to the table for him to take a seat. “Do you have any questions regarding your new station?”

“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “You mentioned my subordinates and knighthood.”

Luna took a seat next to him. “At any time you may put forward one of your subordinates for knighthood. If we accept, they will be made knights equal to their rank within JSOG. Even if they belong to a separate member nation of the treaty.”

“Is there a form already made? Because I've got about twenty or so from my lot of goons I can think of off the top of my head.” Jack relaxed somewhat when both Princesses laughed lightly. “You know what… let’s just make this nice and easy for all of us. I’ve got people to smack around, and you’re both very busy folk. Let’s just make it so getting into JSOG makes you a Knight. The entry is tough enough as it is.” He was, of course, referencing that barely half of the soldiers who had shown up had passed the grueling standards, and they were all some of the best their countries would spare.

Pondering the idea, Celestia and Luna shared a look, before nodding in agreement. Celestia smiled toward Jack, and nodded to him. “A fine idea. I do look forward to not doing the paperwork and ceremony every time.”

Sighing with mild relief, Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Is that everything you needed, Ma’am?” He aimed the question at the pair, and received a smirk from Luna as she rolled her eyes at him.

Putting some thought to the question, Celestia nodded. “Yes, indeed I do have a need of you. When you have rested, feel free to make your way to Hollow Shades. The militia is training there, and I'm sure the officers there wouldn't mind one more professional observer.” Celestia looked to the map on the table and seemed to consider something as Jack agreed he'd take a look at the camp. As he began to glance to the door, Celestia looked to him again. “And a piece of advice for you, Jack?”

“Mm?” He paused, waiting for her word.

“Find yourself a batman. You are going to be a very busy man soon. Prepare yourself for officer's training. Dismissed.”

Jack stared for a moment, equally concerned and confused. As he walked from the room, he openly questioned what was bothering him.

“Where the fuck am I going to find a moody orphan at this time of day?”

Having finally arrived at his room, Jack was finally able to change out of his sweaty clothes and have a well deserved hot shower. As he dried off and groomed himself in the mirror, Jack froze in place, before slowly leaning toward the mirror. Brushing some of his hair aside, he let out a plaintive groan. “Grey hairs, really? God damn…” Peppered across his temple was a cluster of dark grey hairs that he had nearly overlooked. Leaning against the sink, Jack sighed hard and spat. “It's official. I'm old.”

Outside the bathroom door, something shifted slightly in his room, drawing his attention. A pursed frown crossed his features as he pulled the pistol stashed under the sink free. Stacking up against the door, Jack swiftly opened it and followed his weapon muzzle out.

Taven glanced up from the book he'd brought, and waved with a wing as Jack lowered the pistol. “Took you long enough.”

Scoffing mildly, Jack stuck the pistol back under the sink and finished getting dressed. “Good to see you Taven.” He treaded into the room, and plopped down into his workbench chair. “Hey, I got a question.” When Taven looked up from his book, Jack continued. “Are you an orphan?

Blinking owlishly at the question, Taven seemed stunned. “N-no? I mean, I haven't spoken to my family in five years, but… Why?”

Seemingly undeterred by the answer, Jack continued as he leaned back in the chair. “I need a batman. You're half bat, and a man, so I figured you'd fit. Problem is, is you're not an orphan and you aren't an edgy shit.”

Taven stared at Jack incredulously as he began to piece things together. “Why… okay, first off, a sergeant can't have a batman, let alone make another sergeant his batman. Second, that's racist. Third, what the fuck do you think batman means?”

“I got promoted to Knight Captain.” Jack explained in confusion. “I'm as lost as you are, batman where I'm from is some rich orphan twat who fights crime!”

Taven stared at Jack for a long moment, before bursting out laughing as he flopped over backwards on the bed. Jack turned red in the face with embarrassment as Taven belly laughed at his expense. “They promoted you!?” Taven cackled and wiggled his hooves in the air. Jack leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest as he pouted. It took a moment for the stallion to calm down, and as he sat up he was still giggling occasionally. “O-okay, whew, that was a little much Jack.”

Glaring lightly at the stallion, Jack idly scratched at his grey hairs. “So I assume batman means something else here.”

“You must have been thinking of Batstallion. A batman is an officer's orderly.”

“Oh! Fuck!” Jack slapped his forehead. “I knew that fucking word! Fuck!” Taven burst out laughing once more as Jack groaned unhappily. “This is a load of bull…” He sighed quietly and fixed Taven with a look. “So, you up for the job?”

Nodding, Taven smiled and offered a hoof to the man, who took it and shook. “Yes I'm up for it. As much as I'm not looking forward to babysitting you again, I know I'll never be bored again.”

“You can say that again.” Jack relaxed and instinctively reached for a cigarette. His fingers paused on the package, and he considered the other addiction he had decided to go cold turkey on. “Probably die…” Seemingly having decided, Jack pulled a cigarette free and lit it. “Oh and by the way, you're a Knight Sergeant now.”

Choking on his own tongue, Taven fell into a coughing fit before he shrieked. “WHAT!?”

Smirking behind his smoke, Jack nodded. “Talked with Celestia today. JSOG be Knights now.”

Taven pressed both of his hooves against his muzzle and let out a high pitched bat squeak that carried on for a minute. “Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is!? Knighthood is one of the most prestigious positions there is! It-it- gah!!” Taven flopped over and let out a stressed bat noise. “I'm nobility now… Oh gods…”

“I… get the feeling that I wasn't taking advantage of the perks, was I?”

It took the better part of an hour for Taven to explain exactly what being a knight meant, and just how autonomous JSOG had truly become. None could order a knight but a knight of higher rank or the rulers who had appointed the rank. He also explained the sheer political power a house of knights could hold, and he made mention that Equestria hadn't had more than ten knights for over six hundred years. To his credit, Jack listened and took it all in as he tried to discern how much responsibility Celestia had actually pinned to his ass.

“Fuck me running… That tricky bitch…” Jack muttered to himself as Taven shook his head.

“You've done yourself in now, Jack. There's no skating around this.” The stallion sighed. “Well. I'm going to get out of your mane.”

“Hair.”

“Mane. Regardless, I'm off.” Taven patted Jack's shoulder. “I'll be back around shortly, alright?”

Waving the stallion off, Jack relaxed into his chair again. “Yeah yeah, go and start a fight somewhere for me.”

“With the time I've spent with you, I'm convinced the next person I fight is going to end up in my bed and somehow make offensive slurs sound romantic.” Scowling, Jack threw the buttstock of a rifle at the stallion. Laughing, Taven ducked out of the way. “Not saying anything about Corporal Ada! She'd never stoop that low!”

“Dick!” Jack yelled after his laughing batpony batman. Muttering darkly under his breath, Jack ran his hands through his hair. “Fuckin’ Celestia… played me like a damn fiddle.” Toying idly with his pins, Jack felt a wave of discomfort pass over him. He could NCO pretty well, but being a good, real officer required more than just what he had.

Or did it?

How many officers had he served under that couldn't find their asses with both hands and a GPS? The ones who could handle the field were few and far between and they usually started as enlisted. Jack slumped in his chair and pondered his situation. It was the officers who took care of the big picture, and depended on their NCO's to make sure everything worked out. He had a good stable of people to work with and rely on, all of them knowing their shit through and through.

That meant he had some work to do. Getting up from his chair and snubbing the cigarette, Jack made sure to straighten his uniform and readjust his new captain pins. The little pins were a pair of white gold swords standing parallel to each other, and he found them a far sight more formal looking than his old crescent moon chevrons that Knight Sergeant had earned him. As he grabbed a bag and started for his door, Jack noticed somebody moving by it. Glancing over, Jack found that Taven had left his book behind. With a smirk, Jack snagged the book and stalked toward the door with the book in hand. As the form neared the door, Jack pulled it open without warning and lightly smacked the pony behind it with the book.

“Surprise, fucker!”

Jack realized three things as his smile shrank rapidly. One. The pony he'd hit wasn't Taven. Two. The pony he had hit had about five friends. Three. They were all armed and angry looking. His only saving grace was that he'd caught them off guard. That did not last long however, as weapons began to rise in telekinetic fields. Slamming the door in the face of the stallion he'd cuffed with the murder mystery paperback, Jack toppled his dresser before the door and bounded back into his workshop in a frantic search for a weapon.

The container was closed and locked, and he doubted he had time to get it open before the squad by the door would be crawling up his ass. Most of the weapons left out were in varying arrays of dismantled or under repair, and his revolver was still attached to his armour, as was his sabot pistol. There was always the pistol that he kept under his pillow-

SHIT.

Jack cursed up a mental blue streak as his eyes fell on the glock, and all its component parts on the bench. That left only-

His eyes lit up with glee as they fell on the final weapon. His beloved DP-28 light machine gun. Leaping forward, Jack ripped open the case the weapon sat inside just as the door exploded into splinters. He was slapping the fat pan magazine into place as the kill squad spilled into his room, and by the time he got the safety off and the muzzle of the weapon raised, the unicorn's horn flared, and he found himself flying through the air surrounded by shattered glass.

Any thought or action he had was interrupted by his back slamming into the grass and a hefty amount of glass. With the wind knocked out of his lungs, Jack barely had the strength to lift the weapon and loose a burst toward the door to his balcony as a pegasus launched out of it.

Five

Firing the machinegun without his exo skeleton proved to be a rather painful experience, but as luck had it his wild burst of rounds blasted the pegasus to pieces. The weapon pushed his shoulder into the dirt, which only served to shove the shattered glass deeper into his muscles.

Move, Jackie boy!

Pushing himself up, Jack hustled for cover as something sharp pricked his thigh. As he ran, he could feel the pain in his body subsiding, and his mind fogging slightly. As he stumbled into cover, Jack looked to his thigh, only to spy a small, aerodynamic needle sticking out of his thigh. Panic tried to grip him, but quickly fell away when he realized what they'd shot him with. They'd shot him with morphine, a fast acting, deadly poison. It was supposedly deadly for almost everything on the planet. Except him, that is. Lucky.

He almost found himself grinning as he heard somebody say 'confirm the kill’, followed by thumping hooves on grass. If they wanted to kill him, they'd have to try harder than that. Rolling out of cover and using the DP-28’s bipod, Jack loosed the last few rounds the record shaped magazine held to mow down the approaching attackers.

Four

Three

The gun clicked dry as a fireball boiled the earth in front of him, and an arrow buried itself deep into the meat of his shoulder. Grunting in pain, Jack abandoned the now empty weapon under a bench and began searching for somewhere he could lose his attackers. There were three of them, and only one of him. He had to think fast.

His eyes fell on the entrance of the hedge maze, and a little voice inside him cackled loudly. It would have to do, and if he was lucky the guards would come running over the sounds of the firefight. As he pushed himself up with one hand and ignored the feathered end of the arrow sticking out of his shoulder, another fireball punched through the hedge he was using as cover and barely missed his face. With a muffled curse, Jack bolted for the maze, and his attackers gave chase.

As far as he could tell, he'd killed all the pegasi in the hit squad, otherwise they'd be all over him. That left the unicorn, and two likely EP’s. “Don't fancy my chances against them right now…” Jack grunted to himself as he held a hand to his pierced shoulder. He had left the arrow in, letting it staunch the flow of blood. The morphine was wearing off fast, and he was quickly reminded why a resistance to the drug wasn't always a good thing. He knew the hit squad was still in the maze with him, but the chance of him killing them all were painfully low. All he had was a rock he'd nearly tripped over.

Muttering to himself, Jack carried on through the maze, letting instinct guide him as blood stained his good uniform and his steps began to hitch and falter.

His eyes began to frantically search the grounds as he shambled onward, trying to keep his noises to a minimum. “Jus’ need sommin…” He slurred hard to himself as he stumbled. His adrenaline was running low now too, and his body flagged under its own weight. Up ahead he could hear muffled conversation, followed by what sounded like laughter. Bracing himself, Jack tightened his grip on his rock and rounded the corner.

Only to find another corner. The voices were coming from beyond it, and his patience for the maze was quickly running thin. Stalking forward, Jack listened for a moment to the conversation for any hints if the ponies responsible were enjoying a manhunt. When he didn't hear any, he began struggling and forcing his way through. The ponies on the other side made curious, confused noises as he flopped and fell through the hedge to land before their hooves.

“What in tarnation? What're you doing away from your owner, little guy?” Something prodded Jack, earning a grumble and a grunt of pain as he pushed himself up with one arm.

“Applejack, don't poke him, he may have rabies, or-” The mare gasped. “Mr. Kessle!”

Looking up from the ground as he pushed himself up, Jack was met by not one, but two ponies that he recognised. The first was the orange farm pony he'd watched cut the nuts off of somebody, and the other was Miss Rarity, the mare who'd tailored his uniforms. Jack grinned weakly as he rested on his robotic haunches. “Afternoon ladies. I've got a bit of a problem.”

“Aw, he's one o’ them talkin’ humans like Max?” The farmer prodded him, and earned a quick swat.

“That means you're not allowed to cut my nuts off, you psycho.” Jack growled at the farmer as Rarity helped him up with her magic.

“Dear, there's no need to be rude. What sort of trouble are you in?” Rarity seemed to have eaten a lemon whole, as her features were scrunched up tightly as she looked over his ruined uniform.

“Assassins.” Jack answered tiredly as somebody yelled behind him, and another arrow buried itself in his shoulder, earning a yowl of pain from him as he rolled into cover and dragged the skinny white unicorn with him.

One of the assassins yelled as they broke into the clearing. “He's got the Elements with him!”

“No witnesses, dispose of them!”

Applejack yelped as she dove for cover, another arrow flying over her head and punching a hole in her Stetson. Rarity was struggling to escape Jack's arm as they took cover behind a large statue. “I can help, Mr. Kessle, we can't let these brutes win!”

“My thoughts exactly.” Springing from cover, Jack smashed his fist sized rock into the eye socket of the approaching earth pony assassin, causing the stallion to howl in pain and drop his sword. Rarity wretched as Jack smashed the rock into the pony's head once more for good measure before scooping up the short sword. It's edge was covered in some kind of roiling red substance that hissed when grass touched it.

“YOU VERMIN SHOT MAH HAT!!!” The angry bellow from Applejack drew Jack's attention, and he watched as she ducked under another arrow that was meant for her face. The mare dodged and weaved, before bucking the shooter twenty meters into the air and over the maze walls. Jack whistled softly at the show of force, before a bolt of fire shattered the statue before him. It seemed like the unicorn had given up on what little subtlety they had, and was just going to fire bomb them all.

“Oh no you don't, you fiend!” Blue magic wrapped around the unicorn's horn, and whatever spell he'd been charging sputtered and died. It took the unicorn a second to realize what was happening, and it took a very short moment for him to turn tail and flee out the exit of the maze.

“Fucker!” Jack cursed and pushed himself to his feet. Anger and adrenaline flooded his veins as he gave chase, following the fleeing assassin toward the castle. The unicorn skidded to a stop, and awkwardly pulled out an amulet. As he chanted a string of words, Jack collided with his side in a linebacker charge. The unicorn was lifted off the ground, but didn't weigh enough to arrest Jack's momentum enough to stop him. The pair smashed headlong through a stained glass window, and rolled through a beautifully decorated hall.

Celestia raised a brow as the four elements before her jumped in surprise and prepared for a fight. Guards scrambled as the cursing ball of angry marine and pissed off assassin rolled into the center of the throne room and began trading blows. Whatever spell Rarity had cast burst, and the unicorn's hoof cracked against Jack's jaw before his horn glowed again. Before Jack could stop him, the unicorn teleported out of his grip and stood defiant before the gathering forces.

“The Crimson Hoof sends their regar-!” The assassin didn't have a chance to finish charging his spell, or finish what he was saying as Jack hurled the fist sized rock like a baseball at him. The stone cracked into his muzzle and the stallion seemed to recoil. The assassin then gagged, before falling to his knees and making a disturbing gurgling sound as foam spilled from his mouth and nose. Within moments, the assassin fell over, and twitched idly as royal guards approached.

“Is… is he dead?” Jack called out, and when the guards confirmed it, he breathed a sigh relief and flopped onto his back. “YEEAAAARGH!!!” Jack howled in surprise and agony as he laid down and drove the second arrow in his shoulder all the way through. The barbed tip jutted out violently, sending an arc of blood across the floor as he spasmed and jerked upwards. Whether it was Jack's blue streak of cursing or the blood that caused Fluttershy and Rarity to faint, nobody could tell.

Pressing a hoof hard into her face, Celestia let out a beleaguered sigh as she stood. Casting a spell of silence over Jack as he went red in the face bellowing curses and holding his bleeding shoulder, Celestia strode past the girls as they saw to their fallen. The unicorn assassin was wearing covert clothing, likely he and whatever team he had brought had teleported in and slipped past or dealt with any guards as they moved toward Jack's room. Celestia internally berated herself for not sending some of her guards to investigate the sudden burst of weapons fire, but it had been muted and she'd thought it had been range fire. One of her guards confirmed her suspicion; the assassin had fallen to a false tooth likely filled with cyanide. Casting a curious glance down to the small stone, Celestia picked it up and hummed lightly in amusement. Given even a rock, Jack could throw himself into the works of things and come out on top. Looking back, Celestia was pleased to see that Rarity had come back around, and she was working with Rainbow and Applejack to staunch Jack's bleeding. Said marine seemed to be biting his tongue hard to keep whatever tasteful curses he had in mind down. More guards were arriving, and the medical team soon followed suite. Reports of five dead assassins strewn across the castle grounds along with the one in the hall came together, and by the time Jack could open his mouth without making a loud mention of genitalia, she'd already tasked four squads to scour the grounds and find out who had sent the assassins.

As Jack complained about how he was going to be stuck in a cast again, Celestia looked toward the broken window and sighed. It was the window depicting Discord, and she felt as if that was too much to be mere coincidence.

Questions began bounding about from the Elements, and Jack seemed to be at the center of it all. He looked positively miserable. Smiling mildly at the thought, Celestia found herself smiling just a little bit more as an idea came to her. “Well, Knight Captain, it seems that no matter where you are, trouble seems to find you. I believe you should spend some time with the girls here. Perhaps their harmony will help balance you.” She fought back a smirk as his features fell to those of a kicked dog's. “Twilight, I believe you made mention of some dispute the Whitetail Breezies were having?”

“Oh yes! I received a letter from their leader, it seems another group are being rather nasty.”

“Then I wish for you to bring the Knight Captain with you. He may learn a thing or two.”

As Twilight nodded, Pinkie squee’d happily and flopped onto Jack. “We get to bring a new friend along! We should have a party!”

As all the girls began to agree, and group hug Jack, Celestia had to cover her mouth with a hoof to keep herself from laughing as Jack was enveloped by happiness, and the only noise he made to dispute things was a sad little warble of complaint. It wasn't enough for Celestia to rescind her order. As he looked up toward her with pleading eyes, Celestia motioned to the grand, broken window. His shoulders sank, and his fate was sealed.

Later, Jack would beg her to pull the order. If assassins were after him, then sending him out alone with some of the most valuable mares in all of Equestria may not be the best idea. Celestia responded by telling him that he was cleared to bring his full kit, and that if he wanted to survive the hit, he would have much better luck in a place where the assassins had no experience in. There would also be a squad of Luna's elite guard stationed nearby, and they would be given his radio signal.

Giving up on getting to stay on leave, Jack resigned himself to his fate, and left word with his men that he'd be out for awhile, before packing for a fight.

And quite the fight it would be.

Chapter Forty Four: Jackie Boy and the Main Characters

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As far as postings went, Jack could have asked for worse. Of course, he had been in worse, but that was besides the point. He'd been stitched up with magic, and having been put on the express lane for healing, the princesses saw fit to shove him out the door. Celestia wanted him out of the castle when he dealt with the rest of the assassins, and she was going to sniff out the root of it. It was all going to be worth it.

At least, that's what he repeated to himself inside his head as he sat on a train to Ponyville and sat in the same car as all the girls. The only saving grace his mind had was that he was seated across from a tiny dragon who had asked him, in reverence, which comic he had come from. Jack was beginning to become insanely thankful that ponies hadn't had much access to firearms before his coming, as nobody questioned why he would need a Rheinmetall MG3 and a Milkor grenade launcher loaded with frag. They did, however, question what they were. After the first question of what's that machine do? and the subsequent response of this machine kills communists, Jack learned to keep his mouth shut in such regards as he sat through a lesson on peaceful diplomacy and why you shouldn't kill people. It was all Jack could do to not blow his own brains out as Pinkie turned the lesson into a musical that the entire train joined in on.

Pulling his helmet on and slouching into his seat with his helmet's external audio pickups shut off allowed Jack to catch a well deserved nap. He awoke to Spike tapping idly at his visor, and an empty train car. With a muted curse for the baby dragon's sake, Jack stood and hefted his burgeoning backpack and followed Spike out of the train. That was of course, after, he'd rang his helmeted head off the door frame as he walked out.

The girls were waiting outside, apparently having an excited conversation with Twilight and one Maximilian. The other human recoiled at the sight of Jack and his kit, before snarkily asking “Are you expecting trouble, Staff Sergeant?”

“I'm always expecting trouble, and it's Knight Captain now.” Jack popped his helmet off and stuck a cigarette into his mouth, which immediately earned a shocked look and a set of puppy eyes from Max. Perking a brow, Jack pulled the smoke from his lips just prior to lighting up. “What? I know my face ain't pretty anymore, but it's rude to stare.”

Max's face reddened slightly as all attention shifted to him momentarily, but Jack soon found himself at center of attention as the girls crooned and reassured him that he was still a handsome man despite the fat scars all over his ugly mug. Once the attention had passed and the girls had retreated to the treehouse library, Max sidled up beside Jack again. “I… do you have any more cigarettes?”

Slowly cracking a grin as he puffed, Jack pulled out a crumpled pack of Marlboros. “So now you decide I'm worth your time. I see how it is.”

“What do you mean dude?” Max blinked at him with visible confusion, which only served to annoy Jack as he held the cigarette out to Max and subsequently lit it.

“...Never mind man. Let's get this crap over with.”

“Why are you here?” Max questioned again as Jack readjusted his pack and weapons. “Are the girls in trouble? Do you really think a machinegun is the right thing to bring?”

Snuffing out his smoke on the bottom side of his boot, Jack glanced to the other man. “Nope. I'm just a hoplophile. Can't sleep unless I'm spooning an anti-tank gun.”

“I'm not sure I understand… Why bring so many guns to a peaceful diplomacy mission? Twi said that the Breezies were having trouble gathering food for winter, so I don't see why… this.” Max gestured toward Jack.

Smiling as unconvincingly as he humanly could, Jack hefted the MG3 over his shoulder and let it's belt rest over his chest. “Because the Princesses think it's funny to watch me squirm, and like I said, I'm always expecting trouble.” He started for the door, only to be waylaid. Again.

“So is that how you solve all of your problems? With a gun?” Max was beginning to sound derisive, and Jack's patience was running thin far too quickly.

“Sometimes I use my boots or hands. Marine Corp teaches you all sorts of applications for problem solving.”

“If you say so.” Max kicked at the dirt as he finished the smoke, just as Twilight stuck her head out the door.

“Are you two going to come in some time today? Rarity is making tea.”

Max shook his head, and began to answer “Not yet, I'm going to chat with Ja-”

Only to be cut off as Jack strode forward toward the door. “I love tea!” He fought to keep the grin off his features as Max stared at his metal backside while it disappeared into the house. Jack knew he was in for a mental beating the moment he entered the little tree house, but it would be worth it for that teeny tiny little smidgen of payback he'd just scored. As he stepped inside, Jack was pleasantly surprised by the amount of headroom within the main lobby. “Oh, this is pleasant.” He murmured to himself as he set his pack down and leaned his weapons against the wall. He began mentally gauging the library against attacks. The consensus wasn't good, but he hoped he could engage the assassins outside of town, where it wouldn't result in a report the size of his head in thickness regarding the discharge of automatic weapons in a non-combat area filled with skittish civilians. Celestia had threatened him once with it, and it had curbed any desire he had to test his weapons anywhere but the designated range.

Disengaging his armour, Jack pried himself free from the suit and began stretching while he was watched. One of the girls made a quiet purr, but went silent as he finished limbering up his limbs and took a seat at the small table. Twilight smiled brightly at him. “Well, welcome to my home, Knight Captain.”

“It's a nice place. Very… tree-ee.” Jack drummed his fingers idly as Max entered the library and made a mildly surprised noise.

“Mm, so that stuff does come off.”

“Sure does bud.” Jack relaxed as the tea came in, but soon averted his eyes from the sight of Max and Twilight playing tonsil hockey. “Great…” He muttered quietly as the other girls looked elsewhere and busied themselves. Deciding to be an utter ass, Jack leaned on the table towards a rather unhappy looking Dash. “Makes you wonder if she tastes like mint or something.”

The absurdly loud snort and unwomanly gigglefit that Dash let out canned any idea that Jack's would be a quiet snark, but still served the purpose of seeing both Max and Twilight go bright cherry red. “Y’all should see ‘em when we're not busy, can't pry ‘em offa each other.” AJ mentioned idly as the pair separated and coughed. AJ’s smile faded slightly as Jack only responded with a grunt toward her.

Smirking as Dash continued to giggle, Jack decided to go one further. “Max, you better be careful when you guys make out. I'm watching your cheeks bloat like a chipmunk's. Y’might choke if she gets any more frisky.” His smirk grew to a bastard grin as Dash cackled and fell over, and Pinkie joined in simply because there was laughter.

Thankfully for the horribly embarrassed pair, Rarity trotted in with a tea set, only to see Dash on the floor fighting for breath, Pinkie giggling like a loon, AJ chuckling mildly, and both Max and Twilight trying to hide their faces while Jack grinned happily and waved.

“Hey there darlin’.” He grinned just a little wider. “You're missing my comedic genius.”

Setting down the tea set, Rarity flashed him a smile. “I'm sure I'll see my fair share. Now, has Twilight told you about the Breezies?”

“I don't even know what those are.”

Sighing, Rarity rolled her eyes as she floated filled tea cups to everyone at the table. “Too busy with Max?” Rarity asked quietly as the pair in question drank their tea and the others chattered loudly.

“Mhm. Young love. So, tell me about the Breezies. What kind of trouble should I expect?”

“None, I would expect. Not from the Breezies. They're so small they can fit in your hoof. They sent a rather tiny letter to Celestia about having trouble gathering enough magic for the winter, and something about a rival tribe of some sort. Twilight would know more, dear.” Rarity's eyes fluttered as Jack gave her a brief scritch on the back of the neck.

“I think that'll do for now. Thanks Rares.”

“Mmmm~ Any time, Knight Captain~.” Rarity shuddered, and shifted to put more weight on one of her legs to keep it from kicking.

“Havin’ fun over there you two?” AJ asked briskly as she prodded her untouched tea.

With his smile thinning to a facade, Jack shrugged at the cowpony. “Miss Rarity was just informing me of the mission, as nobody else has.”

“Oh! I'd love to tell you the quest Princess Celestia gave us!” Twilight chirped happily, her previous embarrassment seemingly forgotten. Sighing softly, Jack nodded to her and endured the long winded quest explanation, which was followed by an in depth explanation of Breezies, their magic, and the surrounding area. Jack struggled to glean the tactically important parts from most of it all, and by the end he was one of the few still awake. He prided himself on that, if only just.

It was decided that they'd set out that day, as everybody was ready for a camping trip and they could probably hit the edge of the Orange Leaf tribe's territory by nightfall. Pleased with the idea, Jack did his best to champion it, if only to get them as far away from the town as possible for when the attack came.

The walk was an easy, and pleasant one, or at least, it was for Jack, Dash and AJ. The others had to deal with rough terrain, cold winds, and heavy backpacks. Spike seemed to suffer the worst as he took up Rarity’s large burden of luggage. After the first kilometers, Jack fell back and took the reins of the small wagon. With Spike riding his shoulder opposite his micro rocket launcher, Jack was kept entertained as he tested how much stuff Spike could burn before developing coughing fits.

“So… okay. It's all about pressure, so try and pretend that you're blowing air. Pucker your lips, like you're kissin’.” Jack grinned as a slightly longer and thinner spurt of flame elicited from the baby dragon. After an earlier incident. Jack was keen on not sending another eyebrow to Celestia. He was, however, fully inclined to send her random sticks and leaves as he entertained his own pyromania.

“This is awesome! I've never been able to get it so big!” Spike claimed happily as he puffed and hit the stick Jack had thrown up in the air.

“You're basically a flamethrower, and they just operate through pressure. It's all basic science. Don't you have anybody to teach you?” Jack glanced up at the dragon on his shoulder.

“Jack, Spikeywikey has us to teach him! Those other dragons are just awful.” Rarity spoke cheerily, and caused Spike to blush mildly through his scales.

“Right… so no real lessons on how his own body works.” Jack muttered to himself as he tossed up another stick. Instead of incinerating the stick, Spike belched up a neatly rolled letter.

Spotting the letter as Jack caught it, Twilight gasped loudly and disappeared, only to reappear on top of Jack. Ignoring his startled cursing, Twilight plucked the letter from his fingers and opened it. “Dear Princess Twilight, please give this letter to Knight Captain Kessle. Oh.” Twilight pouted, and stuck the letter in Jack's face. She did not leave his shoulder.

Rolling his eyes at the antics, Jack rolled the next bit of letter down. “Jack. Stop.” He chuckled, and pulled out the trusty ballpoint pen and quickly scribbled a response on the bottom. “Dear Princess, I am testing the extents of baby dragon belches, would you interfere with science?”

“Don't send that!” Twilight squawked, but all too late as Jack held the letter up to Spike and it was incinerated. “You're not doing anything scientific! This is just playing around!” The purple smart pony glared at Jack, and thankfully couldn't see his grin. “You-” She jumped as the next letter came, and swiped it before Jack could even think about it. “Dear Princess Twilight, please give- ugh.” The princess jutted the letter out to Jack, who took it daintily between two fingers.

“Thank you.” He turned his eyes down toward the letter.

Jack, I will hurt you.

Snickering lightly, Jack crumpled up the letter and stuck it in one of his pockets. “Message received, Sunbooty.”

The walk went by as Jack could have easily expected; with nothing to truly draw his attention, he was pulled into the idle conversation and arguments of the group around him. No matter how hard he tried to ignore them and watch the surroundings, he found the attempt spawning a migraine that split his scalp open. With his mood souring and the light of day fading, Jack got Twilight's attention. “How far are we from the objective?”

Smiling brightly, Twilight pulled a map from her bags and consulted it. “Well~ Let's see here.” She began reading the map, trying to parse out their location. “Not very far now!”

“About an hour's walk?” When Twilight nodded, Jack came to a full stop. “We're camping here for the night.” He had called the stop near a small clearing that was visible from the road. While it was the most obvious place for them to camp, it was also the easiest to defend.

“But we're nearly there!” Twilight exclaimed.

“It's almost dark. I know most of you can walk for a few hours more, but I doubt we'll find another spot in the dark.” He began breaking trail, heading for the clearing with the wagon in tow. The girls stayed behind for a moment, clearly conversing on whether he had any idea as to what he was doing. The discussion was made irrelevant when Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie followed Jack into the clearing. Leaving the others to follow at their leisure.

Unstrapping himself from the carriage and setting Spike down, Jack began to head back for the perimeter of the clearing. Driving the perimeter beacons into the ground in a circle around the campsite gave Jack a brief thought about his old cave home. He wondered if anything had made a home there in his absence. Shrugging the idea off, he began the start up and check process with his PDA as he walked back. There was a fire started, and several tents were going up as he treaded across the soft ground. Pausing momentarily, Jack turned back toward the forest and narrowed his eyes. He didn't have the feeling of being watched, but he knew for sure the assassins would be catching up while they camped. Dropping his pack, Jack retrieved his entrenching tool and began digging a foxhole. With the exo-skeleton it didn't take long to dig out a Jack sized hole, and he swiftly covered it with an optical camouflage tarp. Reinforcing it with some thicker branches, Jack began clearing his firing lane. He had a great view over the forest section they'd come out of, but if the assassins were worth anything they'd attack from anywhere but the trail. Little did they know, was that he would know, no matter where they attacked from. As he set his machinegun down, Jack heard hooves approaching.

“Um… hello? Mr. Captain?” The voice was soft and pleasant.

Sticking his unarmoured head out of the foxhole entrance, Jack perked a brow at the butter yellow pony as she fidgeted while approaching. She nearly jumped out of her fur when he seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “You need me?”

Nodding jerkily, the mare tried to calm herself as best she could. “W-we wanted to know if… if you wanted to make s'mores.”

If you say no, I'm disowning you.

“I…. Yes.” Jack pulled himself free of the hole, sans armour and machinegun. He smiled at the mare, but doubted she could see it in the dark. “I'd like that.” As the shy pegasus seemed to relax, Jack was struck by an afterthought, and stuck his head back in his foxhole. Coming back out with his bandoleer of 40mm grenades and the Milkor launcher, Jack slung the weapon to his side and followed after the pony. Approaching the fire, Jack was treated to the sight of the girls and Max laughing and chatting while they made s'mores. Quietly taking a seat, Jack smiled lightly and waved to those who greeted him. Shifting in his exo-skeleton, he leaned forward and snagged a spare stick. “So. What's the plan then?” He idly scratched at his wounded shoulder, wincing as the ever present tingling struck him with a pang of pain to remind him to not touch.

“The plan?” Twilight perked up at the word, while the others continued on their business. Mostly.

Dash piped up, cutting off Twilight as she postured. “We're gonna kick that other tribe in the butt and tell them to back off!” She grinned while Jack smirked.

Sighing, Twilight seemed to put more thought to the question. “Well, how about this. We can split up! I'll take Fluttershy, Pinkie, Max, and Spike. You can take Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.”

To his surprise, the idea wasn't all that terrible. Well, despite being stuck with the emasculating horse farmer. “That should work fine. We'll stick together until we find the Breezie village, or whatever, and then my team will split off and search for the rival tribe once we have some direction. They have to be close if they're as small as you said they were.”

“Mhm! What do you think you'll do when you find them?”

And there it was. Jack smiled lightly as he stuck his speared marshmallow over the fire. They were all waiting for his answer, whether they showed it or not. “Well, way I figure it, is they've got to be making noise for a reason. If it's something worth doing, do it. If not, tell them to back off the other tribe's d-... Domain. Yeah.”

Seemingly surprised by his answer, but pleased with it, Twilight and the others mostly nodded and agreed that it wasn't that bad of a plan. He'd certainly come up with worse.

“Say pard’ner, what’re y’all even doin’ out here with us?” AJ questioned as she munched on her food.

Seeing no way to avoid the question entirely, Jack decided to be smarmy. “Well, the s'mores are a big reason I crawled out of my foxhole.”

“Y’all know that's not what I meant-” AJ began to protest, before getting cut off by Pinkie.

“Is it because you're being chased by a clan of ninja assassins!?” The mare somehow managed to be completely comprehensible despite a mouth literally full of hot marshmallow, melted fudge, and graham cracker.

Jack paused for a single moment, before nodding as he pulled his flaming stick out of the fire and stuck the charred marshmallow on his hunk of fudge. “Yeah, you got me. I'm actually here to counter-ambush a pack of assassins away from civilians. I wouldn't go as far to call them ninjas though. Mm! Fuck! Hawt!” Jack cursed and shook his finger to cool the molten marshmallow stuck to it.

“I knew it!” Pinkie declared loudly, before pulling out a bug catching net. “We'll catch them all!”

“Wait, so you're here because of those ponies that tried to kill you back in Canterlot!? That is so AWESOME!” Dash practically vibrated. Jack swiftly realized his folly in being truthful with the pink nutbar.

“Y’mean more o’ them varmints from the maze are out here? Why in the nine hecks didn't y’all tell us?” AJ looked particularly upset, but it didn't bother Jack all that much as he fumbled and fought with his snack.

Max was far too busy glaring at Jack to think of a question, Fluttershy was being calmed by Rarity, and Twilight looked contemplative. She soon spoke up as the others chattered with a mix of worry and excitement. “Princess Celestia sent you. Specifically. With us.”

Jack nodded as he nibbled the last of his smore. “Mhm. Shome reashon she-” Swallowing, Jack excused himself for a moment before continuing. “Seems to think it's a good idea. I'm not about to question her train of thought.”

“I suppose-” Twilight glowered as Dash pounced onto her.

“We can totally help you kick their butts! We've beaten up plenty of bad guys before, and these guys can't be so tough.” Dash smiled broadly as she puffed out her chest.

While he had to admit she had the guts to try and fight the trained assassins, Jack wasn't entirely willing to risk supposed national treasures when he could just do the job himself. Holding up a hand to try and curb the enthusiasm, Jack continued to pick at his snack. “While I'm all for the gumption and desire, I'm not risking any of you for this. I'm just a tag along on this quest of yours, and if I have my way, you guys won't even know I was being hunted.” He cursed mildly as the last of his graham cracker broke free and hit the grass. Leaning over to pluck it up, Jack felt a rush of air over his head, and heard a surprised yelp as something hit the fire.

“THEY KILLED HIM! S'MORES MCKINSEY!!” Pinkie cried out as Jack's eyes fell on the crossbow bolt that had pinned her pony shaped smore to the fire log.

The attack registered for everybody else a half second after it did for Jack. As they all spoke their realization, he was turning, and levelling the grenade launcher with the tree line. His finger depressed the trigger, and the bulky weapon chugged as it spat out the 40mm frag grenade. The round had barely been fired as a vibrant purple barrier sprung up around the group. The shield shimmered as the fat round smacked into it, and rebounded upwards and away. Jack's brain hadn't even caught up with the shield raising as the undetonated frag round smacked him in the face and broke his nose. The impact was enough to put him on his ass, but not enough to knock him out, and he watched as the round span off into the dirt as he was finding his voice.

“GAWD FAWK! MUH NOTH! FAWK!” Jack clutched as his blood spurting face and blinked back reactionary tears.

“Sorry! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!” Twilight cried out as another arrow bounced off the shield.

“I-i can help!” Fluttershy sounded like she was about to burst out bawling as everybody yelled back and forth and another bolt hit the shield.

Jack's PDA began chirping as three targets crossed his perimeter. His anger suddenly found a focus, and he sprung to his feet, despite the now searing headache he was suffering. “Mutha fawka.. drob da fawkin shield!” He popped open the Milkor’s action and flung the spent shot away as he slid in a star shell. This time, as he took aim, the shield didn't rebound the illumination flare back into his face. The launcher chugged again, spitting the flare high up into the sky. The flare burst to life as its parachute popped open and the round began its slow descent to the ground, all while illuminating the area below it with vibrant light. A trio of armoured ponies stood frozen in the open clearing, their weapons sagging as they looked up at the flare.

The girls yelled in chaotic union, a general 'let's go get those jerks’ met Jack as he cursed and spat. Standing tall, Jack brought the buttstock to his shoulder and levelled the barrel to the tree line. The assassins turned out to be better informed than their fellows, and immediately bolted for the treeline. As the girls started for them, Jack emptied the cylinder on the hostiles. The girls faltered as the cacophonous racket of staggered frag grenades carpet bombed the forest. They came to a full stop as a tree slowly fell to the ground, and the forest went silent.

“Mutha fawkin’ cawk thucka…” Jack opened the cylinder of the launcher and emptied the spent shells at his feet.

Dash stared out at the wasteland Jack had laid down. And uttered a reverent “woah…” as she sat down on her haunches.

“Why would you do that!?” Jack cocked his head to look over his shoulder as he pulled his spare grenades free from the bandoleer and slotted them into the empty cylinder. Fluttershy looked utterly furious as she trotted up. “Do you have any idea how many innocent animals you could have hurt!?”

Well? Do you?

Forced to breath through his mouth, Jack stared back at the timid pegasus gone enraged environmentalist and her group of friends as they stared at him. Sighing with exasperation, Jack slumped his shoulder. “Ahm thorry. Ah have tah keep yah thafe.”

“I don't want to be safe if it means hurting others, Mr. Knight Captain.” Fluttershy spoke quietly, her rage draining away fast.

Letting the grenade launcher lower into his cradling arms, Jack nodded to her. Twilight looked very displeased with his act of wanton destruction, and she began to speak of her displeasure as he treaded back to the fire. “Knight Captain, we really need to have a talk about your conduct.”

Leaning over, Jack plucked the live frag grenade off the ground and gingerly held it in his fingers. “Rules ah engagement. Take it up with Celestia.” He snorted lightly to clear the blood from his sinuses, and began transporting the live warhead out of the camp, only to be stopped by a telekinetic bubble enveloping his hand.

“Knight Captain Kessle, a word.” Without his consent, Twilight began dragging him toward the edge of camp. Once there, she plucked the grenade from his hand and crushed it in her telekinetic grip. The explosion was muffled and contained by her magic as she glared at him. “What in Tartarus was that?” As he opened his mouth to respond, Twilight held up a hoof and interrupted him. “Don't you dare blow me off, soldier.”

Sighing and wincing over his nose, Jack fixed her with a tired, professional stare. “Twilight-”

“Princess Twilight.”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Jack nodded. “Uhkay. Uhkay. Princess Twilight. Yes, yah and yah friends can fight, yeah, but Celestiah will skin me alive if ah let yah get hurt. So ah will deal with assassins. Uhkay?”

Continuing to glare at Jack, Twilight puffed her chest out subconsciously. “What I need you to realize is that I'm a princess too. That means I can order you around as much as I want. Do you understand?” At his nod, she continued. “I understand that these assassins are dangerous, but my friends and me have fought Discord. We can handle ourselves, but you need to remember that the girls aren't used to your brand of… of violence.”

With her glare softening somewhat, Jack pinched his bleeding nose and winced. “Uhkay. Ah understand.”

“I want you to use non-lethal force when you're with us.”

Pausing on his nod, Jack fixed the young princess with an incredulous stare. “What? But-”

“But nothing. I don't want the girls watching you do all that. They don't need to see it. Neither do I.” Twilight fidgeted slightly as his stare continued. “Do you understand? Should I send you back to Canterlot?”

“Nuh ma’am.” He shook his head. “Anything else?”

Seemingly surprised by his quick agreement, Twilight shook her head. “No. Um… You're dismissed. I think.”

“Uhkay.” Jack shot her a tired salute before he about-faced and began to march toward his foxhole.

As he sat down and fished out a mirror from his bag to look over nose, a rainbow mane and accompanying face poked down into his hole. “Hey… do you mind if I come in?” Dash asked quietly, which struck him as somewhat strange. Shrugging and beckoning her in, Jack returned to looking at his features in the low light. As Dash crawled into his foxhole, she looked around and seemed somewhat surprised. “Wow, pretty spacious in here.” She looked toward him, and found him still fiddling around with the mirror. “Would… can I help? At all?”

Nodding, Jack held the small mirror out to her, and had her hold it in place while he retrieved his pen. Dash quirked a brow at him as he took one final look at his tweaked nose, before sticking the pen into one of his nostrils. She winced heavily in sympathy as the busted cartilage crunched and he let out a muffled grunt of pain. The following nasally noises and spitting didn't bother her as much as the act of breaking his nose back into place. Blinking back reactionary tears, Jack wiped the pen clean on his cammies, and leaned back against his foxhole. “What do you need?”

With a mild sigh, Dash tucked her legs underneath herself and leaned against his heavy pack. “Can we talk?”

“We're talking now, aren't we?” Jack checked his PDA, before glancing out his murderhole. “I think they've fallen back.”

Perking up slightly, Dash tried to look out where he was. “What a bunch of pansies.” She paused as a distant shriek echoed to the foxhole. “What was that?”

Jack smiled, despite the pain it caused him. “Ah hope it was them findin’ trouble.” He relaxed slightly, and began cleaning his gear. “So, what is up.”

“I um… I wanted to say I was sorry. For, you know, how I was when we met.” Dash's shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the act.

“It doesn't bother me none. Least you didn't try and force it.”

Seemingly relaxing as her apology was accepted, Dash smiled lightly. “I'm not AJ. I won't lure you into the breeding barn and then ask you to mount me.” Her smile spread a little wider as Jack snorted a laugh and looked to her with an incredulous grin.

“She fuckin’ did that to somebody?”

“She did it to Max. Apparently he had no idea until she lifted her tail, then he ran out of there for all he was worth.”

Failing to keep himself from chuckling at the mental image, Jack shook his head. “The file called him oblivious, but it's really that bad.”

“We have files?” Dash asked quietly as she looked over while he cleaned the barrel of the MG3.

“Mhm. And ah’ve read them. And no, ah can't tell you what they said.”

“So… you know that I'm not allowed to join the wonderbolts then…”

With his features softening, Jack nodded. “Ah also know that it's your dream, and the call pissed off one'a the instructors.”

Slumping slightly, the mare rubbed the back of her neck. “So… yeah. I'm stuck in Ponyville forever, because I'm an element and Celestia doesn't want to separate us. Because…”

“Because you're a weapon. A tactical resource.” Jack began setting aside his cleaning tools. “Ah know the feeling. Ah know it really, really well.”

“Max called you Celestia's attack dog.” As Jack shrugged, Dash smiled weakly. “Ponies always treat me like I'm stupid, because I always fly headfirst at things, and I don't run when I should.”

“You're the physical embodiment of Loyalty. If you didn't try and stare every problem down or meet it head on to keep the others safe, ah’d call bullshit.”

With her smile returning ever so slightly, Dash looked downwards. “When you put it like that…”

“Where ah’m from, we have a term. Semper Fidelis. Always faithful.” He rolled up his sleeve, and showed her one of the many tattoos smattering his body. It was his first tattoo, the eagle over the globe and anchor, with the header of Semper Fidelis. “When ah came here, ah brought it with me. Semper Fidelis, Semper Est Paratum. Always faithful, always ready.” He patted her side lightly as she stared at the tattoo. “Ah have a very great respect for loyalty, because ah like to think it's one of the very few good things inside me. Yeah, ah'm the big bad pitbull the princesses sic on their enemies, but they look after me and mine, so ah’ll do the same until ah draw my last breath, or they fuck me.”

“I…” Dash rubbed her cheek as she took it all in. “So, if you were in my spot, what would you do?”

“If ah couldn't join the wonderbolts, ah'd find a way to train with them regardless. Then ah'd show them all up.” Jack grinned at her. “But if it's action ah wanted, then maybe joining a group that only does airshows might not be in my best interest anyways. Ah'd think of all the times they were called in, and didn't actually get anything done, because they only know how to look fancy. Then ah'd strive to do better.”

With a curious look about her, Dash slowly nodded. “Okay… now, how would I do that?”

“Well, ah look for the folks who could train me to be a real soldier. Word has it there's a hush hush special ops group based from Canterlot that has such a grizzly training regime, half of their recruits drop out before completion. Ah wouldn't expect to be able to join, but ah'd train with them so the next time some villain thinks their hot shit, ah could out-fly them all day, and then make them my broken little bitch on the ground.” Jack relaxed, and lit up a cigarette. “Course, that's just what ah would do.”

Smiling surely, Dash nodded. “I think that, that's a pretty good plan. Easier to follow than any of Twilight's at least… So, how do I get in with these special ops guys?”

“It's pretty easy, their leader likes to think he has a pretty good eye for talent.”

“Okay, what do I say to him?”

“Knight Captain Kessle, can you teach me how to be the biggest, meanest bitch on the block.” Smiling broadly, Dash repeated him, and even added a please to her request. Nodding to the mare, Jack pulled the machinegun back to his lap. “Yes, Recruit Dash. I will teach you the ways of the attack dog. We're going to keep watch for assassins, and I'm going to walk you through how a German made machinegun works, as well as the fundamentals of firearms. Oorah?”

With a big smile, Dash nodded and scooted next to him. “Hooah, sir.”

“First lesson, it's Oorah. Hooah is for army pukes with dicks in their mouths. Now, pay attention. The krauts love making shit complicated.”

Morning came up fast on the small camp, and as the girls all woke up bleary eyed and sleepy, they all came to the shocked realization that both Jack and Dash were awake before any of them, had cooked breakfast, and broken their section of camp.

“Rainbow, Darling! Did you get any sleep at all last night?” Rarity was the first to question the unusually awake and chipper Dash as she sat by the fire.

“Yeah, I'm fine! I got three two hour naps on watch, and Knight Captain Kessle shared some of his coffee beans.”

AJ leaned a little closer so the others couldn't hear. “So, y'all stayed up all night, eating his beans?”

Reddening slightly, Dash held her composure and smirked at AJ. “Not like that, but I also didn't chase him all the way to town wearing lingerie, AJ.” As the farm pony scowled and accepted breakfast, Jack continued to patrol the area.

It didn't take long for the girls to break camp, and they were back on the trail within an hour. Trotting through the ruined copse of trees by the trail, Jack was relieved to see that there weren't any dead animals about, but he did spot some large splotches of blood, and wooden shrapnel that had little tufts of fur stuck to them.

“Enemy force likely fell back and moved ahead to set an ambush. Ah want everybody behind me, and for the shield to come up upon contact. So if everybody can pay attention to their surroundings, that'd be great.” Jack opened up a portion of his pack, and fished out his drone and a beacon marker. Waving Dash forward, he stuck the beacon to her flank and launched the drone with the explicit order to follow her and give fire support if needed. “The drone can fly to about sixty or seventy kilometers an hour, and it has a light laser repeater mounted in the chassis. You're the forward scout, the drone will let you talk to me. Ah don't want any heroics, alright?”

To the girls shock, Dash nodded and saluted. “Yes sir!” She took off like a shot, and the drone zipped after her like a faithful hound.

Twilight trotted up next to Jack, and fixed him with a suspicious look. “What did you do to her?” Max was following up behind her, but stayed quiet as she did the talking to the heavily armed and armoured marine.

“Ah just gave her a pep talk and some pointers.” Jack rolled his shoulder, before motioning the group forward. “Come on princess, your fairies aren't going to help themselves.”

With a grunt of displeasure, Twilight followed up behind him, and the rest of the girls followed at their own pace. The walk to Orange Leaf territory didn't take long at all, and the group didn't run into any assassins out for blood. Upon finding the tiny sprawling village, Twilight made it clear Jack was to stand back and let her do all the talking. When he heard the painfully high pitched voice of the chubby chieftain, Jack was more than happy to let her play diplomat with Max and Rarity.

Dash soon landed, with the drone still tailing her. “I haven't seen anything so far. Maybe-”

“Nooo! The Wyrmtooth tribe are awful miscreants! They must be made to leave!” The Orange Leaf chieftain shrieked indignantly, drawing all eyes. “We need these things for our magic and food! We gonna starve if you don't help! But you gotta make Wyrmtooth go away! Far far away! They send spiders to eat us!”

Sighing at the theatrics, Jack strode forward, and very quickly loomed over the entire village. Not to his surprise, the Breezies began panicking and stampeding in abject terror, much like how their larger pony counterparts did in Ponyville.

“Gaaah! Princess make the Kaiju go away! Awayawayaway right nooooooow!!!!” The chieftain cowered, and earned a sneer of disgust from Jack that his helmet hid, while Twilight fixed him with a disapproving glare.

“I thought I asked you to stay back?”

Ignoring the princess, Jack kneeled down on one knee and drew closer to the chieftain. “Where is the Wyrmtooth clan?”

The turnaround was actually very impressive, as the chieftain immediately stopped cowering and stood straight, while his villagers stopped stampeding. “Oh. You gonna make Wyrmtooth go bye bye? Good! Kaiju go thata way!” The chieftain pointed off into the forest. “Look for the spiders and the teeth! They awful teeth thieves! Steal so many teeth!”

Standing tall and sending a few of the Breezies back into a panic, Jack turned to Twilight. “Am ah clear to take my squad into Wyrmtooth territory?”

“We're the elements of harmony, not a military unit, Captain. But yes, you may take your group. Please be careful, and remember to use non-lethal force only.”

“Ah remember the demand. Ma'am.” He saluted Twilight, and gathered his squad. “Have fun with your scavenger hunt.”

With his squad gathered, Jack, Dash, Rarity, and Applejack set off in the direction the chief had gestured wildly toward. In an attempt to keep the mood light as they began to pass by large spider webs, Jack began to idly joke. “So. Tooth fairies are real here, huh?”

“It would seem that way, Darling.” Rarity muttered, clearly no longer enthused about following him into the spider infested forest.

“So what're y'all planning, Sugarcube?” AJ looked around nervously. “Y'all ain't gonna get violent again, are yah?”

“Ah'm gonna see what needs to be done when he get there.” Jack answered shortly and crisply, which earned a small frown from the farmer.

“That don't answer mah question, soldier man.”

“I don't have an answer.”

His clipped responses only seemed to drive her further up the wall as they walked. “Are y'all gonna give me more than a single sentence when we talk? Cuz ah know you love to just talk, so y'all can't pretend y'all’re some Big Macintosh in termsa conversation.”

“Unless I have to, no.” Jack rested the machinegun across his arms and continued to lead the group deeper. His answer caused Dash and Rarity to share a look, before they both tried to intervene, AJ spoke again.

“And why in the nine hecks do you hate me?” She blurted out, clearly upset. “Y'all just seem to be all gruff an’ growl towards me, and ah am sick of it!”

Glancing over at the flustered Cowpony, Jack considered his options. “My second day on Equestrian soil, I watched you castrate some poor bastard. Don't get me wrong, I know humans are little more than animals to be used here, but it's still pretty disturbing watching somebody have their nuts taken off. I've come to call you the Emasculator in my head, and frankly, I don't really want to be close to you because you make me uncomfortable.”

The trio stared at Jack as they walked, and he turned his attentions back forward. AJ had gone quiet after his proper answer, and seemed to be busy trying to figure out where to go from there. “Ah… Ah don't really know what'ta say to that…”

“I don't hate you, you just make me uncomfortable. If it weren't for that, I'm sure we'd chat for hours about life on the farm.”

AJ perked, while Rarity and Dash visibly relaxed. “Y'all lived on a farm? Yah don't strike me as the type.”

“I don't strike you as a stubborn, brazen cunt? I'm losing my touch then.” As AJ coughed and chuckled, Jack smirked mildly. “I grew up on a wheat farm, couple dozen acres. Me and my siblings.”

“So yer a family stallion then… heh, how many siblings you have?”

“Had eight other siblings. Lived with them, my folks, and my uncles.”

“Had?”

“I don't know if any of them survived the war.” Jack answered quietly, and the group fell silent behind him.

“Do…” AJ trotted somewhat closer, and looked chastised. “Do yah miss em?”

“Every day.” Jack paused, and looked around again. The spider webs were getting especially thick, and the ground under his boots was becoming spongy. “Watch your footing, we-” Jack had barely taken another step when the ground gave out from under him, and he plummeted into the dark. The girls stood shocked for a single moment, before rushing to the edge of the ragged hole. They could just barely hear the long, echoing curse that swiftly grew faint. Without a second thought, AJ and Dash both dove into the dark hole, leaving Rarity at the top.

Whimpering as she looked around herself at the creepy forest, Rarity swallowed her fear as best she could, and jumped into the hole with a terror stricken scream.

Jack careened down the twisting tunnel on his back; his armour occasionally sparked as it ground across stone, but that was the least of his worries. Pinned back by both of his outstretched boots was a trapdoor spider the size of a large duffel bag. It spat and hissed and scratched at his boots, but to no avail as he slid down the natural slide, deeper and deeper into the earth.

The ride came to a sudden and abrupt end, and Jack found himself sailing through the dark. Bracing for impact, Jack was pleasantly surprised as his feet very quickly found the ground, and the spider attacking his boots disintegrated to a fine paste as he slid across the web covered floor. The area around him was pitch black darkness, and even his night vision modes could barely pick up the faintest traces of natural light. While he couldn't see, he could hear. He truly wished it was the other way around. The sounds of thousands of skittering legs filled the cave, creating an ever present din. He could also hear the girls sliding down the pipe after him, and he knew they'd be on top of him in moments.

Dash came rocketing out first, and her wings flared as she hit air. AJ was caught neatly by Jack, though she nearly took his arm off on impact. Setting the farmer down. Jack perked at the sound of a continuous shriek that was growing ever closer. Bracing as best he could, Jack caught Rarity as she exited the slide and sailed through the air. Despite having been caught and still cradled in Jack's arms, Rarity continued to scream and keep her eyes shut.

“Uh, guys? A little help here?” Dash asked from above as she struggled and fluttered her wings.

“Hold on, I can't see shit.” Jack set down the still crying Rarity, who was given a good shake by AJ. Pulling a pair of chem lights from his kit bag, Jack cracked them and dropped them to the ground, before reactivating his NVGs. Looking up toward Dash's voice, Jack could make out the mare as she struggled in a spiders web. “You're not too high up ah’m going to try and cut you dow-aw shit…” Jack lifted the machinegun to his shoulder as Dash looked around desperately.

“What? What is it!?”

Drawing a bead on the very large, black spider as it descended it's web towards Dash, Jack muttered hotly. “Spiders. It just had to be spiders.”

BRAAAACK

The burst of gunfire earned a trio of shrieks and yells as Jack blasted the spider to bits. The sound of the gunfire echoed into the cavern, and a chorus of chitinous shrieks responded. Not wasting any time, he scrabbled up the side of the cavern, and drew his mono-edged knife. Slashing at the thick strands of sticky silk, shock struck as his blade failed to cut all the way through. Redoubling his efforts, Jack slashed madly at the silk to free Dash. Some of the strands were as thick as his forearm, and had the strength of braided steel cables. As he cut Dash free, Jack's eyes flicked to the dead spider as it dangled from the web. It was glossy black, and had an hourglass pattern across its belly.

Dropping to the cavern floor, Jack idly noted that the skittering was maddeningly closer.

“Ewww! Ugh, these webs are so gross!” Dash complained as AJ and Rarity peeled the remaining strands from her feathers and fur. “How do we get out of here Jack?”

“Ah haven't the foggiest.” Jack muttered as he pulled a flare from his kit. “Watch your eyes, this will be bright.” As he prepared to ignite the flare, he saw just the faintest glimmer in the pitch black dark. The flare struck, and instantly bathed the web filled cavern with red light. Jack instantly wished that it hadn't. The glimmer turned out to be eight eyes the size of his chest, and the pitch black carapace of a spider roughly the size of a Kenworth truck. The spider was an arms length away from Jack's face, and it's fangs with the length of his full arm. Silence ruled as the flare hissed and sputtered, and Jack stared wide eyed at the black widow matriarch.

Rarity was the first to scream, and Jack was infinitely thankful for it, as it broke through the spell that held him in place. Acting on deep animal instinct, Jack lashed out with a balled up fist and smashed one of its deadly fangs clear off. The matriarch shrieked loudly enough to vibrate his visor as he snatched up the fang and began backpedalling.

“BACKBACKBACK!! GO BACK! WE'LL FIND ANOTHER WAY OUT! I'LL HOLD IT OFF!” Jack boomed at the girls as he lifted the MG3 with one hand and pinned the trigger down. The machinegun roared to life, and sounded like a buzzsaw from hell in the enclosed space. The heavy 7.62x51 nato bullets skipped, pitted, and bounced across the matriarch's carapace; sparks lit up as they ricocheted into the cave, but none seemed to penetrate the thick chitin.

“JACK, HERE!” Somebody yelled, but he couldn't tell who over the buzzsaw chatter of the MG3. Casting a fast glance over his shoulder, Jack saw the girls crushing smaller spiders near a small tunnel, which was conspicuously web free. It was pitch dark as well, and he couldn't see more than a foot into it. Rarity took initiative as Jack backpedaled toward them, and galloped into the tunnel-

-Only to run muzzle first into an invisible wall of force. Cursing hard, Jack turned his full attention back to the matriarch.

Only one way out. Forward.

The launcher on his shoulder sprang upwards, and one of his very few AT rockets leapt forth to strike the matriarch between the eyes and blow her to bits. Only it didn't. A crack of foul magic split the air before the matriarch, sending the rocket careening off into the wall, where it exploded and sent fist sized chunks of stone spraying across the cavern. One of the girls cried out in pain as Jack's machinegun fell silent when the last of its belt ran dry.

Snarling like an animal, Jack dropped the machine gun and banged his fists together. “COME ON BITCH, YOU WANNA DANCE WITH THE DEVIL IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT, WELL LET'S FUCKING TANGO!!”

The Black Widow Matriarch howled her answer as it began charging forward on spear tipped legs, fully intent on shredding Jack and sucking his eyes out.

“Huah! Biggo beastie Shiva! Fack off!”

Jack paused in his rage to show confusion as he turned his attention to his other shoulder, where the voice had come from. A slate grey Breezy stood upon it, holding a small twig with several spiders fangs tied to it. He had just enough time to avert his eyes as the twig flared like the sun and the matriarch shrieked in agony as her cave accustomed eyes were seared by the sun flare.

“Back! Back to da safe place, biggun!” The breezy whacked his twig against Jack's visor, and he wasn't about to question the change in fortune. Scooping up the steaming machinegun, Jack turned and followed the girls as they were ushered down the small tunnel by a pack of Breezy tribal warriors. Apparently the shield had dropped, and the tribals were covering the retreat with spears. Small spiders were beginning to swarm toward the tunnel as the matriarch continued to shriek her rage.

The Breezy on his shoulder began some sort of ritual dance, and his stick began to glow. One by one, the fangs on the twig turned to dust, and the power built within the carved twig. The barrier was rebuilding itself, but not fast enough. Spiders the size of Jack’s fist had slipped through, among some few smaller, and were clearly intent on dragging the warriors off back to their nests. Not having any of that, Jack began to stomp and smash any spider that entered the range of his boots and fists

The tribals soon fell back, and began using Jack's armoured boots as their front line. A large spider would often leap upon its chosen prey, only to be kicked off by Jack and run through with tiny spears. Spiders were descending from the roof toward the mage as well, and Jack's hands became an anti-air array as he swatted, punched, and crushed the attackers. Thankfully, the mage finished his spell, and slammed his twig down on Jack's shoulder. A burst of light lanced out from it, sealing the tunnel and incinerating any remaining spiders.

“Huah! Nuttin like ah spida slaughta! Ahahaha!” The Breezy mage turned and shook his ass toward the barrier, and was mirrored by the warriors. “Fack you Shiva! You suck da Wurmtoof cawk! Hah!”

Unable to help but cackle at the sight. Jack found himself grinning. “The Wyrmtooth tribe, I presume?”

“Da Wurmtoof tribe reprasent! Huah! Who be you, biggun?” The mage tapped Jack's visor and cocked a tiny brow.

“Knight Captain Kessle, I'm here to see what has the Orange Leaf chieftain's panties in a bunch.”

“Dat little poof tinks he's da chief!? I'll whack em! I'll strangle em! Grah!” The wyrmtooth mage pointed toward Jack's visor. “Dat little poof be a coward! Stay and cry while stallions go and fight da spidas! Den he take a control!”

Shaking his head, Jack began following the tribals down the tunnel. “So he pulled a coup while you warriors were out here? How long has it been?”

“Free yeahs! Free fawkin yeahs we been stuck hea! We stuck, and wes running outa teef.”

“He told us you all stole teeth.”

“Grrrr! You gonna help us, right biggun? We use lasta our majiks to save you. We don't gots enough teef to last much longa. We senta letta to da big sun butt poni but she no ansa!”

Jack's treading saw him exit into a much smaller cavern, where a bustling village was built along the wall. A quick glance told of some one hundred breezies, most of which were male. They all watched him with trepidation, but didn't cower. To Jack's immense relief, Rarity, AJ, and Dash were nearby and arguing between each other. Upon seeing Jack, their argument ceased and they all jumped him.

“We thought you were spider food pardner!” AJ hugged his midsection tightly as Dash floated and batted his helmet.

“This guy would never let something as dumb as a spider eat him! You saw it, he just punched it in its big, fat, stupid spider face! That was so awesome!”

“There was never any doubt you would pull ahead darling.” Rarity smiled toward Jack as he popped his helmet free.

The Wyrmtooth mage pulled back at the sight as Jack gave the girls a toothy grin while he bumped his fist against Dash's hoof. “Glad you three are alright.”

“Yous gotta be da biggest Umie ah eva seen! Lookit dem chompas!” The mage grinned in kind. “I be Chief Long Spea'a Wurmtoof, rightfo chief of da Wurmtoofs. Da Poofy faggot Pomer send ya, did e?”

Jack nodded. “Apparently he sent a letter to Celestia about not having enough magic for the tribe to survive the winter. We got sent to help out. He also complained about a rival tribe, but I've got the feeling you're all one tribe.”

“Ya damn right wes one tribe! And a course dey don't gots enough majiks, they don't use da teef! Dat poncy poof usin’ flowas and stupid rocks! Ain't nough majiks in a fawkin rock!”

Smiling as the girls showed concern and confusion, Jack glanced to the village. “Why don't you tell us what happened, and then we can talk about getting your people out of here.”

As the chief spoke, it became clear what had truly happened. Chief Pomer, the current chief of Orange Leaf, had stayed behind when Chief Long Spear and his warriors had left to take on the encroaching spiders, and had staged an easy coup with almost all of the men gone. The spiders had proven to be far more sinister than a simple infestation, and Jack discovered that Long Spear suspected Shiva had swallowed some magical object early on, which led to her monstrous size and magical ability. The tribe was currently just scraping by with the few fangs they took from killed spiders, but getting the fangs was highly dangerous, and they lost people every time. He made mention of how another bunch of ponies had fallen to Shiva just the night before, but had barely put up a fight long enough for Long Spear and his warriors to do anything about it. That at least put Jack's mind at ease over the assassins. There was nobody else it could have been.

“Chief, I've got a question. Does the size of the teeth help at all?”

“Huah, course it does! Bigga teef, bigga magics!”

Lifting Shiva's broken fang, Jack smirked very mildly. “And something this big?”

“HUAH! Dats Shiva's big o fawkin sticka! How’d you get dis!?”

“I punched Shiva in the mouth and it broke off.”

“Huaahahahah! Yous a real mawthafawka, Capatan! Wit dis! Wit dis, we can get outa hea!”

Leaning forward, Jack smiled to the girls. “Let's talk tactics then. What do you need us to do to let you work your magic?

The chieftain seemed to consider things for a long while, but when he spoke, an idea began to form across the group. With the fang, Long Spear could create a spell that would immolate every spider but Shiva, but he would need time to cast it, and once he started, Shiva would do everything she could to kill him. It would come down to Jack to take her on, while the girls kept the chief safe.

Laying out his last belt of ammo, Jack muttered some cursing about his situation. “I should have brought a flamethrower, not my last bloody machinegun.” He set down his nearly empty belt of 40mm grenades, and began going through his inventory.

“Is it gonna be enough?” AJ sat down next to him, and was soon joined by Rarity and Dash.

“The seven six two's only piss her off, and I really don't want to use the forty mike mikes inside a cave, but I've got one more star shell and my knife. I don't have the spare ammo to waste my sabot pistol on this bitch, so it looks like I'm wrestling her.”

“Darling.” Rarity started as she dug through her saddle bags. “That is an awful plan.”

“I don't have a better one.”

She smiled as she pulled a bundle of hair spray canisters from her saddlebags. “But I believe you have a penchant for destruction. Could you use these?”

“You-” Jack let out a quiet, surprised noise. “Yes. If those are half as flammable as the crap my sister's used, I can make them work.” Taking the canisters, he began working on making a small fire bomb using some of his bits and pieces, and a one of his 40mm grenades. As he worked and Dash watched intently, Long Spear approached.

“Capatan Kessal! Yous gonna need a magic weapon. Shiva make da no’mal stuff crappola.”

With his anarchists bomb basically complete, Jack wrapped it in duct tape and handed it to Dash as he looked toward Long Spear. “What did you have in mind chief?”

“Yous gotta some teef you don't need?”

Shifting uncomfortably, Jack tried to take mental stock of the teeth he could survive without. “How magic are we talking?” Drawing his mono-edged kabar, he set it down before the chief.

“All da majiks. Huah, dis sharp!” The chief patted the matte black steel and grinned. “Ifnya gots some teef, ah can put on da snickersnack! Kill da Shiva dead!”

“That does sound promising… I've got a wisdom tooth the dentist never wanted to pull out, but I don't know how you guys are gonna get it out.”

The chief glanced up toward Jack, as if unimpressed. “Majiks.” Sticking a hoof to his mouth, Long Spear whistled, and a pair of smaller breezies fluttered up. “Da capatan is gonna give us a big ol toof! Yous gon’ be real careful like! Is the wisdoom toof.”

The girls sat nearby, and watched as the chief had Jack open his mouth wide and the pair entered his mouth. Jack winced lightly and seemed to try and focus on anything but the fairies in his mouth. Moments later, the mare of the pair popped back out and set her forehooves on the tip of his nose.

“Mista Capatan, is called fwossin. Y’should start.”

This earned a hard roll of the eyes from Jack, and a quick jab to her belly with his tongue. The breezie squeaked sharply, and pawed at her now soaked stomach. She didn't have much chance to mouth him off, as the chieftain barked at her and sent her back in to do work. With his mouth going fuzzy, Jack was idly aware of a mild pressure on his back molars.

He'd always hated the dentist's office.

Before long, a fat tooth flew from his mouth, and was followed by another two. Choking in surprise, Jack spat out the pair of hacks and rubbed his jaw in shock. Before Jack could speak, the chief flew into a fury and whapped both the breezies upside the head.

“Yah flippin’ dingdongs! Yah only supposed to take da wise toof!”

“But des teef gots hats! How's we supposed to know which toof is wise?”

With wide eyes and the girls watching in horror as he rubbed at his jaw, Jack revved up his glare and fixed the pair with a smoldering one. Even the chief winced at the look. “Easy Capatan. Dis is all good teef! I make a da majiks even betta!”

“Took my damn teeth… You better, or I'll be flossing with those two.”

Nodding rapidly, the chief pushed Jack's big molars and wisdom tooth over in a row and began the ritual. Jack was treated to the sight of his teeth disintegrating before his eyes, and a physically powerful connection arcing between his now floating kabar and the chief. At the crescendo of the ritual, Jack's wisdom tooth was consumed, and the blade began to hum softly and tunelessly. The hum slowly grew on Jack, like a soft diddy somebody close to him used to hum when there was peace. Caught by the siren call of his knife, Jack gently gripped the handle, and the last of the magical energy seeped into the blade. The knife had always felt comfortable in his hands, but now it felt like it was a part of him. Like it was a living thing, and it wanted what he did.

“I dubba thee! Samhain, Vorpal blade!” The chief looked to Jack as he gingerly held the knife. “I tol’ yah you'd like it. She like yah too. She's got da Snickersnack, an’ ol’ Shiva haaaaaate da snickersnack! Maybe don' shave yah face wit’ her.”

I wouldn't hurt you.

Jack smiled softly as he ran a finger across the handle of the blade. “I know you wouldn't darlin’...” The sudden realization that he'd just spoken to his knife unironically struck, and Jack quickly sheathed the blade at his hip while the others gave him weird looks.

Oh boy, now Jackie has two voices in his head! I wonder which dead friend this new one belongs to.

He had to fight down a quiet growl as he looked to the girls. “Are you three ready?”

Smiling, Rarity nodded. “Yes, we are ready to follow your lead.”

“Heck yes, pardner, let's go kick some magic spider butt and show that jerk Pomer why you shouldn't lie.” AJ nodded to Jack and fixed her hat.

“We're gonna save all of these little guys, and Twilight is gonna be sooo jealous!” Dash grinned and ran a hoof through her mane. “This is going to be so awesome.”

With the girls squared away, Jack turned back to the chief. “We're ready to go when you are. The girls will keep you and yours covered while you perform the ritual. I'll deal with the queen bitch.”

“You sure yah can handle da big bitchy bitch?”

“She's not the first act of Regicide I've committed, and I doubt she'll be the last.”

“Huah! Yous gots tha hangers! I hope yah don't getcha eyes sucked outa yah head today.” The chief grinned grimly, before heading off and gathering his people for one last push.

Standing and checking his kit one last time, Jack gathered with the girls and the tribals, and started down the small tunnel.

It's going to be fine. Don't worry so much.

He could hear Samhain’s soft voice in his head, and it did wonders to calm his ever present operation anxiety. He tried to ignore the fact his knife was talking to him, and just accept that it was a voice of calm in his ever chaotic mind. It would make a great foil to the Mark Volk impersonator.

Best you keep the voices in your head a secret Jackie boy.

“Shut up Mark.” Jack murmured quietly in his helmet as he pulled the Milkor forward and checked it's cylinder for the umpteenth time. “Ready when you are Long Spear. Drop the barrier.”

“Wurmtoof warrias! Prepare yah spears for the big one! We go home tonight, or we die tryin! Wes gonna string up Pomer Poof and see our wives again! We gonna get laid boys!” The gathered warriors cheered and hooted at the claim, and the barrier dropped.

The moment the barrier dropped, all hell broke loose.

On the surface, Twilight was on a pleasant walk with Max and Spike as they searched for 'the rock of contemplation’. Fluttershy was off searching for 'the flower of power'. Pinkie was helping her, thankfully. With a sigh, Twilight lifted her list of everything Chief Pomer had demanded they gather so 'all of his people wouldn't die.’ It had been nearly three hours since Twilight had seen the Knight Captain or her friends, and she was beginning to grow concerned. Max saw the look on her features and gave her a soft scratch behind the ears that earned a soft coo of affection.

“I'm sure they're fine. How much trouble could they get into?”

Jack roared as he slammed his balled up fist into Shiva's eigth eye, before deflecting her spear tipped leg with his knife. As the pair made contact, the opposing magics clashed and saw a vibrant flash of light burst with every strike parried. The star shell was still burning away at Shiva's thick carapace, and illuminating the chaos of the nest. The breezies and the elements were holding their ground well enough, and Long Spear was entering a frenzy of ritualistic power.

Redoubling his efforts, Jack roared his indignation again and planted his boot in the matriarchs face hard enough to see one of her dazzled eyes burst. Rage filled Jack as he fought, and he could feel the power of Samhain feeding into it.

Tell her how it is.

“YOU ARE HUGE, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE HUGE GUTS!! I'LL RIP AND TEAR YOUR GUTS! GRRAAAAAHHH!”

Outside, Fluttershy was picking flowers with Pinkie when the spastic pink pony's pony jerked and spasmed, dropping her to the dirt.

“Oh my! Pinkie, are you alright?”

The pink pony blinked unevenly and looked up toward Fluttershy. “Dynamite.”

The spell was nearly ready, and Shiva had run a leg into Jack's thigh, right through the seam of his plates. His spilled blood had driven the spider queen into a frenzy, and she was forcing him onto the defensive.

A concussive boom shook the cavern, and a gout of hairspray fueled flames burst from one of the offshoot tunnels, where a tide of arachnids had been surging toward the breezie lines. Rarity blew out her singed lock and shook her head as Dash spun and kicked spiders away from the flying breezies. AJ was double bucking the larger spiders to her heart's content, and it seemed their thick carapace was nothing compared to the sheer energy her bucks carried.

Jack was forced to dodge as a steel beam of spider web shot past his head and embedded into the wall. Taking the moment to his advantage, Jack brought his knife down into the joint of the spiders closest leg, earning a gout of brackish yellow blood. Shiva screeched indignantly at him, before batting him back several feet, where he landed on his back and sprang back to his feet.

“NOW CAPATAN! WES READY!”

Not turning his attention away from Shiva, Jack roared in answer. “DO IT!”

The magic wave washed over him, causing little flames to sprout up and die across his armour. The wave passed on and on, building strength swiftly until everything with more than two eyes was left a shrieking, flaming husk. Shiva howled in pain as her carapace caught fire, but she didn't fall. To Jack's surprise, the monstrous queen turned away from him and the others, and began charging deeper into the nest.

“Da big bitch is makin’ a run for er’! Don' let her escape or she gonna kill us all!”

Not needing to be told twice, Jack bolted after Shiva. The web covered stone floor clattered with every boot fall as Jack slowly gained on her. He soon began passing cocoons that lay stuck to the sides of the walls. His eyes flicked to the side as he caught sight of an equine head sticking out of one of the cocoons. It was a stallion with a bandana across his muzzle, and the bandana bore the mark of a red hoof. Ignoring the fallen assassin, Jack leapt and clamped his fingers down on Shiva's carapace as the slope went upwards. Grabbing onto the seams of her plates, Jack hauled himself up and over her gargantuan abdomen. Catching sight of what they were headed for, Jack swiftly lowered himself again as Shiva slammed into the stonework blocking the tunnel.

Spike was bored. That was it. He was bored out of his mind. Twilight and Max had left him with the very important job of collecting the last few items on the list while they looked elsewhere. They were probably doing gross adult stuff again. While Spike could stomach that, it was the fact he had to collect all this stuff for the breezy chieftain. He didn't like the chieftain, he was a pushy, rude little fairy, and he called them all names when he thought they weren't listening.

“I wish I'd gotten to go with Captain Jack and the others… this sucks.” Spike kicked a small stone, before watching another tremble and jump at his feet. “Huh? What the?” The stone jumped again, before an ear piercing shriek pierced the air, and was followed by a rebel yell.

“YEEEE HAAAW!”

Spike jumped in surprise, before bolting in terror as the biggest, angriest spider he had ever seen barreled through the trees with Jack riding it like a bronco. Diving to the side, Spike did his best to hide from it as Jack hauled on its face and pulled it away from him. To Spike's immense relief, the girls and a huge pack of breezies were right behind the rampaging pair, and they gathered him quickly.

As Shiva rampaged through the forest, Jack struggled to keep his seat on her. He could tell they were drawing close to the breezy village, which was where he hoped to find Twilight and the others. Unfortunately for him, Shiva didn't take a single bound further, as she ran face first into a shimmering purple shield. The impact jarred Jack badly, and sent him flying off his adhoc seat and into the shield himself. Falling into a heap before a further enraged Shiva, Jack had a split second to roll to avoid the magically enhanced spider legs as they punched down around him, intent on impaling him now that he was on the ground before her. Drawing his kabar, Jack made a sharp slash toward the spiders head, only to be stopped by another shield. His knife and he growled in tandem as Twilight separated him from Shiva as the spider was trapped under a magic dome.

“Knight Captain! Can you please explain what the hay is going on!?” Twilight yelled at him as the others finally caught up. She took one look at the battered and singed group, and then the large pack of tribal breezies following them. Long Spear separated himself from the group, and held onto Dash's ear as they cantered over to try and cover for Jack.

“Well, you see princess, it turns out that Chief Pomer is a jackass and a total piece of shit. He left his tribe's real leader and warriors to die at the fangs of this fuckhuge magic spider named Shiva. He's also using you and the girls to gather crappy magic items because he's too lazy to do it himself.”

The princess stared at him for a long moment, as Long Spear fluttered up and landed on Jack's shoulder. “You da princess?” At her slow nod, Long Spear gave his spear a light sharpening. “Hellos and salumutations. Yous gonna save Shiva?”

Twilight slowly nodded. “It's just a spider. It's not inherently evil, so-”

“Well, you’s betta do a betta job. Cuz she's almost out!” The chief pointed with his spear to the giant spider as she balled up a glob of virulent magically enhanced venom. The group had less than a second before Shiva spat the venom at the shield, and it burned through like an acid.

Twilight stared wide eyed at the horror before her. “T-that's not possible.”

Cursing as Shiva burst free of the damaged shield, Jack yelled. “Fuck this! I am using lethal force!” Hurling Samhain at the spider, Jack began to draw the Milkor as the knife sailed true through the air.

SNICKER-SNACK

The noise echoed through the forest as the powerful magic inside the knife lashed out and cleaved the spider's head clean off. Shiva's body went tense, before collapsing in a heap. Samhain circled through the air, before returning to Jack like a boomerang. He stared at the dead spider, then to the knife in his hand. “I love you, Sammy.” As the knife hummed it's pleasure, Twilight twitched. Then, to add to the pile, Chief Pomer fluttered out with a few of his breezies.

“Was all this noise!? You stoppa the noises! I tryna nap!” The breezy paused upon seeing the spider, but his shock soon turned to terror when Long Spear bellowed his name and the breezy warriors mobbed the traitor. “YOUS WAS SUPPOSED TAH HELP!”

“It's what you deserve, traitor!” AJ yelled at the chief, and both Dash and Rarity agreed.

“Stop! Everybody stop!” Twilight cried out. “Somebody please tell me what's going on!”

Chief Pomer was already being put on trial it seemed, and the Wyrmtooth warriors looked fully prepared to do all sorts of awful things to his body. The justice was put on hold, however, and Chief Long Spear began to argue with the princess about the legality of summary execution and proper instances of forest justice.

Seeing his work as done, Jack limped over to a large rock and looked over the flesh wound he'd received. His armour had sealed the hole fast, but the morphine was ebbing and he was finding that being stabbed by a spider the size of a house hurt like a scolding motherfucker. As he applied a proper sealant to the hole in his armour, Dash flew over and hugged his helmet.

“That was the most awesome thing ever. Seriously, can you come with us on every adventure?” Dash smiled happily as Jack removed his helmet and smiled tiredly toward her.

“I'd love to, Darlin’. But I got a world full of messes that need to be shot, and Twilight isn't the biggest fan of lethal force.”

Pouting softly, Dash sat down next to him and gave his armoured hand a nuzzle. “Will I still be able to train with you in Canterlot?”

“Course. I don't go back on my word.” Jack gave her a brief scritch between the wings, before a voice from his helmet drew his attention. “Hold on, I gotta call.” Pulling his helmet on, Jack fiddled with the inbound dial. “Say again your last, over.”

The voice over the radio was Captain Chord's. “Captain Kessle, vacation is over. We have a priority mission.”

Standing and pulling his pack back on, Jack motioned for Dash to follow as he treaded toward the legal argument. “Talk to me, what's going on?”

“We have received word from Griffonia, Princess Gilda has been kidnapped, and we believe it may be the Twin Pass revolutionaries who are holding her.”

Jack paused in his stride. “Holy shit. Okay, talk to me, what's the plan?”

“We are currently over Ponyville, and Snake has been dispatched to retrieve you. He should be within radio range soon. You will signal him with smoke.”

“Right, inbound.” Jack keyed off his mic and removed his helmet. “Princess, I've been reassigned to a priority mission. Can you handle the situation?”

Making a face at Jack, Twilight nodded. “Despite the huge mess you made, yes, me and the girls can handle it. What mission are you going on?”

“That's classified. Are you guys gonna execute this ass or what?” Jack idly asked Long Spear as his warriors bayed for blood.

“We’s tryin but da princess don’ want it!”

“I'm a princess too! Celestia told me I don't need to ask for permission for things anymore!” Twilight complained. “And you're not allowed to pull him apart!”

Rolling his eyes, Jack glanced to Long Spear and smirked. With as much theatrics he could muster, Jack yelled and pointed off in the other direction. “OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT!?” The girls all turned in place, looking for whatever had driven Jack to yell. While they weren't looking, Jack snatched Pomer up in his armoured hand and squeezed. Long Spear and his men winced at the split second sound of Pomer shrieking, then popping, but said nothing. “Aw my bad, it's a tree. Well, later guys!”

“Ugh, fine-” Twilight paused as the warriors all looked about and whistled innocently. “Where did Chieftain Pomer go?”

“Huah! Yah let him escape!” Long Spear cried out indignantly as Jack waved his goodbyes and jogged off into the forest.

Once he reached the edge of the clearing where they had camped the night prior, Jack wiped Pomer’s squashed remains off the palm of his hand onto a tree. The rhythmic thumping of the VTOL was like music to his ears as he jogged into the clearing and popped a smoke grenade. The VTOL touched dirt for a brief moment and Jack was in it, headed for Stalwart Liberty.

While Jack was busy running about a forest playing diplomatic exterminator, Carolus had been enacting the final portions of his masterful plan. Everything was in place. Thanks to the mask, he now had complete control of the third and fifth army, and almost the entire command structure of the air navy and the army. It had all been so easy. Almost too easy.

“Are your children ready, Dr. Forge?”

The doctor turned from his children as he groomed them. “They are ready to see to the old guard, my Emperor.”

Smiling thinly, Carolus ran a claw over the mask that had granted him the power. “Then let us carry on. Generals, with me.” Carolus strode toward the doors to his father's lounge, and pushed the doors open wide. He fought back a smirk as they boomed and his father scowled. “Good evening family.”

His mother looked up and furrowed her brow, and their guest turned his attention up as well. Gilda, however, was unimpressed and didn't pay attention as she chatted with Ada. “Hey dweeb.”

“Carolus, what…” Emperor Wilhelm stood and looked toward his generals as they all walked in. “What is going on?”

Ada turned her attention to the commotion, and stood to approach, while Carolus pulled on the mask. “This, father. Is our new world order. My new world.” The eyes flared on the mask, and Ada gasped as if something had wrapped around her throat.

“CAROLUS!” Emperor Wilhelm boomed as he leapt from his chair. “I DON'T KNOW WHAT IN THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING-” The Emperor fell silent as Forge's Progeny entered the room and smiled at him.

“Cyka blyat.” Petyr spat at Carolus’ feet. “You are traitor, and coward, letting monsters fight for you.”

Smiling thinly at the large human, Carolus glanced toward Ada as she slowly stopped struggling. “I'd show you how wrong you are, human, but Dr. Forge has expressed interest in you. You're his plaything now.” The colour drained from Petyr's face as Forge entered and smiled at him. Carolus snapped his talons, and the pair of progeny leapt forward, grappling his father and driving him to the ground. “Corporal Forth, deal with the Empress.” Carolus walked up to his father's seat as Ada drew her sidearm and executed the Empress as she drew a ceremonial sword from the wall.

Out of the corner of his eye, Carolus watched Gilda panic, and leap from the window.

“OPHELIA!!” Wilhelm cried out with emotional rage. Struggling in vain against the unstoppable power of the monstrous Progeny, Wilhelm roared his anger. “YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE! YOU ARE A BASTARD AND A FRAUD! THE EMPIRE WILL NEVER BOW TO YOU!”

Sitting down in his father's chair, Carolus let out a shudder of pleasure. “I always knew this chair belonged to me. Wouldn't you say so, Father?” He leaned forward and smiled at his struggling father while the General’s guards detained Petyr. “This is a coup, Father. I am the emperor now, and the entire world will bow to me, and I will bring them Order.”

Realization struck Wilhelm like a hammer to the gut. “No… no! Carolus, you would doom the world following a fallen god! Please! Do not follow this co-” Wilhelm gasped as Carolus drove his sword into his father's chest.

“The world will know Order, father.” Carolus watched as the life faded from his father's eyes, and he felt a smile spreading across his features as a weight lifted off his shoulders. “Has my sister escaped? Good. She'll run to the Twin Pass traitors. Tell the Equestrians she's been kidnapped, and prepare the armies for the second phase.” Carolus stood, and trailed a talon down Ada's pale cheek. “You're going to witness me take my rightful place, Ada. Will you be my faithful hound bitch? Hmm?” Carolus ran his claw down her cheek and to her neckline.

“Y-yes… my… Emperor.” Ada seemed to struggle to speak the words, her body was tense like a coiled steel spring.

With his smile growing to a grin, Carolus pulled his claws off of her. “Later. I have a capital to sway.” He began toward the balcony, and within minutes, the capital of Griffonia would be under his complete control.

There would be no dissidents.

There would be no hitches in his lords plan.

Carolus would be Emperor of the new world. He would see every leader of the world either pledge their utter allegiance, or he would see their heads roll at his feet.

End of Act Two

Chapter Forty Five: Mailed Fist of the Empire

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The Mountain Ranger base nestled between the twin peaks was a hive of activity as the Rangers prepared for war. Word had come over the radio that the Revolutionaries had somehow gotten their claws on Princess Gilda, and were holding her hostage. The rangers were to provide the bulk of the response force, in addition to the joint special operations group. To her chagrin, Flitter had been chosen to lead the force on the attack, while the other officers kept an eye on the big picture from the fort's command bunker. Under her, she had a platoon of fifty rangers, all armed to the teeth and baying for action.

The hard trot to the staging area was along a treacherous trail that snaked up the side off the pass, and then down into the craggy expanse of sheer mountainside. The Revolutionaries had made their homes in the many caves in the mountain range, and had proven to be more than just a pain in the ass to pull out. They were stuck in like ticks, and with the amount of firepower coming down on them now, there was no doubt in anybody's mind that they would fight to the death for every single inch of ground.

As Flitter and her platoon neared the staging area, Flitter caught sight of Stalwart Liberty floating quietly above the mountain range. No doubt JSOG stood ready in their gunships, waiting for the ground forces outside the main cave complex to be cleared so they could land. That job would fall to Flitter's platoon, while the grisly work of clearing the caves would fall to Jack's men.

“Lieutenant Falenas!” A call went up the line from the front, and it saw Flitter pick up her pacing and canter across the treacherous path to the caller. It was Sergeant Minerva Aegis, and she'd called for a stop of the line. The orange mare nodded to Flitter as she cantered up. “We've got sightings of the rebels. Looks like they're in a frenzy.”

“Are we above them like we planned?” Flitter asked as she caught her breath.

“Yes ma’am. There's a couple sentries nestled into the rocks, but we've spotted them all and we're fairly confident they don't know we're here yet. We don't expect to hold that over them much longer.”

Mulling over her options and pulling out her map, Flitter began to reference their location. “Mark the sentries please.” Soon, four locations were marked out lightly, and a better plan began to form in her mind. As she planned things out, a call of identity went up the line, and Flitter perked. Apparently somebody had made contact with her platoon, and had used the proper counter sign.

Two ponies and a small griffon quickly made their way up the line, and Flitter was pleasantly surprised to find that she recognised two of them. “Ace, Baron, what are you doing out here?”

Baron saluted with Mythic, while the griffon only did it after he saw the others. “Mythic is our liaison, he's got a comms set keyed to our frequency. Myself and Recruit Hayha are finding a good sniping position to provide cover fire for the gunships and spotting.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Flitter nodded to them and pointed to a spot on the map. “This will be a fine spot for spotting. Does that rifle have a suppressor?”

As she gestured to the large rifle strapped to Simoh's side, the griffon only quirked a brow in confusion. “What is a suppressor?”

Rolling her eyes, Baron looked to Flitter and nodded. “We're kitted up to take out any sentries, don't worry. Just point them out and they're dead. Simoh's only been with us a week, so he doesn't know all the terminology yet, but he's a better shot than most of the group.”

“So what's the plan?” Sergeant Aegis asked testily as she looked to Flitter.

“We're following your lead, lieutenant.” Baron said. “You make the calls and we'll bring the heat.”

Nodding to her, Flitter went back to the map. “You two get into position and take out those sentries. We'll move up, and setup our staggered lines in the cover of the rocks. Once the outside forces are dealt with, squads one through three will move down and secure the area, while myself and squads four and five will maintain overwatch and comms. JSOG will then arrive, and begin their operation.” Flitter motioned out the plan to the squad leaders as they watched, and once orders were understood, she sent her squads out.

Word that the sentries had been felled came far faster than she'd expected, and plans began to move ahead at a faster pace. Her platoon maneuvered nearly perfectly to her plan, and only continued to impress him as they began precise fire drills on the rebels below them. As her squads fired, Flitter took up the radio and dialed in. “Come in JSOG operations lead, this is Lieutenant Falenas, First Platoon is finishing the ambush and moving forward to secure the area. Sentries are down and overwatch has been enacted.”

“Oh baby. Talk tactical to me.”

Flitter blinked a little in shock as the highly unprofessional response sat in her mind. It all came crashing down as she failed to suppress an amused snicker. “Hello Jack. Can you put your superior on?”

“Oh Lieutenant, haven't you heard? I am my superior.” Flitter could hear Jack grinning on the other end as he spoke. “Okay, that's that. Gunships are prepping for launch, we'll be there in five mikes. Hold position outside the cave entrances. I don't want any of yours getting smoked.”

“Copy that. See you snow side.” Flitter handed the radio back to Mythic as Minerva trotted up next to her.

“I have to say I'm shocked. I've never even heard of a operator pack giving control of an op to the ground pounders. Usually they let us do the dirty work and claim the glory for themselves.”

Smiling to her lead sergeant, Flitter simply shrugged. “What can I say? I've got an in with these hooligans.”

“If you say so… Anyways, squads one and three are nearly in position. Two suffered an injury, and he's coming back up to us for treatment. We're still on schedule.”

Flitter nodded sharply to that, and checked her rifle. “Okay people! Keep your eyes on and don't let any of our colts die.”

Snake and the other gunships came in hard and fast, skirting the mountain tops and only rising above them to dive down into the landing area. One of the ponies in the small clearing was kind enough to pop a smoke grenade, clearly marking the LZ. Swinging his gunship to the side, Snake commed the squad in the back. “Asses off the boat, five by five.”

“Grinder Squad is clear, we'll see you in a few, Snake.” Jack saluted the gunship pilot as he lifted off and circled as the other JSOG troopers were off-loaded by his wingmen. Jack spun a finger in the air, and gestured toward the cave. “Two squads, Grinder will take the spear point. Nova covers the rear. By the books people, we've got a VIP in there so watch your fire.”

“What books? There were books?”

“It's the thought that counts JSOG! Let's move!” Jack yelled, and his unit descended upon the cave entrance. Thanks to the rangers, the LZ was clear, as was the first section of caves. When they descended deeper however, the rebels made their positions known by firing volleys of muskets at the approaching squads. While the musket balls couldn't threaten Jack, they proved to be a rather unfortunate danger for everybody around him as they often shattered or hit the walls, spraying hot shrapnel about. Despite the hang up, JSOG was moving on schedule and clearing their way into the heart of the complex.

“It's like Afghanistan… but cold. Taven, did I ever tell you what Afghanistan was like?” Jack asked over the sound of thumping muskets and the whipcrack of returning fire.

“I can't say you have!” Taven yelled over the din.

“It was like this, but with assholes who had automatics, and it was hot as fuck!” Jack called back. “That entire section of continent was a hot bag of ass! Fucking awful! I'll take the cold any day.” Jack loosed a burst with his MG3, sending a counter attack to ground.

“It sounds like you're enjoying this!” Taven called back as he reloaded and repositioned Nova squad.

“Love your work, and you'll never work a day in your life!” Jack called with a laugh.

Outside, Flitter and her platoon held position and kept the area secured. Once in awhile, some poor rebel would burst from the cave and try to fly, only to hit the ground moments later with a neat little hole in his head.

While her rangers were becoming bored, Flitter was staying vigilant. The operation felt far too easy. The Revolutionaries never did anything this big. On top of that, how had the empire known where the particular entrance was? It all stank to Flitter. The rangers would have hit this system long ago if they had known it was of any importance. As she mulled the strange thought over, Flitter's eyes were drawn upwards when somebody called out. Another pair of airships were approaching, and disgorging griffons.

“Looks like the Empire's arrived…” Flitter muttered to herself as the small steel clad airships fell into a holding position as the pack of griffons landed. Flitter recognised some for their JSOG uniforms, but her instincts put her on edge. The griffons made too little noise, and only maneuvered to cover the cave entrance. About half of them faced her three squads in the clearing, and did nothing to make contact.

“Looks like the Empire's really got a stick up its ass over this.” Mythic commented idly. “I'm surprised to see Casus so quiet though… You couldn't pay him to keep his beak shut.”

Flitter simply grunted as she beckoned over Minerva. “I don't like this. It feels wrong. Have the men reposition and give the griffons space.”

Sergeant Aegis quirked a brow at Flitter from the order. “Ma'am?”

“It's probably nothing, just a gut feeling.”

Shaking her head, the Sergeant held a very faint smile. “It's fine ma'am, I trust your belly.” Without another word, the Sergeant split off and had the rangers reposition to better positions. The griffons said and did nothing in response.

“This doesn't feel right at all.”

Jack and his squads cut a hot swath through the rebels, and descended into the very guts of the cave system. They were passing by what seemed to be permanent housing, and signs of a lot of life. The attacking rebels seemed to peter out, and soon the only fire they came under was from rebels who were fleeing deeper into the cave.

“They're falling back to better positions, watch yourselves.” Jack called as he reloaded. He was ready this time, and had swapped the Milkor for a shotgun and several more belts of ammo that were criss-crossed over his breastplate.

His squads took heed of the warning, and fell into defensive posture behind him. Unfortunately, the ambush came far sooner than Jack had expected, and JSOG found themselves on the business end of roughly a platoon of muskets and stolen ranger guns. Jack had kicked down the door to the heart of the rebel operation. Oddly, the volley of fire didn't come, and a woman screamed.

“FUCK OFF WITH THE GUNS!”

Pulling his finger from the trigger guard, Jack stepped forward and motioned for his squads to hold in defensive positions. “We're only here for the princess. Put your weapons down and you'll be taken into custody by Equestria.”

The indignant griffon who had yelled bristled. “I am the princess, you fucking mongoloid!”

Jack pursed his lips and muttered at her insult. “Wow, rude.” With an exaggerated sigh, Jack worsened relations. “Well, excuuuuse me, Princess!”

As rather dapper looking griffon in a bright red uniform stepped forward, between the two before an insult war could break out. “Please! You've shown restraint, and you're with the Equestrians, please listen to what needs to be said. The situation is already dire, and if you are here, then time is not on our side!”

With the express desire to pinch the bridge of his nose between his fingers, but unable due to his helmet, Jack settled for another exasperated sigh. “Alright, we're listening. Talk fast though, kidnapping royalty tends to piss of big people.”

The red uniformed officer held up a paw. “Oh no sir, I'm not the one speaking. That would be Princess Gilda.”

“Oh joy.” Jack muttered to himself as he pulled off his helmet and fixed the pissed off princess with a professional stare. “I'm listening. Best start explaining why we're getting calls that you've been kidnapped.”

Growling loudly, Gilda raked her talons through her feathers. “Because! B-because my little brother staged a coup!”

Annoyance bled away from Jack fast, only to be replaced by immediate concern. “You've got my attention.”

Pacing before the operatives and the Revolutionaries, Gilda began to spill the beans. “He walked in with the military cabinet, and these… these huge white things! They grabbed the fat human, and he… my brother did something to Ada, and she shot my Mom! I ran…” Gilda spoke her last sentence quietly as she sank down into a nearby chair, and the Revolutionary officer patted her shoulder.

Jack's care for the princess became close to zero as his mind leapt about in a panic. When she said fat human, she obviously meant Petyr. But Ada… Ada would never turn on somebody like that. It had to be magic. Jack realized he'd been staring off into space when Taven nudged his hand.

“If any of this is true, Jack, we need to get her on board and back into Equestria right away.”

Nodding jerkily, Jack forced his mind to focus on the now. “Alright, listen up! Princess Gilda, you are coming with us.” Jack pointed a finger at the officer. “What's your name?”

The griffon perked, his greying head feathers doing a small bounce as he did. “Major Highwater of the first Revolutionary Army.”

“Major Highwater, you and your men are under arrest. You'll be taken to Stalwart Liberty, and then transported to Equestria for questioning.”

To his surprise, the Major nodded in agreement. “Acceptable. Better we follow now than end up hung by our necks. Come on men! Let us get out of these damn caves!” His men murmured their acceptance, and lowered their weapons. The Major strode forward, and offered the butt of a flintlock pistol to Jack. “I surrender, in the name of peace.”

Accepting the pistol with a wary expression, Jack nodded and stowed the weapon. “Okay JSOG, let's escort our new friends out.” Pulling his helmet back on, Jack tried to raise Mythic on comms. “Mythic? Come in, over.” All that met him in response was the soft crackle of no signal. “Just like Afghanistan… great. Okay people, we're too deep for comms to work, so I want signs and countersigns yelled on contact! I don't want any blue on blue!”

Major Highwater had spent the moment organising his red coats into a marching line, and called out cadence as they were led out of the caves. They certainly didn't sound like prisoners.

Flitter had remained on the ridge, her gut feeling about the griffons growing ever stronger the more she watched them. They paid her men so little attention, it was as if they were invisible. “Any luck raising Jack?”

Mythic shook his head. “No ma'am. The caves must be keeping us from catching his signal.”

“Lovely.” Flitter said with a sigh. “Hopefully he remembers the signs so he doesn't get shot by anybody.”

As Flitter spoke, the faint echo of cadence caused her ears to prick. “What the…”

Down in the clearing, the griffons all perked, and stood ready for whatever was to come out of the cave entrance. Soon, the cadence stopped, and somebody yelled a sign, and was greeted by a countersign. Flitter relaxed as Jack walked out of the cave with a few ponies from his squad following. He seemed to relax, and wave to one of his JSOG soldiers who stood opposite.

The large griffon Flitter recognised as Casus responded by lifting the recoilless rifle he'd been carrying, and shooting Jack in the face.

Flitter felt as if somebody had gut punched her when she watched as Jack jerked and spun from the explosive impact, before landing face first on the ground and falling still. The shrapnel from the blast had struck and killed one of his squad mates, and two more followed as the griffons opened fire with automatic weapons and cut them down where they stood.

Flitter stared in mental shock as her mind refused to accept what she was seeing. It took Minerva shaking her violently as the firefight below them devolved into a melee to shake her out of it. “Orders ma’am!”

“OPEN FIRE!” Flitter bellowed, and her platoon responded immediately by opening fire on the griffons below. The griffons were fast to take cover, but several were not fast enough as they were struck down. Casus didn't have a chance to reload or pull a second weapon as a sniper took the top of his head clean off. As the gunfire spiked again, the large radio set went nuts as several voices began calling mayday.

“This is Captain Chord of the HMS Stalwart Liberty to Twin Pass Ranger base! We are under attack from the griffon empi-” The signal cut as an explosion echoed across the mountain range, drawing Flitter's eyes momentarily. The bridge of the great ship was spewing fire, and it had smoke rising from its deck. Three smaller ships were firing on it with light cannons, and the larger ship had yet to raise its shields.

“This is Outpost Trotski! We're under attack! By the gods, there's an army of them!”

“This is Colonel Glow, all patrols return to base immediately and prepare for attack, the Empire has declared war on Equestria.”

Flitter stared in shock for a short moment, before her brain kicked into gear and she began bellowing orders. “Fire and advance! Take those griffons down and we'll help out Stalwart!” Readying her own rifle, Flitter found a firing position and began raining controlled bursts down on the opposition. As she fired, the odd rip-howl of a foreign machinegun met her ears. Glancing over, Flitter felt an immediate sense of relief as she saw Jack firing on the griffons. His attack lacked accuracy though, and his continuous spray of bullets only saw the JSOG traitors duck. Oddly, the others didn't. They stood their ground, firing on Flitter's platoon and the forces inside the cave.

A call of order went out, only to be followed by a rebel yell as a pack of red coated rebels swarmed out of the cave. The first musket barrage didn't do much to deter the imperial griffons, but it wasn't meant to, as the rebel platoon descended upon the imperial griffons with triangle bayonets mounted.

“Come in, Callsign Overwatch!” A voice called for Flitter over the radio, and Mythic yelled for her.

Galloping back up to the radio, Flitter took the phone from Mythic. “Callsign Overwatch, who is this?”

“This is Bombardier squadron, inbound on your position! Mark targets with smoke and we'll take them out!” Snake was on the other end of the radio, and Flitter knew that those gunships were loaded for bear. The only problem was, was that the rebels were currently mixed in with the Imperials, and any fire would kill swathes of both. Considering the rebels had been her enemies for months now, it was a hard call.

“Negative on air support, get the birds off of Stalwart Liberty's back! We can handle our mess.”

“Roger that, brace for it.”

The moment the words were spoken, the trio of gunships blazed over the mountain top over the battle and opened fire with rockets on the ships harassing Stalwart. The dumb fire rockets leapt from the gunships sides and struck against the hulls and command towers of the small ships. The fire began shifting off of Stalwart, and soon the air filled with flak. Flitter cursed as one of the ships broke free from the melee, and steamed hard toward them. It's guns opened up, shredding friendly and enemy alike as they chewed up the ground and mountainside.

“Get to cover!” Flitter yelled as she dove, and a stream of heavy rounds snapped overhead. Then, with all the speed it had started with, the machineguns fell silent. Peeking up, Flitter spotted the Imperial aeronauts manning the deck guns falling one by one to nearly silent sniperfire. “Clean up the Imperials! Now, First Platoon!” She began descending the goat trails while firing on targets of opportunity. Her men followed her lead, and began climbing down and firing as they went.

It didn't take long for the combined weight of two platoons to cut the imperial forces down, but despite their immediate area being clear, the air was still congested with flak.

Without warning, there was a concussive boom, and one of the imperial ships began sinking toward the mountain, wreathed in flames and shuddering with secondary detonations. It seemed that Stalwart had erected her shields, and was returning fire with her ground support howitzers at close range. The corvettes that had been harrying her were soon either listing dangerously, or falling in flames. To Flitter's relief, the gunships were circling back around to her, and several chariots had launched from the carrier. It seemed that they were evacuating everybody. With that settled, she turned her attention to the clearing. The red coats had made short work of the outmanned Imperials, though only half of the platoon sized force remained standing. Flitter's unit had survived with only a few casualties from the ship firing on them. The dead were gathered in the clearing, and the wounded were given priority when the heavy transports landed.

Flitter watched as Jack's squad all but carried him into one of the gunships; she could hardly get a glimpse of him through all the action, but when they loaded him into the gunship with the other wounded, he didn't sit up. With her worries hitting an all time high in tandem with her blood pressure, Flitter was one of the last to board the gunships. Moving next to the pilot, Flitter had to yell over the roar of the turbines. “Tell Stalwart that Twin Peaks is under attack! We need to get there as soon as possible to repel it!” The pilot simply nodded, and Flitter sank into her seat as they flew over the mountain range.

As the gunship landed and it's occupants piled out, Flitter looked across the flight deck and felt a mixed feeling of anguish and horror wash through her entire body. Fires burned unchecked across the deck, and smoke billowed from sections of her hull. Aeronauts were frantically running about, trying to extinguish the flames as the carrier lifted up from the mountain range and began moving.

“Sergeant Aegis!” Flitter yelled, getting Minerva's attention. “Take the rebels to the brig and make sure it's secure, then have everybody load up on ammo and grenades!”

The Sergeant saluted sharply, before galloping off to see the order done. Flitter couldn't do it herself, as she had far more important things to do. She began galloping across the flight deck, but her eyes were drawn by the medical teams rushing various JSOG, ranger, and rebel soldiers to the med bay as fast as possible. A heavy laden gurney trundled passed her to the elevator, and as she turned her head to regard it, she caught sight of what was left of Jack's head. Blood was leaking from the helmet freely, and all she could see inside the dark confine was oozing vital fluids, gleaming bone, and gristle. Shrapnel was sticking out from the ragged hole in the helmet, and the visor had shattered inward.

“He's under! Somebody call the armour tech up to get all of this off him! We needed him in surgery twenty minutes ago! Percy, keep that plasma up!” The doctor yelled at his orderlies and nurses as the elevator began its slow trundle downwards. Flitter watched the sight with a knot in her throat, until the elevator disappeared from sight.

Swallowing hard, Flitter shook her head and began climbing the stairs up the command tower as fast as her legs and wings would allow her.

The bridge was a scene of utter chaos, clashing with the calm demeanour of the command crew. The bridge had obviously taken several direct hits, as wires hung from the ceiling and sparked, and daylight shone in unimpeded by the tinted windows. Several consoles were ruined, and blood was drying on the equipment.

“Mr. Parson, has engineering finished their assessment of the shield generator?”

“Yes Captain! Engineering reports generators holding steady at eighty nine point six.”

“Excellent. Mr. Honey, any luck raising the Twin Pass base?” Flitter perked as she came to a halt next to the captain. More bodies joined her, and when she looked to the side, she felt a tide of relief when Taven smiled weakly to her and nodded. The JSOG officers had arrived.

“Yes sir, patching it into the meeting room.”

Captain Chord perked a brow. “This is no time for a long chat Mr. Honey. Patch them right through here.”

The tech simply shook his head and pointed toward the primary command console, which had a rather large, still smouldering hole in it. “No can do sir.”

“Ah. Carry on then.” Captain Chord turned toward the gathered officers and saluted, and received a disorganised salute back. “To the briefing room, if you would please.” The captain cantered into the briefing room, and laid out a large map of the area across the center table. It was of Twin Peaks. “Twin Peaks, how copy?”

The incoming voice was marred by static, but Flitter could tell it was Colonel Glow. “We read you Stalwart. Situation is black. Imperial second and fifth armies have mobilised through the pass, and a section of their new air navy has crossed with them.”

Flitter felt the knot in her stomach tightening into a solid ball of steel. The captain somehow held his calm demeanour. “Is there any way we can assist?”

“We'll hold the line.” The sentence sent a chill down Flitter's spine and she fought the desire to leap forward and yell at the Colonel for being an idiot. “We'll wait until their bulk is in the pass, and detonate our charges.”

Captain Chord had developed a rather large frown. “We are not leaving you to the eagles, Colonel.”

“Yes, you are!” Glow snapped back. “We will hold the line, we need you to begin the evacuation of the town! They'll be over run if we retreat. Rangers do not retreat.” A silence passed over the briefing room, before Chord leaned on the table and spoke.

“Affirmative. I have Lieutenant Falenas here. Do you have orders for her and her platoon?”

Flitter perked and stepped forward. Glow stayed silent for a moment, and interference grew worse. “Make our sacrifice worth it. You'll be the only active officer we have left after this. Regroup with fourth battalion. Make it count, Flitter. Your father would be proud.”

Stiffening and fighting the ball of steel in her throat, Flitter nodded. “Yes sir. We'll defend Equestria till our last breath.”

“Atta girl.” The interference saw the signal cut out, leaving them in the dark.

Taking a long, steadying breath, Captain Chord turned toward the officers. “Right now, we are the only mobilised fighting force within one hundred kilometers of the front. The Imperials are pushing forward in a combined arms charge, and we do not have the weaponry to deny them.” The Captain remained rigid as he spoke, and every officer present gave him their full attention. “As of right now, I induct you all into my command structure. Your soldiers are to defend Stalwart and help facilitate the evacuation of the town located at the base of the mountain.” Chord pointed toward the place on the map. “I need force reports from each of you.”

Flitter remained forward, and answered first. “First Ranger Platoon. Callsign Overwatch is at full strength, barring under a half dozen casualties. We're low on ammo but are fully equipped.”

Once Flitter finished her unfortunately small report, Taven stepped forward before the other two officers. “We lost our command structure in the ambush. Lt. Gunson was killed instantly, and Knight Captain Kessle is in no condition to fight. As of right now…” Taven seemed to think. “JSOG has taken a total loss of seventy percent... We've got more dead than wounded, and that's including the traitors. I am the only standing NCO.”

The Captain darkened at the report, but nodded nonetheless. “Understood, Sergeant. You and your soldiers are under the direct control of Lt. Falenas until further instructions.” Taven nodded his understanding, and the Captain seemed to consider things. As he thought, another call came from the bridge.

“Sir, nine Imperial corvettes and six cruisers have broken from the fighting and are in pursuit of us!”

“Son of a whore.” The captain cursed, surprising all in the room. “Get Maripony shipyards on the horn! Now!” He turned toward the officers. “Action stations!”

The gathered officers quickly filed out, and galloped off to their groups as the action stations alarm began blaring. Chord turned to the radio and waited as he was patched in. “Maripony shipyards, this is Captain Chord. The situation is deteriorating here and we could use back up.”

The tech on the other end sounded panicked. “I'm sorry sir! Imperial airships have just entered our airspace, and we're under attack!”

Fighting back another curse, Chord leaned on the console. Before he could ask his question, a familiar voice spoke. “This is Captain Alsan. We'll handle the flies, and make a hard burn to reinforce you. How Copy, Stalwart?”

Smiling thinly, Chord spoke, finally. “I read you loud and clear Marsa. Good hunting.”

With the signal cut, Captain Marsa Alsan sat back in her command chair as the bridge crew ran through their pre-flight checks. When the green across the board call went out, she smiled. “Power to vertical thrusters, detach couplings…. Now.” The ship shuddered as it's mooring couplings fell from the ship's hull. Dust rained from the hangar as it opened, and shells rained down on it. Captain Alsan idly watched as her view left the massive hangar, and went to the beautiful green fields surrounding the shipyard. A small fleet of imperial ships were firing on them, and the base defenders were in a pitched battle to fight off the invasion force. “Cannons forward, load one and three with AP.” Affirmatives echoed across the bridge as the three forward batteries shifted forward.

“Battery One, target the lead cruiser, compensate for elevation. Fire when ready.” Captain Alsan fought a big toothy smile as the triple 406mm guns of battery one boomed in rapid succession, and the leading imperial cruiser exploded mid air seconds later as the AP shells punched through its armour and detonated in its core.

With the body of Righteous Justice rising from the airbase, the tide shifted for the defenders.

“All gunners, pick your targets and fire. Engines to half.” Captain Alsan smirked as her ship moved forward and it's decks exploded with outbound fire. To groundside observers, it looked as if the large ship had suddenly burst into flames. Autocannons and dual fifties chattered and barked as they swatted the imperial invaders from the sky and riddle their vessels with holes as the big guns swiveled.

“Battery two, load HE and fire on large concentration of ground infantry, starboard side.” Battery two swung opposite of the others and dropped elevation before dropping the massive shells down on the approaching ground infantry. The concussive wave rolled back over the facility, breaking windows and rattling the shipyard defenders as the attackers simply ceased to exist.

“Captain, the munitions storage yard is reporting that the rest of our rounds are waiting for delivery!”

Marsa muttered a dark curse. “They couldn't have loaded the rest while we were docked. Tell them we'll make due with half capacity. Tell batteries to use single shots on targets until ordered otherwise.” The captain sat forward in her chair as the deck mounted autocannons shredded an imperial corvette, and it began to list dangerously toward the ground, dumping it's deck bound crew.

“Imperial air forces down seventy percent in strength, local anti air batteries coming online now captain!”

“About fucking time! I should strangle the overseer for being such a lazy cunt.” The bridge crew smiled thinly. They agreed, but they certainly couldn't voice that opinion right now. The defenders on the ground were rallying, and the remaining Imperials should have been retreating at any moment. Only, they didn't.

“Imperial forces have suffered eighty percent casualties ma'am! One cruiser and two corvettes left. Security forces report that they've secured the compound against infantry.”

Marsa glared at the enemy cruiser as it continued to fire at her ship. Their rounds weren't heavy enough to drop their shield, let alone cause serious damage if they impacted. The shield around the Righteous Justice was a smaller version of the one on Stalwart Liberty, but it was far more malleable. “Shields to one hundred percent, to our prow. Shift to face the enemy, engines to maximum!”

Her second turned to her, his muzzle twisted with confusion. “What's the plan Captain?”

At her smile, his worry doubled. “Terran tactic. When in doubt, ram the fucker.”

A mixed look of horror and excitement crossed her XO’s features, before he grabbed the radio receiver. “All hooves, all hooves, secure harness tethers and brace for impact.” Outside the ship, the deck crew lashed their harness lanyards to the many thick braided steel cables that ran the length of the ship to keep them from falling off during harsh maneuvers. A general alarm was sounded as the ship sped forward on it's oversized engines and it's shield formed over the prow of the ship.

Unlike other airships, which shared general shape with naval vessels, the Righteous Justice's prow was reversed so it was slopping upwards and toward the command tower. The prow itself was heavily armoured, and gilded into the form of a pegasus with its wings outstretched. The shield formed to the shape of the prow, allowing it to cleave into the opposing cruiser as it repositioned itself.

Slamming into the port side of the vessel, Righteous Justice shuddered from the impact as metal shrieked and buckled under the assault. The deck gunners began firing once again at the corvettes as they too tried to reposition. A fireball arced across the prow facing shield as the cruiser's munitions storage exploded, splitting the ship in half over Righteous Justice's prow.

As the imperial cruiser fell to earth in two, Captain Alsan frowned as the two corvettes simply continued to fight. “They should have retreated far earlier. They still aren't. What the hell is wrong with those Turkeys?” While she considered it, the second last corvette took a stitching line of autocannon rounds across its command deck, and the last had its aft section burst into flames. To her surprise, the griffons on board of both vessels began to leap across the small gaps, boarding her vessel despite being vastly outnumbered. “Reposition shields, port and starboard!” The shields leapt up, cutting a griffon in half and blocking two dozen more. The fifties began to chew through the ones that had been blocked, as her sailors began to engage the few that had made it through.

The captain watched from her perch as her crew slaughtered the few remaining Imperials. Most of her bridge crew busied themselves with their duties, but she found herself interested in how the Imperials showed absolutely no hesitation or fear. They almost seemed to act without thought as they threw themselves into battle in a last ditch attempt to damage the ship. What surprised her most, was that the griffons made so little noise as they fought, her own crew's war cries drowned anything they could have said. Turning away from the ending fight, Marsa knew she could trust her crew to finish it right. They were all ex-military, all of them itching for exactly this. Many peoples had claimed that Equestria was full of peace-mongers and herd driven cowards. While it was almost mostly true in Marsa's eyes, she knew that she and her crew were the bloody-minded exception to that rule.

Sitting in her chair, Captain Alsan buckled herself in. “Crew, begin spooling the Morozov Drive. Plot a course for Twin Peak Village. We have lives to save.”

Her XO once again took the comms and made the call as the order was passed to engineering. “All hooves, all hooves, brace for jump.” The deck crew all ran back to their weapons and strapped themselves in fully into their gunners berths.

Marsa could hear the reverberations on the drive spooling deep inside the vessel. She'd never had the chance to test exactly how fast it could go, but today she would certainly find out. She nestled into her seat, feeling the entire ship coil like a tiger ready to leap. She could feel the oversized engines humming with excess power, and she knew that mere seconds from that moment, she and her crew would be on the fastest vehicle on the entire planet. They would be remembered throughout history for this moment.

“Morozov drive spooled up Captain!”

“ENGAGE!”

Stalwart Liberty drifted over the small village, it's speakers blaring the emergency broadcast as ponies and griffons alike fled from their homes in droves.

“CITIZENS OF TWIN PEAK VILLAGE, PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE EVACUATION! TAKE ONLY CRITICAL SUPPLIES AND PROCEED TO THE TRAIN STATION, I REPEAT, CITIZENS OF TWIN PEAK VILLAGE-”

Flitter disappeared under the deck before the rest of the message could reach her ears, but she wasn't the pony who needed to hear it. The Imperial army was hot on their hooves, and they didn't seem like they would be stopping to let Stalwart catch it's breath. As the citizens of the village gathered at the train station, Imperial vessels were already entering the range of their guns. Stalwart’s crew were firing their seven howitzers as best as they could, but the guns were never meant to be used as a counter-air measure. Flitter's platoon had dug in on the flight deck, using mobile defense barriers to create ad hoc foxholes to fight from. Right now, she was on her way to the armoury to grab as many belts of ammo as she could possibly carry. As she galloped passed aeronauts scrambling for their stations, Flitter nearly ran over a panicking doctor. As she yelled her apology, the doctor grabbed her.

“Have you seen the Knight Captain!? He's gone missing from the medical bay!”

Cussing a blue streak in her mind, Flitter shook her head. “No, but I know where he might be. Come on.”

Thank god his legs listened.

Jack forced himself forward through the halls, one foot in front of the other. The world span, and he felt the need to vomit again. As he paused for a moment to retch, the ship shuddered with impact, and his mind was galvanized. Focusing with all of his might, he forced himself forward toward the brig.

The aeronauts standing guard of the door started at his sudden arrival and appearance. As Jack opened his mouth to tell them to get the hell out of the way and open the door, pain split his head open and blood dribbled from his gauze filled cheek and mouth. Shutting his mangled mouth, Jack breathed loudly through his nose as he fished out his PDA. Striding towards the door, he felt a very minor sense of relief as the guards stood aside and nodded.

Inside, Major Highwater was doing his best to keep spirits up despite the dire circumstances. The major perked upon hearing the door open, as did Princess Gilda. She was fuming over having been tossed in the brig during the mad scramble, and she planned to give the next pony she saw a very big piece of her mind. The thought of doing so with the person coming through the door fled her mind very quickly.

“I have to say, Knight Captain, I am pleasantly surprised you're still alive.” The major said lightly as he tried to stare the man in the eye. His other eye was a gauze filled socket, and a third of his face was ruined meat.

Jack grunted in response as he idly dribbles blood on the floor and finished his message. “Anyone who doesn't want to die on their knees, follow me.”

The prisoners all looked at each other, before standing to. The Major nodded at Jack and smiled. “We were hoping somebody would come and ask that. Issue is, unfortunately, is none of us have our weapons-” The Major paused as Jack pulled his flintlock from his armour's webbing. Attempting to grab the weapon, Major Highwater found himself pulled in closer to Jack and forced to make eye contact. The fury filled stare said everything the mangled human couldn't.

Do not fuck us.

Swallowing thickly at the unsaid message, the Major nodded, and found himself released. Jack grunted savagely at them all, before turning and striding from the armoury. “I believe… we are to follow.” Without another word, the Major followed after Jack's wake, and his men swiftly followed. Only Gilda remained, unmoving as she sat on the cold bench. The brig door closed with a bang, and she was left alone.

Jack led the unit of rebel soldiers into the JSOG armoury, and mentally thanked his armour for filling him up to the gills with morphine. Snatching their griffon pattern rifle from the rack, he beckoned the new griffons forward and began to give them a very fast, silent run down on the basic operation of the rifle. It took less than a minute, and by the end he was pushing rifles and loaded magazines into the soldiers chests. As the griffons stood about and tried to figure out the basic operation of their new space aged tech, Jack retrieved his MG3 and several belts of ammo. A second thought saw him sling the machinegun over his shoulder and pick up one of their few automatic shotguns and several drum magazines of 12g shells.

“Jack!”

The familiar voice caused his mind to swim slightly, forcing him to turn toward it. Flitter was striding through the armoury, and a doctor trailed behind her. He saw how she winced when he turned fully towards her, but she didn't avert her eyes. “Jack, you need to be in medical, you're badly wounded.”

He simply shook his head, almost in tandem with when the ship shuddered with another blow to its body. The doctor made a displeased noise and strode forward. “Knight Captain, you shouldn't even be alive. If you go out there now, I can give you no good odds that you will survive!” The doctor growled as he ignored her and pulled on a kevlar helmet. “Stop being stubborn and retreat!”

Snapping the chin strap in place, Jack fixed the doctor with his one eyed glare. “Rutreat hell.” He barked a slurred order that was likely a demand to follow, and strode out of the armoury, with the griffon rebels in tow.

Sighing as the doctor pulled her mane out, Flitter shook her head and began pulling belts of ammo across her body. Her boys still needed the rounds, and she wasn't going to get them all killed chasing Jack around.

The imperial forces had caught up with Stalwart, and now the incoming rounds weren't ranging shots. Infantry was landing in the village and rounding up a lot of the civilians who had been too slow to get to the ship. Stalwart was still loading civilians, even as the rounds began to pepper her shield. The flight crews were running themselves ragged as they leapt from train station to ship and back again, each time loaded with more terrified and confused civilians.

“To all bodies aboard Stalwart Liberty. We will not falter. We will not fail. Stand firm, and we'll weather this storm together.” Captain Chord's voice boomed across the ship as the infantry dug into the deck opened fire to deter the imperial infantry.

The imperial forces fell upon them in waves of bodies and incoming fire. Soon it became impossible to fire at any infantry beyond the shield as the imperial munitions poured into it and distorted everything beyond. Stalwart’s howitzer battery fired as fast as they could; the crews worked with as little uniform on as possible as they struggled and fought to keep the guns firing. The piles of brass were stacking high, and the gun barrels steamed against the cold air.

As the Imperials swarmed around the ship's shields, the worst news came.

“Captain! Engineering is reporting a malfunction in the shield generator! They say one of the coolant lines was destroyed in the earlier attack, and if we keep running it at maximum it'll overload!”

Chord closed his eyes and nodded to the rating, who quickly scampered off. Chord knew his next course of action. It was either reduce power to the shields over all, which would see the barrage of rounds punching through and destroying them, or focusing it all to one side, leaving the rest of his ship open for imperial infantry to flood in. Grabbing the radio, Chord made his broadcast.

“Warriors of the Stalwart Liberty, prepare for close combat.”

The moment the shields shifted, the imperial infantry took their advantage and pushed it. The battalion rolled over the port shields to the exposed starboard, and descended upon the Equestrians. The only saving grace the Equestrians had was their pre-established firing lanes and heavier automatic weaponry.

The fifty cals fired and fired until their boxes ran dry and their barrels melted; the rangers fired until their weapon muzzles spewed steam and their furniture smoked. The Revolutionaries fought for all they were worth, beak and claw. The new weapons did them little good, but served to act as force multipliers for the others. As the ammo ran dry and the flight deck was slick with blood, the imperial infantry charged again, and the pitched battle became a knife fight to the death.

Flitter screamed as hard as she could as she drove her bayonet into the chest of a young griffon who had just bludgeoned one of her stallions to death with a club. The griffon twisted as he was run through, but didn't utter a sound beside the air being forced from his lungs. Swinging his club at her and tearing his own guts out, the young griffon batted Flitter's helmet clear off as the strap broke and it went flying. Pulling the bayonet out of his steaming guts, Flitter rammed it in again, this time into his neck. With his spine severed, the griffon fell silently at her hooves, only to be replaced by another who charged her wordlessly.

Preparing her bayonet for the next attacker, Flitter was saved the trouble as an armoured forearm slammed into the griffons neck, and the blade held against it saw the griffons head fly off with a crack of snickersnack. Jack panted and spat blood before looking to Flitter with his wild eye. His face was covered in blood, and his armour had rivulets of it dribbling across the deck. To her amazement, he smiled to her with his ruined face, and bumped her shoulder.

“Good to see you too, Jack. We're in a bit of a spot right now.” Flitter pulled a half full magazine from one of the fallen and kicked it home in her magwell. She watched as Jack fumbled and fought with a heavy auto shotgun, before finally rocking it in and racking the action.

“Re'ey.” He slurred at her, before casting another glance over his shoulder. He turned and first a fast three round burst, before gesturing frantically toward the command tower. Flitter's eyes flicked up, and she could see small arms fire popping from the shattered windows, followed by a falling imperial body. The cause came soon after, as she spotted an open hatch and two dead aeronauts laying next to it.

“SERGEANT AEGIS!” Flitter boomed, drawing her NCO's attention over the melee. “WE'RE GOING TO SECURE THE BRIDGE!” FALL BACK TO THE COMMAND TOWER AND HOLD! TAVEN! GRAB BARON AND MYTHIC, LET'S GO!”

Her orders were followed quickly and efficiently, and Jack would have been beaming with pride if he wasn't treading in his own blood and doped up to his gills in morphine. The group of five made a hard line toward the bridge, and pounded up the stairs. Jack forced the bridge hatch open, and led the charge with his shotgun.

The navigator cried out as an imperial gutted him across his console, and Chord fired his pistol until it clicked empty. An entire squad of imperial saboteurs had gotten into the bridge, and now it was a frantic battle to just survive the next five seconds. The tide was turned when the five operatives dived into the fight, and Jack choke slammed the imperial NCO into the deck plating.

Bounding over Jack, Flitter tackled the imperial who was sneaking up on the captain, and proceeded to run her bayonet through his eye socket.

Taven's carbine ripped open the air as it perforated one of the few last Imperials, while a combination of small arms fire and Baron's magic saw the last one plunging backwards and out of sight when he fell out of the broken window.

“What's the ETA on our reinforcements!?” Flitter yelled at Chord as he wiped blood from his muzzle.

“Take a look.” Chord gestured toward the window, which afforded the squad a fine view of Righteous Justice approaching their position at Mach 2.1, it's frontal shields at full and it's afterburner wake visible. “The cavalry has arrived.”

“Hallefugginlooah.” Jack muttered before slumping against the wall and spitting out a glob of blood.

“All gunners, prioritise the infantry swarming Stalwart, batteries load AP and focus on the cruisers! Brace for deceleration!” Captain Alsan held her hoof up to mark, and waited until she was nearly on top of the battle. “Now! Pull up! Engines full! Crew brace for immediate maneuvers!”

Righteous Justice dropped from Mach speed almost directly on top of Stalwart, before making a hard maneuver that saw them drift across the larger ships bow as her guns chattered to life. Her gunners yelled and hollered as they chewed through the imperial infantry flying about, all while the cannon batteries found their targets. The rapid, overlapping thunderclaps of the massive guns shattered the sky and shook the great vessel below them, but only served to redouble the defenders fighting spirit as their attackers were slaughtered where they stood. Returning to her usual angle, Justice began to fly circles around the imperial navy as it struggled to move from its collected firing line. With the combined fire of both ships, it was a short battle, and each imperial vessel was falling onto the village below.

As the Imperials fought to a man, both captains realized that the falling ships were disgorging troops into the village below, and that the village itself was now hot. They couldn't fire upon it, for fear of hitting civilians. When word reached them that the evacuation flights were taking fire, there was a bright blue flash in the distance, in the direction of the ranger base.

“Somebody get Twin Peaks on the horn!” Captain Alsan yelled as her own medical teams crossed ships to help out Stalwart.

“Inbound communication!”

Perking slightly, Captain Alsan nodded to her comms officer. “Put it through, and patch to Stalwart.”

There was a momentary crackle, before the calm voice of Colonel Glow sounded on both ship bridges. “-Say again, I hereby order all standing combat units to surrender without violence. For the good of Equestria, we all must stand down. For Order.”

Flitter stared at the console for a long moment, before hardening. “Captain, may I?” With his nod, Flitter took the comms. “To all remaining combat units, disregard last. Colonel Glow and the officers of Twin Peaks base are to be considered compromised. This is first Lieutenant Falenas, and I am taking operational command over all remaining Ranger units.” As she released the comms, another call began to come through, only to be cut off as both ships switched signals.

“It seems we will have even less time now than we already had.” Chord winced as he sat, and held a hoof against his oozing side.

“Sir, you're wounded! I'll get the medic!” Flitter pulled herself away from Jack's fallen form, only to be waved off by the captain.

“It's only a flesh wound. The doctors have their hooves full as it is. We will survive, will we not, Knight Captain?” At Jack's plaintive grunt, the captain nodded in agreement. Picking up the comms, Chord dialed in Justice as it took up a patrol position around the besieged village. “Come in Marsa. We're floating wounded here. Do you have visuals on the pass?”

“Yeah.” The quick, quiet response did nothing to calm anybody. “Looks like two armies, and their entire air navy. Several dozen light cruisers, more corvettes, dozen heavy cruisers, and one big bastard. Couple supply ships I can see. They're steaming hard for us.”

“Estimated arrival?” Chord asked as he pinned an offered shirt against his side.

“At their current speed, five until they reach our gun range. Seven to theirs. Nine to the village.”

Chord closed his eyes. If they got that close, Stalwart would not be escaping, and Justice would be hard pressed. “We won't be able to get all of the civilians out. We need more time.”

Across the way, Marsa sat back into her chair and looked over her munitions report. The single digit numbers earned a hard wince from her. “We're out of time. If whatever’s got into their heads hadn't, we could likely convince them to hold position, but even the corvettes refuse to retreat. They'll just go through the casualties and crash into us.” Lifting her spy glass, Marsa cursed softly. “Look at the size of that ship. It's a damn dreadnaught!”

The griffon flagship looked to be larger than Stalwart Liberty, and bristling with more guns than Righteous Justice. It was already angling it's guns for when it reached range, which Marsa correctly assumed to be beyond their own. She found she was correct, as the mammoth guns belched in her spyglass.

“Hit thrusters, we can't be here!”

Justice's thrusters fired, shoving the ship roughly out of the way as the shells just narrowly missed them, and slammed into the village below. The pressure wave caused the windows to shake on the mighty vessels, and in Stalwart’s case, caused more glass to rain down on the deck. Marsa snatched up the comms and called Chord immediately. “That dreadnaught is finding its range, if we stay here, we're all dead, Cherry!”

Cursing brightly, Chord gasped in pain before gritting his teeth and grabbing his radio. “We can't leave, Marsa, we still have crews running civilians. There was to be hundreds left. We can't just leave them behind!”

As Captain Alsan opened her mouth to issue a rebuttal, a massive round struck her shields, and the generator overloaded, causing a cascade failure across the board. The bridge of the Righteous Justice went dark for a moment, before the lights came back on. “Damage report, helmsman, get us out of its range! All guns, find range and fire on the dreadnaught! Keep it busy!”

“Captain! Shield generator is down, and the engineers say it'll be minutes before it's back up from cool down!”

Punching her consoles, Captain Alsan nearly pulled the radio right out of the console. “Cherry! We can't take another hit like that! Shields are down and we're out of our optimum range!” The ship shuddered as all nine of her 405mm guns boomed and bucked. Their rounds mostly sailed true, despite the range. The crashed into the shimmering blue wall before the dreadnaught as it steamed forward, it's own shields unaffected by the barrage.

“Negative effect on target captain!”

“God's damn the Imperial war industry!” Marsa spat and held the radio close. “Cherry, please, we have to retreat!”

Pressing the radio receiver into his forehead, Captain Chord let out a long, even breath as he kept his eyes closed. “Sound the retreat. All crews are to return. Engines to full.”

As the ship responded and began to steam away from the village, Jack sat up from against the wall and forced himself to stand. “Buy yah time. Gunship. Need it.”

As everyone present looked toward the badly mangled human as if he'd spoken heresy, the captain simply shook his head. “Permission denied. You and your soldiers are in not condition to fight something like that.”

Shaking his head, and sending blood this way and that as he did so, Jack weakly spat another glob of blood onto the deck. “Can’ jus’ leave em… give em a chance.”

Chord forced himself to look away as his vessel left the hundreds of the remaining civilians on the ground stranded. “Lieutenant Falenas.”

Looking down, Flitter braced herself. “Yes sir.” Fluttering up behind Jack, she did her best to be gentle as she wrapped her foreleg around his throat. “Knight Captain Kessle, you're relieved of duty. Please sit… don't make me do this, Jack.”

Jack's armoured hands went to her forehoof, and gently rested on it as his injured mind tried to catch up. “Flittuh…” His voice sounded wounded beyond measure, and it struck at her core as he slowly slumped, and sat down heavily. As she removed her forehoof from his neck, he continued to hold onto her. “Flittuh…”

Nuzzling the uninjured side of his face, Flitter did her best to console him. “I'm so sorry Jack… I can't let you…”

As the ship medics found their way to the bridge as saw to the wounded crew, Captain Chord made his announcement. “Crew of the Stalwart Liberty. Today we have been dealt a terrible blow, and we've been forced to abandon those we promised to protect with our lives. Know that I did not make that call lightly, and that when the time comes, we will return and retake our lands. May the princesses guide us home.”

After his announcement, Captain Alsan made another call. “You made the right call, pulling back.”

“I know…” He winced as a doctor pulled the stitches in his side tight. “Equestria will need us. Hundreds for millions… I just pray the scales even out in the end.”

There was a momentary pause, before Marsa responded. “Long range comms have the princesses. They want an update. Are your long range comms still operational?” Chord glanced over his shoulder toward said communications console, which had been destroyed by autocannon fire. Once she heard the negative, Marsa rubbed her muzzle. “Stay on your ship, I doubt you're in any shape to move right now. I'll tell them what I can, but expect another debrief when we get back.”

“We have the Imperial princess onboard.” Chord spoke suddenly, almost surprising the other captain.

“That… that might change things.”

As his ships split up into their battle groups and swept upwards into the Equestrian border lands with their accompanying army group, Carolus looked over the Equestrian Badlands with a little trepidation. He had been told to come here by his lord, and he was loath to ignore such an order. However, he couldn't see anything of worth for kilometers in every direction.

When King Xerox and his honour guard materialized from Carolus’ crew, he found it to be quite the shock. The only thing that stopped a sudden and brutal firefight was the mask the changeling noble wore.

Smiling thinly, Carolus produced his own mask, showing it as the symbol of authority he knew it truly was. “Our lord has called a meeting between us. You have something we need.”

Xerox looked upon the griffon with a perfectly even expression. “I have four hundred warriors and infiltrators in every major Equestrian city. Our ex-queen’s plans were destroyed by the Equestrians.”

Perking a brow in curiosity, Carolus motioned for the changeling to follow him into the dreadnaught's luxury quarters. Once there, he finally spoke. “Tell me of the plans our lord set for her, and why you wear the mask of position.”

Looking around the opulent quarters. Xerox looked about as unimpressed as a changeling ever could. “Queen Chrysalis began the gathering of Terran weapons and the creation of a new warrior caste.”

“Weapons? My Empire can create hundreds of guns and thousands of bullets by the hour. More, now that our entire populace is working toward the glory of our lord.” Carolus sniffed lightly as he poured himself some of his father's beloved brandy.

“Terran weapons of mass destruction.”

The brandy being poured was paused as Carolus looked up. “You have my attention. However, when you say Terran, are you referencing humans? I do not see humans as being able to create much of anything besides a mess.”

Xerox simply stared. “I speak of the humans hailing from the planet known as Terra. If what was said is to be believed, then they are highly advanced and intelligent. One such human took it upon himself to destroy the weapons we had stockpiled, then killed Chrysalis while fighting off the hive.”

Snorting mildly, Carolus took a sip of his brandy. Say what he could about his father, the dead old man had great taste in alcohol. “I don't care for them. They are an anomaly, and they bow to our lord like any other. Now, about these weapons. Tell me of them.”

“Chemical and biological weapons engineered to claim the maximum amount of life possible while leaving facilities intact. The most virulent destroyed themselves within a set period, and proved to be one hundred percent fatal to all living beings.”

Smiling to himself, the griffon emperor sat back. “How ingenious. And you said they were all destroyed?”

“Yes. Almost all samples. Along with-”

“A shame.” Carolus set his glass aside. “Be thankful our lord has decided to forgive your failures, but do not expect him to forget. Do not expect me, to forget.”

“You-”

“Emperor Carolus. You will address me by my station.”

Xerox smiled thinly as he contained his emotions. “Emperor Carolus. You are not paying attention. If you had been, you would have realized I said almost all samples. The Terran Goliath was thorough, but he did not get all of it.”

Carolus’ beak clicked shut as he bit his tongue. So, they were still of use to him. “My scientists will take the remaining samples. Now, tell me of this Goliath.”

With the upstart Emperor finally paying attention, Xerox gave him a brief summary of the attack on his hive. “The Goliath is owned by the princesses. It will no doubt engage your forces and blunt our efforts considerably. I suggest we find it and kill it soon.”

Tapping a claw against his jaw, Carolus recalled the armoured human that had killed Forge's Progeny in the Crystal Empire. He then recalled the reports of the assassins he had hired to kill said human. A low hum emanated from him as he relaxed into his chair. “I have made a decision. We will bait this human, and we will capture him.”

Frowning as much as he would allow himself, Xerox simply glanced around the quarters. “Two hundred elites dead and wounded. How do you suggest we catch such a beast?”

As Carolus began to answer, he paused, and smiled broadly as he reached over and grabbed his ornate radio receiver. “Bring me my Bitch.”

The changeling perked a chitinous brow as the affirmative sounded. Less than a minute later, one of the emperor's honour guard stepped in with a human on a leash. Xerox tilted his head in curiosity as he felt a wave of unbridled hatred wash off the human as she looked to the floor. The woman was Terran, and very obviously so. She bore their inky flesh markings, and seemed to be in fantastic physical shape. However, this female’s face and bare arms were marred with dozens of fresh cuts and scratches, and her neck bore heavy bruising.

Carolus simply smiled. “We will draw him in with the female of the species.” He cast a smug look toward the woman. “There is a man. Like you. He wears armour. Do you know of him, Bitch?”

Xerox kept his features level as her emotions spiked. While tethered, it seemed the human still maintained some form of comprehension. Slowly, she began to nod. “Yes… Emperor…” She seemed to force every word out, and Xerox found himself mildly impressed by the willpower being unknowingly touted before him.

Unable to help himself, Xerox spoke. “What is his name? The goliath.”

The Terran woman slowly looked up into his eyes, and Xerox's wings fluttered in irrepressible primal agitation. “Knight. Captain. Jack. Kessle.” Xerox's brows both raise high as her emotions fed him greatly.

Chuckling to himself, Carolus swirled his brandy idly. “Bitch, you are to capture this, Knight Captain Kessle, however you can. Can you do that, Bitch?”

Ada grit her teeth tightly, and nodded slowly. “Yes… I will… capture… Jack…”

“For whom, Bitch.”

“For… my… Emperor.”

Chapter Forty Six: Shadow of the Eagle

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Canterlot Castle was a buzzing hive of frantic activity as the docked vessels offloaded their wounded and the several hundred terrified civilians they had saved. The most grievous of wounds were treated at the castle's medical ward, but almost two hundred cases of injuries and non-life threatening wounds were redirected to the local hospitals, which quickly found themselves overloaded and overburdened. The city itself was goading itself into a panic as Stalwart Liberty floated in dock, its hull shredded and smoking. The call to arms went out, and hundreds of royal guard were rushing to mobilise against the invaders.

As Celestia trotted quickly toward her meeting room with her aides and orderlies trailing and reporting, her mind was racing with possibilities and tactics. They hadn't had a war with the empire for almost eight hundred years, and now they were on the receiving end of one of the most effective assaults she'd ever been witness to.

“Princess Celestia! Another town has gone dark! Over the badlands!”

The princess hid her wince as she carried in. Reports had been flooding in by the hour, reporting the three battle fleets and their courses. It seemed whoever was in charge was perfectly complacent to simply roll over every town and village from the border to Canterlot. What worried her more, was that there were no reports of resistance. Passing by the main hall, Celestia almost stopped in her tracks as the sudden burst of voices struck her. It seemed that almost all of Canterlot's elite and it's media had collected there, and had been waiting for her arrival to barrage her with screams and yells that could may well possibly been questions. Her guards were struggling with the bulk of the group, not to mention the political clout.

“We demand answers!”

One question managed to punch above the others, or rather, it was repeated enough for her to make it out. With a calm face, Celestia faced the crowd of rich and famous. “I apologise, but I cannot stay to answer your questions right now, as I am on my way to the War Council.”

The crowd gasped theatrically, and Celestia fought the very tempting desire to facehoof. They wanted to know if they were at war.

Staring down the crowd with her scorching gaze, Celestia spoke levelly, and they all listened. “Yes, we are at war. I suggest all nobles return to their houses and retrieve their family documents regarding their agreements with the crown.” Her statement caused a good half of the voices to fall utterly silent. They didn't realise that in war, she'd owned them from the founding of the city. “Please do not incite panic. I am meeting the council right now, and I assure you that we have a plan to keep the citizens of Equestria as safe as possible. That is all.” She turned from the crowd, and left as more questions bounced off her backside. She could see the headlines already, and she could feel her migraine beginning to fester.

Pushing open the council chamber doors, Celestia was greeted by her generals, her captain of the guard, Luna, and the officers involved in the engagement. The wounds on all of them didn't always match up with the blood on their uniforms, and the Generals seemed to regard them with disdain. Several doctors were working still on both Jack and Captain Chord. Trotting around to her sister's side, Celestia his a wince as the ruined half of Jack's face came into view. “Knight Captain, you should be in the infirmary.”

The human shook his head as the doctor tried to knit his halves of cheek back together. “Can't.” He winced and fidgeted as a small portion of skin grew back. “You need me.”

“Sister, we do not have time for semantics, and Jack is right.” Luna spoke, and Celestia was forced to agree.

Sitting down, Celestia looked to the gathered field officers. “Tell me everything that happened. Leave nothing out, as it may be crucial.”

“Yes, do tell us how two of the mightiest ships and the best trained and armed units in all of Equestria got their flanks handed to them by the kittens.” General Wave quipped, with the tone of somebody agitated and bored. His expression swiftly turned to one of regret when Celestia and Luna fixed him with smouldering gazes.

“We were ambushed while retrieving the princess. Barely made it out.” Jack spoke after the portion of cheek closest to his mouth knit together.

“Did you retrieve her? Is Princess Gilda safe?” Luna asked with worry, and at his nod, she furrowed her brow. “So where is she?”

Clearing his throat, the Air Force General leaned forward on the table. “As she is not apart of the Equestrian Military Complex, we saw it as a unneeded breach in security to bring her here.”

As Celestia's expression darkened, Jack let out a wet chuckle and muttered about where he could get his general stars online. “Please, General.” Celestia spoke in a calm and even tone. “Send somebody to get her.”

The meeting was put on a temporary hold as a runner galloped off to collect the Imperial heir, and Celestia found herself staring at the map as magically guided pieces slowly moved about the board. The first imperial battlegroup was making a hard charge for Stalliongrad, where nearly all of the Equestrian war industry was. The second seemed to be working in a broad swooping motion, mopping up town after town as it moved to encircle the capital. The third battlegroup, however, worried her. It was making the most efficient path as possible to get out of Equestria, and into Zebraic lands. From there, they could strike anywhere. Dozens of cities, towns, and villages were in danger, and they couldn't even begin to send aid to a fraction of them.

Thankfully, Princess Gilda was swiftly brought to the room, where she stood stiffly with a brightly uniformed Major. The army General, Ironsides, was first of the three to open his mouth about the extra griffon, but it was shut quite quickly when Gilda screamed at him. “Major Highwater is my personal guard, and if you want my help, he is staying!”

Celestia's patience for the three out of depth Generals was swiftly running thin, while Luna's had run out the moment she had met them. As tensions rose sharply, it was all interrupted by Jack chuckling oddly as one of the doctors pulled a stray chunk of shrapnel from his skull. “Hell of a day, eh Highwater?” Major Highwater smiled thinly as Jack sighed in amusement. “Rebel to imperial bodyguard in a single day. That's better than my record.”

Thanks to the momentary distraction, Celestia was able to clear her throat and gather the group's attention. “Princess Gilda, please tell us exactly what led to this attack. Your father has betrayed centuries of peace and a very important, recent agreement.”

Wincing at the mention, Gilda took a seat at the table. “That's because he's dead. My brother killed him. He just… He was wearing this mask, and...” She trailed off, the events still fresh wounds across her heart and mind.

With a grunt, Jack rested an elbow on the table and slowly pieced together his sentence. “It's believed as of right now, that Petyr, Ada, and the Griffon contingent of JSOG have been captured and turned, somehow.”

Dire news indeed, and only made worse when Flitter spoke next. “Colonel Glow said we should surrender for the good of Order. I think he's under the same influence. They were going to hold the pass as long as they could, to buy us time. I remember there was a flash of blue light, and soon he came on the radio.”

Frowning heavily, Luna looked to the soldiers across from her. “Tell us what happened, from the top.” As the single, chaotic day was repeated by those still suffering from it, Celestia and Luna occasionally traded glances as certain details were spoken. At the end, it was Luna who spoke. “Sister, I believe that Jalgromak has returned.”

Celestia turned to her sister, as the others simply looked confused. “How can you be certain? Discord killed him during his first rise, when-”

“I know. But this all fits. I have had my ponies looking for clues since we spoke of it with the late Emperor. I believe that Jalgromak was not killed, not fully. He was simply banished, in several pieces.”

“Those pieces would contain a fraction of a god's power…”

Gilda's eyes shot open. “My brother's mask.”

Nodding in agreement, Celestia sighed. “Your brother Carolus has fallen under the sway of a god, Gilda. A true God.” She watched as another border town went from gold, to red. The pain of the simple change drove a stake through her heart. “If my assumption is correct, then he is using the power of the mask to exert control over those he conquers. They will follow him with utter loyalty.”

“Fuckin cunt.” Jack cursed mildly. “Do y’all understand what Total War is? Not you, Flitter. Cheater.” Flitter pouted ever so mildly as she put her hoof down. Jack rolled his jaw, before sighing. “Okay, explain it.”

Rolling her eyes, Flitter sat up straight before the group. “Total war is, by definition, when a society dedicates itself, one hundred percent, to a war effort. Every weapon, and the society's full financial capability are put to the war effort. Normally, not truly possible. But if the entire populace couldn't, and won’t say different?”

Expressions around the table turned ashen, as Celestia spoke the answer. “Then we would have the full, true might of the Imperial war industry weighing down upon us.”

General Ironsides sat up a little taller, and assumed the expression befitting of somebody of his rank. “Permission to reactivate the REA and all Ranger units.”

“Permission granted. The forges have been ordered to double time their production of personal protection and weaponry. For now, use what you can from the Royal Guard stockpiles.” Celestia turned her attentions toward the other two generals. “Stormfront, you are to gather all forces at your disposal, and begin the immediate evacuation of all outlier cloud towns, and the repositioning of Cloudsdale.”

Almost everybody in the room looked to Celestia in shock as the general in question shifted uncomfortably. “I will… need a rite of conscription. Moving the whole city will… not be an easy feat by any standard.”

“No it will not, but Cloudsdale cannot fall to the griffons. If it does, they will have a staging ground for attacks all over the country and we do not have the forces to retake it in that event. If it cannot be reclaimed, you are to scuttle the city.” As a worried murmur came from Stormfront, Celestia finally turned her attention to Wave. “Wave, you are to return to Maripony Shipyards, and activate all foundries. We need our navy.”

Rubbing his cheek, General Wave looked to his leader. “With all due respect, Princess, we just don't have the time to make any more ships. We have neither the funds, nor the ponypower.”

Finally, Luna spoke. “I give you the rite of conscription. If you require funding, you only need ask.”

“Just fuckin’ steal the griffon ships.” Jack said out loud as the doctor dabbed at his empty eye socket with a gauze pad.

Blinking in surprise as she ran the idea through her head, Luna slowly nodded. “Yes, yes that may work! General Wave, you are ordered to capture and refit any and all griffon vessels you can. We will turn their might against them.” Somehow, the prospect of boarding enemy vessels and stealing them appealed far less to Wave than a blank cheque did.

“Guard Captain Caspian.” Celestia began as she looked to the Captain of the Royal Guard. “You are to gather all guard units and special forces, and begin the immediate evacuation of all towns near Canterlot. We cannot let our ponies fall into enemy talons.” The Captain simply saluted, never speaking a word. “Generals, Captain, you are dismissed. See to your orders immediately.” Celestia waited for the Generals and their aides to file out, before looking to the soldiers who had been in the field, and the Imperial Princess. “Princess Gilda, we are more than glad to offer you and your guards asylum in Canterlot. Any help you can render would be invaluable.”

“I…” Gilda pulled idly at her crest. “I'll do what I can. I don't know how much help I'll be. I never wanted to lead my country, unlike my dweeb brother…”

Celestia smiled softly to the princess. “If you can help build a profile of your brother, and what he may be planning, that would be more than enough.” As Gilda promised to do what she could, she too was dismissed, and her rebel bodyguard swiftly followed her. Jack groaned quietly as the last of the shrapnel was pulled from his skull, and the exhausted doctor bandaged him up. “I have to say, Jack, I'm rather shocked you're still awake.”

“M’ up to my eyeballs in morphine…”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Celestia looked again to the board as her own pieces began to finally move and position. “I need you rested as well as you can. Is JSOG in any shape to fight?”

The wince from Jack at the mention of his team was greater than when a portion of his visor had been pulled from his ruined socket. “You got me, Taven, Mythic, Baron, and Simoh.”

Faces fell as the very short list of names ended far too soon. One in ten of the world's most elite fighting force had survived the last week. Celestia let out a breath through her nose as she nodded. “I see. Lieutenant Falenas, how many soldiers do you have in good health under your command?”

Flitter thought for a moment, before responding. “Twenty eight, including myself. The battle on Stalwart killed nearly half my ponies.”

Flitter's brows arched in immediate concern as Celestia blinked away tears. “I apologise.” Celestia began as Luna slowly rubbed her back. “You all showed such immense bravery during all of this, I am beside myself for your losses… I should be giving you all medals, not throwing you back into the fire.”

“Ma'am.” Captain Chord stood, grunting as his stitches moved. “We are your warriors. We'll follow you and your sister to Tartarus and back. If we die defending our home, then so be it. Let us only take as many of the enemy with us as we can.”

“Oorah.” Jack echoed as Celestia and Luna smiled.

“As Jack says it, Semper fi, ma'am.” Taven spoke, earning a weak grin from Jack. The statement was echoed around the room, earning a proud smile from their rulers.

Swallowing thickly, Celestia continued to smile as she looked to the board. “Thank you. Thank you all so much for everything. Lieutenant Falenas, you and your rangers are now officially a part of JSOG. I expect great things from you, and your unit.”

As her sister looked back to the table, Luna spoke up in her stead. “Please see to your wounds and rearm yourselves. You all will be back on the front lines very, very soon. Until our armies can be brought together and mobilised, we will be forced to abandon almost all engagements. You will have to harry the imperial lines with lightning strikes. Slow them as best you can, and buy us the time we need to erect our defenses. May the stars guide your way.” Luna bowed her head to the ragtag band, who all remained seated, except flitter.

Leaning over, she stage whispered to the others. “That means we're dismissed.”

“Oh.”

The group all stood as best they could, before saluting and exiting the planning room. As they started down the halls toward the armoury, Flitter was forced to start leading Jack's doped up form toward the hospital as he conspicuously attempted to try and keep going with them.

“Oh no you don't mister. You're still relieved of command. You're going to the hospital.” She gently guided him as the spent doctor simply nodded and followed in their wake. “We're all going to the infirmary to get patched up, come on, no complaining.”

“But…” Jack blinked slowly as his mind swam and sunk into the morphine. “I like complaining.”

Adopting a concerned expression, Flitter glanced toward Taven, who voiced what she was thinking. “Jack, how much of that morphine stuff are you on right now?”

There was a long pause as the human narrowed his eyes slightly in thought. “...all of it.”

“How are you not dead?” Captain Chord asked idly as he was forced to lean on Captain Alsan for support.

“I'm not really sure.” Jack answered honestly. “Ah do believe, that ah am in an inordinate amount of pain. Ah can't feel a thing.”

The doctor beside him let out a plaintive groan. “How am I supposed to work with you people? I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker.”

Jack began an off kilter chuckle as he was led to the infirmary. There, the group were seen to for their various injuries by the well stocked medical personnel. Unfortunately, the castle hospital was almost full with aeronauts and civilians who had been grievously wounded in the fighting, so the crew were only given treatment regarding the worst of their injuries. Captain Chord was the first to go in, and Jack was only second as he'd fallen asleep sitting, and nobody present had the strength to heft the three quarter tonne marine onto a gurney.

While Flitter's injuries were rather light, she found herself alone as Captain Alsan returned to her vessel, and Taven split off to begin sorting through their munitions pile for anything useable. Realization dawned on Flitter as she applied the healing paste as directed by her physician; she still had to inform her rangers that they were now all technically knighted and under the JSOG banner. With a tired sigh, Flitter patted Jack's armoured hand as the doctors worked at trying to give him a blood transfusion. She'd been told that they couldn't do anything more about his face, not with their time frame. He'd be stuck with his half skull grin for the foreseeable future.

Flitter pushed herself up off the floor, and pulled her uniform top back on. Her pitted and blood spattered body armour followed swiftly, and she only left once she was sure her guns were loaded and secured. Heading through the halls, Flitter began to weave her way passed galloping servants and nervous guards. Stalwart Liberty was still in dock, and brief repairs were being committed to it so it could limp to the shipyards for a proper rearming and repairing.

As Flitter mentally planned her route to Stalwart, then back to the armoury, her train of thought was rudely interrupted by a happy chirp of “FRITTAH!” It was further interrupted as Toast all but tackled her off her hooves and squee'd happily as Flitter sucked air.

“Oh goodness! I'm so sorry, here, let me-” Field galloped over, and began helping Flitter up, only to freeze in his tracks as he realized who Toast had all but dive tackled. “F-flitter! I didn't realise you were back in Canterlot!” He laughed weakly. “Hi! Um… how are you?”

Blinking at the stallion as Toast snuggled her, Flitter pursed her lips tightly. “Well Field, hello to you too. I'm not great right now.”

The bat stallion adjusted his glasses as he looked down toward her, and finally spotted all the dried blood and scars across her body armour, and the recently bandaged graze. “What in heaven's name happened to you!?”

“Uh… the war happened, Field.”

He stared at her incredulously, and she was privy to watch as realization dawned in his eyes. “Oh. I… I suppose you would be on the front line of that… how… how did it go? Erm… stupid question, I'm sorry.” He sighed weakly. “Are you still in the army? I'm certainly glad you didn't join in on Jack's band of brigands, I'm quite certain he's going to get them all killed-” Field shut his muzzle with an audible click as Flitter's gaze turned incendiary.

“I have places to be Field. I'm following Jack back out there, and there's a lot I have to do to ensure my ponies don't die. I'm sure you've got a paper to write.” Flitter gave Toast a brief nuzzle, earning a coo from the human. She stood, and began trotting away from the stallion as he sputtered and tried to fabricate a way to salvage the conversation.

“I'm- I'm sorry, Flitter! Please, I'm just stressed, I didn't mean to offend you!”

Flitter didn't look back at him. “Goodbye, Field.”

The trot to Stalwart was a thankfully quiet one for her there on, as she passed by frantic ponies gossiping about the sudden outbreak of war. So much misinformation was flying around, Flitter had to shake her head at the absurdity. She was listening to a maid proudly speculate on military matters, touting knowledge because so and so dated a guard once. With a foul mood already about her, Flitter felt a keen disliking come over her as she tried to shut out the idle crap that was beginning to fill her ears. Thankfully, nopony stopped her, and she was able to board Stalwart with ease. There, the mood shifted dramatically to professionalism as aeronauts did their best to patch up their home. As she trotted and glided through the thin halls, Flitter nearly ran muzzlefirst into Taven, who was eyeball deep in munitions reports and lists.

“Oh! Taven, you startled me!” Flitter forced a smile as Taven readjusted his files.

“It's my fault, should have been looking where I was going.” Taven sighed hard as he shuffled the orders. “Do you need help with anything? I feel like I'm going to go crazy staring at all of these numbers.”

Smiling knowingly, Flitter nodded. “I could really use a hoof. I need to find my Rangers and break the news to them.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Taven stowed the armoury books and nodded. “May as well grab Baron, Mystic, and Simoh. Get us all together for a proper powwow.”

“What the hell is a powwow?” Flitter questioned as they both started down the hall toward the bunk rooms.

“One of Jack's little words. Means meeting.”

“Oh. Yay. Meetings. My favourite thing.”

Taven grinned. “You sound like Jack. You may want to see a doctor.” He snickered as she lightly punched his shoulder.

The pair trotted together through the ship, carefully avoiding marked off areas as crews tried to patch broken pipes and split bulkheads. Stopping by Taven's bunk first, they found it to be utterly missing, and the bulkhead opening up to a beautiful view of the city through ruined steel and sparking wires. As they closed the bulkhead door, a rating trotted up and taped off the door with an apology. With the fur on the backs of their necks standing on end, they continued onward.

Simoh was by far the easiest to find, as the village raised snowy griffon stuck out like an awkwardly sore thumb. Waving him over, the pair found Simoh still clutching his rifle.

Taven frowned slightly, and spoke to the new recruit. “How are you feeling, Simoh?”

The griffon perked slightly as he watched ratings flow past with welding equipment and replacement parts. “I killed more of my kind yesterday than I've ever known.” He watched the ratings for a moment longer, before looking back to the pair. “I will be fine, Sergeant Varenikov. I am thankful for this rifle and bountiful ammunition.” The griffon smiled idly. “I hear we may be returning to the front. I look forward to it.” Simoh idly patted the Terran rifle's polymer stock, which had nearly four dozen new tally marks etched into it.

“Right. We're gathering everybody and swearing in some new blood. Would you like to join us?” Taven asked, and Simoh nodded in return. With the quietly intense griffon in tow, the trio set off once again to collect everybody.

After some asking around, it seemed that Mythic and Baron had retired to their bunks. While they definitely deserved it, they were needed. And so, the search continued.

Having finally found which bunkroom the two had commandeered, Flitter spun the hatch wheel and pushed it open. Sticking her head in, she found herself swiftly retreating as Mythic shrieked in surprise. Slamming the hatch closed, Flitter pulled back as her features went bright cherry red.

“What? What was it?” Taven asked curiously as Flitter failed to cover a giggle.

“T-they’re… Um, well, Mythic seems to be feeding Corporal Baron her needed love!”

Taven stared at Flitter for a moment, before snorting and loosing a single “Hah!” He pounded on the hatch, before opening it a crack. “You two finished in there? We've got work to do!”

Mythic's defeated voice was the first to sound. “Yeah, I'm finished…”

Snickering, Taven shook his head. “You've got two minutes to freshen up. We'll wait.”

It took less than two minutes, but the pair had hardly freshened themselves. Mythic looked dazed and horribly embarrassed, while Baron seemed as stoic as ever. They carried on with little more than a nod between Taven and Baron. The silence didn't last forever, though.

“Sooo…” Flitter started, and Mythic's ears turned red under his fur.

Not having any of it, Baron simply spoke. “Yes, it was good. I hate you both, and we're not finished.”

Grinning, Taven cast a glance at Mythic, who was busy trying to be invisible. “Not finished?”

Baron shook her head. “No sir. When we're finished here, I've business to attend to in the nearest linen closet with Private Ace.” She looked to Flitter momentarily. “And before you ask, yes, that business is him rutting me until I can't walk.”

Shuddering in both excitement and awful embarrassment, Mythic muttered an excited “oh momma…” Under his breath.

“I mean, if you're into that.” Baron teased back, and earned a loud pair of laughs as Mythic went nuclear red.

With the JSOG survivors in tow, Taven and Flitter were finally able to make their way down into the cargo bay where the Rangers had staked their territorial claim. They came to a halt as they spotted the trip wires and sentries. It appeared as though the rangers had constructed themselves a replacement fort in the lower cargo hold, and nestled in like ticks.

“It's the Lieutenant! Open the gate!”

“Opening the gate!”

“Wait! She brought the lunatics with her!”

“Closing the gate!”

Flitter snorted and rolled her eyes. “Rosedew, if you close that gate on me, you'll be cleaning latrines for a month!”

“...Opening the gate a little!”

The sentry poked her head back up. “Watch the tripwires ma'am!”

“I noticed them, thank you.” Flitter began the swift navigation of the tripwire field, and slipped in through the gate with the others following on her heels. Inside the fort didn't surprise her in the least, but it seemed to surprise the others. The Rangers had apparently dragged bunks down from somewhere, and found sand to fill sandbags. It was a proper FOB, and Flitter felt a hint of pride upon seeing the proper fallback points and kill zones. “Nicely done rangers, this is a nice fort.”

Sergeant Minerva was out of her flak armor, and approaching swiftly. She came to a swift halt and a crashing salute. “First platoon reporting ninth deck cargo bay clear of hostiles and secured.”

Snorting mildly in amusement, Flitter saluted back. “At ease sergeant. Can I have everybody's attention? I have a rather important announcement.” Minerva barked for attention, but didn't have to. All eyes had been on her the moment she had entered. Smiling, Flitter nodded to her troops. “Thank you. Okay, let's start from the top. We're at war with the Empire, and the Emperor has been murdered by his own son.”

“What a dick!”

“What a hack!

“What a maroon!”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I know, Emperor Carolus is a fuckhead of the highest order. He's managed to find some ancient artifact that's lent him the powers of an old fallen god by the name of Jalgromak, the god of Order. He's using mind control on the empire, and Colonel Glow, because from what I've heard, he couldn't lead his way out of a wet paper bag by himself.” Jeers sounded, and they served to put Flitter at ease. “Which leads me to the next point. We are, right now one of four combat ready military units in all of Equestria. That includes JSOG, the Wonderbolts, and the Royal Guard.”

“So, what you're saying ma'am, is that we're the only military unit in all of Equestria.” Minerva snipped idly, earning a few chuckles.

Minerva's smile dimmed slightly when Flitter looked to her and nodded. “That's about the meat of the situation. JSOG suffered massive casualties during the invasion. Those you see with me, plus one, are all that remains of a platoon sized force.” At the winces of her platoon, Flitter continued. “That is why the princesses have upgraded us, and given us to JSOG.” The entire bay went silent as the Rangers stared back at her in a mix of understanding, confusion, and clear disapproval. “JSOG will be at the front of the fight. Where the Rangers should be. I'm not going to order any of you to join. It's a volunteer force, and we'll be sticking in where the fighting is the worst. Sergeant Taven will explain some of the perks, but first I'd like you all to step in line, please.” Flitter turned toward Taven to ask him a question, but stopped as her platoon swiftly fell in line and Sergeant Minerva bellowed.

“All Rangers who want to follow the Lieutenant into hell, step forward.” The crash of hooves on the deck was unanimous and nearly deafening as every ranger stepped forward without hesitation. Flitter was struck dumb for a moment, as Taven smirked knowingly. Sergeant Minerva Aegis cast a momentary glance over the platoon, before looking back to her. “Ma'am, first platoon is ready. We volunteer.”

Pursing her lips as she looked down, Flitter let out a mild sigh of exasperation. “Well fuck. Okay, I guess you sorry lot are special forces now.”

“With emphasis on Special.” Minerva continued, earning a few grins of agreement.

Scoffing mildly, Flitter failed to hide her smile. “Okay. Sergeant Taven is the highest ranking survivor of the old crew besides the knight captain, so he's going to do a quick and dirty rundown on how they run things around here. After that, get to know these four. Once our meet and greet is done. We're headed for the armoury to get kitted. JSOG gets all the nice toys.” At all the growing smiles, Flitter felt the need to ground her troops. “Fancy toys are heavy toys. Don't rely on them.” At the groans and mild complaints to extra, heavy kit, Flitter smirked. “Come on, First Platoon! You're equestrian knights now! We're gonna kick the new Emperor's ass so hard, he'll taste boot polish well into the afterlife! Oorah?”

The returning affirmative was loud, brash, and full of gusto. First Platoon wasn't going to let anybody down. Not if they could help it. Flitter ensured she stuck around and answered as many questions as she could, and saw her rangers outfitted well before she was. In fact, she was the last. JSOG body armour was truly impressive, and she felt safer just wearing it. The chest piece had nearly the same level of enchantment as royal guard armour, though it wouldn't help much against automatic weapons. It took some time, seeing everybody placed and kitted, and it took even longer to try and convince the castle foundries to hoof over the crates of ammunition they needed, but by the time the moon rose, they were ready, and sharpening their bayonets with deadly intent. Soon enough, the call would come in, and Flitter would swiftly run back to the castle to requisition more ammunition.

For the next mission Celestia was planning on sending them, they would certainly need every last single bullet they’d appropriated. Retribution attacks tended to be that way.

Chapter Forty Seven: Cry Havoc

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It was set. The plan had been created, and already set in motion before Celestia had left the planning room. The missives had been sent, and orders confirmed received. Luna was still inside the planning room, controlling her own elements, as she had always done a millennium ago. While the means tore at Celestia, her heart swelled happily as she saw a hint of the mare her sister had been back then. She was truly a different pony now, but there was hardly anything Celestia could do for that. With sure steps, Celestia trotted toward the medical wing, where she knew one of her key pieces still remained.

“Auntie Celestia!”

The voice almost earned an annoyed groan from Celestia as she contemplated simply teleporting away. Shuffling said idea aside, she turned to Prince Blueblood. “Yes? I apologise, but I am very, very busy, Blueblood.”

The way his features subtly twisted as if she'd just done him a great injustice only served to solidify Celestia's thought that she truly did enjoy the company of her soldiers, far more than that of her nobles. “Auntie, my lawyers were going over the ancient treaties between yourself and the noble houses, and they found several very disturbing issues. I was hoping we could quickly rewrite them, just so as to put everybody to rest.”

Celestia's features hardened, and any trace of a smile she had vanished in a moment. “Blueblood, I do hope you aren't referring to the war tax.”

“It's unfair! It's hardly even a tax, Auntie! Noble houses no longer have any warriors, and the implications of these treaties- they're- they're positively barbaric! You can't seriously expect the houses to forfeit their banks to the war effort!”

Taking a slow, even breath, Celestia smiled once again. “Blueblood, my un-blood related, only a nephew because you were a pleasant colt, nephew.” Blueblood blinked in confusion, but didn't get a chance to speak. “I know the nobles don't have warriors. They have soldiers. Private soldiers. And I expect every last one of them reporting to the royal guard for placement. As well, if you hadn't read, the scions of each house are to report as well. Now, as for forfeiting your banks, if you had read carefully, you would know that in times of war, the nobles houses hold no power whatsoever. Your money is now crown money, but don't worry.” She patted his cheek lovingly. “If the nobles houses aid the crown in the war, and it ends swiftly, all of their funds will be returned intact. However, if the war drags on, well, then everybody's bankroll will suffer. Does that make sense? It's all rather simple, you see, we're being invaded, and both myself and those you would see as peasants do not wish to be invaded. The noble houses agreed one thousand years ago to these terms, seeing them as fair. So, with that said, I suggest you go back to the pack of nobles likely waiting in my castle, and inform them that if I don't see my soldiers by the time the moon rises next, then they will find themselves kitted and mobilised to the front. Understand? Lovely. Have a beautiful day, Nephew.” Celestia trotted around and past Blueblood, who stood stunned into silence. As she rounded the corner, she heard the faint murmur of the most terrified, angry whimpering she’d heard in nearly four hundred years. It brought her real smile back, if only slightly.

Soon, the smell of blood and antiseptic assaulted her keen senses, as did the sounds of surgery and the wounded. She would visit the wounded in a moment. With a single, quiet question, she was pointed toward the hunched, sleeping form of Jack. He was still wearing his blood slicked armour, though his borrowed equestrian helmet lay in his lap. His features twitched wildly as he snored softly through his recently broken nose.

Smiling softly at the sight, Celestia trotted to his side and gave him a light shake. With a snort and a jerk forward, Jack was awake and tense. He calmed, slightly, upon seeing her. “Nrff… hi…” He blinked hard and scowled as he squeezed his eye shut. “Need something?”

“It's time to go, Jack.”

He sighed softly, and rubbed at his sunken eye with armoured fingertips. “Okay… okay. Just give me a second.” He scowled against and strained against himself.

Offering him a hoof that was waved off lightly, Celestia stood back as the man stood and yawned. “I'm curious, what were you dreaming of? It seemed unpleasant.”

Glancing to the princess as he rested his hands on an empty bed, Jack soon looked back to the floor as he answered. “Some middle eastern shithole.” He responded quietly, and earned her interest.

“I've never heard of such a place. What makes it so special in your mind?”

Jack seemed to consider the question for a moment. “It… that place has a way of baking itself into your bones. Never leaves. It's just… there. There's nothing there but suffering.” As Celestia's expression softened further, he grabbed the borrowed helmet and secured it. “It's where I died for the first time.”

A quiet moment passed between the two, before Celestia spoke. “Your unit has transferred to Righteous Justice. I'm sending you out again. I'm sorry.”

“Don't apologise. It's what we do for a living.” He rolled his knuckles as he stared ahead.”Just… how the fuck did the Empire get so much air power? I mean, how?”

Celestia winced lightly and looked ahead as they traveled through the halls. “Griffonia’s industry has for millennia been a magnitude larger than Equestria's. They have no natural means of using magic, you see, so they rely on their engineering prowess. They also have a land mass roughly five times the size of Equestria, and a population nearly as big. That land mass means resources, and with their penchant for engineering, it meant they had stockpiles of iron and the like.”

“Opposed to your love for gold and gems.” Jack wagered, and earned a nod in return.

“Indeed. Equestrians have always turned to magic, and it has crippled us in key places. Our Royal Guard still wear golden armour. War with the Empire has never been a clean prospect for either side, that is why I ensured such a fine working relationship with the later emperor and his wife. We both saw that war would benefit nobody, and decided to work toward peace. They were to supply the bulk of forces, while we focused on the Elites, and training.”

Jack sighed softly. “Quantity versus quality. Quantity has a quality all its own. And now we don't have the numbers to fight them, and our elites don't have the punch to kill that many.”

“Correct, again. The Empire retrofitted its existing navy, and retooled their many shipyards with the new plans and magical tools we provided them. With the natural barrier between the two of us, and their turbulent seas, the griffons have always been focused on their air force and navy. Combining the two must have been a trivial issue. The dreadnaught, however… it concerns me. While we were aware it was being built, it should not be far enough in production to fly, let alone force Righteous Justice and Stalwart Liberty off point.”

Jack scowled hard and gave it some consideration. Drawing a blank, he simply sighed and idly rubbed his facial scars. “So we're flying into a meat grinder with the hope we get stuck in and the rest of you have a chance to get the hell out of the way.”

“Jack… Do not think for a moment that I spend your lives without thought. You are all precious to me, and your losses are like knives in my heart.”

Jack clamped his teeth down and fidgeted idly as they walked in silence for a moment. “JSOG is ready. We’ll mourn our losses when it’s all said and done. Just make it count.”

Celestia smiled weakly up at him, though it tore at her heart to force the smile. “Myself and Luna have spoken. Everyone in your unit is being awarded the Lance of Equestria. It is the third highest award one can be given.”

“I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that.”

“It does not please you, does it?” Celestia questioned as they trotted out of the hospital.

“Should it? I've got a tin box buried in the yard back home, full of my medals and ribbons. They don't interest me. It's all just metal and cloth. I don't fight for medals.”

“What do you fight for, Jack?”

He went quiet, and soon the only sound make was his rubberised heels and her shoes clopping against the marble floor. As they neared the docks, he spoke again. “It's the only thing I was ever truly good at.”

“Fighting?”

“Killing.” He said quietly. “As easy as breathing sometimes. It's an afterthought; a single signal from my brain to squeeze the trigger. I only feel the recoil.” At Celestia's concerned look, he decided to dig a little deeper. “I guess it was like that for that entire generation of marines. You spend years over there, fighting over a patch of sand for nothing, and then you come home to find out that you actually prefer it over there. I was… I was a better soldier than I was a fiance. They wouldn’t take me back, after I’d killed Mark and spent so many months in that prison… I wanted to go back, even though all it ever did was take everything from me.” He flexed his hands, before clenching them into fists. “And now I’m here. But this fight is worth somethin’. It’s not about oil, or political deals, or any of that bullshit… You need your monster, and I am all too glad to be it. I’ll be that monster and take the hits, if it means it’ll be worth something in the end.” He let out a long breath through his nose. “Sorry. Been sitting on that one for awhile, I suppose. Let's talk turkey. What's the mission?” Jack grunted in surprise as Celestia stood on her hind legs and wrapped her foreleg around the back of his head. “What are you doing?”

“It's called a hug, Jack.” Celestia continued to hug his mangled head. “I'm sorry that I have to ask you to fight.”

“Keep my hands busy.” He answered quietly as he patted her back. “Give me the orders and I will see them through.”

Removing herself from him, Celestia nodded slowly as she averted her eyes. “Thank you... You are to intercept the battlegroup headed for Stalliongrad. They cannot be allowed to reach the city as they are. Your second objective is to steal an Imperial cruiser so the shipyards may start work.”

A split grin spread across his face, despite him already wearing a skull's grin on half of it. “One stolen cruiser, coming right up, Princess.” He seemed to set the plan in motion in his head. “Will we have gunship support?”

“Only one. Righteous Justice doesn't have the room for any more than that. I do not expect JSOG to blunt the battlegroup, all I ask is that you give Stalliongrad the time they need.”

Nodding as he stepped aside and allowed a heavily burdened cart to trundle by, Jack looked up toward the massive carrier as it sat in dock. “Catch a ride with Stalwart to the shipyards, from there with Justice to Stalliongrad?”

“Yes. That was the plan. You will have a day to prepare for the operation.”

“More time than I’ll ever need!” He waved to the princess, before boarding Stalwart.

The process of undocking and leaving Canterlot airspace was a thankfully quick one, as the airship was given priority clearance and an escort. Jack made a point of trying to find his unit after a brief tactical meeting with Chord, though he found himself to be redirected by every asked aeronaut toward the lower cargo holds.

When he arrived at the ninth deck cargo bay, he quickly realized why. The ad hoc fortress walls greeted him and a suspicious sentry glared down at him. “Who dares enter the domain of JSOG!?”

Jack paused as his shrapnel damaged brain quickly whipped up a smarmy response. “Who dares question my... daring dare-itude! Jerk!”

“I think that's our Captain.”

“Why's he wearing a mare's helmet?”

Jack licked his cheek hole, and was about to yell again as Flitter's voice barked above the bickering sentries. “Open the gate! I'd rather not be under siege today!”

The ‘gate’ swung open, allowing Jack to stride inside once he navigated the tripwires. Flitter stood nearby, and Jack easily spotted the others mingling with the Rangers. “Come on Flitter, I'd never lay siege to you.”

“Don’t go breaking her heart now, Jack!” Taven called out, causing Flitter to flush slightly and flip him off with a wing.

Despite the laughter around her, Flitter managed a smile for Jack. “Welcome to base camp, Captain.”

Looking around the FOB, Jack let out a wistful sigh. “Just like home. Only a little more busy. Is everybody caught up?”

“You're the only person who was out all yesterday, everybody has been kitted and rested. I'm a little surprised you're even here, Jack.” Flitter trotted closer and took a seat next to him when he finally found one.

“Come on, Sparky. You know a grievous flesh wound won't keep me down.” He gave her a very light, playful shove. “I got our mission from the crown. She's a doozy.”

Nodding at the sentiment, Flitter got up and began digging something out. As Jack perked a brow and looked over to watch, she found what she was looking for and shoved it into his chest. Grunting lightly, Jack looked down to find the Russian helmet he'd recovered months ago with the DP-28. It was a titanium ballistic helmet with a thick face shield. While nowhere near as protective as his old helmet, it would stand up to far more punishment than the misfitting equestrian helmet. “Well shit, you're too good to me!”

“I just don't want you losing any more of your stunning good looks.” Flitter teased as he tossed the scarred and scraped equestrian helmet aside and sized up the chin strap on the heavy Russian helmet. As he did so, Flitter stood and yelled. “Gather around! We got a mission from the Crown Jewel!”

At the yell, both Taven and Minerva perked, and echoed it with far more enthusiasm becoming of a sergeant. With the NCO's cajoling, the new operatives all scrambled and fell in for the briefing. Somebody broke out a map that had been borrowed from somebody else, and Jack began to paint out the general plan Captain Chord had laid out for him.

“We're to ambush the imperial group here, in the Ural mountains. Hit them hard and fast. Justice won't even be going for kill shots, only disabling shots, as she has fuck all for munitions. Our mission, is to board a suitable cruiser, and steal it.” At the mention of the plan, there was an unhappy murmur. They were clearing out nearly a hundred brainwashed griffons from a vessel they knew very little about. It wasn't going to be pleasant at all, by anybody’s terms.

However, Jack had come up with an idea while speaking with Chord. “Now, I like that plan a whole lot, because it'll be good for our war effort. Problem is, it doesn't buy Stalliongrad any more time than they already had.” Jack set some items down on the map. “Crown has received reports that the Imperials use some of their smaller vessels to scout ahead and report, before the battlegroup follows up. My plan, is to steal one of those, and pull a false flag operation.”

Taven furrowed his brow ever so slightly. “That doesn't sound any easier than the other plan.”

“Oh fuck no. See, instead of running off with a stolen cruiser, I'm going to rig whatever passes for a munitions deck with explosives, and ram it into the biggest ship they have at the moment Justice opens up. I bail, Trojan ship goes boom, and utter chaos unfolds.”

“It certainly sounds like a plan.” Flitter muttered as she stared at the map. “How are we getting off?”

“You lot are getting off once she's clear of feathers. I get off shortly before I plant her bow into the flagship of this battlegroup.”

“While that sounds great, it doesn't answer my question.”

Jack sighed mildly. “I'm going to borrow some cargo parachutes and hope they can handle the weight. They just need to keep me under terminal velocity, and I'll walk away from it laughing.”

Flitter rubbed her face while the rangers nodded in approval. They didn't have to be on the exploding ship, all they had to do was clear it, mostly, and get the hell out before their lunatic captain did his thing. Flitter wasn't so impressed. “I really don't like that plan. What if you get stuck during the crash?”

“The trick is, is to not be on the ship when it crashes. It’s easy. Just like ghosting a civic. Just put a brick on the accelerator, and point her where I wanna go. I jump off the top deck, detonate three seconds after initial impact, and then throw my chutes. Nice, simple, easy. Justice rolls in with you boys, and we raid their convoys hard. Steal another ship, and hightail it back to the shipyards.”

Scowling at the plan, Flitter decided against trying to figure something else out. With the sheer lack of tactical data available to her, it really was the best they could come up with right away. “We’ll need to disable the ship’s communications, somehow. If they get a mayday out, there’s no way you’ll make it into their lines before getting blown to bits.”

“Do you even know how to fly an airship, Jack?” Taven asked lightly, which earned a few surprised looks from the enlisted below him.

“I figure it can’t be all that hard. Like driving a giant, armed, flying semi-truck. So long as it isn’t manual...” Jack scratched idly at his face wound; his fingers subconsciously following the jagged scars as they traced up to his temple.

Pursing his lips, Taven sat back. “Well, unless somebody else has a better plan?”

Nobody did. At the lack of outbursts, Jack nodded and drummed his fingers over his helmet. “Okay. I want everyone fed and rested. Make sure your kit is clean, and everybody has ammo. Is there somewhere I can lay down?”

Flitter paused in surprise at the request, before nodding. “Yes, follow me.” She looked to her rangers, who looked to her for orders. “You heard the captain. See to yourselves and get some rest.” At her orders, the platoon was dismissed, and began to mill about idly as some left for chow, and others decided on sleep. Flitter took to Jack's side, and led him to the more private officers quarters that the men had set up off to the side of the fort.

Once they were out of sight, Jack disengaged his armour and clambered out, only to earn a muted curse from Flitter. “Are you wounded?” She asked as he looked down at himself. The right side of his uniform was as stiff as steel plates with dark red blood stains. It looked as though he hadn't gotten out of his armour in days, and smelled like it as well.

“Can I get a mirror?” Jack asked quietly as Flitter yelled for a bucket of warm water and a fresh uniform for Jack. “Nobody will tell me how bad it is…”

Wincing hard, Flitter gently guided Jack to a bed and had him sit down. Peeling his stiff uniform top off of him, she was intensely relieved to find that he hadn't been wounded elsewhere. “It's not good, Jack…” Flitter turned, and thanked the private who cantered up with the bucket of water. “Is all of this blood yours?” She asked quietly.

“I think so…” Gently grabbing the hand mirror he was offered, Jack winced heavily and immediately set it back down. He had only caught a glimpse of himself, but seeing his teeth with his mouth closed unnerved him deeply, more so than the gauze pad that was embedded in his empty eye socket.

“Does it hurt much?” Flitter began cleaning the dried blood off his chest and stomach.

He lightly nodded. “In bursts, when I smile or talk. Slow pulse when I just sit.” He slumped slightly as exhaustion began to take its toll. “Eye hurts like a jackhammer sometimes…”

Wringing out the blood soaked sponge, Flitter dried him off with a small towel. “You should rest. Nobody will judge you.” As he flopped down, Flitter stood to get rid of the bucket, only to be grabbed around her waist and hauled onto the bunk. Surprised for only a moment, Flitter quickly relaxed and let Jack hug her tightly and stroked her mane. Nuzzling him lightly, Flitter did her best to have him relax. “It's going to be alright Jack…”

She felt him tense badly under her, and he hugged her so tightly she thought she was going to pass out. “If they get me with that magic, don't hesitate.”

Her eyes shooting wide, Flitter pulled away only so she could look him in the eye. “Jack-”

His features were twisted with pain and despair. “Please. I don't want to kill any more of my friends… If I get turned, you take Sammy, and you cut my fucking head off.” He pointed toward the combat knife still attached to his armour.

Hugging his head tightly to her chest, Flitter nuzzled him sadly. “I won't let them get you…” Her words seemed to calm him somewhat, and he soon returned to laying down and looking simply pained. Shifting to get more comfortable, Flitter nuzzled him once more. “I've got you, Jack.”

He nodded weakly in thanks as he slowly stroked her fur and wings. Thankfully, he soon fell into a turbulent sleep, and he would only awaken when they moved ships.

They were approaching their final location, before they were in range of the Imperial patrol. The Captain had been informed of the plan, and had actually fully approved it. Stalliongrad knew they were coming, and staunchly assured them that they could handle their own, but they wouldn't mind the help.

The war had been raging for almost four days, and Equestria was in full retreat from battlegroups one and two. The third battlegroup headed for the Zebriac kingdom had broken through, and was now unaccounted for.

Boarding the gunship, Jack gave the pilot a nod as he stuck his helmeted head into the cockpit. Recognition passed between the two, and Jack gave him a mild smile. “Snake! I should have figured it would be you.”

The lemon yellow pegasi grinned under his flight helmet as he went through his preflight check. “So I hear I'm helping you do some crazy boarding action. Where's the rest of your crew?”

“They're sticking to the ship for now. You and myself are doing the hard work.”

Snake sighed hard as he confirmed his weapons systems. “Always seems to be the case, doesn't it?”

Chuckling mildly, Jack patted the pilot's shoulder. “Just watch for flak and you'll go home a hero.”

“I'll be happy to go home at all.” The yellow pegasus muttered as he pulled on his helmet. “So, how do you want to do this?”

“Well, I got this idea right? Okay, here's how it'll work…”

Final preparations had been completed, and the target had been chosen. A single corvette was wandering far ahead of the battlegroup, a part of the recon screen they had thrown up. Once he was sure his new crew was all ready and loaded, Jack boarded Snake's gunship and checked his AA-12 once more. He had six twenty round drum magazines strapped to his waist, and another already loaded into the weapon. Righteous Justice was hunkering down in a thick bank of clouds, running as silent as she could so as to surprise the corvette.

Giving one final wave goodbye to Flitter and Taven, Jack signalled Snake, and the gunship lifted off the deck.

“Target in range, Callsign Havoc is clear to engage.”

Jack smiled briefly at the confirmation, and in part, his new callsign. He liked it. Diving hard, Snake drove the gunship down at a violently steep angle, and pierced through the cloud bank. The imperial corvette came into view immediately, and as Snake punched the engines and wrenched up on his flight stick, the soldiers on the ship's deck spotted them and began to open fire. In a maneuver more suited for fighter pilots, Snake brought the gunship up hard in parallel with the corvette's bridge, before twisting it's hind end. With the massive inertia from the maneuver, Jack was thrown forward, and through, the heavy bridge window.

With a crash of glass and the shriek of metal on metal, Jack careened into one of the bridge personnel, and continued onward as he struck deck plating and skidded through a control console. He impacted the far wall with a cacophonous bang. Moments later, as the crew were still reeling from the sudden intrusion, automatic shotgun fire began peppering the bridge. The comms officer was the first target, though it took far more shells than usual for Jack to find his target as his depth perception had fled him along with the remnants of his right eye. The captain didn't have much of a chance to bark an order as Jack compensated for his aim, and blasted the comms officer to bits. The captain was quick to follow, but as the griffon officer twirled and landed hard as chutney, Jack's gun ran dry, and the bridge crew rushed him in silent synchronisation.

Pushing himself up to one knee, Jack drove the barrel of the shotgun through the stomach of the navigation's officer, before shoulder-checking another officer whose position he'd lost track of. Slamming the second magazine into the magwell of the AA-12, Jack blasted a shell of double-aught buckshot through the navigation's officer and into the rating behind him.

An imperial rapier jabbed through the narrow vision slit of Jack's helmet, and plunged into the gauze pad.

“Oi! Careful where you swing that, you'll poke somebody's eye out!” Jack yelled at the officer as the dead navigation's officer hung limp off the barrel of his shotgun; rib cage caught on the large front post sights of the weapon. Cursing, Jack ducked the next jab and took a pistol round off the side of the titanium helmet. The strike rung loudly in his skull, and brought on a massive migraine that only served to piss him off further. Dropping the auto-shotgun, Jack drew his knife with an audible shwing.

As the officer moved to jab him in the other eye, Jack mentally mused that a combat knife wasn't the best choice in a sword fight. “Wish you were bigger, Sammy!”

Make me bigger.

The pleasantly feminine voice in his head chimed, causing a moment of confusion and another round to ring off his helmet. The officer with the rapier took another jab, and earned a frustrated yell from Jack as he deflected the weapon with his own. Magic erupted from the enchanted kabar, and an ethereal blade jutted from the handle. A split second later, it hardened to a corporeal form, leaving Jack with a human sized longsword. Cackling with glee, Jack slashed at the sword wielding officer again, and saw him cleaved in two as if his entire blade were mono-edged. Ducking and driving his shoulder into the pistol bearing officer, Jack bore him to the ground, before decapitating him in one swift motion.

With his happiness overcoming the pain in his face, Jack ran a finger across his blade's length. “Oh Sammy, my girl, I swear, I get back to the ship, I'm going to oil you, and scrub you, and treat you like the best lady knife in all of the land.” The feminine coo in his head only served to make him happier as he returned the blade to its normal size and stuck her back in her sheath. “If I ever see Long Spear again, he's getting so many teeth. He just got himself a customer for life.”

A burst of automatic fire lanced across the bridge, interrupting Jack's pleasant musings. Imperial rounds impacted and fragmented across his armour as he dove for cover and pried his weapon from the dead navigator’s chest. Sending a blasting burst back out the front window, where the imperial aeronauts were flying, Jack cursed himself out for not paying attention. He still had a ship full of pissed off, mind controlled griffons, and he couldn't aim for shit anymore. Bolting for the bridge bulkhead, Jack slammed into it shoulder first, crushing the griffon attempting to come through. Throwing the wheel and engaging the lock, Jack spun on his heels and sent another burst out the window to keep the aeronauts busy.

“Okay, just like an equestrian ship… this should be… it!” Jack yelled as he grabbed a drive control stick and pulled it back towards himself hard. The ship reacted immediately, catching him off guard as its nose pitched upwards sharply and the corvette entered the thick cloud bank. The Imperials were so focused on attempting to retake the bridge, they didn't become aware of the Equestrian boarding parties until the ship had leveled awkwardly and come to a full stop. Automatic fire swept across the decks, lancing down the aeronauts where they stood and flew.

Waving an arm out the broken window, Jack lifted his face shield as Flitter and a pair of pegasi entered the bridge through the ruined front window. “What a mess…” Flitter said with a hint of reverence. “Are you alright, Jack?”

He nodded, and gave her a big thumbs up. “Never better! I'm off my ass on adrenaline, so let's do this before it ebbs!” Racking his third magazine, Jack lowered his face shield and stacked up by the bulkhead, that had griffon paws pounding against it.

“Uh-uh Jack! Ladies first!” Flitter declared as she tried to take point, only to get a hand in her face as he opened the bulkhead.

“Age before beauty!” Jack spun the hatch wheel, before ripping the door open and loosing another burst of double-aught buck into the aeronauts stacked behind the door. They fell silently, perforated and blasted to bits by the withering fire. The small amount of returning fire plinked and shattered against the bulwark of mithral upon Jack's chest, and didn't do so much as mar the proud crest embossed upon it.

The boarding action was swift and decisively in the Equestrians favor as they swept from deck to deck, letting the brainwashed Imperials come to them. There was very little belief that any remained in hiding when the fighting ended, but a thorough sweep was done anyways. Thanks to Jack's brazen assault on the bridge, the ship hadn't had a chance to call for help, or report the attack. Unfortunately, there was little tactical intelligence they could gleam from the sub-captain’s paperwork, so the assault on the corvette didn't buy the Equestrians anything they didn't already have.

With the ship cleared, Jack abandoned the blood soaked controls and set off to find somewhere to rig his explosives. Unfortunately, the corvette had only the basic autocannons and machine guns, meaning there were no large munitions decks stacked to the roof with HE shells like he'd wished hopefully. It did, however, use a flammable fuel for its primary engines. As Jack began gathering the fuel barrels and light munitions racks, he mentally ran the math and the outcome he wanted. The explosion wasn't going to be as massive as he'd have liked, and it was doubtful that it was going to do anything more than injure the flagship. The best he could hope for was a reactionary chain. As he wired his plastic explosives to the barrels of fuel and set shaped charged against the hull, his crew were busy ransacking the ship for anything and everything that wasn't bolted down. He hadn't given them the order to, but he for one was glad to see some initiative.

Finding Mythic when he was finished wasn't all that hard, and with Mythic was the bulky comms set. Taking it up, Jack called Justice. “Come in Righteous, this is Havoc, over.”

“This is Righteous, what's your status, Havoc? Imps are pacing ahead and it looks like they haven't noticed us yet.”

Jack shifted and looked over his shoulder as his Sergeants and Flitter herded the men off the ship. “We're finished here. I'm leaving the kids with you, and I'll be good to Trojan the Imps in five mikes.”

“Roger that, Havoc. You do what you do best.”

Jack smirked mildly as he waved to Flitter. “Affirmative good hunting.” He gave Mythic's backside a light cuffing, earning a surprised yelp. “Go on, rejoin the others. I don't need Baron crawling up my ass for holding you back.”

The stallion flushed hard and pawed the deck. “Seriously, you know about us too?”

“Know about what?” Jack questioned honestly, earning a look of surprise from Mythic. “Was she up your ass again?”

“Well…” Mythic scratched the back of his head. “Less her inside me, and… more me, inside of her…”

Jack snorted and covered his mouth with a fist as he failed to hold his enthused giggling. “Oo-fuckin-rah. Get some, little guy.” With that, Jack gave his comms jockey a kick to the ass and sent him scampering off the doomed ship and back to his lovebug.

A minute later, Jack was familiarizing himself with the airship controls as he awkwardly made full steam toward the imperial lines. As he punched through the cloud layer and spotted the battlegroup, his heart sank deep. While he had been aware of the numbers, seeing them was something else completely. Thankfully, they were very, very close to the planned ambush point, so he wouldn't have to hide very long. As he approached, the comms system crackled and chirped, before a voice came through.

“Cutter nine, you are to return to your screen position.”

Biting his lip, Jack left the controls, and picked up the radio set. “This is uh, Rating… Metal Beak. The Captain has been killed and we are damaged. Equestrians were hiding in the clouds. We killed them.” There was a long pause, before Jack added. “Uh, hail Order.”

“Affirmative. Hail Order.”

Jack blinked and put the radio set back, before looking out the front window as he entered imperial cannon range. They weren't firing. “Fuckin serious?” He huffed with amazement. “I gotta note this, these guys are idiots.”

To his continuous amazement, Jack awkwardly piloted the airship into formation, and cautiously floated next to the flagship. Thankfully, it wasn't the dreadnaught that had slapped Justice's dick soft; it was a heavy cruiser with rather large guns nonetheless. If it came in range of either his ship, or the city, a lot of friendlies would die.

“Cutter Nine, prepare to be boarded by Progeny.”

“What?” Jack perked and craned his head to look down toward the deck. His body tensed the moment he saw the pale, humanoid form bound from the heavy cruiser's deck to his own. “Oh fuck me running.”

The radio chirped again. “Rating Metal Beak. What is your serial number.”

The Progeny was already bounding through the blood stained decks, and he could hear it forcing bulkheads toward the bridge. Grabbing the radio set, Jack spoke one last time to the enemy Captain. “I hope y’all planned for a little Havoc!” Slamming the controls to the side on this ship, Jack lost his balance as it pitched and rolled violently. The following concussive boom of metal on metal shook his ship as his starboard slammed into the lead ship's port side and began grinding it's way across the command spire. Metal shrieked, and sparks erupted as the two ships ground against each other, and Jack found himself sliding across the bridge toward his listing side. The enemy ships were opening fire on him, and he only had a few moments before-

With a shriek of metal, the Progeny peeled the bulkhead door open and ripped it from its hinges. This one seemed to be a hybrid of the two Jack had fought before. It wasn't comically muscled, nor was it whip thin. It seemed far too terribly human for his liking. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Jack abandoned the rolling corvette by falling through the blasted bridge windows, and fell to the deck of the cruiser. Landing on the heavy cruiser's observation deck, he was forced to duck as the corvette broke free of whatever had been holding it, and began a hard grind up the side of the cruiser's command spire. He watched for a moment as it broke free, and without anyone at the controls, continued on its course up and over the heavy cruiser. The Progeny leapt from the doomed corvette, moments before it slammed top down onto an escort cruiser that had been flying to the lead ship's starboard side. Shrugging mildly, Jack thumbed his detonator, and the chain reaction explosion blew out the windows of the ship he had accidentally boarded. Apparently, the escort cruiser had been loaded down with what he had been lacking in the corvette.

His momentary enjoyment of the sight of the large fire ball drifting to earth was ruined as the lead ship's crew men targeted him and opened fire. Lead danced and sparked across the ship and deck, driving Jack to the cover of the bridge. To his chagrin, it had a different layout than the corvette. However, the captain was there. A fast burst of shotgun shells saw that problem gone in a puff of vibrant red blood and gore. Thus began the fast and brutal firefight with the bridge crew, who seemed somewhat more tactically sound than the ones he had fought on the corvette. They took cover as he peppered the bridge with buckshot, and the command tower shuddered as the Progeny leapt from the main deck onto it. Jack turned and cursed as the foul beast smiled at him, but his hatred for the Progeny was short lived as he saw beyond it. Righteous Justice had broken the cloud layer, and her guns were leveled at him.

“Oh fuck.”

Leaping forward as the Progeny ripped the bulkhead from its hinges, Jack slammed his boot into the vertical climb controls. The response was almost as immediate as it had been in the corvette, only he had absolutely no control of its climb, and the lead ship had considerably more powerful engines. Gravity shifted violently as the large ship pitched upwards in an instant, tossing Jack and the remaining crew back against the wall, and the Progeny was sent flying out of view as the ship bucked it off. Nearby explosions were capped by distant thunderclaps, and the ship shuddered as it was struck. Planting his feet on the wall, as it had become his floor, Jack propelled himself upwards and grabbed a hold of the console in an attempt to send the ship back down. The crew under him scrambled to regain their bearings, and for their efforts they were rewarded with half of the buckshot in his magazine.

As he was pushing the stick forward, clawed fingers wrapped around his ankle and wrenched him free. The moment the Progeny ripped him free and sent him hurtling back down, his ad hoc parachute bag caught on the horizontal controls; ripping the rig free from his back and sending the entire ship into a violent maneuver that saw it diving hard and rolling.

Pulling his shotgun up, Jack loosed a final burst at the Progeny as it found its footing. The buckshot peppered it's ivory hide, and did nothing but tickle it. With a shriek of happiness, the Progeny leapt at Jack, and accidentally struck another set of controls as he put his shoulder into it and sent it rolling over top of him. Jack didn't have a moment to curse as the ship pulled up sharply again, and continued to roll in the opposite direction.

With his shotgun empty, and his lunch threatening his throat, Jack wrenched his blade free and extended her to the size of a machete. “COME ON YOU UGLY SLUT, COME AND GET ME!”

Fuck its shit up!

The Progeny seemed to be getting its balance quickly, despite the violent shifts in where the floor and walls were. With a smile, it pounced, and received a vulcanised rubber boot heel to the face for the effort. With its charge redirected, Jack slashed at it, and earned a howl of pain as Sammy dug in deep and ripped a metre long rent across it's back. To Jack's disappointment, the Progeny stayed standing, and looked considerably more angry. As it slashed apart a console in anger, Jack accidentally bashed his elbow into the vertical controls as he deflected claws meant for his throat.

“Sonuva-FUUUUUAAAAHHH!”

The ship's prow dove sharply and shells arced across it as the battle around them raged onwards. Justice's shells were impacting across the fleet, crippling and killing, all while the fleet positioned and fired back. The air around him was thick with combat, as tiny, fighter sized craft zipped between ships, firing their machineguns madly at anything that moved. Unfortunately for Jack, with the heavy cruiser diving hard for earth, there was nothing to stop him from plunging out of the bridge through the destroyed windows. The bodies of the bridge crew followed him, and dashed against the deck as they fell. With flailing limbs, Jack grasped onto one of the observation deck railings, only for his armoured bulk to rip it free. With the rapid gunshots of breaking bolts meeting his ears, Jack found himself swinging across the front of the command spire. He was running out of bolts, and the ship wasn't pulling up any time soon. Then, with all the violence it had started with, the ship rolled, and pulled back up.

The sound of claws rending steel came from above him, and as he looked up, he spotted the Progeny ripping the railing he was holding onto free from its berth. It didn't have a chance to drop him off the ship as it continued to roll upside down, and Jack found gravity rapidly agreeing with him once more. The ship now rolling right side up, Jack let go of the railing and fell toward the Progeny. Smashing both boots into its slathering maw, Jack kicked the creature free from the side of the ship, and into the remaining railing as he forced his fingers into the rents it's claws had carved into the decking. The Progeny was scrabbling its way back up the deck the moment it struck, but it was enough of a chance for Jack. Timing the roll of the ship, Jack released his hand hold, and fell toward the beast. The Progeny reached out for him as it snarled, and Jack roared as he drove his blade forward to meet it.

SNICKERSNACK

The airspace around the Ural mountains was consumed in a miasma of air combat, as Imperial forces deployed from their ships and equestrian air forces attacked them from all sides. At the very last moment before Jack's plan had gone awry, Stalliongrad’s reinforcements had arrived in the shape of an armoured train with anti-air cannons mounted across its length, and four squadrons of single engine, swept wing air superiority fighters. The fighters were so new, they lacked paint, and their unit numbers had been hastily hoof painted across their tails. Each was armed with twin nose mounted machine guns, and every second craft carried a high yield magical incendiary bomb on its belly.

Flitter's unit had taken positions along Justice's deck, and were firing at every target that came into view. Brass casings blanketed and clattered about and off the decking, making for dangerous terrain as ratings ran to and fro delivering boxes of ammunition to the defenders.

Cursing in awe, Flitter watched as the heavy cruiser dove again, and more of its crew were shaken off. The captain had long since stopped firing upon the vessel, as it was painfully obvious where Jack was. While she couldn't help, Flitter did her best to defend Justice so when Jack won, he'd have someplace to come back to.

The air before Flitter was hot with tracer fire, and it seemed that imperial air forces were beginning to thin. However, Justice's guns had fallen suspiciously silent. Pursing her lips in dislike, Flitter noted that there was still almost two dozen imperial vessels left flying, though they were scattered and damaged in varying degrees. Without munitions, even with the element of surprise, the Equestrians wouldn't last long, and Jack was still likely in the thick of things.

To her relief, the heavy cruiser soon leveled out, and stopped it's wild, spastic manoeuvring. Then, her relief fled her as swiftly as it had come as the cruiser cut hard to port and smashed an imperial corvette out of its way.

“The heavy is breaking off!” Taven called out, and the crew hollered in approval.

Kicking a new magazine into her rifle, Flitter raised her voice as loud as it could go. “ALL JSOG, REFILL YOUR MUNITIONS AND PREPARE TO BOARD!” If Jack was in control of the vessel, he'd need help, and soon.

“Fuck off and die, hosser!” Jack fired his snub nosed revolver at the imperial crewman who had clambered aboard as he tried to free his new acquisition from the battle. He ducked instinctively as one of the fightercraft dropped a bomb onto the mid deck of the ship he was about to ram. Flames erupted across its deck, and spread like wildfire as it consumed the Imperials in its reach.

Jack's ship shuddered and lurched as it slammed prow first into the small ship; the shape of his ship's prow forcing the other ship down and away from him. Flames licked at his hull as the smaller vessel began to roll, depositing it's burning crew and leaving them to plummet to earth.

There was another bang against the bridge bulkhead, and Jack checked his revolver. It had four rounds remaining, and he wagered there was more ratings behind the door than he had bullets. The odds of his guess being right skyrocketed as another imperial appeared in the window and fired a burst into the bridge. Cursing as a round deflected off his helmet's face shield, Jack ducked behind his control console and fired back. Talons clacked across the decking as more ratings boarded the bridge through the windows, and Jack cursed his rotten luck. As he rose from his cover and fired into the chest of the nearest griffon, tracers lanced in across the bridge and cut down his attackers where they stood. Letting out an enthused laugh, Jack waved at Snake and his gunship full of special forces operators.

Making the easy jump from the gunship to the observation deck, Flitter clambered into the bridge and shook her head at Jack. “How come I'm always pulling your backside out of the fire, Jack?” She smiled at the sight of the large man using the tiny pistol.

Lifting his face shield, Jack shrugged and began the process of digging out the few spare .44 magnum shells he had left. “Because I am a beautiful princess and I like the thrill of being saved?”

Snorting lightly, Flitter pulled a submachine gun from one of the dead ratings and tossed it to Jack. “Task force is falling back. We've given the Imps one hell of a bloody nose.”

“Great.” Jack checked over the griffon made weapon as he glanced to the pounding bridge door. “Gonna need cleaning crews. I suspect I gave a good portion Shaken Chicken Syndrome, but not all of them evidently.”

“Speak of the devils.” Taven started as the troop transport carriages landed across the cruiser's deck, and JSOG piled out. “We'll get started fast, and turn it against them.”

Flitter smirked to Jack. “Oh, and Captain Alsan says you fly like a spastic, and that if you ever touch flight controls again, she'll kill you as a matter of honour.”

Jack snorted hard at the idea. “I'd like to see her fucking try, I'll put her in the ground.” Stacking up against the bulkhead, Jack and his squad were ready when the Imperials finally battered it down, and in turn were cut down by the ambush.

The battle had lasted less than twenty minutes, but in the end it was telling who had won. Without their heavy support, and Havoc seeded in their ranks, the Imperial battlegroup had suffered horrendously at the hands of their ambushers. Though, while the battlegroup was maimed, the Equestrians had suffered grievous losses. The fighter squadrons had lost a total of an entire squadron, while another squadron and a half were badly damaged. Justice had taken a number of hits, and their shield had been forced to shut down and recharge. During that time, Justice had suffered a number of casualties across its crew as imperial machinegun fire had raked their deck.

In the end though, the Equestrians proved victorious as the Imperials began a surprising retreat back behind the mountains, while the task force disengaged and returned to Stalliongrad to lick their wounds. With a stolen heavy cruiser in tow, they were sure that the losses would be worth it to somebody. If anything, they had bought Stalliongrad a number of days to continue its preparations.

Unfortunately, the Imperials wouldn't give up so easily on ripping out the jugular of the Equestrian industrial machine, and they would attack with their full fury in two days time as additional ships joined them from behind the lines.

JSOG, Righteous Justice, and the newly christened Guided Chaos would be waiting for them when they arrived.

Chapter Forty Eight: And Let Slip the Hounds of War

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Stalliongrad was a literal hive of activity as ponies hustled to and fro. Some carried weapons taken from modern stockpiles, others wielded muskets and close combat arms. Whether they wore body armour, or only a thick coat signature for the far northern city, one thing was very certain. These ponies would not release their home so easily.

When approaching the city, Jack had expected to see another Canterlot, only this one nestled into the chilly Ural mountains. When he caught sight of the ancient fortress city, he was more than a little caught off guard. The walls surrounded the entire city, which instead of being built out, had built upwards in a spire that crept up the mountainside. From the air, he could see the many factories lit up like beacons in the night. The fighter escorts the city had sent returned to their air base, which, unshockingly, was carved right into the mountain side. Righteous Justice and Guided Chaos were soon ordered to follow suite and find port against the mountain, though it took considerably longer to convince the forces protecting the city to not blast Guided Chaos out of the air.

“This is Justice Actual, Havoc, do you read?”

Pulling himself away from the controls momentarily, Jack picked up the radio receiver. “This is Havoc. What's the word, Justice?”

“Apparently a priority mission. Dock that ugly beast and meet me outside. The Lord Commander wants to speak with us both.”

Furrowing his brow, Jack considered what this pony could want. “Roger that. See you outside.” Setting down the receiver, Jack treaded back to the controls and began the slow, arduous process of bringing the wounded ship into dock. With his lack of skill and the gaping wounds in the ship's hull, it became the jobs of the tugs to pull it in. He was disembarking before the ship came to rest, and it was no surprise to find Justice already docked.

Captain Alsan lifted a hoof in greeting to Jack, while JSOG followed behind her. Jack returned the greeting as he approached. “Any word on what the Commander wants?”

The Captain shook her head. “No, none so far, but I suspect we'll find out soon enough.” A squad of armed soldiers approached the group, and beckoned them to follow. “Watch yourself, Havoc. Stalliongraders are mean, and they sometimes speak an offshoot of Equish, so don't be too surprised if they sound like they're giving you the brakes.”

Jack was somewhat busy looking out over the mountain airbase to give her the proper response. The squadrons had landed safely, and were currently being reloaded and repaired. The earth pony pilots themselves were trotting off to a quonset hut, likely to get coffee. The mouth of the airbase sported a pair of large anti-aircraft cannons, a number of which Jack had already seen on the armoured train and sprinkled about the walls of the city. It seemed that Stalliongrad had gotten busy arming itself with the new weapons, as opposed to arming the rest of Equestria.

The Lord Commander made himself known immediately as one of his retinue blasted a bugle in tune and all personnel present stood to attention.

The voice that followed shocked Jack as it spoke in perfectly fluent Russian. “/All of you, back to work! No slacking!/” A large, leathery earthpony mare was approaching them with a trailing retinue of soldiers, specialists, and advisors. When her eyes fell on the group, she took on the expression of having eaten a lemon raw. “/These are the reinforcements Crown sends? Pathetic. Cake eaters, thieves. And animals./” Suddenly, the Lord Commander smiled as she reached the group. “Welcome to Stalliongrad, Comrades. I hear we have you to thank for not having Imperial ships pestering our outskirts.”

Captain Alsan saluted, as did the others. Jack was reluctant to follow suite, but did anyways. “Yes ma'am. Our orders were to buy Stalliongrad time and abscond with an imperial cruiser.”

“It would seem you were successful, da?” I would like to meet this team you send to steal things.” She looked aside to a stallion who stood nearly abreast to her. “/I wonder if they have any Stalliongraders. Only way I can see this claim being true, these folk look like pussies. For the earth's sake, they have a sex toy with them./” The stallion next to her chuckled lightly, as did the others when she made mild gestures in Jack's direction.

Seemingly expecting something underhanded, Marsa smiled. “Actually, Knight Captain Kessle here and his team boarded and took control of two ships. One corvette, which we used to infiltrate the fleet, and the second being the heavy cruiser docked right now.” Marsa had gestured toward Jack and his officers, though it seemed the Lord Commander hadn't seen who she was pointing at exactly.

Turning to Flitter, she looked down on the other mare somewhat. “/A pegasi coward. It's only natural you would steal something, I should have you shot on principle. What underhanded tricks did you use I wonder?/” Flitter blinked at the question asked in Gradish, but before she could open her mouth, the Lord Commander smiled. “Well, I am glad such brave ponies are here with us. I am sure the princess will shower you all in shiny medals.”

Captain Alsan cleared her throat. “That's Knight Lieutenant Falenas, Lord Commander. Second in Command to Knight Captain Kessle.”

At Marsa's words and gesture towards him, the other mare scowled slightly, and cast a derisive glance up at Jack. “The human? /What an ugly little mongrel he is too. Likely a breeding reject. They think it is time to joke./”

Pulling his helmet free, Jack shot a open toothed smile at the group that held no warmth and served to unnerve some of the ponies present. “/No Joke, Lord Commander. And perhaps you should speak properly to the others, before I tell them, and the Princesses about the colossal amount of shit you talk to people who saved you from getting mind fucked by Imperials./” Jack held the now shocked group with his one eyed stare; harnessing all the aggressive energy he could. It wasn't hard to look mean for him, and it showed.

The Lord Commander stood for a moment, her mind seemingly stuck as she stared at Jack. She began meeting his glare with her own, and a thick tension settled over the group. Jack's group picked up on the sudden tension, and went silent as the pair stared each other down.

With the silence settling, Jack decided to dig in deep. “/And you're one to talk about beauty. It'd take me four bottles of vodka and a handful of cash to get in the mood to fuck your mouth numb./” The Lord Commander's entourage immediately became horrified, their eyes going as wide as saucers, while the Commander herself remained expressionless.

“Knight Captain.” Marsa spoke stiffly as all eyes in the hangar fell on them. “What are you saying?”

Ignoring the other Captain, Jack continued his one eyed staredown with the Lord Commander. The mare was the next to speak. “/Nopony has had the nerve to speak to me like that in forty years./”

“/Then it's a good thing I'm not a pussy ass pony, then, isn’t it?/” Jack slung the griffon carbine over his shoulder as he approached; the Commander's entourage tensed like steel springs under pressure at his movements. “/I don't give two bloody fucks if you hate every last creature beyond your walls. I don't care if you don't like me. I don't care if you hate the crown. What I do care about, is my team, and ending this fucking shit show farce of a war. Either you help, or you get the fuck out of my way./” With the calm, level tone Jack was uttering violent sounding words, his group had fallen utterly silent, along with the rest of the hangar. He was now two steps from the Lord Commander, and looking down on her.

Said mare perked a brow with disinterest. “/We'll help. It would be a shame to lose the country to filthy griffons. But what I want to know, is what business a human has in war./”

Whatever reaction she had been hoping for, it was plainly not Jack throwing his head back and cackling like an amused hyena. When he looked back down, his canines were bared in a huge open tooth grin. “What business do I have in war?” Jack switched to Russian in a moment as his group scowled. “/This is my third war.. My entire species has pulled itself from the dirt of being a prey species, to apex fucking predator of the entire planet. Eight percent of our recorded history is peace. We've glassed cities, and crawled from the ashes. Every form of war you have considered, we have perfected it. We have spent our entire lifetime perfecting how to kill each other, as quickly, and efficiently as possible. Every industry benefits when we go to war. All we are is war. You pastel motherfuckers barely even know which end of a knife to hold, let alone how to wage a fucking War./” Jack nearly spat the word out with disgust, and carried on his tirade. “/I spent three tours in the sandbox fighting insurgents in places so hostile it'd cook you alive and eat you, before having my legs blown off, and spending six months in a prison camp where I was tortured every fucking day. Then I was conscripted to fight a two year war on the losing side against alien invaders, who slaughtered billions of people without blinking a fucking eye, for the very survival of my people as a species. I've seen low yield atomics used in civilian areas and I have personally leveled city blocks to complete my objective. I've had napalm dropped on top of me, I've been shot, stabbed, blown up, clawed at, chewed on, and willingly dropped from low orbit in flak so fucking thick it made mincemeat of walking cocksuckin tanks. There's more metal in me than flesh, and I've killed more living beings than you've ever spoken to. I’ve seen countless civilians slaughtered in terror campaigns, and I’ve killed dozens of my own people out of mercy. I was going to hand detonate a two megaton thermonuclear weapon behind enemy lines in the middle of a two million man operation, before I got scooped up and dumped in this shithole! Don't even get me fucking started here, sister! I've stabbed unicorns with their own horns, I've ripped the wings off pegasi, I've crushed earth pony skulls and I've wrestled with horrors you would piss yourself at the sight of! I've killed dozens of humans here, and the Princesses have deemed to use me as their personal attack dog! I've single fucking handedly wiped out a changeling hive, fought pirates on a high speed train, survived two assassination attempts, wrestled abominations, and beheaded ancient evil spiders! I've been shot in the face with a cannon by my own people, and it only pissed me off! I've stolen two imperial ships, and slaughtered the crews with a handful of operatives!/” Jack had finally gone and gotten himself riled, and the aura of his anger was showing on everybody around him, including the Lord Commander. “/So, the question you should ask yourself, is not what business I have in a war, but what the fuck business do you have./”

The glaring match between the two continued as Captain Marsa pulled away from the group and physically separated the two before they came to blows. “That's it! We're under executive orders to be here, Lord Commander. If you don't like it, then you can take it up with Celestia! Knight Captain, back off.” Marsa glared at Jack as he took a few steps back and began to cool down. Looking back to the Lord Commander, Marsa continued. “We have the political authority to take control of the city, and I would rather not fucking do that today. The griffon battlegroup is licking it's wounds on the other side of the Urals, and no doubt receiving back-up as we speak. They won't retreat, Commander. They don't know fear any more, and they won't stop until they're wiped out or they win. So what'll it be? Do you want us to leave so you can say you won this stupid dick waving contest against a walking WMD, or are you going to fucking work with us?”

To the Captain's surprise, the Lord Commander smiled and laughed heartily. “So I was wrong! Not all of you are pussies.” She laughed again, and the Stalliongraders around her mirrored it in an awkward, stilted fashion. “Okay, so bitch Imperials have gone crazy, big deal. We have new cannons and lots of guns. You took the big ship, so no problems there. With your ships, defense should be easy.” The mare sighed. “Okay. Okay, follow me. We go to the Governor house, da? He wants to see you all. Lots of kissing planned.”

Calming down quickly, Captain Alsan nodded. “I'm glad you saw reason. Let's go, people. Time's wasting.”

The walk up through the center of the mountain complex was a thankfully short one, as the group mounted up on a pony powered tram system that set off at a gallop through the carved tunnels. Carriages loaded down streamed passed them as they rode, all of which seemed to be heading downwards. They soon passed by what seemed to be a munitions factory entrance, which was seemingly dug even deeper into the mountain's core. Beyond that, they began passing by mostly unfinished sections, which were roughly hewn from stone. At one point, they passed by a digging crew, which was comprised of burly diamond dogs, and a lot of humans. The overseer waved to the tram team, before yelling at her crew in Gradish.

Jack stayed conspicuously silent for the duration of the ride, though his fingers gently rubbed at the small of Flitter's back as he attempted to de-stress himself before meeting another government official. While some hushed questions were asked about what he had said, none were answered. Doing her best to calm him, Flitter remained where she was and carefully cleaned his face wound.

After what felt like twenty minutes of sitting on the tram, it began passing into far more finished tunnels, many of which were beginning to look more official and gilded. While they were bereft of gold, they were in no short supply of propaganda posters. Many seemed very old, at least to Jack. They all held the same artistic style as those used in his own Russia, back during the world wars. Eventually, the tram came to a stop, and the running crew detached themselves before lashing onto the back end of the tram for the next load of passengers. The group piled off, and followed the Lord Commander deeper into the mountain, where the command bunker was stationed. Torch sconces adorned the walls every five feet, and illuminated the broach hall as if they were light bulbs. As Jack treaded alongside everybody, he couldn't shake the feeling that this place was very, very old. Or at least, this section was.

It wasn't long before the group came to a pair of large oaken double doors, and the heavily armoured guards who stood at attention when the Lord Commander appeared. The doors were thrown open with magic, revealing a crude command center. A truly colossal radio set sat against the wall, and it appeared to have three ponies operating it at the same time. There were a number of glass panes standing side by side, and each showed a small, magically observed image upon it.

Before all the observation panes, stood a weedy looking stallion in a crisp military uniform, flanked by a truly monstrously large earth pony wearing Gradish platemail. At the sound of the doors closing, the smaller stallion turned, and regarded them.

“Greetings! I am Governor, and I welcome you to my humble city. I do hope that you'll forgive us for the incident in the hangar. Our Lord Commander can sometimes get somewhat brash.” He smiled, causing his bushy moustache to rise.

Captain Alsan nodded to the Governor as the Lord Commander left them and took to the Governor's side. “It's fine. The Knight Captain is easily riled today it seems. I… have some questions before we start. Some things I've noticed that quirk me as strange.”

Perking a brow in mild interest, the Governor gestured toward a center table that mirrored the one Celestia had in her planning room. “Ask, then.”

“Why are there only earth ponies in Stalliongrad?”

A lightly smile came to the stallion’s lips as everyone moved to stand around the table. “So you noticed. Stalliongrad is an earth pony settlement, always has been, since its founding. We have some others here, but many dislike it here. Only earth ponies stay.”

Furrowing her brow lightly at the answer, Marsa carried on regardless. “Alright. And your names? We haven't caught either since we arrived, and I'll need them for my reports.”

“You will not hear them.” The Lord Commander growled mildly. “We lose name when we take title. No other interest. Only duties.” The governor simply nodded his agreement, and looked to the table.

“Now, I believe that is all I wish to answer. Celestia has sent you to help us,and for that I am grateful. I have faith our forces can hold them here, but your work means we may breath.” The Governor looked to the group. “Your ship only carries this special unit, correct? Or are they under your direct command?”

The question was aimed at Captain Alsan, who in turn looked mildly suspicious of it. “Yes, JSOG is only carried by my vessel. Why?”

Smiling again, the governor gestured to the table, and the magical token of a train. “With your ships, we can defend Stalliongrad. This unit will be wasted sitting on the walls. I have a more urgent request for them. We have a shipment of new weapons for Canterlot, as asked. It is for their royal guard, and it is my understanding that without them, they will be slaughtered in the field. No doubt, the Imperials will seek to destroy the train.”

“So you want us to defend the train while it steams to Canterlot?” Jack finally spoke; his voice gruff and stiff.

Both Governor and Commander nodded, though it was the Commander who spoke. “Should not be hard for somebody like you. If you are not a liar.”

Deciding to ignore the mare, Jack set both hands on the table and observed the line toward Canterlot. “How long is the journey?”

The Governor thought on that for a moment. “Normally, four days by normal train. However, we have made a new engine, a very powerful, self propelled engine. It should make the journey in two.”

“The armoured train we saw? I'll need a layout, and a list of everybody that normally mans it, plus the defences I can expect. We'll need more rounds ourselves, but so long as the fleet doesn't notice us, we should make it fine.”

The Governor perked a brow at the stiff professionalism. “Of course. You have no qualms with this?”

“No.”

“That is refreshing.” The Governor smiled mildly. “You may take your leave then. Inform the tram runners to take you to the train station. I will have my soldiers run you more munitions. You will leave at midnight, before the attack comes. The cover of darkness should hide you from Imperial eyes.”

Without another word, Jack turned on his heels and treaded out. Those who had followed him remained for a single moment more, before following him out. Once the heavy double doors had closed, he spoke. “Flitter, hop off at the hangars and get our boys ready to go. Make sure you have somebody with you. We are getting out of here, ASAP.”

There was the briefest of paused from Flitter as she nodded and shot him a salute. “Yes sir.” Her enthusiasm was blunted when Jack scowled hard and set his helmet back down on his head.

“Don't you dare salute me again, until I deserve it.” Sitting down heavily in the tram, Jack informed the runners of the destination as Flitter cast a concerned glance to Taven. The bat pony shrugged weakly, seemingly as lost about the snappy response as she was. Not a word was further spoken as the tram rattled downwards again, and only a brief nod was shared as Flitter and Taven disembarked the tram to collect the rest of the unit.

It took some time to gather everything that was needed, but thankfully, the unit was restocked and waiting at the train station at 11pm. The station was oddly empty, save for the stray boxes of ammunition that JSOG was running off with. As Flitter opened her mouth to ask when the train was coming, she heard the shrill whistle coming from the other end of the station. With all eyes shifting, the unit watched as the forty car cargo train steamed upwards. The engine was a true monster, nearly the size of a tractor trailer and coated in thick steel plates. Thin slits served as view ports and machinegun barrels jutted out at odd angles. As he waved his unit on to the security cars that separated the cargo cars, Jack began to mentally take notes on the train. It was quite long, so focusing his forces on a handful of cars wouldn't get him the desired effect. However, every ten cars sat a flat bed car that housed an flak cannon and a miniature firebase covered in steel and sand bags. Each security car housed four machineguns, and the engine had an emplaced cannon mounted on its nose for clearing the tracks of belligerents.

Yelling out placements, Jack decided to focus a good quarter of his forces, including Flitter, at the engine of the train. If boarders wanted to stop the train rather than destroy it, that's where they'd do it. After that, he split his remaining forces into thirds, and left each in the command of Taven, Minerva, and himself. Naturally, he would cover the rear.

The train security captain seemed relieved to see a large force of heavily armed, well trained friendlies clambering on, while others looked considerably miffed about the idea. There were some quiet mutterings about subpar ponies, but they were few and far between.

“There's radios at each cannon, so we'll all stay in touch.” Flitter started as she checked over her gear again. She'd personally picked her squad for this, and she trusted them to get the job done. Jack's squad was by far the smallest of them all.

“I've got Mythic. I'll keep my ears open.” Jack rumbled at them, before sending each of them off to their allotted locations.

As the clock ticked down to midnight, the mood in the train began to foul somewhat, as the operatives claimed their places and hunkered down. They were expecting a rough fight, and it didn't bode well for anybody else on the train.

With a howl of steam, the engine blew it's whistle and slowly began pulling out of the station with it's explosive cargo in tow. All beings onboard remained deathly silent as the armoured train slowly picked up speed and exited the city through a pair of large, open gates. The gates closed behind them as the last car slipped through, and the darkened city soon fell behind in the dark.

Making full steam forward, the engine began to pick up speed, just as the opening shots were fired above the city. Momentary flashes of light were accompanied by rolling banks of thunder as shells flew both ways. Soon, the entire night sky was ablaze, and Jack was moving away from it.

Seated on a pile of sandbags, Jack idly twirled a cigarette between his fingers and watched the light show with his small squad. Turning her head toward him, Baron was the first to break the silence. “Can we go somewhere tropical soon?”

Covering the flame with his armoured hand, Jack light his cigarette and puffed for a moment, before hiding the cherry. “Sure.” He said with an exhale of smoke through his ruined cheek. “I'll send a letter to king dipshit and tell him to invade a beach next week.”

As Baron smirked, Mythic perked up and tuned his comms. “All squads report no contact. Staying dark.”

Jack nodded his approval as he took another puff. Simoh simply sat nearby, staring off at the battle. They were watching the opening minutes of the battle that would decide all of their fates, and only a few knew it.

The train picked up speed as it entered the flats, and soon the battle became flashes of light on the clouds in the distance. The rumble of artillery became lost to the rushing wind as the train trundled away.

Still with no contacts to speak of, Jack and his squad hunkered down to take cover from the biting cold wind, and share some tea that a Stalliongrader had brewed in the caboose. “Looks like they didn't spot us.” Mythic noted idly as he sipped his tea.

“Yet…” Jack added darkly as he touched at his facial wound.

“Come on Jack, we're bound for some kind of good luck one of these days.” Baron sank into her seat and finished her tea.

Jack simply grunted as he ground the cigarette butt against his boot heel. “Believe it when I see it.” He glanced over toward the mare approaching them, wearing a Stalliongrader's army uniform and bearing the markings of a sergeant. “Need something, Sergeant?” Jack stared down the approaching pony as they sat down next to him, and wordlessly slid a letter to him. With his expression turning to one of curiosity, Jack unfolded the letter and read what it had to say in the low light.

Sir Kessle, I am Agent Orange, of Omega Hive. The train has been infiltrated by Chrysalis hive, and they will act soon. Their objective is to kill you, and steal the train for their hive. On your go, I will release a spell that will destroy all disguises .

Jack blinked, and reread the letter, before glancing at the Sergeant. “One moment, please.” Jack asked calmly as he stood and moved over next to Mythic. “JSOG priority channel. Now.”

His trio of subordinates looked to him, then to the Sergeant still seated on the sandbags. Mythic didn't need much convincing. Dialing it in, he offered the horn to Jack. “Sir.”

Grabbing the radio, Jack made a broadcast to all of his units. “All JSOG, listen up. Guns up, we've got bugs.” Handing back the receiver, Jack stood and checked the action of his weapon as he looked toward the cannon crew. “Now, Orange.” A feeling of uneasiness passed through him like a breeze, only for nothing to happen. The rearmost cannon crew shivered slightly, but remained unchanged. Furrowing his brow, Jack cast a glance back toward Agent Orange and his squad. He made the swift realization that the spell had indeed worked, as Baron sat next to Mythic without a disguise on.

Smiling faintly, Mythic looked over to attempt to comfort Baron for her shivering, Mythic let out a yelp of terror and fell off the sandbag seat. Baron stared at him in confusion, before glancing to Jack, and then to the newcomer. Her hackles rise immediately as she saw that the newcomer was a changeling. Her gun barrel rose, only to be stopped by Jack. He shook his head at her, just as yells of surprise echoed through the train, only to be followed by rattling gunfire.

“Come on JSOG, up and at em.” Jack shouldered his carbine and waved to the cannon crew. “It's changelings! Hold your position and don't let anyone close! We need this cannon operational!” The crew seemed rattled by the sudden gunfire, but at Jack authoritative bark, they hardened and dug in. “Simoh, up top. Mythic, report rear cannon secure. Baron, front and behind me.” His squad leapt to, and the agent smiled as his brilliant orange carapace shimmered in the nightlight.

“They've only got a few infiltrators in the city, Omega Hive has them dealt with. We only have these to worry about.”

Jack shot the changeling a grin. “Glad to know you guys are still on our side.”

“We're on the side of freedom. Let us move, they will destroy the train if they can't capture it.” The claim was punctuated by an explosion further ahead, and the intensified rattle of gunfire.

Lowering his face shield, Jack led the push into the next car, where an entire squad of security sat waiting. A dozen sets of glowing changeling eyes turned toward Jack as he stood in the doorway.

“There he is.”

Jack shoved Baron to cover as he backpedalled and dozens of rounds shattered against his chest. The enchantment in his mithral breastplate glowed, and released a pulse of energy that saw the light rounds breaking against his shielded chest as he dove for cover. The incoming fire ripped apart the back end of the train as the changelings put down suppressive fire.

“Baron, Flashbang!”

Jack's roared order had the changeling rise from behind her sandbag cover. Moments later, her horn glowed, and a ball of light arced through an open window. Brilliant light blasted from the security car as Jack barreled through the door and opened fire. His squad pushed in around him, firing on the blinded changelings as they hissed and howled. The attack seemed to be going well as they cleared the first security car without any casualties. Any momentum they carried with them however, was stolen away when Jack breached the next door and took a fusillade of fire for his efforts. Withdrawing as the withering fire pummeled him across his body, Jack yelled in pain as a round deflected across the bottom of his face shield and punched into his right shoulder at the base of his neck.

“GAH, FUCK! Fucking sonuva bitch!” Sticking to cover, Jack waved his squad down as the enemy fire blasted away at the car. “Fuck! Mythic! Call for backup, we're pinned down here!”

“Yes sir!” Mythic yelled over the whistling rounds. Pulling himself over the sandbags, Mythic found his dials tweaked from the sudden movements. Cursing under his breath, he began rapidly redialing the squad frequency. “This is Havoc squad, we're pinned down by superior fire in the rear car, we have injured! Can anybody assist?!”

At the other end of the train, Flitter heard the multiple requests for backup over the radio set, and each one drove a pin into her. They'd been ambushed, and if somebody didn't do something soon, people would die. Setting her jaw, Flitter checked her rifle, before turning to her squad. “I want two in the engine. We don't stop for anything, and nobody gets in unless they know the countersign. The rest of you, breaching formation! We've got family to pull out of the fire!”

The soldiers around her nodded, and swiftly got into position to clear the first car. They weren't going to slack now. They weren't going to let her down.

Breaching the first car, Flitter was thankful when she saw nothing but furry faces and gun barrels poking at them. “Friendlies! JSOG, move up and prep for the next car!” Flitter and her squad began moving by as the stalliongraders stared at them.

“What is going on? We hear shooting!”

Pausing only for a moment as her leads took position, Flitter spoke to the draft stallion who had spoken to her. “Changelings infiltrated the train before it left, we have squads pinned down, and believe most of the cannons to be in their hooves.”

The huge stallion muttered a mild curse. “We help. Lead us.”

Blinking somewhat in surprise, Flitter was smart enough to not show her reaction. “I need extra bodies protecting the engine, no matter what happens, this train doesn't stop for anything. We're headed toward the back to relieve our squads. Anybody coming with us is going to be under fire, so I'm only taking volunteers.”

The large stallion shrugged, before checking his dual machinegun battle-saddle. “I volunteer.” The stallion scowled somewhat as the rest of his squad opted to protect the engine.

“What's your name, Private?”

“I am Marvich Hold.”

Smirking, Flitter nodded to the stallion. “Welcome aboard. JSOG, breach!”

Flitter's squad breached forward, clearing each car with surgical precision. The rangers had been fighting and training for years, the changelings had been born a year ago. While the changelings held superior numbers, their lack of training blunted them, allowing Flitter to flex her tactical know-how as she directed her squad to attack from all angles and leave no survivors. Her squad was more than happy to oblige her, and their lightning attack tactics saw nobody eating an undue bullet.

“Car clear!” Her point mare called out as they dropped the last changeling. The numbers were beginning to thin, and often they would find cars empty, save for bodies. It was a small force, perhaps thirty or so of soldiers who had been smuggled in, and ten infiltrators. They'd killed three infiltrators so far, while they'd been trying to sabotage the weapons shipments.

“Next car is a cannon car, Sergeant Varenikov’s squad should be here!” Opening the door, Flitter ducked as a round nipped over and clipped her ear short. “Ahh! Friendly fire, friendly fire! Blue on blue!”

“Blue on blue! A voice yelled ahead. “Phoenix!”

Holding a hoof to her bleeding ear, Flitter yelled the countersign of “Arizona! God dammit that hurts, sonuva bitch…”

“Hold fire, it's the Lieutenant!”

To Flitter's relief, Taven's voice sounded next. “Flitter, get your ass in here!”
Without arguing, Flitter and her squad piled into the security car where the second squad was held up. The car was plugged full of holes, and a few of the troopers were bloody. Spirits rose sharply as the squad's were reunited, and Taven breathed a sigh of relief. “Damn me if I'm not glad to see you, Flitter! Our situation was fubar for a moment there. Sorry about the ear.”

Waving a hoof at him, Flitter hid her wince as her ear pulsed painfully. “Flesh wound. Give me a sitrep.”

As Taven nodded and began to speak, Flitter's new recruit sat down and effortlessly pulled Flitter into his lap. “You are injured.” Flitter's cheeks went a vibrant red as the squad stared on as the huge stallion began carefully treating her clipped ear. Doing her damndest to keep herself silent, Flitter simply stared at Taven and listened to his report.

“Our cannon is down. The explosion damn near took us all out. We've had probing attacks every five minutes, and every time we stick our heads out, we eat bullets. Thankfully, no real wounds yet, just a few close calls and some big bruises. No word from Minerva's squad though, I'm worried.”

Wincing as Marvich bandaged her ear, Flitter scowled. “Okay, get on the radio and let first squad know we've reached you. We'll press on and link up with Minerva, then pull the pressure off Jack.” Taven nodded, and immediately began to rouse the squad from their hunkered positions. Looking to the draft stallion whose lap she was pulled deep into, Flitter cleared her throat to get his attention. “You could have told me you were a medic.”

“You did not ask.”

Grunting lightly, Flitter could only wait for him to finish with her ear. “See to the others if they get hit. Come on.” Squirming and fluttering her way out of the private's lap, Flitter took the lead again, and had her squad breach the next car.

Meeting them was a firing squad, that began to douse them with bullets and magic lances. Flitter barely ducked her head in time as a beam of magic shot by her head and struck the wall of the car. Her squad opened fire, beginning the short exchange. The fight ended when the pair of pegasi with the squad jumped from the windows and landed on the next car. The changelings now trapped in a crossfire, their planned ambush fell apart and saw them shredded like paper under the controlled fire of Flitter's soldiers.

“Check the bodies then move up!”

The order saw a number of bayonets mounted, and the fallen changelings run through, before the squad stacked up and prepared to carry on.

They could hear firing up ahead, and thumping hooves on the roof of the car. As Flitter raised a hoof to order her squad to fire, one of the enemies on the roof fell suddenly, and slid off the side. Several others followed suite, and seemingly the changeling soldiers saw a better plan of re-entering the train car, only to find Flitter's squad waiting for them. Quick, professional bursts of fire saw an end to the soldiers, and gave Flitter reason to smile. “Simoh is still firing, that means Jack's squad is still holding on! Let's move it! Nobody else dies today!”

The fighting became swift and brutal as JSOG surged through the train cars, executing any changeling found. To Flitter's relief, she found that some few Stalliongraders hadn't been killed outright. Many were simply wounded, captured, or knocked unconscious. The changelings had struck hard and fast, likely with the hopes of carrying their momentum forward and taking the entire train before anybody was wiser. They evidently weren't expecting to be fighting well organised resistance.

That point was made moot when Flitter's squad reached the third cannon car. The cannon had been destroyed, and the resulting explosion had killed the crew and some of Minerva's squad. The car itself was a burning wreck that was firmly in the hold of the changelings. Before they could begin to search for survivors, the squad came under fire, and the stallion closest to Flitter fell with a grunt as a slug slammed into him.

“COVER COVER! FIND COVER!”

Grabbing the groaning stallion by his vest's drag strap, Flitter yanked the injured soldier back into cover as her unit gave covering fire. Marvich came galloping forward, ignoring the fire that whizzed and snapped over him. Crouching behind the sandbags only made his situation moderately better as a round plinked off his heavy steel helmet. Once she was sure her wounded were in good hooves, Flitter took command again.

“Chesty, put a rifle grenade into that door! Myers, follow with a smoke! Diamond formation, heavies in the front!”

The moment her order finished, a rifle grenade impacted the car door on the opposite side and blew the steel construct off its hinges. The smoke grenade followed, and quickly began choking the hostile car with thick smoke as the air pushed it all back. JSOG surged forward again, firing in controlled bursts. The heavies had the best armour, and close assault guns. Once they were through the doors, the enemy lasted the time it took for four belt fed shotguns to put twenty rounds down range. Five shells each had been generous, Flitter found when she approached. The changelings had cracked open a royal guard arms box, and had opened up on them with squad automatic weapons.

“Check for survivors!”

“Lieutenant! We found them!”

Flitter perked at the call from the car the heavies had cleared, and galloped over to see. To her relief, it was Minerva and her squad, alive and mostly intact. They were trapped by changeling mucus, and couldn't move a muscle. They were all unconscious, but breathing. “Get them cut free, and Marv up here! We'll pull the wounded in here and move on! Let's go people!”

As her soldiers cut the others free, Taven bumped Flitter's side with his flank. When she looked over toward him, he motioned her off to the side. “Flitter, have you looked at these changelings?”

Furrowing her brow, Flitter shook her head. “No, just shooting them. Why?”

“They've got markings. These are just drones, only a few we've been fighting have been soldiers or infiltrators.”

He certainly had her attention now. “Okay… so what does that mean for us?”

“Either the Stalliongraders got themselves taken down by a bunch of drones, or the soldiers went somewhere. And considering they managed to pin Jack down…”

A hard scowl pressed from Flitter's features. “But where did they go?”

Taven shrugged lightly as he reloaded his rifle. “I haven't the foggiest. Though I'm sure we'll find out real soon. Cone on, Jack won't save himself.”

“He did say he was a princess…”

Snorting and smiling, Taven shook his head. “The princess of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms.”

“We should change his callsign to Princess Trouble.” Flitter muttered with a barely withheld giggle.

“Hah, I would have figured you'd want to call him Princess Hotstuff, considering the huge ladyboner you have for him.” Taven grinned as Flitter went beet red and huffed indignantly. “I'm teasing.”

Flitter failed to scowl at the Batpony. “Jackass. Come on, let's get going.” Turning back to her group, Flitter took back on her leading officer role as if nothing had changed. “Alright! Five volunteers to keep the wounded safe! The rest of you, stack up with me!”

Despite the incoming fire having stopped some time ago, Jack knew better than to stick his head up and investigate whether the enemy changelings were still alive or not. He'd learned that lesson very quickly when one of them had almost taken his head off. He and his squad were pretty well pinned, but the enemy couldn't approach them either. Those who had tried still steamed on the deck of the car as the heat escaped their corpses.

So, with some time to talk, Jack took the chance to chat up the agent who had given them the chance to fight. “So, Agent Orange. Did you just find out about the infiltrators, or was this something your hive's been sitting on for awhile?”

The agent glanced up with his vibrant orange eyes. “We've known of the infiltrators for close to three months, and have been keeping track of them. Our attempts to warn the crown were intercepted, and our messenger to the Lord Commander was hung.”

Wincing in sympathy, Jack set his jaw and sighed. “My condolences. Why didn't the crown respond?”

“We suspect that our messages are being intercepted, so I was sent to deliver them myself.” He patted the hardcase strapped to his side. “It's simple luck I got onto this train the same time their infiltrators did. Glad you were here, otherwise I'm sure my warning would have been worthless.”

Nodding, Jack carefully peeked out from over cover, only to duck back down again as a burst nipped over the top of his helmet. “Yep, still there. Well, Agent Orange, who is 'we’.”

The changeling smiled mildly toward Jack. “The OOSS. Or rather, the Omega Office of Secret Services. We work closely with Equestria's intelligence office.”

“Equestria has an intelligence office?” Jack asked idly.

Orange simply grunted in exasperation. “Shocking, I know. Considering the number of calamities that befall them, you would believe that they would have invested in it by now, or at least stopped sending untrained ponies with special powers to solve potentially devastating events. But, I suppose, that is what they have you and your team for now. I've read your file. It is rather impressive.”

“It's nice to get recognition from people who don't want anything.” Jack said with a light smile, before glancing over to his squadmates. “How you guys holding up?”

Peeking around the sandbags, Mythic waved a little toward him. “We're all good here, Jack. How's your arm?”

“Fucked. I'm in for another session with the docs it seems. Hey Simoh! How are we looking up top?”

The griffon was perched on top of the cannon, his rifle barrel resting upon the large muzzle. He didn't move a muscle. “They have stopped coming.”

Humming lightly, Jack sat in silence for a moment, before grinning and shouting toward the enemy occupied car. “Hey! You assholes up front!”

There was a brief pause, before a chitinous voice sounded. “Have you decided to surrender, Destroyer?”

“Nah, how about you surrender?”

“We are the favoured sons of queen Chrysalis, we will not surrender!”

Grinning to himself as Agent Orange watched him curiously, Jack carried on. “Oh, you mean the queen whose head I took off as she was trying to run away like a little bitch?”

“Mother was not retreating!” The voice swiftly yelled back.

“Really? I mean, I dunno, I was there, and all she did was send you idiots to your deaths and cry, like a biiiiiiiitch.”

“You will pay for your transgressions against our Queen!”

“Eheh eheheheheh…” Jack grinned as he grabbed his borrowed carbine with his left hand. “Why don't you come over here and punish me then? Come on, I'll be gentle! I'll only fuck you as hard as I fucked your mother and hive!”

Behind him, Baron coughed and giggled. “Holy fuck, Jack.”

The enemy changelings were obviously getting worked up, he could hear their little wings buzzing wildly in the next car. “You did no such thing!”

“Oh baby, did I ever fuck your momma! I fucked her so hard she exploded, and I'll fuck you too! Come on, I know you're a fuckboy! Come to daddy!”

“That's it! I'm tired of waiting, let us kill this monster and be done!” Chittering voices began sounding, and Jack heard somebody loaded for bear charging across the decking. His squad opened fire, dropping the changeling soldier without issue.

“Wow, like a little bitch, just like his ugly ass momma.” Jack grinned. “Any other takers? We've got plenty of high velocity fuckings to hand out over here!”

His psychological warfare was put on hold as the changelings ahead yelled in surprise, and gunfire erupted further on ahead. Realizing that their chance had come, Jack stood and waved his squad forward. Rounds plinked off his armour as Havoc squad pushed forward, and squashed their assailants between themselves and Breaker Squad. Cheers went up as the last changelings fell, and the squads were reunited.

Jack sat down heavily on one of the bullet ridden sandbag barricades and pulled his helmet free to smile at Flitter. “Good to see you, Sparky. Knew I could trust you to give me a hand. What's the situation?”

Sitting down next to him, Flitter breathed a sigh of relief. “Train secured. Seven wounded, one dead. None of the wounds are life threatening. Honeywell was killed by a bomb.”

“Shame… I'll get that letter drafted up tonight. Damn fine work, Flitter.” Jack smiled to her. “And make it eight wounded, I took a bullet.” Going to rub Flitter's ears as she turned to yell at him, Jack spotted the doctor work on her clipped ear.

At the same time, they both spoke “What the fuck did you do to yourself?!” They stared at each other incredulously for a moment, before both speaking the same line again. “I got shot, what-”

As the pair began to interrupt and argue with each other, Taven simply shook his head and chuckled. “Lovebirds.” He muttered softly to himself with a smile, before turning his attention to the huge draft pony medic. “Only one wounded here. We all good back there?”

Marvich simply nodded once. “Da. Keep safe in engine with others. Sun rise.” The stallion pointed off toward the horizon, where the sun was breaking dawn. Taven had a single moment to enjoy the sight of dawn across the snowy plains, before somebody yelled.

“IMPERIAL CORVETTE!”

All eyes followed the hoof, and found an imperial corvette keeping pace with the train, and the unit of changelings who were enroute to board the train again. The cannon crew yelled at each other, and began scrambling to man their weapon while JSOG moved to intercept the changelings.

The corvette's guns spoke, and the cannon exploded before its shot could be fired. The concussive boom launched Jack over his unit and through the wall, while the shrapnel drove the others to cover.

Orders were being yelled as Jack tried to regain his bearings. The world span and shrieked in his ears, plunging his mind back into places it had no right being. The train was replaced with stretching sand dunes, and an army patrol under fire.

“MEDIC!” Flitter screamed as Jack lay on the decking of the car.

“They're landing right on top of us! Watch the sides!”

“Look out!”

“Simoh, hit the leader!”

“Hit and deflect! Shield!”

“Cover! Cover! Take cover!”

“The hell is he wearing!?”

“A mask! That's an Order mask! All guns fire on the leader, don't let him-”

The pulse of blue energy washed outwards from the changeling with the mask, and poured over the squad. The yelling stopped, and all gunfire ceased. JSOG stood down as the agents of Order marched toward them.

In Jack's mind, he wasn't on a speeding train under fire from Imperials. He was on his back, and his blood was pooling under him. His breath hitched in his throat as he fought for each breath. He could hear the gunfire of his squad. His squad was fighting and dying, all because he'd made a mistake. This was all his fault. They would die because of him. He would be tortured, and his life would end, and it would be all his-

“Stop with that monologue shit!” A voice yelled near him. A familiar voice; one belonging to somebody he'd loved and killed. Hands shook him until his vision swam back. Mark Volk was looking down on him, and grinning. “Wakey wakey, Havoc. Come on, up and attem.”

Bullets were whizzing by overhead, but none seemed to strike Mark as Jack took his hand and was pulled up. As he was lifted off the sand, he made the happy discovery that he hadn't lost his legs after all. “I… I don't understand…”

Mark grinned, flashing his unnaturally long canines. “We're inside your head. You're having a flashback.”

Jack blinked at his friend as the gunfire died down. “I… I am? I… yeah… yeah, okay.” He looked around, and saw the inside of his mind. All around him was war. Great plumes of oily black smoke rose in the distance, and black oasis's littered the desert. The army convoy was parked on the road, and upon closer inspection, he began to recognize the faces of those within it.

They were all dead men and women; humans and ponies and griffons alike. They were people he'd know. People he'd served with. People he'd failed.

“Yeah, seems that I wasn't joking when I said you had a lot of dead people in your head. It's getting crowded in here.” Mark chuckled as he rocked on his heels, while a woman Jack didn't recognise left the convoy and approached where they stood. She was tall, and wearing full plate mail. Her head was uncovered, revealing heavily tanned and regal features, and a head of intricately braided raven hair. Mark glanced over his shoulder and grinned at the woman. “Sammy! Good to see you, how-”

“Be silent, foul trickster.” The woman walked passed Mark, until she was before Jack. Her features softened, and she gently took Jack's hand. “Hello Father.”

Jack's expression immediately went from curiosity to horror. “What.”

The woman smiled softly, and released his hand. “I am Samhain. You had life breathed into me, gave me power from your own body. You are father.”

“O-okay…” Jack blinked and tried to make sense of it all. “I-”

“Right!” Mark clapped his hands together. “Now that you've met your tooth baby pig-sticker, I should probably tell you that shit is fucked.”

Furrowing his brow, Jack looked toward Mark. “Then talk. You had to drag me into my own head for a reason.” As Mark jerked a thumb over his shoulder, Jack swiftly found the answer to his question. A wall of brilliant blue wall of flame was flooding across the warzone, drowning everything in it's path. It was headed straight for him, like a fiery tsunami with a target. “The fuck is that…”

“That, my mentally abused friend, is Jalgromak.”

Jack jerked at the name. “That's WHAT!? What the fuck is a dead god doing in my goddamn head!?”

Snorting in amusement, Mark gestured toward himself. “What, besides me? Well, it's because one of his little disciples used a power fragment to subjugate the entire train. You were just dumb enough to get knocked unconscious.”

The tidal wave of fire Order was bearing down on them, and now was so tall it blotted out the searing desert sun. It was beginning to take on a humanoid form as it surged down. Jack cursed softly. “This is it…”

“Oh don't be so melodramatic. Watch.” Mark smirked as they all watched the god descend upon them, only to impact an invisible barrier face first. The god's watery head bounced, and a metallic tonk resounded. Mark snorted and began laughing as Jack stared on in shock. “And there's the titanium skull cap! Get fucked! Ahahahaha!”

“Wait… he's a god, and he can't get in through a few millimetres of titanium?” Jack couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. “What a shitty god!”

His statement only brought another bought of enthused laughter from Mark. “Well, yeah! I mean, think about it. That tree you smoked when you were sixteen has saved your ass like, three times.” With that statement, Jack actually put thought on how one bad decision he made when he was sixteen had resulted in his life being saved numerous times. “Anyways, with myself, and Sammy in here, plus all these dead fucks, there's no way he can get in. Wanna go heckle him?” Mark gestured toward the dead god who continued to slam his power against the unbreakable barrier of titanium.

“This would be the fourth time now.” Jack mused idly before asking “Why doesn't he just go around?” He muttered as he began to tread toward the god.

“It's magic. Finicky and tricky is in the bolded text. Its gotta go through the forehead.” Mark tapped his own, where the bullet hole was. “That's how Dominate works.”

Samhain pushed forward, stepping between Jack and Mark. “Father, do not accept any terms Jalgromak makes to you.”

Nodding to the warrior at his side, Jack turned his attentions toward the god outside his mind. “Hey! Jalgromak!” The god immediately turned its attentions toward Jack.

“Who dares speak my forging name?”

“Me, Jackass. Now fuck off! We're full!” Jack flipped off Jalgromak, who simply stared at him with his featureless head.

“You are the interloper. Champion of Chaos. I will cleanse you from this world, along with my brother and his children. You can not stop me.”

Jack scrunched up his features. “So… so, what? You come back, and your master plan is to just cleanse the world of all life?”

“I will remove my brother's filth, and begin anew. You are all diseased, imperfect things. I will rid my world of you. I will create perfection.”

Smirking as if amused, Jack shook his head. “You know, normally it's a case of people trying to stop gods from coming back, because it'll mean certain doom, not the gods already being back and still needing others to do the dirty work. Let me guess, feeling a little impotent? They've got pills for that.”

“HAH!” Mark slapped his thigh as he laughed. “Bam, classic! This is why I chose you as a host, your shit talking is top tier, Jack. Bravo!”

“You can not stop me. I am a son of flame, you are a son of clay. The son of fire will never fear the son of clay.” The god stood tall, and towered above them, before simply disappearing.

Growling at the vanished god, Jack clenched his fists. “Mark, send me back up. I've got some ass to kick.”

Mark grinned back at him. “Aye aye, Cap’n. Go kick some of that ass for me. I'm loving the show.”

“Just keep him out of my head, and I'll give you a real show.” Jack paused, as he felt a plated hand take his own.

“I stand ready, Father.” Samhain was standing by his side, and the closeness gave him a sense of security.

Patting her hand, Jack closed his eyes. “Get ready, then. I've only got one arm that works, and the eye on that side is gone.”

He had expected a lurch, or some feeling of change when he was sent back to the waking world. He almost held his eyes closed for another moment, but didn't when he heard voices he didn't recognise.

“Our lord will be pleased with this bounty. This group alone has been a thorn in our side for too long.”

“Indeed, Scion.”

Jack cracked open an eye, and looked about. He was on his back, and unsecured. The train had stopped, and the imperial corvette was practically on top of them. He saw the others standing at attention; wisps of blue smoke tainted the edges of their eyes, and not one of them moved against the changelings that were standing before them. They were under Order's control. A furious spark light within Jack's chest. More of his family had been turned against him. He was out numbered, thirty to one, but his target was standing directly in front of him.

Clenching his teeth, Jack pushed himself up, which drew the changeling's attention. The lead changeling was an odd one, somewhat taller than his fellows, and wearing a ball mask made of ivory and azure stone. The changeling regarded him for a moment. “So the Destroyer lives. Xerox's ally will be happy for this.”

“Indeed, Scion. We have turned him to our cause.”

The tall scion approached Jack, and the eyes of the mask glowed menacingly. “Wait- GURK-” The scion gasped as Jack slammed his blade through his chest. The blade jutted out from his back, it's blade singing in the slick blood of his enemy.

Leaning in as the scion’s orderly gawked in shock, Jack grinned. “When you meet your God, tell him I said Fuck You.” With a swift wrenching motion, Jack pulled Sammy up through the scion's body, cleaving him in twain. The monomolecular edge of his magical blade cut the mask in half as he cleaved; the two parts fell to the deck with fumes billowing from them as the scion's body twitched and split down the middle. Without a second thought, Jack stomped down on the mask halves.

The explosion of magical power bowled him over before his boot ever touched the mask, and sent him skidding back across the deck. A pulse of blue energy lashed out, causing everybody present to fall to the ground as if they were puppets whose strings had been slashed. Sudden bursts of expletives came from his squad, causing Jack's smile to grow so large it split his stitches and saw him bleeding across his ruined face. The changelings yelled to each other in panic, and began to retreat back toward the corvette that hung above them.

With his unit still trying to gather themselves, Jack wrenched a machinegun free from its mounting, and held it with his one working arm. His long burst of fire deterred any ideas of coming back to the train for the changelings, and served as a wake up call for his unit, who scrambled and found cover.

“What the hell happened!?” Somebody cried out as the train lurched back into action as its engine crew came to.

“UP AND AT EM JSOG!” Jack bellowed at the top of his lungs. The corvette was beginning to position, and until they were at full speed, they'd be at the full mercy of the Imperials aboard it. The changeling flight was still fleeing, and the corvette was bringing its guns to bear. The next cannon in operation was at the other end of the train, so he would have to move fast if he was going to have any chance of saving the train.

Opening his mouth to bellow the order, Jack paused as the corvette opened fire, and shredded the changeling flight. The moment the changelings fell from the sky, the corvette stopped firing, and raised a white flag. Shock struck Jack, before he whooped a yell of victory.

“That's right Jalgromak! Fuck you, and fuck your mind control!”

Chapter Forty Nine: One Quiet Moment

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With the tundra sun hanging high in the sky, the train engine rumbled to life, and began chugging onward toward Canterlot. Despite their victory, there was precious little celebration from anybody on board as the snowy tundra began to whip by them. The imperial corvette stuck to their side, with limited communication between them and Mythic's radio allowing for some orders to be passed about.

Once he had been sure everything was running smoothly, Jack had collapsed upon a bank of sandbags, and fallen asleep as Private Marvich dug the bullet out of his shoulder.

It was only when they entered range of Canterlot that things got interesting. Jack awoke to yelling, and the sound of roaring VTOL engines. The corvette was still flying it's white flag, though it was certain that the sailors aboard were tense as steel wires as the rocket armed VTOL flight zoomed by them.

“I say again, Valkyrie Flight, hold fire! The Imperial vessel has surrendered and is under JSOG protection!” Flitter yelled into the radio as a VTOL hovered alongside the train.

Shaking his head to wake himself up, Jack muttered a curse and strode over. “What's going on, Flitter?”

Looking over as her name was called, Flitter visibly relaxed when she spotted him. “Jack! Thank the gods you're awake. We've got orders to board the VTOLs and make for a hard burn to Canterlot.”

“What about the Imps?” Jack rubbed his jaw.

“They almost shot them down. If I hadn't heard the calls on the radio, our prisoners would be a flaming ruin.”

With a sigh, Jack looked about and began counting heads. “They don't have enough room for all of us.”

Scratching the back of her head, Flitter sighed as well. “It's just going to be us. You and me, I mean.” She gestured to the VTOL keeping pace with them. “The others are securing the Imperial corvette and continuing to keep the train safe.”

Grunting in response, Jack dug out his abused helmet. “No sense dicking around then. Tell buddy to come in closer and prep for boarding.”

“Wait, Captain!” Agent Orange galloped over, his satchel still stuck to his side. “Take my reports to your princess, I'll meet with them when the train stops.” The agent hoofed over the hardcase, and nodded to Jack as he entrusted the critical intel to him.

Moments later, Jack and Flitter would board the gunship, and be whisked away to the capital. Jack could tell that things were bad when a flight of royal guards met them and flew escort through the busy airspace.

Looking out the front windscreen, Flitter's jaw dropped. “Mother of the gods… they really did it.” When Jack perked a brow and questioned her, Flitter pointed a hoof toward Canterlot, and the cloud city that was now parked above it. “They towed Cloudsdale.”

With a whistle, Jack looked out over the two cities, and winced at the choked airspace that they were beginning to fly through. “Don't these idiots know to not block military vehicles? Especially ones with rotating blades?”

The pilot simply laughed at the thought. “I almost ran over a whole family on the way out, fuckin’ turkeys think they own the sky. No offence, ma'am.”

Flitter waved it off as she continued to look over Cloudsdale. “I haven't been to Cloudsdale since… my dad…” Her expression soured. “If they're here, then so is my mother.”

“You mean the lady who had me captured, tortured, and raped?” Jack asked idly with a hint of malice hiding in his nonchalance.

Flitter nodded to him. “The one and only. Jack, I know you want to do your thing, but if we run into her, let me handle her.”

As the VTOL swept in to land, Jack gently rubbed between Flitter's ears. “She's all yours. I just want to watch.” He perked somewhat as the gunship landed, and he saw both princesses making a hard line toward them. “Eyes up, big brass bearing down on our ass.” Pulling himself out of the seat, Jack stood and sharply saluted the pair.

Celestia didn't share the formality. “Both of you, with me, now.”

The pair shared a cursory glance, before striding after the princesses. Entering the castle, they found it even busier than before. Guards filled and patrolled the halls, while ponies wearing militia uniforms wandered about trying to look like they weren't lost. Passing by a window, Jack caught sight of a large collection of tents on the royal lawn.

“I take it the refugees have arrived?” Jack hazarded a guess.

“Yes.” Luna was the one to respond. “We have had a steady stream of refugees since you left on your mission four days ago.”

“Great…” With his mind on changeling infiltrators and mind control masks, Jack wasn't entirely enthused about the idea of so many unchecked civilians running amok.

Entering the planning room, Celestia shut the door behind them with her magic. “We require an immediate debrief of what happened on the train and how the battle for Stalliongrad has gone.”

Nodding in understanding, Jack set the OOSS agent's case down on the table. “Critical Intel from Omega Hive. Their agent will see you when the train arrives. Their messages are being intercepted.” He sighed, and scratched at his head. “Okay, where to begin…”

“From the beginning, please.” Celestia sat down heavily. “I pray you have good news.”

By the time Jack and Flitter finished their debrief, the Princesses were beside themselves.

“This is all wonderful news. We didn't expect such results when we sent you out, but…” Celestia finally smiled. “Thank you both.”

Shifting in his seat, Jack rolled his jaw and lifted a hand. “I've got a bit more Intel. You aren't going to like it.” The three looked toward him in curiosity, and motioned for him to continue. With a sigh, Jack sat back. “When I destroyed the mask, it released a magic pulse that broke the domination spell within the AoE.”

“That's wondrous news!” Celestia proclaimed. “That means the magic behind the control can be broken, and-”

“Celestia, they used the mask on us all. JSOG was compromised.”

The room fell silent.

With all attention on him, save for Flitter's, Jack rubbed at his temples. “I was knocked unconscious by a blast, and…” He paused for a moment, trying to decide whether he should speak of the madness that occurred in his own mind. “I was pulled into my own mind, the wasteland it is… I… I saw Jalgromak. I spoke to him.”

Shit talked him.

The two princesses looked toward him, their eyes betraying their thoughts as they put thought to his claim. “Jalgromak entered you mind.” Celestia asked again, her voice perfectly calm and level. When Jack nodded, she lifted her muzzle and looked down upon him slightly. “Jack-”

“Let me finish.” He cut her off, begging. “Please.” He waited, as the princesses shared a look, before nodding to him. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in, Jack nodded to them. “Thank you. Due to my… condition, and some extenuating circumstances… Jalgromak cannot control me whatsoever.” The shock on their faces beat out their regal masks, and he carried on. “But that's not what I wanted to tell you. I spoke to him, and he told me what he's doing. Why.” Flitter's hoof came to rest gently on his thigh as the princesses waited for him to continue. With a breath, Jack began rubbing his scarred left temple. “He's taking over the world through agents, so he can cleanse it of all life and restart. He wants to create perfection. He claimed this world was chaos, and he would reclaim it. He has returned. Maybe not in the flesh, but he's definitely here. Way I figure, his primary agents, his leaders, have the most power, the biggest masks. Their Lieutenants have smaller masks. Less power, but still. It means he doesn't have the power to just subjugate all of us at once, or he would have already. We destroy the masks, we release people and scatter a bit of his power. We can use that to our advantage. Save people critical to the war effort, instead of killing them.” Jack spoke as if he was wishing with all his might that his guess was correct.

For their part, everybody else in the room wished the same. Letting out a breath, Celestia forced a soft smile. “Thank you, Jack. We had suspicions, but you have given us so much more to work with. When your freed Imperials arrive, we would like you both to be present when we question them. We will, however…” there was a brief pause. “We will have to test both you, and your unit, for corruption. At this point, we cannot afford to suffer a betrayal.”

Grasping Flitter's hoof with his armoured hand, Jack nodded. “Agreed. We'll pass, I know it.” He sat for a moment, holding Flitter's hoof. “What's happened while we've been gone?”

A look to the board saw far more hostile red, than friendly blues, greens, and golds combined. Luna was the one to speak. “The control masks are allowing them to take entire towns and not stop. We have lost complete contact with twenty towns and villages, as well as Neigh York. The battlegroup headed for zebraic lands has gotten to their capital, of this we are certain. Border units reported seeing mobilisation of zebra forces in an unprecedented manner, headed for our border. We suspect the battlegroup will attack the Nagalan lands next.”

Celestia raised her head from what she was looking at. “However, with the blow you struck their war effort in the Ural mountains, and the stolen vessels, we believe the war on our own soil will go much better. We are still in the process of pulling our ponies out of danger, but once we are ready, we will meet Order's forces head on.”

Resting heavily against wall behind him, Jack nodded to the princesses. “Good… we'll be ready. Just wish we had more time to train…”

Sighing and nodding to Jack, Celestia stared down at the map. “We all wish we had more time. We were not prepared for this.”

“But we will prevail.” Luna finished. “We have a doctor here, that will test you both for magical corruption. I am confident you will both pass his inspection.”

“He's not going to strap me to a table, is he?” Jack questioned with a hint of worry.

“No. But you will need to be nude.”

Jack groaned quietly as he stood. “Great. I love it.” Giving Flitter's intact ear a rub, he gestured toward the door. “Come on Flitter. I'm gonna leave my armour with Aurora and meet you… where ever this guy is.”

“We will have him meet you at the door to the labs.” Celestia answered his question briskly. “Quickly now, when you are finished I have some errands for you both to run.”

The pair saluted, before exiting the room. The moment the door closed, Flitter broke the silence between them. “Errands are like, my favourite thing to do after being shot.”

Snorting mildly and smiling, Jack patted her neck. “Welcome to my world. Maybe I should rebrand us as Marines, considering the amount of shit we find ourselves in on a day to day basis. Trouble is like our natural habitat.”

Flitter smiled faintly at the notion as they started toward the labs. “I certainly wouldn't mind. I don't think anyone else will understand the importance though.”

Nodding his agreement, Jack fell into step with her. “You're probably right, plus the paperwork needed to rebrand us would be retarded. We'll stick with this clunky ass name for now.”

“Well… there's got to be something we can go by. JSOG just doesn't roll off the tongue very well.”

“It doesn't, does it?” Jack rubbed his chin in thought.

Flitter smiled to him as they marched down the halls. “How about… Jack's Justicars?”

“Nope. Not narcissistic enough to pull that one.”

Humming lightly, Flitter nodded. “Right, right… how about… Soggers? No, that's awful…” Flitter grumbled hard toward herself. “You know what, screw it. We should be Marines.”

“Giving up already?” Jack asked with a smirk. “Let's sit on it for a bit. We've got a doctor to see.”

“Have I ever told you I hate going to the doctors?”

“No, no I don't think you've ever mentioned that. You should still see somebody about your ear.” Jack gently rubbed the back of her neck with his armoured hand; the motion earned him a soft, subdued hum of approval.

“I'll get it checked…” Flitter gave his thigh a brief nuzzle, before pulling away. “Go and take your kit off. I’ll wait for you and we’ll see this doctor together.”

Grumbling mildly, Jack shot the smaller mare a brief salute, before breaking off and heading in to have his armour cleaned by Aurora. Leaning against a wall, Flitter smirked ever so slightly when she heard Aurora’s cry of anguish upon seeing Jack.

Having barely escaped the lab with his life intact and his ear only half chewed off, Jack and Flitter started toward the Doctor’s office that they had been directed toward. It took them both far longer than they’d like to have admitted to find the office, but eventually, they stood before a large door, that had it’s title engraved into the fine wood.

Institute for Human Research

B&A - 334

“You know, Sparky… I’ve never seen this door before. Or heard of it.” Jack scratched at his chin momentarily. “Something tells me I’m really not gonna like what’s in there.”

Smiling weakly, Flitter could only agree in her head, while trying to convince him otherwise. “I’m sure it won’t be so bad. I mean, we’re both obviously not messed up by that magic, so we should be out of here quick. Right?”

“I swear to god, if there’s pickled human bits in here, Celestia can scan me her bloody self.”

Perking a brow at him, Flitter turned her attention away from the door momentarily. “Since when do you say ‘bloody’?”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked lightly.

“You’re talking like Ada.” A hint of edge had worked it’s way into her voice, and Flitter was quick to squash it back down.

For his part, Jack looked surprised. “Huh… Suppose I am, eh? Guess she rubbed off on me before getting stuck in this mess.” Flitter flinched at the unintentional innuendo, but quickly hid it as Jack walked toward the door and knocked. “No time like the-” Before Jack could finish his sentence, the door flung open, and a clawed paw shot out from the dark and snatched the front of jack’s shirt, before dragging him in. Flitter paused only for a moment, before leaping after him into the dark lab.

Leaping into the room, Flitter found a huge griffon dressed in a lab coat and sitting in a wheelchair picking at and fawning over Jack, who had been pushed into a chair and currently had a bright light being shone in his face. The Griffon was holding Jack’s mouth open, and peering at his teeth, while mumbling to himself about canines and molars. Flitter let her own weapon relax somewhat when she saw that Jack had only drawn his revolver out, and not crammed it into the doctor’s features. After the incident with the assassins, Jack never went anywhere without a weapon. With both his revolver and knife, if the doctor truly posed a threat, he would have been dealt with. Instead, Jack looked confused, overwhelmed, and annoyed. Clearing her throat, Flitter drew the doctor’s attention momentarily. “Doctor Mac Griffon?”

“Aha, yes! That’s me! How can I help you, young Miss?” The doctor turned his attention back to Jack. “You’re an old dog, aren’t you?’ Hmm?” Mac prodded Jack’s wounded face, and earned an angry grunt in return. “Oof, look at that mug! Got into a fight with a wood chipper I’d say!”

Shaking her head at the sight before her, Flitter cleared her throat. “Doctor, that’s Knight Captain Kessle, and I think you should probably take your talons out of his mouth. He bites.”

The doctor glanced over momentarily, only to squawk in surprise as Jack bit his talons. “Gah! The chompers on you! Heel boy, heel!”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Jack muttered to himself as he kept the muzzle of his revolver on the eccentric doctor. “Just… stop poking me!” Swatting away a paw, Jack attempted to stand, only to be bumped back into the chair.

“I won’t apologise, It’s a part of the process!” Mac Griffon grabbed Jack’s free arm, and lifted it up as he investigated. “Hmm, yes, multiple surgical scars and the like… inkings, injury scar tissue, and what are these... track marks and an old case of anxiety scratching… Proclivity for violence, self harm, sexual deviancy, substance abuse, and generally aggressive behaviour towards others” Jack pulled back, his expression going from annoyance to shock as the Doctor removed his talons. “Alright! Clothes off! The sooner we start, the sooner science can begin!” Jerking on the joystick of his wheel chair with his talon, his chair did a quick one-eighty before he rolled off towards a large machine sitting in the corner of the room. Several cranes extended from the machine’s body, wires running up the arms. Large, strange-looking light bulbs were attached to the ends of the cranes. The top of the machine was covered in an array of antennae of various lengths.

Blinking back his shock and rare feeling of shame, Jack simply began following orders as his head tried to wrap around what had just happened. Flitter quietly stood by, completely unable to help Jack in any way. Her attentions were swiftly grabbed when he dropped his trousers and shed his uniform top. It was all she could do to keep her eyes up and her mouth shut. She ensured she remembered as much as she could, for later use. Despite her best efforts though, her eyes flicked down more than once as Jack was cajoled onto the large machine that stood sentinel in the back corner of the room. “Doctor… what.. What is that machine?”

“This machine will detect any trace magics in anything! I created it myself, back when the changelings invaded Canterlot. Hmf, turns out humans are better bug catchers! Oh well.” The doctor shrugged his shoulders, before whistling. “Come on you two, give me a hoof here!”

Jack cursed as his revolver was pulled from his hand by one of the doctor’s changeling assistants, who had descended from the ceiling at his whistle. “Doc, you better not be doing anything funny here, I’m really not in the mood.”

Waving a paw, the doctor began throwing switches on the machine. “Nonsense! I don’t see any portion of this funny, save for perhaps the shade of red the lieutenant has turned.” Jack’s eyes flicked to Flitter, who turned an even brighter shade of red as one of the assistants sniggered. “That’s the ticket! Okay, initializing procedure!” Throwing a huge lever, the strange arcanotech machine whirred to life, and Jack felt an awful itch begin to spread outwards from his plugs. The machine began to work itself into a frenzy, and Jack felt his feet slowly leaving the platform.

“Doc!? This had better be apart of your damn process!” Jack yelled, before snarling and biting his lip hard as the awful itch turned into thousands of needles jabbing in across his skin.

For his part, Doctor Griffon seemed unaware of the suffering. “Hmm… atypical readings for aberrant type humans… clearly Terran… You two!” His orderlies perked immediately. “I’m getting interference from the machine! See to it!” The machine began to buzz at a higher frequency, and Jack felt the itch enter his brain. Unable to move, and with his body feeling like it was on fire, Jack grit his teeth against the rising pain. “I see you chewing on that wire again! Out! Spit it out!” Spitting the wire back out, and plugging it back into the machine, the changeling in question scampered off with a chirp, while the machine seemed to calm slightly. With a groan, Jack felt relief wash over him as the stabbing sensation abated to an uncomfortable itch across his body. The lights mounted upon the machine suddenly lit up, bathing him in a phosphorescent glow. Grinning, The doctor left his control panel. “And there you have it, one Terran Human, on display!”

Jack’s body was lit up like a christmas tree, with pale yellow smoke wafting off him in small plumes, while his plugs and plates created magical dead spots, that saw the rolling yellow smoke create eddies across his skin.

“Mm, as I suspected. Young Maximilian had the same concentration of chaos magic across his body! Though, yours seems to have dissipated, and these dead spots…” The doctor rolled over in his chair, and tapped at Jack’s plugs with a talon. “You, my interesting friend, seem to have titanium implanted in you, and your legs seem to have been removed. Please do not be alarmed.”

Jack stared at the griffon, for a long moment, before speaking flatly with a straight face. “Oh. Oh my god. How unfortunate.” Jack casually glanced over at Flitter. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Whu-” Flitter sputtered incredulously at the question. “I… what?” Shaking her head and letting out a quiet groan, Flitter looked to the doctor. “Doctor Griffon, please, is there any trace of Order’s magic in Jack’s mind?”

“Hmm?” Mac perked, and ceased poking at Jack’s plugs. “I would assume not, magic like that must go through the forehead, and as you can see, his head is a magical dead zone. Well, not a dead zone per say, but the plate of titanium that has been implanted in his skull has had a gradual effect of repelling static magical ions and an immediate effect of nullifying induced magical ions, which results in the pseudo dead-zones you see here. He would have to be implanted with something to warrant an effect on his mind.” Perking somewhat, Jack began sticking his pinky finger in his ears as he scratched and rubbed.

“You… assume.” Flitter stared at the doctor as he wheeled around to face her.

“Yes, I do believe that is what I said.”

Closing her eyes and scrunching her features in disbelief, Flitter slowly let out a breath. “Alright. Okay. Are you finished with him? I need to be scanned as well.”

“In such a hurry to be naked as well? Alright then. Okay human, you can exit the field.” The machine shut off with the throw of a switch. Shaking her head, Flitter began to quickly disrobe while Jack began to hunt down his clothes. With a yell, he began to chase the changeling that had stolen his pants. Flitter paused momentarily to watch, and silently appreciate the view. “Any day now, miss.” The griffon began. “Your superior’s buttocks will still be there when you finish.”

With her features glowing bright red, Flitter finished stripping off her uniform and trotted onto the platform. The machine whirred to life as Jack wrestled his clothes from the changelings, and Flitter found herself bathed in the same light as Jack. To her relief, the magic wafting off her own fur wasn’t the same sickly yellow energy of chaos that tainted Jack. The doctor gave her a momentary glance over, before shutting off the machine again. “Is… is that it?” Flitter questioned quietly.

“Yep!” The doctor began jotting down notes. “You show all the typical signs of a young, healthy pegasus. You don’t fly much, it seems, which has a rather large build up of flight magic in your back, but besides that, no magic is amiss on your body. Congratulations, you have no Orderly taint in your mind.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Flitter began collecting her uniform. “Thank you doctor, that is a massive relief. I'm sure the princesses will want to hear your report.”

“It's already been sent, my dear. Now, if you don't mind, I have some work to see to.”

“We'll get out of your feathers then. Jack! It's time for us to go!” Flitter called out, before watching as one of the doctor's changelings careened down from the ceiling, screeching as it held onto Jack's pants, and Jack dragged it down. The pair landed with a crash, and Jack swiftly snatched his pants free from the groaning changeling.

Holding his pants up above his head, Jack grinned triumphantly. “Got em!”

“Great…” Flitter averted her gaze. “Could you put them on then?”

“What, I thought your society loved nudity.” Jack prodded as he pulled on his uniform. Smirking somewhat at the muttering Flitter, he shook his head and motioned to the door. “Come on, Sparky. I'm sure our boys will be here soon, and I could use a nap in my own bed for once.”

Exiting the room and leaving the mad scientist behind, Flitter found herself flushing at the thoughts in her mind. “Is there… um… room for a plus one?”

“Always.”

With the one word bringing joy back into Flitter's mind, she was quick to regain her composure and play it cool. “Alright, that's cool.” She brushed a bit of her mane aside. “I mean, you know… if it's all cool with you...” Pursing her lips, Flitter turned her head away from Jack and stared at the floor as he chuckled lightly.

“That blow to the head must have jostled you pretty bad.” Jack said as he paused momentarily to scoop Flitter off her hooves. Ignoring the shade of red she turned, Jack began his long trek to his bunk, which had been waiting for him diligently. Shouldering his door open, Jack let out a pleased noise when he found his room undisturbed. Setting Flitter down, he began pulling off his blood and sweat-stiff uniform and changing into something that resembled clean. While he changed, Flitter averted her eyes, and found them wandering around the room. To her dismay, she found some of Ada’s underclothes, tossed about with little care. The mental images the simple underwear conjured in Flitters head saw her cheeks burning painfully and a scowl threatening her lips.

Hearing a displeased grumble from the bathroom, Flitter dragged her eyes off the underwear and rumpled sheets as she moved to see what Jack was making noise over. With both his hands clamped on the sink, He was turning his head and eying it in the mirror. “What is it, Jack?” Flitter asked softly as she shifted and shuffled quietly.

“Grey hairs…” Jack responded faintly, before running a calloused hand through his short crop of black hair. “I found one before we went on this op… now they're fucking everywhere...”

Flitter trotted a bit closer, before hovering to take a closer look at his head. Doing her best to ignore the fresh scars, Flitter found to her surprise that Jack’s hair had taken on a very faint salt and pepper colouring. Little grey hairs decorated his head, popping up at random. There weren’t many, but they were there. “Is that… bad?”

Remaining quiet for a moment as he hung his head, Jack soon shook his head and started for his bed. Sitting on the edge of it, he opened up his nightstand, and pulled out a gaudy orange knit hat. Pulling it on, Jack flopped over backwards onto the bed. “What month is it?”

Fighting back the unofficer-like squee of happiness at the sight of the hat she’d given him as a gift so long ago, Flitter coughed into her hoof, before landing on the bed. “I um… November. November twentysomething.”

“I’m Thirty Five.” Jack stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve… been here for over two years, Flitter.” He slowly let out a breath through his teeth.

Smiling nervously as she caught the sad overtones in his voice, Flitter did her best to snuggle up to Jack. “Well… it’s a good thing you Terrans live so much longer than our humans…”

“Didn't figure I'd make it far enough to get grey hairs.” He muttered mildly as he began to force himself to relax. “God I'm so tired…”

Thinking for a moment as she rested her head on his chest, Flitter glanced up at Jack. “Maybe your blood-sugar is low?”

“Maybe it's all the times I've blown up, shot, and tossed around. Maybe I've finally broken myself.”

“I think you might be hungry…” Flitter gently nosed at him. “Should I run and grab you some food, old man?” She said as she barely contained her amusement.

“Oh haha, funny…” Rolling over onto his stomach, Jack began rooting through his nightstand. “Got some protein bars in here somewhere… Aha, there.” Pulling out the protein bar, Jack began to tiredly nibble at it as he lay in bed. “Do you think we've got a chance?”

Pausing at the question, Flitter resumed her resting place on his chest. “What do you mean?”

“The war. I don’t know how big this world of yours is, or just how far that runt can go.” Jack set his snack down and stared up at the ceiling. “Are we fucked?”

With the weight of his question now bearing down on her mind and forcing thoughts of her own, Flitter stayed quiet and thought as he idly began petting her. “I… I don’t know… maybe, if our allies weren’t being turned against us every day… I just… we need to try, right? We have to fight, even if we…”

“We’ll fight, Flitter. I’ve got your back, no matter what kind of crazy shit the world wants to throw at us next. We’ll win this shit. Even if the whole world is against us.”

Smiling softly, Flitter nuzzled at his chest and got comfortable. “We need more people like you, Jack.”

“I don’t think any world could handle more than one of me.”

Giggling lightly, she had to nod in agreement. “Mhm~ Well, I for one would have a great time. I’d get twice as many scritches.” Resting her chin on his chest, Flitter found herself locking eyes with the battered man, and her heart skipping a beat. With her cheeks warming up fast, her mind flashed to the words she’d failed to say when she’d left for Twin Peaks. Anxiety welled in her chest like a thick knot of muscle, which was only made worse when he broke the stare, and let his head flop down on the pillow. Come on girl, just go! Do it! Tell him dammit!

Unaware of the mental battle Flitter was having with herself, Jack let out a mild groan and deflated slightly. “So, Private Marvich is a pretty skilled medic. Brave too. Doesn’t flinch when the rounds start flying.”

Glad for the distraction, but suffering from her own demanding thoughts, Flitter nodded jerkily. “Y-yeah. You thinking of recruitment?”

“I think so. He’s wasted sitting on a train or a wall all day. We could use somebody like that.” He quieted for a moment. “You know… if we can secure another mask, we could use it to free our boys. Get them all back…”

And get Ada back. Flitter's mind filled in the blank as she lay resting next to him. The thought sent a surge of jealousy and self-loathing through her that she fought to keep hidden. “It would… definitely help us all…”

“Carolus hasn't sent them against us, yet. But he will soon.” Jack's features became pained at the thought. “You know… for all the nasty shit we did on earth, at least we didn't have to worry about widespread mind control. Well, besides Fox news… this wouldn't even be a war if that little turd hadn't gotten help from a fucking god.”

“Jack… what are you going to do when he does throw JSOG at us?” Flitter looked up at him with imploring eyes, and saw the pain on his features harden.

“We'd be risking lives capturing them, and if we didn't have a mask on hand to destroy…” He sighed. “They're… they're family, Flitter. You all are to me. You don't train people for months, and go to battle with them at your side just to turn and kill them without remorse…” He lifted a hand, and slowly began kneading his face with his palm. “I'll kill them all if I have to. It'll kill me, but I'll do it when it comes to it. I promise. And if they do ever get in my head, I want you to kill me. Alright?” Jack had lifted his head, and was now looking directly at her.

Feeling her heart drop out of her chest, Flitter forced herself to nod. “You'd… we'd try and save you. You'd do the same for all of us. You've done that for all of us. I at least owe you enough to try.”

Having let his head drop back down, Jack nodded ever so slightly. “When the time comes, I know you'll make the right call.”

Silence reigned over the two as they laid in bed, considering the dark mood that had dropped over them. While Flitter's mind remained fixated on the grim request, Jack eventually fell asleep. Getting comfortable against his chest, Flitter calmed herself as she listened to his even breathing, and felt the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. Feeling her own eyes grow heavy from the exertions of the past few days, Flitter soon found herself falling asleep next to Jack. It would be the last bit of peace the pair felt in the coming days of the war.

Chapter Fifty: Fate of the Innocent

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Awakening peacefully to the sound of birds chirping outside the window, Flitter murmured happily as she felt the warm sun on her fur. Cracking open an eye, she felt her heart swell with happiness when she found herself still snuggled up next to Jack's comatose form. All was quiet, save for the chirping birds and Jack's soft snoring. Smiling to herself, Flitter nuzzled into his chest, and pulled the cover just a little closer.

Her morning pleasure was cut brutally short when a hoof knocked rapidly on the door to the room, and Jack snorted awake. Before Flitter could say a word, Jack had drawn the pistol under his pillow out and was falling into a well trained rut he could perform in his sleep. Slipping from the bed, he approached the door and spoke. “Who is it?”

He didn't recognise the voice that answered. “I'm Sergeant Woodstock sir, can you open the door?”

Quietly cocking back the hammer of his pistol, Jack cracked the door. Outside stood a lone stallion, dressed in plain olive fatigues. The pony saluted. “Morning sir, I'm with the new militia. I was told to relay a message to you.”

Calming down somewhat, Jack opened the door a little more, but didn't uncock the hammer. “I'm listening.”

“You're supposed to come to the airfield right away. They said a ship was coming?”

Pushing aside his morning fog, Jack yawned and nodded. “Alright. Thanks for the message, Sergeant.” Again the pony saluted while saying his goodbyes, and swiftly cantered off through the halls. Closing the door with a sigh, Jack rubbed at his scarred temple. “I guess sleeping in is out of the option. You still awake Flitter?”

Nodding from her place on the bed, Flitter remained silent on what she'd been watching during the entire exchange. “Do you need help finding your clothes, Jack?” Though she didn't mind watching him prance around in his underwear, she knew some might.

Waving off her offer as Jack found his pants, he began changing quietly. Remaining silent until fully dressed, Jack pulled on his concealed holster and stuffed his revolver back inside. “Ugh, what I wouldn't do for a handful of coffee beans. Or coffee.”

“Not a morning person?” Flitter asked with a smirk.

“The marine corp decided I should be. It stuck, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.” Yawning again, Jack motioned to the door. “Come on Sparky, you’re not allowed to stay in bed while I deal with crap. I'm taking you with me.”

Doing her best to hide her smile, Flitter shot Jack a mild salute and followed with a “Yes sir, Captain Jack sir.”

The brisk walk to the airfield only gave the pair a cursory glance through passing windows, though what little they saw of the outside was telling. The castle grounds had been turned into a tent city, with hundreds of volunteers camping out and going through the rushed militia training. Thankfully, the royal guard seemed to still have a large presence, meaning they hadn't been defeated in many of their operations. There was little wonder what the rest of the city looked like with refugees from dozens of villages and towns streaming in all around the clock. Soon enough, the airfield was before the pair, and it was even more busy than before. Spotting the Royal Princesses was easy, as they both stood before the moored imperial corvette, alongside Princess Gilda and her guard. The crew of the ship were slowly being led off at gunpoint, though it was clear there would be very little resistance from them.

Marching up drew Luna's attention, and she nodded in acknowledgement to the swift salutes she received. “Good, you have arrived. We-”

“Sister.” Celestia interrupted, drawing Luna's attention back. The captain of the vessel was the last one descending the gangplank, and though he wore an immaculate dress uniform, he had doffed his cap and looked like a man ravaged by what he'd seen. Coming to a halt before the group, the Captain pulled his sword free from his belt. As the guard tensed and prepared to strike him down, the Captain knelt, and offered the sword to Celestia.

“We surrender unconditionally.”

After a single second of pause, Celestia took the sword from the captain. “We accept. Do not fear, captain. We know that neither you, nor your crew had any say in what has happened. All I ask is that you tell us what has been happening across the border.”

Standing tall, the ex-captain nodded, before bowing again to Gilda. “Empress Gilda. Myself and the men are elated that you're alive.”

“Oh.” The princess seemed to freeze a little in surprise, clearly unsure as to how to respond. “Erm… thanks?”

Taking what little he could from the out of depth princess, the captain looked back to the others. “Please take care of my crew. We haven't had proper food in some few days besides-” he suddenly stopped himself, grimacing like a guilty man. “I'll tell you everything. Please, just… take care of my boys.”

Sensing that something was deeply wrong, Celestia agreed without hesitation. “Of course. Please, come with us, and I'll see that your crew is handled with the utmost care. We are not enemies, Captain.”

Swallowing thickly, the captain couldn't bring himself to look up at the diarchs. “You may not hold that sentiment for long, Princess Celestia.”

With the ship's crew quarantined and seen to, Celestia led the group deep into the castle, into the war room. Taking a seat, and motioning for the others to do the same, Celestia steepled her hooves before herself, and waited. Once everyone was seated, she spoke. “Start from the top, Captain. I assure you, you have our full attention.”

“I am… was, Captain Mattias, and I have served the empire loyally from the day my primaries grew in. It is with… heavy heart, that I must turn against it, but for the good of my people, for… for the good of the world, I must. Carolus and his generals are committing genocide.”

As mouth fell open and quiet gasps sounded, Jack let out a sigh and looked up to the ceiling. “Hell…”

“What do you mean, Mattias?” Celestia pressed onwards with great attention.

“Operational security doesn't exist anymore. With the country fully under his control, Carolus feels he can't be beaten, and he's thrown all tactics and caution out the window. The armies are… they are a front. They are only in place to keep Equestria, and the Elements, busy.” Confusion reigned as Mattias held his gaze firmly on the table. “Our ships are unfinished, weapons untested… we don't have enough supplies for extended operations. My crew was… starving… And whatever Carolus put in our heads just…” Mattias let out a shivering breath as he cradled his head in his claws. “They are forcing us to cannibalism. We're trapped in our own minds and forced to watch.”

Horrified gasps washed across the room like a tide. Covering her mouth with a hoof, Celestia too looked to the table to attempt to hide her utter revulsion.

“Captain.” Jack's voice rose above the waves of disgust that washed through the room. All eyes flicked to the human as he leaned forward, crossing his arm on the table. “You said, the army is a front. For what.” Gone was any hint or notion of unprofessionalism Jack ever held; in its place was a rigid marine who wanted answers.

Still unable to lift his eyes off the table, Mattias gestured weakly as he gathered his thoughts. “I… cannot say for certain. I have only been able to learn pieces… the control doesn't allow for questions, you see-”

“Stop dancing around the issue and talk.” Jack growled, earning several glares from around the room.

“Aye… aye…” Mattias looked up toward Jack as he ran a paw over his crest. “Our… civilians. Our people are… they are being rounded up. Shipped off. I do not know what becomes of them. All I know, is supplies come in, and more of those freakish progeny show up by the day…”

Luna scowled as she thumped a hoof off the table. “We must learn what his game is, at once!”

Nodding safely, Celestia sat tall. “Indeed we must. It is imperative we unearth these plans and bring a stop to them immediately.”

“It all sounds straightforward to me.” Jack had leaned back into his chair, though his hard look of stoic distaste had not left his face. “It makes sense, sort of. He's balled up everything he can grab, and thrown it at us to keep us busy. We're looking at a huge force to be sure, but we're looking at all they've got. All those towns, cities, little non-strategic hamlet's of hillbillies and dirt farmers, being taken by their army. They're taking the people, either eating them, makin’ ‘em monsters, or sending them at us.” He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and quietly lit it as the others looked to him. “Order wants to wipe the slate clean. No way better than to do it with twisted little abominations.”

Shaking her head, Luna pressed forward. “I still refuse to believe it. He cannot wish to wipe out all life on the planet! He is a god, he has the power to do so, so why wouldn't he?”

“You see-” Jack took a drag of his cigarette as he collected his thoughts. “I was wondering that myself. Came up with a Jarhead theory. He's Discords angsty brother, right? Meaning they've got roughly the same amount of power. Maybe. Now, when Discord took over the first time, it took him a while to fuck the world. Case in point, when he came back the most recent time, he only managed to fuck a fairly small area up at any given time. What if, these gods, don't have the juice to do it all in one go? What if they aren't gods at all?” He left the question hanging in the air for the moment as the voices in his head started bickering.

I could have thrown the entire world into chaos at any time I wanted! It’s just not fun to do that.

Snorting, Jack thought back a snappy response as Flitter glanced at him. Right, and that’s why you’re a shit covered lawn ornament, and one of the remaining fragments of your psyche is stuck playing copilot to a neurotic masochistic dopefiend with violent tendencies.

You… are not wrong. Doesn’t mean I have to like it though!

“Jack?” Flitter spoke quietly to him as the others discussed the topic he had brought up. “Are you alright?”

Nodding, he rubbed her wing lightly as he turned his attention back to the table. “Now.” All eyes fell back on him. “Going off of what’s been gathered and said, Carolus and his Generals are under Order’s control. Order fancies himself a god, and what care does a god have for tactics? I mean, fuck, why bother, right? When you can just mind-control whole swathes of folks, turn the ground upside down, or cause a global fuckin’ flood, who gives a shit about the subtlety of tactics?” Jack rolled his hand as he conjured more of his thought process. “I’m just drawing what I see here, don’t take my words as gospel. Now, this, believe it or not, is good for us. He’s sitting there high and mighty, with his thumb up his ass as his mind-slaves are stuck on repeat about how great he is and how his plans are the hottest shit since nutella spread. He’s wasting resource after resource chasing stupid shit and keeping us busy, just to keep us all from ganging up and dunking his punk ass. Deep down he knows we can, because why else would he even fucking bother? We can win this, we just need to be smarter than he is.”

Looking troubled, Celestia slowly nodded at the thought. “I pray your thought has merit, but… I cannot take my mind off of what may be happening to those poor civilians. They cannot be… turning them into the progeny, can they? I have only heard of such techniques in the deepest, darkest of our legends, and even then, the only references are incredibly vague, and … often contradictory.”

“What else could they be doing?” Luna questioned darkly. “If what the Captain says is true, then Carolus is killing his people, one way or another. And he must be stopped. We have all seen the recordings of the Progeny Jack has fought, and the reports mark the last as disturbingly cat-like. It is not too far fetched that they are using their populace somehow to make these monsters.”

“I can attest to the report.” Snubbing his cigarette on the heel of his boot, Jack stood, and gestured toward the location of the known battlegroup. “He’s hitting us like a hammer. He’s thinking he’s invincible, hiding behind his Progeny and mind control, using the griffon armed forces to put us on the defensive. The Militia and the Guard can be the anvil, to beat back the bulk forces, and hold the line. JSOG will be the scalpel that hamstrings them. He didn’t know the mind control could be stopped, and now we’ve got insider knowledge. I’d wager not a whole lot of those soldiers of his want to be a meatshield for his little freakshow. We hunt down more of those mask wearers, and bust them near large troop concentrations, I'd bet the rest of my smokes that they'd rather fight on the side that doesn't force cannibalism.”

Looking away from the table and to a guard who stood by the door, Celestia silently beckoned them over, “Please, take the Captain to his men, and see they are treated with the utmost dignity and respect.”

As the guard nodded, the Captain shook his head, and slowly worked his claws into his feathers. “No… nono! You don’t understand, they control the entire country! Everyone marches to their tune, they are all puppets now, but the higher ups, they aren’t puppets!” All fell silent as the captain shuddered. “The more important you are, the… the less control is exerted. It stops being forceful, and becomes this… this intense compulsion to follow the desires of your leader. If you fight it, you are struck with agony, and pain, and more control… Those who want what he wants, are given the most freedom, to do whatever they wish! His generals are all griffons who wish to see the Empire rule the world, and will do anything to see that wish come true…” Mattias was beginning to draw blood with his talons as they sunk into the soft flesh of his skull. “I can still feel those needles… sticking into my brain, and… gods the pleasures… it felt so good to do what we were doing! We cannot fight this! This is the future of the world!” Looking up with tears streaking the edge of his eyes, he seemed to implore those before him. “How do you fight a god that makes you enjoy eating your crew?” He asked softly as Jack rose from his seat.

Rolling his jaw, Jack didn’t look to the griffon. “Do what you want. Hide. Pray. Fight. Whatever. I’m fighting, till the bitter, bloody end. Right down to my teeth and nails, I’m fighting. Semper Fi.” He looked aside to regard the two rulers in the room he respected. “I’m going to square away my people. When you’ve got a mission for a pack of pissed off scalpels, you know where to find us.”

With a soft sigh, Celestia nodded, and dismissed Jack and Flitter from the room. As he exited the doors, Celestia turned toward Gilda, as Luna had the guards escort the broken griffon out of the room. “Princess, we will need to discuss the future of your country, immediately.”

Looking positively ill from the Captain's words, Gilda took a long moment to respond. “I loved my brother… I never wanted to lead the country, I wanted to leave it to him…” Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Gilda slowly let out a shuddering breath. “I just… I just want to hope, and pray, and… whatever, that he's… that this Order dweeb is in control, and not him. He's… he's all I have left…”

“Princess Gilda, you have my word, as diarch of my lands, that we will do everything in our power to capture your brother, and discover the truth.” Celestia placed a hoof on the beleaguered griffons shoulder, and offered her a steady smile.

Hanging her head, Gilda let out a soft sigh. “I just hope there's something left after all this…”

Striding down the halls toward the barracks, Jack was dictating plans to Flitter as they passed by royals guards and militia members.

“Let's get a list of everyone hurt in the operation. I don't care how light. We gotta send them in to get checked over. While that's going on, let's do an inventory check, and stock up on what we're missing. I need to know where everybody's head is at and you're the only person who can do that. I need you to be the face they all come to, I know you know them a fucksight better than I do.”

“Of course, I already had plans to do all of that. What about Private Marvich?” Flitter questioned as she floated along next to him.

“I'll talk to him. I want you to go over squads with everyone. Split them up into semi-even teams. I don't think throwing all of us at a problem from here on is going to work, so let's try and keep it to squads of five and ten. You're the brains here Flitter, you actually know what the fuck we're doing, so I'm counting on you.” Jack muttered lightly as he lit his next smoke.

Rolling her eyes, Flitter placed a hoof on his shoulder and allowed him to drag her through the air. “I wouldn't say that. Sure, you didn't go through OCS, but you're a very good leader. The princesses wouldn't have you leading us all if they thought you were incompetent.”

“A competent leader wouldn't have gotten nearly an entire platoon of the world's best killed or captured.” The pain that laced the comment caused Flitter to flinch instinctively. Rubbing his ruined cheek, Jack slowed to a halt as he let out a soft sigh. “Sorry, just…” Waving his hand idly, he soon let it fall to his side in exasperation.

Flapping her wings to keep herself aloft, Flitter gave his shoulder a well meaning rub with her hoof. “It’s okay Jack… we can win this. I believe in you, and I believe in us.” She smiled softly as a faint smile graced his ruined face.

“Good enough for me.” Jack shot her a weak smile that she knew he didn't fully mean, though she said nothing about it. “Let's get a move on. Taven's been holding down the fort and he could use a relief.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” Flitter shot him a sharp salute, before continuing to float after him through the castle halls toward their objective.

It was not long, before the pair reached the barracks where JSOG was billed. Royal Guards patrolled the area heavily, and through the painted glass, Militia ponies could be seen training in the various fields that had been opened to them. Inside, the usual chatter of the rangers was utterly absent as they all cleaned their weapons, checked gear, and underwent calisthenics. Eyes drifted up as the pair entered, and the soldiers all began to stand to salute. With the motion swiftly waved off by Flitter, they all gathered around for the debrief. Jack told them everything, right down to the grisly fate of the Imperial sailors. The mood shifted from trepidation, to disturbed and disgusted.

“Don't let any of this get to you. And don’t let the Empire's dumbass in charge throw any of you off. Their army is still massive and deadly. You give them an inch and they'll take a mile.” Jack made sure to make eye contact with each and every one of the soldiers under his command. “Our main focus will be denying them their main objectives; wherever they go, we’re gonna beat them there and take what they want. We're in this for the long haul, and it's only going to get worse when the Progeny start coming out enmass. At that point, we are going to have to trailblaze specific tactics for bringing them down fast and hard.” Jack sat with his shoulders hunched, and his hands laced between his knees. “By the way, damn good job on the train. They caught us completely off guard, and we still managed to pull ahead. I want you all to be proud of that. Anybody else, and it would have been even more of a bloodbath. Because of JSOG, we've found the crack in their entire foundation, with their mind control. From here on, if any of you spot anybody wearing one of those masks, eliminate with extreme fuckin’ prejudice. Do not damage the mask, unless you're in a sound tactical position. Those masks could mean VIPs, and entire battalions defecting to our side, and I don't think I need to explain why that would be really great for us right now.” Running a hand through his short cropped hair, Jack relaxed slightly and looked over the gathered soldiers. “How's everyone feeling?”

The question seemed to come as a surprise, as several ponies murmured lightly and nobody answered right away. Thankfully, Taven spoke up before anybody was singled out. “We're pissed off sir.” Jack's brows lifted mildly at the claim, though he couldn't blame the thestral in the slightest.

“What do you mean, Taven?” Flitter showed full interest in what he had to say, and it seemed to have an effect of the group.

Sighing, Taven fluttered his leathery wings and looked around idly. “I can't speak for everybody here, but I know I sure as hell am. We're fighting a war against a coward. A craven, disgusting tyrant of a griffon, who forces civilians to fight, and who's using magic we have no defense against! I mean, fuck… we're one of the most well trained and armed units in the whole world, and we were all turned into drooling drones, no offense Baron, by some jackanape with a magic ball mask. It's frustrating!”

A good number of pastel coloured heads nodded in agreement as Minerva eyed Jack cautiously. “You know… Captain, why weren't you mind controlled? You were right there with the rest of us, and you were the only one to keep your head on.” A quiet murmur spread through the small group that Flitter took an immediate dislike to.

“Before you all go making assumptions.” Flitter sat up, and put on her best 'stern XO’ face. “Both myself and Jack have undergone invasive tests to ensure we are free of Order's corruption, and we've both come out clean. The rest of you will likely go through it as well if you haven’t already, but I myself am very certain that you'll all come up just as clean.”

Holding up her hooves to placate her CO, Minerva nodded lightly. “I'm not insinuating anything here, I'm just… er… curious.”

“Its-” Flitter started to speak, before stopping as Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and patted.

“It's alright. I actually have a pretty good idea as to why, and how.” Tapping his heavily scarred forehead, Jack smirked. “But that ain’t important right now. What is, is what Taven was talking about.” Jack lifted his head and looked them all over. “I know this spooks you all. Hell, it spooks me too. Trust me, when I say I’m gonna be looking into this, hard. All I can ask, is that you all keep fighting as hard as you have been these past few weeks. We’ve hurt the Empire more than any other military unit in the world, and we’re gonna keep coming at him until we’ve beaten them to a bloody pulp. Failure is not an option here anymore. We cannot afford it, not with so many lives riding on the line. Understand?” The collected soldiers nodded in understanding. “Good. Now, Minerva, because I can see you still glaring at me; Order can't control me, because I have a plate of titanium in my forehead. Titanium, is heavily magic resistant, or so I'm told.”

“How the fuck did you end up with that in your head, and why?” Minerva blurted, before she could stop herself. Despite the embarrassment, the others did seem interested.

“It's a bit of a story. I'll tell you if you want, but it's not all that important. Any of you who aren't interested, I want reports. I need to know everyone who was injured in the operation, and I need to know who's in the infirmary. When those are done, go through your kits and write down what you're missing. I want everyone locked n’ loaded and ready to ship out at a moment's notice. That means no heavy exercises, we can't afford anyone to be laid up or running at anything less than peak. Oorah?”

Instead of the Oorah he had hoped to receive in return, Jack received some nods and a couple affirmatives, as a good number of the JSOG operatives set off to do their duties. Despite that, several still remained. Minerva stared at Jack with unblinking eyes. “We're listening. Sir.”

With a chuckle, Jack sat back and ran his hand through his hair again, though his thumb lingered on the ugly scar that crossed the entirety of his forehead. “I've got a plate in my head because I was an idiot teenager.” Flitter perked in surprise, and didn't move from her spot beside him. “I was out in the hills with my older brother, and we were ripping through some trails on dirtbikes-”

“The fuck is a dirtbike…?” Mythic muttered, before perking at the realization that he'd spoken out loud.

Jack paused for a moment, and attempted to think of a way to explain it to those around him. “A dirtbike is a… do you guys know what a bicycle is? No? Shit… uh… well, a bicycle is a metal frame with two wheels, that a person sits on, and pedals to move the wheels. A motorcycle, is that, but with an engine. A dirtbike, is that, but with a powerful engine, and big knobby tires meant for going off road. Still with me?” Jack grinned a little as the ponies and griffon tried to draw the mental image. “Alright, so, I was going too fast for my own good, trying to race my brother. Well, being the dumbshit I was when I was younger and thought I was invincible, I wasn't wearing a helmet. So when my bike went out from under me thanks to some wet wood, I had about a softball portion of my skull cracked wide open on a rock. I had to be airlifted out, and I spent about four months in traction as they put a steel plate in my head. Skip forward a couple of years and a lot of bad choices, I got shot in the head in Iraq, but thankfully, the plate in my head meant I didn't die. Course, the plate was fucked and I almost died from the internal hemorrhage, so the marine corp replaced the plate with a nice bit of titanium, which has now saved my ass twice. Once from being shot-” He tapped the ugly scar on his forehead.”- and from being mind controlled, because mind control magic is finicky and I'm apparently a walking 'go fuck yourself’ to magic. Boom, exposition.”

The group stayed silent for a moment, before Baron groaned. “That has got to be the most idiotic serendipity I've ever heard of. You have to be the luckiest, and unluckiest sack of asshole I've ever met in my entire life.”

Humming lightly at the statement, Jack nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that about sums it up. I'm only lucky enough to suffer a little more.” Cracking a mild grin, he stood and stretched. “Has anyone seen Private Marvich? The medic on the train?”

Nodding, Taven motioned toward the door. “Still on the train I'd reckon. He didn't seem like he wanted to leave his comrades behind.”

Chewing his cheek, Jack glanced down at Taven. “Think he'll join up.”

“I seriously doubt it, Jack. Besides, you shouldn't be running around picking up strays and stealing valuable assets from other arms of the military.”

“Bah.” Jack scoffed derisively. “If they're being wasted where they are, I'm not gonna be equally wasteful and not offer them a position. Just look at Simoh!” Jack gestured toward the griffon, who was busy cleaning his talons with his beak. The griffon froze as eyes turned to him, the moment his talon was in his mouth.

“Wuh?”

“Or don't.” Jack mused quietly. “Either way, I'm headed out. See that everybody gets squared away, and keep tabs on everyone. We're a volunteer force. I'm not gonna force anybody to fight monsters if their hearts aren't in it.”

“Tall order…” Taven said with a sigh, before nodding to Jack. “Alright. Good luck Jack.”

“Later, Taven.”

Jack swiftly set off toward the train station, where he hoped he could run into the private.

On the station, Private Marvich watched with morose silence as body bag after body bag was pulled off the train. He was one of ten survivors, not counting JSOG or the engine crew. He did not turn to look as ponies murmured and the sound of heavy boots approaching met his flattened ears.

“Private Marvich?” The human’s voice was familiar, though it didn't hold its helmeted echo.

The private glanced up at the tall man as the militia began finally offloading the heavy crates of armour and munitions. It took a long moment for Marvich to gather his words together and speak. “You need something. Captain.”

“A moment to talk, if you're feeling up to it.” Jack stood at the large earth pony’s side, and watched as the crates were loaded into multiple carriages, alongside the body bags.

“I do not have anywhere to go. Captain.” Marvich remained seated as his eyes slowly traveled the length or the ravaged train.

Taking a seat next to the pony, Jack pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “I'm glad you were with us. There would have been a lot more casualties if not for you.” Taking a drag off the butt of the smoke, Jack sighed and let out the smoke through his nose. “Doesn't make it feel any better though. I won't jerk you around or sugarcoat this. JSOG needs a medic. You fit the bill.”

“No.”

Jack rolled his jaw momentarily, before nodding. “Alright. The offer's still open. You're a good soldier, Marvich. Anything less wouldn't have made it out of that mess.”

Finally, the private turned to look Jack in the eye. “I'm a veterinarian.”

Standing as he nodded once, Jack set his hands on his belt. “Not anymore.” He offered his hand toward the pony, who regarded him with tired eyes. “Good luck out there.”

Finally taking the offered hand, Marvich shook it once, before looking back toward the train. “Goodbye, Captain.”

The two parted ways wordlessly, with Jack ambling back into the city, and toward the palace. As he walked and smoked, he considered his position and casually spun ideas in his head. As he neared the castle grounds, and passed by royal guard checkpoints, Jack suddenly felt the intent feeling of somebody watching him. Not slowing, Jack began to cautiously scan about, before nearly running over a familiar face. The Omega Hive operative skittered out of the way just in time, causing Jack to curse in surprise. Before he had a chance to speak, Agent Orange spoke first and cut him off.

“We need to talk, now.”

Author's Notes:

Welp, I have nothing to blame but myself for the delay on this chapter. Well, it, and STALKER: Call of Chernobyl. And a lot of other games. Regardless, it's out now, and I'm going to attempt to put down some scheduled writing time in my days.

So much time has passed since the last chapters; for some of you, you're reading through and the tone is changing slightly, characters are shifting, and personalities are starting to merge. For me, I've been picking away at this story for over two years. I went back to about chapter thirty, and I was actually surprised by what I was reading. I've actually forgotten some of the things I've written because it's been so long.

With that said, don't expect all of the tangents to get solved. I might actually have forgotten about some of them. The big ones won't be, hopefully. Ugh.

Anyways, here's a bit of free art my Roommate did for me, of the Progeny. Go give him some love. http://redstarart.tumblr.com/

Chapter Fifty One: Spooks and Infiltrators

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“We need to talk, now.”

Agent Orange stared up at Jack as he awaited his response; his chitinous features doing little to hide the urgency of the request. Taking a long drag off his cigarette, Jack nodded wordlessly as he gestured for the agent to speak. Fluttering his gossamer wings, Agent Orange beckoned to Jack to follow him. The pair walked for a short while, before turning to enter a seldom used maid closet. The smell of magic laced cleaners and polish assaulted Jack's nose before he slowly exhaled smoke through it.

“Let's hear it.”

Nodding in agreement, Agent Orange hopped up to sit on a chair before speaking. “I apologise for the abruptness of my request, but I believe you may be the only creature in this city I can truly speak to about it.”

Quirking a brow, Jack leaned against the shelves of cleaning supplies and snubbed his burning smoke. “Why not the Princesses?”

“Because this goes very far up, and I do not want to chance it spreading by accident and losing our lead.” The changeling ran a holey hoof across the crest of his head. “After meeting with my surviving agents in the capital, I believe that Chrysalis's operatives have infiltrated Canterlot again, this time with the aid of a noble.”

Perking immediately, and giving the changeling his full, professional attention, Jack locked eyes with Orange. “Do you expect Order’s influence?”

“Without a doubt in my mind, I know he is involved. Our messages never reached the Princesses because they were being intercepted. Up until now, we haven't known where. They're being intercepted in Canterlot. Three of my best operatives are dead as testament to this. With Canterlot's defenses against changelings, they most certainly need help getting in, and Order's forces are nothing if not… persuasive.”

“So it's gotta be somebody up high, huh? It has to be, for them to be getting useful intel.” Jack pondered the issue as he rolled the snubbed smoke idly in his fingers. “Maybe a cabinet member.”

Orange nodded in agreement. “They may have started as an imperial spy, or something like that, but without a doubt they are against us. Whoever it is, likely got in after Discord's attempt to take the crown. They would have been able to slip most of the regulations thanks to the immediate need for replacements to deal with the immense fallout…”

Sighing hard, Jack pinched the bridge of his nose as he gestured ildy with his free hand. “Do we know who? Do you have anything tangible? I'm all for kicking in doors and waterboarding nobility, but all I can see this doing is sending me off on a short trip to a long prison sentence.”

Showing about as much contempt as his chitinous features would allow, Orange shot Jack a stern look of disbelief. “I have read the file on you, Knight Captain. It states you have little care for regulations, and-”

“Orange.” Jack crossed his arms before his chest. “Regulation is one thing. Fraternisation, disobedience, and verbal threats don't equal a fucking crusade against all of the nobility in the capital, on the hunch that one of them is a plant.”

“It is not a hunch!” The changeling operative yelled incredulously, before checking his volume. “Knight Captain, if we don't do something about this, then it may doom the war effort.”

With a tired sigh, Jack held up his hands. “Look, if you are so utterly sure of this, all you need to do is get me proof. Something tangible, something I can hold up in everyone's face when I'm dragging some poor shlub out of his fucking house. I will help you, as much as I can, but you should know that I can't do shit without proof, and I'm not the person to find it. We both know that, for god's sake. I'm on call for the war outside, and I hardly meet the criteria for Spook status anyways.” Standing fully, Jack set his hands on his hips and looked down at Orange. “I'll keep this between us. I'm sure you'll alert Celestia and whatever higher ups you have if it becomes necessary.”

With a great sigh of defeat, Orange broke his eyes away from Jack. “That is all I can truly ask for, even now. But answer me this, Knight Captain. What will you do if this vine of corruption spreads further than one house? One noble? What if it reaches far and wide?”

“Then you'll get your great, bloody crusade, with all the executions you want for the deaths of your operators.” Jack began moving for the door, only to pause once more when Orange spoke.

“And what if Celestia, and Luna, don't listen? What if they do not believe that corruption could spread so far?” The changeling had followed him somewhat, and was now trying to search Jack's eyes as he turned his head to regard the operative.

“Despite my reservations, those two are good people. They trust me, and I trust them. You get me the proof, and they’ll do the right thing.” Jack shook his head before speaking again. “You mentioned Chrysalis, how does she factor into any of this? Last I checked, I murdered her.”

“One of her nobility must have taken over the hive. Likely Xerox, or… no, not possible.” The changeling muttered to himself.

“Or?” Jack paused, and turned toward the agent. “If you have information we can use, tell me.”

After a long moment of consideration, Agent Orange simply nodded. “We have reason to suspect that before her death, Chrysalis was attempting to create a new caste, of human-changeling hybrids. We believed her attempts to all have been failures…”

“Believed?” Jack’s voice sounded concerned, but inside, he already knew the answer to the question. His mind went back to the hive raid, and his altercation with the hybrid human, and the nightmare inducing broodmothers with human features.

“It is… possible, that we have reports that she may have been successful in the end. Traditionally, humans have been able to detect changelings, have made poor egg hosts, and we have not been able to disguise ourselves well as humans, but these hybrids, they may be what have infiltrated the capital. They would be able to slip by even the stringent detection Canterlot uses.”

With a quiet sigh, Jack leaned against the door and nodded. “Great. Perfect. So, you’re telling me that not only do we have infiltrators, but ones that are virtually undetectable by traditional means?” At the agents nod, Jack muttered and shook his head. “Perfect. Just, bloody, perfect.” The pair went silent for a long moment, as Jack considered the ramifications. “If we found one of these hybrids, would that help?”

“It may, but not with who has been helping them get into the capital.”

Suddenly, realization struck in Jack’s eyes. “That’s how they’re getting their intel! Humans! The castle is full of human help, and nobody here would hold back about talking near one, because they don’t understand! Fuck!” Jack turned immediately. “We need to warn the Princesses!”

“No! We can't risk it!” Orange moved to intercept Jack.

Pulling open the door, Jack froze in his actions as he found himself looking at three curious human maids. The lead one cocked her head cutely and chirruped in question. With his blood running cold, Jack slowly closed the closet door, and drew his revolver and knife.

Eyes up, Sammy. We’ve got trouble. Jack thought. The hum of power in his knife and silent feeling of approval in his mind did wonders to calm his spirit.

“That was them, wasn’t it?” Agent Orange asked as his horn charged. “How many?”

“Three…” Jack slowly cracked the door, his weapons at the ready. The three maids simply cocked their heads back the other way, and chirruped their curiosity. One of the slight girls in the back stood on her tiptoes to see over the lead maid's shoulder. Jack cautiously eyed the three as he slowly opened the door, and stepped out. With his finger hovering tentatively over the revolver's trigger guard, Jack waved Orange out of the closet. Slipping out behind Jack, Orange’s eyes flicked between the three nervously. As the maids moved, both men tensed, only to watch as the maids walked into the supply closet and began collecting what they needed. Jack and Orange shared a look, before swiftly walking away from the closet.

“Did they feel off to you? I could not tell if they were hybrids.” Orange cast another furtive glance over his shoulder at the supply closet as they walked.

Keeping his eyes ahead, Jack could only shrug as he walked. “Couldn’t say. Maybe. Could be.” Glancing over at the disguised changeling, he shook his head. “I'll keep quiet as well as I can, but you need to find that proof, and fast. You might want to disappear for awhile, unless you want to end up like your operatives.”

With a grunt, Agent Orange nodded. “I think I’ll do just that. I’ll continue to search for proof. When I find it, how should I contact you?”

“In my room. There’s a pistol in a plastic baggie in the water tank of the shitter. Leave me an address and a time and I’ll meet you there.” Jack looked around again, to confirm that there was no humans nearby. “Good luck-” He paused, as he saw that the changeling had disappeared. Sighing in annoyance, Jack rubbed at his facial scars. “He’s a spook alright...” Shaking his head once again, Jack set off to find the princesses, as he thought of how to word the threat so that he wouldn't alert the mole.

A hundred miles away, the Imperial dreadnaught loomed over Neigh York as the newly converted populace marched aboard the landed troopships. One million beings, at Carolus’ control. The griffon smiled to himself as he looked down upon the sprawling equine port city. The conquest of the city had been rather strenuous, or so his generals had told him.

The masks only work so far, there's too many ponies, we need more time. Time, time, time. Carolus scoffed and rolled his eyes as the thought came to mind. His generals had been given the means to capture entire cities without firing a single shot, and yet they still complained. Complaints were all that resided upon his desk in the dreadnaught, in both letters and missives from communications. They all told Carolus of the lack of supplies, their lack of ammunition, their lack of everything. The generals did not see his master plan, but he could not fault them for that shortcoming. They had no way of knowing why he sacrificed them as chaff. It was true, he had sacrificed several units, if only to hide his true intent, and to lull the Equestrians into a false sense of security. They believed they were winning, and thus their efforts had slowed visibly.

They believed him to be an incompetent fool. It would be their last mistake.

“My lord?”

Ada's voice, calling out to him so tentatively and soft sent a ruffle through Carolus’ feathers as he turned his head to regard the house-broken human. “What do you want, Slave? I have told you to not interrupt my ruminations.”

The once prideful woman bowed her head to him. “I am… apologetic… lord. Doctor Forge has informed me… That his work is completed.”

That news was more than enough for Carolus to forget his annoyance at the interruption. “Did he say which project?” He asked snappily, trying to hide his excitement.

The woman's sharp features quivered. Even now, her strong will thrashed against order's control. Carolus knew she was growing weaker every day for it. “Morozov. Your… Bodyguard.”

His interest suddenly lost, Carolus gave her a wave off. “Inform Doctor Forge that he is to not bother me with such mundane things. I only care for the next line of Progeny, and the vessel for our Lord. He can keep his children to himself, I have no need for them save for my Grand Army.”

“Do the progeny scare you?” Ada asked, her tone retaking the old sly smugness that he loathed her for.

Shock struck Carolus as he whirled on his talons and stalked toward the woman, wrapping his claws around her neck as she gasped to speak. “Do not tempt me, human, for I will kill you where you stand if you ever-”

“It’s so much easier to threaten those who can’t fight back, isn't it?.” Ada spoke once again, though this time, her voice came from behind Carolus, and most definitely not from the choking woman before him. Releasing Ada’s throat, Carolus sneered as he fought to keep his composure.

“Darneil.” Turning, Carolus found himself face to face with a carbon copy of Ada, this one leaning on his desk and cleaning her nails with his letter opener. “You had best have news for me.”

A slow inhuman grin spread across the woman’s features as green flames licked across her skin, and black chitin broke through. Carolus slowly looked up as the changeling hybrid approached, and grew to his natural height. The twisted black, chitinous human features of the hybrid sent a chill down Carolus’ spine, as if he were looking upon an abomination. Darneil simply smiled again, showing off rows of razor sharp teeth. “Carolus, is that really any way to speak to your equal?” The hybrid lifted a hand, and trailed a wickedly sharp talon down the side of Carolus’ features.

Slapping the talon away, Carolus snarled at Darneil. “You are not my equal. The lord favours me, and me alone.” Straightening himself out, and avoiding looking up at the towering changeling, Carolus walked to his desk and fixed his papers. “Speak your intentions. Now.”

With a humorless chuckle that riled Carolus’ feathers, Darneil gestured with both hands as he leaned against the wall. “My people are in place, and nobody suspects a thing. You’re making this war far harder than it should be.”

Shooting a hot glare at the changeling, Carolus sat down at his desk and sat back in his chair. “Do the princesses suspect our next move?”

“No, I don’t see how they could.”

Shaking his head, Carolus gestured Ada over with a snap of a talon. “Good. Ada, inform the captain to set course for Hunter’s Perch. I want First battalion to move on their objective. And I want you, my dear, to go with them. You understand your mission?”

The woman slowly nodded. “To capture or kill Knight Captain Jack Kessle.”

“Good. Be gone!” Carolus shooed the woman away while Darneil smirked.

“If it weren’t for the control, she’d have ripped your throat out by now. Especially considering your… urges.”

Standing from his chair, Carolus leaned across his desk and glared up at Darneil’s slitted blue eyes. “You know nothing of me-”

“Please, Carolus, spare me the theatrics. I know you’re forcing yourself upon the human, and honestly, I don’t care. She’s hardly an attractive specimen, I can’t imagine why you bother, save to torture the spirit trapped inside her.” Darneil leaned close to Carolus, to the point where their faces nearly touched. “I know more about you than you think. Remember our agreement, Carolus. What was done to my hive demands vengeance upon the transgressor. I expect your plan to work. Otherwise, I will take matters into my own hands, whether you like it or not.”

“You’d put this entire war in jeopardy for your petty revenge scheme?” Carolus sneered hard at the hybrid, who in turn narrowed his eyes.

“This war is a farce. It’s only purpose is to bloat your ego. Were it not for that, there would be no opposition to our lord rising.” Darneil gestured to the window. “You’ve bid your time long enough, Carolus. Your stalling only gives the Equestrians more time to gather themselves against us. Your generals should be kept on a shorter leash. They talk, far too much.” Turning away from the enraged Carolus, Darneil walked toward the bulkhead door. “Keep your end of the bargain, and I shall keep mine.” Without another word, the hybrid left Carolus’ observatory, and vanished.

Growling at the air, Carolus leaned back in his chair and sneered. “Filthy mutant. I’m not to waste a precious resource, and Jack Kessle, is far more precious than you and your rejects.” With his claws digging furrows into his fine desk, Carolus shook his head and calmed himself. “Steady. We only require him to obtain the Chaos Core… Once we have what we need, he and his imperfect ilk will be destroyed.”

Standing, Carolus approaches his window, and looked out to the distance toward Canterlot. Out there was his lord’s greatest enemies, all gathered in one place, and the key to his spreading across space. A small smile spread across Carolus’ features in turn as he envisioned it, and allowed his mind to daydream.

The pieces were falling into place, and his opponent was doing exactly what he wanted.

Chapter Fifty Two: Harmony

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Rubber treads softly squeaked and squawked as Jack swiftly walked through the castle halls, his eyes darting about as he cast occasional glanced over his shoulder. With his previous conversation and revelation in mind, every last human, save for himself, was suspect of being a changeling spy, fully capable of stabbing him or any other key figure in the back at their leisure. Suddenly, even with Samhain and his revolver close at hand, he felt exposed and woefully unarmed.

If they wanted me dead, they would have tried by now. Oh wait, they did. Twice.

His mind reeled back to the assassination attempts, and how the assassins not only managed to infiltrate the castle, but skirt the guard patrols and hit his quarters while nobody else was around. They had to have had inside help, and now Jack knew exactly where that help had come from. They may have made a few attempts since then, but as he used one of the most poisonous substances known to Equestria for a recreational high, it was doubtful anything short of a violent assassination was going to bear any fruit.

With that in mind, Jack made a mental note to go over his entire quarters for traps, and to set up his own against unwanted intruders.

Having been trapped within his own mental musings for a touch too long, Jack nearly walked right over a pair of fully armoured guards.

“Sorry!” He called out as he quickly scooted to the side and skirted the unarmed guard. As he was about to continue on, he cast one last glance at the pair. They were completely unarmed, save for the gilded metal horseshoes they were wearing. Their armour was a light purple, with heavy golden gilding, and a silk hood replaced their helmet. The pair paid Jack no mind, and said nothing to him as they continued on.

Must be those battlemages I've been hearing about. We'll see how they stack up against JSOG.

Pulling his thoughts free from the battlemages, Jack turned another corner and continued down toward the throne room. He hoped to find Luna, if only for personal reasons. As he walked, he began to notice ponies beginning to run around frantically. Not pausing his strides, Jack began to pick up his pace as a pair of guards galloped passed. The throne room doors were directly ahead, and he had nearly reached those doors when they boomed outward and the Princesses marched through with their entourage of trailing advisors. Jack skidded to a stop to keep himself from running directly into Celestia.

“Jack!” Celestia called to him as he scooted to the side. “Gather your unit and head to the docks, I do not have time to explain, but we are Situation Red!”

Failing to keep his mouth from falling open and his warning from dying on his lips, Jack scowled and cursed under his breath. “On my way!” Jack swiftly closed to the Princess’ side, and threw an arm around her neck to draw her ear closer. “Your humans have been infiltrated.” Drawing away swiftly, Jack glanced over to Celestia as she shot him a deeply concerned frown and a terse nod. Without another word, Jack broke into a flat run through the halls, toward his unit's barracks.

Sighing softly, Flitter eased herself down into her borrowed bed and splayed her wings out. Around her, her ponies were seeing to their equipment, and resting. It had been a long, long day, and they all deserved a good rest. They needed it. Beside her, Taven was loading magazines as he slowly chewed on a hunk of dried mango. “Hey Taven.” Flitter asked as she rolled onto her side to look at the dusky Batpony.

“Hmm?” Taven glanced over toward her as he set aside the fully loaded magazine.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel like hammered shit, to be honest.” Flapping his solitary wing, Taven leaned back and regarded her as he set aside the next loaded magazine. “You?”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Flitter let her head flop mutely against the pillow. “Like I need a nap. I'm laying here, and I can't keep my eyes shut. My brain is wired.”

Scoffing a mild laugh, Taven glanced over at Flitter and smiled. “That sounds like a personal problem.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Flitter pulled a pillow over her eyes to block out the faint glow of light. “Hey Taven?”

“Yeah Flitter?”

“What was it like in the Coming Dawn?”

The question gave Taven a moment of pause as he considered it. “Well… not too terribly different from JSOG, to be honest. I mean, our commander wasn't bugnuts crazy, and we never saw action like this on a frequent basis.”

“Huh… if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose your other wing?”

“You’re feeling chatty.” A faint smile teased the edge of Taven's mouth as he glanced at Flitter. “I got careless. Got caught in a razor wire trap during one of our Darkflare raids, and my CO had to cut it off otherwise the bastards would have used me for target practice.”

Flitter winced heavily in sympathy as her wings shivers against the bed, which earned an amused breath from Taven. “Sorry about your loss… sheesh, I couldn't imagine how awful that must have been.”

“It wasn't that bad, really. Got magic on the wound right away, and plenty of painkillers. I do miss flying though.”

Rolling onto her side, Flitter smiled softly toward Taven. “I'm certain R&D will make a prosthetic for you, then maybe we can go flying some day after the war.”

Feeling a smile creeping up in return, Taven nodded to her. “You're on, Flitter.”

The pleasant moment didn't last more than a few seconds as Jack came skidding to a stop in the barracks. “We're on high alert JSOG! Get your kit and head to the docks asap!”

Bounding off the bed and to her hooves, Flitter yelled to get his attention. “Jack! What's going on?”

Shaking his head, he began backpedalling for the door. “I don't know, but the Princess is in a panic! I'll meet you there! Full battle rattle!” Without another word, Jack set off at a run through the halls while his unit pulled on armour and slipped loaded magazines into their webbing.

“Shitsnacks.” Flitter cursed as she pulled her vest back on. “It's gotta be bad if Celestia is pulling us all in and has Jack running around like a lunatic.” Shooting a look over at Taven as he adjusted his ballistic plates, Flitter spoke. “Taven, you take first squad with the heavy weapons, Minerva!”

Sergeant Minerva's head popped up immediately at the call of her name. “Yes ma'am?”

“You take second squad, Simoh and our fliers, I'll take third squad with the radio, we'll be the command squad on this one. Alright ponies, let's earn our paychecks!”

Within minutes, the tired group was fully loaded and gathered at the docks, awaiting the mooring of Stalwart Liberty. Jack was right behind them, as he jogged into the busy field in his armour. They'd been redeployed so quickly, Aurora hadn't had a chance to wash the blood off of it. Slung across Jack's chest was his reliable laser rifle, and a bandoleer of freshly charged cells. Nodding to the group, Jack joined them as they started toward the ship as the gangplanks went down.

“Jack, have you heard anything about the mission?” Flitter question as she cantered next to him.

Giving his head a shake, Jack cast a glance over his shoulder. “No, no idea. I'm going to see Captain Chord, don't get comfortable until I come back, alright?”

Looking toward her unit as they boarded the ship in orderly squads of three, Flitter shook her head. “I'm coming with you. I need to know as much as possible.”

Not pausing to argue, Jack simply nodded. “Have the guys hold tight then.”

“Alright. JSOG! Head to the muster area, we're going to find out exactly what's going on.”

Taven and Minerva both nodded in tandem, but Minerva was the one to speak. “Yes ma'am! You heard the boss, ladies! To the muster point!”

Looking to Jack, Flitter nodded to him, and the pair set off toward the bridge of the ship. The brisk walk would find them swiftly inside the bridge, and in the center of a beehive of activity. Maps were being pulled down, and Chord’s command staff were gathered around the planning table in the briefing room. The captain glanced up as the two special operations troopers walked in.

“Good, you're finally here. Knight Captain Kessle, Knight Lieutenant Falenas, these are Commander Bulwark, and Warlock Hail.” The commander gestured toward a royal guard, and a battle mage respectively. The pair nodded, and looked severe. Not wasting time in greeting, Flitter and Jack nodded their acknowledgement, and joined them at the planning table. Captain Chord began shortly after. “Alright ladies, gents, we have just been informed that a battalion sized battlegroup has split off from the main invasion force, and is on direct course for Ponyville. They are reportedly at full steam, and thus have a clear objective. The elimination or capture of the Elements of Harmony.” A string of muted curses went up around the table.

“Why weren't they evacuated at the start of the war?” Commander Bulwark questioned as she looked over the map of Ponyville and its surrounding land.

“I could not tell you the details myself, but whatever the reason, it's now moot. We are fully evacuating Ponyville by force. Commander Bulwark, Warlock Hail, Celestia requests that your forces secure Ponyville proper, and begin gathering people for evacuation. The Knight Captain and Knight Lieutenant’s team will be spreading out and retrieving the Elements. We do not have the luxury of time in this operation, we need to act decisively if we are to get through this without undue casualties.”

“How long do we have?” Flitter finally spoke as she ran ideas through her head.

“Intelligence states an hour at most. We will be arriving in Ponyville within twenty minutes.” Captain Chord answered resolutely.

Warlock Hail scowled lightly as he looked down at the map. “Any word on reinforcements?”

Arching a brow, Chord nodded once. “A platoon of Minotauren Pioneers have reported that they have entered Equestria with intent in helping with the war, but they are several days out. Besides them, a battalion of Crystal Guard are inbound toward Canterlot as we speak. Again, days. All other forces are either deployed or exhausted. Though, if the operation goes belly up, I'm sure we will receive reinforcements directly from Canterlot. Do not fear.”

“In that case.” Warlock Hail lifted his head to regard everyone. “My squad will hold back and secure the primary evacuation point, and act as artillery should the battlegroup make a move.”

Nodding in agreement, Flitter leaned forward. “JSOG is splitting into three separate squads. My command squad will set up with you and maintain comms coverage. First squad will stay in the Ponyville area with heavy weapons, and second squad will hunt for the Elements, though I'm sure they come to us. In that case, JSOG will act in a harassing manner, keeping Order's forces from focusing on the evacuation point. Jack?” Flitter cast a look over her shoulder at the tall man beside her.

“It's the best we've got. Let's get Snake and the other pilots fueled and ready, it looks like Ponyville has a lot of outlier farms, including the Element of Honesty’s.” He tapped the map for emphasis. “Do we have contact with Princess Sparkle?”

Captain Chord shook his head. “Negative, she's been unresponsive to both letter and radio all day, that's why Celestia is sending JSOG.”

“Shit.” Jack chewed his ruined cheek mildly. “No contact at all?” With a nod to confirm, he simply shook his head. “We might be looking at a vanguard force. Be prepared for imminent contact upon landing. What are our numbers?”

“My forces consist of forty earth ponies, twenty pegasi, and fifteen unicorns.” Commander Bulwark answered swiftly.

Warlock Hail answered next, though he didn't look up. “Four.”

Clicked his tongue, Jack nodded. “We're sitting at roughly thirty. Let's keep up good communication, and use the ship's defenses to our advantage if we're outnumbered. I'm going to alert my people.” The other commanders nodded to him as he turned and walked out, with Flitter staying in step behind him.

By the time Jack had reached his unit and explained the situation in full, Stalwart Liberty's PA system informed them that they were just bordering the operation area, and for all ground forces to make final preparations. Waving his unit forward, Jack and JSOG marched up to the flight deck, where two vtols and several carriages awaited.

“Wasn't there a third helo?” Jack questioned Snake as he clambered aboard and second squad joined him.

Shaking his head, Snake continued with his preflight checklist. “Not anymore. Whitmore was shot down yesterday, no survivors. Say what you want about carriages, the X-302 is a fucking deathtrap if it goes down.”

Wincing, and nodding in complete understanding, Jack patted his pilot's shoulder. “We'll keep the nasty shit off of you, if the going gets too thick, no hero business, alright? I've still got six lives to go, so leave it to me.” Jack smiled weakly at his own joke, while Snake shook his head.

Flitter's voice sounded in his heavy earpiece as he stepped back and engaged his harness lanyard. “Jack, we're all settled over here, good to go. First squad is in one of the carriages.”

Holding a hand to his ear, Jack sat in the middle of the craft and looked over to the other VTOL as both craft’s turbines began to spool up. “Solid copy, Command squad. Havoc is strapped in, I've got a wave from Taven and Heavy squad, looks like we're green to go.”

The radio in the chopper crackled to life, signalling launch as the flight deck crew waved off the choppers, followed by the first flight of carriages. The township of Ponyville came into view the moment they punched through the cloud layer. Despite evacuations across the board, the small town still seemed to be bustling with activity. The chopper's running gear barely touched dirt as JSOG disembarked, and split up quickly to cover their objectives. Townsponies panicked as the loud vehicles came whirling in without warning, and seemed to be on the verge of a panicked stampede. If it weren't for the swiftly following arrival of royal guard units, there most certainly would have been one. Voice augmentation spells allowed the leading pony to start bellowing out the evacuation order, seeing panic restored far too easily.

The moment his boots touched dirt, Jack was treading toward the tree library that served as Princess Twilight's home. Finding the front door unlocked, and the sign in the small window marked open, Jack entered gun muzzle first. Slicing the room with his rifle sights as he entered, Jack waved forward the pony behind him, and motioned for them to check upstairs.

Passing Jack, Baron nodded wordlessly to his command and stalked forward without a sound, while he moved toward the basement door. Two more ponies belonging to his squad moved behind him, silent like cats while his weight caused the floorboards to creak. Opening the basement door with one hand, while keeping his laser rifle trained on the opening, Jack paused for a moment and listened intently. He could hear voices downstairs, ones that weren't of the same high pitch belonging to Princess Twilight. Listening for a moment, Jack lifted three fingers, alerting his squad mates of the numbers he projected.

As silently as possible, Jack stalked down the thick wooden steps. Despite his considerable bulk, Jack made nary a sound as his eye adjusted to the basement gloom.

“We really need to get this thing fixed guys…”

“Yeah no shit, if she gets back before we do, we're screwed.”

The voices were definitely effeminate. Jack narrowed his eyes as he treaded down the stairs, and greeted the voices with his own and rifle muzzle. “JSOG! HOOVES IN THE AIR!”

The three mares surrounding a broken radio set sprung into action on trained reflexes. The table was knocked over, and they dove behind cover as weapons were drawn. “Who the-”

By the time their first words of questioning sounded, Jack had entered the basement proper, and his two squadmates followed in his wake, screaming in tandem with him as they trained their battlesaddles on the overturned table. “WEAPONS ON THE GROUND! NOW! YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO COMPLY!”

“Like hell! Identify yourselves, now!”

“Uh… didn’t they-”

Jack’s laser rifle quietly hummed for a moment as his thumb toggled the power setting switch from low to high. “Five! Four!” His ears pricked at the sound of hooves clopping rapidly down the stairs.

The basement looked like the combination of laboratory and training room, with several offshoots going in several directions. The trio behind the large wood table stood their ground, training spears that crackled with magical energy at the commandos. “We are Coming Dawn Operatives protecting property of Princess Sparkle! Identify yourselves immediately or we will be forced to take you down!”

“Stand down!” Baron yelled from behind. “Blue on Blue!”

Jack immediately pulled his finger from his rifle’s trigger guard, and looked over his shoulder at Baron. “Sure?” At her nod, he exhaled and cursed flatly. “Fuck sakes.” His ire was immediately returned to the trio of guards as one peeked her head out. “Why the fuck didn’t you idiots answer the damn radio, and where the fuck is Princess Twilight?”

With tensions having been lessened, if only slightly, a sour looking batpony propped her forelegs up on the table’s edge and scowled at him. “Okay, first off, who the hell are you people, and second, why do you want the princess? Answer fast, or-”

“If you answered your damn radio, you’d know why we’re here!” Baron yelled over Jack. “The Royal Guard are evacuating Ponyville, and JSOG has been tasked with securing the Elements of Harmony, now, where in the nine hells are the elements?”

With her statement cutting down on their suspicions like a knife, the trio stood up and shared a look between each other. “What’s going on? I need a sitrep.” The lead mare asked.

“Enemy battlegroup is inbound within the hour, possibly battalion sized. Situation is red. Now, where is Princess Sparkle?” Baron demanded, her old Guard tone coming back in fully.

“She and Max went to Fluttershy’s to help settle the Breezies in. They said something about a picnic afterwards? Why didn’t-”

The batpony mare jerked suddenly in realization. “Spike’s at Rarity’s! The Princess will have no idea! No warning! Shit!”

With a pained groan, Jack shook his head. “What a shitshow. Report to Commander Bulwark, we’ll retrieve the Princess.”

“Like hell! The Princess and Max are OUR charges, not yours, Tin man! We’ll get them to safety!” The trio immediately began kitting up, all while glaring at the interlopers.

“Are you fucking- of course you are.” Jack let out a growl that ended in a subdued groan, before motioning to his squadmates. “Go, up the stairs Havoc. Let’s secure the rest of the elements. These hotshots can do whatever the fuck they please. If we beat them to the Princess, then it won’t matter anyway.”

While Havoc Squad moved from location to location, trying to find the elements and secure them, Hellion Squad and Heavy Squad were bunkering down and setting up the command post. The Royal Guard were swiftly getting the townsponies organized and ready for boarding, though Flitter could tell that they only had a fraction of the populace ready for immediate evac. Glancing over her shoulder, Flitter watched as Stalwart Liberty came to a hovering stop in one of the open fields. The massive ship was already sending out carriages to pick up the first groups of civilians.

Having ensured that her squad was properly entrenched, Flitter set off to find the leadership of the other units and coordinate. Approaching the guard commander, Flitter lifted a wing in greeting as he sent a flight of scouts off. “Commander Bulwark, I'm Lieutenant Falenas. We met in the briefing room.”

Nodding to her, the commander gave Flitter her full attention. “Right, the XO for that operator squad. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping we could talk tactics, JSOG is rather unconventional, so I'd like to avoid catching you off guard.” Flitter fluttered her wings as she looked back out to the town, and silently wondered if Cloudy was home…

“That sounds great, Knight Lieutenant. I've heard a lot of good things about your unit.” The commander paused to turn and yell at the guard behind her. “Get those pits dug, shooters behind the sandbags and fighters in reserve! I want spellslingers spread out in teams of two!” Turning back toward Flitter, Commander Bulwark removed her helmet and let her shock of mane fall free. “Sorry, let's talk.”

“Commander Bulwark!” One of the guard scouts yelled as they came in for a hard, fast landing. A neat little hole sat in the guard's neck protector, telling of a near hit. “Enemy spotted, full battalion strength with a warship!”

“Damn them to Tartarus! Inform the patrols and send up skirmishers to keep them off of us!”

“Sir!” The guard panted, wiping his muzzle with the back of his hoof. “It's the Mountain Rangers, they're working with the griffons.”

It was Flitter's turn to pale and curse, before cantering off to her squad to radio a warning to the other two squads.

Jack's boots pounded up the street as distant gunfire echoed through the streets, causing evacuating ponies to jump in surprise. “Hall, Hurricane, go to the bakery! Lightning, Busey, hit up the outer fields for cloud homes! The rest of you, secure the trail to the apple farm and the cottage!” The rapid fire affirmatives sounded, and were followed by combat booted hooves galloping off, and wings flaring. Jack was alone as he pounded up the steps to the boutique. Shouldering the door open, Jack flipped up his face shield and yelled. “Rarity! Spike!”

He swiftly checked his corners, slicing through each room with his rifle as he listened for a response. His ears pricked at the sound of childish giggling, and his blood ran cold. Nearing the stairs, Jack patted himself down for his sabot pistol, and slung his rifle over his shoulder. With a low hum, the sabot pistol charged to full power. The giggling sounded again, setting his teeth on edge. “Not gonna kill any more of mine you son of a bitch…” His face shield clicked down, covering his face.

Having entered the living area above the showroom, Jack slowly checked each room, fully prepared to blast whatever opposition he found into bloody chunks. Clearing each room until he was staring at the final door at the end of the hall, Jack took a deep breath, before slowly cracking the door open.

Four bright, young faces looked up to find themselves staring down the barrel of a pulsed sabot pistol, their playtime coming to a halt as Jack followed it. Sending his barrel up and pulling his finger from the trigger guard, Jack breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Oh thank Christ…”

“Mr. Knight Captain!” Spike stood and waved, while the cutie mark crusaders shared looks of confusion and niggling fear. “What're you doing here, looking for Rarity?”

Shaking his head, Jack entered the room and checked the corners, before stowing his pistol. “Have you gotten any letters from Celestia today Spike?”

Nodding, the young dragon looked up at Jack. “Yeah, I gave it to Rarity when she left. Why? Is everything alri-”

Spike was interrupted by a chorus of loud gasps. “It's him!” As Jack lifted his head in confusion, he was tackled by three over-eager fillies. The flurry of high pitched words and thanks only served to further confuse him. After a minute or two, the girls finally calmed down enough to explain to him who they were, why exactly they were so excited to meet him. “You saved us from the zombies!” Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly.

“You dun bucked their butts!” Applebloom added with equal gusto.

“It was really brave…” Concluded Sweetie Belle with shyness.

Caught off guard by the trio and the blast from the past they represented, Jack found himself stuck in the back foot. Laughing slightly in surprise as he scratched the back of his neck, Jack couldn't help but smile a little incredulously. “Well… ain't that something.” Pulling his helmet free, Jack turned toward the little dragon. “Spike-”

“Mr. Kessle, what happened to your face!?” Spike exclaimed in horror as he looked upon Jack's ruined visage. The ruined side of his face was beginning to heal nicely with magical aid, and the mean coloured bruising had begun to go down finally.

Touching his medical eye patch, Jack smiled through his instinctive wince. “War happened, Buddy. Don't you worry none, it's not enough to keep me down.”

“You see!” Spike pointed at Jack as he looked to the girls. “I told you he was super cool and tough! He's just as cool as Max!”

With a nervous laugh he didn't feel, Jack rubbed the back of his head, before shaking. “Right. Spike, where are the girls? I need to know, right now.”

The sternness in Jack's voice grounded the small drake immediately as he touched his clawtips together anxiously. “W-why? Is something wrong?”

“Yes, where did they go?”

“They all went to Applejack’s farm for some reason, I was told to stay here and watch the girls, i-is… is everything gonna be-” Spike was stopped mid sentence as the windows in the room shook from nearby shell impact. Jack was up and peering through the window in a moment, trying to spot hostiles. With the gravity of the situation beginning to slowly dawn on the children, Jack was forced to act.

“Okay, I'm going to get you four to safety, but I need you all to follow me and do exactly as I say, when I say it, alright?” He was checking his laser rifle over as he spoke, and when the children nodded nervously, the rifle hummed as the safety was flicked off. “Okay, follow me, quickly now.”

Tromping down the steps, Jack quickly moved to the front door and peered out. The sound of nearby rifle fire set him on edge, but he could still see the royal guard herding civilians out. Pulling his helmet down, but leaving the shield up, Jack moved into the street with the four following him. Screams of panic and terror laced the air, earning scared whimpers from his charges as he stalked forward, searching for targets.

“Captain!” A familiar voice called out from nearby, drawing Jack's immediate attention. The tension between his shoulder blades slackened when he spotted one of his squad. Beckoning the stout earthpony over, Jack took a knee and scanned the street again as the soldier cantered over. “Yes sir?”

“Priority escorts, take these four, and get them on Stalwart.” Jack motioned to the four youngsters hiding behind him. “I don't want them waiting in a line for a carriage, you call for a VTOL if you have to, just get them up there. Do I make myself clear?”

The private nodded his head, and quickly saluted. “Yes sir, okay kids, follow me!”

“W-w-wait!” Sweetie Belle cried. “Where are you going?”

With the four children looking up to him with fear in their eyes, Jack crouched down and smiled to them as earnestly as he could muster. “I'm gonna save the elements, and then I'm gonna kick the bad guys’ asses. Private Blue is going to take you to the safest place in this whole valley.”

“B-but-”

The following question was interrupted by a shell falling nearby. Jack looked to Private Blue and jerked his head towards the evacuation area. “No buts, you four get out of here, I'll see you soon, okay? I need to go.” Standing, Jack mentally went over the map of Ponyville in his head as Private Blue escorted the four to safety. Without further pause, Jack began to jog down the street toward the forest, as he touched the heavy headset mounted on his head. “This is Havoc one one, Hellion one actual, do you copy?”

The response was delayed, but hearing Flitter's distorted voice eased him. “We're here Jack, we've got enemy contacts, battalion strength.”

His temporary ease vanished instantly. “Get the rest of my squad to fall back to your position. I've found out where the elements are, and I'll be heading there immediately. I need a VTOL to Apple Acres, asap!”

There was a muted, distorted curse over the radio, before Flitter responded. “Are you sure you want to head there alone?”

“I'm sure, I don't want to risk any of them getting caught out there, and you'll need all hands on deck for this one. I'll secure the elements, and rejoin you at our OP. Copy?”

“I copy Jack, good hunting.”

“Stay safe Flitter.”

Setting down the radio pickup, Flitter looked to Mythic. “You heard him, get the rest of Havoc flagged down and pulled back, then get a check in from Heavy on enemy positioning.”

Mythic nodded sharply and began working the dials with rapid precision. “Havoc squad, retasking immediate, how copy?”

Flitter didn't hear the rest of the transmission as she cantered down the line, checking the positions that had been dug along the main avenue. She idly noted she could see Founding Mare's down the street, and wondered if she would see any of the ponies she'd worked with. As she cantered passed a gun nest, she paused as she did indeed spot a familiar face setting up a foxhole. “Private Marvich!”

The huge stallion looked up toward her as he finished setting down his medical bag. “Knight Lieutenant Falenas. Good to see you.”

Flitter paused in the foxhole, hunkering down as the sounds of distant fighting grew closer. “Let me guess, you were press ganged by the Royal Guard at the last minute?”

A moment passed as the stallion stared at her, before shaking his head no. “I was put into airship crew for transfer back to Stalliongrad, but fight came first.”

“Ah, that's my second guess. I'm glad you're looking out for us, Private. How are your medical stocks?”

Showing a brief moment of surprise, the stallion glanced at his heavy pack. “Plenty, but is never enough.”

Nodding, Flitter glanced over her shoulder back toward the forward post she'd run from. “Guard has spare supplies, I'll make sure you're resupplied when you need it. I need to keep moving, keep your head down Marvich! I'd hate to see it get blown off!” Flitter shot a grin at the big stallion, and was rewarded with the sight of the huge stallion looking slightly embarrassed. Setting off again, Flitter didn't slow until she found Taven's Squad in their observation post. As she entered the house, a stray round nipped by her head, imbedding itself in the door frame.

“Hot damn Lt, you almost gotcher head blown off!” Corporal Shepard grinned up at her from behind the overturned table he was hiding behind.

“That I did, Shep. Is Knight Sergeant Varenikov upstairs?”

“Sure is ma'am! Watch the stairs, they're a little rickety and they got a window next to em.”

"Noted.” Flitter shot the corporal and his loader a smile and nod, before setting g off up the stairs. The reason for the warning became clear when she spotted the smashed out window and the bullet hole across from it. Slipping under the sight line, Flitter entered the second floor. Finding Taven was simple, as he was busy setting up their second radioset and overseeing the medium machinegun get set up.

Looking up at Flitter, Taven smiled briefly as his operator dialed in friendly frequencies. “The Lt. graces us with her presence. We're nearly set up here, got brief eyes on the enemy.”

Finding a spot to sit for the moment, Flitter glanced toward the big bay window the machinegun team was setting up in. “Gimme your report.”

“Sure thing. We've got forward scouts, harassing the guard and scaring civs. Simoh has plugged two of them, but it won't be long before the vanguard hits us. We won't be here much longer, it's a shell magnet. Speaking of shells, they're holding off with the big guns, but they're hitting us with the three inch mortars. No casualties so far, but it's only a matter of time before they find their range.” Taven spoke quickly, his nerves speeding up his voice as he worked.

“Right. If you find their firing position, radio it in and I'll authorize a howitzer fire mission from Stalwart. I want those guns out of the picture. Now, those scouts, are they…” Flitter's voice trailed off, and she was hesitant to speak, though Taven knew what she was going to say.

“No. As far as we can tell, they're civilians. No uniforms, but a basic rifle saddle. Conscripts, we figure. Haven't seen hide nor hair of the Rangers yet, but I bet five bits we will soon.” Uneasy agreement rolled through the heavy weapons squad.

Nodding, Flitter ran her hooves up her cheeks and to her helmet fringe. “Great. I… I'd love to ask you don't kill them, but I'm not going to. You do whatever you need to do to keep yourselves and the civilians safe. Copy? But if you see any of those mask wearing fucks, you put them the fuck down.”

A smirk broke across Taven's features as he craned his head upwards to the rafter. “Y’hear that Simoh? You see any of those mask assholes, you send them to meet their god!”

Up in the rafters, Simoh was perched with his rifle poking out through the roof thatching. “I copy. Ready to punch one way tickets to Tartarus.”

“Oorah boys and girls.” Flitter smiled. “You got things handled here, so I'm off. Havoc squad is repositioning to help out here, Jack's securing the elements as we speak.”

“Oorah.” Taven thumped his hoof twice on the wood floor. “Keep your head down Flitter, we'll radio if anything comes up.”

Nodding, Flitter rose, and prepared herself to run back down the line, while Taven and his squad hunkered down in preparation for the storm.

Several kilometers away, Jack's boots raised puffs of dirt and dust with every pounding footfall. His gear jostled against his armour as he ran at full tilt, his rifle tucked against his chest. Over the treetops, he could make out a bright red barn on a hill. It had to be the apple farm. Passing under a large sign that read Apple Acres and marked the entrance, Jack steadied himself and was afforded a short breath as he began to slow to a jog. An old farmhouse sat near the barn he'd seen, and several others. A fleeting feeling of nostalgia hit him as he jogged down the dirt road, toward the farmhouse. Equestrian humans killed about, harvesting apples despite the chilly time of year, and hints of snow on the ground. The humans paused to watch him jog, their silent stares sticking to him as he went.

Mounting the steps with a single stride, Jack paused just as he reached for the door knob. The sounds of feminine voices met his ears, but not from the house. Readying his rifle, Jack began to quickly circle the farmhouse. As he rounded the house, he spotted two ponies on the back porch. A large, red earthpony stallion, and a withered old green mare. The stallion sat on the back steps, while the old mare slept on a rocker with a blanket over her. Before the pair, in a snow speckled field, was the elements of harmony, and Max.

“Hey.” A deep, earthen voice spoke, drawing Jack’s attention to the large red stallion as he rose from the steps and stared at Jack. The challenge of authority was silent, but palatable between the pair as Jack came to a stop.

Holding up a hand in greeting, Jack’s eyes flicked to the distant treeline and the girls. “I’m Knight Captain Kessle of the Joint Special Operations Group. I’m here to evacuate the Elements of Harmony.”

The big stallion paused mid-stride, having just descended the stairs. “Evacuate?”

Nodding, Jack closed the distance with self-assurance; he knew who this pony was, thanks to the extensive files he’d read on the Elements. “You’re Big Macintosh, right? Brother of Applejack and Applebloom?” At the stallions nod, Jack checked over his shoulder. “I’m getting all of you out of here, no arguments. The young ones are already safe, and you have two minutes to grab anything you absolutely can’t leave behind.”

Big Mac didn’t look entirely convinced as he remained stationary. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

A fair question, and possibly the longest sentence the stallion had ever uttered, if the file was right. Jack nodded to him, before jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward town. “That’s not thunder.” The distant boom of mortar shells just barely reached the farm, and was easily mistakable for how soft it was. Fortunately, if one stopped long enough to listen closely, the irregular thump-crack was telling. Telling enough for the big red stallion to nod once, and set off into his home. “If only this next pile of shit was gonna be that easy…” Shaking his head, Jack set off again toward the group at a jog. As he drew closer, he could see the six ponies and one human having a quaint little picnic. Fluttershy’s ears pricked at his approach, and she was the first to turn her head toward him. By the time he reached them, the entire group was aware of his presence. Twilight and Max did not look pleased, while the others seemed to be ranging from pleasantly surprised to ecstatic.

“Knight Captain Kessle, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Twilight spoke out loudly as he slowed his jog. She didn’t sound like she was enjoying the pleasure of his company at all, as her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Hey big guy!” Applejack waved.

Jack lifted an armoured gauntlet in greeting as he came to a stop before them. “Ladies, Max. I’m sorry but I’ve got to cut your picnic short.” The chorus of curious questions and murmurs met him in return, and only Dash moved from the group.

“Why? What’s going on?” Dash asked, before asking another question. “Where’d your cool helmet g-” She was interrupted by Max and he rolled his eyes and snarked at Jack.

“How’s the war going, Knight Captain?”

The inane question may not have been meant to offend, but offend it did. Doing his best to quell the anger that immediately boiled in his chest, Jack lifted the faceshield on his helmet and showed the girls and Max his ruined face and empty eye socket. “I don’t know yet, I’ve lost a lot of friends and killed way too many people to count, on top of being in a meat grinder operation nearly every single day. How’s it going for you?” FUCKER. How's the war going, how'd you like my boot up your ass you princess humping, civilian sack of unwashed assholes!? How- no, no, chill Jack. Chill. Getting pissed won’t solve any of this.

With the mood thoroughly ruined, Princess Sparkle shot a disapproving glare at Max, before looking up at Jack apologetically. “I’m sorry… What are you here for?” She truly seemed to mean her apology, as she struggled to keep eye contact with him.

Clearly no longer in the mood to play nice, Jack spoke in answer as Dash hovered and examined his grisly facial wound. “Princess, have you received any letters from Celestia today?”

“Well, no, Spike is looking over the girls. But if anything important came up, my guards were supposed to come and find me.” Twilight glanced over at Rarity, who had seen Spike last. For her part, Rarity lit up with embarrassing remembrance as she levitated her saddle bags forward and rooted around.

“I’m so sorry Twilight, it completely slipped my mind that Spikey Wikey had given me a letter!”

Smiling kindly at Rarity, Twilight took the letter from her. “It’s alright Rarity, it happens. It can’t be anything important, I hope.”

Rolling his eye, Jack leveled a look at the young mare. “Nothing needing your immediate attention, I’m sure. They just sent me, my entire unit, Stalwart Liberty, and an entire unit of royal guard to help you with your tea party.”

Twilight paused mid-scroll unroll as his sentence struck her like a brick. “Wh-”

“I’ll save you the read. I’m evacuating all of you to Canterlot. Ponyville is being attacked by a battalion sized force of Order’s soldiers. I’m under direct order from Celestia to evac all of you, which really should have happened about twenty or so minutes ago, buuut, because of this great big old snafu, I’m standing here and you’re all still having a picnic.”

The shocked silence that met him was not comforting in the slightest, nor was the lack of movement. Rarity was the first to speak, while Fluttershy seemed frozen in fear. “Darling… how… large, is a ‘battalion’?”

“Anywhere between three hundred to eight hundred enemy combatants. We have confirmation that the turned Mountain Rangers are with them, so roughly two hundred or so elite forces out of that.”

Twilight shook her head as Rarity fainted. “This… this isn’t possible. Ponyville is the closest town to Canterlot, we can’t already be under attack… wh-”

“Tell that to Order’s forces.” Jack put a hand to his headset and spoke into it as he turned away from the group, though out of the corner of his eye, he could see Twilight unrolling the scroll and reading furiously, only to confirm his story. “Hellion, do I have an eta on that chopper yet?”

The response was shortcoming, thankfully. “Your ride should be nearing the LZ shortly, is everything alright on your end?”

Jack sighed hard. “Oh yeah, peachy. Just fuckin peachy. Over and out.” Taking his hand off his headset, he glanced over and gave the floating Dash a mild smile. “Hey shorty. How’s it hanging?” Thankfully, the girls were breaking down their picnic fast, and he could hear the distant thumping of approaching rotor blades. He had time for a short chat.

Smiling back nervously, Dash’s eyes were held toward Ponyville and the fingers of smoke that were beginning to rise above the trees. “S’alright, I guess… Stuck here doing weather crap while there’s a war going on. Could be doing anything, but I’m here. Are you alright?” She looked up at him with genuine worry. “Sir?” She added quietly.

With a brief exhale through his nose, Jack shook his head. “Too many friends, dash. Help me get your friends to safety, alright?” Her silent nod helped calm him, if only somewhat, before Twilight was struck with a brilliant idea.

“I’ll just teleport us all to safety!”

Only to have it immediately shot down by Applejack. “I ain’t leavin’ without mah family, an’ you remember how ‘great’ teleportin Granny went last time, when she hurt her hip and y’all sent her to the hospital.” Under Applejack’s glare, Twilight wilted and her plan died.

Despite that, Jack loved the idea. “Twilight, you should transport yourself and the others, I can escort AJ’s family. I have a chopper inbound as we speak, he’ll be here within minutes.”

“W-what about my animal friends?” Fluttershy asked nearly silently as she hid behind her mane. “I… I can’t just leave them…”

“Oh for the love of-”

TWANG

Jack’s quiet exasperation was interrupted as a bullet struck his helmet, and sheared off the bolt holding the faceplate in place. Falling on his ass in surprise saved Jack from the follow up that would have surely killed him. “DOWNDOWNDOWN!!” He roared as he began pumping rapid fire laser bursts into the tree line. The enemy response was swift and precise, several rounds nearly striking him in vital areas as he stood to shield the shocked Elements with his body. “GET TO THE HOUSE! NOW!!”

PRAKKPRAKKPRAKK

His rifle cracked in response as the treeline sharpshooters found their range. As Twilight brought up her shield, she was just a little too slow to save Dash from being struck in the side. With a shocked gasp, Dash’s gait faltered, and she hit the dirt hard.

“DASH!” The girls all cried in tandem, shock and horror lacing their words as Dash finally let out a pained cry, letting them know she wasn’t dead yet. As Max moved to grab her, Jack scooped her up and held her against his chest with one arm.

“TO THE HOUSE! NOW!” This time, his words were heeded quickly, as the girls galloped for the farmhouse where Big Mac and Granny were waiting with a bag between them. The pair had taken cover at the shooting; the group barely reached the house when the first mortar landed nearby, sending up a blast of soil and shrapnel. With everyone inside and taking cover, Jack gently laid down Dash and looked over her wound. It wasn’t deep, the round has skipped across her ribs, dangerously close to her wing. She wouldn’t be flying until it healed, but she’d live. “Grab that table cloth!” Jack yelled, prompting a now flat haired Pinky to snag the table cloth and bring it over. Pressing it against Dash’s side, he motioned for Pinkie to keep pressure on the wound. Sliding close to the back window, Jack wrestled out his PDA and brought up the picture of the map he’d taken as he pressed his hand against his headset. “Hellion, come in! This is Havoc, I have attackers on the farm, repeat, attackers on the farm! I need a fire mission from Stalwart, grid location Two-nine-echo-foxtrot-one-six-charlie, five rounds Willie Pete, full spread!” A stray round punched through the wood above his head, earning a terrified scream from Rarity as Twilight twitched and snarled. “Now!”

“BASTARDS!” Twilight yelled as Max tried to pull her down into cover. “SHOOT MY FRIENDS!? I’LL SHOW YOU ALL!” The young princess began charging her horn to attack as black clad soldiers began to materialise from the treeline.

“TWILIGHT!” Jack bellowed, catching the mare’s attention.

“WHAT!?” She bellowed back, fury in her eyes.

“If you drop that shield, they’re gonna perforate this house and us with it! Keep that shield up!” Jack peeked up and fired out through the considerate little hole Twilight had made for him earlier. His words didn’t seem to calm her whatsoever, but the mare didn’t remove the treeline from existence. Of course, she didn’t have to, as the five round fire mission came down and burst within the trees. The high explosive white phosphorus rounds did their gruesome work well, and for a moment, the fire incoming on the house ceased.

Luck was finally on Jack’s side, as the moment he touched his headset to report the effect of the mission, he spotted the VTOL setting down in the front lot of the farmhouse. “That’s our ride! Keep up the shield, everyone, head for that chopper, now!” Without pausing, Jack scooped up Dash again in one arm, before scooping up Granny Smith in the other and jogging for the door.

The jostling earned a pained cry from Dash as Jack ducked through the doorway, but for her part, Granny Smith looked as thrilled as could be. “I haven’t been carried like this since my wedding day!” She exclaimed happily, earning a laugh from Jack as he loaded her and Dash into the chopper. Waving in the others, Jack clipped himself in and sat down with his feet on the runners.

“Where the hell are those three guards… God dammit, Snake, get us out of here, we can’t wait!” The VTOL lifted off, with Snake at the helm, and the pilot didn’t offer any resistance to possibly leaving people behind. His door gunners sent a few short bursts into the burning tree line to deter any attackers, but largely it was unneeded. As the chopper gained altitude, Applejack watched with hard eyes as her home slowly vanished. Twilight looked utterly furious, and Fluttershy was catatonic. Rarity had fainted once again, and Pinky was still near tears as she held pressure on Dash’s oozing wound.

Holding a hand to his headset, Jack let out a sigh of weak relief. “This is Havoc, package secured, on our way back.”

In the forest, Ada watched idly as her diversion force took artillery fire, and the VTOL lifted off the ground. She and her team had been waylaid momentarily in killing three guardsponies as they’d run down the dirt road, the time in which had cost them an easy capture at the farm house when her diversion force had fired early. If Ada had been in full control of her faculties, she’d be pissed, but right now, all she felt was cold.

Cold, and the thirty two pounds of man portable air defence system sitting on her shoulder. Lifting the FIM-92 Stinger up, she calmly tracked the VTOL as it neared her position. She squeezed the weapon system's trigger when the tracker system emitted it’s lock tone.

FWOOOSH

The missile leapt from its launcher, and adjusted its flight path toward the approaching VTOL, which veered violently in a vain attempt at evading. The pilot was good, but not good enough as the twenty two pound high explosive warhead slammed into its port engine and blasted the arcanotech motor from it’s housing. The VTOL began to spin, spiraling uncontrollably as it rapidly descended; spewing smoke, fire, and debris.

Handing the launcher to the griffon next to her, Ada waved her team of JSOG operatives forward, and shouldered her rifle. She was hunting, and her game was deadly.

When the missile had struck Snake’s VTOL, Jack would have been thrown clear of the craft if not for his lanyard; the fall surely would have killed him. Unfortunately, as they neared the ground, the secondary explosion from the shredded engine sent shrapnel streaking through the cabin, clipping Jack’s lanyard and sending him hurtling towards the ground as Twilight reached out with her magic to catch him. His last hope of being saved was dashed as her magical telekinesis fizzled and died on his titanium armour.

Jack’s curse was a short one, as he slammed through the treetops and hit the dirt hard; bouncing through the underbrush before coming to a stop just as the VTOL crashed before him. The craft’s second engine shattered against the trees, and the fuselage continued onwards with a soul rending shriek as it crashed against rocks and trees, before coming to a stop.

With an agonized groan, Jack realized he was still alive, and pushed himself up to begin jogging toward the nearby crash. His rifle was still with him, cinched tight against his armour. A secondary explosion helped guide him through the thick trees, and soon the fires acted as markers for him. His heart leapt as purple magic enveloped the crashed VTOL’s bay door, and forced it open. As far as he could tell, everybody seemed still alive at first glance, though hurt badly.

“Injuries…” Jack wheezed out as the elements stumbled out of the shattered craft, and he entered the clearing. The crew of the vehicle were badly injured, and one of the door gunners was dead in his harness. Cursing himself softly, Jack climbed into the craft to pull the rest of them out. There, he found AJ and Big Mac, huddled over Granny, who he could only assume had died instantly in the crash. Their tears only pushed him onwards as he checked on Snake. The plucky pilot was still alive, though sans both legs. The propeller of engine two had broken free from it’s moorings, and had sheared through the cockpit. Snake was shivering as he looked down at both his stumps, shock setting in swiftly. Grabbing the pilot’s shoulders, Jack ripped open his medical pouch and fished out the only thing that could save Snake’s life. The cauterpads that had saved Jack’s own. “Snake. Snake!” Jack grabbed the pilots chin and pulled his gaze up. Snake’s eyes were wide and his pupils were pinpricks of colour in a sea of terrified, bloodshot white. “I’m gonna get you out of here.” He said as he stuffed a gauze pad in Snake’s mouth, and secured the cauterpads. “You are going to fucking hate me… but I’m getting you out of here.” Jack held the pilot down as he activated the pads. Snake’s entire body went rigid as he let out a swiftly building howl of muffled agony; the cauterpads reached temperature and cauterized the large open wounds. Seconds later, Snake collapsed into his flight seat, and fell unconscious. Cutting open the pilot’s straps, Jack hefted Snake up, and carried him out of the crashed chopper. “Head count! Who’s here?”

Before him, all of the girls, save AJ were gathered and looking somewhat worse for wear. They were hurt and scared, save for Twilight, who looked livid as she did her best to fawn over Max’s wounds. Setting Snake down, Jack shouldered his laser rifle and tried to shake the red fog from his head. When it didn’t abate, he realized it wasn’t fog in his mind, but blood in his eyes. Putting an armoured gauntlet to his head, he found that his helmet had been ripped free during his tumble, and his forehead had a three inch long gash across it. Wiping the blood from his eyes, Jack went down on one knee.

“I need you all to listen carefully, we’re not far from Ponyville. Twilight, can you teleport everyone there?”

“M-max, i-i-it’s gonna… it’s gonna be okay…” The girl was in tears over the wounded Max, who was doing his best to calm her. She was torn between furious, and terrified, while the others were just as scared. He had to do something. He had to make the call.

Lining up the sights of her rifle on Jack, Ada let out a soft, slow breath, and squeezed the trigger. The air rifle puffed, and she was rewarded as Jack slapped his neck, and the dart that was now stuck in it. Surprise was plain as day on his bloody face as he stumbled back, and his eyes flicked to the treeline. Ada slipped back behind the tree as she loaded the next dart. One would be enough, but two would be certain. As Jack stumbled and lifted his rifle, Ada peeked out again, and caught him in the cheek with the next dart. He let off a burst of lasers as he fell over backwards, his system being flooded with enough tranquilizer to drop a bear. Switching to her carbine, Ada rose from the shadows and spoke to her team. “Non-essential targets are to be terminated.”

Suppressed shots rang out, and the big red stallion was the first to fall, two holes in his head saw him dead before he could blink. The surviving door gunner followed, a three round burst in the chest killed him in an instant. Ada was moving forward when the princess screamed, and her element glowed with power. Ada moved forward still, cold and calculating.

As Twilight rose into the air, Jack fought and struggled against his own body as it slowly shut down on him. Come on… COME ON! UP! GET THE FUCK UP! Jack roared at himself mentally as he rolled onto his side and tried to level his rifle with the enemy. The elements were now all rising into the air, and glowing. He could see Ada moving towards him. In that moment, she was beautiful, and terrible. He was dead. He’d done all he could, but now she was going to die as well when the elements of harmony blasted everything in the crash site. He had his sights on her, he could kill her right now, and save her the pain. His finger slipped into the trigger guard, but for all his might, his finger wouldn’t budge any further. He collapsed to the ground on his side, his limbs going numb from the powerful drug.

Hey Jack Mark spoke inside his mind. What comes to mind when I say, Harmony?

Unity… peace? Uh… friendship lasers?

There was a chuckle as Twilight screamed with indignant rage at the turned members of JSOG. Close, Jackie boy. In this case, it means Order.

The blast of harmonious energy washed over the entire crash site, blanketing everyone within it with Order’s mind controlling magic. The elements slowly drifted to the ground, their eyes still blazing blue with energy. Ada waved her team forward, before executing Max with her carbine. One shot between the eyes, and the Hero of Equestria fell dead to the ground.

“Discordian dog.” Was all she said as she treaded toward Jack. Behind her, one of her team shot Dandelion Price, Snake, through the top of the head, killing him instantly. “Tell the Emperor that we have prevailed. Then radio First battalion to commence their covering assault on the defenders.” As Jack’s consciousness slowly fled him, the last thing he saw were Ada’s eyes looking down at him, their beauty marred by Order’s blue magic. “Hullo luv…”

Chapter Fifty Three: Not an Inch Further

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“INCOMING!”

Civilians and guards alike hit the dirt as the next wave of shells shrieked across the sky like vengeful banshees, before exploding amidst a cloud of shrapnel and blasted soil. The staccato racket of gunfire filled the air, punctuating the terror-stricken voices of those pushing towards the rescue carriages.

Flitter ducked behind the sandbags as another shell whizzed overhead and impacted with a thump some ways behind her. “Do we have confirmation the Elements are safe?” She asked Mythic, who was busy radioing in artillery coordinates.

“I just got word that they were picked up at objective Apple by VTOL, they should be back at the ship in a few minutes!” Mythic had to yell over the sound of the screaming civilians and rattling gunfire.

“What's the range of the enemy forces, has Taven reported in?” Flitter anxiously checked her battle-saddle again as her mind went back to the task at hand. With the Elements secured, she could focus entirely on the trouble before her.

“Yes ma'am! They've repositioned at point Charlie, that's three streets back our way from their original position! Near main street!” Mythic retuned the radio, listening in carefully. After a moment, he retuned again and ordered a short fire mission. The booming return of Stalwart’s pack howitzers offered a steadying backdrop to the unfolding battle.

“Flitter!?”

A familiar voice caused Flitter's ears to prick, and her head to turn toward the source. “Cloudy?”

Cloud Chaser had broken from the group of scared civilians, and was galloping toward Flitter. “Flitter!” Flitter hardly had a moment to gawk as Cloud Chaser barreled into her, and promptly hugged the stuffing out of her. “I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!” Cloud Chaser pushed her muzzle into Flitter’s armoured chest, earning several confused looks from the armed ponies around her.

With her surprise finally being overcome, Flitter gently pushed Cloudy off of her. “Y-wh-...” Flitter clamped her lips shut for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts long enough to speak coherently. “You should be back with the others, you need to be evacuated.” It was her pragmatic lieutenant’s thinking that won out over all the other thoughts, though it seemed to strike Cloudy deeply.

Shivering softly, Cloudy Hugged Flitter again. “I know… I know, but I saw you and I couldn’t… I’m so sorry Flitter… I’m so sorry…”

“What… What are you apologizing for?’ Flitter questioned as she glanced at Mythic and motioned for him to continue at his job. Without warning, the shrill whistle of another incoming shell pierced the air. “Incoming!” Flitter yelled, prompting those around her to duck their heads. Flitter pushed her sister down to the ground, just as the mortar landed nearby and exploded, sending dirt and hot shrapnel this way and that. A chunk twanged audibly off of Flitter’s helmet, but didn’t phase her in the slightest as Cloudy yelped in fear.

“F-for everything!” Cloudy warbled fearfully as she was pulled up out of the dirt. Flitter’s older sister was barely holding back tears as she spoke, and the sight pained Flitter’s heart. “I’m just- I’m so fucking sorry Flitter… I’m so sorry I couldn’t have been a better sister…” Cloud Chaser’s hug increased in strength, causing Flitter to grunt lightly in discomfort. “I-I thought you’d died, but… but then Mom found you, and-” Cloudy sniffled as she buried her face in Flitter’s neck. “You aren’t dead to me. I still love you, even if Mom doesn’t, and you don’t love me…”

For her part, Flitter sat on her haunches, looking struck with shock as her older sister poured her heart out to her in a hastily dug fighting position. “Cloudy…” Flitter swallowed as she tried to gather her train of thought. Placing a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, Flitter did her best to gently create a bit of space between them. “I know you’re sorry, and I don’t hate you. You made a mistake… granted, it was a really, really big mistake, but… That’s not enough for me to stop loving you.” Flitter gave her sister a soft smile as another mortar shell whizzed by overhead. Pausing for a moment, Flitter turned to Mythic. “Get Taven’s squad on the horn, I want to know where those mortars are, and I want them gone!”

“Yes ma’am!”

Seemingly a little shocked by the sudden display of authority, Cloud Chaser sniffed and smiled sadly. “Look at you go… a guard officer and… -uh-huhn-” She hiccuped and put a hoof to her mouth. “Flitter-”

“Cloudy.” Flitter interjected quickly, cutting off what was to come. “This isn’t the time or place for this. Get back in line with the others and get up to the ship safely. We can talk there, okay?” Flitter’s voice was stern, and didn’t broker any argument from Cloudy.

Nodding, her sister hugged her once more. “Okay… okay… I will, but just… please... please come and find me after? And… and kick these assholes out of our town.” The last of her words came out an emotional growl, which earned a mildly amused smirk from Flitter.

“That was the plan. Now go, go! I don’t want you any further back in the line!” Flitter shooed at her sister, before tensing at the sound of higher pitched whistling that split the air. “INCOMING!” As she yelled and everyone around hit the dirt, returning artillery fire slammed into the ground nearby, blasting hunks of dirt and stone up in a column. Several ponies began shrieking in agony as their shrapnel wounds became known. “Where the hell did that come from!?”

“Taven reports that the Griffon warship has entered the AO, and is firing at us! Stalwart is attempting to find range, I-” Mythic paused for a moment and listened intently. Flitter slid closer, and perched over his shoulder for the report. Without Flitter there to stop it, a pair of guards grabbed hold of Cloudy, and dragged her off to the evacuation point. As Cloud Chaser was dragged off indignantly, Mythic finished his report to Flitter. “Enemy forces are beginning their assault! Sounds like they’re pushing up the main street and putting pressure on Taven, he says he doesn’t know how much longer they can last in their position!”

Cursing under her breath, Flitter pulled up her map. “Tell Taven to pull back on our signal. Radio Stalwart, and get a creeping barrage thrown down through sectors B through E! High explosive charge! I’m sending forward reinforcements to cover their retreat!” Mythic nodded snappily as he began to radio in the orders, while Flitter hustled back to the command dug-out. “I need volunteers to cover First Squad’s retreat!” A dozen hooves jutted up from those who weren’t direly needed to man positions. Flitter selected at random. Several guard, and six ponies from Havoc squad were soon moving off through the nearby houses, working their way up to Taven’s position.

Several minutes passed by, only to find the fighting creeping closer, and the crowd of civilians not growing thinner any faster than before. There was roughly a hundred civilians on the ground still, Cloud Chaser included. The entrenched units had begun to spot the forward vanguard, and were already in the process of shifting their bulk to repel the stronger points of the enemy’s multi-pronged offensive. It was when the next salvo of enemy artillery struck that Flitter received the news that saw her heart drop into her stomach.

“I just got word that the Element’s vtol went down.” Mythic spoke as quietly as he could to Flitter. “Jack was onboard.”

Not letting her emotions come out on top despite the deep feeling of anguish she felt, Flitter nodded stiffly. “Do we have an approximate location?”

“Yes ma’am, grid location seven six nine oscar, sector Hotel. Spotters on deck said they saw it go down roughly two minutes ago.”

Flitter pulled out her map and consulted it as quickly as she could. The area the VTOL had gone down in was heavily wooded, and dangerously close to the Everfree. It would take them time to get there. Possibly too much time. Clenching her jaw, Flitter let out a slow, calming breath. “Copy. How is Stalwart for munitions? Did they report like I asked?”

Mythic nodded again, but she could already tell she wasn’t going to like the report. “They’re running low on shells, seems they didn’t have a full compliment to begin with, figures… They’ve limited us to three round fire missions, and no more willy petes.”

Flitter nodded again, and cast a glance down the line, just as Taven’s squad reached their entrenched line. He waved to her as every last one of his people hunkered down and reloaded. Flitter motioned him over as she scurried to the command post. There, she found Commander Bulwark, and Warlock Hail. As Taven joined her, she got their attentions and laid out the map. “I just received word that the transport carrying the Elements and the Knight Captain has been shot down in this grid location. I need a team of fast movers to buzz the site and recon the area. If anybody survived the crash, they’ll need help, so I want a team standing by to move on their location and assist. Can I expect any help from your ponies?” Flitter shot a stern look up at the two older ponies before her.

Commander Bulwark nodded the moment she finished her request. “I’ll have five of my fastest fly out there. They aren’t heavily armoured, so your ponies will need to form the strike team. My heavy hitters are locked down keeping the vanguard off of us.” She instinctively ducked when another shell whizzed by and landed dangerously close, showering the command post with dirt. “I wish there was a way we could stop these shells! If they get any closer, they’ll kill scores of my ponies!”

Nodding, Flitter turned her attention to the still silent Hail. “Warlock? Anything your ponies can do?”

“We are conserving our strength for when the enemy closes.” He answered calmly and simply. The statement caused Flitter to clench her jaw in annoyance, and Bulwark to look displeased for a moment, though neither mare said anything to the warlock.

Looking back to Bulwark, Flitter gave the commander her full attention. “Send your people. Taven, get Havoc squad to stand by for rescue operations. They’re kitted for this as it is. Grab Private Marvich as well, there may be critically injured on site. I don’t need to tell you how important this is.”

“No, you don’t.” Taven answered quietly as he nodded to her. “Anything else?”

“No, get a hustle on. We can’t waste any more time than we already have!” Flitter motioned him off, before turning her attentions back to the task at hand. She could see the enemy already; they were streaming through the shops and the houses, ducking into alleyways and harassing their line. The conscripts remained out in the open, drawing fire and going down without so much as a whimper. It was all a diversionary tactic, and she knew it. Their enemy was betting on them being too busy dealing with the conscripts and the vanguard force to notice the highly trained and well equipped forces hitting their flanks. Simple tactics, and highly effective, if the commander was willing to throw away lives without a second thought and their foe was an idiot with tunnel vision. Flitter knew that Carolus was more than willing to send ponies and griffons to die like rats, but she was not an idiot. Cantering up to her weapons teams, she delivered her orders. “Hold fire against the vanguard, and reposition two machinegun teams to our left and right flanks. I want marksmen taking up the slack, but don't waste ammo. Single shots for the conscripts, more for the vanguard if you have to. Call out clumps of enemies, and watch for Rangers and Empire regulars on the flanks. Copy?” She received an affirmative all around as she paced down the line.

As time went on, and the final fifty civilians were waiting to be boarded, the call finally came in from the recovery team. Having been called over, Flitter hunkered down, and listened to the report of the crash site. No survivors found. The elements missing, and Jack MIA. Only the bodies of the VTOL crew, Applejack’s family, and Max had been found. Muting a curse, Flitter ordered the team to return to the lines as soon as possible, before turning her attention back to the defences. It was when she passed over the radio that the attack came. A massive, vibrant lance of magic leapt across Ponyville, and struck Stalwart Liberty's starboard side. The concussive blast of the impact jarred Flitter's teeth in her head; she hardly had a moment to gawk at the great ship as it listed from it's painful wound, as the attack finally came. Without warning, the Imperial forces crashed down upon the defenders like a tidal wave. Conscripts threw themselves forward, using their bodies as shields for the vanguard. Both flanks came under simultaneous attack, prompting the JSOG machine gunners to open fire. Frantic reports and distress calls began to overlap each other as Equestrian positions were struck with withering mortar fire.

“THIS IS IT!” Flitter bellowed over the incoming bullets and mortars. “STAND FIRM!” Returning fire sprang out from Equestrian lines, gunning down everything before them. Arcs of tracers leapt out across the quaint village roads, cutting down Imperial soldiers and felling conscripts like chaff. “KEEP FIRING! FIRE UNTIL THEY CAN SEE THE GLOW OF OUR BARRELS!” Flitter kicked her rifle into full auto, and began sending accurate bursts down range, striking and killing those she fired on.

The pegasi of the guard were entangled above in a vicious aerial battle as they fought to keep the airborne griffons from descending upon the defence line. The shielded guards piled in around the JSOG machinegun teams, protecting them from any enemies that came too close. The entire line had devolved into a firestorm of gunfire, death, and suffering.

Despite the savage response from Equestrian lines, the Imperial forces continued to grind forward, clearly intent on drowning the defenders in blood and bodies. The bulk of the imperial force had almost reached the defenders line, when the Warlocks finally committed. Rapid fire magical lances shot out from two of the warlocks as they began to cut down the attackers like wheat to a scythe, while the other two charged a larger spell.

Dropping down behind cover, Flitter slammed a fresh magazine home and bucked the charging handle. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself from cover, and sighted her rifle. Imperial forces greeted her, but they were not what gave her pause. The massive funnel of wind, creeping down to earth like a wicked, crooked finger gave her just a moment's pause, before she smiled as the magical tornado began rampaging through the imperial forces. As she resumed firing, she watched as a single magical flare leapt out from the warlocks, and struck the tornado, setting the magical construct ablaze.

With the Warlocks pouring copious amounts of magic down upon the attackers, Flitter was finally given enough reprieve to begin putting a cap on the chaos. “All teams! I want status reports, and I want them now! Argus, Mint, pull back and dig in! Lemon, Jones, reinforce that foxhole!” As Flitter bellowed her orders, and JSOG responded with a flurry of affirmatives and copies, a massive, metallic boom shook the ground under her hooves. Looking over her shoulder, Flitter couldn't stop herself from gawking in horror this time as Stalwart Liberty finished beaching itself in the vast forest that bordered Ponyville. A secondary explosion rippled up from the gaping wound in it's side, spewing smoke and fire skyward over the treetops. “Somebody try and raise Stalwart! Now!”

“I'm on it!” Mythic yelled from the command pit. Taven was there with his squad, keeping the enemy back with accurate fire.

“Flitter!” Taven yelled over the low roar of the fiery tornado as it ripped through Ponyville, immolating scores of Imperials and destroying the town. “The Imp vessel is pulling out!”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Flitter nodded as she ducked down behind the sandbags. “Finally, some good news!”

Dashing her brief hopes, Taven shook his head. “That magic lance came from the Imp vessel. Simoh says he spotted the Elements on the deck. It's safe to say they're comprised.”

“Fucking hell…” Flitter groaned softly. “Did Simoh try and put them down?”

Nodding his head, Taven sat next to her. “He fired on them, but the Princess had a shield up. The vessel is pulling out, but the imp forces are staying put. I'd bet on them being reinforced soon.”

“They're going to try and wipe us out. They got their first objective and now it's just us left.” Flitter cursed softly. “I just hope Jack's on his way back. If Stalwart is fucked, we're in this for the long haul until any friendlies can reach us.” She perked when Mythic lifted the radio towards her, prompting her to grab it and put it against her ear. “This is Knight Lieutenant Falenas, Stalwart, what is your status?”

“This is Acting Captain Jewels, we've taken massive damage to our starboard side and suffered damage to our archanotech drives. What is the status of the ground teams?”

Scowling, Flitter hunkered down behind the sandbags. “We're holding the line as well as we can, but I'm about to prepare for a pull back to your position. What happened to the Captain?”

“Badly injured in the blast, he'll make it. All of our systems are down, we're basically blind up here. We only just managed to get the tech based radios operational. Whatever hit us shut down everything magical.” There was a brief pause. “Knight Lieutenant, if you have a plan, I'm all ears.”

She did indeed have a plan, but it was going to be hell getting it down without suffering casualties. “I'll radio when it's laid out, just get those howitzers operational. Over and out.” Handing the radio back, Flitter beckoned the nearby Commander Bulwark over.

Cantering over, Bulwark stood tall despite the incoming rounds. “What do you need, Knight Lieutenant?”

“I want your ranged forces to gather up the remaining civilians and get them to Stalwart, and then begin entrenching a line across the starboard side. We hold this line until they're finished, and send back staggered groups in a leapfrogging tactical withdrawal. Once the bulk of our forces have reached the cover of the trees, I'll call for Stalwart to hit our lines with smoke, and the final defenders will fall back. Once we have pulled back, Stalwart will shell our old lines and kill anything that follows. When we're in Stalwart’s shadow, we'll have her deck guns and armour to keep us safe, and in return we'll keep the gnats off her hide. We'll dig in like Everfree ticks, and make the Imps pay for every meter with a hundred bodies. From there it'll just be a matter of holding on until reinforcements arrive or Stalwart's systems are repaired enough for flight.”

To Flitter's surprise, the Commander grinned, and shot her a stiff backed salute. “I like your gumption kid. I'll get my ponies into position. Are you sure your soldiers can hold the line without us?”

“I'm very sure. And please, do not salute me or anybody else in the field. I'd rather not have my head taken off by a sniper.” Flitter nodded to Commander Bulwark, as the Commander had the sense to look a little surprised and sheepish.

“Sorry, still getting used to this whole 'trench warfare’ thing.” Smiling and nodding to each other, the two parted ways; Bulwark headed to speak to her ponies and spread the plan, and Flitter to speak with Warlock Hail and his Warlocks.

As she cantered up, her question in mind deflated swiftly, as she saw that the warlocks were sweaty and tired looking. “Warlock Hail!” Flitter called out as she approached.

“What do you want, Knight Lieutenant?” Hail shot back gruffly as another lance of energy shot out from his horn.

“I'm preparing a fall back to Stalwart's position, how much longer can you keep this up?” Flitter ducked into cover near the warlocks, and looked to Hail.

“A minute, maybe less.” Sweat was beading down the old stallion’s muzzle as he continued to exert himself.

“Then hold your fire!” Flitter yelled over the shriek of incoming shells. “We're preparing a fallback to Stalwart Liberty's position, I don't want to have to carry you there!”

The older stallion shook his head. “There is no use. The Elements have been stolen, and our airship destroyed. It will be futile for us to try to hold out. Help will not come in time.”

It took Flitter a moment for the words to register, and the shock to subside. When it did, the shock was swiftly replaced with anger. “Then release your Warlocks to my command, I'm not sacrificing lives because you're too much of a coward to keep fighting when things get tough!”

Warlock Hail’s features scrunched in indignant anger. “I am not a coward! I-”

“You're an idiot and a coward! You're an idiot for thinking that we've lost, and a coward who's willing to give up all because of some set backs!” Flitter barked back.

“You call this a setback!? The Empire has us outnumbered sixty to one! We are of no use here any longer.” He said as he looked to the other warlocks, who averted their gazes.

“You might think we're all doomed either way, but I'm not going to stop until I’m dead. I'm not leaving Ponyville, until every last civilian is accounted for and evacuated.” Flitter met the Warlock's gaze steadily. “I suggest you start galloping for Canterlot, because if I see you anywhere near the front line, I'll have you shot.

A tense second passed between the two, as neither refused to budge. It was the other warlocks who broke the stand off.

“I'm going with the guard.” One of the warlocks announced. “I'm not going to roll over and die.” The other two shared a look between each other, before nodding agreement. Without another word, they set off to rejoin the guards, and do what they could.

Letting his head hang slightly, the Warlock pulled his head dress off and sighed. “It must be a thing of youth, the thought that you can stand against a god and win. First the Archmage, now all of this…”

“It's just you now, Hail. Are you with us, or against us?” Flitter's wing went to her side arm. The thought of what may come next brought a grimace to her features.

“I've stood by Equestria for fifty years. I've seen the rise and fall of Discord, the human revolution, and now this. This… World War. We've never faced anything like this before, never. I can't foresee any way this could end but our deaths.” Hail glanced over as Flitter drew her sidearm slowly. “Are you going to kill me? Why? Because I offended your sense of honour?”

“No.” Flitter answered levelly. “I'm not going to let the enemy get a hold of you. Whatever your feelings here are, you'll work gladly for them. I'll ask you one last time. Are you with us, or are you against us?”

“Please. Make it as painless as you can…” Hail sat down, and looked to his hooves as Flitter cantered around to his side. “I suppose father was right.” Hail murmured to himself as Flitter pressed the barrel of her side arm against his head. “I should have been a banker.”

The shot was quick, and muffled by the flesh it instantly entered. As far as Flitter could tell, the Warlock had died instantly. Pausing for a single moment to regard the dead warlock, Flitter shook her head, before galloping back to her command dugout. She had a battle to lead.

The withdrawal began shortly after, with the guard leading the civilians off into the woods as quickly as they could. Bullets snapped and hissed over head, while the mortars continued to fall like rain. The dead defenders littered the shallow trench line, though the bodies of their attackers were piled so high that machine gunners had to push the bodies over however they could to maintain a clear firing line. The call soon came for the next wave to fall back, and Flitter was there to answer it.

Sending half her force back, Flitter called for smoke shells to begin dropping on her position. As the first shell began to fall, the Imperials pushed their advantage, and begun the assault anew. As she gunned down everything that came into her sights, Flitter soon found herself firing on faces she recognised. Rangers. A pang of sorrow struck her heart as she continued to fire, no amount of sympathy would stop her from firing. They deserved swift deaths, at the very least. The rangers only ever came in teams of two or three; probing the equestrian trench line, and often sniping at anybody they could draw a bead on. No doubt the main body of the fallen rangers was waiting for the right moment to swoop in and kill them off.

“Ma'am!” Mythic yelled to Flitter, before waving her over. “The last group just made it, we're good to fall back on your order.” Taven's unit, and several others from her own were the only ones holding the line, and it seemed the Imperials knew it.

Grabbing the radio, Flitter made the call. “Stalwart, load HE and fire on the same coordinates, give us one minute.”

“Copy that Knight Lieutenant. Good luck.”

“Let's go boys!” Flitter yelled as she waved toward the forest. “We've got fifty seconds!” The last of the smoke shells landed, obscuring the entire trench line. The remains of JSOG rose from their positions, their gear gathered and stowed for the run. The distant sound of howitzers gave them all the extra encouragement they needed to gallop as hard as their tired bodies would allow.

“Maskmaskmask!!” Taven cried as he pointed back toward their line. They'd only gotten a street away from their old position, though they were about to enter the open ground around Ponyville.

Chancing a glance over her shoulder, Flitter felt the cold pain of fear in her chest when she spotted the masked griffon descending toward them. The mask looked ready to discharge, and likely catch them all in the radius. Jack wouldn't be there to save them this time.

The first of the shells screamed earthwards, throwing up great gouts of earth and shrapnel. The griffons mask crackled with energy as he lifted his eyes skyward and began to shout. A bullet struck the mask, only to be destroyed by whatever magic wreathed the item. Flitter's soldiers were firing at the mask bearer, in the hopes of killing him before he could finish the short spell. It wouldn't be enough, however. The mask’s crackling energy reached a cusp, just as Flitter began closing her eyes to accept the inevitable. Hopefully she'd bought the others enough time.

Her train of thought was interrupted, as Simoh's rifle boomed, and Order's magic didn't wash over her body. The masked griffon's head snapped back as the heavy caliber bullet slipped through the eyeslit of the mask, and blasted the wearer's brains out. The shells were now raining down around them as the squad cheered loudly, and Flitter dashed toward the fallen Imperial. A shell landed painfully close, peppering Flitter with hot shrapnel, and opening her legs up with a dozen smoking hot cuts. Ripping the mask off the fallen soldier, Flitter galloped and flew as fast as her body could carry her. With the shell falls growing only slightly quieter as they crossed the open fields, the squad just barely managed to reach the tree line as Imperial bullets began finding their way back to them.

Despite the danger, Flitter found herself laughing, and soon, the others were infected with it. Not only had they escaped death and capture, they'd spit in the Imperials eyes. Upon reaching the shadow of Stalwart, Flitter returned herself to professionalism, while most of the squad dog piled Simoh, crushing the now squawking griffon with embraces.

“We were afraid you weren't going to make it!” Commander Bulwark stood out on the trenchline and smiled. “Glad to have you back with us- what the hell is that?” The commander gestured toward the mask that hung off of Flitter's barding.

“It's an imperial control mask. We killed one of their officers in the retreat. If we destroy it, any imperial forces in the area will have the spell on them broken.” Flitter looked around, investigating the trenchline. It was quickly dug, but the guard's earthponies were second to none when it came to earthworks and engineering. The trenchline stretched across Stalwarts port side, and pushed forward roughly two hundred meters. Plenty of fighting pits, and fall back positions. With it likely getting even more fortified with the days to come, Flitter was pleased with it, at a glance.

“No shit…” Bulwark murmured as she gazed at the mask. “How do we destroy it?”

Flitter paused for a moment as she considered the question. The mask had stopped bullets in their tracks, but Jack had smashed it to bits with his fist. “Physical damage, as far as I know. My CO destroyed one with his fist, but his titanium may have messed with the magic…” Flitter frowned deeply as she continued to consider things. She couldn't exactly test, in case she did destroy the mask and waste their only chance at saving the rangers.

“Well.” Bulwark nodded in thought. “It's more of a chance than we had earlier. Something's bothering me though… if they had a mask, why didn't they use it? They could have, easily.”

Again, Flitter drew a blank and shrugged. “I have no idea. It was still charging magic when we were retreating, so maybe it was only recently brought up?”

“Maybe they have an effective range.” Bulwark sighed. “Oh well. I'm just glad you all made it. The civilians are safe inside the ship, though the crew is messed up from the crash. We're not looking at a lot of reinforcements.”

“Right…” Flitter breathed a soft sigh. “I'm going to head to the bridge, keep your ponies at it. I want these lines reinforced and armed to the teeth. We don't have anywhere else to fall back to.”

Frowning softly, Bulwark nodded in agreement. “You don't need to remind me. Can you send some of yours into the ship to get us more of this ammunition? My men tell me they are almost out.”

“You get these lines reinforced, I'll make sure that hot food and cold water make their way out here too.” Flitter cast a gaze toward the sky as clouds began to gather. “It's going to get cold.”

“We best get to work then, Knight Lieutenant.”

Aboard the Imperial Flagship, Carolus eagerly awaited the arrival of the cruiser leading the Ponyville operation. The news on the radio was just too good for him to believe without seeing it with his own eyes. However, his excitement was curtailed and smothered by his guests. King Xerox and Darneil flanked him on either side, awaiting the same ship. Carolus hated them. No, he loathed them. He loathed changelings, in both their appearances, and their ways. King Xerox was manageable, he was loyal and kept to his hives and operatives. Darneil however, was a constant thorn in his paw.

As much as it vexed Carolus, Darneil was the one who had control of the changelings, so as much as he wished to throttle the disgusting wretch, he couldn't afford to lose allies who willingly followed Order.

“There they are.” King Xerox was the first to spot the cruiser, as Carolus was momentarily lost in his disliking for changelings. The cruiser was approaching the flagship, and was still fully manned as far as Carolus could see. After the disaster that had happened before the assault on Stalliongrad, Carolus wasn't going to take chances.

“Have them radio in and confirm.” A tense few moments passed, if only for Carolus, before the call was answered and the correct code phrase was uttered. It wasn't much longer before the cruiser was floating next to the Flagship, and the gangplanks had been secured. The Elements of Harmony trotted over, while his operatives carried a stretcher and wheeled a heavy crate over. Carolus could hardly contain himself as he descended the steps and moved to see his prizes.

The Elements lined up, and upon inspection, were most certainly understand his control. The whites of their eyes were tinged blue, like all of his followers, though the Element of Magic had Order's magic positively glowing from her eyes. “Wonderful. Simply wonderful.” Carolus cracked a very rare smile as he turned to look at the human who was strapped down tight to the stretcher. “Is this-?”

“Knight Captain Kessle.” Ada answered stiffly. “Captured, by your order.”

Today was a good day. “And his armour? Weapons?”

“Removed.” Ada slowly gestured to the heavy crate.

“Excellent! Most excellent! Men, take the trophies down below, my scientists will be eager to rip them apart and learn their secrets. Ada, ensure this human does not awaken until we reach Hunter's Perch” Carolus paused for only a moment, as he turned and looked to Darneil. “You know what to do now, yes?”

The hybrid simply rolled his eyes as he lifted the drape covering Jack, and observed him. A moment later, green fire enveloped his body. When it extinguished, Knight Captain Jack Kessle stretch out and groaned, before testing his voice. “Just drop me off somewhere close to the Equestrians. I'm not going to walk all the way there.” Darneil, now Jack, began rooting through the box, digging through the human's belongings. Stealing his clothes and pulling them on, Darneil soon lifted up the exoskeleton and threw it over his shoulders, only for nothing to happen.

“Needs… plugs…” Ada forced the words out, and the mind control magic couldn't keep the disgust from her voice.

“Grab one of the weapons and get off my ship.” Carolus ordered, causing Darneil to grunt, and pull the sabot pistol and it's holster free from the pile. “Do you remember your mission?”

“Yes Carolus, good lord above. I'm to infiltrate Canterlot, assassinate Celestia, and steal the Chaos Core.”

Sneering, Carolus snapped his talons, and pointed to the bulkhead door. “Ada, have your men secure our prizes. Darneil, begone. My patience for your prattling has worn thin enough.”

Setting his hands on his belt, Darneil fixed Carolus with a stare. “I still think I should infiltrate the military unit he was in. I'll be far more trusted if I return with them, instead of alone.”

“The Joint Special Operations Group has been a thorn in my side for far too long. You're the master infiltrator, make do without them.” Carolus snapped at Darneil, his thin patience having run out.

“I'm telling you Carolus, we stand to gain a lot more if we let them live.” Darneil was fitting the odd holster to his leg while he argued with Carolus, and to his surprise, he wasn't thrown off the ship.

Cracking a sneering smile, Carolus approached the now taller hybrid. “I'll tell you what. Infiltrate the JSOG unit. If they survive, you get your wish. If they do not, well, then you had best hope that the Progeny can see through your disguise.”

With his features growing ashen, Darneil nodded. “You're on, Carolus.” Without another word, Darneil crossed the gang plank, and boarded the cruiser.

As the cruiser chugged back toward Ponyville, King Xerox turned to Carolus. “What do you plan to do with the human?” Ada's ears pricked as she stood by, and her soldiers carried Jack downwards, into the bowels of the ship.

“We're going to break him, and have him serve our cause.” Carolus turned to look at Ada, though she didn't look back. “Isn't that right, pet?”

The siege had begun.

With her unit dug in deep, and the royal guard surrounding them, Flitter watched as the Imperials began setting camp around the forest. They were too far away to really reach out and touch, but the same went both ways. Both sides were virtually untouchable through the thick foliage, unless one paid the price and closed the distance. Flitter had cursed when she'd discovered that Stalwart's pack howitzers were completely out of ammo; the guns were little more than glorified paperweights now.

Climbing up the stairs to the bridge, Flitter was forced to flap her wings occasionally to keep her balance, as the entire ship was tilted roughly to the side by it's resting place. The bridge was a place of organized chaos, though it was possibly the brightest place on the ship with the power out. Emergency lighting had lit her way upwards, but now the fading sun filtered in through broken windows, casting shadows on dead instruments and drying blood. The remaining crew were doing what they could to fix instruments and clean up broken glass. The acting captain stood in the command pulpit, doing his best to coordinate his remaining crew. Acting Captain Jewels was a skinny earthpony stallion with a grey coat and the bars of a naval commander. His eyes flicked to her as she entered, and relief became apparent on his features.

“You made it! We were all very worried up here that you wouldn't.” The lines across the stallion's muzzle and eyes had seemingly grown much deeper in the short span of time they'd been deployed.

“It was a close one, that's for certain… Give me a situation report.” Flitter rested her flank up against a destroyed console as she did her best to ignore the still drying blood under her hooves.

Nodding, the Acting Captain slumped into the captain's chair. “All of our magical instruments are out, that includes propulsion, communications, primary lights, medical equipment, and shield systems. We're running on backup generators for emergency lighting, though the generators should last us quite some time. The Lance cut right through us, though the worst of the damage is on our port side. We have… twenty confirmed KIA, and sixty seven wounded.”

Wincing heavily, Flitter looked up and met Jewel’s eyes. “I'm sorry for your loss. We'll pick up the slack on the ground to make sure no more of your ponies go down.”

“I would take you up on that offer, if I believed there was any slack left for anybody to pull.” Captain Jewels sighed as he sat back. “Captain Chord was badly hurt when the Lance hit us. He's in the medical bay.” There was another short pause as the officer thought. “As far as I know, no civilians were killed in the crash. We have what has to be all of Ponyville on board. They're in the hangar and adjacent cargo bay.”

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in, Flitter felt the first tingle of relief she’d had in several days. “Good, I was… I was concerned. I have family among them.” Flitter smiled softly for a brief moment, before returning her mind to the task at hand. “How many combat capable aero-marines do you have?”

“We have our standard complement of one hundred and twenty aeronautical marines, and I was going to have my Chief Petty Officer see if any among the civilians are willing to wear a vest and pack a rifle.”

“So…” Flitter did the math in her head. “We’ve roughly two hundred trained personnel, plus whoever you can grab from your sailors, plus whoever we can convince among the civilians... I don't think we should take on the civilians for combat roles. Not yet. How are we with food and water?”

The Acting Captain winced a little. “We didn’t have a chance to restock when in Canterlot, we’ve a week, if not less, for our current numbers. We weren’t anticipating having to feed an entire town on this journey.”

Sighing softly, Flitter nodded in understanding. “It’s alright, I’m sure somebody will come and help within that time. They have to. All we have to do, is hold out long enough for them to have somebody to relieve.”

“My technicians are working as we speak to secure long range comms with Canterlot. I’ll keep you advised of the situation. I’ll have my cooks run some cauldrons of soup out to your people outside right now, if you’d like.”

Flitter smiled weakly, and nodded. “Please. I need to grab some ammo, and munitions. I’ll be within reach of a radio, so feel free to call either myself or Commander Bulwark up if you need us.”

There was a brief pause, before the Acting Captain spoke again. “What happened to Warlock Hail?”

Flitter’s features fell for a moment, before she hardened them and met Jewel’s gaze. “Warlock Hail is dead. He was unwilling to help us further, and was going to be captured by the enemy. I did what I had to do.” Flitter held her gaze on the captain, who silently judged her actions.

Nodding slowly, and looking away, Jewels sighed. “I understand. We all do. There’s no quitting this fight, is there?”

“No sir.” Flitter answered with a salute, before trotting off as the Acting Captain saw to his bridge crew.

Slowly descending the stairs into the hangar bay, Flitter let out a long, drawn out sigh. She felt tired. Maybe a rest soon would help. Giving her head a shake, Flitter continued onward toward her objective; the armoury. As she loaded herself down with belts of ammo and filled her pockets with grenades, somebody cleared their throat by the door, drawing her attention.

Standing by the armoury doors was a royal guard, specifically the one who had been guarding the door when she entered. “Ma'am? There's… some ponies here to see you.” The guard glanced over his shoulder, though now Flitter could hear the murmuring. “A lot of ponies.”

Furrowing her brows, Flitter moved toward the door, though she was hardly stealthy with the hundreds of rounds hanging from her body and the dozen grenades bulging her pouches and pockets. Stepping passed the guard, Flitter was greeted by almost a hundred ponies, if not more. Mayor Mare stood before them, smiling her politician's smile as the civilians choked the area with their bodies.

The Mayor spoke before Flitter could think of anything to say, as her eyes scanned the crowd. “Good day, Lieutenant! We're here to sign up!” The silence that greeted the mayor was apparently not what she expected, as she cleared her throat awkwardly. “I said-”

“I heard what you said.” Flitter adjusted a belt of machinegun ammo as it began to bite into her neck. “The answer is no.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd of ponies as the mayor blinked in shock. “B-but… We're here to help! We can fight!”

“No, no you can't.” Flitter affirmed as she met the crowd with a flat, unwavering gaze. There were a lot of faces she recognized in the crowd, her sister included. “You're all untrained civilians, this isn't some book, or hero's tale. You aren't going to make a difference, and by trying to be heroes, you all are going to get somebody else killed. Dozens of ponies have already given their lives to protect all of you.”

“You can't keep us from protecting our homes!” Somebody in the crowd shouted; Flitter though she recognized the shriek. Others yelled in agreement. “We're going to defend Ponyville!”

Anger was beginning to lace Flitter's mind, and for once, she didn't let her mind’s voice remain unheard. “If you ponies wanted to keep Ponyville safe, you would have joined the militia! But you didn't! And I don't know if any of you have noticed, but Ponyville is no longer under Equestrian control! If you folks really want to make a difference, help out in the ship, and stay the hell out of the way of the professionals.”

Angry murmurs spread through the crowd, causing the fur on Flitter's neck to stand on end. Eyes were looking over her, into the armoury. The Aeronaut at her side was equally uncomfortable, but had stayed silent so far. The crowd in front of her was developing into a herd, utterly focused on one goal and ignoring anything else. If she was unlucky, things could devolve into violence. The thought made her cringe. The murmurs were growing louder, climbing in decibel until the ponies in front of her were practically yelling. For a moment, she made eye contact with Cloudy. Cloudy was scared, that much she could tell.

Mayor Mare fixed her glasses, and upturned her nose ever so slightly. Flitter didn't give her a chance to speak as she unholstered her pistol, and pointed it toward the roof. The ponies in the front cringed away in fear; Flitter held her fire, and instead bellowed at the top of her lungs. “SHUUUT THE FUUUCK UUUP!” Unsurprisingly, all the voices around her went silent out of fear. “All medical personnel, lift your hooves!” Only a few hooves went up, from ponies she knew didn't work at the hospital. Likely they'd already gone to the medical bay. “Anyone with training, report to the medical bay, now!!” She glared at the crowd as several ponies shuffled off. “Cooks!” Her old manager and co-workers from Founding Mares lifted their hooves. “Mess hall!” And such, she carried on, bellowing orders until the crowd had dissipated. Only a few remained, the unskilled labourers, and weather patrol. “You all will be ferrying ammo!” She made eye contact with each of the ponies. “You will follow directions, and you will keep your heads down! If you lift your head in a firefight, you'll die. If you get in somebody's way, you'll die. If you're simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, you'll die!” Flitter maintained eye contact, and watched the bravado bleed away to rightful fear. “Your job is to ferry ammunition, nothing more, nothing less. You'll follow orders to the letter, is that clear?”

The murmured affirmatives did little to ease her rough mood. Without another word, she gestured for them to follow her into the armoury. There, she began loading the carriers down with bullets and grenades. As she laid belts of ammo over Cloudy's shoulders, her sister looked to her, and smiled softly. “thank you.”

“Please, don't thank me.” Flitter muttered. “You won't want to soon.”

The defenders were soon settling in, as the dark night rolled over them and bathed the forest in complete darkness. They could see the fires in the distance, the lights of the enemy's camps. They were being surrounded.

Fires were banned, if only to keep them hidden from the enemy. Unicorns who could create magical heat became fast friends with whoever they were hunkered down in their foxholes with. The cold rolled in with the dark, and coiled around each and every one of them tightly. It was only going to get worse.

The enemy didn't attack the first night.

They attacked the second.

Ponies were sent in, prodding their defenses and testing their response. The response was swift, and deadly. The rest of the second day was quiet, as the corpses of Carolus’ unwilling army cooled on the forest floor.

The third was not.

Mortar shells began to whistle down, and throw up dirt as they landed haphazardly among the reinforced trenchline. Another wave of attackers were sent to their deaths, and their bodies piled up along the designated kill zone. The night was worse, as Imperial snipers kill three guard as their unicorn accidentally created too much heat, and started a fire. The light created had them killed within moments. The last of the group had been gut shot; unable to reach the wounded through the sniper fire, the defenders were forced to listen to his agonizing wails of pain for hours, until he finally bled out and died.

Late into the night, distant machine guns began firing, sending tracers high into the sky. A cacophonous boom sounded sounded shortly after, and a flash of fiery light light up the horizon for a brief moment. The defenders paused in what they were doing to watch, and listen. Shortly after, the laboured drone of a single rotor aircraft was heard nearby as it swiftly lost altitude. With ponies scrambling to find signal flares, their hopes were dashed when the drone of the engine died, and was replaced by a distant bang.

The fourth day proved no better. The Imperials were finding their range, and were making the Equestrians pay with every mortar. Repairs were still slow going on Stalwart, and morale was beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel. The fourth night was when the terror set in. Inequine shrieks split the night, and echoed through the trees.

“Progeny…” Taven muttered as he hunkered down next to Flitter. “They've brought their monsters out to play.”

“How did we kill them before?” Flitter murmured as she rubs her hooves together over the warm heating element.

Taven's momentary glance only saw her heart sink further. “Jack.”

The howls didn't stop, and carried on for hours, halting sleep, and setting everyone on edge. The campaign of psychological terror proved highly effective, as few of the defenders were ready when the next wave of bodies hit.

Again, the wave was comprised almost entirely of brainwashed civilians, dragged from the streets of Manehattan. Mares in evening gowns wore imperial battle-saddles, and police ponies charged Flitter's lines with bayonets. Regardless of who they'd been in their past lives, they all died the same as Flitter hunkered down and set her rifle to semi-automatic. It was almost too easy, just squeezing the trigger and sending lead into ponies who prior, hadn't wanted anything to do with the war. Flitter fired another shot, feeling the muted kick of her rifle as the heavy round blasted the top of a mares head off as she sprayed automatic imperial lead at Flitter's foxhole.

“Fire in intervals! Don't let them close with the trenches!” Flitter bellowed as a guardspony slid into her foxhole and peeked over the brim, only to have his brains pushed through the back of his head by accurate rifle fire. “Snipers! Heads down!”

“Simoh, eleven o’clock!” Taven yelled, before ducking his own head as Simoh and his spotter began hunting for the snipers.

Peeking out, Flitter was swiftly forced to duck as a round threw dirt in her eyes and skipped off the brim of her steel helmet, earning a yelp and a curse from the mare. The second shot didn't come, as Simoh's rifle boomed over the others. Lifting her hoof slightly in thanks to the sniper, Flitter returned to her firing position. She would be there for hours, firing into the forest at flashes of muzzle flare, unknowing if she'd scored a hit. All the while, the Progeny shrieked with glee just beyond her range.

The fourth night, thankfully, was quiet. The Warlocks fired magical flares high into the sky, bathing the forest in light. Huddled up around a cauldron of hot soup, Flitter found herself accosted by Commander Bulwark. The stout mare was plastered with dirt, grime, and blood. She looked as if she could stare through a hundred miles of solid stone.

“Knight Lieutenant?” She asked quietly as one of the aeronauts ladled her a big bowl of hot soup.

“What do you need, Commander?” Flitter already had her chilly hooves wrapped around a bowl of her own, and was surrounded on both sides with her soldiers doing the same.

Sliding into the foxhole, the commander didn't answer for a moment as she quickly scarfed down her food without expression. Flitter traded a look with Minerva, as the Commander finally spoke. “That… screaming. Earlier. What… “

“Progeny.” Flitter answered quietly, as all conversation died. “They're literal monsters. Some kind of… experiment, or something. I don't think anybody knows what makes them.”

Nodding slowly, the Commander cradled her sword. “How do we kill them? Can we?”

Flitter cast a look up the side of Stalwart. “The fifties. Best we can do is hope the AP rounds will punch through their hides. Maybe the Warlocks can do something, if we're lucky.”

“Luck and hope…” Bulwark sighed softly, and rubbed her eyes. “Where the hell are our reinforcements?” The question wasn't posed to Flitter, as everypony huddled for warmth in the foxhole was thinking the same thing.

The fifth day proved to be a bloodbath, as a horde of civilians descended upon them, acting as living shields for Imperial Regulars. Tracers arced and bounced through the forest, flashing overhead and slamming into the ship's thick hull. Mortars whistled down, throwing up plumes of dirt and showered those around them with hot shrapnel. The silent advance of the Imperials was more disturbing than any war cry, as they marched and died with only a whimper. As bayonets were mounted and brainwashed civilians were run through, Flitter's mind went to the mask in her bag, and when she should use it. If she used it now, all she'd get for her efforts was another load of civilians, wounded and starving and scared out of their wits. As much as it ate away at her soul, she told herself to save it for a more worthwhile target.

A terrified scream drew her attention back toward her lines, just in time to see Cloudy fall out of sight, into a foxhole. Panic gripped Flitter's heart, and saw her abandon her foxhole to charge across the brief stretch of open ground to where Cloudy had fallen. Tracers nipped at her heels and churned up the ground around her as she galloped for all she was worth. Sliding into the foxhole, Flitter found her sister huddled up against another pony belonging to the weather crew. Cloudy's side was slick with blood, and she'd dropped her ammo into the hard dirt; the pony at her hooves had been shredded with machinegun fire and now lay dead with her eyes wide open.

“Cloudy!” Flitter yelled as she grabbed her sister, fearing the worst. “Are you hit?” She frantically looked over her bloodstained sister, but couldn't find any wounds l. “Cloudy, come on… talk to me!”

Cloudy's eyes had unfocused, as she continued to stare at the fallen mare, whose blood was spattered across her chest and muzzle. It took a mortar landing nearby to pull her back into reality. With a cry an anguish and terror, Cloudy flung herself at Flitter, and hugged her tight. “I WANNA GO HOME!”

Trapped by Cloudy and now covered in blood and tears, Flitter could only embrace her sister, and pull her deeper into the foxhole to avoid the streaking tracers that whipped by overhead. “Cloudy, cloudy you need to listen to me! Hey, look at me!” Flitter shook her sister roughly, earning a cry of anguish and more sobs. “You're gonna make it through this! Just keep your head down, and make a run for the ship when I say so! Do you understand?” Flitter looked to her sister's face, and felt her own heart falling to pieces as she watched her older, stronger sister fall apart in her hooves.

“I wanna go home…” Cloudy bawled into Flitter's chest.

“I know, I know you do, we all do, but right now I need you to be strong, I need you to listen to me!” Flitter peeked up over the berm of the foxhole, and cursed as Imperial Regulars broke through and passed over her old foxhole. Jamming her bayonet into place on her rifle, Flitter pushed Cloudy into the blood filled bottom of the foxhole, and rose to fire. Her first burst ripped into a young griffon’s chest, and sent him tumbling face first into the ground. The second was clipped by two rounds, but carried onward, and the last charged her with a bayonet as her magazine clicked dry. With a flap of her wings and a vicious howl of anger, Flitter dodged the imperial bayonet, and rammed her own into the soldier's neck. Ripping it out, Flitter rammed it into the griffon’s eye socket to make sure. She was already kicking her spent mag out, and fumbling for a fresh one as the wounded soldiers she'd failed to kill charged her with his talons outstretched.

Flitter grunted as she was tackled to the side, and only just managed to lift her armoured forehooves up to protect her face and neck. The griffon slashed at her, ripping at her uniform and cutting her forehooves where the armour plates didn't cover. Flitter cried out in pain as the razor capped talons skipped over the armour plate, and ripped into her cheek. Twisting her body, Flitter took another slash across the base of her neck as she rammed her bayonet into the young griffon’s stomach. Seemingly unbothered by the mortal wound, the griffon continued to rip away at her, before Cloudy slammed a rock up against the side of his head. Stunned, the griffon fell to the side, were Cloudy leapt upon him with a cry of terror, and began beating the griffon to death with the stone in her hoof.

Pulling Cloudy off the dead griffon, Flitter hugged her tight. “He's dead! He's dead, stop!” Dropping the stone, Cloudy all but collapsed against Flitter, her eyes wide in horror.

With a shudder, Cloudy vomited once, before speaking with a voice that was torn between a scream and a cry. “A-are you alright?”

Flitter could feel the pulsing of her own blood, trickling down the back of her neck and cheek; the blood caking into her fur. She nodded. “I'm alright! Get back to the ship, now!” Flitter's heart fell into her stomach when she heard the shriek of the Progeny, and felt them approaching. “NOW! Go now!”

“I'm not leaving without you!” Cloudy screamed over the sounds of the horrors approaching, though she didn't have to fight Flitter to get her demand seen to. Rising up from the foxhole, Flitter hauled Cloudy out by her drag handle, and all but threw her forward. The pair set off at a dead gallop, headed for the more reinforced trenchline, where the majority of friendly forces were centered.

“GET READY! HERE THEY COME!” Flitter bellowed as she slid into the trench and fixed her rifle down range.

“Come and get some, ugly!” Taven yelled to the enemy as he racked the heavy charging handle on the fifty.

As if on cue, one of the largest progeny, the ones looking like ogres, burst from the treeline; its massive feet churned up frozen ground as it sped toward them. Fire shifted, and rounds peppered the beast's hide by the dozen. It easily crossed the first line of foxholes, and the defenders who had lagged behind were swarmed by the Imperials who followed in the beast's wake. Thankfully, the Equestrians were ready for the Progeny. A magical blast reached out from one of the warlocks, and struck the beast in the side as it crossed the open ground. The ogre seemed unconcerned about the magical blast, and carried on it's way, giggling as it grabbed a fleeing guard and ripped them in two. Grenades exploded at it's feet, peppering it's belly with shrapnel. Still, it carried on through their fire, before entering the killzone. Taven bared his fangs as the fifty lurched in his hooves and began belching out a storm of steel jacketed lead toward the ogre bearing down on him. The Progeny yowled in pain and lifted a great paw to cover its face as it lurched from the impacts.

“COME ON YOU MOTHERFUCKER!! GET SOME!” Taven roared in defiance as he continued to depress the trigger. The heavy bullets bit deep into the progeny's hide, blasting great chunks of it's flesh off as it struggled to carry on it's forward momentum. It's final moment came when one of the Warlocks crushed it into the ground with a great magical hoof, effectively pinning it in place. The ogre thrashed and fought until the heavy rounds turned its head to chutney, and cries of victory went up along the line.

Celebration ended swiftly when the corrupted rangers fell upon them from the flank with accurate rifle fire, and scores of aero-marines and royal guard fell in response. “They're in the trench line!”

“Taven!” Flitter yelled over the din of combat. “Keep up the fire! Mythic, radio the bridge and tell them to button up! The rest of you, CQC weapons! Let's clean this trenchline!”

“Right behind you ma'am!” Minerva pulled a sword from the scabbard of a fallen guard, and waved her squad forward. “Come on you sonsabitches! Into the breach!”

Darneil truly did hate Carolus. The griffon was a brat, to say the very least. A brat with delusions of grandeur, an overinflated ego, and generally a shitty attitude. But most of all, Darneil hated him because he'd forced him to walk. After four days, the forest was all looking the same, and Darneil was almost entirely convinced that he’d doubled back once or twice on accident. Of course, that had been before he'd passed by the burned out husk of the imperial cruiser in charge of the operation, and he’d finally managed to pinpoint the sounds of gunfire, coming from deeper inside the forest. His entire journey would have been considerably faster if Carolus had simply dropped him off closer, but the Emperor wanted to see Darneil suffer.

He was going to have to be very careful with how he approached the fallen ship. With his disguise, imperial forces were sure to shoot at him, but on top of that, if he charged in, the Equestrians would surely shred him. Despite all of Carolus’ prattling regarding how weak and soft and awful the Equestrians were, there was a very good reason why the EQ’s had won nearly every military engagement since the start of the war. Darneil didn't want to find himself on the receiving end of Equestrian sharpshooters.

Pulling the strange pistol from it's holster, Darneil turned it over and frowned deeply. It was unlike the ones he'd trained with, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how to make the damn thing work. After several minutes more of fumbling with the weapon, he gave up once again, and continued toward the ever louder sounds of battle. He could feel it now, the raw emotions that were being poured out by the defenders. Unfortunately, they were all foul with anger, sadness, and terror. Darneil’s stomach grumbled as if on command, reminding him the last time he'd fed was days ago; a scrap of lust from a mind slave. Grunting and focusing his eyes forward, Darneil tried to ignore the thought and the feelings.

He could see movement ahead, possibly Imperials. Darneil paused, and ducked behind a tree as he observed. It was a pair of young griffons, hardly old enough to be considered for military service. They'd dug out a foxhole, and were… What were they doing? Darneil furrowed his brow as he crept closer to get a better look. He soon rolled his eyes in disgust was he spotted the small pony who had been strung over an open fire to cook. The pair of griffons sat silently, watching and waiting. A rifle belonging to one of them leaned up against the side of the shallow foxhole, just behind the griffons. With a glance to the pistol he couldn't make work for the life of him, Darneil steeled himself, and stole forward as silently as his feet would allow.

Carefully wrapping his fingers around the barrel of the rifle, Darneil lifted it up and away. Silently flipping off the crude safety, he shot both griffons in the back. The pair crumpled as the rifle blasted loudly, and soon the smell of burning feathers filled the air. Pulling one of them back from the fire, Darneil quickly stripped the griffon of his webbing and spare magazines. Looking over himself, Darneil frowned lightly. He was dirty and tired, but it didn't look like he'd fought his way free of anything. He had to make himself presentable.

A few minutes later, Darneil found himself spackled with blood, and stained with the scent of cooked flesh. He'd spotted tracer fire earlier, and knew he was close. All he had to do was make it across no-mans land. Putting on his best scowl, Darneil practiced with his stolen voice as he began his final approach.

As quietly as he could, Darneil approached the raging inferno of combat. The ragged clearly caused by the Air-Carrier’s crash was a heavily fortified line of foxholes and earthworks that spread around the airship's side. Bodies strew the area like discarded toys, and tracers filled the air like deadly fireflies. The Imperials had advanced over the first line of foxholes, but had apparently lost their momentum and were now stalled out. Both sides were trading blows, and it was unclear who was going to be the winner. With a deep sigh, Darneil steeled himself, and bolted across the open ground.

Bullets zipped over his head and spat dirt up at him as he ran, though through luck, or providence, none bit into his hidden chitin. Tells went up the line as he approached, and some of the bullets coming his way stopped as Equestrians yelled encouragement to him. Sliding into the main trenchline, Darneil shook the dirt from his black hair, and let out a breath of relief. After his second of reprieve, he looked to the Aeronaut next to him. “WHOSE IN CHARGE HERE!?” He had to yell over the chatter of guns and whistle of bullets.

The Aeronaut pointed further down the trench, before getting back into his position. As Darneil moved through the trench, he was forced to stop as a sniper’s bullet took the head off of the gunner before him. Muttering a curse, Darneil shook his head and carried on. No. He wasn't Darneil anymore. He was Jack. Knight Captain Jack Kessle. He had to look the part. Bringing up a foul scowl, Jack moved deeper into the trenchline, searching for the pony in charge.

She found him, before he found her. Jack froze as the emotions of Knight Lieutenant Falenas crashed over his defenses like a tidal wave, and flooded his mind. He was so overcome by the love, relief, and joy the mare was pumping out, he completely blanked, and missed what she'd said. She had to shake him to get him to focus again.

“Jack! Are you alright!?”

Flitter was holding on to his bloodied hand, looking up at him with bright eyes. The imposter could hardly get his words together. “Y-yeah. I'm fine, darlin’. What's the situation?”

Relief from Flitter struck him like a sledgehammer, and he almost vomited. “Oh thank Celestia. We're completely surrounded, we're completely cut off, and we've got the civilian population on board!” She ducked down as a mortar landed nearby and threw dirt across the trench. “What happened to the Elements?”

Now was the moment of truth. Jack shook his head as he hunkered down in the trench. “Imperial spec ops shot us down, and they got us with a mask. My armour was destroyed, and I only just barely managed to escape. I tried to get them out, but they were turned, Twilight nearly killed me.”

Flitter's features scrunched up in pain at the report, though she nodded in understanding shortly after. “Alright. What's the plan?”

The imposter blanked. Had he been the real Jack, he'd have an answer; instead he had to wing it. “I don't have one, you know the situation better than I do.” He slumped against the trench wall and feigned fatigue. “You're doing great. I'll follow you.”

Jack felt relief as Flitter nodded, and set a hoof on his shoulder. “Just rest. I've got it under control.” He couldn't help but shiver heavily as she touched him, and poured more of her raw emotions into the unwitting changeling. Wrapping a scarred hand around the hoof, the imposter reveled in the intoxicating feeling.

Pulling away after a long moment, Flitter reloaded her rifle, and set off down the line. Some of the team had noticed Jack's return, and were already moving in to check on him out of concern. Flitter couldn't remain by his side, no matter how much she wished for it. She had a battle to win. “Secure that right flank! I don't want any more rangers getting in!”

“Lieutenant!!” Flitter!!” Mythic waved toward her frantically, which had her running. “Bridge has comms to Canterlot, they want a sitrep!”

Flitter inhaled deeply as she came to a stop. Looking around, Flitter watched as the Imperials slowly crept upon their trenchline, and the clearing was shredded with gunfire. “BROKEN ARROW!” She bellowed at Mythic, who nodded once, and repeated the message.

Within the walls of Canterlot Castle, Celestia and Luna were approaching the radio room, as they'd just been informed that communications had been reestablished with the Ponyville task force, after close to six days of silence.

“I say again, Broken Arrow!” All personnel within the radio room stopped, and looked to the set, before scrambling about to relay the cry for help to all available units.

Celestia froze upon hearing the words, though Luna simply seemed confused. “Sister? What does it mean?”

Swallowing thickly, Celestia lowered her gaze. “Broken Arrow is used when a friendly force is on the cusp of being overrun.” Without a word, Luna turned on her hooves and began to march back into the castle. “Luna!” Celestia called after her. “What are you doing?”

“Retrieving my armour! Have the fliers from Stalliongrad begin their bombing runs, I will join the reinforcements.”

“Sister.” Celestia spoke softly, causing Luna to slow ever so slightly. “Be careful.”

“Of course.” Luna nodded, before teleporting herself into the armoury.

“Ma'am! We've got Stalliongrad bombers inbound, ordnance stacked up every thousand feet from seven thousand to eighteen! Ready for your call ins!” Mythic ducked as another round bounded off his sandbag barrier.

Waving a hoof over the forest and the trenchline before it, Flitter yelled to be heard. “You bring them in now! Danger close! Cook those Imp’s asses!”

“Yes ma'am! Firebrand, this is Stalwart one one two, requesting ordnance on grid location six niner echo four! Danger close!”

Flitter galloped through the lines, popping off shots as she moved from squad to squad, checking on them and making sure they were alright. The medical station was nearly overrun with wounded. The medbay inside the ship was equally bad, and as such, Private Marvich had found himself leading a pair of nurses in seeing to the myriad shrapnel and gunshot wounds that couldn't be sent into the ship. “Air support inbound! We're almost through this!” The wounded and the medical staff cheered, before getting interrupted by another mortar, and a scream for a medic. Moving onwards, Flitter spread the good news down the line, and did her best to cajole morale upwards. The first bomber reached them by the time she'd reached Commander Bulwark. “Get your people back! Get them back now!”

The single engine craft roared by overhead, it's wing mounted machineguns tearing up the ground and anybody in the way. Moments later, the underslung bomb was released, and tumbled to the ground. Magical flames roared out of the ruptured vessel, and soon a ten meter stretch of treeline was consumed with roaring fire. Craft after craft came down, firing bursts from their machineguns, and dropping magical bombs onto the heads of the Imperials. The heat washed over the defenders, causing them to duck their own heads to hide.

Running back to Mythic, Flitter spotted one of the bombers coming in far too hot. “CALL HIM OFF! CALL THAT SON OF A BITCH OFF!

Spotting the bomber, Mythic yelled into the radio. “Firebrand five two, disengage! I REPEAT, DISENGAGE!” The bomber pulled up at the last moment, its deadly cargo remaining in its cradle.

Another bomber passed by overhead, too close for comfort. It's bomb loosed from its cradle, and plummeted to earth. Falling too close, several royal guard were engulfed in the boiling wall of flame. Mythic stared in horror at the sight, as the ponies pulled themselves from their foxholes, and began stumbling back to the main trench. Their screams of horror and agony were nearly engulfed by the roiling flames that bathed their bodies. Flitter shook Mythic roughly. “Keep those bombs coming! You're the only thing keeping us alive!”

Mythic nodded, gritting his teeth as he screamed the next location to the flyboys. As Flitter turned, she heard the howls of anger over the roar of flames. Opening her mouth to scream a warning, she found it was too late as the muscular progeny charged through the wall of flame, and ate away at the distance between them at an alarming rate. “PROGENY!”

Jack cursed as he looked up, and made eye contact with the beast as it ran on all fours. The Progeny howled with glee, and immediately turned its full attention to him. With terror gripping his heart, the imposter raised his stolen rifle, and began firing at the beast as it closed with him. Finding it doing nothing, he yanked the pistol from it's holster, and willed it to work.

Flitter was nearly next to Jack when the Progeny leaped over the trenchline, and wrapped its massive paws around his chest. Slamming him into the hull of the ship, Jack gasped in pain, and dropped his pistol to the frozen ground. Feeling the anger well up inside her, Flitter screamed in fury as she scooped up the pistol, and leapt at the beast's face.

Again, the imposter was overcome with raw emotion, but it was not the emotion that left him slackjawed as the small pegasus slammed into the progeny’s head and fired a round through it's skull and turned one of its beady eyes to molten jelly. The beast released him as it roared, and turned it's horrible attentions to Flitter. Grabbing her, the Progeny screeched in fury, and ripped one of her hooves off, spraying blood across the dirt as the errant limb was sent tumbling. Flitter screamed in return as the Progeny reached for another one of her limbs, but she refused to allow it the satisfaction of disarming her. Jamming the pulsed sabot pistol it's it's ruined eye socket, Flitter switched the weapon to full auto, and sent four steel spikes through its skull and out the back. The blasts of plasma that followed cratered it's awful features, and left nothing but a charred neck for a stump. The Progeny’s body tensed, and as it began to convulse, it started to squeeze the life from Flitter.

Jack watched as the colour drained from Flitter's face, and found himself at a crossroads. If he let her die, it was one less obstacle. However, if he had her live, he'd get more love to eat than he'd ever tasted in his entire life. The choice was simple. Jumping forward, he began to pry the thick fingers off of her, while yelling for help.

Help came swiftly, as several JSOG operatives leapt into action, and began to pry Flitter free from the dead Progeny's deathgrip. Blood was flowing freely from her ruined shoulder, and her discarded hoof lay in the dirt some ways away. Flitter cried out in agony as they finally freed her, and pulled her back toward the ship. Jack found himself carrying the wounded pony, staring into her eyes as she repeated his name over and over again, while holding him for all she was worth. Once she was handed off to the medics, he found himself lost.

The battle continued on without him, with the rest of the imperial force pressing down on the exhausted defenders. The reinforcements that the Imperials had received were telling, as even after the firebombs they were still coming in heavy. Machinegun fire laced the air and pierced the wall of flame that split the two forces. Unfortunately, it didn't separate them for long. The Imperials crashed through the wall, setting themselves ablaze as they continued to attack, despite their flesh boiling from their bones. Soon the gunfights devolved into frantic melees, where flaming ghouls beset desperate guardsponies.

As the final defensive line was reached, and the combat reached its fevered pitch, the Equestrians reinforcements finally arrived. The Princess of the night landed with a sonic boom, throwing griffons and ponies alike into the air as she bellowed a challenge to all who would take it. Behind her, carriage after carriage of royal guard, militia, crystal guard, and Minotauren pioneer landed in the open ground, and disgorged troops into the field. With Luna leading the charge, the Equestrians crashed into the Imperials, and shattered them like glass.

Jack could only hide within the trenchline, pretending to care for a dead pony as the battle raged on. He wasn't going to risk his life when he was so close to proving Carolus wrong. Truth be told, he didn't want to get any closer to the lunar diarch, as she cleaved a dozen in twain every time she swung her midnight blade. Even the Progeny, in all their rage and hate, failed to so much as scratch the alicorn as she crushed and boiled them with magic.

As the last remnants of the Imperials were mopped up by the joint force, Luna trotted over to the beleaguered defenders and planted her midnight blade in the frozen earth. “The cavalry has arrived. Stand down, all of you.”

Chapter Fifty Four: Desires and Old Memories

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A splash of frigid water ripped Jack back into the conscious world, causing him to yell in shock as he bucked forward. He stopped short of leaping out of his chair, as he swiftly found that he was chained to the chair and pinned in with thick leather straps. Blinking hard against the harsh light that shone in his eye, Jack struggled to piece together prior events in his head.

“Is he awake?” Jack struggled to place the male voice as he shut his eye to the blinding light.

“Yes.” A woman's voice, quiet and monotone. He recognized the voice as one he knew well, if only he could place it…

Jack opened his eye again as he looked to the pair of silhouettes as they stepped before the harsh light. A griffon stood next to Ada, clad in what he could only assume was regal garb from the gold that shone under the light. “Where am I?” He asked with a croak. He hadn't realized how dry his mouth was until he'd opened it, and now he found himself wishing they'd throw more water at him.

“Hunter's Perch.” The griffon was male, and sounded oh so very confident. Jack took an immediate disliking to him. “Specifically, the dungeon. Are you comfortable?”

Slowly closing his eye, Jack let out a hard breath through his nose. Things were falling into place now. He'd been captured, again. Snake was dead, the Elements turned.

They're going to torture you. Until you crack, and give them what they want.

He recognised the voice in his head, and knew the words to be true. “I could use some water.” He spoke quietly to the male griffon, and earned an amused laugh in return.

“You didn't get enough during your wake up call? Very well. Bitch! Fetch our guest some water.”

“Yes my emperor…” Ada turned, and walked out briskly, leaving Jack to scowl.

“Now.” The griffon turned the light to the side, sparing Jack's eye. “We're going to get to know each other, very, very well these coming days. You're going to tell me everything I want to know, and then you're going to help me topple the corrupt regime of the Equestrians. Their chaos ridden society cannot be left to stand as it is in the eyes of our Lord.”

Jack didn't answer as he watched Ada re-enter the cell, and cross over to him. She lifted a metal canteen and pressed it gently against his lips. He drank greedily, despite the foul copper taste it held. Letting out a soft sigh, He looked up at Ada as she stepped away, and looked to the griffon for direction. “So.” Jack licked his teeth and frowned as he too turned his attentions to the griffon. “Who are you?”

“Hm, I suppose it won't hurt for you to know the name of your new master. I am Emperor Carolus, appointed of the Empire, and first to our Lord, Jalgromak, god of Order.”

“Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle, serial 5467-7123-0019. I'm going to kill you.” Jack leveled a smoldering gaze at Carolus, who smirked in return at him.

“Oh I'm sure you think that. Tell me, how many ships do the Equestrians have?”

“Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle serial 5467-7123-0019.” Jack repeated, keeping his features blank as he looked down.

Carolus rolled his eyes at the act. “Bitch, loosen his tongue.”

On command, Ada strode forward, balling her fists. She struck him hard in the stomach, hard enough to drive the air from his lungs. The second fist met his tensed abdominal muscles, and didn't hurt nearly as much, though he was still reminded of how badly she'd beaten him in the ring months ago. Ada continued to gut punch him, until Carolus spoke.

“That's enough. I'll ask you again, how many ships do the Equestrians have?”

“Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle serial 5467-7123-0019.” Jack spat on to the floor.

Now Carolus was frowning. “Your resistance only serves to annoy me. You will tell me everything I wish to know, and you'll do it soon.” The Emperor placed a claw against Jack's ruined cheek, and dug the tip into the thick scar tissue, earning a dribble of blood. Grunting, Jack surprised Carolus by spitting in his eye. “Gah! You swine!” Carolus recoiled as the glob of spit ran down his cheek, before he wiped it away.

“I hope you don't have any plans, fucker. I'm not telling you a goddamn thing.” Jack grinned at the enraged griffon. “You ugly little bitch.”

“Ada!” Carolus shrieked. “Get the battery!”

Jack chuckled as Ada turned on her heels and marched out of the room like a toy soldier. “You think this is my first time? We're gonna be here foreeeeever~”

Carolus sneered hotly as Jack as he cleaned the spit from his fur. “Your bravery only means more suffering for you!” He looked to the door as Ada pushed a trolley through, which held a large, crude battery and a set of jumper cables upon it.

Jack clenched his jaw, knowing full well what was coming. You just can't seem to escape from it, can you Jack? Mark whispered in his mind as Ada approached with the cables, and clamped them to his tense muscles. If I were you… I'd find a hole to hide in. Jack grimaced, knowing that Mark was right, again. Completing the circuit, Ada stepped back as Jack's body went rigid against the straps that held him in place. Energy pulsed through him, causing his vision to shudder as his eyelid flickered rapidly. Jack clenched his teeth tightly and fought back against the pain.

“Enough!” Carolus yelled, and the energy flowing through his body stopped, seeing Jack collapse back into the chair and pant. “Let's ask a more pointed question. What are the Princesses planning to do next? When is their next operation?”

“Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle serial 5467-7123-0019!”

“What are they planning!” Carolus demanded.

“They're planning to fuck you in the ass.” Jack muttered with a grunt of pain.

Casting a look to Ada, Carolus nodded. “Again.”

This time, Jack couldn't keep his scream inside. As his body jerked and pressed into the chains and straps, he screamed. His body felt as if it was going to overload his mind with the pain. In the cold of the room, his sweat wafted off him as steam while Ada continued to torture him. His screams of pain echoed through the dungeons.

They would stop sometimes, and ask him a question, but all they would get in return was “Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle serial 5467-7123-0019.” Eventually, Carolus became enraged, and excused himself from the room. Jack heaved weakly as his body rebelled against the agony it had been forced to undergo, but as Ada moved for the door, he managed to lift his head, and speak. “Ada… if you're still in there… I'm gonna get you out… I'm not leaving you behind…”

The woman paused at the door, her hand trembling softly as it hung before the door handle. She slowly looked over her shoulder at him, the blue magic wafting off her eyes like smoke. “Stay...strong… Jack…” the magic in her eyes strengthened, and she turned away from him. Ada opened the door, and left, leaving him cold, wet, and alone in the stone cell.

Welcome to hell, Jackie boy.

“This isn't hell… I've been to hell, and I got out of there too.” Jack grit his teeth. “Sammy.”

Yes father?

“How… how far away is your body?”

The woman has me.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and mutters a soft curse. “This isn't gonna be easy. At least… Flitter, and my crew… they'll find me. Nobody gets left behind…”

Flitter awoke in the hospital, staring up at the softly humming lights. She scrunched up her features, and moved her hoof to shield her eyes from their glare. Only, no hoof appeared in front of her eyes. Furrowing her brow in confusion, Flitter looked over, to find that her entire right front leg was missing at the shoulder. The memories of how it had been lost trickled in through the drugs that flooded her brain. Slowly closing her eyes, Flitter mutter a soft curse, before perking at the sound of an opening curtain. Jack smiled softly at her as he brushed by the hospital curtain.

“Hey.” He approached the side of her bed, and sat down next to her. “You had us all worried.”

Flitter smiled back at him as brightly as she could manage, which wasn't very well. “Hey… is… did we get everybody out?”

Placing a hand on her side, Jack nodded. “Yes, you got them all out. The Princesses want to give you a big fat medal.” He began softly stroking her side, a move that earned a happy murmur from the injured officer.

“I… didn't do it for medals…” She swallowed lightly, and licked her lips. “I'm… I'm glad you're alright Jack… glad you came back for us…”

Brushing his hand up to her cheek, Jack gently gave her ear a rub. “Of course I came back, I couldn't leave you behind. You rest up, okay? I'll come in and visit you again soon.” Cupping the side of her face with his hand, he leaned in, and kissed her deeply upon the lips. Flitter's eyes widened in shock, before fluttering as she leaned into it. It ended all too soon for her, as Jack pulled away, and left her alone in the hospital room.

Walking confidently down the halls, Jack, or rather, Darneil, smirked to himself, and wiped his mouth. That had been by far the best meal he'd ever had. He needed more. He craved it like a drug, and like an addict, he decided he would do whatever it would take to get more. His mind went to his mission for a brief moment, before he pushed it aside. He'd do it all later. Right now, he had to dig in with the help of his fellow operatives, and become the man he was portraying.

“Jack!” A voice called from behind him, drawing his attention. His heart skipped a beat in fear as he found himself staring at Princess Celestia, and a large female minotaur in a bright red military coat sporting a crude metal prosthetic arm. “Do you have a moment?”

“I'll always have a moment for you, Princess.” Jack smiled amiably at the princess, causing her to blink in surprise, before smiling.

“Good. Do you remember Chief Yuma?” She gestured to the large minotaur, who straightened her back and saluted him.

“Of course!” Jack nodded to the minotaur, despite having no idea who she was. “You joined the end of the battle, didn't you?”

“Yes.” Yuma fell into parade rest, and looked down upon him. “We heard of the trouble in your lands, and came as quickly as we could. After all, it is thanks to you that we have the strength to defend ourselves.”

Celestia smiled, before speaking. “The Imperials seem to be leaving the minotaur tribes alone for now, and the newly united tribes have decided to send us help, which we are very grateful for. However, Yuma has a request, if you would have it.”

Nodding, Jack gestured to Yuma to speak. The minotaur shifted in a nervous manner, her bovine tail swishing slightly. “I ask that you take me and my soldiers, and use us as you would in your Jay Sog. We have trained long and hard since you left us, doing our best to mirror you and yours.”

Jack blinked, and internally, Darneil wondered what the generally pissy human would do. “... We would be honored to fight alongside you, but entry into the unit is for only the best. I'll meet with you later, and we'll talk things over.” He nodded to Yuma, who gave a crashing salute that caused him to flinch ever so slightly. As the minotaur chieftain excused herself, Jack found himself alone with Celestia.

“Jack. I understand that you gave a full debriefing of the events that happened over the last six days, but I wish to ask you some questions.” Celestia fixed him with a flat gaze that made Darneil feel anxious.

“Of course… I'll answer as well as I can.” Jack laced his fingers behind his back, and followed Celestia as she beckoned. Walking a short ways, the Princess guided him into a side room, where she turned to him.

“What happened in the crash? I wish to know everything. I need to know how the elements fell.” Celestia held him under her gaze, but he could feel the sadness hiding under her emotionless eyes.

Shifting, and leaning against the wall, Jack sighed as he ran a hand through his short cropped hair. “We made the pickup at Apple Acres, but came under fire as we waited for our pilot. As we flew out, we were hit by an imperial weapon that caused the vehicle to crash. The older mare was killed in the crash, and my armour was damaged. I would have broken my legs if… you know.” He gestured to his legs, indicating the prosthetics that supposedly hid under his fatigues. “Imperial special forces attacked us as we exited the wreck, and the elements attempted to use the Elements of Harmony on them. There was… a flash. A flash of light, and everybody stopped fighting. Corporal Forth stepped out as I tried to get my bearings, and she struck me with a weapon that destroyed my armour. I was forced to retreat as everybody in the clearing began to fire on me. After that, I don't know what happened. I heard a couple more shots, but that was it. I… I ended up getting hunted through the woods by their special forces.

That's why it took me so long to regroup with the forces at Stalwart.”

Celestia nodded slowly as she listened, and at the end, she let out a slow breath through her nose. “Thank you, Jack. I know you did everything you could… How are you feeling?”

Jack looked down and scratched the back of his head to avoid her searching eyes. “I feel awful, almost like I'm not myself. I feel guilty about leaving my team, and what happened to Flitter, but… there's nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is stay by her side.”

To his relief, Celestia nodded in understanding, and placed a hoof over his hand. “If you ever need to speak, I will listen. As for Flitter, we have our best doctors working towards having her back to full health and create a prosthetic for her. JSOG is on stand down for now.”

He smiled to her, and nodded his understanding. “Thank you, I'll come see you soon.” Breaking away from the princess, Jack's lips twisted in a cruel smirk. He was going to see her very soon indeed. Walking through the halls, he allowed his smirk to remain as human cleaning staff slowly joined him on his trip to his new quarters. All told, he had ten operatives at his beck and call. It felt good to be amongst his kin again. Opening the door to his new room, Jack took a moment to gaze around at his accommodations. “Very nice… very nice indeed. Asmodeus, have you discovered where the core resides?”

Closing the door behind himself, a rather burly human maid nodded. “Yes Darneil. It resides in the petrified corpse of Discord, south lawn.”

Jack smiled a little more as he lifted a black rifle off the workbench and gave it a quick aim down sights. “Even now, they're full of themselves. What about the project? Has anybody learned it's location?”

The youngest of them stepped forward, and bowed her head slightly. “We have not found the project entrance yet. We believe it's somewhere in the labs, but we can't get passed the feral human who resides there. She seems able to detect us despite our disguises.”

Nodding his head slowly, Jack slowly licked his lips, before his eyes fell on a small box of cigarettes. Remembering the dossier he'd read on the real Jack, he knew he would have to light the end and stick them between his lips if he were to complete his disguise. Doing so, he inhaled once the cigarette was lit, and immediately broke down into a coughing fit. “By the crown!-” He spat and tossed the cigarette to the floor. “Oh that was awful… eugh…” Shaking his head, Jack sighed. “At least we have an idea where the entrance may be. What of the sympathisers? Carolus wouldn't shut up about them.”

Another of his operatives answered. “We've made contact, and they've constructed a teleportation enchantment ring as per instruction. If they did it right, we can receive materials and reinforcements from Hunter's Perch of needed, and retreat through it when the time comes.”

“Well, that's something. We should eliminate and replace them as quickly as possible, I don't want any of them growing a conscience. Alright, back-” Jack paused as a hoof knocked at the door, and everyone in the room went silent. Gently placing the black rifle back on the table, Jack pulled a jet black stiletto from his boot, and walked toward the door. Opening it slightly, he found himself face to face with an Omega Hive changeling.

“Oh good, you're here.” The changeling looked to the side. “We need to speak about the infiltrators. I think they're planning something, and the princesses don't seem to be taking the threat as seriously as they should be.”

Jack nodded, and motioned for the operative to enter. As he did, the operative came to a sudden halt as he spotted the other humans. Grabbing the orange agent by the head, Jack jammed the stiletto into his neck, eliciting a choked gasp from the changeling. “It's under control.” He pulled the stilleto out, only to drive it in again, cracking the smaller changeling's carapace as it struck his heart. The changeling began to fight, but it was far too late, as the operatives pounced upon him, and saw to his demise.

Standing back from the cooling corpse of the operative, Jack wiped some of the viscous blood off his cheek and smiled. “Dispose of that body. That's one more obstacle out of the way.”

Jack wasn't sure when he'd lost consciousness, but again, he was awoken rudely with an icy cold bucket of water. Grunting in shock, he tested his bonds as he blinked hard.

“Good morning Knight Captain!” Carolus sounded very chipper today indeed. “How did you sleep? Oh who am I kidding, I don't care! Today another army joined our cause, the savage Zebras!” Carolus grinned at Jack. “How many armies can your soldiers beat without you, I wonder?”

Letting out a slow groan, Jack leaned back in the chair and closed his eye. “May as well get started, turkey boy.”

Carolus smirked as he waved Ada forward with a trolley of tools and implements. “With pleasure! Bitch, if he denies my answers again, you are to start with the top tools, and work your way down. Now, Knight Captain, I realize that a tiny cog such as yourself may not know the machinations of the princesses, so I'll ask you some more appropriate questions. How does your armour work?”

“Come talk to me when you know what a nanite is.” Jack answered briefly.

“Answer the question!”

Jack simply shrugged. “Dunno. It's above my nerd grade. Nanites, son.”

Carolus scowled at the man strapped to the chair. “Bitch, loosen his tongue.” Nodding simply, Ada strode over, and struck him harshly across the chest with a metal rod, earning a grunt of pain, then a laugh from Jack. She struck him again, this time in the stomach. Again, he grunted, before laughing as furious red welts grew across the lashings.

“If this is your idea of torture, I should introduce you to my ex fiance, she could teach you a thing or two…” Jack grunted as Ada struck him hard in the ribs, before grinning defiantly at Carolus.

Frowning deeply, Carolus motioned for Ada to halt, before moving to the door. “Bring water.”

“How thoughtful.” Jack straightened himself in his chair.

“Bag.” Carolus motioned to Jack, just before his vision went black as Ada pulled a burlap sack over his head. “Get him on his back.” Jack bit his tongue as Ada's boot impacted his sternum roughly, and both him and the chair toppled over backwards. Jack saw stars as his head hit the ground hard, and for a moment he felt woozy. As he struggled against his bonds, the bottom of the chair was lifted, before being propped up on something. Jack knew what was coming next, but it didn't help him.

The waterboarding lasted hours, as far as Jack could tell. At some point he lost consciousness, only to be revived by a griffon doctor. His head was soaked, and he couldn't stop himself from coughing roughly.

“I'm curious.” Carolus sat himself down on the edge of the chair, looking down on Jack's prone position. “What has the princess done to secure such loyalty from you? She's done nothing but lie to you.”

“Save me the crap-”

Listen to him. He's not lying.

Jack paused at Mark's statement, trepidation filling his mind. “Explain.”

Carolus smiled confidently. “You just realized it, didn't you? You're like Ada here, a lost human, just trying to get home. Celestia said that she couldn't send you home. She lied to your face, kept you here for her own needs.”

“Bullshit.” Jack spat as he glared up at Carolus. “She might be a bitch, but she wouldn't do something like that.” He spat more water as Carolus laughed.

“Why wouldn't she? Without your work and interventions, she would not stand a chance against the storm that is my new world order! Under her reign, hundreds of your kind have been imprisoned, tortured, raped, and killed. For all you have done for her, what has she done for you, but be mistrustful, and send you back into the fire with nary a days rest? Just wait, she will not send anybody for you, either. She has abandoned you.”

Jack didn't need to be told by Mark that Carolus was speaking truths. It didn't mean he had to like them though. “I'm not going to tell you a damn thing. And there is no way for me to go back. She dislikes me enough, if there was one, I'd already be gone.”

“Project Fartouch. I found my father's documents on it. A project between the two of them, to plunder the rest of space and time for what we lack here. Do you know why she didn't send you home?” Carolus smiled down at Jack, who scowled and growled in response.

“Why.”

“Because she loves Discord more than she cares for your life.”

Now don't do anything rash Jackie boy. He's telling the truth. Mostly.

“The hell you mean?” Jack growled again, but not at Carolus. Regardless, the griffon answered.

With a smile, Carolus waved Ada over, and with her, she carried a manilla folder. Taking it, Carolus showed several concept blueprints of what appeared to be a heavily runed circle ten feet tall and ten feet wide, a gate. “If my father's notes are correct, then the machine should have been finished for months, if not years. All they lack, is a power source of immense chaotic magic. The Chaos Core, that resides in the petrified corpse of Discord himself.”

Doubt wrapped around the stem of Jack's brain, causing him to close his eye and breath out through his nose. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Because, you have been misled. You've been tricked into taking the fall, and I believe that once you see the truth, you will no longer rebel so wholeheartedly against my questions. If you help me, if you rise up against your oppressor, I will forget about your transgressions toward me and my movement. I will give you what you want. The girl.” He gestured to Ada. “And a way home.” He tapped the folder.

Jack closed his eye again, and focused on taking calm, if labored breathes. inhale. Count to four. Exhale. Count to four.

Setting the folder away, Carolus turned to regard Jack once again. “Until you agree, you'll suffer agony for a country that has no love for you, and a princess who would sacrifice you a thousand times to save the lowliest scum of her own.”

Jack opened his eye, and licked his lips as if he were about to speak. Carolus paused, a smirk tickling the edge of his beak. Jack met his eyes as he spoke. “Staff Sergeant, Jack Kessle. Serial 5467-7123-0019. United American-Canadian Marines, Oo-fuckin'-rah.” He spoke slowly and methodically, driving each letter and syllable home as Carolus’ smirk crept into a scowl. He thought he saw the briefest of smile from Ada, before the magic in her eyes flared again, and she returned to her blank expression.

“Bitch, make him regret his insolence. I have better things to do.” Carolus waved a paw in irritation as he treaded toward the door.

“Yes Master.” Ada pulled the active jumper cables off the cart, and approached Jack with her blank expression. As the door clicked shut, she paused, looking down upon him. “I... Am... Sorry... Jack.”

Grunting as she pulled his chair back up, Jack shook his head. “Don't. I know it's not you. I'll get you out of here.” He looked up at her, and forced a weak smile. “Nobody gets left behind.”

“Oo... Rah…” Ada whispered before she clamped the cables to his body, and returned to torturing him.

Slowly opening her eyes, Flitter let out a soft yawn as she rolled over on her side to get the lights out of her eyes. As the light persisted, she let out a grumble of discontent, which earned a surprised gasp.

“Flitter!”

As Flitter cracked open an eye, She didn't have time to identify the voice as a pegasus clamped down on her with a rib cracking hug. “I'm so glad you're alright!”

“Hey Cloudy…” Flitter's brain clicked moments later, having finally recognised the voice of her sister. “What time is it?”

“I- um… noonish?” Cloudy released her ever so slightly to look up at the clock. “Oneish.”

Flitter groaned softly, and forced herself to sit up. “Is the doctor around? I need out of this bed.”

Cloudy blinked in shock, before sputtering. “Y-you can't! Flitter, you're hurt!”

“I know.” Flitter shifted and scooted toward the edge of the bed. “But I can't sit here. Can you get the doctor? Please?” Flitter looked up toward her older sister, and paused at the sight. Cloudy looked on the verge of tears. “I… I'm sorry Cloudy. What's wrong?” Flitter forced herself to relax in the stiff hospital bed.

“How could- I…” Cloudy swallowed, and looked down for a moment before meeting Flitter's eyes. “I um… I joined the militia… after everything that… happened I couldn't… I just…” She paused as Flitter reached over and took her sister's hoof in her own.

“I know how you feel. It's going to be okay.”

“Mom stopped talking to me…” Cloudy murmured softly as she slumped, and rested her muzzle on Flitter's shoulder. “I tried telling her what had happened, but she just called me an idiot and said I was going to regret it…”

Rolling her eyes, Flitter sank into the bed with a groan. “You know what? Fuck her. She's the one who's going to regret alienating her only children. She's got her head so far up her ass, I'm shocked she hasn't found out she doesn't have a heart.” Flitter glanced over and smiled as Cloudy failed to stifle a giggle of amusement. “What? It's true.”

“No, it's just…” Cloudy rested her head on Flitter's intact shoulder. “I'm really glad you're okay… I saw that thing attack you, and I didn't know what to do…” She swallowed thickly, before pressing a smile forward. “I came to see you earlier, but the doctors still had you drugged up. You seem a lot more coherent now.”

“I feel better. I just… you know.” Flitter lifted the shoulder that was missing the leg. “Feel like I've lost weight.”

“You know-” a familiar voice spoke at the curtain and Doctor Sable trotted in. “Having a sense of humor after an injury is a sign of good mental health. Hello again Flitter, Cloud Chaser. I hear you're a Knight Lieutenant now Flitter, Congratulations.”

Flitter smiled lightly at the psychologist as he trotted in and took a seat. Any other time, she may have been actually glad to see him, but now, she only felt trepidation toward the stallion. “Hey Doc. Did you need something?”

“Yes, actually. I'm here to assess your mental health. Concerns were raised over the debriefing that was provided.” The stallion pulled out some papers, and smiled again at her.

Flitter's smile had all but vanished by the time he had finished talking, and now Cloudy shifted nervously, before speaking. “Um… what kind of concerns? I mean, I don't think a lot of ponies would be alive if not for Flitter.”

“Well.” Sable leafed through his notes. “There is the abandonment of Ponyville-”

“It was a tactically nonviable location. We'd evacuated all the civilians who'd reached us, and Stalwart needed reinforcements.” Flitter answered sternly.

“-and the summary execution of a decorated Warlock?” Sable looked up at her, his eyes cold and unfeeling. Cloudy went quiet as Flitter leaned back into the headrest.

“Warlock Hail was going to surrender himself to the enemy. Either that, or he was going to be caught. He'd given up, and had stopped fighting in the middle of an assault. It's all in my report.”

“Yes, I can see that. However, you should have just arrested him, detained him.” Sable flipped a page in his clipboard, and maintained his air of neutrality.

Flitter shook her head. “Not in the middle of a firefight. I regret what happened, what I had to do, but if you put me in the same position again, I'd do it again, every time. Warlock Hail was unwilling, and possibly unable to fight on, and was most certainly going to be captured if he went through with his plan of desertion. If he'd been caught, we would have suffered his full power, something I couldn't let happen.”

Sable nodded slowly as he wrote down something. “I understand-”

“You don't. And I don't expect you to. Was there anything else?”

Flipping through his pages, Sable read quietly. “Allowing civilians into a military defence line. What possessed you to let them out of the ship?”

“You've got to be yanking my tail…” Flitter muttered.

Clearing her throat, Cloudy leaned forward and spoke. “There was a lot of us that volunteered. Don't mistake that, we all wanted to help, but Flitter didn't want us to. She had most of our group help in the ship. The rest of us were told exactly what was going to happen when we went outside, and what would happen if we didn't follow orders. She kept us safe.”

“Right, of course.” Sable scribbled something on his paper, before flipping it again. “I have some reports here that worry me, regarding the savagery that you, and to a lesser extent, your team displayed during combat.”

Despite her hardpressed self control, Flitter couldn't contain her disgusted snort. “If the generals have a problem with how we defended ourselves, you tell them, and I mean that, YOU tell them, that I'll gladly welcome them on the field, having to fend off ponies and griffons who don't feel any goddamn pain with nothing but an empty gun, your hooves, and a fucking seven inch bayonet.”

“So you're saying-”

“I'm saying it was a fucking meat grinder! The only reason you and those overstuffed fucks have a chance to ride my cunt is because of what we did to survive! I'm never going to get the images of what I did out of my head, I'm going to have to live with those memories every night for the rest of my life! And you know what? I know, deep in my gut, that no matter what you write on your papers, I'm going to be sent back out, to murder more poor bastards so ponies like you can sleep soundly without shells falling on your head.” Flitter fumed as she glared hotly at the stallion.

Swallowing thickly as he shifted in his seat, fixing his tie, Doctor Sable nodded slowly all while avoiding Flitter's piercing gaze. “Any other colourful insights?”

Flitter's brow furrowed hard into a hateful scowl. “This interview is over.”

At that, he nodded in agreement. “Indeed it is. Good day, Knight Lieutenant.” Without another word, the good doctor stood, and quickly walked out of the small curtained off area. As he left, Flitter became aware of just how quiet the busy hospital had become.

Coughing into her hoof, Cloudy scooted closer ever so slightly. “You sounded like dad.” She smiled weakly as she laid bother her hooves over Flitter's remaining one. “That was really scary, but also really awesome.”

Blushing ever so slightly, Flitter looked down as she smiled softly. “Thanks Cloudy. I'm really glad you were here. I just… ow… shoulder is starting to ache now.” Flitter pulled her hoof away from her sister's, and rubbed at her shoulder as if the action would relieve any of the pain she was feeling.

“Should I get a real doctor?”

“Yeah… please. And no reporters, they're almost as bad as psychologists.” Flitter relaxed as Cloudy trotted out of the room. She was alone for a short time after, alone with her thoughts and pained body. Thankfully, Cloudy soon returned with a doctor in tow. “Doc. How are things looking?”

“Well.” The mare fixed her glasses as she flipped through a clipboard full of papers. “We were concerned about the scope of damage caused to your shoulder by your injury, but it seems to be healing nicely. I'm told that your new leg is nearly finished, so hopefully we can have you walking again within the month.”

“A month?” Flitter slumped into her bed and let out a long breath. “Is there anything I can do to help it go faster? Anything?”

The doctor seemed confused as she tilted her head and furrowed her brow. “I'm sorry, but… no. This is almost a brand new field of medicine, there will be no rushing this, we can't afford for anything to go wrong.” The doctor paused, casting a glance over her shoulder. “It appears you have visitors. I'll get you some medication and leave you be.” Turning away, the doctor trotted off as a gaggle of ponies crushed into Flitter's 'room’.

Flitter smiled broadly as her team surrounded her, though she couldn't help but notice the wounds on them. Taven had bandages across his forehead, though his mane covered it mostly. Minerva was missing two teeth and had a bandage across her cheek. Mythic was hardly smiling, and held a haunted look in his eyes, though Baron was with him, and she seemed to comfort him. The others had a myriad of wounds, spanning from cuts and scrapes, to more major wounds that still bore bandages. They were alive though, and that's all that mattered to her.

“See? I told you idiots the Lt. Was too damn stubborn to let some ugly beast keep her down.” Minerva dusted her chest off with a hoof as she smirked. Some of the others chattered in return, filling the small space with a comfortable din.

Flitter sat up as he sister shrank slightly at the array of soldiers before her. “What's our status? Nobody has told me what's going on yet.”

Chuckling as he shook his head, Taven gave Flitter a comforting smile. “I should have assumed you'd be right down to business. We're on stand down while everybody gets healed, and that means you too. How are you feeling?” Again, a chorus of voices spoke after Taven, all bearing the same question, and concern for her health.

As she rolled her eyes, Flitter couldn't keep herself from smiling as her heart swelled with joy. “You guys worry too much! I'll be fine, the docs say I'll be walking in under a month. Are we missing anybody? It looks like we're missing some ponies.” Flitter tried to look over the faces of everybody present. “Where's Fangmeyer? And Peregrine?”

Minerva sighed, as the others lowered their gazes out of respect. Flitter knew what had happened before her sergeant spoke. “Fangmeyer jumped on a grenade, and Peregrine… died as well. Right at the end, caught a ricochet. Medics couldn't do anything.”

With the mood in the room having turned suddenly sombre, Flitter looked to each of her remaining soldiers. It felt like every time they went out, they came back a few heads less. A moment of silence passed over the group as they hung their heads respectfully. “I want you all to know.” Flitter started softly as she looked up at them all. “That no matter what happens, it was an honour knowing, and serving with all of you. You are the bravest, craziest bastards I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.” She smiled proudly as the others nodded.

Suddenly chuckling, Taven cracked a large grin. “It's only the end of the world as we know it, we've trained for that.” A chorus of laughs and groans was elicited from the pack of soldiers. Minerva smiled wide, and bumped Taven's shoulder lightly.

“Speaking of the end of the world, where the hell is our resident loose cannon?” Minerva asked, causing the others to look around at each other, shrugging in turn.

“He's probably in debriefing hell for losing the Elements.” Mythic muttered, and earned some nods of agreement. Baron nudged the comms jockey lightly, and spoke quietly into his ear. Mythic shook his head, as if disagreeing. “He still lost them. He had backup available and he sent them back.” Some murmurs rose up among the group.

Leaning back, Flitter rubbed at her eyes. “Look guys, we don't know what happened out there, all we know, is that it was bad enough Jack couldn't do anything. I think that says enough. What happened, happened. We can't go back and fix it, no matter how much we want to. We have to live with it, but I think that so long as we're together, we can handle the weight.”

“Oorah.” Taven nodded to her, as a murmured chorus slowly copied him. Flitter watched Mythic, as he eventually nodded and muttered the word.

“Maybe somebody should check on Jack?” Baron said lightly as she looked about.

Patting Flitter's bottom hoof, Minerva gave her a little smirk. “I'm sure he's fine.”

Jack wasn't sure what day it was, or how long he'd been locked up as a prisoner. The days were running together like bleeding paint, blurring his perception of things. To make matters worse, his mind was filled with the things Carolus had told him. How Celestia had betrayed him, betrayed everything he'd done for her and her land. The understanding between them that he was sure was fake. Hate festered in his mind like a voracious seed, until it was all his thoughts remained upon. No longer did he deny Carolus for the sake of Equestria, but for the simple sake of spite. Up until now, every tactic the Imperials had tried upon him had been unsuccessful in earning more than a long memorized name, rank, and serial number. Often Ada was instructed to stay behind after the interrogations, and beat him senseless. He hadn't left the chair since his arrival.

When the metal door swung open, Jack didn't both looking up at the griffon entering. The click of talons on the cold stone told him that he didn't need to, or so he thought. When the griffon spoke, Jack didn't feel hate for once. He felt fear.

“Well well well… so he has been hiding you from me.”

Jack jerked his head upwards as cold talons gripped his chin. Doctor Forge stared back at him, bearing a small smile as he inspected Jack's nude body. “Get the hell away from me, you cunt!” Jack thrashed at his bonds, but to no avail.

Forge seemed to ignore Jack's protest as he pulled a cart forward, covered in medical tools Jack was all too familiar with. “I just need a few more samples. This may hurt, just a little bit~”

Jack opened his mouth to roar at the doctor, but was cut off as the large needle was slid into his chest. Clenching his teeth hard enough to threaten cracking them, Jack clamped his eyes shut as he felt the needle begin to draw fluids out.

“Thank you for holding so still.” Doctor Forge murmured softly, as if speaking to a child scared of a flu shot. “Next, we need more marrow. I think… yes, spinal fluid will follow after, yes.” Doctor Forge looked up at Jack. “You have a wonderful body, 4859.”

“Go to hell!” Jack spat through clenched teeth as Forge retrieved a needle meant to draw bone marrow out.

Forge simply shook his head, and spoke as if he were gently chastising a child. “Have some pride, 4859. Your body will aid in bringing God back to this world. Feel pride.”

As the needle punched into his bones, Jack let his head fall back as he loosed an agonized howl. Fury and hate flooded his veins and mind as the blindingly hot pain stabbed at him. Wrenching his arm in its shackles, he was rewarded with the sound of a snapping needle, and white hot agony that spread through his entire right side like acid. Now shaking uncontrollably, Jack opened his eye and glared at Forge, as the hippogriff pulled out half the needle and regarded it with idle wonder. “Fuck your God.”

The door behind Forge opened with a groan, and Jack's usual torturers walked in. Jack had closed his eyes, and fallen back into his chair, so all he heard was the anger in Carolus’ voice. “Forge! What are you doing in here without a guard!? And without my permission!”

Forge turned to face Carolus and Ada; dropping the broken needle on the tray. “3901’s body was not enough for God's vessel. I required fluids and matter from 4859 to continue my work. You will not allow me to take the female’s, so I must have 4859’s.”

“How could that fat bastard’s body not be enough!?” Carolus squawked in shock. “Just how big are you making the vessel?”

“Befitting God.”

Carolus grunted quietly as he shook his head, before looking back to Jack. “He's bleeding all over the floor! Bitch, see to that wound! I won't have him bleeding to death before he gives me what I want!”

With a nod, Ada moved forward, and opened up the ragged tear Jack had ripped in his arm from breaking the needle. Without a gentle touch, the woman pushed her fingers into the ragged hole, causing the wound to squelch and squirt blood as she hunted for the needle. Jack jerked as her fingers dug into the meat of his body, his mouth falling open silently as the long needle was pulled out of his bone. His vision flickered from the agony, and the blood loss saw him shivering in the cold chair. The needle end clattered as Ada tossed it onto the trolley, and began bandaging the ragged hole. He panted weakly as his body convulsed; he was already trying to drag himself into his little mental hideaway.

“Good. Forge, what else do you need?” Carolus asked as Jack mumbled a mantra about fours.

“Cerebrospinal fluid. I require only a sample.” The doctor grabbed another needle as he stored what marrow he'd retrieved in a vial.

“Do it when I say. Knight Captain! Are you still with us?” Carolus pushed Jack's head up to look him in the eyes.

Spitting into Carolus’ eyes, Jack grinned like a feral savage. “I'm gonna eat your fuckin spleen.”

Stepping back as he wiped the spit from his face, Carolus failed to cover his disgust. “I'll ask you again, does Princess Celestia have any more weapons of mass destruction! We know you collected items for her!”

“She's got me.” Jack spat again, this time to the floor. “And whether she wants me to or not, I'm going to skin you, rape you to death, and then eat you.”

“How quaint. Take what you need Doctor.”

Jack went rigid as the needle pressed against the back of his neck, an agonizingly pained shriek loosed from his lips before he fell unconscious.

Awakening to the chirping of birds, Darneil smiled to himself as he rolled over and splayed himself out on the big bed. Today was going to be a very big day for him, and his operatives. Pulling himself out of bed, Darneil, now Jack, stretched out with a happy groan as he let the warm sun bathe his body. Throwing on some clothes, Darneil began his walk down to the hospital wing. As he walked, he did his best to hide his good mood; masking it with a one eyed scowl and an angry pace. It did wonders, as the busy halls saw a path being cleared for him out of fear and respect.

As he walked in, he found one of the doctors finishing the mounting of Flitter's new leg. He stood by, watching with idle curiosity as the magically motivated prosthetic was attached to a new metal mounting plate that merged with Flitter's flesh. The fur around it was entirely absent, revealing pale flesh under it that was ringed with angry red. The mare winced in pain as the leg finally clicked, and flexed.

“It's slow.” Flitter said quietly to the doctor. “And it pinches…”

“I'll come by later to make some calibrations, but for now you'll just have to get used to it. It'll take time.” The doctor said as she attached the metal covering to the ugly metal limb.

Nodding slowly, Flitter made small, deliberate motions with her new limb. Soon, the doctor left, giving Jack his entrance. Upon seeing him, Flitter smiled softly, and sat up straight, though her new leg continued to squirm and flex. “Jack, hey…”

“Hey yourself, fuzzy face.” He pulled the curtain closed, before walking over and sitting beside her bed. The taste wafting off of Flitter urged him forward like the smell of cooking food on the wind.

Brushing her short cropped mane out of her eyes, Flitter shifted and smiled a little more. “I missed you these last couple of days… the doctors say I'll be walking again soon.”

He smiled warmly at her as he set a hand on her metal hoof, ceasing its endless movements. “That's good news. We'll have to celebrate somehow.” He ran his fingers slowly across the cold metal, causing Flitter to blush ever so slightly and shift awkwardly again.

“So… about that… uh…” Her blush was steadily building, and it took all the willpower Jack had to keep from grinning wide. Coughing lightly, Flitter smiled nervously. “It's…”

“Good to see you.” He finished her sentence, and earned a nod. For a moment, the two sat in silence, though Jack was swiftly growing annoyed. He could feel everything she felt, he knew what she wanted to do, possibly even what she was going to say, but the mare refused to make a peep as she continued to look at his hand as it held her hoof. “There's something on your mind.”

Shifting nervously again, Flitter laughed. “Y-yeah… kind of a… weird place to say it though… that… when you kissed me, it was… out of the blue? I mean, not to say I didn't like it! I just-”

Jack held her hoof as he chuckled. “Want more?”

“Eheh… y-yes…” Flitter had blushed fully, and averted her eyes. “Is that-” Flitter squeaked, cutting herself off as Jack leaned forward. Cupping her cheek, he pulled her into a deep passionate kiss. Flitter's eyelids fluttered as she pressed into it, greedily kissing the man for all she was worth. When they parted, she found herself short of breath, and feeling slightly drained. “I've… I've wanted that for so long… Jack… Jack, I lo-” She gasped in surprise as he pulled her closer, his hands gripping her flanks. “J-jack-!”

He leaned in close again, kissing her ear, causing a shiver of pleasure to run down her spine. “If you've been waiting so long for that, I wonder what else you want…” As his magic fed into her innate feelings, Jack smiled slyly as her eyes flashed a soft green.

Shuddering at his touch, Flitter found herself throwing her inhibitions to the wind. “I want it all…”

“Say it.” He breathed into her ear as his hands fumbled with the unfamiliar belt that held his pants up.

Consumed by her feelings, Flitter stared up at him with lust filled eyes. “Fuck me…” The words came out a husky murmur, but they were all the imposter needed as he mounted her, and began his feast.

Flitter gasped sharply, and clung to his shoulders. Closing her eyes, she felt the need to cry out in ecstasy. Everything was right in the world, just for that moment.

“AAAAAAAAHHHH! FUCK!” Jack cried out as the needles were carefully inserted into his flesh, triggering pinpoints of agonizing pain. They were under his nails, in his joints, and scraping across his bones. Foam lined his lips as he forced himself to breath every four seconds. He could feel his grasp on reality continuing to slip; he couldn't tell how long he had been down in the dungeons, he could hardly remember the last time he'd eaten. As another needle struck the nerves in his shoulder, Jack's eyes fluttered as he fell unconscious from the pain.

He awoke, surrounded by blood, boiling oil, and sand. The smell of burning flesh and crude oil filled his nose, intermingled with the acrid stench of cordite and death. The tar-slicked skies greeted him once again as he opened his eye, and found himself laying on his back, halfway buried in oily sand. Great flaming pyres of crude oil lit the land, as no sun could ever pierce the deathly thick blanket that covered it thoroughly. The sensation of sinking clung to him, though he paid it no mind.

Leaning against the body of an overturned and thoroughly torched Bradley IFV, Mark spat a glob of chewing tobacco to the ground before speaking. “You know Jack, I've always wondered why this place is your little slice of hell, considering all the other places that would fit the bill.”

Shrugging lightly, Jack remained on his back as the oily sand continued to creep up his body. “Maybe I like it here.”

Pursing his lips, Mark slowly began to meander over. “You humans are so melodramatic. How's that escape going?”

“I'm working on it.” Jack closed his eyes, and exhaled through his nose as the oily sand covered his chest.

“Oh! You're working on it, well that's comforting, because, from here it looks like you're just having your ass handed to you on a platter. I'd very much so appreciate it if you didn't die, you're the last vessel I have, and I'd hate to die with you.” Mark crouched down, and looked at Jack as the ground continued to consume him. “Are you even listening?”

Jack cracked open an eye as the roiling sand crept up to his jaw. “You're afraid to die. Pretty pathetic for someone who claims he was a god.”

“You wound me! And, let me guess. You aren't?” Mark crossed his arms over his chest.

“Of course I am. I'm human.” Jack answered softly. “It's quiet here. I like it.”

“Father!” Samhain's voice reached his ears, just as they were submerged by the viscous muck. The olive skinned girl jogged over, and shouldered passed Mark. “Father, I have discovered where your escape lies. I know where to go.” Samhain's eyes went wide with panic as Jack finally sank below the surface. “Father?”

Slowly but surely, Jack pushed a hand out of the oil, and thankfully, Samhain took it. Hauling him out of the cloying muck, the girl looked him over with concern. With his skin stained pitch black, Jack began to walk to the road. “If you know the way, then all we need to do is escape. Ada's the key. Mark, can you disrupt Order's control on her?”

Following Jack, Mark barked a harsh laughed. “You're joking, right? Tell me you're joking.” When Jack said nothing, Mark groaned loudly. “I'm a splinter of a shade of my former self, and you're asking me to stand against my resurgent brother?”

“She's strong. She just needs a little push in the right direction.” Jack stood upon the road, his eye going to the boiling hellscape that stretched across the sky. “One moment, is all I'm asking for.”

“Pheh, humans.” Mark grumbled, before sighing in annoyance. “I'll try, not like I have much of a choice.”

Nodding to the unwanted rider in his mind, Jack looked back to Samhain. “You found their teleportation rune then? Carolus talked about it briefly. What about my armour and rifle?”

“Your arms and armour are in a nearby laboratory, Father. The woman and that griffon saw them several times.” Samhain let out a noise of confusion as Jack reached out, and gently pulled her closer before lightly kissing her forehead.

“You're a good girl Sammy.”

“Aw, do I get a kiss too?” Mark chided as he stood nearby. The flaming pyres in the distance were beginning to blaze uncontrollably, turning the skies into an inferno.

“Do your job and we'll talk.” Jack turned back to the fields as he breathed in deeply, taking in the violent stench of the place. “Send me back in.”

Planting his hand on the back of Jack's head, Mark smiled. “You got it, boss.” With a shove, Jack lurched violently back into the land of the living.

With a smile hiding under his scowl, Jack walked calmly through the halls of Canterlot castle, in search of the gardens. He felt good. Very good. He'd fed well off of Flitter, and she was going to prove to be a very useful thrall on the coming days once he finished infiltrating her mind with his magic. She was all too willing, and it made his work so much easier. Pushing open a pair of heavy double doors, Jack found himself outside, in the gardens. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he began what appeared to be an aimless wander, when in fact it was a methodical path toward the statue of Discord.

Finding the statue was a fair bit tougher than he'd originally imagined, if only because he walked by it once, not recognizing it under all of the bird shit that caked the rough marble.

“So here you are, god of chaos…” Jack muttered to himself as he came to a stop and looked over the statue. Looking it over, he soon found several cracked points in the marble that would take well to applied explosive force. Supposedly, inside the statue was the chaos core, an object of immense chaotic power. Carolus wanted it badly, but whether he'd use it for his own ends, or the ends of Jalgromak remained to be seen.

“There he is!” A voice sounded behind him, immediately shaking Jack from his musing and seeding a brief moment of panic in his mind as he turned around. A small group of JSOG operatives were trotting toward him, Taven, Minerva, and Baron included. “He's been hiding from us, I'm telling you.” Taven was the one speaking, and the Batpony gave him a light smile as they approached. “What gives, Jack?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack pushed a brief smile forward. “Sorry guys. I've just been… busy.”

Taven smiled back, while Baron cocked an eyebrow. “That's alright, we were just-” Taven stopped mid sentence as he sniffed the air, and blinked in surprise.

Minerva’s nose crinkled and her ears flicked about as she slowly adopted a mildly horrified expression. “You-”

Apparently unaware of the other's issues, Baron looked at them in confusion, before looking to Jack. “Have you visited Flitter recently? She was talking about you earlier.”

It was his turn to smile a little wider now. “I just saw her.”

Minerva's expression turned to full blown horror, her emotions tasting of jealousy and betrayal. “I… I need to… go do a thing.” Without another word, the burly mare cantered off, leaving Baron looking even more confused.

Shaking his head in shock, Taven sneezed and blinked hard as he tried to clear his head. “I can… tell. You dog.”

Now forcing his smile, Jack leaned against the statue. “Did you guys need something?”

“No?” Baron looked to Taven, clearly confused. “We just saw you and came over. Are you feeling alright? You're…”

“I'm what, Baron?” Jack asked with a stern voice, causing the disguised changeling's ears to flatten against her head.

“Nothing, I just… sorry.”

Taven cleared his throat loudly as he gestured over his shoulder. “We were going to go and get a bite to eat. Did you want to join us?”

“No. No thank you. I ate recently.”

“Oh. Well, alright.” Taven nodded to Jack. “See you around. Let's go, Match.” The pair split off from their captain, and exited the gardens. Once they were out of earshot however, Taven leaned a little closer to Baron. “Did Jack… seem off to you? He's acting weird.”

“You know…” Baron frowned as she thought. “He did. He really did. I could barely get any emotion off him.”

“He did seem a little cold, but that's not exactly what I meant. Something's… wrong. I don't like it.” Taven pushed open the door, and entered the castle.

Baron glanced at the one winged Batpony. “What should we do? Report it to the princess?”

“Gods no! Who knows how bad it could get if we did that. No, I think I'll keep an eye on him. He might have just messed himself up more this last mission…”

“True.” Baron continued to follow Taven through the halls. “But I can't remember when he ever smiled so much.”

Taven chuckled as he thought things over. “And with what he and Flitter did…”

“What did they do?” Baron asked innocently.

Quirking a brow, Taven looked to the mare. “You didn't smell that? At all?”

“Smell what? I'm serious.”

Taven slowly looked back forward, before shaking his head. “Changelings.”

________

Late that night, Jack exited his room in the castle, and began his late night stroll toward the gardens. In his small satchel, lay a block of plastic explosives and a detonator. He'd trained in setting the explosives back in the hive, but in the back of his mind the trepidation remained. He could get it wrong. The multicoloured wires still served to confuse him, and he had no real idea how the strange trigger assembly would detonate the explosives. The ponies out in the gardens were mostly asleep, and his target was far away from their tent city. As he walked, Jack was soon met by Asmodeus, and another operative.

“Are the others ready?”

Asmodeus nodded quickly. “Yes Darneil, they're ready to attack the labs on command. What is your plan?”

Approaching the statue of Discord, Jack took a quick look around to check if the coast were clear. “We still need to prepare more, infiltrate deeper. I'm currently converting the JSOG lieutenant, and the others don't expect a thing. When the time comes, I'll kill the princess, then destroy the statue and collect the core. You and your team will attack the laboratory at the same time, and destroy whatever they have. The others will secure our exit.”

“A simple plan.” Asmodeus watched as his disguised leader fumbled with the wires. “Will it work?”

Jack simply shrugged. “We shall see. As for simplicity, the simple plans are the most likely to succeed.”

“I was speaking of the device. I have full confidence in your plan.” The burly maid shifted, and looked about, still keeping watch.

“Eheh… I have no idea. We'll see soon though. Help me cover it up with this bird seed.”

Together, the pair worked diligently under the cover of darkness. Very soon, all of Canterlot would feel the vengeance of Chrysalis's hive, and learn to fear the reach of the Empire.

Chapter Fifty Five: A Fist Full of Chaos

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Time was a foreign concept to prisoners, between never seeing the sun, and irregular meals, it swiftly became impossible to keep track of anything but the hardships committed to the prisoner's flesh and mind. It was meant to be a means to break a prisoner, mentally. Time, while an inherently human concept, was crucial to a person's well-being.

In many ways, the tiny stone cell was exactly like the isolation cell he'd been placed in at the DRMSI building, and before that, the cell he'd inhabited within the old run down gulag back on earth. Both recent cells paled in comparison to that horrible place. The gulag he'd been imprisoned within for almost a year had been truly a hell on earth. A place where human suffering was so long engrained into the concrete, it was as if the decades of pain pressed down upon a person's mind like a vice and corrupted their very souls. It was a place where the men running it had long since perfected the act of torture, and turned it into a terrible art. They pushed men and women to the breaking point every hour of every day. Nobody left that place alive, unless their ransom was paid, and even then, it wasn't assured.

Jack had been forced to murder his best friend in that place, and it was an act that had long since imprinted itself upon his mind and soul. Everything done to him since was but a drop in the bucket created by the guilt he felt from his actions. The men who ran the gulag had thought they'd broken him. In truth, they had, but not in the way any torturer wants. They wanted him to talk, to divulge every little secret he had available in hopes of stopping the pain they were all too eager to dole out at a moment's notice. Jack did not break in such a way. He broke in a way that left behind a maniac, completely useless to their wants and needs. He was an animal, an animal that was freed after almost a year of hell by a Seal team. He hadn't even been the target of the raid, he was a happy coincidence, and they'd nearly left him behind because of the state they'd found him in.

Carolus had no idea what he was doing compared to those men. He was but a child, flailing futilely at concepts he had no grasp of. He screamed and threw tantrums that got him nowhere; every method used against Jack fell flat, failing to break what was already broken. Deep inside, Jack felt a perverse enjoyment watching the Emperor wipe bloody spit from his fur and squawk shrilly for Ada to continue the torture in his absence. Carolus could never hope to break Jack, nor could he hope to damage anything but his flesh, for his mind was already warped and bound in the burning sand of his past. Jack would not break again, or so he told himself as Carolus entered his cell once again.

“Already awake, are you? Good. I have many questions for you today. Bitch! Bring the tools.” Behind him, Ada once again entered the cell with the trolley full of crude torture devices.

“I don't think you're much of a fast learner.” Jack stretched as best he could in his bonds. “Is that why Mommy and Daddy were going to leave the empire to your sister? I can't blame them, leaving my country in the hands of a limp dicked retard doesn't seem like a good idea.”

Jack's barbed words never ceased to get a rise out of Carolus, though the griffon did his best to hide it. “Your crass insults mean nothing. I'm the Emperor, and you are naught but trash under my talons.”

“Your ruffled faggot feathers are saying different. You know... I wonder if griffon tastes like turkey.” Jack grinned wide as he started laughing.

Carolus scowled hard. “Let us begin. Tell me about your home planet. How many filthy humans are there on it, and what is your military stre-”

“Gobble gobble!” Jack interrupted, before breaking down into hysterics.

“I'm surrounded by idiots… How many-!”

“I heard you, fuck face.” Jack responded flatly as he stretched out his arms as far as the leather bindings would allow, which was about a quarter of an inch. “Do you just want earth, or the colonies too?”

Blinking in shock, Carolus stood silently for a moment. “Th-you… erm… all of it. How many humans?” He seemed caught off guard by Jack's apparent willingness to answer.

“Between two, and… uh… fuck, twenty nine billion. Give or take, I dunno.”

The Emperor blinked hard, and stood back as he tried to make sense of the words. “I don't understand-”

Jack rolled his eye in response as he spoke to interrupt Carolus. “Either Ada and me are the last humans, or not. As for military?” Jack started laughing. “You don't have enough bullets. You think the griffons are good at war? We perfected it, motherfucker. Every grunt on the ground is kitted like me, down to every last crayon eating private sleeping on shift. You step up, we will put you the fuck down.”

“You're lying.” Carolus straightened his feathers. “Bitch, make-”

“You ever wonder how badly things would be going for you if there were two of me?” Jack stared Carolus in the eyes. “What about three? A squad? A platoon? A god damn army? I pushed this backwater shithole’s tech level forward a hundred fucking years just by showing up, and I'm outdated now. Neither you, nor Celestia have any fucking clue the fuck up you're making when you fuck with humans.” Jack leaned forward against his bonds, and all but whispered. “We'll burn your world to ash. If my people don't, then I will.”

“Your bluster is no match to the power of God!” Carolus squawked.

Chuckling, Jack leaned back and let his smile build. “Let me clue you in on something. The last god we had? We crucified him.”

Shaking his head, Carolus turned away. “Ada-” He paused for a moment to clear his throat, in hopes of hiding the higher pitch that had just escaped his beak. “Beat the insolence out of him. I'll be in my chambers.” Ada responded with a simple nod as Carolus walked out.

Jack's laugh started as a chuckle, before it swiftly broke down into a maniacal laugh. “Gobble gobble!” Carolus shuddered as he exited the cell, and the door slammed shut behind him.

Ada approached, and Jack immediately stopped laughing. He could hear the clicks of Carolus’ talons on the stonework growing ever fainter as he walked away. His eyes flicked up toward Ada as she began wrapping her knuckles. “Are you in there Ada?”

He grunted in pain as she struck him hard in the stomach. The beating began, and seemed to last for hours. Jack bore it, endured it as best he could. His body ached painfully from each blow she rained down upon him, but he knew it would end soon. All he had to do was bide his time. Survive.

It started with a waver. Ada drew her fist back, and hesitated. Her hand shook, and sweat beaded on her forehead from effort. The blow came all the same, landing hard upon his abused ribs.

“Ada-” Jack grunted in pain again as she struck him. “Ada, I know you can do this… you can fight it, you gotta fight! You can do this!” He spoke through bloody clenched teeth.

The woman wavered again, and dropped her fists. His blood speckled her soft cheeks as she grit her teeth. Slowly she brought her hands up to her head; her face contorting in agony. “Get… get out of my head!” She let out a high pitched shriek of pain as she stumbled, nearly falling against the wall.

“Darlin’, listen to my voice, okay? You can do this!” Jack strained against his bonds. “You just need to cut me loose, and I'll get you out of here, I can save you!”

Tears running down her cheeks, Ada nearly fell to her knees. “O-oh god… oh god! J-Jack! Luv, luv please! It hurts! It hurts so fookin bad-” The woman's body shuddered violently, just before she vomited onto the floor. She panted, taking in great heaving breaths of laboured air as she struggled on her own. “P-please- j-just… just stop-!” She gasped, her hands now shaking violently as they dug bloody furrows into her scalp.

Jack strained further, willing himself to rip his bonds apart so he could help her. He regretted it now, asking Mark to push her. It was his fault she was in agonizing pain. “Just cut me loose! Please Ada! Please!” He begged her, his own voice going hoarse with hysteria.

With great effort, Ada pushed herself up, and drew his knife from her belt. Determination filled her eyes as she took leaden steps toward him. As she pulled her arm back to stab him in the stomach, Jack clenched his eye shut in anticipation. The pain of the blade entering his stomach never came, instead the sound of the monoblade thumping down through the leather and into the wood chair met his ears. Stumbling back as Jack looked to his cut restraint, Ada grit her teeth and fought back a pained scream, only to fail moments later.

“F-fuck! FUUUUUCK! GOD!” She fell to her knees, her whole body shaking like a leaf. Tears stained her cheeks as she slowly drew his revolver out of it's holster. “I want to go home!” She blubbered in terror and pain. “I want me Mum!” She slowly lifted the shaky gun barrel toward him.

Ripping at his bonds with energy he hadn't had for weeks, Jack continued to speak to her as she struggled. “Almost there, just hold on a little longer Darlin! I'm gonna take you home Ada, I promise, please, just hold on a little longer!” He struggled with the heavy chain that pinned his legs in place, keeping him stuck to the chair.

The revolver roared in the confined space, and Jack felt agony lance across his thigh as the fat hollow point ripped a furrow through his flesh. The gun went off again, blasting the chain off his legs as Ada jerked the weapon to the side. “NO! I WON'T!” She grit her teeth as she shakily began to lift the weapon again. “I just wanna go home… Mum…” She strained so greatly, the veins in her neck bulged and blood dribbled from her nose and ears. Tears still flowing freely, she lifted the revolver up to her head. “Jack, tell me Mum, I-I’m so sorry-”

“NOOO!” Jack wrenched the chains away from his legs, and threw himself from the chair. Tackling Ada, they both struck the wall as the gun went off. Jack jerked as Ada's grey matter splattered off the wall and into his face. He slumped, cradling her body as it stiffened and went through its death throes. His lips quivered as his body shook; her eyes had rolled back into her head, and blood poured freely onto him from her open mouth. Letting out a weak whimper, Jack hugged the dead woman tightly, before slowly rocking back and forth. “Nonononooono…. Fuck.. fuck… I'm so sorry Ada… I'm so fuckin sorry…” He cringed in sorrow, his whole body beginning to convulse as the flickering flame of anger built in his chest. “Just stop… Just... Fucking… Take… ME!!! COME ON GOD!! TAKE ME YOU SON OF A BITCH! TAKE ME INSTEAD!!” Jack screamed at the ceiling, but no response came. The inferno of anger quickly extinguished, leaving him cold, naked, and alone. “Just leave my friends alone…”

He remained there for what felt like centuries, holding Ada close as her body cooled. Slowly, he ran the palm of his hand over her eyes, closing them once and for all. The blood spattered across his face and body was becoming tacky, but he hardly noticed it. It was the soft clicking of talons approaching the cell that snapped him out of his stupor. His eyes flicked to the revolver still held in her hand, the weapon long since cooled much like Ada’s corpse. He shuddered, and was nearly sick at the thought of taking the weapon as his own once again. Gently tugging Ada's dog tags off, he crossed the small cell, and slowly drew his blade out of the chair arm, Jack stood, and slowly limped to the door. Pushing it open, he came face to face with a griffon guard, whose eyes shone with blue magic.

“Hal-” The griffon had just opened his mouth when Jack crammed the blade into his throat, and the magic held within saw the guard's head pop off like a toy. The body clattered to the ground, leaving Jack to collect the rifle the guard had been holding.

Without a sound, Jack began to slowly follow the directions the voice in his head gave him. Left. Right. Straight. Right. Straight. Down. Down. Left. Down. Straight. Right. The castle was like a maze, and his oozing leg wound only served to slow him further. He soon came across more guards as he travelled, and he fell upon them as a machine. The imperial pattern rifle kicking against his shoulder was a muted backdrop as he fell into long ingrained training. Cold and methodical, the guards he fell upon had no chance. Mozambique style, he placed two fat bullets in the center of their chests, before putting a final round between their eyes as he walked by, never skipping a beat. When his magazines ran dry, he'd discard the weapon without a second thought, and pick up another from the fallen, or grapple the nearest target to rip the weapon from their talons and turn it back upon its owner. The shots drew more guards, but their hindered minds wouldn't allow them to keep up with the automatic reflexes and animal instincts that Jack's body fell into as his mind shut down. Those that closed in with him were grappled roughly, his hands and fingers gouging out throats and eyes as he deflected their blows, before slamming his blade down repeatedly into their bodies. No cover would save them, as he fired on exposed limbs, forcing them into his line of fire. No numbers would help them, as he often slipped into the shadows of cover, and ambushed the guards as they searched. They'd all die in the end, as Jack moved for his objective.

No alarm sounded as he slowly willed himself forward. He was spent. Shot out. Shot up. He finally felt the hunger of days gone by without food. His lips were cracked from dehydration, to the point of bleeding. He shut his eye for a long moment, before opening it again; any longer and his body threatened he would never open it again. Up ahead lay what the voice in his head told him was the laboratory that held his armour and rifle. The guard at the door died without a sound as Jack slid the monoblade into his throat. The vicious magic within spoke again in the quiet, severing the guard's head with a snickersnack . Letting the headless guard fall, Jack pushed open the door, and entered the lab.

Inside were three labcoat clad griffons, busied with projects he couldn't make out. Two stood over a bench, chatting, while another was near his armour. They didn't look up as he entered, and didn't notice him walking toward his exo-skeleton as it lay on a table nearby. Tools surrounded his exo, though it appeared they lacked the specialist instruments to take it apart. Throwing on the exo skeleton, Jack didn't make so much as a peep as it inserted itself deep into his plugs, and anchored. The scientist by his armour looked up, his eyes lacking blue magic.

“Oh? It appears Carolus was successful. Are- Oh god's above, they didn't even wash you. Eugh…” The griffon waved a paw before his face as he looked over Jack. “If they're sending you out, why don't you just climb into that armour of yours, and let me run some tests?”

Jack ignored the griffon as he approached his armour, and activated it. The scientists all watched and murmured to each other as the armour opened up for Jack. Stretching his agonized limbs, Jack let out a quiet growl.

Father, you are hurt badly! May I… enter your armour and look after you?

“Yes.”

One of the griffons looked up at Jack from his clipboard. “I'm sorry, what?” Unheard by the scientists, the internal systems of his armour engaged, and limited medical care was administered to his battered body. Functions normally controlled by his helmet were finally kicking in, and after a moment, he felt the cool wash of morphine enter his system. His eyes fluttered briefly as the scientists talked amongst themselves. He had to do something, otherwise he’d fall flat on his face.

“Administer Berserker, half dose.” Again, the scientists looked to him in confusion as the needles in his armour plunged deep into his flesh, and injected the deadly combat drug. The weeks of fatigue ebbed away; the pain became fuel, and hatred became a guidance system. Growling, Jack stretched his limbs, and looked to the griffons. “The teleporter. Where.”

Nodding to each other, the griffons spread out among the lab. “So you are going to Canterlot! We've finished the items meant for you, as per the emperor's orders.” Jack held his tongue as he watched the griffon scientists collect three items. Laying them out before Jack, the lead scientist pointed to each and spoke clearly. “This is your new helmet, the old one was apparently destroyed. The Emperor wished for you to look terrifying.” The mask and helmet looked like a tight fit, but they would do. The mask mirrored a Progeny's face, twisted in terrible wrath. It was a visage that was supposed to inspire terror, but all he felt was cold hate when he looked at it. Jack pulled on the helmet, welcoming the dark before he adjusted the leather straps to fit properly. “Next, is a new weapon and ammunition. It's-” Jack reached out and grabbed the beefy double barrel boomstick without waiting for the scientist to speak. The barrels were twice as large in diameter and thickness as any shotgun he'd ever fired, though they ended just after the foregrip. The breach was heavily reinforced, if only to better accept the ammunition, which was more akin to elephant gun rounds than any shotshell he'd ever seen. Cracking the weapon open, he inserted two mammoth shells into it, and snapped it shut with a satisfying thump-click. “It's a Slug Thrower. Walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. Our top of the line.” The scientist finished proudly. “Twenty eight shells are in the satchel, four gauge in size loaded with quadruple aught steel shot. Is that satisfactory?”

“It'll do.” He ran a hand over the weapon, gauging the craftsmanship. The solid walnut furniture was stained a deep burgundy and reinforced with bands of steel, while the heavy gauge cobalt blue steel receiver was finely wrought, if a little basic in form. It lacked any engravings and only sported some basic stampings; the weapon seemed to exude a sense of brutal simplicity. The stamp 001 sat proudly upon the top of the receiver, just below the Imperial Armoury stamp. Slipping it into the leather holster provided, Jack walked over to one of the other tables, where his rifle lay dismantled. The focus lenses were laying on the table without a cloth to protect them, and the primary buffer ring had a half inch crack in it from where it had been forced out with crude tools. The rifle was ruined, he could tell that much at a glance, and the sight fueled a furious anger that welled deep in his chest. His munitions bag was nearby however, and within it were several frag grenades. A weak consolation prize if there ever was one.

Just as the scientists nodded to each other in satisfaction, the alarm sounded, and Carolus’ shrill voice sounded over the crude speaker system recently installed. “All guards to the dungeon! DO NOT LET THE HUMAN ESCAPE!”

Drawing the slug thrower and leveling it at the scientists, Jack spoke simply. “The teleporter.”

The scientists looked between a each other in realization, before the eldest among them lifted his beak and sneered. “We'll never help-”

KRATHOOM

The slug thrower shook the room as it spoke, and the defiant scientist exploded in a puff of blood and feathers. His demolished body spattered against the wall before falling to the floor with a wet squelch.

“The teleporter.” Jack spoke again as blue tinged smoke wafted from the gun barrel.

“R-right this way!” One of the scientists spoke, motioning toward the door.

“You traitor! God will punish-”

KRATHOOM

The willing scientist flinched in terror as his coworker shared a similar fate to the brave one. “Oh God… R-right this way… human...” The Griffon began leading him, albeit slowly, through the halls, though Sammy kept him going the right direction. Once, the scientist tried to take a left when he should have turned right, but froze as Jack cracked open the double barrel and let the spent brass clatter to the ground loudly.

“Wrong way.”

“O-of course, my mistake!” Turning around, the scientist finally led him to the teleporter room. Several other griffons milled about, though their eyes held far more magic than the one leading Jack.

“Turn it on.” He growled lowly, before giving the traitor a mild shove. Approaching the console, the traitor griffon quickly tapped his talons against the runes that adorned the panel. Jack slowly walked forward as the teleportation ring came to life, just as guards rushed in. Grenade spools clattered to the ground by his feet as he lazily threw the frags at the guards. The concussive blasts shook the room, just as the other controlled griffons rushed forward to stop him. His double barrel spoke twice, clearing his way as it tossed the nearest griffons back like broken toys. Ejecting the shells, he inserted two more, and mechanically shut the weapon again. As he walked through, Jack blew the traitor griffon in half, and left two more frag grenades in his wake. The magic bubble encompassed him and his armour, though it thankfully didn't touch him as it transported him instantly to Canterlot, just as the frag grenades destroyed the room a second after he was whisked away.

Vinyl Scratch was having a bad day. Stuck inside Blueblood’s Canterlot mansion for the day, she could think of a million things she'd rather be doing so late at night, and being surrounded by stuffy nobility was not remotely close to the list. Blueblood had called the meeting earlier in the day, and Vinyl had only been half awake when she'd accepted it. Now she was stuck. Stuck in his house, in this stupid dress, listening to him prattle on and on and on about such asinine bullshit. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, before glancing about the room. Apparently she'd been invited to this new 'society’, though it appeared others had been in the group for longer. Among the newcomers was herself, the now Ex-Mayor of Cloudsdale, and a small hoofful of minor nobility. The help milled about, seeing to the guests refreshments and comfort.

“Refreshment?” A cutely dressed maid stood by her, and offered some red wine. Vinyl idly glanced at her, before giving her a once over. The mare seemed familiar somehow. Her nametag read 'Poppy’. Not a name she knew.

“No. Thanks.”

She had to admit, she hadn't been paying much attention to what was being talked about, but when she heard the name Jalgromak, she suddenly felt as though she should have been paying far more attention.

“Celestia is abusing her position as monarch.” Blueblood said simply as he sipped his drink. “Her war 'tax’ is theft, pure and simple. She steals from us all, with the threat of sending us to the front if we step out of line! The gall!” Nobles nodded in agreement all around him, and continued their murmured agreement of treason. “I've spoken with Imperial patriots, and let me tell you all right now, everything we've been hearing has been propaganda! It's an excuse to take our power for herself, and waste it upon frivolous tripe.” Blueblood looked at everyone, belief apparent in his eyes. “Why else do you think so many ponies have joined them so quickly? They have a god with them, the god of order! Let me ask you all, how is order a bad thing?”

Vinyl's disbelief reached it's peak, just as things clicked in her mind. Blueblood was an imperial sympathiser. She looked around, gauging the responses of others. She found them all agreeing with Blueblood; they were practically broke because of the treaty. The only reason Vinyl wasn't was because she'd been smart enough to keep her business under a different name. She'd also been there when Celestia had created the treaty, she'd signed it personally. The perks of being an undead monster. Unfortunately, these ponies had been born into fabulous amounts of coin, and suddenly finding themselves without it was enough to shake them deeply enough to listen to clear doomsday propaganda. Frowning, Vinyl slowly began making her way for the door. On her way there, she nearly ran into the Ex-Mayor of Cloudsdale. The mare frowned as she looked at Vinyl.

“Excuse me, you're in the way of the door.”

Vinyl lifted a brow. “You don't believe this shit either? I'm getting out of here before it gets out of hoof.” She spoke quietly to the other mare, as Vinyl wasn't stupid enough to voice her dissent around so many traitors.

The Ex-Mayor nodded in agreement. “Indeed. I may loathe some recent decisions by the crown, but treason is where I draw the line.”

“Excuse me, ladies!” Blueblood called out to them, causing Vinyl to curse under her breath. “I hope you weren't planning on leaving so soon. The entertainment is on the way.”

Vinyl pushed forward the best fake smile she could, and beamed at Blueblood. “Sorry, I've got other things to attend to, I have to say I'm not all that interested in all of this.” Turning, Vinyl tried the door, only to find it bathed in magic, keeping it sealed shut.

“You'll find leaving rather difficult. We can't have a filthy snitch turning us in to our oppressors.” Blueblood whistled, Just as Vinyl barred her teeth at him.

“Bastard spawn of a whore!” Vinyl charged her horn, head to launch an attack at any who came for her.

Blueblood chuckled as his trump card exited the basement, and Vinyl's magic faltered in horror. A number of nobles gasped in shock as the thin progeny stood tall and grinned happily. “The imperial crown has sent we downtrodden freedom fighters a soldier of God.”

The Progeny paced toward Vinyl, glee shining in its beady eyes. Despite herself, Vinyl took an involuntary step backwards as the monster reached forward and grasped both her and the ex mayor.

“Let me go you freak!” Vinyl flailed, trying to break free from the beast's grasp.

“Dispose of them.” Blueblood spoke loudly, and the other nobles murmured quietly.

The order elicited an excited giggle from the Progeny, and Vinyl's eyes widened in pain as it's grip tightened. Before it could pop her head off like a cork, the basement door banged open again, and the mansion went dead quiet, everyone having frozen in place.

Jack stood at the top of the stairs, his eye slowly scanning the scene from behind his terrible mask. Without a second thought, the Progeny dropped Vinyl and Grace to the floor as it turned it's sights on him.

“W-who are you!? What are you doing in my home!?” Blueblood yelled. “A-are you more reinforcements from the Imperials?” His voice became somewhat tempered as he tried to reign himself in.

“No.” In the blink of an eye, Jack's monoblade plunged deep into the progeny's chest, and ripped upwards as he bisected it. The beast reeled as Jack rammed the barrel of his gun into the oozing wound, and fired both barrels into it's chest. The Progeny toppled as if it had been punted by a vengeful god, and skidded to a stop by the wall. The traitor nobles froze for only a moment, as the heavy brass shells clattered loudly off the fine wood floor. “I'm the entertainment.”

“Kill all of these bastards, Jack!” Vinyl cried out to him. As if he needed any encouragement after all that had happened. The mansion devolved into chaos as the nobles tried to flee through magically locked doors. Those that stood against Jack, died. Those that ran, died. Those that hid, died. The mansion guards came galloping at the sounds of slaughter, but found themselves unable to do so much as cause the methodical death machine to falter for a moment, before falling to him as well. He and his shotgun never spoke again in that house, as his blade did all the talking he ever needed to. Expensive clothing did nothing to stop the magically enhanced blade as it cut down traitors, and slicked the floors and walls with blood and viscera.

As the screams for mercy slowly dwindled, Grace peered out from behind the bookshelf where she'd taken cover. Vinyl slowly peeked up over a toppled chair, just as the house help all quickly ran for the door. The help piled on around it, trying to force the door open as Jack slowly walked back. Stepping out, Vinyl waved him down. “Jack! I don't know where the hell you came from, but I'm damn glad you came when you did. Did you get Blueblood?”

The alabaster vampire unicorn let out a surprised 'meep’ as the mammoth twin barrels of Jack's shotgun leveled with her eyes. “Library with the candlestick. Explain yourself.”

“W-fuck, jack… I'm not with these assholes, they tried to kill me! I might not like Celestia sometimes, but I'm not going to commit treason!” Vinyl swallowed nervously, before slumping in relief as Jack slowly looked to Grace, who stiffened, and promptly pissed herself in terror.

Slowly, Jack approached her, until he towered above her; his armour still wet with blood and filth. “P-please don't kill me… I'm not a traitor! I-I have a family!”

“She's telling the truth, we both almost died.”

“Grace.” Not bothering to aim his gun at her, Jack lightly cuffed her across the muzzle, which translated to her nearly being floored by a metal backhand. “Cunt.” Without another word, he walked through the crowd of terrified maids, cooks, and butlers toward the door. Somebody found the guts to tell him it was locked, but the information seemed to fall on deaf ears as he lifted up a heavy metal leg, and pistoned the door, the frame, and a portion of the wall out into the street. The help hesitated for a moment, before stampeding past him and into the dark streets. Vinyl approached, just as Jack's hand shot out, and grabbed one of the maids by the throat. The mare squealed in terror as he lifted her up the wall and turned his full attentions to her.

Jack knew this pony. This mare. He knew her oh so very well. “Poppy Gallipoli.” He growled at her like a hellhound, and glared hard enough to melt steel. The mare whimpered as his grip tightened. “Cunt.”

“P-PLEASE- I'm sorry! I-I have a fa-faaam-ach!”

“Jack, what the fuck are you-!” Vinyl stopped in shock as Jack crushed Poppy's throat, and dropped her to the floor. The mare squirmed and gasped for air that wouldn't come; her face quickly turning blue as her eyes bulged in agony. She began to spasm, her legs kicking futilely as death slowly claimed her. Without another word, Jack exited the mansion, and began his slow plod toward the castle in the distance. “F-fuck me running… humans…” Vinyl shook her head, and took off after the marine.

Humming to herself, Celestia slowly relaxed into her pile of pillows and levitated a small plate of cake closer. Her cutlery clicked and clattered quietly as she cut herself off a small slice. As it neared her mouth, somebody rapidly knocked on her door, causing the princess to slump her shoulders and let out a tired sigh. Setting aside the cake, she straightened her appearance. “Come in!”

The guard burst in, looking as if her were out of breath. Celestia raised worried brows as the guard came to a crashing salute. “Princess! There's been an incident in the Noble district!”

Now he held her interest fully. Adjusting herself, Celestia nodded to the guard. “Go on. What sort of incident?”

“Well… neighbors reported a commotion from Prince Blueblood's mansion. We responded, and… t-they’re all dead, ma'am…”

Celestia paled, and blinked. “I'm… sorry. Come again?”

“There was the body of one of the Imperial monsters there, a Progeny? It was slain as well. It is… I've never seen anything like it, Princess… we may have a monster on the loose.”

Failing to hide her shock, her regal composure slipped for a moment as Celestia tried to take it all in. “Who… is among the dead?”

“We're having trouble identifying the bodies… but we count twenty eight so far.”

“Of course… thank you. Please, return to your post. I'll ensure the right ponies are informed.” As the guard nodded, and made his exit, Celestia quickly jotted out a missive for her Guard Captain to double patrols around the castle grounds, and for everyone to be alert. Little did she know, the monster she was hunting had already entered the castle grounds.

His boots sank deep into the frozen grass of the castle grounds as he leapt over the boundary wall with ease. Vinyl followed, though with considerable more effort.

“You're lucky I know the magic to do that… what's going on? You're acting… weird.” Vinyl trotted to his side and looked up. “You're acting twigged, man. Little bit more murderous, and a lot less chatty than usual.” She smiled a little, but his twisted mask betrayed nothing.

Without warning, he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and hoisted her up over a low balcony. “What do you see.”

Biting back a scathing curse at his lineage and siring, Vinyl turned her attention back to the task at hand. Looking into the room, she saw several human maids cleaning and loading various firearms. “Looks like… maids, with guns.”

“Human?”

“Yeah, duh.” Vinyl frowned at him as he set her down, and drew his knife. “Oh boy, here you go killing again…”

“Can it.” Jack placed his thumb and forefinger on the edge of the blade, and drew it to the length of a short sword. Vinyl whistled as the blade extended with ethereal fire, before solidifying into steel identical to the rest. With a leap, he caught the edge of the balcony, and pulled himself up. A cry of alarm went up among the humans inside, but it didn't do them any good. As Vinyl climbed up to the balcony, she could hear the sounds of death coming from the room, and the inhuman noises that joined it. Pulling herself over the balcony, the room that had been quiet and collected moments prior was now a warzone. The bed was overturned, items were strewn about, and several dismembered and bisected bodies lay in heaps. Her nose crinkled as their changelings disguises failed one by one, revealing the twisted, disgusting unnatural look each held.

“What in the nine hells… these are changelings! Human… Human changelings… by the sun and moon…” Vinyl exclaimed softly as she gestured to the bodies.

“One got away.” Jack responded flatly as he cracked open his shotgun and checked the load.

“Jack, please, just explain what the fuck is going on! I'll help you, I just want to know!”

He paused by the door, before glancing her way. “They fucked me. Made me their monster. My friends paid the price.”

Wincing in sympathy, Vinyl approached his side. “That's so shitty… are-”

“I am in a world, of shit. This, is what they wanted. The blood, and the guts, and the big bad fuckin monster.” Without another word, he shouldered the door open, and began stalking the halls of Canterlot Castle.

Running his hand through Flitter's mane, Darneil smiled to himself as he gave her a little bit more magic to keep her complacent. A couple more days, and he'd have full control of the mare. He smiled a little wider when he thought of his new plan to kill both Celestia and Luna in one go, without dooming himself. Knight Lieutenant Falenas was a crucial part in that plan, as was a big bag of explosives. A small part of him wondered if he would have the time to finish with her. Her squad mates were beginning to grow suspicious of him, the sergeant Minerva, and changeling Baron especially.

Exiting her room, Darneil, now Jack again, fixed his clothes idly. His attention was raised when Asmodeus came skittering around the corner, looking utterly terrified. “Asmodeus? What-”

“He's returned!” The changeling hissed at him.

“Who?” Jack quirked a brow as Asmodeus barely slowed.

“Havok! The destroyer you disguise yourself as!”

“Oh.” Darneil felt panic for the first time in a long time as he saw all of his plans blowing away before him like dust in the wind. “Go. Begin the plan. We still have a chance of salvaging it. With luck, his return will give us a distraction.” Jack pushed the maid away, who nodded and took off at an awkward sprint. Checking the gun at his hip, Jack took a soft, steadying breath as he began to walk toward Celestia's chambers.

Taven galloped through the halls with a small strike team behind him. Shouldering open Flitter's door, he spoke quickly as she drew her sidearm. “We've got an intruder! Are you good to move?”

Practically throwing herself out of bed, Flitter nodded, and caught the body armour as it was thrown at her. “Do we know where? Jack was just here, we need to find him!”

“Intruder apparently started near Jack's room, guards are scrambling!” Taven waited a moment as Flitter pulled on her heavy body armour. “Let's go! Diamond formation, six hoof spread!”

Vinyl was having a bad night. Following in Jack's wake, she muttered to herself as he threw an unwitting guard into a wall, knocking them unconscious. “Guess I'm getting hung for treason anyway…”

“Halt! Stop!” A guard yelled, only to go down as Jack hurled an ancient bust at them, blowing them off their hooves with a cloud of priceless marble.

Vinyl slowed slightly when she realized where they were heading. “No. Jack, no! You can't take on Celestia, for fucksake!”

“Go home.” Was all he said as he continued on his path.

“I'm not going to let you kill yourself!”

“Try and stop me.”

Vinyl stopped, and let out an angry cry. “Fucking humans!”

Not bothering to knock, the imposter passed the guards at Celestia's door and pushed inside despite their yells of protest. The princess looked up from her parchment as she lay on a bed of silk pillows. “Jack? What brings you here?”

“Business.” He responded simply as he reached for his pistol, only to stop as the JSOG strike team pushed through the doors.

“There he is!” His blood ran ice cold at the words Taven spoke. Thankfully, no shots rang out. “Jack, we've got an intruder, your majesty, we may need to take you someplace safer.”

Feeling an immense sense of relief, Jack nodded to his soldiers, just as Flitter cantered forward and nosed his hand. “Let's go Jack.”

His eyes flicked to the princess as she stood and donned her regalia. “Right. Princess? Anywhere in mind?”

“We must retrieve Luna.” Celestia strode out of her room, and the others followed her before making a very abrupt stop just past the door. Down the hall, stood a man in power armour, wearing a mask wrought to inspire terror. Hot blood slicked his armour as slow, methodical breaths came from the mask.

“Oh hell…” Vinyl murmured as she looked at the collected firepower now raised against her and Jack.

“Intruder! Put your weapon down and you'll be spared.” Celestia spoke with a booming voice as the JSOG strike team fixed their weapons on them. “You've stolen armour from our ally, but don't think it will protect you.”

Jack stood across from the firing line, staring down the barrels of a half dozen automatic rifles. Flitter leveled her pistol with his head and scowled deeply at him. Betrayal sprang forward in his mind, before he saw himself, standing behind Celestia. The mirror replica of himself smirked at him. The smirk was all that was needed to ignite his short wick.

With slow movements, he reached for his shotgun.

“Don't! Don't do it!” Taven yelled as he aimed for the intruder's face.

“Just put his ass down! We can't take any chances!” The other Jack yelled, and Jack watched as Flitter slowly squeezed her pistol's trigger.

He met Celestia's eyes, and found them burrowing into his brain. They made him angry. She made him angry. This all just… made him so goddamn ANGRY!

Taking a single stride forward as he drew his weapon, Jack's world was suddenly ripped aside and he sent tumbled as a great magical strike launched him through the wall and out into the south lawn. Crashing through statues and bouncing across the lawn, he soon came to a stop just before the statue of Discord.

Well… that's ironic.

As he stood, bullets ripped through the air and crashed against his armour. They were shooting at him. He was being shot at by JSOG. Again. Ducking behind cover, he glanced down at his shotgun, before fervently shaking his head. He'd do it without the gun.

Across the lawn, The imposter stood behind the firing line as they kept the armoured beast at bay with automatic fire. He had to kill him, somehow. Wracking his brain, Darneil tried to think of a way to kill the real version. It hit him like a ton of bricks, and caused a sick grin to split across his features. Pulling the detonator from his cammies, Darneil flicked open the safety cover, and toggled the trigger.

Nothing.

Scowling hotly, he squeezed the trigger again, and again, and agai-KABOOOM! The statue of Discord exploded into a maelstrom of chaotic energy, dust, and marble shrapnel.

The explosion threw Jack off his feet, and deposited him on his ass several feet away. His head swam dangerously, and the ringing buzz in his ears refused to leave. The well manicured grass beneath him was turning to bloody sand. “NO.” He hissed out through clenched teeth as Celestia screamed in horror and anguish. “I. WILL. NOT. DIE!” His own voice sounded distant and tiny through the ringing, as did the yells as he dug his fingers into the marble statue before him. He couldn't stand. Couldn't muster the strength.

Your legs are gone, Jack. the insidious voice of his friend hissed in his ear as he fought to stand.

“No… no, not again…” He could feel the panic gripping his heart and mind. The grass turned to sand, and the ringing turned to screams.

A small yellow rod rolled to a stop next to him as the strike team began to slowly advance. His eyes locked onto the rod as energy crackled off it, willing him to grab it, and pull himself from the hell he was in. As a bullet glanced off his helmet, his mind was made up.

Drawing the sabot pistol from it's holster, Darneil checked to make sure the safety was off as he pointed it at the back of Celestia's head. It was now or never. A sudden flash of energy drew his attention for a split second as he began to squeeze the trigger, and for the second time, Darneil knew true terror.

Chaotic energies crackled off Jack's armour as he stood, the rod clutched in his steady hand. He could feel a strength welling up inside him, a strength that wasn't his own. The strike team faltered, caught in their own horror as he stood tall and chaos energy rippled across his armour. Across the lawn, he could see the imposter with his gun to the back of Celestia's head.

Forget her! Remember what she's done to you, and take the rest of the power! We're almost there!

The voice in his head was elated, excited beyond measure. He no longer sounded like the friend Jack had killed.

Father you are being fooled Another voice spoke, distant and tiny, but he knew he could trust it. Trust her.

He was angry.

Celestia had a moment to suck in a breath of surprise as the bar of chaotic energy was hurled by the intruder, and struck her flat across the muzzle, causing her head to snap back. A ball of virulent plasma washed across her sight a split second later.

Darneil cursed as the shot missed, and jerked the weapon over to reacquire the princess’ head. He never got his second shot as a fell helmet struck his chest, and threw him off his feet.

Jack snarled as he stood tall, and the strike team froze in place.

“Jack?” Taven asked softly.

“N-no…” Flitter stumbled as the ghoulish man strode across the grass toward them.

Casting a glance over her shoulder, Baron cursed brightly. “I KNEW IT! I KNEW HE FELT WRONG!”

Jack's strides became a jog, which turned into a run as he blitzed by the strike team. They yelled to him, but he ignored them, the traitors they were. He was nearly upon the bastard copy, when he ran face first into a wall of godly strong magic.

Closing the shield dome down around Jack, Celestia spat blood and tried to clear her bleeding nose. Casting a baleful glance over at the fallen copy, she- She froze in shock. The copy was gone. Jack roared and slammed his balled up fists into the shield, causing hairline fractures to appear as his titanium smashed into the pure magic.

“Jack! Stop!” Celestia yelled as Flitter fell.

Taven was immediately at her side, shaking his superior. “Flitter! Flitter what's wrong?”

Her face was awash with agony and shame, her features twisted painfully as tears rolled from her eyes. She'd failed. Again. She'd been fucked by an imposter.

The now catatonic Flitter didn't respond when Celestia's shield shattered, and Jack leveled his shotgun with the Princess's face. Celestia took an involuntary step back as she stared down the face of a killer.

He sneered at her with more hate than she'd felt in a thousand years, since Luna's fall. “We aren't done here.” He lowered his weapon, and began to stalk toward the castle. “Administer Berserker, half dose.”

Darneil was fucked. He knew it. He could feel it, deep down. He was doomed to die in this castle, and it was all Carolus’ fault. He ran through the halls at a terrified pace, passing by guards who were rushing to their Princesses aid. He didn't care for them, they meant nothing. All that mattered was the bar of pure chaos cradled in his hands. He had the leverage, he just needed to find his kin, and stall for time long enough to escape through whatever magic portal the Equestrians had created.

Turning a corner, Darneil continued to run as he approached the lab doors. Four human maids were cleaning idly as the guards shifted nervously, but upon seeing Darneil, the maids all drew guns, and fired upon the guards.

Gunfire awoke Field Note, causing him to bump his head off the top of his desk and startle Toast. Sticking his head out of his office, Field had only a moment to demand an answer, before the doors were thrown open and armed humans stormed the labs. Scientists screamed in terror as some of them opened fire, wounding anyone who dared flee. Jack led the humans, and fired on Aurora with his pistol, scorching her fur and dropping her to the floor.

“Everybody down! You!” He pointed at Field as he approached. “Project Fartouch! Where is it!?”

Field was stunned as Jack stormed toward him, and the other scientists were corralled and cajoled into a corner at gunpoint. “You… you psychopath!” Field screamed. “You've finally lost your damned mind!”

The baticorn gasped in pain as Darneil drove his knee into his chest, before pressing the barrel of the pistol against the back of his head. “Where is the lab!?”

Cursing himself, Field pointed to the back of the room. He swiftly found himself being forced toward the wall, wondering where the guards were.

“Open it.”

“Celestia is going to hang you for this, Jack. Why in the nine hells did Flitter choose you…” Placing his hoof against a certain section of tile, the wall suddenly indented, before sliding away, revealing a secondary lab, and a massive runed ring. “It doesn't even work! We need a power source!” Field blinked as the rod was pushed into his hooves. “No… you… you didn't! Jack, how-”

“I'm not Jack.” The disguise fell away, revealing the human changeling hybrid’s true form. His flesh was a pale grey, and large sections of jet black chitin covered him like armour. His green head frill quivered as he pushed the shocked Field forward. “Now turn it on! Every minute you delay, I execute one of your friends!”

“Bastard…” Field grit his teeth as he pushed the rod into the receptacle, and watched as the massive machine came to life. The rings spun back and forth, locking in the destination through means both magical and scientific. Energy arced across the titanium points, as a portal slowly began to manifest.

“Wonderful.” Lifting the pistol, Darneil leveled it with Field's head. “Don't need you anymore.”

As he squeezed the trigger, a shrilly defiant scream came from the side, as something small and angry tackled Darneil’s arm, throwing off his aim. Toast snarled and hissed as she clawed at his face, desperately trying to rip his eyes out.

“Kill this fucking thing!” Darneil yelled as he held the small human off of himself.

His blood pumped in his ears, as his heart beat like a drum of war. He was angry. So god damned ANGRY. All he could hear as he pounded through the halls was his own heartbeat, and bestial breathes. Up ahead was the labs, and two dead guards lay in the growing pools of their own blood. Jack ignored them as he crashed through the heavy doors, and carried on.

Time stood still as he saw the portal, Field at the console, the captive scientists, their captors with guns to their heads, and Toast grappling the bastard who led them all. The very same abominable hybrid bastard Jack had failed to kill in the changeling hive, come back to haunt him in his own skin.

A shot rang out, breaking the spell as Toast jerked back with a squeal, and fell motionlessly to the ground.

Darneil froze as a godly roar of anger shook the room, following the pounding of heavy boots. He lifted the sabot pistol, and aimed for Jack's face as he charged. Pulling the trigger, the ball of plasma exited the barrel, and washed over Jack's arm as he lifted it to protect his face. Darneil's smirk swiftly turned to a look of terror as Jack continued on. The gun finally buzzed red, signalling the battery being dead, long after the spike magazine had run dry.

Bullets began to dance off Jack's armour like annoying gnats, but they wouldn't stop him from killing the man before him. Slamming into Darneil, Jack grabbed him by the neck, and hurled him across the lab like a ragdoll thrown by an angered child. The other changelings let loose on him with their stolen rifles, but it wouldn't make a difference.

Celestia stood tall as she teleported herself, the strike team, and three squads of guards into the labs. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the screams coming from the hidden lab. “Forward! Don't let them kill any more scientists!”

The teams charged forward, only to falter as a partial changeling corpse splattered wetly against the wall. The screams were only partially pony. Striding in, Celestia and her guards found a scene ripped straight from a nightmare. Severed limbs flew through the air as bodies were rendered beyond recognition. The scientists cowered under tables as the intruders were ripped limb from limb, bisected, and bludgeoned by the enraged machine of death.

“I surrender.”

Celestia looked down, and found the lead hybrid crawling toward her, one of his legs twisted and bent the wrong way. He held his hands up as he collapsed at her hooves.

“Prisoners have rights in Equestria, right?” His features twisted in pain. “I'll tell you everything, I surrender.”

“Coward son of a bitch!” Taven hissed as he pointed his rifle at the downed hybrid. Any idea of vengeance was lost as Celestia cast a shield over Darneil.

“That is enough!” Celestia yelled, ceasing combat. “Knight Captain Kessle, stand down!”

Jack ceased his movement, before slowly looking toward her as he dropped the mangled body in his hands. His eyes immediately went to the hybrid hiding behind her shield. Without a word, he began pacing toward the ponies and their prisoner. He couldn't hear himself think over the roar of the blood in his ears; his thoughts already jumbled by the powerful combat stimulant pumping through his veins like battery acid.

“Drop your weapons Jack.” Celestia spoke with clear authority as the guard spread out and began clearing out the terrified civilians. Her concern began to mount when his bloodied features twisted in fury.

“I'm not your fuckin’ dog.” He snarled at her as he finally looked up from Darneil. “You LIED to me. You murdered her. You. Murdered. My. Friends.”

Celestia pulled away ever so slightly as she met his unerring gaze. “What are you talking about, Jack?” She shook her head. “Nevermind that. You need a doctor.”

“Carolus probably broke his mind, Majesty.” Darneil forced himself to sit up. “I don't think he's sane anymore.”

Taven snarled at the changeling. “Shut the fuck up!”

Shaking her head, Celestia spoke levelly. “Everybody, please. There's no need for viol-”

The boom of Jack's fist slamming into her shield shook the room, as his titanium plates and drug fueled body shattered it like glass. His gauntlet wrapped tightly around Darneil's throat, allowing him to yank the imposter’s head through the hole he'd made. As those around him yelled in shock, and for him to stop, Jack rammed the double barrel shotgun into Darneil's mouth, and forced it down his throat. The twin barrel blast painted the shield red as Darneil all but exploded around the weapon.

The whole room went still as Jack pulled his weapon free, and gore slowly slid down the crumbling shield. Celestia forced her own shock down, but failed to keep her anger toward Jack at bay. “Jack-”

“You fucking cunt.” He snarled at her. “How long?” Blood drooled from his lips and nose as he squared up with one of the most powerful beings in all of the world. As she frowned deeply at him, he gestured harshly toward the active portal. “HOW FUCKING LONG!?”

“Before JSOG.” She answered quietly as the operatives around her looked from her, to Jack, to the portal. Her guards stood resolute, ready to defend her at a moment's notice. “Stand down, Knight Captain. This doesn't need to escalate any further.”

Nervously looking between the mounting odds that Jack faced, Taven took a chance and stepped forward, closer to Jack. “Jack, I know you're angry, hell, I'm furious, but this isn't going to solve anything.” He swallowed thickly. “It's not going to bring her back.”

“I know.” Jack growled lowly, sounding like a wounded dog. “I've got her brains all over me.” Taven flinched away and hung his head, no longer able to look at him. As Celestia lost a touch of her regal composure, he continued. “They tortured me, for days. Weeks. Months. I don't even know anymore.” He clenched his teeth as the combat stimulant cut into his brain like a knife. The fact he wasn't moving was agony, not fighting was torture all on its own. It took all his willpower to not lash out at Celestia right then and there. “You. Left me. There. Carolus, made Ada torture me. Beatings. Electrocution. Needles, under my nails, in my bones, digging and digging and TEARING.” Blood flecked from his lips as he slowly moved forward. “Petyr. Dead. Made a monster by Forge. Ada. Dead. Killed herself to get me OUT.” He shuddered at the memory of her hot blood splashing onto his face, but never once did he break eye contact with Celestia. “Your noble court. Dead. Traitors, giving Carolus a backdoor into your city.” He pulled in a deep breath that did nothing to steady him. “Your pale imitation of the REAL FUCKING THING.” He slowly began to smile a sick, demented smile. “Dead at your fucking cunt hooves.” His fists began to clench, causing the metal strike plates to groan in anticipation. “I've suffered this sugary hellscape, bore the wounds, lost friends, fought for YOU, bled for YOU, withstood torture, for YOU, and for what? For a lie, and more faces I'll never fucking not see whenever I close my eyes. Their deaths, burned into my fucking brain.”

With a look of genuine regret and pain cutting deep lines across her face, Celestia looked him in the eye. “Jack. For what it's worth, I am sorry-”

The crack of Jack's fist striking Celestia filled the laboratory, as all around them were dead silent. The silence lasted a single second after as Celestia's head whipped back from the force, and her guards leapt into action.

“STOP!” Celestia screamed, blood pouring from her mouth and nose. She glared at Jack with enough intensity to melt through a tank, her own anger finally having breached the surface. Her guards stood ready, and practically bayed for his blood. “This is your last chance, Jack. Surrender.”

Tossing the shotgun aside, Jack clenched his fists. “No more words, Celestia. No more guns.” He lifted his fists into a fighting stance.

Lowering her horn, Celestia snorted as those around her slowly began to give her space. “No more words.”

Landing deftly on the airstrip, Luna sighed softly as her lunar guard landed beside her, and began to cart off their equipment. Finally, she’d finished mopping up Imperial forces around Ponyville. Both Luna and her forces were exhausted, and looking forward to a well deserved rest.

It swiftly became apparent neither she, nor her soldiers would be getting any rest when the castle shook and solar guards galloped about frantically. “What in all the-” Luna jerked in shock when a beam of fiery magic lanced through a wall, nearly taking her head off. “Guard, with me!” Her horn flashed, taking them to the center of the castle, and the middle of a warzone.

Luna couldn’t help but pause to watch the battle that was unfolding before her, as Jack and Celestia fought tooth and nail with each other. Jack’s armoured knee slammed into Celestia’s chest, causing her to grunt in pain and the redirected magical blast to rip up the lawn where it struck. A balled up fist caught her across the face, and only served to make her angrier. Another blast from Celestia's horn sent him flying, smashing through walls and destroying thousands of bits worth of art. Not heeding the sudden presence of her sister, Celestia launched after him, intent on continuing the fight.

Another blast shook the castle as they met again, trading augmented blows and magical lances. Any thought of holding back was cast to the wind; their battled threatened to bring the castle down around them.

Shaking her head to break herself loose from the shock, Luna started toward the combat, before nearly running into one of her nobles, Lady Scratch.

“Princess!” Vinyl yelled. “You need to get these two under control before Celestia kills his stupid ass!”

“What in all the hells and heavens has happened!? I was gone for only a few weeks!” Luna trotted over to the much smaller unicorn as Vinyl sighed hard, and gave her the best recap she could. By the end, Luna was staring wide eyed at the conflict still destroying the castle. “This is most disturbing… I warned her. I warned her! Stay here, I will try to separate them.” Vinyl stepped aside, and nodded to Luna as the JSOG strike team rushed by, clearly intent on trying to do the same.

“YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE HARDSHIPS I UNDERGO TO KEEP MY COUNTRY SAFE!” Celestia bellowed at Jack as she struck him with a lance of magic, melting the ceramic top layer of his arm's armour. The moment it struck the titanium, it faltered, and she ceased casting.

“What a relief it must have been to send somebody else to their deaths! So long as they're fucking HUMAN!” Jack snarled back as he ripped the chest plate off of a solar guard and used it to deflect another blow. He leapt forward, closing the distance to land another crushing blow upon the Solar Diarch’s hide.

“ALL OF YOU VOLUNTEERED! I DID NOT FORCE YOU!” The edges of her mane and tail were beginning to blaze brightly, the kind colours being consumed by the inferno of her anger.

“BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GO HOME! BECAUSE YOU LIED!” He head-butted her roughly, sending stars dancing across bother their eyes.

Without a second thought, Celestia drew her molten blade and fell into an ancient warrior's stance. “You had every chance to stop.”

Pulling out his vorpal blade and extending it, Jack span the weapon, before dropping into an amatuer stance that held more in common with martial arts than swordplay. “So did you.”

“STOP!” Luna bellowed as she galloped toward them, only to run into the shield Celestia erected before her.

“Be silent, sister. I'm teaching the human a valuable lesson.” Celestia hissed in anger as more of her mane and tail were consumed by flame. Leaping forward, the two swords clashed with a ground shaking clang. Drawing the blades off each other with a shower of magical sparks, the pair clashed again, and again, before Jack kicked Celestia in the chest and gained the initiative.

Attacking with drug fueled vigor, Jack saw Celestia fall into the defensive as he rained blow after blow down upon her, causing the roaring inferno blade to sputter and pulse with each blow. No matter how he struck or swung, he couldn't pierce her defenses. The moment she saw her opening, Celestia attacked back. Inferno claws erupted from her hoof as she launched forward, grabbing the collar of his armour. With a roar, she ripped the chest plate off, the chest plate she'd gifted him for exemplary gallantry. Upon contact with the titanium underlay, her claws all but shattered, though she no longer needed them to finish him off. She pressed her advantage, forcing Jack into a beleaguered defence as she swung and struck with highly trained precision. Each blow cost him dearly as his armour was slashed and melted away; his flesh under it blistered from deep burns.

With a flourish, Jack forced Celestia to retreat, or have her head cut clean off. His k-bar sword whistled through the air, before cutting a deep furrow across her forehoof. Growling and fighting through their pain, the pair coiled, before springing at each other, blades poised to kill.

The tip of either blade slammed into a shield, as midnight magic wrapped around their bodies, or in Jack's case, his head. “CEASE THY SQUABBLING!” The royal voice shook dust from the walls and ceiling as Celestia's shield was dispersed, allowing Luna to stride forward, still clad in her war barding. Jack's blade hovered mere inches away from Celestia's neck, and her boiling weapon was nearly pressed into his damaged chest. Both blades shook as their wielder tried to force them through.

“Sister.” Celestia spoke through clenched teeth. “Release me.”

“Nay.” Luna forced both weapons down and away. Jack's weapon clattered to the ground as he shuddered, his hands going up to the magic holding him prisoner. “I will not release either of you, for you are both acting like foals.” Placing her hoof on Celestia's bloodied chest, she slowly pulled the sun sword away from her sister. “Tia, you have won… there is nothing to fight over now. You have won, and it is finished.”

Slowly, the fires began to recede from Celestia's body, until her mane and tail hung limp and smoking against her body. “Lulu… He's-”

“He's not your enemy, and he is hurt in both mind, body, and soul.” Luna responded softly. “I told you. I warned you of this course. The consequences are yours and yours alone.” She turned away from her sister, and looked to Jack just as he collapsed to his knees.

“Just… fucking kill me already! DO IT!!” He cried out hoarsely as he slumped. Kneeling down, Luna pulled his ruined and bloodied face into her chest. As she stroked the back of his head, he all but deflated entirely. “I just want to go home…”

“I know Jack, and know that I am deeply sorry for what we have done to you… it is over now. Just rest.” Luna lifted his gaze to the nearby strike team, before beckoning them over with a mild motion of her head.

Taven and the others trotted over, though their numbers had surged with reinforcements from their own, and the Minotauren Pioneers. Moving up to Luna's side, Taven cast a sorrowful glance to Jack. “Ma'am? What do you want us to do?”

“Take him somewhere safe. Find Flitter. Have him healed and ready for a debriefing.” Luna looked to Celestia, just as her sister sat down heavily. “Sister, clean yourself and rest. I will see to things.” Without question, the strike team moved forward and collected Jack's ruined form, though they required help from Yuma to lift him up. As they dragged him out, Celestia trotted forward, before being cut off by Luna. “Sister, let it go.”

Celestia's mane hung limp and scorched, a testament to how close she'd gotten to the edge. “Please, Lulu. I must… I need to apologize.”

Without the energy to lift his head, Jack spoke to the floor. “Sorry… doesn't bring back... the dead… not all the sorrys in the world… I've tried… God knows I've tried…”

“Jack, please.” Celestia gently reached forward and lifted his head. “I am sorry for how badly you have suffered, and my abuse of you, and all the others… please, forgive me…”

“It should have been me…” He croaked softly as he closed his bloodshot eye. “Should have always been me…”

Chapter Fifty Six: He Who Walks

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The following hours were a blur of activity to Jack as he was hauled away from the destroyed section of castle, and taken to see a doctor. The castle had nearly devolved into chaos during the changeling attack, and the subsequent brawl between Celestia and Jack. Yuma carried Jack, and was escorted through the twisting halls by Taven and the rest of JSOG. As they travelled, Taven slowly began to notice more than a few solar guards tailing them.

“Minerva.” He spoke low, drawing her attention. “Grab three of ours and pick up the rear.”

Glancing over her shoulder at the guards who trailed them, Minerva slowly looked back to Taven. “Why?”

“Because I've got a bad feeling.” Taven responded quietly as he glanced to the unconscious Jack.

“Didn’t mean like that.” She shot back. “I don't see why we should stop them.”

Shooting her a foul look, Taven fell back. “Baron, Mythic. With me.” The pair glanced at him, then to the guards who were still following them. Without a moment of hesitation, they fell back to his side, and formed a rear guard as the understaffed platoon entered the medical wing. Wounded guards lay among hurt civilians that local hospitals couldn't handle. Upon their entering, the wing almost went quiet as the guards started to glare at Jack, and by extension, the JSOG operatives guarding him.

“We need a doctor here!” Taven called out, but to no avail as all the visible doctors either seemed to become too busy to help, or all but disappeared from sight. Taven's dark disposition turned positively black as his slit eyes darted about, now hunting for someone to demand help from. He swiftly found he didn't need to.

“YOU!” Yuma pointed a massive finger at one of the doctors, causing the stallion to squeak in terror. “You will help, now!”

Angry murmurs spread through the wing, just as the fully armed and armoured Solar guard squad came to a halt at the doors. They remained there, watching, and waiting.

Moving into a separate room, Yuma laid Jack out onto a bed, where his jagged armour tore holes in the sheets. Taven and a few others moved in with the minotaur, herding the doctor in along beside them. Murmurs and mutters passed through the squad as the doctor moved up to Jack's side, and looked him over. “I-I can't… I can't do anything with this armour in the way, I-”

Jack's bloody gauntlet slowly came up, slapping against his armoured collar. He fumbled for the emergency release, and after a moment, his armour hissed and chattered open.

“Oh gods… Jack… what the fuck did they do to you?” Taven asked softly as he looked over Jack's ruined body. Several of the room's occupants stepped back from the smell released by Jack's opened armour. His body was covered in crusty clear medigel scabs, though the torturous wounds were easy to see. Rivulets of sweat cut hard lines through the black filth that caked his body like a second skin made of dirt, dried blood, and soot. His leg wound was still oozing from under the medical sealant, coating his thigh with more blood. On top of it all, was the magical burns from Celestia's magic, which when combined with the tortured filth, nearly turned his pale body black.

The doctor stared at the nude human for a long moment, before turning and sticking his head out the door. “NURSE!”

Still by his side, Yuma took one of Jack's trembling hands within her massive paw. “Who has done this to you, my friend? I will have their heads.”

Letting his head loll back into the collar of his armour, Jack let out a long breath. “nice… to see you too… Yuma…”

The heifer stood awkwardly, still holding his shaking hand. “Y-yes… it is good to see you too. Who-”

“You all need to leave.” The doctor stated loudly as he walked back in with a nurse in tow with a cart.

“Not happening, sir.” Taven said flatly. “Unless we get orders from on high, we're not leaving him alone in here.”

“I can't work with you all crowding me! No harm is going to come to this man under my care, you have my word.” The doctor slowly inserted the IV needle into Jack's arm, though the action hardly earned a fidget from the nearly dead marine.

“It's not you harming him I'm worried about.” Taven muttered darkly as he glanced out the door. “I'm leaving two here to stand guard.”

Baron lifted her head. “I'm in.”

“Me too.” Mythic stepped forward. “We looked after him before, we can hack it.”

“I wish to defend Jack as well.” Yuma stood tall, her pith helmet nearly scraping the roof. “It will be my honor.”

Smiling as best he could despite everything, Taven nodded to the three. “Thank you guys, really. I'm going to find Flitter. Nobody but the docs, JSOG, and royalty enters this room, got it?” Mythic and Baron both nodded, while Yuma came to a crashing salute with her heavy mechanical arm. Without another word, Taven exited the small room, and the rest of JSOG followed him. “Head back to the barracks, guys. I need another volunteer to help me look for the Knight Lieutenant.”

“I was going to any ways.” Minerva spoke flatly toward Taven, before looking to the rangers turned spec ops. “You guys go clean up and get some chow. Be ready if shit comes down the pipe.” The soldiers under her command all nodded, before filing out past the Solar Guards. Glancing back at Taven, Minerva fixed him with a hard stare. “You know after this, some people might question who you're really loyal to. The crown, or the psycho?”

“We're not having this conversation right now, Aegis.” Taven responded gruffly as he trotted toward the gardens.

“Why not, Varenikov?” Minerva continued to hold her gaze on him, though if it bothered the one winged Batpony at all, he didn't show it in the slightest.

Exiting out into the garden grounds, Taven took a long look around, searching through the debris and torn up lawn for any sign of Flitter. “What a mess…” Taven shook his head, before trotting deeper in. “Flitter!” He called out, and soon Minerva did the same. The pair of them continued to call for Flitter, though no signs remained of her. As they searched, Taven came to a slow stop by Jack's massive shotgun as it lay in the grass. Scooping it up, Taven grunted in surprise at how much it weighed. “Sweet Night Mother… damn thing has to weigh twenty pounds…”

“Taven, over here!” Minerva called out, drawing his attention away from the bloody device. He swiftly galloped over to her, and found Flitter leaning heavily against a pillar, panting heavily and looking strained. Beside her was the familiar face of Commander Bulwark.

Petting Flitter's mane, Bulwark nodded to the pair as they approached. “Just keep breathing ma'am. It'll pass.”

“I'm trying…” Flitter growled through clenched teeth, which caused her two sergeants to trade confused glances.

“Are you alright Flitter?” Taven moved forward, looking her over for wounds. Minerva immediately moved up and supported her side.

Bulwark looked up as she continued to pet the younger mare's head. “She'll be fine. She's just coming out of a Ling’ stun.”

“What?” Both Taven and Minerva looked to the commander in confusion. Flitter shuddered against Minerva as they did.

“I guess you two weren't here for the first changeling attack. They've got this magic that they slowly put into the pony they're feeding off of. If their cover gets blown, or something happens, they can stun the pony long enough to escape or kill their target. The Knight Lieutenant here seems to have gotten a pretty bad dose. Any more and she'd be a Ling’ thrall.”

Taven shook his head in disgust. “And we were going to leave that bastard alive…”

“He was a prisoner of war.” Minerva shot back hotly. “Do you have any idea how many laws that damned human broke killing him?”

“I do, actually.” Taven sniped back sharply. “More than you do, I'd wager. And you know what? That damned human is-”

“Enough.” Flitter growled through clenched teeth as sweat dripped from her brow. Spitting onto the stone, Flitter forced herself into her hooves. “Is. He. Alive.”

Bulwark held a hoof out to steady Flitter if she became unbalanced. “Easy, that stun is no joke, we lost a lot of guards to it…”

“I'm fine.” Flitter grunted as she flexed her limbs, before looking up at Minerva and Taven for her answer.

Minerva spoke before Taven had a chance, cutting him off mid word. “Who in particular ma'am? The human or the changeling?”

“Changeling.” Flitter growled furiously as she cracked her neck.

“Dead.” Taven interjected quietly.

“How?”

“Jack.”

Flitter scowled hotly, and muttered under her breath. “Doesn't matter how hard I fight he's always saving my sorry fucking hide…” She looked up to her pair of Sergeants and fixed them with a glare they didn't entirely deserve. “I want to see the body.”

Taven shook his head lightly. “There's not much left-”

“I DON'T CARE!” Flitter bellowed, causing him to flinch in surprise.

Without skipping a beat, Minerva motioned toward the labs with her head. “This way, Flitter. I'll take you to it.”

Not nodding her head, or motioning in any way, Flitter began to march toward the labs like a mare on a mission. Minerva quickly galloped to keep up, while Taven watched them go.

Shaking his head, Taven took a moment to lean against a stone pillar and breath. Commander Bulwark shot him a weak smile as she relaxed across from him. “When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?”

“Yeah… yeah it does.” Taven ran a hoof through his dusty mane, before returning the weak smile to the sturdy mare. “Thanks for looking after her. With everything that happened, I didn't get a chance to stick anyone to her.”

Waving a dismissive hoof, Bulwark smiled a bit more easily. “Don't mention it. I owe you guys as it is.” She looked down, and scuffed one of her armoured hooves against the stone. “When I first met you JSOG lot, I figured you'd be just like every other spec ops pack I'd dealt with before, but you guys are the real deal”

“Well… that's because we're mostly Rangers now. Just as the war broke out, we… lost a lot of ours. Ponies and griffons I'd trained with for a long while when we were first getting set up. Good people.” He sighed softly. “Only four of us left now, Old Guard…”

Wincing in sympathy, Bulwark nudged his side and smiled supportively. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah, actually…”

Storming through the ruined halls toward the labs, Flitter all but ignored the ruin and rubble as she trotted and flew. Minerva was at her side, doing her best to keep pace with her furious superior. Nearing the doors to the main laboratory, Flitter slowed at the sight of the two dead guards, who were now covered by white sheets and attended by Lunar Guards. One of the great oaken doors hung on a single hinge, while the other had been completely blown out into the hall, with a vaguely human shaped indentation marring it's finely stained surface.

The inside of the lab held the remains of the chaos that had unfolded within it. Trickles of blood stained the floor, and soaked into scattered pages of notes. Glass walls were shattered inward and outward, making for a loud approach as Flitter's combat boots crushed the glass. The wounded had been taken away, but they weren't what interested Flitter. What interested Flitter, was the new section of hidden lab, opened right up. Moving inside, Flitter's pace slowed to a complete stop as she slowly scanned the bloody battleground, and the massive machine at the end of the room. Severed limbs and demolished bodies were scattered about, and seemingly random strings of viscera decorated the hanging power cables and equipment like holiday garlands. Her eyes eventually fell upon the remains of the hybrid leader, the one who had taken Jack's identity and taken advantage of her in every way thinkable. Taven hadn't been joking when he'd said there wasn't anything left, and after the double barrel blast, Darneil was lacking a very good portion of his body. He'd all but popped like a meat balloon from the chest downwards, and small shards of shattered bone stuck from the unrecognisable pile of gore. His eyes were still open wide in pain and terror, his jaw dislocated and shattered.

Trotting over, Flitter pushed Darneil's lifeless head up, and pulled at his ragged t-shirt. Pulling Jack's dogtag from the corpse, she glared hotly at the Changeling, before turning to leave. She stopped when Minerva nudged her, and motioned with her head toward the machine. Sitting by the control console with his head thoroughly buried in his hooves, was Field Note.

Slowly trotting across the room, Flitter looked him over as she approached. His white lab coat had a massive blood stain across the front, and his hooves were equally matted with the stuff. She watched as he shivered, and tears fell silently to the stone floor.

“Field?”

Her voice ripped him from whatever hole he had mentally hidden in, and he yelped in surprise. “Flitter! W-what are you… what do you want?” His voice was thick with emotion, and his slitted eyes were puffy pink.

“I'm wondering what you're doing.” She responded softly, but without a hint of inflection.

“I'm just…” He gestured weakly to the ruin around him. “Trying to think where it all went wrong…” He let out a shuddering sigh as he looked back down at his hooves. “Toasty is…” he swallowed thickly. “They shot her… and these FUCKING ASSHOLES!” Field yelled in agony. “They said they were going to send her to a vet, because the hospital was full, because of Jack. She's going to die in a vets office, alone, because I have to make sure nothing damaged this stupid fucking machine… she's all I have…”

Flitter's eyes went up to the massive machine, and it's colossal metal ring. “What… is this machine?”

Field scoffed weakly. “The machine makes a portal to Earth.” Flitter's attention snapped to him as her mouth fell open in shock. “You're surprised… of course you're surprised… didn't you ever wonder why a pony whose only scientific merits are human related, would be stuck in a lab that had nothing to do with humans?” He shook his head. “I was going to be the first explorer too. Well, me and a few hoof picked guards. We even have these lovely little talismans that turn you human, thanks to changeling magic and zebra alchemy! I was going to venture into the hellscape that bastard calls home, and bring everything I could back. But now he knows, and everything is just… Fucked.”

Flitter stared in terrified awe at the machine, her early emotions all but forgotten in the face of such a revelation. With the revelation, came realization after realization. Slowly, her awe lessened, and grew to anger. “You kept this a secret, from all of us… from me and Jack… Field-”

“I followed orders!” Field screamed back at her. “And the only thing I regret is ever approaching you in that damned forest! I should have left Jack to Maltenics, and you to your old life! But I just had to approach you. You were beautiful, and you had a mystery, and I just couldn't fucking keep my stupid fucking nose out of it… I fell in love with you, only to be outdone by a damned human…”

“Field…” Flitter started as Minerva cast a sideways glance at her. “I never loved you. I would have never loved you back. You were my friend, but you tried to force me down a path I never wanted to walk to begin with. You lied to me, and you lied to my best friend, and I don't know if I'll ever forgive you for it.” Turning away, she started for the doors, just as he spoke.

“You're going back to him, aren't you?”

She didn't bother looking over her shoulder as she walked. “I'm going to get Toasty the doctor she deserves. Goodbye, Field.”

It was the sounds that called to him first. The sound of breathing, slow and steady, the beep of machines, the soft murmur beyond a wall somewhere. Then the smells came to him. The smell of antiseptic, fresh linens, and flowers. The flowers smelled so familiar, so close to his memories, they awoke his sense of feeling next. Pain. Pain was what he felt. The feeling of cotton sheets tangled in his metal legs, the feeling of tubes and wires and machines plugged into him, all a whisper under the intense pain that shit through his nervous system like a bolt of lightning.

The pain of being alive.

His brain was kicked into gear by the pain that caused his left hand to vibrate, and his shoulder to ache. The pain that bit at his thighs, right where metal met flesh. His brain wondered why he was alive; tried to piece together the fragments of memory left behind by insanely powerful combat stimulants. Slowly, things pieced together inside his head, leaving only one thing for him to do.

With great effort, he opened his eye.

A very familiar ceiling met his gaze, and earned a nearly silent groan from him. Near the foot of the bed, he heard something rustle against the sheets. He swiftly realized he couldn't move his legs. With all of his concentrated will, he forced himself up onto his elbows, and earned great spears of pain in his chest for his efforts. However, for his suffering, he found the answer he seeked. A thin girl in a hospital gown was curled up over his legs, like a puppy.

For a brief moment, his mind betrayed him, and all he saw was a powerful woman with short mousy hair that his heart ached for.

“Ada?” He asked softly, his voice barely a rasp. As he reached out to the girl, his mind snapped back into the present, and he found himself running his fingers through long raven hair. “Toast…”

The girl softly chirruped, lifting her head at the sound of her name. She looked at him with dull eyes, as if waiting for him to decide what to do with her.

Beckoning softly, he slowly pulled the girl up to his side on the bed. Toast chirped weakly as she nuzzled against him, her hospital gown crinkling quietly. With slow, careful movements, he wrapped an arm around her head, and pulled her in for an incredibly needed hug.

As he held the injured girl close, Jack slowly awoke, and began to scan the room he was in. Standing against the left wall was his armour; it's surface a pitted, scarred mess of melted plates, blood, and burns. Near the door stood Yuma, the heifer appeared to have nodded off, as her mouth hung open, and a soft snore came from her lips. To his right, were the ponies he knew he could trust. The pain in his chest seemed to alleviate as he looked over Taven, Baron, Mythic, and Flitter. They all seemed to be asleep, leaning against each other for unconscious support.

A part of his head started yelling at him, demanding he get up, throw on his exo-skeleton and armour, and march his happy ass to the giant teleporter the princess had made. The little voice was squashed when Toast whimpered slightly, and pressed a hand against her belly. He was instantly gifted with a memory long lost to time, of a little sister in pain, and a song his own mother had sung for him when the world was brighter and kinder.

Reaching over to grab the glass of water that sat on the bedside table, Jack took a long drink from it, before tipping what was left into Toast’s parched lips. Once the glass was empty, he set it aside, and slowly pulled her into his lap. Cradling her close, he rested his cheek on the top of her head, and let his memory come to his lips.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll always know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take… my sunshine… away…”

Toast chirped softly and she nuzzled her face into his chest as he slowly stopped singing, and switched to a stilted hum. Soon, he was unable to carry on, as his hums turned to coughs, and the coughs turned into liquid agony inside his chest.

As he tried to keep his coughs as quiet as possible, he felt a muzzle press against his hand. Looking to it, he found Flitter looking up at him with pained eyes. Giving his hand a nuzzle, she pulled herself in close, and carried on where he couldn't.

With Toast lulled back into a gentle sleep, Jack slowly let his head slump to the right, until it rested against Flitter's. She nuzzled him back softly, her flesh and metal hooves wrapping around his barrel. “I'm so sorry Jack… I should have known… I should have seen it…”

He slowly shook his head as he set his shaking hand over her metal one. “Don't… please… no more… apologies…” He squeezed his eye shut as a new wave of pain swept over him for a moment. “Your leg…” He slowly opened his eye again as he brushed his shivering fingers against the metal and plastic.

“I guess we're even more alike now, huh?” She spoke softly and stayed still, as as to not disturb his head, or the small girl curled up at the side of the bed. “It… it was bad… the siege, I mean…” Nodding softly, he gripped her hoof a little tighter, before falling asleep again. Flitter sat for a long while, listening to his laboured breaths come in easier and steadier. After what felt like hours, she breathed deeply, and pushed him up into a more comfortable resting position. “I'll get you home, Jack. I promise.”

It had been weeks since the brawl between Celestia and Jack, and the castle still bore the scars of it. Shaking her head at her own folly, Celestia continued to trot toward the operations center that was housed near the southern section of the castle, just over the cliff edge. A complement of five Coming Dawn operatives accompanied her at all times now, since the nearly successful assassination attempt by the changeling hybrids. That little situation only served to mock Celestia further, as she was keenly aware Jack had saved her life while JSOG had been firing on him, under her orders. In fact, if it hadn't been for his timely intervention, it was likely that the assassination would have been successful, and the hybrids could have escaped with the chaos core. It was a setback the Equestrians would have never returned from, and it had been denied completely and fully by one angry man in power armour. Still, despite his earlier actions, his attack on her afterwards had forced her hoof. Jack had been stripped of his Knight status, the lands he was to receive after the war, and everything else the war council thought appropriate, including the pay he'd collected up until now. It made Celestia sick to her stomach, the thought of it all. There was little she could do though, as she'd shown up to the meeting still bearing a fat black eye and swollen lip.

The bustle of the operations center hummed through the halls as she neared them, and forced her thoughts back on track. Pushing open the doors with her magic, Celestia was immediately met by a runner who had a large stack of reports balancing in his magic.

“Your majesty!” He pulled a report off the top and hoofed it over to her. Without another word, he set off at a gallop, leaving her to read the report as she approached the radio sets.

The report was the same as the ones before it. Another city lost, another town gone, all without a peep. Streams of refugees were pouring toward the capital, easy prey for the hunting imperials. The imperial battle groups were slowly moving in on her throne, pressing in on all sides as they swept up anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way. Their progress was disgustingly effective, for they met little resistance, and assimilated everyone they could. Their numbers continued to swell, and swell, and swell.

The radio operator looked up as she approached, and cleared her throat. “We have Captain Alsan of HMS Righteous Justice on the horn, your majesty.”

“Good, let me speak to her.” Taking the radio receiver, Celestia pressed it against her ear. “Captain, can you hear me?”

“Aye Majesty, we read you loud and crystal.”

Celestia smiled ever so slightly. “What do you have to report?”

There was a long pause which saw Celestia's smile slip away again. “It's bad, Princess. Very bad. We pinged the second and third battlegroup coming over the Ironwall mountains three days ago, making for a hard burn. The zebra legions have crossed the border, and are currently five hundred kilometers from the capital. The… first battlegroup, the one with the flagship, it's got a horde with it. Civilians, we think. They're maybe a week out, if they take their time.”

Celestia leaned against the pillar as she nodded and rubbed her face. “Do you know how many?”

“...We lost count, ma'am. We think we're looking at most of Neigh York, and Fillydelphia, plus a lot in between. We held fire, like you asked.”

Celestia slumped, a hard sigh barely caught by her composure. “Thank you, captain… finish your patrol, and return as soon as you can.”

“Right, we'll be home for dinner. Over and out.” The radio clicked as the other end went dead, though Celestia held onto it for a long while. The operations center had gone all but silent, as everyone within stared at her. There were almost two million soldiers bearing down upon her, and the capital. She had maybe ten thousand soldiers at her disposal. Three thousand Guard, two thousand Militia, four thousand Crystal Guards on loan, and a scattered number of Battle Mages, REA retirees, special forces operatives, and finally, the Minotauren Pioneers. Not enough. It would never be enough. Allowing herself a breath, Celestia lifted her head, and spoke loudly, though the room was dead silent. “Radio the Engineer Corp, and have them pull overtime to complete the fortifications. All active, retired, and reserve Guard are to report immediately, and all physically able mares and stallions above the age of sixteen are… Hereby conscripted. Order the foundries to cut whatever corners we can afford for weapons, armour, and ammunition, recall HMS Dauntless, and recall HMS Stalwart Liberty from Stalliongrad once they've received their fighter bomber compliment. Send the orders.” After a short moment, the operations burst back into activity. It wouldn't matter. There was no way for her to spread her forces in such a way to survive the siege, even with the promised reinforcements from the her niece and nephew in the Crystal Empire. She needed more time. So much more time... Celestia remained silent as she mulled her options, chewing every option to the bone, before she came down to one, single choice. She spoke again, though this time quietly, and to a single operator. “Send a message to lab D6. Tell them to initiate the final stages of Project Fartouch, and have both Mr. Kessle, Luna, Knight Captain Falenas, and JSOG meet me in the labs.”

The operator nodded, and sent the message. There was no stopping it now. She'd played all of her cards, now she just had to see how the game would play, and whether she'd witness the apocalypse.

His PDA read December 17th, 2034

Jack felt… strange. He'd felt strange ever since he'd woken up in the hospital. He didn't feel like himself; he felt cold and dead inside, but at the same time, he felt electrified, filled with an energy that didn't feel natural but somehow made itself feel a part of him. It was as if the fury he'd let slip against Canterlot was all the anger he'd had left, and now he was just… empty.

Something had filled that void, partially.

Something weird. Something so intangible and slippery he felt like he was going crazy just trying to describe what it felt like.

So, he didn't think about it. Didn't speak about it. He just continued on as if he couldn't feel the creep of something under his skin and inside his bones.

Honestly he was shocked he hadn't been hung by the War Council. He’d nearly been lynched in his hospital bed, had it not been for some Guard Commander coming down on those gathered like a ten tonne hammer. When he'd been at his own trial, It was incredibly clear the council wanted him to swing, save for Luna. Those generals and advisors wanted him hung, drawn, quartered, and pissed on, before being tossed off the cliff while on fire. Despite the War Council frothing at the bit to tear him apart, he'd been kept away from the hangman's noose by the goodwill of those he could have killed that night. His friends, squad mates, they stood next to him the entire time. Stood in his defence, and fought on his behalf. Then Vinyl had stood up for him, and was followed by so many more he didn't remember. People he'd helped, people he'd saved. His trial had been… unpleasantly public. The War Council wanted the public to see him, bloody, battered, and so spent he could hardly stand. They'd clapped him in irons, and stripped away his guns and armour before.parading him out like an item at auction, but in hopes of what? Vilifying him before the city?

Honestly, it wouldn't have been so bad if they had hung him. He wouldn't have minded. He'd burned himself up, turning his insides into cold ashes. He wasn't angry anymore. Just cold.

So god damned cold…

“Mr. Kessle?”

A voice he didn't recognise drew him out of his musing behind an unlit cigarette. He didn't bother to open his eye. “Yeah?”

“Princess Celestia has requested your presence at the labs.”

Princess Celestia. Despite the cold emptiness that sucked at his core, he felt a flicker in his chest whenever her name was mentioned. The flicker of anger cast light when he saw her. “Can't. Busy.” He responded quietly as he moved to light the cigarette.

“She said to tell you it's about Project Fartouch?”

He sat upright, his cigarette forgotten. “Give me a moment to find a shirt.” Hopping out of his flattened bed, he pulled on a clean shirt, and fixed his cloth eye patch. Without a second thought, he patted the blade at his hip. He never went anywhere without it, though he was beginning to think she wasn't inside the weapon anymore. The pony at the door was wearing loose, hastily assembled fatigues that lacked any identifying marks, but he had them pinged for militia the moment he'd seen the pony. They motioned for him to follow, and he did, albeit with a pronounced limp.

The walk to the labs was a quiet one, at least, it was for Jack. Without his exo-skeleton, he limped badly; a little keepsake from his battle with Celestia, and result of being thrown through too many walls. The militia had all but left the grounds earlier that day, heading down the hill to man new fortifications. As Jack glanced out an empty window pane, he saw a new stream of ponies entering the grounds, all of them holding guard items. The retirees.

She must be getting desperate. He thought to himself as he stuck the cigarette back between his lips, and took a pleasantly long drag.

The lab doors lay ahead, and a pair of Solar Guards pulled them open for the pair. The militia pony nodded to Jack, before scampering off to attend to other orders. Inside, Jack found Celestia, Luna, JSOG, Doctor Mac Griffon, and a gaggle of scientists. They all looked at him as he entered; before, he would have felt anger toward Celestia, but now he felt nothing, and he showed nothing. Ambling slowly toward the group, he continued to puff away. Once he'd joined the main group, Celestia managed a weak, forced smile.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice. I've… been informed that we have under a week until Canterlot is under siege.” A disconcerted murmur spread through those assembled, save for Jack. “As of such, I've been forced to… make some hard decisions. One of which, is the activation of Project Fartouch.” She stood tall, and gestured to the massive machine behind her with a wing. “This machine will take a hoof selected team to a new world, the human world of Terra. There, this team will be gathering materials, and training in any way possible to turn the tide of the war in our favor.”

Jack's brows furrowed slightly in thought as Luna stepped forward and spoke. “We are unsure if the return devices will work, as well as the disguises. With what we know of Terra, we are entirely unsure if anybody sent will survive, let alone complete the mission set before them. For this… we ask you, Jack, to be the team's Pathfinder. Guide them through your world. Help us, one last time.”

Sticking his thumbs in his pockets, Jack exhaled carcinogenic smoke through his nose. “There's no point. Not enough time. It's a big place, and at the best of times, a week wouldn't do you any good as is.”

“You will have plenty of time.” Celestia answered. “The reason why I didn't tell you of the project, Jack, is because time moves far differently between your world, and ours. A single day in Equestria, is forty on earth. You have been in Equestria for over two years, which means… you have been away from earth for over eighty years.”

His cigarette fell to the floor as his mouth worked in shock. Eighty years. So long, there may be nothing left for him to go back to. Nothing to live for. He wanted to be angry. If she had told him before, there may have been something, anything. Now, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

He wanted to be angry, but all he felt was cold.

Lifting a badly scarred hand up to rub at his twisted nose, Jack let out a long, haggard sigh. “Eighty years… eighty… years…” His hand began to shake and twitch, causing him to pinch the bridge of his tweaked nose harder. “And you still want me to help you…”

Luna bowed her head slightly. “It is not an order, it is a request. Regardless of your answer, we will send you back to Terra, if you so wish.”

Not looking at anybody as he knelt and picked up his smouldering cigarette, Jack carefully placed it between his lips and puffed. “It doesn't matter. You'll send them after me no matter what I have to say about it.”

“Correct. All we ask is that you help them with their task. Of course, you would be compensated for your assistance. Extra, on top of what we are going to give you already.”

Money. Now there was something he wouldn't mind when going home. “How much?” He mumbled quietly, still drawing off the drooping cig.

Celestia nodded to one of the nearby guards, and two of them moved forward with a rather large burlap sack. They dropped it on the floor at his feet; the bag thumping heavily. Kneeling down again, Jack undid the draw strings, and whistled quietly. Inside was a large mound of thick gold bits, but mixed in where precious stones the size of his fist, and bigger, in the case of a positively massive heart cut ruby that sat on top of the pile.

“Yeah… that'll do it.” He stood, and sighed as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “Okay. You've twisted my arm enough as it is. I'll at least get them somewhere they can work.”

Without warning, Celestia strode forward, and wrapped Jack in a rib cracking hug. “Thank you!”

“Please stop touching me.”

Nodding, Celestia backed away from him, and bowed her head slightly. “You do not know how much this means to me, and the entire world.”

“Save me the fuckin’ theatrics.” He muttered in return as he snubbed the smoking butt. “Well, let's see these disguises. I need to see how fucked you all look…”

Both Princesses looked to Doctor Griffon, just as he grinned a cheshire grin. “I need a volunteer! You there, Batpony with one wing!” He gestured to Taven, whose ears went flat against his head as he cautiously approached. Once Taven was at his side, Mac held up a small amulet that seemed to contain a rather bright liquid. “Simply pull on the device, and press down on the left chamber!” He draped the necklace over Taven's head, and motioned for him to do so. With a little trepidation, Taven did, and everyone in the room took an involuntary step back as he was completely engulfed in green flames.

Not a second later, the flames all but turned to purple smoke, and in Taven's place stood a rather tall, muscular man with mocha skin and a full, handsome face with a dusting of steel coloured stubble. His eyes all but glowed yellow, and he was clearly startled. His equipment had shifted as well, but as none of the team wore clothes…

Politely averting his eyes as the others stared in shock, Jack simply shook his head and lit another smoke. “I'm not nearly drunk enough for this shit…”

“How do you feel?” The doctor called out to Taven, from behind cover.

“I uh…” Taven's hand went up to his hairline, which formed a steel grey mohawk. He paused, and pulled the hand back before his eyes; wiggling and waggling his fingers as he stared in wonder. “Wow… I feel…” He flushed a little. “Kind of chilly.”

“That's because you're naked.” Jack informed him mildly.

“Wow, it's all just kind of hanging out there… “ Taven stated as he undid his chestplate and lowered it over his crotch. “I think I finally understand why you always wear pants, Jack…” He took a step forward toward the group, and promptly fell flat on his face. “Doc? How do I walk?” With Taven flat on the ground, Jack spotted where his wing and cutie marks had gone. His single wing was now a tattoo across his back, though an incredibly detailed one. His mark, was stamped proudly on the sides of both ass cheeks, just below the hip.

For the first time in what felt like months, Jack cracked a weak smirk. “This is gonna be a fuckin’ gong show.”

“I'll go next.” Flitter spoke loudly, and stepped forward. “It's clear JSOG’s the ones going. Let me get my disguise so I can get used to it.”

Celestia nodded as the doctor handed over the next amulet. “We only have thirty disguises in working order, and forty return devices, to allow for larger objects. Since there are twenty five of you total, you have five spares to go with you.”

Jack chewed the butt of his cigarette idly as he thought. “Send for Yuma. Give her the offer.”

“You'd be willing to take another on?” Luna asked lightly as Doctor Griffon strung the amulet over Flitter's head.

“She's trained, willing, and able. Besides, might be nice to have somebody who can carry my crippled ass aro-” Jack stopped mid sentence as Flitter was engulfed in flames, and changed into a human.

Flitter took in a deep breath as she looked down and took stock of her new body. She was shorter than Taven, but a little taller than Jack by an inch or two. Her body was incredibly impressive, with sleek muscles like braided steel cable girding her lithe frame, and impressive scars decorating her like medals. Her mechanical hoof had become an arm, though it was considerably thinner than her real one. Flitter ran a pair of fingers up from her navel, across her chiseled abs, to her moderate bust. “Huh…” Looking up, she found herself staring right at Jack as he stared back at her, wide eyed and slightly slack jawed. Her eyes were a vibrant violet, and were seated upon a soft, slightly rounded, beautiful face. Her shock of mane had been shifted to a close cropped military crew cut, that did nothing to hide the chunk of missing ear. The pair stared at each other for a long moment, before averting their eyes quickly. A hot blush began to creep across Flitter's face, while Jack rubbed at his singular intact cheek.

“How do you feel, Captain?” The good doctor asked loudly, jerking Flitter out of her thoughts. “By the way, the devices will continue to work so long as they have fluid in them, and they may be taken off without ill effect!”

“Good! I feel good.” She took a step forward, and nearly toppled, but managed to catch herself at the last moment. “Okay, I see your point, Taven.” Taking shaky steps across the room, she began to grow a little more confident in her strides. “This is… actually really cool! Look, Jack, I'm taller than you!” She smiled brightly, flashing her perfectly white, human teeth.

Still not looking at her nudeness, Jack nodded jerkily as he tried to get his thoughts in order. “Yeah, great, perfect…”

“Jack?” Celestia called to him, causing him to snap his attention to her. “Please go pack your things. You all will be leaving within three hours.” Without another word, he spun on his heels, and quickly hobbled his way out of the lab. Smiling to herself, Celestia leaned over to speak to Luna. “Could you send for somebody to collect clothes from the human servants quarters? If memory serves, terrans look down upon nudity.” She watched as Minerva collected her disguise, and shifted into a burly, yet short woman with a large bust. “And our ponies have no qualms about it at all.”

“Our humans.” Luna corrected with a small smile.

“Yes… our big humans…”

“Princesses?” Flitter spoke as she stumbled over, still using a desk for support. “May we all have the chance to say goodbye to our families?”

Immediately, Celestia nodded. “Of course! You all have three hours to collect your kits and personal items, and say goodbye to your families! We have forms ready to be signed as well, regarding life insurance and travel stipends. You'll all be given bits to take with you, to purchase whatever you may need, though with the time allotted, you may very well need to find somewhere to acquire additional funds.”

The team nodded, as some got used to their new disguises. Flitter turned to her crew. “I want everyone here a half hour prior! Try and keep your disguises on, get used to walking bipedal. We won't fit in very well if we're tripping up all over the place.”

A round of affirmatives went around, followed by a laugh as another of the JSOG rangers fell on his face trying to walk. Minerva smirked mildly as she stood with her hands on her flared hips. “Do you want an escort, ma'am?”

“Don't you have a family to see?” Flitter questioned as she accepted a shirt and loose pants from the runner as they returned with servant clothes. She struggled to keep her balance as she pulled them on.

“No any more, no.” Minerva said quietly.

“Oh… I'm sorry to hear that.” Pulling on the shirt, Flitter gave herself a look over. The hoodie would definitely need to replace the coarse shirt, if the sensitive nubs set on her chest had anything to say about it.

Minerva shrugged as she pulled a shirt over herself, but found her midriff still showing. “Not as bad as you think… divorced a few years ago, husband took the kid.”

“Oh, well-” Flitter grunted as she cinched her belt tight. “If you want, I won't mind. I'm just going to find my sister and pack my bags. Hold on.” Flitter watched as Baron nervously stepped up to the doctor and received her disguise. The flames engulfed her, and left behind a tall, and dangerously skinny human shaped changeling.

“I'm never going to get used to serving with a Ling’...” Minerva shook her head as Baron attempted to disguise herself as normal. The result was… deeply disturbing.

Shuddering at the sight, Flitter trotted over to the struggling mare. “What's going on, Match?”

“I um… I don't know what most normal human females look like, besides ours… well, except for Ada, but I'm pretty sure Jack would kill me if I did that…”

“Here.” Flitter pulled over one of the squad, and motioned to her face. “Start by copying Lemon, and just change it bit by bit. You'll get it.”

Baron nodded, and smiled. Lemon flinched back, while Flitter blinked in shock at the mouth full of daggers Baron now sported. Baron immediately closed her mouth and blinked her inky black eyes. “What?”

“You got some dental work done.” Flitter answered mildly as she patted the pair's shoulders. “Be back soon. Minerva! Put on some pants!”

Striding through the halls of the castle, Jack's head was abuzz with excitement, and mild terror. He was finally going home, but over eighty years had passed… If it was still there, he wouldn't recognize it, at all. He'd be as lost as the team, though he wasn't about to say it to their faces. At the thought of faces, his mind shifted to Flitter's new, shockingly attractive features. He swiftly shooed the thoughts away with a shake of his head as he entered his room, and began hunting down his massive rucksack. The process of breaking all of his equipment down was an easy one, though time consuming. All of it was designed to be broken down and stowed within a moment's notice. Once all of the critical equipment was stowed, Jack was somewhat surprised to find that he still had plenty of space. Considering all of the lost gear, the destroyed clothes, and other little bits he'd lost over the course of two years, he should not have been surprised. If anything, it meant he had to now carefully consider what mementos to take back. His nicely folded dress blues were the first in the bag, protected by a thin plastic wrap. The gaudy yellow and orange hat Flitter had gotten him followed it. Slowly, piece by piece, the bag began to fill.

As he packed, his door creaked open. “Hello?”

Turning to the door so he could use his good eye, Jack returned the greeting. “Hello?”

Walking through the door, Aurora smiled at Jack as she lugged in her tool kit. “Oh, hi Jack. Going somewhere?”

He managed a mild smile as he nodded. “Home. I'm going home.” As Aurora blinked in shock and spoke her congratulations, he swiftly turned the conversation in a different direction. “How's your chest?”

“Doing fine, same as yesterday. Some of my fur’s started to grow back! Just let me get in here and finish tuning up your armour, I'll get it ready for you to go.” Setting down her toolbox, Aurora began to work, before pausing for a long moment. “Gosh Jack, I can't believe you're leaving… are you going to be alright?”

He nodded as he slowly ambled over to his weapons bench, and began carefully choosing what he would bring into the field. The heavy Slug Thrower was a must, he liked it too much to simply leave it behind. It went into the leather holster secured at his armour’s hip. Into the chest rig went the Glock 19, and several spare magazines of ammo. Finally, he chose a heavy Equestrian pattern FAL-esque battle rifle, with eight hefty fifty round tombstone magazines filling his pouches. He paused when he looked at his armour’s chest rig, and sudden realization snapped at him. He was missing his biggest weapon of all.

Delta King.

However… he didn't have a reason to take it. He had nothing to destroy on earth, and if there was any kind of government left, they'd want it back, badly. But in that case, they'd snag him too, and he'd be doubly fucked. On the other hand, he could leave it to the Equestrians, with the knowledge of how to arm, and detonate it. That thought was a black one, and one he found himself debating over long enough to make Aurora feel uncomfortable.

In the end, he vowed to do something about the bomb. Throwing on his exo-skeleton, and clambering into his armour, Jack welcomed the embrace of his tombstone once again. “It feels good, Aurora. You did a great job. It's a shame-” he paused himself, another thought coming to his mind. “Hey, I've got a question for you.”

The mare looked up as she stowed her tools back in their box. “What's up?”

“What's your opinion of working abroad?”

Walking through the rapidly diminishing tent city the militia had erected on the castle grounds, Flitter was keenly aware of all the curious looks both she and Minerva were getting. It wasn't often you saw confident humans walking around with body armour and battle rifles slung over their backs. Flitter proudly bore the markings of Knight Captain, the markings taken from Jack after his trial. While cautious, the remaining militia made way for the pair, as Flitter searched for her sister.

With some effort and a lot of questions, she finally found which tent was her sisters. Approaching the flap, Flitter rapped her knuckles off the fabric. “Gimme a minute!”

“Any day now, Cloudy.”

“Flitter!” The rustling inside the tent grew quicker, until the flap was pushed open wide, and Cloud Chaser stuck her head out. Her loose steel helmet flopped over her eyes, causing her to pout as she pushed it up. Cloudy's pout swiftly turned to surprise as she looked far up at Flitter’s new body. “Uuuhhhhh…”

“You like it?” Flitter asked with a grin that only made her sister blink harder and slowly let her mouth fall open.

“You… you're… WHAT!?” How!? Why?!” Cloud Chaser gestured wildly at Flitter.

With a giggle, Flitter knelt down before her sister. “Don't worry, it's really me. I'm going on… a bit of a mission, and I might…” Flitter found herself frowning as she looked down, and couldn't finish the sentence.

“You're off to save the world…” Cloud Chaser looked up at Flitter and smiled softly at her. “I understand… Just… wherever you're going… be careful. Please… I'll miss you every day you're gone.”

With a soft smile, Flitter wrapped her arms around Cloudy and squeezed. “I won't be gone long. A week, maybe a little more.”

Nuzzling into her sister's chest, Cloudy smiled in return. “I love you, little sis… be safe out there, wherever you're going.”

“I will… I love you too, Big sis… Keep your head down and your gun clean. Come on Minerva, let's go pack.”

It didn't take long for the team to reassemble in the labs; each now human soldier carrying a large pack, body armour, a rifle, and plenty of ammo for the trip. They all stood in a neat platoon, watching Jack speak with Celestia. Scientists were crawling over the large machine, checking it for anything that could spell disaster for the team. If anything went wrong, anything at all, they could be torn to shreds at the atomic level, teleported into the cold of space, or to the bottom of the ocean. They could arrive half intact, or wildly mutated, if a single thing went wrong. That fact didn't sit well upon the ponies turned human. Yuma and Aurora were still getting used to their new forms, though Yuma seemed to not be bothered in the slightest, as she'd only really lost her fur. She was an incredibly large human, nearing seven feet tall. Aurora on the other hand was a tiny, skinny thing with dusky brown skin and sharp yellow eyes. Both practically vibrated in excitement, though for separate reasons.

“I just do not think it wise to release it.” Celestia spoke lowly, not expecting the others to hear.

“It's not a toy, Celestia. If I leave it here, they could use it against you. You might be tough, but that thing will merc you, and your sister. It'll level this whole mountain.” Jack shot back, not caring who heard.

She shook her head. “They would never get their claws on it. Besides we… we may need it.”

“You won't use it.” He stated flatly. “You wouldn't stoop that low.”

“And you would?”

“Of course I would. I'm human.”

Sighing softly as she rubbed her cheek, Celestia nodded once, and conceded defeat. “Fine. I'll send for a guard to bring it up. Just… please, find a way to help us.”

“No promises. But if I do find something, you won't like it. At all.”

“I was already certain of that…” Looking away from Jack, Celestia called forward a runner to collect the weapon from the vault. After, she looked to the gathered platoon. “Are you all ready? We have additional supplies and ammunition to send along as well.”

“We're as ready as we'll ever be, Celestia.” Flitter answered as she stood tall and laced her fingers behind her back. The sight caused Jack to smile ever so slightly. She was the picture of the perfect field officer. Calm, cool, and collected. The runner swiftly returned, carrying the heavy cylinder marked with bright yellow trefoils. A two megatonne thermonuclear bomb, specially designed to crack a hardened target two kilometers underground. Jack took it without a word, and slid it into it's resting place in his chest rig.

“Start the machine!”

Cries of affirmative went up as the scientists began to scurry about, going through the tedious start up procedure. The massive ring began to spin, slowly at first, before picking up speed. The location locks slammed down, and their identity alarms droned loudly in the chamber.

Bang.

One by one, the locks slammed down, until the final one was secured, and the machine crackled with energy. At the aperture, space and time seemed to ripple, before ripping open like fabric. The tear in reality spread, until it met the titanium inlaid edges of the ring, and halted. Nobody could see beyond, as the portal was black.

“Aperture secured! Portal is stable and power levels are holding!” Field yelled across the room over the low roar of the universe that leaked through the hole.

“Go! May the sun and moon guide you!” Luna yelled, and Jack took off like a shot toward the portal.

“Let's go JSOG!” Flitter yelled as she started for the portal.

Jack's feet felt lighter than they had in years as he crossed the small space, and mounted the metal stairs three at a time. A great broad grin broke out across his features as he reached out to the black. As he was sucked in through the portal, he was elated.

He was going home.

Chapter Fifty Seven: One Small Step for a Man

View Online

It happened in a flash, the travelling from one planet to the other. He'd expected some kind of feeling, a pull, a pinch, anything. But he felt nothing. There was no difference between stepping through the portal, and walking through a doorway. He felt a little let down.

“Bit underwhelming…” Jack stood tall, and looked around, but all he found was inky darkness. The portal was nowhere to be seen. He took a few steps forward, feeling through the dark. His heavy treads sounded out against concrete, and reverberated back at him. He was underground, in a basement, maybe. Setting down his heavy pack, Jack began rooting through it for his spare set of goggles.

Finally finding the low light goggles stowed squarely at the bottom of his pack, Jack pulled them on, and activated the NVG's. The black turned green, and nothing was illuminated. Rolling his eye, Jack activated the next filter, the backscatter overlay. The magnetic scanner sent out a pulse, and gave him a brief overlay of the room. He was definitely in a basement, if the items inside were anything to go off of. The wall to his left had a rack of sonic washers stacked upon each other, long gathering dust. To his right was a set of shelving, likely empty for equally as long. He frowned slightly, before finding the stairs up. It seemed he was alone in the basement of some apartment building.

“Got maybe a few minutes until the first few show up…” Jack mumbled to himself as he lifted his pack and re-engaged the magnetic clamps holding it in place on his armour. Lifting his rifle, he slowly began to stalk toward the stairs. Slicing his corners, Jack began to ascend.

As he neared a metal door, his PDA blipped. And then it blipped again, and again, and again, until he turned off notifications and looked to the screen. Pulling off his goggles, he squinted at the screen in the dark, before his eye went wide in shock.

357 unread messages

999+ unread emails

126 updates required

Voicemail full

WiFi network detected

Shaking his head slightly, Jack looked to the date, and once again, found himself pausing.

8:32pm

Oct 19th, 2119

Stowing his phone, he had to shake his head again. He had to focus on the now, and investigate his phone later. Pushing open the door, he stepped into the dull grey light of Terra.

Flitter's breath caught as she stepped through the portal, and what she expected to happen, didn't happen. She'd expected a pull, a pinch, anything. It was like walking through a door. “Little underwhelming…” She murmured to herself as she squinted and tried to pick up anything in the inky blackness. “Jack?” She called out softly, but got not response. “Dammit…”

“Ah-huh?”

Flitter looked over her shoulder as Taven seemed to simply materialize out of thin air. “Where the hell?”

“I'm on your right.” Flitter said quietly. “Can you see anything?”

She heard him sigh, and the quiet jingle of his equipment. “It's really dark, but I can make out some shapes… there's stairs over there. I think we're underground.”

The sound of another one of the platoon arriving drew their attention, and forced Flitter to stand and act. “Alright, Taven, find a way out of here, and see if you can't find Jack.”

“Right… I'll scout ahead.” The sound of his booted feet on the concrete met Flitter's ears, just before a door squealed open on rusty hinges.

Fwoosh

A bright red flare landed near the bottom of the stairs, bathing the large basement in flickering phosphoric light.

“Welcome to Earth. Get topside before that flare dies.” Jack's voice came down the stairs, prompting those who had arrived to rise and move toward the stairs. Mounting the stairs, Flitter and the others had some issues, considering their new bodies and the challenge that fifteen concrete steps now posed.

Flitter was the first through the open door, and she found herself in some kind of lobby. Ancient, desiccated carpets clung futilely to the floors, and what had once been furniture had all but collapsed into piles of old wood and rotten fabric. Jack was standing near a large desk that was covered in dust, looking out the front windows, which had long since been blasted inwards.

“What is it?” Flitter asked quietly as more of the team mounted the stairs with great effort.

“I think I know where we are…” He mumbled in response as he looked out onto the destroyed street. Rusted and gutted vehicles were piled up upon each other, creating blockades across entire streets. Their frames almost seemed melted together in some instances. Without another word, Jack stepped out onto the street, crushing stray glass underfoot. He stopped a few steps out, and spoke again. “I know exactly where we are…”

Walking up beside him, Flitter found herself stopping in shock; not because of the truly massive concrete and steel giants, whose skeletons pierced the skies in the distance, but for the two kilometer deep sinkhole that ate up two dozen city blocks in either direction. “What… what is this?”

“My grave… we're in Detroit.”

The team slowly filtered out of the blasted apartment, and gathered in the melted street. Jack stepped aside, and pulled on his booney hat as Flitter gathered everyone up and made sure nobody had been lost in transit. The platoon couldn't help but rubber neck as they looked around at the ruined city.

“What is this place?” Minerva asked out loud as she picked through some of the wrecked cars and scanned the grey skyline.

“Detroit. At the start of the war, it was one of the first cities lost to the invasion. They set down and set up shop.” Jack kicked over a loose hubcap. Without another word, he marched to the end of the street, and looked both ways before planting his hands on his hips. Flitter watched him as he stalked about, checking the area.

“What's the plan, Captain?” Taven asked as he sat down on the hood of a luxury sedan long since turned to a rotten carcass.

Flitter cast another look to Jack, before standing up and securing her pack. “We follow our Pathfinder. Alright, everyone up! I want standard combat spread, eyes on the windows and alleys. Aurora, stay in the center and if bullets start flying, find cover and keep your head down. Simoh, I want you ready to get into an elevated position if we get fired on.”

A round of affirmatives went up, and the platoon spread out while Flitter moved forward to link up with Jack. Mythic was at her side, his eyes flicking about nervously. “Captain? I'm picking up a strange signal.”

When Flitter turned to Mythic, Jack was already heading back towards them. He came to a stop, and lifted a brow as Flitter placed the headset over her ears.

“-KRSSHH-ON YOU APES, YOU WANNA LIVE FOREVER!?”

Furrowing her brows deeply, Flitter readjusted the headset, and tried to listen further. “I can hear gunfire. Lots of yelling. Can you identify where it's coming from?” She looked up at Mythic, who shook his head.

“No way, with all these buildings around? I almost didn't pick it up at all.”

Sighing lightly, Jack seemed to nod to himself. “That’s the concrete jungle for you. Unless whoever's broadcasting has a transmission tower, you're not gonna get shit for radio reception. Come on, I think I know where we are, streetwise… if we head over six blocks to the east, we should be on a main thoroughfare, find our way to the train tracks, or find a working vehicle. However unlikely that is…” He checked his phone, and furrowed his brow as he flicked through the options. Opening up the WiFi table, he found only one signal waiting for him. MLND198212. Secured. “Dammit… let's go people, we're burning daylight, and Motor City gets cold as fuck in October.”

“We're following you, Jack.” Flitter gave him a nod, and they all set off.

Picking their way slowly through the empty, ruined streets, the Equestrians found themselves at a loss for explanations regarding the ruined alien landscape. The buildings that surrounded them were long abandoned, and often destroyed from war time shelling. Jack slowed as they walked by an overturned Corvellan Hovertank; it's turret laying in pieces several meters away. The armour on it's side had suffered a massive penetrating hit, buckling the alien armour like tinfoil. He all but had to pry Aurora off it as she tried to scramble inside to pilfer alien tech.

Something was beginning to pick at Jack's brain, setting him on edge as they passed block after block and only saw empty buildings, abandoned cars, and ruined military equipment.

“Where the fuck are all the bodies…” Jack muttered to himself. Those who heard him looked around, confirming that there wasn't so much as a single bleached bone sticking out of the dirt and dust.

Moving up next to Jack, Flitter nudged him, and pointed further up the street. Just as he looked up toward the light, a Corvellan heavy patrol all but materialised from an alley way. Biting back a yell of terror, Jack grabbed Flitter by the collar, and dove into cover. Her mouth worked in surprise, only to be covered by his metal gauntlet as the rest of the platoon found cover. The patrol began to close, silently plodding along the ground. They laid perfectly still for what felt like ages, waiting for the patrol to pass by. They'd clearly not been spotted, as no incandescent bolts punched through Jack's armour, or blew the lightly armoured soldiers behind him to steaming bits. In fact, not a single noise was made by the patrol as they wheeled away and marched down the street.

Slowly peeking over the edge of the rubble, Jack let out the breath he'd been holding in deep. “What the fuck are the Slugs still doing here? Elissa said we won, god dammit…” He worried at his scarred cheek as he watched the patrol grow smaller.

“What the hell were those!?” Minerva hissed at them from across the street, her rifle trained on the figures.

“Hot death on a platter.” Jack muttered, before pointing harshly at the Corvellans. “That, is your fucking alien.”

“I preferred it when you were my alien…” Flitter muttered as she motioned the platoon up and out of cover. “Off the streets, we have no idea how many there could be.”

As the others moved into the cramped alleges and kept their guns trained in every which direction, Mythic moved up next to Flitter and held up the receiver to her again. “It's back.”

Cupping the headset to her now small ear, Flitter listened intently through the static.

“Forward! Ninth battalion, forward into the breach! FOLLOW ME TO GLORYYYY!” An earth shattering cheer went up, followed by intense gunfire. Flitter pulled the headset off, and listened intently. No gunshots echoed through the dead city on the cold wind. The voice on the other end sounded familiar, but she couldn't figure out where she'd heard it before.

Jack moved ahead, peeking around the corner. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing more Corvellan's, but the itching in his brain refused to go away. Against his better judgement, he began to follow them like a ghost.

After what felt like an hour of stalking the patrol several city blocks, they came across a set of rails, however, the rails didn't look like anything the Equestrians, nor Jack, had ever seen. They were more akin to railgun rails, and when the platoon approached, all the ferrous metal on their bodies lifted up and tried to fly to the metal rails. A wire sat overhead, buzzing quietly. Quirking a brow, Taven slowly approached the rails next to Jack.

“What are they for?” He asked quietly as Jack looked up and down the track.

“I think-” Jack drew in a breath of surprise through clenched teeth as he grabbed Taven by the collar and dove to the side, just as a metal tube zipped passed them nearly silently. The tube had appeared and disappeared within the snap of a finger, though the suck of air as it whipped by nearly pulled Jack and Taven back onto the tracks. The wire above crackled with energy for a moment, before fading back to a dull buzz.

Panting in fear, Taven let his head loll back. “Thanks Jack…”

“Anytime, buddy…” Jack slowly sat up, and looked back down the track. “That… was a maglev, I think. Okay.” Pushing himself up, he waved to the rest of the platoon. “Change of plans, we are NOT going to follow the train tracks!” Nobody argued as a lot of heads nodded vigorously in agreement.

It took a fair amount of time to find a way to safely cross the tracks, but when they did, they could hear distant noises. However, there was one sound that pricked Jack's interest in particular. The sound of tires slowly grinding stone against pavement. The sound of a vehicle slowly moving. He motioned toward a relatively tall building that had all of its windows blasted inwards; it's exterior marred with soot and blast marks. Entering the building, they caught flashes of movement on the other side, on the street. Jack motioned jerkily for them to climb a level before pounding up the stairs as swiftly as his legs could carry him. Edging cautiously to the destroyed windows on the other side, the group was treated to a macabre scene of a human battle group clashing with a massive Corvellan host. Lasers and steel bolts ripped through the air, sending the aliens flying, while incandescent bolts boiled men and women alive. Tanks trundled and swooped across the rubble strewn streets, their turrets spewing hot death at each other with mammoth guns. At the head of it all, was a Longbow soldier, firing a heavy Grizzly sabot rifle with one hand, while holding a battle standard in the other.

It all would have been deafening; should have been deafening. The war made not a single noise. The platoon watched the silent, macabre dance as human soldiers fell and aliens died.

“Flitter?” Mythic spoke quietly as he unplugged the headset and let the tinny speakers play.

The gunfire came in loud and clear, along with the screams and yelling, the gunning of engines and the howling of alien guns. The Longbow soldier shoulder checked a Corvellan Elite, before firing a burst into it's chest. As the alien died, the soldier hefted the Terran battle standard high into the air.

“WE'RE ALMOST THERE! COME ON MEN!”

It struck Flitter like a ton of bricks. The voice was Jack's, though it sounded younger, louder, and full of less gravel and growl. The charge came, and the aliens fell like chaff. Soon though, a new sound joined the radio chatter, and with it, a source. A greatly lifted eight wheeled vehicle slowly trundled over the debris, the open topped deck sporting a number of humans in garish clothes pointing glowing wrist mounted devices at everything. There were children among them, wearing plastic replicas of Jack's helmet.

A human up at the front of the vehicle lifted a microphone to his lips and spoke through the vehicle's PA system. “And here is where the gallant Martyr Kessle rallied the broken ninth battalion, and punched a hole through the alien lines. From here, he would selflessly lead a one man charge and infiltrate their fortress. There he'd single handedly slay the alien commander, and sacrifice his heroic life to destroy the final Corvellan teleportation platform, locking their remaining forces in space.”

The vehicle trundled passed, the sounds of the battle filtering through the PA system, alongside the encouraging bellows of the Phantom Jack. The fallen on the street seemed to all but dematerialize into flickers of light, before new ones came up from the various streets and alleys to stand ready for the next tour vehicle. All eyes went to Jack, but found him missing. The sound of his boots crushing glass on the street below drew all eyes, and the platoon found their pathfinder plowing through the Corvellan soldiers as if they were made of thin glass as he chased after the tour vehicle.

“He's twigged!”

Flitter shook her head as she threw her rifle over her shoulder, and jumped to the street below. The landing came far softer than she'd expected, but it was the last thing on her mind as she chased after Jack. Soon, the entire platoon was running after the both of them.

Jack followed the tour vehicle for what felt like ages, tailing it through the twisting blocks of empty buildings and mazes of ruined cars. Noise was beginning to meet his ears though, the noise of civilization. The sun had long since set into the horizon, bathing the entire city in inky darkness, though something in the distance shone bright enough to fade the stars.

“Jack! Jack wait up!” Flitter yelled after him, only to almost run into his backside when he skidded to a halt. “Jack, what-”

“Are you seeing this?” He pointed around the corner, and down the street. Peering out, Flitter's eyes went wide in shock as she watched the massive tour vehicle enter a fenced compound, that held an amusement park. A rollercoaster whizzed by overhead, full of screaming humans. Above it all floated the sign:

MARTYRLAND

“What… in all of the worlds…” Flitter pulled away, and turned back to the others as they finally caught up. “Hold tight, we've got… something. Jack?” Flitter looked back to him, and found the man with a monocular against his eye.

Scanning the amusement park, Jack couldn't help but slowly start to shake his head. “I… I need to get closer. Flitter, pick a squad if you're going to follow me…” He slowly rose, and stowed the monocular. He set his rifle aside, and motioned for the others following to do the same.

“Taven, Aurora, Baron, Yuma, with me. Simoh and Mythic, up the building with eyes and ears on, emergency channel. First squad, across the street, second sticks here. Stay in cover and don't get seen.” Flitter quickly barked the orders, and gestured with her metal hand. “Minerva, you're in charge, I expect a tight ship.”

The busty woman saluted sharply. “Yes ma'am! You heard the captain! Let's go ladies!”

The platoon scattered across the street, soon leaving the six scouts alone. They all looked to Jack, who remained in his armour. “Jack?” Flitter spoke softly. “We're waiting on you.”

“Yeah… yeah let's go.” He rose from his hunkered spot, and started toward the fence. “Cross your fingers…”

Crossing the no man's land between the ruined city and the gleaming park, Jack heard no cries of alarm, no yells to halt. In fact, he didn't see a single armed guard. There were a number of security cameras, but they all seemed to be pointing inwards. The park wasn't expecting anybody to break in through the city, apparently. A large concrete building rose up on the edge of the fenced in property, with a heavy metal door. Jamming his knife into the frame, Jack cut through the bar lock, and carefully pulled open the door. Ushering in the team through, Jack carefully closed the door, and turned to take a look around. It seemed they were in some kind of maintenance room; shelves lined the walls full of part boxes and miscellaneous bits. A large generator hummed away in the corner, protected by a section of chain link fence.

Moving to the next door, Jack didn't wait for the team to finish gawking as he carefully opened it. Peeking out, he found himself looking out into the employee changing rooms and lounge. A number of actors ambled about, either changing or relaxing.

“So how long are you on shift for?”

A voice drew his attention over to a pair of men, one of which was dressed as a cartoonish Corvellan, and the other as a Longbow soldier.

“I'm on for another two hours until closing, then I'm catching the train back home.” The Longbow soldier groaned as he leaned back and pulled off his costume. “But right now, I'm taking my break.”

“Hah, well, see you tomorrow.”

“Later boo.”

Jack eased the door back, and waited for the pair to leave, before slipping out and heading for the longbow costume. Pulling the metal and plastic helmet off the pile, Jack plunked it down over his head, and was shocked when a HUD shimmered up. His armour’s VI tried to connect, but the warning of software incompatibility flashed, telling him he was out of luck. Snagging the replica rifle from the pile, Jack motioned the others forward. “See those ninth battalion costumes? Grab what you can and make it work.”

The others quickly nodded, and began rooting through the costumes available. Jack peeked out around the corner, watching and waiting to see if anyone else would come to the lockers. Glancing over his shoulder, he made the grave mistake of checking to see if his team was finished changing. The stark, shameless human nudity caused his eyes to linger for an excruciatingly long moment, before he shook his head and looked back to the hall.

“Jack?” Flitter spoke behind him, causing him to once again glance over his shoulder at her. She held her arms out, showcasing the ill fitting ACMC ninth battalion uniform. “How does it look?”

His eyes flicked down for a brief moment, before he forced them back up. “Beautiful… It-it’s fine, I mean.” He gave her a jerky thumbs up, before stepping out of the locker room. “Okay… recon, act natural… nothing out of the ordinary…”

Walking down the short hallway, Jack entered the lounge, and idly glanced around at the attraction workers. Nobody glanced their way as the squad moved behind him, save for when Yuma slid her seven foot tall frame through the doorway. Eyes quickly diverted when Yuma's met them, and she acted like she completely belonged. Aurora however, shuffled her feet and glanced around nervously, unable to keep a cool expression as they moved for the main doors.

Exiting out into the cool night air, the sounds of the amusement park buffeted the squad, causing both Taven and Aurora to cringe and cover their ears.

“What is this place? I've… I've never seen anything like it…” Flitter murmured next to Jack as she gawked at the neon lights and vibrant attractions. On all sides, they were surrounded by families and sightseers, and the noise was nearly deafening.

Jack slowly shook his head as he looked around with wide eyes. It was as much of a shock to him as it was to everyone else. “I don't… just… stick close. Okay?”

“Jack, are you alright?” Taven asked softly as he moved up to the other side of the man.

“I don't know anymore…”

Moving forward, Jack began to slowly weave his way through the crowd. Passing by another longbow actor, he found out, to his chagrin, that he was considerably taller in his armour than they were in their replicas. He stood out among the crowd, and was beginning to draw attention to himself as he slowly ambled about. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for, or if there was anything he could do with this place to help further their goal.

“Look, over there.” Aurora pointed off through the crowd, toward an information booth, sitting next to an open air gift store.

“Good find Aurora.” Flitter nudged the girl with her hip, before walking casually over to the electronic booth. As she approached, the screen lit up, and a little animated chibi Jack popped up.

“Hi there! Welcome to Martyrland! I'm Jack junior, the official mascot! What can I help you with today?” The chibi sprite certainly sounded like Jack, if he were higher pitched and adorable, but the rosy little cheeks and the gleaming green eyes full of mischief just threw it off completely.

“Um…” Flitter blanked as the cute little spite placed his armoured hands on his hips and leaned forward in anticipation. “Uhhhh…”

Budging passed Flitter, Aurora got closer to the screen, drawing the little sprite's attention. “What is this place?”

The little chibi grinned brightly and rocked on his heels. “This is Martyrland! One of eight locations renowned for their historical location and importance, owned and operated by Elysian Fields Media! This park celebrates the amazing victory that Longbow Specialist Jack Kessle, also known as Martyr Kessle, heroically turned the tides of Operation Ironguard, and destroyed the Corvellan teleportation system and primary stronghold for the eastern seaboard! Would you like to know more?”

Aurora squee'd happily as she clapped her hands. “Such an intelligent little creature! How did they get you inside this box?”

“I was preprogrammed to answer as many questions as possible by our beloved visitors and guests, and this booth has been placed here for your convenience!” The little sprite seemed all too happy to answer Aurora's questions, which thrilled the small woman to no end.

“Aurora.” Flitter tapped her shoulder. “Find out where the next town is, and how we can escape this place. I need to keep an eye on Jack.” Flitter looked over her shoulder, and sighed as she watched Yuma and Taven become entranced by the carnival games. “And everybody else…”

“Can do, Captain!” Aurora peered back at the little sprite as he patiently awaited her next question. “I wish I could take you home with me~”

“You can! Just ask your parents permission before downloading Martyr Kessle Junior by Elysian Fields Media from the app store for only one ninety nine ninety nine!”

“That's a lot of bits…”

Flitter shook her head as she turned away and searched for Jack. With an idle flick of her hand, she got Baron's attention and motioned to Aurora. The other woman didn't need any more than the motion, as she moved to the small woman's side to keep her safe. Thankfully, Flitter didn't have to look far, though what she saw gave her a long moment of pause. A little girl with curly mousy hair stood before Jack, wearing denim overalls, a light green t-shirt, bright yellow gumboots, and a ball cap that read NASCAR across the front. In her hands she clutched a plushie Longbow soldier that was as big as her head. Jack had knelt down in front of the little girl, and seemed to be listening intently to what the little girl was saying. Pushing back a small smile, Flitter approached the pair. “What's going on, Jack?”

He lifted his head towards her for a moment. “She's… she's lost her family. We… I'm going to… help.” He spoke in an unusually soft tone, one Flitter could barely hear over the din of the crowds.

Unable to hide her soft smile, Flitter placed her hands between her knees and stooped over toward the girl. “What do your parents look like?” To her surprise, the little girl covered her face with her Jack plushie, and moved to hide behind the real one's big armoured leg.

“Hey… it's okay.” Jack offered his gauntlet to the girl, who cautiously took it by the tip of a single finger. Very carefully, Jack lifted her up onto his shoulder, but left his hand up for her to hold onto. “What do your momma and daddy look like?” He listened carefully, and softly relayed the information to Flitter.

Across the park thoroughfare, Yuma and Taven were watching with rapt attention as people played the carnival games. The games were unlike anything they'd seen before, being a combination of physical, electronic, and hardlight components. The prizes were varied and colourful, though the one that drew Yuma's eyes the most was the positively gigantic Longbow plushie, which was nearly as big as the real thing.

“Taven, Sergeant Taven! I need that large toy Jack!” She tugged at his arm, causing the slightly smaller man to chuckle.

“Okay okay, I suppose one game won't hurt…” He cleared his throat and approached the staff member manning the booth. “Hello. Um… how much to get the big prize?”

The bored looking teenage girl simply rolled her eyes as she pointed toward the sign on the back wall. Apparently all he had to do was hit the bullseye with the balls five times in a row, with the five balls provided. At the bottom of the sign read 'first game free, 50$ per game after the first.’

Relaying the rules to Yuma, Taven stood back as the huge Amazonian woman grabbed her five balls, and approached the line with intent to win. Beside her, a young boy yelled a vibrant curse as a hardlight Corvellan blocked his last ball. Taken aback by the vulgarities spewing from the child's mouth, Yuma slowly turned her attentions back to the board, and tossed her first ball. It flew high over the target, and earned an eye roll from the attendant as the buzzer sounded.

“No good!” A little voice shouted out from the board, mocking Yuma.

“I will show you no good…” Yuma muttered as she reeled to take her next shot, using her hydraulic arm.

Leaning against the ticket booth, Taven allowed himself a moment to breath and take in the sights. There was just… so much. Unable to flatten his ears against his head, Taven was forced to bear the brunt of the noises, and his light sensitive eyes suffered greatly from the flashing LEDs and neon lights. Shielding his eyes from the light, Taven turned his attentions back to the game. As he did, the attendant quickly averted her eyes from his backside, and Yuma muttered in agitation.

“The game is cheating! It has blocked my balls twice! I will only get the little wrist thing…” She gestured sadly toward the cheap children's watch sitting in the low tier prize case, just above small sugary candies and other dollar store party favors.

Pushing off of the stand, Taven approached her side. “Here, let me try.” He pressed the button on the booth, and received five balls. Looking over the target, he shrugged and lobbed a ball at it. Bullseye. “Hey this is pretty easy.” He lobbed another, and another, both smacking the center of the target. His fourth struck true, and now more than a few people were watching him throw. He paused, just as a hard light alien popped up, and waved his arms about to block a ball that wouldn't come. Just as the hardlight alien was beginning to fall apart, Taven slung the ball in, shattering the alien, and striking true.

Ding ding ding! The alarm went off. “Winner! Mega prize!”

Even the attendant looked surprised as she reached up and unhooked the giant plushie. She smiled a little to the attractive mulatto stranger as she handed it over. “I've never actually seen someone win this. Con-rats, I s’pose.”

Taking the prize, Taven shrugged to her. “It wasn't all that hard. Just had to watch the little light things.” Turning back to Yuma, he hefted the heavy plush. “Got it.”

Despite his victory, Yuma still seemed slightly off put by the whole ordeal. “You have proven yourself the superior ball thrower, Knight Sergeant Varenikov… I will take my small wrist thing as prize.”

“Well… here. I won it for you.” Taven pushed the giant thing toward her, only to watch as the Amazonian’s eyes lit up with glee.

“Truly!? You are the greatest of friends!” The big woman wrapped her flesh arm around his head, and pulled him into a smothering embrace against her chest. She seemed unaware of Taven's flailing limbs as she squeezed him happily. “This is the greatest gift I have ever received! It's fur is so soft I wish to perish!”

Patting her arm, Taven tried in vain to free his head. “Y-yuma… can't…. Breathe!”

“Ah! My friend!” Releasing Taven, Yuma lifted him up off the ground. “I apologise deeply for harming you with my boobflesh…”

He waved off the apology as he sucked in air. “No.. no problem, Yuma… had a great time.” Rolling his neck, Taven glanced around the busy park. “Dammit… I can't see Jack or Flitter anywhere, let's get back to Baron and Aurora.”

The huge woman nodded rapidly as she hugged the plushie to her chest. “Yes! An excellent idea Knight Sergeant, we should regroup!”

With a little effort, the pair returned to Baron and Aurora, though now a line was forming as Aurora continued to ask the chibi Jack every question she could think of. Baron looked greatly relieved as the pair approached. “Have fun? I'm glad you guys are back, these humans look upset, and I can't pry Aurora away from the thing…”

“Have you seen Jack or Flitter?” Taven questioned as he moved up to Aurora's side.

“Nope. Haven't felt them either. This place is just… Awful. It makes me want to puke, all these human emotions…” She shivered heavily.

Shaking his head, Taven reached over and ran two fingers sharply down Aurora's spine, right between where her wings would normally be. The intended effect was immediate, as Aurora arched her back and let out a shrill 'Eeeee’. Whipping around, the woman backed up against the holographic console. “W-what was that for!?” Her cheeks all but glowed a rosy red from embarrassment.

Motioning over his shoulder with his head, Taven spoke. “There's a queue forming, and we've lost Jack. Come on doc, we need to leave.”

“S-sure… um… goodbye!” She said to the little chibi sprite, which waved back at her. “Oh I need one of these little creatures so badly!~”

“Yeah yeah, real adorable without the spaz attacks and rampant alcoholism.” Baron muttered as she grabbed the woman and physically pulled her away from the kiosk. “Did you at least learn anything useful?”

Aurora swiftly nodded in return. “Yes! There is a 'magnetic levitation’ train that will take us to a village called 'Washington DC’.”

“I have spotted Jack!” Yuma exclaimed as she pointed at the man. The whole group turned, and craned their necks to see over the crowd.

Handing over the small girl, her parents were utterly beside themselves with relief. Hugging her child against herself, the mother beamed to the masked Jack. “Thank you so much for keeping Gabby safe! We were about to go to security! You have no idea how much this means to us!”

Jack stared back at them through the tinted red visor, his tongue catching as his brain faltered. “...Yeah…”

Moving in beside the big man, Flitter smiled at the pair. “It was our pleasure, really.”

“What are your names, we'll tell your manager to give you a raise!” The father grinned brightly at them.

“Just keep an eye on her better, next time.” Jack turned away from the family, and pressed a hand against his helmet as he began to walk away. Excusing herself, Flitter followed after him, just as a booming voice caused him to freeze.

“You there!” The voice was coming from another standing console, but as Jack turned to it, a full sized hardlight replica of him materialised, and mocked him with a fully intact face. “Good evening-” The replica paused, and a small message displayed below his chin.

Searching network

“-Specialist Jack Kessle, retired ACMC Staff Sergeant! According to my database, you're a veteran of the- Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Peace, Operation Desert Spear, Corvellan-Terran conflict, Operation Tundra Storm, Operation Blinding Light, Operation Hellfire, Caucasus region conflict, Operation Tokyo Thunder, Operation Supremacy, Pacific Theatre, Operation Peleliu, Eastern North American Theatre, South American Theatre, Operation Striking Snake, Liberation of Washington, Liberation of Moscow, Operation Black Beast, and Operation Ironguard! You've got an impressive service record, soldier! Have you considered signing on with the Terran Legion? New four year contracts have become available, with fifty thousand dollar signing bonus incentives! Contact your local recruiter asap, and remember, if you follow the way of the Martyr, anybody, can be a hero!” The hardlight Jack saluted sharply, and shifted, showing the real Jack what he would look like in the silver and red Legion dress uniform.

His grizzled, ruined features replaced the grinning, perfect face of the copy. He looked like he should have been dead a long time ago, and just hadn't gotten the memo. The old fat 'Y’ shaped scar across his forehead had long since faded to a less angry colour, but the other half of his face looked melted, and still had teeth showing through the cheek. His intact cheek was still gaunt from the starvation and torture he'd endured at the claws of Carolus. His empty eye socket was covered by the cloth patch; his other eye dull and lost. His hair was scraggly, and it had far more white and grey in it than he ever remembered and the same could be said for the scruff now growing on half his face. Staring himself in the eye, Jack slowly slumped in his armour, and pressed a metal gauntlet against his visor. His dress uniformed copy mirrored him.

“Oh god…”

Flitter's hand rested on his shoulder as she pulled herself closer to him. “Jack… it's going to be alright. Let's just meet up with the others, and get out of here…”

He slowly shook his head, the hand on his visor now trembling violently as he stumbled away from the machine. “I… can’t, this… this fucking place is… wrong... It's… it's all wrong! I can't… I… fuck… Fuck!” His hoarse yells were now drawing attention, and people were starting to give him a wide berth.

They sent you to die, and now they're using your pretty little face to recruit kids to die. Ironic, isn't it?

“Shut the fuck up!” Jack snarled through clenched teeth and drawn lips. “I don't want to hear a fucking peep out of you!”

Flitter drew her hand away in surprise. “Jack…” She looked incredibly surprised, and hurt.

The look was like a spear through his heart. “No, no, Flitter, n-not you, please… just-”

The hardlight copy sprung back up and spoke with his voice, though it regarded Flitter this time. “Good evening-” It didn't get a chance to even start searching for Flitter's nonexistent personal data, as Jack's fist smashed it's face into a million pieces. It immediately rematerialized, this time with a frown. “Assault of Elysian Fields Media property is punishable by four months in prison and a twenty thousand dollar fine. Security forces have been alerted to your location. Good day.”

Gritting his teeth, Jack was just about to smash the whole console to bits when he heard pneumatic steps approaching. Turning, he found himself staring down two humanoid droids that had 'security’ emblazoned across their chests. They approached with a human officer, who in his own right was a massive man in his uniform. “Step away from the recruiter.” Jack shuddered involuntarily as the officer spoke, and clamped a hand down around his shaking hand. The security officer set his hands on his utility belt. “Why don't you come with me to the office and chill out for a few?”

His eye flicked from droid to droid. While the officer was clearly willing to be lenient to a point, the droids were prepared to try and take him down, hard. “Y-yeah… fine.” He nearly had to spit his last word out, as his jaw shook and his voice faltered. As he moved to the officer, he muttered to Flitter. “Get the others. Wait.”

With a nod, Flitter disappeared into the crowd, and Jack was alone.

The walk to the security office was a short one, and Jack soon found himself in a small office within. On the door was the name 'Shift Leader Barnes’. Officer Barnes beckoned him in, before gesturing to the chair. “Take a seat please.” His heavy pack released with a near silent buzz, and caused a the desk to jump from the impact. As Jack sat down, and the chair groaned in protest, Barnes sat down across from him, eyeing the big pack, and the man it belonged to. “So, bad day huh?”

“It's been… a bad decade, I think…” Jack's eye flicked up under the helmet, regarding the security officer. He was big, almost as big a Petyr, but not fat like Petyr. He had massively broad shoulders, and a shock of dusty brown hair on his head. His thickset features were freshly shaven, and fairly young, if Jack could judge by the lines.

“Hmfph. I hear that. Look dog, I don't blame you for socking that hardlight asshole one. Grudd, we all get the urge to geek him on occasion.” Barnes motioned in a placating manner with his hands. “But that being said, you can't be smashing Martyr Kessle in the face in front of all the guests, even if it is a bastardized recruiter.”

Slowly shaking his head, Jack leaned back in the straining chair. “I can't believe they've done this… made this… this fucking place.”

“It’s-”

“It's a slap to the face is what it is.” Jack shot back harshly before the officer could say anything. “How many people lost their lives, only to be remembered by a fucking theme park…”

Barnes sighed as he reached out and tapped a hardlight screen. “Coffee, two cream two sugar.” Within moments, the cup plunked down from a slot in the wall, and filled with coffee. “It's historically inaccurate-”

“How do you think people would feel if it was Holocaust Park? With the 'Anne Frank’ funhouse, and the ‘Dunk Hitler’ carnie game? The Auschwitz gas chamber maze? It's-” Jack could no longer contain himself, and his hand slowly crushed the arm of the chair like tinfoil. “Historically inaccurate… It disgusts me…”

As the metal was crushed in his hand, Barnes slowly set his coffee down. “Can you take your helmet off for me please? I need to get your ID number, recommend you for some extra days off.” Without a second thought, Jack complied, and let the replica clatter to the floor. Barnes’ eyes slowly widened as he looked at Jack's ruined face. “I don't… recognise you. You don't work here.”

“Funny…” Jack slowly smiled an emotionless smile as he reached into one of his pouches and produced a cigarette. “There wasn't a fucking amusement park the last time I was here…”

“Janine, scan the man across from me and give me his profile.”

The console built into his desk responded curtly. “Right away, Walter.”

“So.” Walter clasped his hands together on the desk. “What's your name?”

“Jack… Jack Kessle.”

“Very funny. Your real name, please. Janine, what's taking so long?” Walter glanced down at the console.

“Profile is unavailable due to clearance requirements.”

“What? What clearance level is he?”

“Double black as dictated by the Elysian Fields media group.”

Walter blinked, and looked to Jack, who was too busy sucking back the cigarette to care about anything that was being said. “Recall camera footage of the recruiter, number twenty two, when 'Mr. Kessle’ approached it.”

“Right away sir.”

“Okay tough guy.” Walter leaned forward, and frowned. “I don't know who you are, and I don't care who you 'think’ you are. You try and bullshit me about being Martyr Kessle, I'll knock your damn teeth out. If it weren't for his Foundation, I'd be dead, so don't think I take kindly to random people pretending to be a man I idolise.” His console pinged, as Jack smiled weakly behind his cigarette. Narrowing his eyes, the officer watched the clip. His eyes soon widened, and his mouth worked in confusion. “There's… No, the recruiter's wrong, it shouldn't even have access to double black profiles-”

“Unless it's owned and operated by the people who own my likeness.” Jack snubbed the cigarette. “I don't have time for this.” Reaching into his webbing, Jack grabbed Delta King's carry handle, and plunked the two megatonne bomb down on the large man's desk. The officer's eyes went wide, and he back away from the bomb. “My name, is Jack Kessle. I have had a very bad day, among many. I'd appreciate it if you cooperated.” He drawled, letting his words hang in the air for a good long moment, before reaching into his bag and grasping a fist full of golden bits. “If you help me out, I'll compensate you. Fuck sakes, you keep your mouth shut and let me and mine pass through, I'll pay you.” He plunked the fist full of coins down on the desk, before leaning back to let the security officer stew. “I honestly don’t give a flying fuck.”

Blinking owlishly, Walter looked from Jack, to the bomb, then to the gold now sitting on his desk, and then back to Jack. “Am… am I dreaming?” Walter pinched himself, before blinking hard again, and leaning in to look at the gold, then to the bomb.

“I keep telling myself I'm trapped in a nightmare, but I haven't woken up in over two years. What'll it be, Officer Barnes? Easy way, or the hard way.”

Shaking his head, the large man slouched, and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. “This is… a little overwhelming.” He frowned heavily, before pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Let's… let's say I believe you. You're the real Jack Kessle, the man who nuked himself to save Earth eighty five years ago. How in the blueberry hell, are you sitting, right here, right now, looking like death itself, carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold, and a nuke, that by all accounts, has gone off and altered the course of history?”

“Can I get a coffee? Triple triple. Please.”

“I see five coming back…” Simoh shifted and panned his scope across the barren landscape. “No sign of the big man…”

Moving to the edge of the roof, Mythic stage whispered down to the others. “Five coming in! Hold fire!”

The returning five soon crossed the street, and entered the cover of the buildings. Flitter looked around, before having her attention drawn to the side by a whistle. Minerva beckoned her over from a destroyed window, and soon the squads were reunited.

Crouching down by a chemlight, the rangers looked to Flitter in the lowlight. Minerva was the first to speak. “Well? What is it?”

Looking to the others, Flitter huffed in amusement. “It’s some kind of… park. Jack called it a theme park.”

“Where is Jack?” Taven questioned quietly, having not been given an answer on the trek back.

“He… was detained by security. He asked that we wait and monitor the emergency channel.”

A round of curses and mutters went around, while Minerva looked grave. “So we have no pathfinder. Did-” She paused, upon seeing the giant stuffed plushie Yuma was now cramming into her bag. “...what the fuck is that thing?”

Settling on lashing the plushie to the outside, Yuma hummed happily as she answered. “Sergeant Taven has won me a wonderful gift! Look! It is so soft!”

The Sergeant's eyes flicked to Taven, who held up his hands defensively. “Don't give me that look. We had to act natural, and the carnival games were the closest. I just so happened to win…”

Growling quietly, Minerva shook her head as she looked to Baron and Aurora. “Did you two at least stick to the mission and learn anything useful?”

“Yes!” Aurora exclaimed brightly. “We should board the train, and go to a village called 'Washington D.C.” She shifted happily. “There was a tiny Jack in a box in there, he was so smart!”

“Smarter than the real one at least…” Baron murmured.

Taking in the information, Minerva looked to Flitter, who was busy looking out the window, and back at the vibrant lights of the park. “Ma'am, if our pathfinder's been compromised, we should move immediately. There's no telling how long we have before he tells them where we are.”

Snorting hotly, Taven shook his head vehemently. “The man endured weeks of torture without giving a peep, what the hell makes you think he's going to break to a security guard?”

“Well excuse me for keeping my head in reality and my mind on the mission, I didn't have the luxury of jerking off and playing carnival games for the past hour! And besides, they're human. Jack is human. There's no telling what's going on in that messed up head of his, and for all we know, he's sold us out already!”

“He'd have every right to, after what Celestia did.” Flitter spoke lowly as she continued to watch. “We're going to wait.”

Minerva blinked in shock. “But… ma'am! We can't stay here, it's an untenable position, and we could have humans on top of us any minute now!”

Flitter slowly looked away from the window, and fixed her subordinate with a hard stare. “Are you questioning my leadership, Sergeant Aegis?”

All noise in the building died as Minerva worked her mouth as her brain stalled on a response. “N-no, ma'am. I'm just trying to make my opinion on the matter known.”

“It’s been noted. Now get settled. We'll know what happened soon enough.”

Without another word, the squad killed their lights, and began to wait out their pathfinder’s return. The cold had long since settled in, though it was unlike any cold Flitter had ever suffered before. It felt heavy and wet, and clung to her, pulling her down. The entire world seemed to be more dull than her home, as it was currently made of nothing but muted greys and browns.

Slowly, the lights of the theme park dimmed, and the noise ceased. Flitter had taken to counting how many trips the maglev made, watching it as it flashed by like a bolt of lightning. When it stopped running, she felt the worry in her chest grow. “Come on, Jack… where are you?”

“Simoh has something coming out of the park.” Mythic reported quietly over the radio, causing an immediate shuffle from the soldiers around Flitter.

Moving up to a better vantage, Flitter broke out her field glass to have a better look. The no man's land was incredibly dark, making it difficult to make out anything of note. Slowly panning over, Flitter soon spotted some sort of small cart zipping over the jagged with ease. It was coming toward them, and fast.

Resting her cheek against the stock of her rifle, Minerva dialed in on the swiftly approaching vehicle. “Guess we’re about to find out who’s right, Varenikov.”

“Cut the chatter.” Flitter spoke as the cart began to slow, and mounted the street curb. The cart came to an idling stop a little over a dozen meters away. It bore six aggressive off road wheels, and had an equally rugged suspension. The lights mounted upon its grill and roof suddenly lit up, bathing the street in light. More than a few of the rangers drew back and shield their eyes from the harsh glare as the doors on the vehicle swung open.

Tensions rose as two security droids rounded the front of the vehicle and scanned the street. Rifles were raised in the dark, sights aimed for the bulbous torsos of the robots. Jack, and the large security officer soon clambered out of the vehicle, and flanked the droids. The officer looked to Jack, before rocking on his heels and sticking his thumbs in his pockets.

“Well Martyr… I've got about twenty five guns pointing at me… I hope these friends of yours are friendly.”

“If they weren’t we wouldn’t have gotten so close. Have your drones stand down.” Walking toward the ruins, Jack raised an open hand to the unseen operatives. “Hold your fire, please.”

Standing from the long shadows the buggy’s lights cast, Flitter lifted a hand to signal him. “Weapons down, JSOG.”

Leaning against the humming hood of the buggy, Jack waved for the operatives to come forward. “Come on JSOG, let’s have a little pow wow.”

Without a second thought Flitter clambered through the destroyed window, and began crossing the street toward Jack. The rest of the platoon soon followed, until they nearly surrounded the tiny security detail. Walter fidgeted nervously as his eyes flicked from face to face. “So. Martyr Kessle tells me that you all need help. I... “ He cleared his throat, before standing taller. “I’m willing to help you as best I can, so long as you don’t pose a threat to humanity.”

Striding forward, Flitter jutted her hand out toward him. “I’m Knight Captain Flitter Falenas of the Joint Special Operations Group. On behalf of the crown, and our entire world, I thank you for your hospitality and cooperation from the bottom of my heart.”

After a split second of hesitation, Walter reached forward and grasped her weather worn hand with his hairy bear paw. “Corporal Walter Barnes, retired. It’s my pleasure.”

Giving the hand a hearty shake, Flitter found herself smiling ever so slightly. “You see, Jack? That’s how first contact is supposed to go.” Her smile faltered slightly when he didn’t do so much as grunt in her general direction. Instead, he simply leaned against the buggy with his arms crossed and his gaze stuck to the ground. “Anyways… we need a place to stay. Can you help us at all?”

Coughing softly into his fist, the burly man looked around before sighing. “I do have something that might… help. I can explain it on the train ride to DC. Come on, if I don’t lock up the park on time, someone might get suspicious.”

With a nod, Flitter turned away and whistled. “Pack it up JSOG! We’re moving out!” The platoon scattered swiftly, breaking what little they'd pulled out and quickly returning. It wasn't long before the platoon was following after the security buggy as it trundled easily over the rough terrain.

The empty park was a far cry from the deafening miasma it had been only an hour prior. Now, attractions stood still and silent, waiting for the next day to further entertain their guests. The platoon moved quickly and quietly through the park, though they couldn't help but rubber neck at the alien attractions. Despite his earlier misgivings, Walter began to relax slightly as he ducked into the offices to grab his bag. Outside, Jack lit a cigarette and puffed on it slowly as the others waited.

When he next opened his eyes, Flitter was standing next to him, doing her best to scan the area, and failing to hide her concern. “I assume things went well if Officer Barnes is willing to help. What did you say to him?”

“Worried I blew your cover already?” Jack all but muttered back as the smoldering end of the cigarette bobbed and swished in the cold october air.

“Jack… just talk to me, please.”

Letting out a long smoky breath through his nose, Jack pulled his cigarette out and regarded it as he tapped ash from the end. “Gave him the gist of things. Shit’s fucked and you all need help. Didn’t tell him who you are, where you're from, or anything about what happened to me.”

Nodding, Flitter allowed herself a brief smile. “Thank you. I mean that. Even just this little bit is more than we could have gotten on our own.” Reaching down, Flitter gently grasped two of his fingers, and gave them a meaningful squeeze.

Her smile slowly died when he closed his eyes and failed to hide a pained grimace. “I just want to get the fuck out of this travesty.”

As she nodded in understanding, the door to the office opened, and Walter walked out. “Okay! To the train station!”

“Finally.” Jack pushed off the rail he'd been leaning on, and began to walk toward the station. Walter was quick to catch up, as the rest of the platoon fell in behind them. As they walked, Jack’s eyes flicked to the recruiter station, just as it began to shimmer to life. As the mockingly perfect face snapped into existence, Jack lashed out at it. His fist stopped short of the grinning mockery; the servos in his exoskeleton groaning in strain as Walter held him tightly by the wrist.

“Just leave it be, Martyr.”

Shaking his head, Jack yanked his hand out of Walter’s iron grip, and continued toward the station. “I fucking hate this place…”

The train station itself was a fairly simple affair, the whole system seemed to be automated. Three sleek cars sat waiting on the tracks, the front car shaped like a bullet. The gate buzzed open when Walter waved his badge over the scanner, and he waved the group through as he held the gate open. As the platoon cautiously filed into the brightly lit cabin, a friendly woman's voice welcomed them aboard, and began to inform them of the destination and that they must be seated for acceleration. Slowly but surely, the group found seats, and Walter soon entered after them. The doors closed with a near silent buzz, and the cabin pressurized. A disconcerted murmur went out, before the train began moving forward without so much as a lurch or a jerk. Its speed slowly increased, up until they left the station, where the rails charged, and the train shot up to speed. Yells of amazement went up as the dark landscape turned into a blur by the window.

“Image if we could have this at home!” Aurora practically pranced in her seat as she kept her face pressed against the glass. “How fast are we going? I can't make out anything!”

All eyes went to Walter, who was busy counting thick golden coins. Without a second thought, Jack kicked his foot. “Huh? What?”

“How fast is this train?” Aurora repeated herself excitedly.

Shrugging lightly, Walter shiftly with mild discomfort at the tiny woman’s near glowing stare. “I don't know… something like five hundred, six hundred kilometers an hour?” He lifted his arm. “Let me ask Janine. Janine? How fast is the maglev between work and washington?”

More than a few brows went up as the large man questioned his wrist, but nearly all of them shot up in surprise when the pleasant woman’s voice responded to him. “The 182 to Washington DC has an average cruising speed of six hundred and seventy two miles per hour, or one thousand eighty one point forty eight kilometers an hour.”

“Aah!” Aurora all but leapt from her seat to grab onto Walter’s arm. “Another tiny creature lives in your arm!”

Fighting the clear need to yank his arm out of her hands, Walter looked around the car nervously, only to find most of the platoon staring at him and his arm in a mixture of awe and suspicion. “W-what? Janine isn't a… She’s my personal VI. She’s a program that runs on my omnilink.” He tapped his arm, and the hardlight computer shimmered across his wrist. “See? I mean, mine’s a little dated, I don't like the layout of the new ones.”

Whistling quietly, Flitter nudged Jack and gestured to the show Walter was putting on for the platoon. “Pretty impressive, huh?”

“Yeah…” He mumbled quietly in response as he idly turned his one phone over, staring at the messages waiting for him. His thumb hovered over the button for a long moment, before he shook his head and stowed the device. “Officer Barnes.” He barked, sounding gruffer than usual, and he mentally berated himself for his tone when the big officer jumped and snapped to attention.

“Yes Martyr?”

“This place you mentioned.” Jack paused for a moment, before willing himself onwards with a softer tone. “Will it work? With the numbers we have, I mean.”

Walter paused for a moment, as if considering the question. He swiftly nodded and smiled. “Yes sir. It's a little out of the way, out in the old Yellowstone national park. Used to be a Cascadian Marine Corp rapid response airfield during the war for Earth. My dad bought the land couple decades ago, it’s been a bit of a group project to restore it.” The big man seemed to grow ever so brighter as he spoke about it.

“Group project?” Jack slowly quirked a brow.

Nodding, Walter seemed to do his best to reign in his pride. “Yes sir. Myself, my sister, and a bunch of our buddies from the Legion. My Kessle Foundation support group too. They're all amputees like me, we meet every three months.”

A good number of eyes went to Jack at the mention of the foundation, but that only seemed to fuel his frown. Flitter scooted forward in her seat and rested her elbows on her knees. “I didn't notice that you'd lost a limb, Officer Barnes.”

“And I couldn't help but notice how many… uh… crude, prosthetics you all have. You should really get them replaced while you're here. They’re going to draw a lot of attention.” Scratching the back of his neck, Walter seemed to become very interested in the floor, before starting. “Oh! Heh, I guess you wanted to know what I’d lost, huh? Well… Not much to tell really. I was stationed on Viridian Jewel, a tropical deathworld outside human territory, and my patrol ended up accidentally wandering into Corpseman territory.” At the stares, Walter cleared his throat and continued. “Corpsemen are known as what we call titanic lifeforms. I think they mature at around… er… a hundred feet long or so, and a couple dozen tonnes. They're fast too, and right flippin’ nasty when they're hungry. Anyways, they've got these spines along their bodies that they use for traction and maneuvering, I was unlucky enough to get caught by one as it passed us at something like… I think their cruising speed is something like seventy kilometers an hour through the jungle. Cut me in half and shredded my arm, right through my Juggernaut war armour. My buddies stabilized me, and I got airlifted up to the TSS Kennedy III. That was the end of my tour. It would have been the end of me. I would have been wheelchair bound for the rest of my life and a complete basket case, if the Kessle Foundation hadn’t taken me in. I got new guts, new legs, new arm… all the help a guy could ask for.” He looked up from his hand, and smiled weakly toward Jack. “They gave me my life back.”

“Are they…” Jack paused for a brief moment as he tried to wrap his head around things. “Are they… you know… organic?” He gestured toward Walter, and his legs.

“No, no I opted for synthetic over cybernetic upgrades. I still feel everything mind you, but I'm a hell of a lot stronger. Healthier too!” The big man beamed as Jack nodded slowly, turning his attentions back down. Jack began to idly rub at the seam on his thigh where metal met flesh.

As the mood settled, the speakers announced that the train was about to arrive at Freedom Spire Station, and that passengers were to ensure that they had all of their belongings before departing. The maglev began to deccelerate to the point where the landscape ceased being a constant blur of colour. Coming to a smooth, soft stop, the cabin chimed, and the doors opened nearly silently. The speakers bid them a good night as they filed out.

The last time Jack had been to Washington, it had nearly been glassed. It had been a warzone, ripping the old american capital to pieces. The Liberation of Washington. Memories of helping marines heft the flag back up on top of the white house ruins tingled in the back of his mind as he slowly craned his neck, staring at the concrete and metal behemoth spire city as it stretched up and up and up, piercing the thick clouds and carrying on far beyond. “Jesus wept....”

“What… what is that?” Taven asked as the others stared at the spire in open awe.

“You mean The Spire? Well, that’s uh… that’s New Washington. The city was rebuilt around the Freedom Space Elevator. I live there, floor two hundred and twenty seven.” Walter tossed his bag over his shoulder, before his eyes went to the firepower the team was carrying. “Aw hell… You guys will need to hide those guns, security will have a fit if the lot of you roll through like that.”

Some in the group seemed confused, while others immediately began breaking down the weapons and stowing them in their bags. As they did, eyes went out to scan the station around them. The station was massive, and bustling with people of all shapes and sizes. Vibrant advertisements drew their eyes as announcements rang in their heads. Thousands of voices intermingled in the open air station, before thunder cracked the sky, and the first rain began to run off the near invisible roof.

Yuma shrank back slightly, her hand grasping Taven’s arm tightly. Wincing heavily, he patted her hand and grit his teeth.

Shaking her head as she scanned the station, Minerva had to work her jaw for a moment before her words found their way out. “I’ve… I've never seen so many humans in one place before… gods above, there has to be thousands of them!”

“Get it together JSOG!” Flitter hissed as she stuck conspicuously close to Jack’s side. “This is the Terran homeworld, of course there’s a lot of them! We’re ready for this.” Despite her words, She couldn't hide the fact that the massive crowd of humans was making her equally uncomfortable. “Officer Barnes, where do we go?”

In direct opposition to the alien JSOG, Officer Barnes seemed completely at ease in the huge crowd. “It’s not that bad. You should try being on the stretch during christmas.”

“How do we get from here to Yellowstone, Walter?” Jack asked gruffly as his battle scarred power armour drew more than a few eyes. “I do not want to stay in the capital any longer than I have to.”

“Oh! Well, that’s easy! There’s a pawn shop off of the main track that buys gold, we’ll get you some cred sticks and from there we’ll jump on the four ninety three to Cascadia. There’s a greyhound that runs from Cascadia to Whitemound; it's a small boomtown near Yellowstone. We can get my truck and go from there.”

Nodding slowly, Jack glanced up at a security camera, before fixing his booney hat lower on his head. “Right…” He motioned with his head as Walter began to walk off. “Follow the officer and don't draw attention.” Jack swiftly moved to catch up to walter, not wanting to lose him in the large crowd.

“Ma’am?” Minerva looked to Flitter, as almost all of JSOG stayed put against the tide of human bodies. She shifted from foot to foot, her fingers grasping at a weapon that was now disassembled and stowed in her bag.

“You heard the man, don’t stray far.” Without another word, Flitter set off after Jack and Walter, prompting the rest of the platoon to follow.

“Thirsty? Why not have a Pepsi Cola?” A vending machine chimed as they passed, its display lit up with happy LEDs showing off the myriad of flavors it had available.

“Save up to four thousand dollars when you switch to Geico!” Another ad yelled at them as they walked.

“Still walking like a chump? Get the new Ford Brawndo, and change your life!”

Jingles and chimes played from dozens of ads and billboards, each vying for everybody’s individual attentions. Deals and savings were turned into so much noise and slurred colour, only to be drowned out by the roar of a thousand conversations going on at once. Thankfully, the torturous press of life began to abate slightly as they neared the massive exit escalators. Unfortunately, things didn't get any easier for the displaced equestrians as they found themselves outside in the rain, smack center of the old mall. Air cars swooped overhead while ground cars packed the streets, and now horns and humming engines joined the chorus of Earth as the metal and concrete pressed in on all sides. A number of the rangers jumped back with yells as air cabs swooped in and discharged their passengers, before picking up new ones. The entire city was a machine of pure controlled chaos, and they were cogs that clearly did not fit.

Jack came to a slow stop as the rain pitter pattered off the brim of his boonie hat and dribbled to the ground. He slowly pulled the hat off, to feel the cold october rain upon his abused scalp. He tilted his head upwards, and closed his eyes as the rain softly struck his face. Even with his eyes closed, the shining headlights and glowing neon signs played across his eyelids. Slowly, he let out a soft breath, and allowed his body to relax, just ever so slightly.

Welcome home, Jack.

The walk to the pawn shop was a short one, thankfully. It took far more effort than what should have been necessary for Jack to keep the rangers from getting hit by cars and crossing the streets at the wrong time. The Equestrians were very clearly far out of their element, and utterly overcome with the storm of lights, scents, and noise. Following Walter’s directions, the platoon and their pathfinder found themselves on the wrong side of the tracks within the span of a single city block. The shift was subtle, but in that single city block, the ads stopped talking to them, and the vibrant LEDs were replaced by grungy neon signs. The storefronts changed from metropolitan clothing stores, restaurants, and chain cafes to dive bars, tattoo parlors, and live strip joints. The traffic grew slightly lighter, but foot traffic increased, causing the group to tighten up as the passed by hundreds of humans.

“I'm almost afraid to ask what ‘XXX Live girls’ means.” Taven spoke out loud, earning a snorting laugh from Walter, and a brief smirk from Jack.

“Is he being serious?” Walter glanced back, a huge grin on his face.

Jack simply nodded. “Mhm. Where they’re from, pretty much everybody is naked.” As Walter’s eyes went wide and his mouth worked like a fish, Jack turned his head toward Taven and the others. “It's where some women go to get paid. They dance on a stage and get naked for a crowd.”

Quirking a brow, Baron shifted her pack as she looked back toward the club. “Are you being serious?”

Without skipping a beat, Jack shot back a quick answer. “You're special forces, Baron. You’re not allowed to be a stripper. You're not even supposed to want to be one.”

“Oh. Well… Then why do your people do it?” She asked as Mythic muttered next to her as he adjusted the heavy radio set.

“The money is supposed to be pretty good, and some people like the attention. Nothing like being the complete center of attention for forty drunks. Everybody in the building wants to fuck you.”

“So it's a buffet, huh?” Baron smirked as she nudged Mythic. “Maybe I'll just practice on you.”

The radio operator’s brows shot up as his face went a vibrant shade of red. “W-what!? U-uhhh…”

“Down girl, he might burst into flames if you tease him too much.” Taven spoke with a grin, earning an eyeroll from the disguised changeling.

“Oh bite me.”

“I’ll pass, don't want to make Mythic jealous. I bet you taste awful anyways.” An off kilter chorus of chuckles went up along the tense group as Mythic shook his head and picked up the pace. Coming up beside Flitter and Jack, he cleared his throat.

“Sir, Ma’am? I think we’re in gang territory.”

“What makes you say that?” Flitter swiveled her head at his mention, immediately becoming suspicious of the area they found themselves in. Jack simply arched a brow as he looked to the shorter man.

“Well…” Mythic scratched the back of his head as he looked around. “I grew up in Baltimare. It’s just… giving me the same feeling. Look at the tags.” He gestured toward the smattered graffiti marring the concrete walls.

Jack slowly nodded as he looked around. “Good catch.” His eyes went up to the wires above that strung across the street. “Yep… there’s the shoes. Okay, tighten up. Walter, how much further to the pawn shop? I don't want to loiter too long.”

“It's just up here!” He called back as he pointed to the bright animated sign that read ‘CASH 4 GOLD.’

“Right.” Moving up to the building, Jack slowly scanned the area, before pointing at a dark alley. “Flitter, take the guys and hunker down there. Hopefully this won't take too long.” As she nodded, Jack moved into the alley and disengaged his armour. Climbing out, he reached into his bag and pulled out one of the smaller pouches of gold. Despite the comparative lack in size, it still weighed close to ten kilograms. Stretching out, Jack grunted as his body popped and protested, while his skin tightened against the cold.

“You’re… a lot smaller than I thought you’d be, Martyr…” Walter rubbed his wrist lightly as he smiled.

“Not by choice.” Jack muttered. “And call me Jack, for fuck’s sake.”

“Sorry!” Walter held his hands up in a placating manner. “I didn't mean to trigger you…”

The pained groan that followed from Jack earned more than a few worried looks. “Is that still a fucking thing? Of all the goddamn things to fucking survive, god mother fucking…” Jack shook his head roughly as he stormed toward the door of the pawn shop, with Walter following swiftly at his heels. The doorbell clattered cheerily as the pair ducked in out of the rain.

The pawnshop was almost exactly what Jack had expected it to be, despite the difference in years. Shoddy shelves lined the walls and clogged the aisles, and all sorts of high tech gadgets and common items filled those shelves to bursting. Jack slowly began to meander about, pretending to be interested in the rack of new age guitars. Or at least, he thought they were guitars.

“Walter. Look up the price of gold per gram.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. We should get you an omnilink while we’re in town. Replace that old clunker you have. I've never even seen a physical phone until yours.” As Jack rolled his eyes and muttered about his phone being fine, Walter called up the search. “Looks like it’s just shy of sixty thousand for every hundred grams.”

“Eheh..heh… sixty fuckin grand.” Jack shook his head, and kept his smirk as he approached the counter. “Evening.” The weathered old man behind the counter grunted as Jack leaned. “Cash for gold. Need it now.”

“You want it to a claimed card or on an A-non credstick?” The old man practically growled as he didn’t turn his attention away from his omnilink.

Jack glanced to Walter to get his answer. Smiling, Walter stepped up. “Anonymous credstick, please.”

With another annoyed grunt, the old man dug under the counter and pulled out the sort of scale someone would use for tiny things. Trading glances, Jack shrugged as he plunked the heavy sack down on the counter, causing several stands inside to fall over. The old man finally turned his attention from his omnilink; a deep sneering scowl cutting hard lines across his face. Whatever scalding abuse he was getting ready to hurl at the pair died in his throat as the bag slipped open slightly, and several heavy gold coins tumbled out. Blinking owlishly, the old man reached into the bag and pulled out one of the coins. Shaking his head, he stared harder at it, before lifting his omnilink over the coin. “Scan.”

A quick swath of light ran over the coin, before pinging on his screen. 24 karat.

The old man’s jaw worked idly as he looked from the bag, to Jack, and then back to the bag. “Ten point four kilos… best I can do is four hundred.”

“Four fifty, split into ten sticks.” Jack set his hands on the counter, and idly drummed his fingers across it.

“I can’t do four fifty. I can do four hundred, all A-non and no questions asked.” The old man crossed his arms in defiance. “I pay you four fifty, and I can’t keep the lights on.”

Letting out an idle snort, Jack’s eyes wandered around the electronics display. “Four hundred, that laptop, and four of your newest omnilinks.”

“Three omnilinks.”

“Four omnilinks, or I take my gold and find the next pawn shop.” Jack returned to staring through the shopkeep.

Silence reigned between the pair for what felt like an eternity, before the old man’s shoulder slumped and he let out a sigh. “What evs. So long as nobody comes looking for this gold.” Pulling the bag off the scale, he walked into the backroom with it. When he returned, he set ten thin credit card sized sticks on the counter, before collecting the other items. Taking the items without word, Jack checked the stick balances before he set off out the door, leaving Walter behind.

Smiling sheepishly, Walter rubbed his hands in anticipation. “I don’t suppose you’re looking to buy some more gold, are-”

“You wanna get geeked? Get the fuck out.”

“Oookay.”

As Walter’s bulk passed through the door, and the bell jingled as it closed, the old man opened up his omnilink and called one of his contacts. “Ty-Dog, it’s Kyle, down at Mario’s Pawn. I just had two guys come in here. Big guy, brown hair. Shorter guy, black hair and a geeked up face. Lots of money. Yeah. Yeah, half, like we agreed. Aight.” Closing the call, Kyle smirked, and sat back down in his seat. “Booyah.”

Outside, the platoon quickly regrouped, and Jack handed out the tiny wrist mounted omnilinks to Flitter, Mythic, and Aurora. “I don't know how they work.” He admitted as he stuck his inside a pocket. “Just keep them handy.” As the other nodded in understanding, Walter chimed in.

“They're actually really easy to hook up, but we can do that later. Was there any trouble?” Walter looked about as Jack limped to his armour and pulled himself inside.

“We have a watcher.” Simoh commented idly as he watched down the street. “They are in the metal cart, over there.”

Peeking around the corner, Flitter spotted the black suv with flashy rims with just it’s nose and windshield visible beyond the building that dominated the corner. “How long have they been there?”

“Not long. The human inside pointed at us. He was talking to his wrist.”

“Damn you've got good eyes…” Walter muttered as he looked down the street. “Well, if we go down a couple blocks the other way, we could lose them-”

The solid thump of Jack closing the breach on his shotgun cut off the security guard. “There’s nearly thirty of us, all armed to the fucking teeth. If they’re stupid enough to start shit in the open, then they fuckin’ deserve everything they get. We’re going back to the station and headed for base.”

“Hm.” Flitter stood straight and checked her shoulder holster. “Good enough for me. You all heard the Pathfinder, we’re moving, admirers be damned.”

With the order put down, there was no argument or question. The platoon rallied behind Jack and Walter, and followed after them. As they walked back to the massive station, the suv slowly crept along behind them, the occupants making a number of calls.

“They’re still following us…” Mythic muttered out loud, and several of the group looked back through the thin crowd of humans in the way.

“They’re pissing me off is what they're doing.” Jack shot back as he clenched his fists.

For his part, Walter was doing his best to hide how anxious he was becoming. “do you… do you think they know about the gold?”

“If that wrinkled old cunt made a call on us, I will personally walk back there and sodomize him with every fucking power tool in that shit hole.”

A big grin spread across Flitter’s face as she walked by him. “There’s the Jack I know.”

“Try not to look so pleased…” Jack muttered as he cast another look over his shoulder. “Keep walking to the station.” Stopping in his tracks, Jack turned on his heels and started toward the suv. The moment he cleared the group, the lights on the grill came on, and the driver cranked the wheel to the side. The suv jerked forward as the driver mashed the accelerator, at the same time Jack launched forward at a sprint through the pedestrian crowd. The concussive boom of power armour meeting aluminum side panel filled the street as the impact shattered the windows on the passenger’s side and tires squealed across pavement as they fought for purchase. Digging his fingers into the frame, Jack growled in exertion as he used his strength and momentum to overturn the suv. The vehicle came down with a crash, shattering the other windows and setting off the air bags as it rocked over and rolled on to it’s roof. Civilians yelled in alarm, and calls for the police went out as some began to flee the scene.

Hardly skipping a beat, Jack grabbed the driver side door and ripped it from it’s hinges. There, he found the driver trying to level a bulbous pistol at him. As Jack snatched the man’s arm and twisted it until the joints popped and squelched, the pistol howled, and blinded him momentarily as it spat virulent balls of ionized plasma that washed over his chest and careened across the street. Those few remaining witnesses decided that watching the fight might not be in their best interests. Ripping the man from the overturned suv, Jack spun on his heels, and smashed him headfirst into the side of the vehicle. Pulling the weapon from the twitching hand it belonged to, Jack fixed the fleeing passenger with a fury that was all to mechanical.

Stumbling away from the wreck, the passenger cried out in pain and surprise as something struck his back hard, and sent him tumbling to the concrete. The whirr of servos and thumping rubber on concrete was the only warning the man got as Jack grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him off the ground. Slamming him into the nearby alley wall, Jack stuck his mammoth double barrel into the man’s mouth. “Who sent you?” He snarled in the man’s face, but only earned a muffled cry around his gun. Grunting quietly, Jack removed it, and stared.

“G-grudd, man! You’re fuckin’ loco! You’re as good as geekEEEEIIIIAA!” The man squealed as Jack pistoned an armoured knee between his legs.

“English motherfucker! Gimme names or you’ll be scooping your nuts off the concrete! Was it Hades? CIA? FBI?”

“I-it was Kyle!”

“Who the fuck is Kyle?” Jack made a face as he stared at the heavily tattooed man. He idly took note that the tattoos were literally dancing across his flesh. The man’s face was utterly perforated with piercings and artificial modifications.

“I-I’m a Blood Hawk! W-we’re gonna hunt you down, and geek the shit-”

“And you’ll break my kneecaps, yeah yeah yeah. Spare me the fuckin’ theatrics, cunt.” Slamming his scarred forehead into the gangster’s, Jack dropped him as he crumpled. Dusting off his hands, he began to head back toward the station, only to find the entire group staring at him. Anger flared once again in his head. “I told you to keep walking to the station! Fuck sakes!” As sirens sounded in the distance, Jack jogged back to the group and began to cajole them back toward the station.

If they had struggled to avoid undue attention before, their retreat to the station was a task impossible to keep unnoticed. Sliding his credit stick into the payment slot, Jack shifted and glanced around furtively as he waited for twenty nine tickets to print off. He could see the police officers entering the station and descending the escalator already, and it would only be a matter of time before they spotted him. Power armour was hardly conducive to stealth.

A friendly voice came on over the PA system as he turned toward the group. “The Four Ninety Three to Cascadia is now in final boarding. Please make sure you scan your tickets upon entry.”

Setting off at a light jog, Jack had just reached the group and was handing out tickets as a shrill whistle went off.

“STOP! HANDS IN THE AIR!”

Casting a glance over his shoulder as the group quickly filed into the train, Jack spotted the two officers making a hard line right for him. One was a taller man wearing police issue black body armour, and the other was a smaller woman wearing a jacket and a large headset. A pair of drones with flashing red and blue lights buzzed above her.

“The Four Ninety Three to Cascadia is now departing, please stand clear of the doors.”

Jack leapt forward as a round bounced off his armour, and crackled with discharging energy. As he fell into the train, the doors closed, and the cars began to leave the station. Turning on his back, Jack stared the woman in the eyes just before they accelerated away from her. With a soft sigh of relief escaping his lips, Jack slowly pulled himself up with a pained groan.

“Are you alright, Mar-eh… Jack?” Walter asked as he offered a hand.

“Just… Fucking… Peachy…” Jack muttered as he stood on his own power and left the hand waiting. Flopping into his seat, he let his head loll back as his fingers searched for his pack of cigarettes. Pulling out the pack, he found that he was down to his last smoke.

What a lovely day~

“Do me a favour, and shut the fuck up.” Jack mumbled as he pulled the brim of his boonie hat over his eyes.

“Wh-”

“Not you.” Jack spoke quickly, upon realizing he’d spoken out loud again. “Just… thinking out loud. Wake me up when we get there…”

“Sir? Doctor Blackburn?”

Not bothering to glance up at the rating standing by his door, Doctor Ernest Blackburn simply lifted a brow in question as he plugged away at his console. “What is it? Your superiors know I don't like being disturbed while I'm working.”

The rating swallowed nervously as he fidgeted with a holopad. “Sir, we’ve been observing a situation planetside. We became aware of it when a couple invasion-era tracking tags came back online. My… My superiors really think you should look at this.”

Glancing up from under the hazy light above his steel desk, the Doctor leaned back in his chair and gestured for the rating to come forward. “It’s alright son, didn't mean to snap at yah. What tags came online?” He smiled, disarming the younger man.

“Let’s see here... 298-2-5MT-DE, and 5467-7123-0019-JK-LBDE.”

Furrowing his thin brows, Blackburn leaned forward and motioned the rating to his desk. “Let me see that datapad. And where did they first pop up?”

“Old Detroit, sir.” The rating flinched when the thin doctor lunged forward and snatched the holopad out of his hands.

Pouring over the collected data, Doctor Blackburn felt a smile creeping upon him, one that only widened into glee as he watched a familiar face punch one of their holo-recruiters. “Demolitions Specialist Jack Kessle… now this, this is a shock.” Setting down the pad, he activated his omnilink and made a call as he shooed the rating away. Once the door closed, he spoke. “Commander Clancy, it’s Doctor Blackburn. Get a shuttle fueled and ready, and two Thanatos operatives kitted for bodyguard detail. I'm going planetside to see an old subordinate. Thank you, Commander.” Ending the call, Blackburn leaned back and laughed. “Nasty Jack... Where have you been hiding all these years?”

Chapter Fifty Eight: A New World

View Online

Pain woke Jack up, like it had every day he’d managed to fall asleep. It wasn't sharp or piercing like a lot of pain he’d felt before; it was more akin to a murmur that grew into a dull roar that steadily dragged him back to the land of the waking. He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling and watching the fan slowly spin above him. Earth’s sun shone brightly through the curtains, causing him to lift a scarred arm to shield his eye from its judging glare. He could hear the others moving around in the barracks, getting together to make something to eat and check out the firebase properly. They’d arrived some time early in the morning, when the world was pitch black, and hadn't gotten a chance to do much more than secure the perimeter and set down their heavy bags.

There was a lot of work that needed to be done if the old outpost was going to be much use to JSOG, but that wasn't exactly his job anymore, was it? He was supposed to just keep them from ending up in prison, a government lab, or addicted to meth. Something he’d just about failed to do upon arrival, seeing as how he himself had been mere inches away from being arrested.

Knuckles quietly rapped off his wood door, earning a grunt from him as he squeezed his eye shut. “Jack? We’re making breakfast.” Taven’s voice beckoned. At Jack’s responding groan, he carefully opened the door and peered in. “You sleep alright?” He questioned as he slipped in and closed the door behind him.

“No.” Sitting up with a pained groan, Jack scowled at nothing in particular as he felt for his cigarettes. Finding the crumbled package still empty, he let out a disgruntled grunt.

“How are you feeling?” Taven carefully sat down on the foot of the bed, and idly fidgeted with his new fingers.

Jack simply opened his eye, and fixed his dark skinned friend with a stare that said everything. At Taven’s weak chuckle, Jack slumped his shoulders and rubbed at his intact cheek. “What kind of breakfast?”

“Pancakes, some fruit, and get this, real bacon!” The batpony turned human grinned from ear to ear, flashing his aggressive canines. “I've never had real bacon!”

“I’m up, I’m up… fuck.” Jack muttered as he rolled out of bed with all the grace of a dead cow. As he’d flopped into the small twin sized bed with all of his clothes on, he didn’t need to get dressed.

With a near giddy prance in his step, Taven led the still groggy Jack to the mess hall. The mess hall was attached to the barracks, so thankfully he wasn't forced to step out into the blazing sun just yet. The hall itself was rather large, meant to hold around a hundred and fifty marines at any given time. The smell of pancakes and sizzling bacon filled the room as the rangers all sat about the central tables and chatted. Walter was behind the line, flipping flapjacks as he listened to some sort of catchy pop song.

Spotting the pair enter, Flitter lifted a hand and waved to them. Taven waved back, while Jack simply lifted his head slightly. Looking over his shoulder, Walter grinned at the sight. “Morning, Jack! Sleep well?”

“Like a baby.” Jack muttered as he grabbed a plate and scooped up some breakfast. “woke up every fifteen minutes to scream and cry.”

“Uuhhhhh…”

“I’m joking, Walter.” Jack piled a small portion of food onto his plate, before grabbing a big cup of coffee and ambling slowly to Flitter’s table. Finishing up on the line, Walter swiftly joined them.

Looking up from her flapjacks and fruit, Flitter gave Jack a well meaning smile. “Morning, Jack. You’re as much of a morning person as I remember.”

“Morn’ Sparky.” He sat down with a groan, before stabbing into his food. “S’good pancakes.”

Looking like a happy fat kid, Walter squirmed in his seat as he positively beamed with glee. “Thank you! I just make them how my Dad used to; grease the pan with bacon grease and add some blueberries to the batter!” The quiet conversations in the mess hall ground to a halt immediately, causing the big man to slow his chewing and look around. “...What?”

“You… cooked them in meat grease?” Minerva asked as she slowly turned a peculiar shade of green. More than a few of the rangers traded nervous glances between each other and their pancakes.

“Oh dammit! You’re all vegetarians! You should have told me, Grudd on a greenie! I’m so sorry, I’ll-”

“It’s fine!” Flitter exclaimed as she set down her fork and looked to everyone else. “We’re biologically human now, people. Meat is a part of the human diet, so it won’t kill you.”

Taven grinned as he finished his plate. “Anyone who still doesn't want theirs, I'll take them!”

Pushing her plate away, Minerva shook her head as she stood. “I’ll be… bathroom…”

A pale green aura surrounded the discarded plate, and slid it toward Taven. The batpony Ee’d happily before tucking in once again. Baron gave him a little grin and a nod as she sat back, and sipped at her coffee. The peace didn’t last long, as Walter let out a little scream. “W-WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! How!? WHAT!?!”

Groaning quietly, Jack thumped his head into the table. “Inside voice, you gigantic bastard…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, just… how did you-”

Slowly quirking a brow at the display, the realization struck flitter like a ton of bricks. “You’ve never seen magic before, have you Mr. Barnes?”

“Magic?” Walter’s face slowly screwed up in confusion and disbelief. “That’s not… possible?”

“Neither is me being alive.” Jack muttered around the piece of bacon pinned between his lips.

“Ah… point…”

Smiling, Flitter leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table. “Would you like a demonstration?”

Despite his trepidation, the big man nodded quickly and happily. “Please! An explanation would be great.”

“It's all pretty simple. Where we’re from, our species has three separate trees. Those like myself and Taven have wings, and can fly. Minerva’s people are deeply connected to the earth, and are very strong. Then, there’s people like Mythic, who can control magic outright. All of us have it in our bodies, but only the specific branch can use it fully.”

As Walter nodded and looked about, he pointed at Baron. “She’s a magic user?”

“I’m a changeling.” Baron spoke with a hint of pride, earning a little smile of approval from Mythic.

“And that means…?” Walter’s eyes went wide as he pulled away from Baron as she was engulfed in green flame. He froze mid-horrified scream when he found himself staring at a carbon copy of himself. Walter-Baron smirked and waved.

“Magic use, flight, and infiltration specialties.” Walter blinked owlishly as Walter-Baron spoke with his voice.

Pulling himself away from his food, Taven stopped eating long enough to toss in a quip. “They also feed off emotions.”

“I thought you didn’t like my food…” Walter murmured nervously as he stood well away from his carbon copy. “Could you… change? Please?” He let out a sigh of relief when she nodded, and shifted back to her usual form.

“My people and the Captain’s have… had some issues. Recently. I’m one of the good guys, so don’t worry. Here, let me show you some magic!”

As Walter moved back forward, Jack pulled out of his seat and set his tray to the side. “I’m going to town to get smokes. Don’t burn the house down.”

“Oh! I can drive you to town, Jack.” Walter said as he moved to stand back up. “I need to drive back anyways, I’ve got work later today.”

“I need some fresh air.” Jack said mildly as he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

Despite his best attempts, Walter looked disappointed. “Alright. I understand. How are the omnilinks working?” He asked, redirecting his attentions to those around him.

“They’re working fine, as far as I can tell.” Flitter answered as she brought up her hardlight display and fiddled with it. “I think Aurora is still hiding in the barracks with hers. Jack, if you’re going that way, could you get her to come and eat something?” At his wave as he walked out the door, Flitter sighed. “Alright… where were we?”

“Magic!” Walter grinned happily.

“Right.” Flitter smiled back at him as she set her tray aside. “Magic.”

Slowly limping back through the barracks, Jack allowed his shoulders to slump and his eye to close momentarily as he trudged along.

So, what’s the point of pretending you’re not utterly fucked? I’m curious.

“Go away. Please.” Jack murmured as he pushed open his door and grabbed his jacket. His long neglected wallet followed, along with two of the ten cred sticks.

We both know that’s not going to happen, after you threw away our best chance at ending the war.

“You don’t give a fuck about the war.” Securing his ballcap on his head, Jack started for the door. “I don’t know what you were planning. I don’t really care either.”

Then why stop me?

“Imma level with you. Pure spite. Well, okay, not pure spite. Ninety five percent spite, five percent wanting Celestia to live long enough for me to punch her fuckin’ face off.”

Eheh...hehhehh...hahahHAHAHAHHHHHAAAHH! The cackling inside his head was beginning to give him a headache, but despite that, Jack smirked. That’s good! You’re a human after my own heart, Jack!

“Uh huh.” Continuing down the hall, Jack came to a slow halt as he peered inside one of the barracks rooms. Inside, Aurora was hanging upside down from the rafters, her eyes glued to the glowing screen in front of her. To top off the scene, she’d apparently forgotten that humans normally wore clothes. Despite his best intentions, his eye lingered and drifted for a long moment before he forced it to the ground.

Goodness, Jack! Taking advantage of your charges like that! Shaaaame.

Clearing his throat loudly enough to get the bat-girl’s attention, Jack kept his attentions secured on the floor. “You’re going to miss breakfast.”

“I’ll be alright without it…” She mumbled as she rapidly flicked through and read whatever she had on her screen. “I don't have time to stop… so much to learn…”

“Walter made real bacon.”

The tech specialist crashed to the floor with a bat-squeak, and launched herself toward the door, only to be caught around the waist by Jack.

“Clothes, ‘Rora. You can’t be prancing around naked.”

Pulling herself away from his arm, Aurora nodded and scratched at her neck. “Right! Yeah, yeah I knew that! Totally! Yeah, I knew that…” Quickly backpedalling into her room, she stooped over to collect her clothes.

Jack fought very hard to avert his eye, but in the end he found he was still human. Ooh lala! Jackie boy, naughty naughty! He grunted quietly and let his shoulders slump as he looked off to the side. “You finding that thing alright?” He gestured toward her omnilink as she bounced up and down to squeeze into her uniform.

“It’s amazing! The implications alone in communication are staggering! Did you know, that the humans launch devices known as ‘satellites’ into their planet’s orbit to bounce signals off of? It’s ingenious! And don’t even get me started on their old rocketry programs!”

Despite everything going through his head, Jack managed a sincere smile as Aurora finally pulled on her shirt. “I’m glad you’re liking things so far. Don’t burn yourself out though, we’ve got plenty of time.”

“Yes yes, of course… Jack, where do I put my bits into it? I want to buy something but by all the stars I just can’t figure it out! The google box doesn't know either, and it knows everything!”

Caught between suspicion and humor, Jack let his mouth fall open slightly as he scratched his cheek and fought back a chuckle. “Let uh… let me see. What are you trying to buy?” He glanced at the screen as she tilted it his way, and his humor immediately died. “Jack Junior VI? Aurora…”

“Please Jack! He’s such an adorable little creature, and he could really help with my research!” Aurora clasped her hands in front of her chest, pleading.

Rolling his eye, Jack nodded in defeat. “Fine, fine… but on some conditions!” He held up a finger for emphasis.

“Of course! Anything!” The woman was grinning wide, her fangs shining in the morning light.

“You limit yourself to eleven hours a day with two half hour breaks. You get enough sleep, and you eat right.”

“Deal!”

“If you start neglecting yourself, I’ll delete the little bastard.” Jack warned as he pulled out his credit stick and looked at the device. His mind drew a blank as to how he was supposed to use it. No information was present on the stick. Not a name, not a string of numbers, nothing. “uhhhh…” He pushed the stick into the interface of the device, and was rewarded with a ping, and a bright green checkmark popping up on the screen. “There, done! I'm an expert with human shit.” He thumbed his nose lightly, before smiling flatly as Aurora glued herself to the screen again. “Food, ‘Rora.”

“Almoooost… EeeeeeeeeEE! It’s finished!” She hopped from foot to foot as a little chime played, and Jack’s bastardized voice sounded from it.

“Hiya! I’m Jack Jr, your new virtual assistant!”

“Hello again JJ!”

Shaking his head, Jack continued toward the door. “Lord help me.”

The sun outside was shining brilliantly, blinding him the moment he made the mistake of setting foot outside. Wincing in pain, he lifted an arm to shield himself as he adjusted his ballcap. The barracks faced the two large hangars, which were attached directly to the short runway. The hangars had seen better days, as tarps hung from sections of roof to keep the Cascadian rains out. Rust clung to most surfaces, and the runway itself was a patchwork of cracked concrete and growing weeds. Long empty aviation fuel tanks squatted next to the hangars, and a drooping chain link fence surrounded the dilapidated compound. It wasn’t all bad though. The barracks was renovated, had power, hot water, and a passable internet connection. There was a small amount of food stored in the kitchen, and a lot of beer.

The laundry list of things that had to be done was longer than the runway, but right then, Jack only had one thing on his mind.

“I need a fuckin’ smoke…”

I thought you wanted fresh air?”

“I want some peace and quiet more. And a fucking dart. Maybe a hand job.” He shrugged lightly, before plugging in his headphones. “Drowning you out now.”

So rude.

As he flicked through his music selection, Jack noticed a long shadow approaching him, belonging to a short man with a slightly rounded face. Simoh’s eyes flicked about nervously as he approached. “Captain Kessle?”

Pulling out his earbuds, Jack grunted back. “I’m not ranked anymore Simoh. Something wrong?”

“Have you been inside Hangar Two yet?” The griffon turned man pulled at his collar before wiping sweat away from his brow.

“Nope. Simoh, it’s twenty degrees out, you can’t possibly be sweating.”

“This place is very warm!” Simoh complained, before looking over toward the hangar he’d mentioned. “There’s a vehicle in the hangar. A big one. I thought you might want to see it.”

Nodding lightly, Jack stowed his earbuds and began to follow Simoh. The side door to hangar two was newer than the hangar itself, and wasn’t covered in rust. Another replacement. It opened on quiet hinges, and Jack soon found himself inside the dark, cool hangar. “Pretty nice in here.” He muttered as his skin goosed against the change in temperature. “So, where-” He stopped mid sentence when he spotted the vehicle Simoh had mentioned. “That… is a tank.” Specifically, it was an Invasion Era Leopard 4B3 fast attack tank, a model he’d fought alongside against the Corvellans. The 120mm smoothbore atomic cannon was warped at the end and the secondary coaxial turret was half melted, likely from a Corvellan plasma lance by the looks of the bubbled metal and fused plates. The forest camouflage paint was chipped and deeply faded, he could see the composite armour underneath in more than one spot. A large overhead crane sat above the vehicle, likely waiting for the restoration project.

Slowly approaching the slumbering beast, Jack raised a hand and ran it along the length of the damaged barrel.

“Could we use it?” Simoh asked quietly as he watched Jack mount the vehicle.

“Maybe…” Jack sat down on the turret, his hand not leaving the metal. “She’s an old girl. It’d take a lot of work. He grinned softly upon seeing words stenciled across the segmented armour.

PRIDE OF EARTH

107th Armoured Cavalry

“Pride, huh?” Jack patted the armour as he started to clamber down. “I’ll ask Walter about it when I get the chance. If we had the KtHE’s these were usually kitted with, you could swat Imperial ships right out the air if you had the right trajectory. I wonder… does she got the booty?” He wheeled around to the back of the tank, where the vent cowlings were marked with faded trefoil warning markers. Popping open the maintenance hatch, he found himself grinning a lot more. “She dooooo…”

Walking over with stilted, short little steps, Simoh stood on his tiptoes to see into the compartment. “What is it?”

“It still has the original nuclear fusion engine.” Jack said with a grin. “The reactor in my armour is like a double A battery compared to this beast. Lets see the spec sheet…” Squinting at the grime covered panel, his eyes flicked over the technical specifications. “Argus 5450 Light Fusion reactor, ambient operational temperature of three hundred and ten degrees, critical failure ceiling of five hundred… output of one hundred and thirty megawatts… yeah, looks about right.” Jack looked over the vehicle in appreciation. “It’s no kit-car, but it’s the next best thing.”

“I have not the faintest clue of what you’re talking about.” Simoh admitted as he looked over the metal beast.

“It’s a sixty eight tonne cart that can move at ninety five kilometers an hour without anybody pulling it. It’s a force multiplier, especially when the other guys don’t have anything to counter it. Besides naval guns, but that’s where the speed comes into play.”

“These are all good things?”

Jack nodded. “Christ sake, you don’t even need the guns. That powerplant puts out enough foot pounds of torque and horsepower, you could win the war just by running everybody the fuck over.”

Simoh nodded, as if he understood the strings of technical jargon Jack was idly throwing around. “Ah, yes. The foot pounds of torque. Of course.”

Sighing quietly, Jack closed the maintenance panel and wiped his hand on his pant leg. “I’m headed to town. Don’t get eaten by a bear or something.” Opening the door, Jack walked back into the sunlight, only to find that his day was about to get a whole lot worse.

The gunmetal grey shuttle swooped low over the mountain, it’s vectoring thrusters firing rapidly to control its descent as it came in for a landing on the pads by the hangar. Jack narrowed his eye at the shuttle as it passed by overhead, he figured it to be roughly 12 meters long, with stubby wings and four large thrusters sitting on the back in addition to the smaller vectoring thrusters. During his brief look over it, his eye immediately widen in panic when he caught sight of the insignia stenciled on the tail.

The same insignia that had been stenciled on his old chestplate. The insignia belonging to Hades International Security.

“SIMOH!” Jack barked, earning a surprised squawk. “Get inside and tell the others to put a lid on the magic shit, now!” Without a peep, the sniper took off across the tarmac at an awkward sprint. He’d just gotten inside when the shuttle touched down, and the side door hissed open. “What fucking now…” Jack muttered as he approached. As he slowly moved closer to the vessel, two very large men clambered out and secured their heavy looking carbines. Each one looked to be bigger than Walter, easily standing at seven feet tall and clearly rippling with thick muscle. They stared at him from behind oakley sunglasses, and wore well tailored business suits. As Jack opened his mouth to speak, a third man stepped out, and Jack’s heart dropped into his stomach.

Dr. Blackburn smiled brightly at Jack as he adjusted his tie. “Good morning Jack! You’re looking well for a dead hero!”

“And you’re looking pretty spry for somebody older than dirt.” Jack retorted sharply as he came to a stop a few meters away from the doctor. The doctor was a good fifteen years older than Jack, yet he looked no older than his late thirties. He looked better than Jack, and held himself with far more confidence.

Ernest Blackburn chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at his guards. “He was always a cheeky boy, don’t mind him.” The doctor laced his hands behind his back as he looked back to Jack. “Now, imagine my surprise, when your bio-tag popped back up after eighty five years of being dead! I would have passed it off as a system glitch, but with Delta King still strapped to you, and your… eeehhh, shall we say, lack of subtlety, I couldn’t come up with any tangible excuse, so I just decided to come see you for myself!”

“Well.”Jack lifted his arms slightly, before letting them fall back to his sides. “You’ve had your look.”

“That I have.”

A long, painful silence fell upon the pair as Jack scowled and Ernest smiled amiably. “What do you want, Blackburn?”

With his fingers laced behind his back, the older man began to pace down the tarmac, his eyes going to the barracks. “I’ve come to say hello, see you with my own eyes. It’s been quite awhile, after all.”

“Bullshit.” Jack spat the word out with venom, causing Ernest’s smile to fade slightly.

“Jack, your prickly personality certainly hasn't improved with age. I’m extending a kindness and not calling in a retrieval team for you and the nuclear weapon in your possession, so let’s keep this civil, shall we?” Blackburn turned to face him again. “After all, you are still Pantheon property. If you want to make this unpleasant for everybody, including your new friends, stay your course. My two friends here are more than willing, and capable, to make sure my interests are seen to.”

Blackburn’s amber eyes slowly burrowed into Jack’s head, leaving him with a deep chill down his spine, and a lump of ice in his stomach. “And what are your interests now? Still in the business of making super soldiers?” Jack did his best to fight his bitter tone and keep his eye solely on the doctor.

“Of course.” Blackburn’s smile returned twofold. “And let me tell you, my boy. Business is good.”

“So… Pantheon, huh? I guess the greek deity shtick has stuck a little.”

“You could say that. The company’s reach has grown a lot further while you’ve been gone. You’d be hard pressed to find a terran habitat without us on it in some way. Media, security, administration, you name it.” The older man adjusted his tie as he squared up to Jack. “Let’s skip the small talk, shall we? You were always awful at it.”

“Alright.” Jack maintained his icy composure as he sized up the two body guards.

“May I come inside?” Ernest gestured toward the barracks. “We have a lot to talk about.”

Shaking his head, Jack stood his ground. “No sir. It’s under renovation. And no, I don't think we do. I know what you want.”

Sighing lightly, Blackburn set his hands on his hips. “You’d be partially correct no matter what you say. We’d love to have you back, Jack. We have plenty to offer you. Forthcoming, a new face. Maybe a fix for that rather nasty limp you’ve developed. But, I think you’d just brush off those offers. So, keeping with what I said earlier, I’ve just come to exchange pleasantries, and a gift. Take them, and I’ll be out of your hair. For now.” As Jack’s intact brow raised in suspicion, Blackburn pulled a data-drive from his suit pocket. “Information about your family, and other info I feel you’d be deeply interested in.” In his other hand, he drew out a thin black case. “And this is a little taste of what you could have if you come back to the fold.” He offered both to Jack, who cautiously took both items. “My contact information is on the drive. Give me a call if you decide that you’re ready to stop hiding in the woods, and help humanity again. The people need a hero.”

Flashing Jack with a smile, Blackburn turned on his heels, and started for the shuttle again. As he ascended the ramp, he turned his head ever so slightly. “Oh, before I forget. Welcome home, Jack.”

The trio of men loaded back up into the shuttle, and as swiftly as they’d come, Doctor Blackburn and his guards were gone. Only when the shuttle disappeared into the cloud layer did Jack let out the ragged breath he’d been holding. “Fuck.” His eye drifted down to the two items he held, and again he cursed.

The barracks door clattered, drawing his attention to the platoon as they left the building and made a beeline toward him. “Jack!” Flitter was in the lead, her features contorted in concern and worry. “What’s going on? Who was that guy?”

His answer was a long time coming as his eye lingered on data drive, while he stealthily slipped the black case into his back pocket. “That guy....” Sighing quietly, Jack stowed the data drive in his pocket. “Is the biggest threat this expedition will ever know. The biggest one your whole damn planet might know if he pushes the right way.”

“What?” Flitter asked as she reached his side. “What do you mean? If he’s such a threat, why-”

“Because he’s willing to pretend he’s not a ruthless cunt.” Jack ran a hand through his hair. “He wants me back. Wants answers.”

Walter looked up toward where the shuttle had disappeared. “You said he was a threat… what...”

“He is.” Jack made a fist. “He can’t know about any of you. Not where you’re from, not what you are, not what you can do.”

“He didn't look that tough.” Minerva crossed her arms under her bust. “So what if he had some big humans with him? We’re armed to the teeth.”

Jack simply shook his head. “Because he made me what I am. He makes super men. Those boys are current gen, is my guess.” He stood there for a moment, trying to put everything together as everyone stared at him awaiting more details. “If he ever found out about magic, or god forbid, what Forge is doing?”Jack shuddered at the thought. “God have mercy on everybody that isn't human… because he sure as hell won’t.” He shook his head as he began to walk back to the barracks.

“Jack, wait! How the hell did he even know you? It’s been years!” Flitter followed after Jack, and a good portion of the group followed her in turn.

“He must be sampling his own supply.” Jack said out loud. “His name is Doctor Ernest Blackburn, he’s the creator and leading mind behind the Longbow program. He’s a true blue human patriot, Einstein level IQ, and a vicious bastard through and through.” Jack looked over his shoulder at her, his eye conveying fear he didn’t want her to see. “If he finds out about JSOG, what Forge, and Carolus did to me will look like a sunday playdate compared to what he’ll do to you.”

Caught badly off guard by the look in his eye, Flitter waved off the others as she followed Jack back to his room. “So what do we do?”

He paused upon entering his room; his hand twitching idly as he racked his brain. “...I don’t know. Play along. Hope he doesn’t get wise. Pray he doesn’t get bored playing nice.” Jack’s shoulders slumped deep as he exhaled. “Fuck.”

Flitter couldn't help but mirror his curse. “Alright… Well, not much we can do about it right now. What did he give you?”

Again, his answer took some time to form as he slowly pulled the data-drive from his pocket. “Information about my family. It’s nothing I couldn't have figured out on my own, but…” He held it between his fingers as he stared. “Can I be honest with you?” He spoke softly.

“Of course, Jack.” Flitter reached for his hand, before hesitating, and letting her own fall back to her side.

“I’m scared of what I’m gonna find.” He sighed softly before reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I know what I’m going to find, I just… I need some time alone. I need to... think, process all of this shit.”

Slowly closing her eyes to hide the pain that lay bare, Flitter nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. “Okay. I’ll get everyone to give you some space. Just… don’t forget, you aren’t alone, Jack. If you need anything, anything at all, I’m just down the hall.”

“Thanks… that…” He swallowed thickly as he pinched the bridge of his nose harder. “That really means alot to me.”

Once Flitter left the room, Jack slowly eased himself down onto his bunk with a deep exhale. He sat there for a long moment, before drawing out the two items Blackburn had gifted him. He set aside the thumb drive, before regarding the slim black case. Out of curiosity, he popped the lid.

Inside sat a thin autoinjector, and a vial of viscous grey fluid that shone with metallic essence. The vial was without any markings, save for a bold ‘1’.

The first taste of what he could have if he came back. An upgraded formula. Something more, maybe. Jack’s eye lingered on it for a long moment, before he shook his head and closed the case. Setting it aside in the night table, he grabbed his new laptop and stuck in the thumb drive. After a moment, the computer recognized the drive, and spat up some options at him. Selecting the primary folder, he found himself slightly taken aback by the contents. He’d expected the folder labeled ‘Kessle’, but what he wasn’t expecting, were the two other folders labeled ‘Chevelle’, and ‘History’. A single file stood aside the others likely containing the good doctor’s contact details.

His cursor hovered over the folder labelled Kessle for a long moment, before his final act of hesitation kicked in, and he clicked Chevelle. Popping up before him, was all of the information about his ex-fiance he could have ever asked for. Curious, he began to read.

Most of it fit with what she’d told him in the labs, that Paul had died and she’d stayed with the company. She’d neglected to mention the foundation, but he decided that he was glad she’d let it slip. She’d spent nearly eight years building the foundation, gathering the backing and securing the resources both human and material. Eight long years, trying to atone for what had taken a minute to do. As he read, Jack began to idly massage his left ring finger. She’d done a good job, if what Walter had to say about it was any measure to it. However, near the end of the brief history lesson, he found himself pausing. She’d been reported dead, ten years after he’d been ‘killed’. She’d suffered a stroke in her office, and had fallen over backwards, striking the back of her head on her desk. She’d died shortly after due to the resulting hemorrhage.

Sitting back, Jack blinked in confusion as he stared at the morgue report. That wasn’t right, and he knew it. She’d been dragged to Equestria, tested on, and shot to death with his gun.

It’s a little mystery, isn’t it? Makes you wonder~

Morbid curiosity slowly overtook Jack as he opened up his search engine and typed in a name.

Corporal Ada Forth.

It took him a few minutes, but eventually he found what he was looking for. Reading the article, he found himself mumbling the contents out loud. “Collapsed during a routine training exercise, later declared dead on the scene?” His brow shot up into his fringe. “Brain aneurysm? What the… fuuuuck?” His morbid curiosity only continued to grow as he punched in another name.

Petyr Morozov.

“Heart attack!?”

Slowly lifting a hand to cover his mouth, Jack plugged in one more name. “Max.... slipped on… HAH!” The laugh wasn’t one of humor, rather one of pained shock. “Slipped on a stray burger patty at his workplace and suffered a skull fracture… oh god… Mark… you didn’t…”

Didn’t do what? The voice in his head sounded impossibly smug; the sound drove a spike through his heart.

“Did you kill everybody?” Jack growled harshly as he stared at the combined windows.

Not entirely. I merely ripped you all away at the right moment, just before you died. I’ll admit, with your lovely ex, I may have… eheh, coerced events a little. But that being said, I never killed anybody, honest!

Clamping down on his wrist as his hand started to shake, Jack sneered at the floor. “You son of a bitch… And those people who got sent back, what happened to them?”

That one, you can blame on Celestia. She purged them of my shards. If she hadn’t, they might have survived the trip. Maybe not the landing, but the trip.

“So what would have happened to me without your shard?”

Oh I’m not so certain… Likely your head would have popped like a rotten egg and your body would follow suite. What a horrible sight for your friends that would have been, huh? Hehehehahahahaaaah!

Staring at the floor, Jack slowly shook his head as he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “I need a smoke.”

It was going to be a long nine months.

October 22nd, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

Day three on earth. Flitter let out a controlled breath as she finished another lap across the tarmac. The second day of Jack being locked away and hiding from everybody else. She’d hardly seen him at all, and when she did, it was only in passing. With each time she caught a temporary glance at him, he managed to look even more heartbroken. Growling, she pushed herself for another lap, her new human legs burning from lactic acid build up, and her shoulder aching badly from the constant bouncing weight of her prosthetic. She had to keep pushing, keep digging deep and forging forward. Everybody was counting on her.

Not just her platoon, not just the princesses, but the entire world. It was an awful weight to have thrown onto her shoulders, but she bore it like the others. Besides, she had all the time in the world to find a way to turn the tide of the most brutal war her world had ever seen.

“No pressure.” She grunted quietly as she finished strong and stretched out. She’d been glad to swap out the coarse maid’s cloth for the human uniform, but by the third day, it was growing a little stiff and smelly. Clothes were among the top priority for the unit. They stuck out badly enough as it was, they didn’t need to look like tactical maids as well.

She’d have to rely on Walter in that aspect. After their initial bumpy meeting, the big man had been all too happy to help out where he could. She was grateful to be sure, but it didn’t sit well with her either.

Casting a long look over the forest, Flitter sighed as the chilly wind caught her sweaty clothes and stuck them to her tough skin. It was supposed to be getting colder. Good training weather.

Looking to hangar one, Flitter’s mind churned into action. The second hangar was a machine shop, so she couldn’t use it for anything. However, the first hangar was empty, and very large. A good place to set up a mock ship interior, and train for CQC. She had a lot to do. Too much. She didn’t have any room for distractions.

Despite that, a distraction seemed intent on working it’s way into her day, in the shape of an older pewter coloured sedan skidding to a stop just outside the gate. Pushing open the door, the driver climbed out and marched to the gate in a huff; Flitter found herself utterly frozen by the sight. From the distance she was at, the woman looked like Ada.

The brown haired woman pulled open the gate and quickly clambered back into her car to drive it into the compound. Flitter rubbed her eyes, before squinting at her as she parked her car and climbed out. The woman began storming toward the barracks; she turned her head momentarily, catching Flitter’s eye. The pair shared a short stare, before the shorter woman pulled open the barracks door and entered.

Flitter’d just broken out of her stunned trance and began to jog toward the barracks when she heard a woman’s angry yell.

“WALTEEEER!!”

“EEEIIIAAAHHHHH!!”

Breaking into a run, Flitter’s mind went to the pistol strapped to her hip as she shouldered her way through the door.

“YOU GIGANTIC JACKASS!!”

“I’M SOOORRRYYYYY!!!”

Jogging down the hall, Flitter passed by a number of confused rangers as she entered the mess hall. She found herself pausing as she watched the huge ex-legionnaire fleeing from the angry short woman who was currently chasing him around the tables with a spatula.

“YOU’LL BE SORRY WHEN I CATCH YOU!” The woman screamed as she jumped a table, causing Walter to cry in terror. With a leap, he left the ground, and clasped the thick truss supporting the roof. There he clung for his life, as the burly girl hopped up and down, taking swipes at his backside with the cooking implement. Each time the spatula made contact, Walter let out a very uncharacteristic girly squeal of terror.

With the crowd of operatives growing, Flitter found herself torn between the need to break the two up, and the want to watch and see how it played out. She was hardly surprised when she heard Jack come to a stop by her side.

“What the fuck?” was all he managed to mutter as he joined in watching the unfolding drama.

“THREE DAYS!” The squat little woman yelled as she circled Walter. “You haven’t even called! And now I find your big dumb ass out here, playing hooky with your buddies!”

“I can explain!” Walter yelled back as he clung to the beam for dear life. He yelped as he was smacked again.

“Explain how the hell we’re gonna have money for rent when you’re taking time off work to come out here!”

Walter reached out toward Jack. “Martyr! Help me!”

“Not even Grudd can save you now!”

Striding forward, Jack pushed headlong into the conflict. “That’s enough.” He reached forward, and plucked the spatula out of the woman’s grasp. “Walter, come down before you pull the roof in with you.”

“Hey!” The woman turned on her heels and pulled at the spatula, onto to find it unbudging under Jack’s exo-grip. “Let go! I need to beat the crap out of my asshole brother!” She looked up to glare at him, but upon seeing each other’s faces, the pair flinched back from the other. “Grudd, you’re an ugly bastard!”

“And you look like a dead brit.”

“JESSICA!” Walter screeched in horror as he fell from the rafter and landed on the table, nearly collapsing it under his weight. “That’s the Martyr! You can’t just say that he’s ugly!”

“That’s not the Martyr, you idiot! The Martyr is dead and he’s supposed to be handsome. Wait, no… don’t tell me this guy is the reason you’ve disappeared!”

“I can explain! And they're paying me! It’s going to be fine, better than fine!”

The stout woman scowled hard, before driving a prodding finger into Walter’s chest. “It better be a good explanation, mister!” She then turned on her heel, and pointed at everybody present. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the lot of you! Go on! Frigg off!”

“Walter.” Jack spoke clearly, earning the bigger man’s attention immediately. “You got this under control?”

As Jessica opened her mouth to bark an answer into his face, Walter clamped a meaty hand over her mouth and smiled brightly through his fear. “Jack, sir! This… this is my sister, Jessica Barnes! Please don’t mind her, she’s-YEOW!” Quickly removing his hand from his sister’s face, Walter shook his hand in pain. “No biting!”

“I’ll bite you until you explain who the hell all these people are, and why they’re squatting on our property!” The woman took one more glance at Jack, before groaning. “The Martyr… Walter, you spaz!” Separating from the two men, Jessica paced away as she rubbed at her cheeks. “This is just like that time in Carolina!”

“This is nothing like Carolina!” Walter squawked back indignantly. “It’s really him! Jessica! He paid me! He knows things! He’s got the armour, and everything!”

“Honestly the whole ‘I am the real Jack Kessle’ shit got old the first time.” Jack muttered as he pulled a cigarette out of his new package, this package sporting a coffin insignia, and the name ‘Coffin Nails’. Lighting it, he pointed the burning end at the siblings. “Both of you shut the fuck up for a moment.” As the pair went thankfully silent, Jack sat down and took a long drag. “God these taste like Newports… fuck my life.” While he glared at the foul smoke in question, the two siblings took a seat at his table, and Flitter took it upon herself to join the meeting as she waved off the others. With Jessica glaring at both Jack and Flitter, Jack took it upon himself to talk her down. “Look, Miss Barnes. I’m not taking advantage of Walter. He’s helping us out, and I’m paying him very well for it. Whether you want to believe that I’m Jack Kessle or not, is up to you. I honestly don’t give a feathered fuck, so long as you chill out and stop yelling. It’s too early in the morning for that shit.”

“Hrmph.” Jessica sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. “The Martyr Tenants state that you should always rise early and be ready for the day.”

“I don’t know what those are but they piss me off already.”

Smiling weakly, Flitter sat forward and drew the siblings attentions to her as she clasped her hands together. “I’m Knight Captain Falenas, leader of the Joint Special Operations Group. Your brother has been gracious enough to let us live on base for the duration of our stay, but seeing as how this is a property owned by the both of you, I’d like to extend the same courtesies to you as well. We can offer payment in gold or precious gems, and we’ve already begun preparations to help renovate the base for our own training purposes.”

“W-wait, gold and gems?”

Nodding, Flitter continued, keeping Jessica on the backfoot with her manners. “Yes, all we ask is that we’re allowed to stay here, and that you refrain from telling anybody about us.”

As she stared in disbelief, Jessica’s eyes flicked from Flitter, to Jack, and then to Walter. She glanced at Flitter once more, before smiling with exaggerated kindness. “Could you excuse us for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Grabbing Walter by the collar, Jessica promptly dragged him off into the corner. There, Jack and Flitter watched as the two siblings argued in stage whispers and gestured wildly at each other, and the pair at the table.

Snubbing his smoke, Jack slumped against the table. “What would I do without you…”

“It’s getting old, huh?” Flitter reached over, and rubbed the small of his back. “Maybe we should get pamphlets made up.”

“Heh… yeah, maybe. How… how have you been? Settling in alright?” He idly scratched at his neck as Flitter smiled and let her hand rest on the small of his back.

“Well enough… It’s the body that’s taken the most to get used to. How you do it all so easily is beyond me. What about you? You’ve been… hiding.” At his pained expression, Flitter patted his back and looked back to the siblings as they argued. “That bad?”

“I…” He started off quietly, before pausing and drumming his fingers on the table. “I think earth is almost as alien to me as it is to you.”

“Jack-”

“Alright!” The table thumped as Jessica sat down, and Walter joined her. The big man looked relieved, but only just. “So, we’ve decided to let you all stay!” Jessica grinned brightly for a moment before leaning forward. “On one condition. You explain exactly why you’re here, and what you plan to do. I am NOT going to let would be earth conquerors stay without a peep. I mean, for all I know, you're some kind of freaky geeked up xeno under that skin.”

Nodding, Flitter clasped her hands together on the table. “That’s fair. Ok, so it all started with Crown Prince Carolus.”

Author's Notes:

I'm not particularly a fan of this chapter, but it'll do. Originally I'd planned for Earth to only last a few chapters, but with everything that needs to happen, it's going to take more than a few. Oh well!

The new phone is slightly different for typing on, I've been forced to turn off its autocorrect, so in a lot of places there may be grammatical errors and the like. We're doing our best to find them and deal with them.

On a separate note, Aurora was originally written as a unicorn (Something I discovered while skimming my notes). Due to it being so long since she had a meaningful position in the story, I'd completely forgotten. In character concept, she started off as a batpony, but for some reason I decided to change things around. I don't remember why and it's too much work to fix the current chapters to fit her being a uni, so now she's a batpony. I'll skim the early chapters eventually and see if it's possible to fix on that end.

Chapter Fifty Nine: An Old Home

View Online

November 5th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

Puffs and pants of exertion were drawn forth from the rangers as they made another lap around the tarmac. While they’d been given the sudden luxury of extra time, JSOG couldn’t rest for a minute with their work, and that went for physical training as well. They still had to get used to their new bodies in every way, so that meant a strict regime from the moment they woke up to the time they fell back asleep.

Flitter led the pack, setting the pace and calling cadence as they jogged. Sweat built up on her thick eyebrows, prickling and stinging her eyes with every footfall. Despite her cadence, her mind had marched far ahead of her body. She had to formulate a plot, some way for her to make a difference. She had to learn to be human.

As they came to a stop, sweaty and groaning from exertion, Minerva moved up to Flitter’s side. “Captain?” The woman looked pained as she held both of her hands down on top of her prodigious bust. “What’s next?”

“Get back to setting up hangar one. I want the planning room finished by the end of the week at least.” Drinking deeply from a water bottle, Flitter glanced over at her sergeant. “Minerva, what are you doing?”

“I’m holding these stupid jugs down, every time I run they hit me in the face!” Minerva complained loudly, earning a few nods of agreement from the more busty of the squad.

Nodding in sympathy, Flitter really didn’t know the pain. “I’ll talk to Jessica, I’m sure she knows what to do.”

Rolling her eyes with a disparaging grunt, Minerva didn’t seem pleased with the prospect. “Those two are useless. I tried asking the human Walter how to use their baths, and he just went red in the face and started mumbling incoherently.”

“...You were naked, weren’t you?” Flitter asked quietly, and earned a nod.

“Of course I was, I was going to wash up!”

A small smile spread across Flitter’s features as she shook her head. “I’ll handle it. Make sure everyone gets some water and something to eat.”

“Alright, see you at the hangar, Captain. Alright you lot, up and attem!”

Smiling briefly to herself, Flitter set off for the barracks with the intent of finding one of the humans. The interior of the building was blissfully cool thanks to the air conditioner humming away on the roof, though with the sweat slicking her pale skin, Flitter soon found herself downright chilly as she began her search.

“Hello?” Flitter called out as she paced through the halls. “Anyone here?”

“Yo.”

Nearly starting, Flitter laid a hand over her chest as she looked over at Jack. “Gods, you can be sneaky when you want to be...”

Ambling by her, Jack flicked her on the tip of the nose, causing the woman to yelp. “You just weren’t paying attention.” He continued limping down the hall, toward the mess. “What’s up?”

Huffing lightly before following after him, Flitter took a moment to look him over. “Just had some questions. Are you feeling alright? It looks like that limp is getting worse...”

His answer was a long time coming as he neared the mess door. “I’m not.”

Inside, both Walter and Jessica stood around the coffee machine, chatting. At the pair’s entrance, Walter’s hand went up in greeting, and Jessica lifted her head in acknowledgement.

Jack was the first to speak as he hobbled over to the machine. “I need a car.”

Nodding despite himself, Walter glanced at Jessica. “I think it’d be alright if you borrowed my truck for a little bit. Planning on doing some sightseeing?”

With a shake of his head, Jack placed a cup under the machine and waited as it churned away. “I’m going home.” He brought the cup up to his lips and sipped carefully as the others went dead quiet. “I’ll be gone for a week, maybe more depending on the roads. I’d rent, but my credit card’s been overdrafted for almost a century.”

“You can borrow my car.” Jessica spoke as Walter searched for words. “It’s batteries last longer anyways. Soo… where’s home? New York?”

“An hour outside of Saskatoon.”

“Huh?” Both siblings looked at him as if he’d grown another head. Flitter stayed silent, her own concerns remaining unsaid before company.

Ignoring the pair’s confusion, Jack finished his coffee and looked to Flitter. The bag under his eye had grown deeper, and the light that used to lay behind his eyes was all but gone. “You needed something earlier.”

“Right.” She looked to the three humans and smiled weakly. “Could one of you help show my platoon where we can wash our clothes and how to use the showers here? I’ll admit, it’s a little… beyond me.”

As Jessica quirked a brow, Walter went bright red. His sister glanced over at him, and stared in suspicion. “What did you do, Walter?”

“I didn’t do anything! I-”

“He had a minor run in with Sergeant Minerva regarding the showers.” Flitter filled in, though her help only saw Jessica looking more suspicious and confused, and Walter looking more embarrassed.

“She forgot about the clothes thing, didn’t she?” Jack muttered, and earned a nod in return. Huffing softly, he shook his head. “I live in a fucking nudist colony.”

Jessica’s mouth slowly fell open as her confusion overcame her suspicion. “What? They’re all running around without clothes on!?” She quickly turned on her heels, and grabbed Walter by the collar. “Why didn’t you tell me!?”

Shaking his head, Jack pushed away from the machine and started for the door. “Keys in the car?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s a push start, keycode is one six two four. Now!” Jessica turned her attention back to Walter. “YOU!”

“Oh come on!”

Watching Jack head for the door, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over Flitter. “Hey!” She barked, earning the attention of the squabbling siblings. “Can one of you please show my guys what I asked?”

“Yep!” Jessica all but climbed over her brother to grin at Flitter. “I’ll take good care of your nudist weirdos.”

Walter swiftly turned red in panic. “Jessica!”

“Walter!”

Shaking her head, Flitter turned on her heels and set off at a jog. She quickly caught up with Jack as he was tossing a small backpack into the backseat. “Jack! Jack wait up!”

Crossing his arms over the roof of the sedan, Jack looked over at her as she slowed her jog. “What do you need?”

“I’m coming with you!”

A pained wince flashed across his features for a scant moment, before he shook his head. “That’s not a good idea, Flitter. You need to watch over your guys. You’ve got way too much shit on your plate to be worrying about me, let alone be chasing after me.”

Shaking her head vehemently, she rounded the car before coming to a stop just before him. Looking him in the eye, Flitter had to pause herself for just a moment to get used to being eye to eye with the once towering marine. “Don’t you pull that shit with me, Jack. I’m coming with you.”

His shoulders slumped as he looked away. “Flitter-”

“Jack. Don’t make me pull rank on you. Please, don’t.” Her tone had softened considerably, but she stayed her ground.

A long moment passed between the pair, before Jack nodded. “Okay. You've got five minutes to get your go-bag.”

Without another word, Flitter set off again at a jog as Jack pulled open the car door and plopped himself down into the driver’s seat. Slowly exhaling, he gripped the steering wheel, and stared at the barracks door. His eyes flicked down to the dash clock, and he began to count down the seconds as he keyed in the code and started the engine. He had to pause for a moment and lean in to listen, just to make sure the vehicle had actually started. As the seconds turned to minutes, he familiarized himself with the advanced corolla, before setting his fingers over the paddle shifter. As he looked down, and found the five minutes nearly up, he stuck the vehicle in reverse, and slowly pressed down on the accelerator.

With the car creeping backwards toward the open gate, the door to the barracks banged open, and Flitter exited at a sprint. Pulling open the passenger side door, she fell into the seat, and tossed her go-bag into the back seat. “Thank you for waiting.”

He simply shrugged as he rolled the vehicle out of the gate, and set off down the dirt road. After a moment, he glanced over at Flitter as she shifted around, trying to get comfortable. “Seatbelt.”

“What?”

“Put on your seat belt.”

“I don’t know what that is.” Flitter set her hands between her knees and stared at him with bright, curious eyes. Faltering for a moment as he stared at her, Jack had to shake his head to free himself before he slowed the car and pulled off to the side of the road. Leaning over, he pulled her seatbelt over and clicked it into place. Looking down at the belt, Flitter glanced at Jack. “So… what’s it do?”

“Keeps you from flying out the window if we hit anything.” Turning his attention back to the dirt road, he tacitly ignored the look Flitter was giving him.

“Is… flying out the window something that happens often?”

“I don’t plan on hitting anything. Before the war I had a spotless record.”

She shifted mildly in her seat as she looked back to the trees as they whipped by. “So… what about during the war?”

“I’ve never been in a crash that wasn’t on purpose.”

“That doesn’t make me feel much better…” Flitter mumbled quietly as she glanced over at him. “So… what’s the plan?”

“We’ll stop in town for some snacks, and follow the gps.” Jack gestured toward the dash. “Depending on the roads, we shouldn’t be gone for long. I was planning on just sleeping in the backseat, but now… we’ll figure something out.”

Smiling slightly, Flitter turned her attentions back to the road as it passed by under them. As they rolled by towering trees, Flitter found herself leaning against the window and staring up at the bright blue sky. Eventually, the trees thinned, and their dirt road turned to asphalt. “Your world really is beautiful, Jack.”

“I don’t remember it being so green.” He remarked quietly as they started down the highway.

“What do you think changed?” She asked lightly as she stared off along the long, snaking highway as it weaved between hills.

“Less people.” He flicked the turn indicator and slowed as he took a right down the road leading toward the small town. “Large scale terraforming project, probably. I read something along those lines.”

“How many people live on your earth now?” She continued to stare out the window, though now her eyes were drawn in by the signage of the town, and the other vehicles.

“Little over a billion, apparently.”

“Wow…” Flitter went quiet, and began to admire the rustic human town as they passed through the outskirts, and exited the highway. Despite it being a smaller town, it was fairly busy. People milled about, and vehicles drove every which way. “You could mistake it for Ponyville if you closed your eyes…”

“If you ignored the lack of clip clops and the stench of thatch roofing, sure.” Slowing the sedan, he hung one more turn, and pulled into an empty stall before a small market convenience store. “Did you want to come in, or wait in the car?”

“How do I-” Flitter rattled her seatbelt as she tried to figure out how to release it. “I want to come but I can’t get the belt off!” As he reached over and depressed the bright red button, Flitter huffed in irritation. “Silly thing…”

“Come on, Sparky.” Jack pulled himself from the car, and stretched heavily before he pulled on his exo skeleton. Even with it, he limped badly. Flitter was quick to exit the vehicle, closing the door behind herself as she jogged to Jack’s side.

The market door dinged open merrily as the pair entered side by side. The attendant barely gave them a glance as she stared at her omnilink. Quiet music played over the speakers as the A/C unit’s chilly air washed over the store.

“Wow… So this is where you get all of your food? It’s so… compact.” Flitter did a little spin as she rubbernecked around, taking in the store.

Picking up a small basket, Jack couldn’t help but smile softly at her wonderment. “I forgot you guys still have open markets. I wonder if walmart still exists…” He began picking his way through the thin aisles, idly grabbing some snacks for the road. “Grab anything if it looks interesting. I don’t know what brands are good anymore.”

With a nod, Flitter trailed behind him, ogling at the vibrant packaging. It didn’t take long for them to go through and grab a basket’s worth of cheap snacks and sports drinks. As the cashier was ringing them up, another customer looked over at Jack. The other man was considerably older, with his hair having gone a curly white to clash with his dark skin. “S’cuse me, sir?”

“Yeah?” Jack glanced over at the older man as he tapped his credstick against the card reader.

“Did you serve?”

With one nod, Jack grabbed the two bags of groceries off the counter. “Staff Sergeant Kessle, Marine Corp EOD. Retired.”

Cracking a smile, the older man set his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Is that right? My grandson told me one of you boys saved his hide back in one-ten when the Gorsians hit Argus Prime.” The man’s smile turned up slightly. “I just wanted to thank you for your service, you Space Marine boys are the real deal.” He offered his hand to Jack to shake, which Jack took after a slow moment. “Semper Fi, son.”

“Yeah, Rah.” Jack gave him a brief nod, before glancing to Flitter. “We’ve got to get going. It was nice meeting you.”

“Enjoy the day with your missus, sir!”

With a cough, Jack nodded once more before exiting the store with the now beet red Flitter. As they climbed into the car, Flitter fidgeted awkwardly. “Does um… that happen often?”

Slouching his shoulders as he put the car into reverse and pulled out, Jack nodded. “Yeah. It’s a… cultural thing, it happened a lot when I came back stateside the first time. People just can’t stop thanking you for your service. They don’t mean it, mind you. It’s a courtesy.”

“He seemed like he meant it. You shouldn’t blow things like that off so casually.” Flitter turned in her seat to look at him, though the seatbelt made it awkward.

Sighing as he pulled back onto the highway, Jack glanced back at Flitter. “He doesn’t know what my service was. Nobody does. For all they know, I could have spent a single tour up in a watchtower, spanking the snot out of Jojo while I watched some convoy wookie take a shit on the side of the road. It’s meaningless thanks that makes people feel all warm and fuzzy inside for a couple minutes.”

“They might not know what you’ve done, but I do.” She responded softly. A long silence fell upon the pair as the car picked up speed and the road buzzed by under them. Slowly exhaling, Flitter looked over at the bags, before reaching in and rooting around.

“Pass me a gatorade would you?”

“Which one is a gator-aid?” Flitter’s eyes flicked up at him.

“The one that says Gatorade on the label.”

“...Smartass…”

At that, he smirked ever so slightly. “Better a smartass than a dumbass.”

“Pfft!” Flitter let out a gigglesnort as she set the bag down. “Really?” She smiled brightly at him. “Your first joke in forever, and it’s a Dad joke?”

“Just gimme my damn gatorade, woman!”

“Okay okay! Geez!”

As the thick trees gave way to open land and rolling hills, the pair fell silent as music quietly played from the radio. The sun was nearly ready to set, marking the passage of the day while open road passed by underneath them.

“Hey Flitter.” Jack had long since put the car into cruise control, and so he was leaned back into his seat, moderately relaxed.

“Yeah Jack?” It’d taken Flitter several hours of fiddling around with the seat controls, but she was finally comfortable, laying on her side with the seat nearly all the way back.

“Did you tell anybody you were coming with me?”

The suddenly stunned look on her face answered long before she ever could. “Uhuhuummmmmm… Not… exactly?” Flitter smiled sheepishly as she sat up. “I… may have forgotten to tell them.”

“You might want to call them.”

“Oh! That’s right, we have the omni-things!” She turned again, and reached for her bag. Rooting through, she pulled out her omnilink, which was blinking red. “What’s the blinking mean?”

Jack glanced over briefly, not entirely sure himself. “Well, either it’s nearly dead, or you’ve got messages.”

Strapping on the wrist mount, Flitter opened up the display, and was quickly inundated with messages. “Ahah… it means both… looks like they’re missing me already…” Flitter flicked through her messages, as a pained expression slowly spread across her attractive features. “Oh man…”

“Call Mythic. Let everyone know I didn’t kidnap you.”

She quickly nodded, and brought up the call menu. “Just need to- hey!” Flitter cried out in surprise as her whole screen simply winked out.

Jack couldn’t help but smirk a little after letting out a mild sigh. “You’re supposed to keep it charged, Sparky.”

“I don’t know how!”

“Christ on a bike, it’s called asking for help-”

“Oh you’d be one to talk!” Flitter barked back, and not a second later she’d covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, I… that was uncalled for…”

He simply shrugged, as if he was shrugging off the comment just as easily. “Not the worst I’ve heard. You can borrow my omnilink.”

“Jack… why were you going to leave without telling me?” Flitter sat up a little straighter, and fixed Jack with a soft, understanding stare.

“Call the boys before they start a search party.”

Frowning softly, Flitter pulled the device from his wrist and started it up. Moments later, she was calling her radioman. His omnilink rang twice, before it was answered. A shaky video link showing the roof of hangar one came through, along with Mythic’s muttering.

“-damn thing on? Hello? Jack?”

“Private Ace? I can’t see you! Can you hear me?” Flitter yelled at the device, earning a muttered wondrous curse from Jack.

“Captain!? Hey guys, I’ve got the Captain on the horn!”

“Give it here!” Minerva’s voice interjected, and the camera jostled about, before showing the Sergeant’s chin and her sweaty shirt. “Captain! Can you hear me? Where are you!? Are you hurt?”

Sighing, Flitter rubbed her cheek as she stared at the jostling camera. “I’m fine! I’m just travelling with Jack right now. Is everything alright back there?”

Taven’s nearby voice yelled over the clamoring rangers. “Tell Jack I said Hi!”

“Oh!” Yuma piped up, earning a groan from Jack. “Is Captain Jack on the magic box? Tell him I sent my best salutations!”

The camera jostled again, and finally showed Minerva’s soft, round face. She squinted her purple eyes at the screen. “I’m not going to tell her that. Captain? Is everything alright? He hasn’t hurt you has he? I’ll kill him if he has!”

“I’d like to see you try, I’ll put you in the fucking ground.” Jack growled, earning a surprised look from Minerva, and a call out from Yuma.

“Hello Captain Jack!”

Sighing in irritation, Flitter put on her best Officer’s expression. “Sergeant Aegis!” She barked, causing the woman to jump. “You and Sergeant Varenikov are in charge until I’m back! I want the planning room finished, and I want everything spic and span, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Good, because if everything isn’t exactly how I want when I do get back, you’ll be eating nothing but meat for a month, and Taven will eat fruit! Do I make myself clear?”

“C-crystal!”

Flitter nodded once. “Good. Now give the horn back to Private Ace.” She waited as the omnilink was passed over. Once she saw Mythic, she relaxed her ballbusting attitude. “Mythic, if anything happens, call me at Jack’s frequency. My omnilink has died.”

“Copy that Captain. I’ll keep you caught up with things.”

“I expect no less. Over and out.” Flitter tapped the end call button, and smiled as it did so. “Well that could have gone worse. I’m sorry about Minerva, she’s-”

Flitter paused when Jack scowled hard. “She’s got a stick up her ass about me, and if she doesn’t knock it off, I’ll fuck her with it.”

Her pause ended with another sigh, just as the sun dipped below the skyline, and the land turned dark. Flicking on the high beams, Jack continued down the lonesome highway. Eventually, Flitter felt the day weighing on her eyelids.

“Do you… mind if I take a nap?” She asked before yawning quietly.

“Go right ahead.”

Nodding slowly, Flitter turned in her seat, and laid her head down. It wasn’t long before she was completely out; Jack could tell from the soft, dainty snores playing against the quiet music. Casting a glance over at the sleeping woman, he allowed himself to relax, and the weight of everything to finally show on his features. Slowly, he pulled his old phone from his pocket, and unlocked it. Dialing his voicemail box, he plugged in his earphones and leaned back to brace for the pain.

Starting from the beginning, he set the machine to simply play it one message after the other.

“Playing message, June sixth, twenty thirty three.”

“Hey Jack… It’s me, Elissa. I uhm… God this is weird…” The woman on the other end sighed quietly. “We’re holding a little wake for you. Just me and your folks. Supposed to call you, hear your.... your voice, one last time. Leave our last words with you.” There was a long pause as Jack gripped the wheel and focused on the road. “I suppose I should start off with an apology, but I just don’t know what to say, honestly… I’m sorry that I sent you there to die. I’m… I’m sorry that I…” Elissa sniffed softly. “Shit… Get it together…” She sniffed again, before clearing her throat. “I’m sorry I never loved you as much as I thought I did. I’m… The thing I’m most sorry about, is… that I never got to say any of this to you, in person. That you died hating my guts and I was too much of a coward to try and fix anything… so… yeah… I guess this is… goodbye.”

“Message ends.”

The rotten knot of flesh on his shoulder ached as he ran his hand down his features, willing them to stay neutral as the next message began to play.

“Hey sweetie…” His mother’s voice immediately caused him to tense, and his frown to turn downright painful. “We’re holding a little wake for you with Elissa, I hope that’s alright… I know it’s probably nothing compared to the ceremony they held when they gave you that big medal posthumously, but we-we’re… we’re both here for you, and it’s… it’s just so nice to hear your voice again, even if it’s just for a few seconds…” His mother, Sandy, sniffled on the other end.

“Aw momma…” Jack murmured softly as he listened to his mother whimper on the other end of the phone.

“I miss you all so much, you know that? I missed you when you were gone, and I miss you so very much right now… But now I know that none of you will ever be coming back, ever, and I just… uhuhn-”

Jack pushed his skull back into the headrest as his mother set the phone down, and the distant sound of his father comforting her replayed again in his ears.

“I’m sorry… I was all weepy at your funerals too… They gave us so many flags, I don’t know what to do with all of them… I buried yours in the backyard, with your time capsule. Do you remember when we made those? You all had so much fun… Oh goodness, I can’t… It feels like it was just yesterday that I... “ There was another short pause as Sandy let out a ragged breath. “I wish I’d never put any of you down… I would give everything, just for five more minutes with any of you… I love you, Jack… so very, very much. I’ll see you in heaven when my time comes. Goodbye, sweetie…”

He’d been putting this off. He’d already gone through the files, read all the history long passed. He knew how it all went down, but the moment he saw the missed calls, and the numbers belonging to them, he’d avoided his voicemail like a plague carrier. But now, with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a glock in his bag, he was homeward bound, and it was high time he faced the ghosts that had waited eighty five years for him. His mind wandered to the woman sleeping soundly next to him, and an intense wave of guilt washed over him. Looking over at her, his features wrinkled in pain as he reached over, and rested a hand on her side.

“I shouldn’t have let you come… I was weak, and I dragged you back into my shit…” He gave her side a soft squeeze, which earned an equally soft murmur from her. Closing his eye briefly, Jack soon removed his hand from her, and cycled to the next voicemail, the voicemail belonging to his father.

“Message begins-”

“Hello, Jack’s voicemail.” His father’s gruff voice sounded emotionless and brittle. “Do we really need to do this, Sandy? We have the home videos, we-” He paused, before sighing. “Right… Okay. Jack... “ There was a long pause as Guy Kessle collected himself. “I miss you. Ever since you left that last time, I’ve missed you like I’d miss an organ. I’ve gone over our argument in my head, just… I should have supported you more. Tried to help you through that awful mess, but… I couldn’t. I wasn’t… I wasn’t strong enough, and I ended up driving you away for good. Hold on.” The sound of the phone being set down met Jack’s ears as Guy went to console his wife.

He returned a minute later. “We saw you on the TV, in one of the evacuation centers. We were there with the twins, Mary, Joey, and Sofia… and you popped up on the TV in that fancy armour of yours. You’d just liberated Washington, and the whole center went up with cheers. I just… I saw you, and it felt like everything was going to be alright. I felt hope.When I saw you with the flag... I started yelling, ‘that’s my boy! That’s my Jack!” Guy let out a shuddering breath. “We lost Mary the next day… We lost them all. To this day, I just… I keep going over it all in my head, what I could have done differently… Just like my argument with you… There’s nothing I can do to bring any of you back, and it feels like there’s this… this black hole where my heart used to be… It’s wrong for a parent to outlive their children... Ughuh… dammit, god dammit, look at me, crying to a damn machine… Jack, I was always proud of you. I always will be, you as much as all of your brothers. I never stopped being proud of you, I never loved you any less, and I am… I am so… so sorry , that I never told you that to your face… that I never said it to any of you when it mattered the most… I love you, and my world’s become so grey without you… I just hope you’re comfortable in heaven. Good… g-goodbye, Jack.”

The message clicked over, leaving Jack to the soft music, and the irregular pains in his heart. “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t have been you apologizing, dad. I’m just fucked up, and it ain’t your fault… It ain’t nobody’s fault but mine…” He slowly shook his head, before gripping the wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

He could feel the exhaustion setting in, the pain that crept across his limbs like acid. From the heartache he’d inflicted upon himself, he wanted to just sleep for a million years. His eye felt heavy, and he knew he had to pull over. Opening up the gps, he flipped ahead, and found them a rest stop not too far away. It didn’t take long getting there, and he swiftly found the small turn off completely deserted, save for a lonely street light and a bathroom. Turning off the car, Jack made sure to lock the doors before setting his seat back. Once there, he stared up at the roof for a long, long time, before his aching heart and pained mind would allow him the privilege of sleep.

She was alone.

Alone, and cold.

Flitter shivered, casting snow off her uniform as she hunkered down in her foxhole. Her rifle was empty, and her sidearm was lost.

She was scared.

Not because she was alone, but because she knew she wasn’t as alone as she’d have liked.

It was out there, hunting her, stalking her. It was waiting for the perfect time to strike. It was toying with her.

Dread gripped her heart as she slowly peeked over the berm of her foxhole. Her platoon lay dead around her, slaughtered by her incompetence. Slaughtered by the thing waiting for her. She swallowed thickly as she rose, her hooves crunching in the snow were like gunshots in the dark. She was going to die in the light cast by their burning ship. Her gun muzzle tracked back and forth, searching for the fell monstrosity as she gingerly crept over the eviscerated bodies of her friends, her family.

By the time she heard it, it was far too late. The heavy thud of the beast landing, and the swirl of snow was all the warning she ever got before it crashed into her from behind, driving the wind from her lungs. With a childish grin on it’s face, the Progeny giggled gleefully as it grabbed her hoof and wrenched.

Flitter lurched awake with a pained gasp; her body slick with cold sweat and her shoulder aching as if it were on fire. Squeezing her eyes shut and pinching her lips into a thin line, she let out a ragged breath. Lifting her prosthetic, Flitter paused, before lowering it and lifting her flesh and blood hand to brush tousled hair out of her eyes. Her whole body ached from being bent in an awkward position for too long; she desperately needed to stretch. Looking over her shoulder to the driver’s seat, she let out a soft breath of relief when she found Jack soundly asleep next to her.

Opening the door of the car, Flitter stepped out, and stretched high toward the sky. A long groan escaped her lips as she felt and heard her body popping loudly. Casting a brief look around the rest stop, she pulled her shirt off, and willed her wings out. Her now huge wings spread outwards, the leading pinions shivering as she stretched. Bringing her wings back in, Flitter gave them a look over, but only found herself displeased. “I need a preening… but first…” Her eyes went to the enclosed restroom, and her feet swiftly followed.

The door clicked closed behind her as she entered, and the old light above flickered to life. After relieving herself, Flitter found herself before the mirror, doing her best to wash up with the sink. The sweat from the day prior hadn’t been washed away, and now she stunk. “Human bodies need so much maintenance…” She murmured softly as she rubbed herself down with luke warm sink water. While she was there, she took the time to admire her new body yet again, as well as her truly impressive wing span. The place where her prosthetic met her shoulder was an ugly mess of angry flesh and metal, and the scars from the surgery were still vibrant on her pale flesh. Besides that little hiccup of ugliness, and the scattered scars that shone against the light, she was, as far as she could tell, a very attractive human woman.

The bathroom door opened slightly, swiftly drawing her attention as he hand went for her sidearm, and her metal arm covered up her chest.

“Flitter?”

Immediate relief washed over her as she set the pistol back down. “Yeah, I’m just washing up.”

“Kay.”

The door quietly closed again, leaving her to finish her business. Turning back to the mirror, she continued to clean her washboard abs with sink water and hand soap.

When she exited the restroom, she found Jack leaning against the car, staring off into the distance as he slowly chewed down a swiss roll and sucked back a cigarette. Taking her place next to him, Flitter shot Jack a soft smile. “Morning.”

“Morn.” He mumbled in return as he offered her a packaged set of rolls and a yoohoo.

Taking the offered breakfast, Flitter relaxed, and looked up toward the horizon, only to start and nearly drop her food. “What in the flying fuck is that!?”

Off in the distance, a truly monstrous structure squatted on the plains. It looked like a tower of steel pipes and ceramic armour, and had six equally massive crab-like legs. The structure was covered with blinking lights, and was steadily pouring white steam into the air from its myriad of vents and pipes.

“Terraformer.” Jack answered between bites. “Two kilometers tall. Mobile.” He snubbed his cigarette against the palm of his hand. “Just about shit myself when I saw it too.”

“Gods above… It’s… certainly one hell of a conversation piece!”

“I’ll send you a picture.” Remaining against the car, Jack let his gaze fall back down to the ground as he squashed his snubbed cigarette butt into the ground with his prosthetic heel. “We should get going soon.”

Nodding in return, Flitter set upon her snack breakfast. By the time she finished licking her fingers clean, Jack had already started the car. As they started back onto the highway, Jack spoke once again.

“We should be able to reach the border by nightfall. We’re crossing from Montana to Alberta, then skipping to Saskatchewan some time tomorrow.”

“I’ll assume we’re making good time. I’ll be honest, I kind of expected…-”

“A little more excitement?” He asked with the barest hint of a smile.

Flitter returned the hint with a smirk. “Something like that. Course, I wouldn’t trade this time for anything in the world.”

“Kiss ass…”

The pair made good time crossing Montana, and as Jack predicted, they crossed the old border by nightfall. The unmanned posts offered no resistance as they passed by, and entered what used to be known as Canada. The flatlands stretched on for as far as the eye could see, and with the brilliant palette cast across the sky by the setting sun, it was truly a breathtaking sight for Jack’s passenger.

“Can you take a picture of that too? I’ve never seen a sunset so beautiful…”

“That’s because Sunbutt is in too much of a hurry to go to bed.” He muttered lightly as he took a snapshot of the blazing skies. “There.”

Smiling softly, Flitter took a chance and reached over to grasp his hand in hers. “You’re the best.”

Jack blinked in surprise as he looked to his grasped hand, before his eye flicked up to Flitter. The woman holding his hand offered him a soft smile, and a gentle squeeze. All he could offer in return was a redirection of his eye to the road, and a reciprocated gentle squeeze.

As the light completely faded and the land turned pitch black, Jack began to frown. “I expected to see more people on the roads. They’re just about empty.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Imagine not seeing a single soul on the road to Canterlot.” He flicked on the high beams as they continued down the road.

“Oh. No, that makes sense now… maybe everybody just uses the trains?”

“Maybe…” He sighed quietly, before opening the gps again. “I’ll find us somewhere to stay for the night.”

Smiling slightly at him, Flitter relaxed into her seat. “Sounds good… I need to stretch my legs anyways. Maybe wash my clothes…”

“Have you still not washed those?” He asked quietly as he glanced over at her.

“No?”

“Good lord… alright, here’s something. The Oil Derrick motel, forty klicks from us. Looks like there’s a small stripmall near that. We’ll get you some new clothes if we can.”

Smiling a little brighter, Flitter nodded and turned in her seat. “Sounds like a plan.”

The Derrick Motel was a small affair; a throwback to a bygone era of stucco walls, heavy metal doors, and awful wallpaper. The room cost was low however, at fifteen hundred for a night, and for a single night it would do. Setting down his bag in the old armchair that sat in the corner of the room, Jack glanced over the pair of small beds just as Flitter collapsed onto hers face first.

“Ow… not as soft as I thought it would be… ow…” Rolling onto her back, Flitter groaned loudly as she looked to Jack. “So, what’s the plan then?” The chittering clicks of his releasing exo skeleton was all the answer she got for the moment. Carefully setting down the metal jacket, Jack struggled to stumble the five steps to his own bed. Flitter slowly frowned in concern as she watched him struggle to just walk. “How bad is it?”

“Well…” Jack grunted in pain as he slowly eased himself down. “Celestia managed to crack six of my ribs, and break another five. Compacted three vertebrae, hairline fractures in my pelvis and legs, dislocated shoulder and one finger that’ll never move again.” He slowly laid back, letting his breath slowly escape his lips. “Nerve damage. Brain damage, probably. Not like that would change much. Malnutrition.”

Wincing in sympathy, Flitter gently rubbed her shoulder, where metal met flesh. “You can’t live without that exo-skeleton anymore, can you?”

“Can’t really walk. Docs did what they could, but I don’t think they tried all that hard after I donkey punched the queen bitch.” He slowly closed his eyes as he exhaled. “Hurts to be alive. Could you get the light?”

“Sure…” Slowly rising, Flitter cast a brief glance over at him as she crossed the room to flick off the light. “Goodnight, Jack.”

“Night, Flitter.”

Carefully feeling her way back to her stiff bed, Flitter clambered in, and laid back. Sleep refused to come, as her eyes adjusted and the sound of Jack’s laboured breaths met her ears. Rolling onto her side, she stared at him in the dark as she wracked her brain for any way she could help him.

Despite her best attempts, sleep found it’s way into her brain, and Flitter fell back into unconsciousness.

The nightmares came for her again, just as they had every night since coming to earth. Every night was the same, with the feeling of dread and terror lacing her brain as she rolled and murmured. She would be hunted, toyed with, and blamed for the deaths at her hooves. Every night, she would jerk awake in a cold sweat, panting in fear and shivering from the adrenaline.

Tonight was no different, and when she jerked upright, she only just barely managed to cover her mouth in time to stifle a cry of terror. Hints of tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back down.

Light played through the thick drawn curtains, and the sound of life outside drew her attention for a brief moment before she flopped back down into the bed and ran a hand over her face. Letting out a low groan, she pulled herself up, and fixed her prosthetic arm back into it’s socket. She winced as the limb made it’s connection, and as a reflex she flexed her reattached fingers. Looking over in the low light, Flitter found Jack still sound asleep, he apparently having not been woken up by her thrashing.

Breathing a soft sigh of relief, Flitter pushed herself up, and went to her bag. Fishing out the cred-stick, she fixed herself up, before heading out the door.

While the prospect of going out among the human populace without Jack was an intimidating one, she couldn't stand to wear the ruined uniform a day longer.

The bright sun nearly blinded her as she stepped out, and the sound of life became immediately louder. Shielding her eyes with a mechanical hand, she squinted down at the ground floor. A few cars were now parked in the lot, and close to a few dozen people were milling around the small plaza. With a breath, Flitter descended the stairs, and began her very first human shopping experience.

While her growling stomach in mind, she forced herself to enter one of the stores in search of clothes. She felt immediately relieved when she spotted the racks upon racks of assorted items, and the wall of accessories. The relief quickly washed away when she realized how many options she had, and the pressure was applied.

“Dammit… okay, I can do this… It’s just like getting something from Rarity’s.”

Striding into the shop, Flitter would begin her first foray into the treacherous realm of women’s clothes.

He awoke to his constant companion, pain, nagging him awake in the form of a full body ache that stretched into the marrow of his bones. Slowly cracking open his eye, Jack found himself perfectly willing to stare at the ceiling for what felt like an eon, before the opening door drew his attentions.

Slipping inside, Flitter closed the door and visibly heaved out a breath of exertion as she struggled with a number of bags, and what smelled like breakfast. His sleep addled brain took far too long to realize she wasn’t wearing her uniform, and was in fact dressed in civilian clothes. Slowly sitting up, he watched as Flitter struggled with her load.

“You gonna be alright?”

Flitter looked up from behind a set of overlarge sunglasses as she set down breakfast. “Jack! I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“No, I’ve just been laying here for awhile. It looks like you took a stab at dressing yourself.”

“Yeah! Do you like it?” Flitter stood tall and displayed herself for his judgement.

Despite the chilly weather, she was clad in a blue tanktop, grey cargo pants, and had a pair of blue and black striped cotton fingerless elbow gloves on. He coughed lightly when he noticed her lack of support, but decided against saying anything about it. “I was halfway expecting a fashion disaster. You look...good.” He chewed his cheek idly for a moment. “Did you just get tank tops? You’re going to get mighty cold.”

“I didn’t need anything else, because I brought this!” Marching over to her bag, Flitter drew out an article of clothing Jack had completely forgotten about, his old ACMC hoodie.

“Jesus, you kept that old thing?” He scratched the back of his head self consciously as she pulled it on, and hugged herself. The sight was… pleasant, he decided.

“Well I wasn’t going to leave it behind.” She smiled at him, before offering breakfast. “There’s a store called ‘Tim Hortons’. They had breakfast and coffee, so I-” Flitter nearly jumped out of the hoodie in surprise as Jack rolled out of bed, threw on his exo, and crossed the room in under five seconds to snag one of the coffees. She stared in shock as he moaned and groaned while sucking down the steaming drink.

“Oh Fucking Canada.” He said with a content sigh.

Shaking herself out of her stunned silence, Flitter slowly sipped her drink. “It um… I got you-”

“Large double double dark roast. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had Timmies? God, fucking… worth it. “ He sipped his coffee a little slower, though his content moan remained the same.

Giggling at the absurdity, Flitter dug through the bag, and offered him a breakfast wrap. “Did I do good?”

“I could kiss you if I wasn’t eating.” He murmured around his drink and food.

Fighting the blush that was steadily spreading across her cheeks, Flitter turned to her own food. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Breakfast was a swift ordeal, though as they checked out and got back into the car, Jack made a point of swinging through the Tim Hortons drive-thru. Before long, the pair were back on the road, and their journey was begun again.

Crossing over the provincial border, Jack’s pleasant thoughts toward his companion were swiftly replaced by the growing sense of dread he felt with every kilometer they got closer to the destination. He knew what was there, but the prospect of seeing it with his own eyes became a monument of fear in his heart.

Quickly picking up on his change of attitude, Flitter began to dread the moment the journey would come to an end. Everything before had been… almost perfect, she thought. For those two days, she could have pushed everything else out of her mind, and reveled in the freedom the roadtrip had given her. But she hadn’t, and now she was forced to face the nature of it.

As the triple digit kilometers turned to double, and then to single, Jack gripped the steering wheel tightly and forced himself to take slow, steady breaths.

“Jack?” Flitter set her hand down on his thigh as her features softened in concern.

He swallowed thickly as he slowed the car, and turned on the blinker. Turning off the highway, he started down the driveway to his home. The wheat fields were tall, blocking a good portion of his view with windstruck gold. Despite that, he found himself nearly shaking. The two hundred meter long driveway seemed to go on forever, and yet it ended all too quickly. Jack slowed to a stop, before shutting off the engine. As the warm vehicle ticked away, he stared at the time ravaged, dilapidated two story prairie home. Almost all of the siding drooped, and in some places it was missing entirely. The front door stood open, kicked in at some point by a delinquent with big boots. The porch was halfway collapsed, and the roof looked ready to cave.

Staring at the abandoned house, Jack slowly opened the car door and stepped out. The smell of the dextri-wheat was exactly as he remembered it; he closed his eyes for a.moment to breath it in deeply. If he kept his eyes closed, he could pretend that he’d be called for dinner at any moment.

“Stay here.” He asked quietly, before walking toward the door with his bag.

“Jack-”

He paused, but didn’t look over his shoulder. “Go home, Flitter… you… don’t need to see this.” Again he started walking for the door, his cybernetic boots causing the long rotted steps to creak and groan under him.

Flitter stood by the car, speechless as she watched him take a deep breath, before stepping inside.

It was as if the entire world had suddenly turned frigid. Flitter’s pained expression turned hard as she reached into the car and grabbed her hoodie, before following after Jack.

“Like hell.”

Striding up the steps, Flitter swiftly found herself inside the ruined interior of Jack’s childhood home. She slowed her stride as she looked around, taking in the sights. It wasn’t hard to imagine the rotten floorboards as the track for a dozen different sets of feet, the split mantel as the resting place of so many pictures and trophies.

The old wallpaper had come off in rotten rolls, leaving great filthy heaps against the walls and trimming. The hardwood floor was warped and cracked, and she could easily track Jack’s movements through the patches of dust and dirt he’d disturbed. It took all of a minute to find him, as he slowly trod through the halls and ran his hand across the walls.

“I wish you hadn’t asked to come.” His strong, gruff voice sounded as if it were made of glass, his words coming through quiet and brittle with pain.

“Why?” Flitter moved up behind him, but didn’t dare reach out.

Again, he didn’t answer as he passed through the hall and started up the creaking stairs. Once at the top, he paused, before slowly opening up a door to his right. Inside was a room, equally empty and filthy as the rest of the house.

“I spent seventeen years living in this room… Me, and my two older brothers. Julian, and… Jacob.” He exhaled as he moved to the center of the room, and slowly turned about. “Julian was killed by a Corvellan lance battery. They shot down the evacuation shuttle, killed everybody inside.” Jack shuddered as he stumbled and leaned against a wall for support. “Jacob… died in Operation Ironguard. Thought that was ironic… So fucking ironic…”

Turning, He began to walk out of the room, and started opening the doors to the others, as if searching for his lost family. “The twins…” He sniffed softly. “Dead. Mary, killed… by some lunatic sympathizer.” Jack closed his eye as he opened another door, and his steps became laboured trudges. “Joey was killed by falling debris. George went missing, just… gone… he always looked up to me, wanted to be a fucking marine because of me … Sophia…” His chest heaved as he opened the last of the doors, and found the rooms behind them equally empty. “Died, with my uncles… tox-darts… died in… fucking agony...” He stumbled as he entered the hall, and fell heavily to his knees. “They’re all fucking DEAD!” He cried out in anguish as Flitter rushed to his side. “I never… got to say goodbye! I wasn’t there for them, and now they’re all gone! M-my family… I’m… I’m alone…”

With hot tears running down his cheek, Jack could no longer maintain his long kept composure, and everything came tumbling down as his whole body convulsed with a powerful sob.

Watching the final sections of Jack’s facade fall away, Flitter found herself froze in place at his side. With every agonized sob, he wrenched forward a little more, before letting loose a wretched howl. Steeling her upper lip, Flitter lunged forward, and wrapped him in the tightest hug she’d ever given anybody. Pulling him close, Flitter grit her teeth and tried to force her own rolling tears back down.

“Jack!” She called out to him with a voice ragged with emotion. “Listen to me, please… You’re not alone, you’re not!” Her wings burst from her back, and shrouded the pair in feathers. Holding him close, the feeling of the once impossibly large man going limp and sobbing against her chest was one she never wished to feel again. “Listen to me, Jack… please…”

“I-I can’t… I can’t do this a-anymore Flitter.. I can’t- keep pretending…” The agony laced deep into every letter of his words cut like razor sharp blades. “I never saved anybody… I’ve only killed, a-and so… f-fffuck… I can’t…” He wretched again as the tears refused to stop coming, now that the dam had been ruptured.

“You saved me.” Flitter lifted his head gently with both hands; looking him in the eye as she tried to give him her strength. “You saved me, a-and…” Flitter sucked in a deep breath, and leapt. “And I love you, Jack. I love you more than anything in the world...” She could feel herself slipping, the pain in her features as they twisted in sorrow.

Closing his eye in a deep cringe, Jack gripped her hand in his own as they shook like leaves on the wind. “Don’t… please, please, f-for the love of god… not you too…” He opened his eye again, before setting a hand against her cheek. “I can’t lose you too… I can’t... “

Shaking her head vehemently, Flitter continued to hold him close with arm and wing. “You’re never going to lose me, Jack. I’m not going anywhere.” Despite the tears rolling down her cheeks and the shaking grip she held, Flitter’s voice was filled with steely resolve.

“Everything I… everybody I love, who loves me… they die, Flitter…” He clutched her hand with both of his and bowed his head until her knuckles touched his scarred forehead. “I’m cursed… I’ve killed everybody! M-my family!” His chest convulsed as he sobbed out the word, and followed it with another. “My fiance! M-mark, Ad… A-ada… My team... I killed them all, and…” He looked away from her in abject shame, but couldn’t bring himself to let her go. “I can’t lose you too…”

“Don’t do this, Jack…” Flitter reached forward, cupping his stubbled chin in her hand as she gently pulled his gaze back to her eyes. “Let me be your family. You’re… you’re my everything, j-just let me be something to you. “

Watching the tears roll from her eyes, Jack shuddered as he leaned forward, and gently pressed his forehead against hers. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

Running a worn hand through his salt and pepper hair, Flitter lifted her lips, and softly kissed him on the head. “You saved me. Now it’s my turn, okay?”

Slowly, he nodded, before wrapping his arms around her waist, and burying his face in her shoulder. There they remained, until the sun burned in through the filth streaked windows, marking midday. Flitter slowly stroked Jack’s back as she held him close, though they had both long since stopped crying. Eventually, he gathered the strength to turn over, and simply lay against her as she hugged him from behind. There, he gently grasped her hands, and idly ran his abused fingers over hers.

“You know…” He started with a rasp, before clearing his throat thickly. “I… I wanted you to meet them. My… my family. Meet my Mom. She would have… she would have loved you so much.” He gave her hand a soft squeeze, and earned one in return. “I wanted you to know what a real family was like.”

Laughing softly as he wings fluttered, Flitter hugged him just a little bit tighter. “I do, though. Thanks to you and the others in my platoon. My family is who I choose.” She smiled softly as she pushed down and nuzzled the nape of his neck. “I chose you a long time ago…”

“And I’ve been nothing but a bastard the whole time.” He murmured softly.

“You’ve had your moments. I never stopped loving you, though… Even when you didn’t love me back.”

Gripping her fingers, Jack did his best to look up at her, but failed in doing so. “I’m sorry. For all the shit I put you through…”

His worries fell away when her wings wrapped back around him. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I forgave you a long time ago.” A moment of pleasant silence passed between the two, before Flitter nudged Jack and rubbed his arm. “Do you want to stay a little longer, or get going?”

“That’s… a hard question.” He shifted slightly, before slowly sitting up with a groan. “There’s something I… need to do.”

“Jack?” Flitter started, before swallowing nervously. “Can I… say something?”

“Of course.”

“You can’t chain yourself to the dead. Nothing you can do will bring them back, and they would hate to see you suffer just for their memory.” She ran a hand through his hair, stroking his head slowly. “But you can keep a little piece of them in your heart and your mind, to replace the pieces you gave them. I… was told that when my Dad died. I’m sorry if-” She paused as he turned, and hugged her. She slowly returned the gesture as a weak smile spread across her features.

Pulling away from her, Jack dug into his bag, and retrieved his glock. Handing it to her grip first, he smiled weakly. “Thank you. I’ll see you at the car in a few minutes.”

Regarding the weapon for a long moment, Flitter stowed it before standing. “Okay. I’m just a shout away.” She gripped his hand tightly, before letting go, and descending the stairs. Waiting until he heard the front door creak, Jack slowly looked around the dilapidated ruin, before descending the stairs himself, and heading for the back door. Every hall held a dozen memories for every step, every room inflicted a call back to better times. Christmas mornings, birthdays, graduation parties, fights, arguments, and ass beatings of mythical proportions… He smiled sadly as he paused in the kitchen, the phantom scent of thanksgiving turkey tickled his nose as he pushed open the ruined screen door. The old tree in the backyard was a giant twisted mass of wood, that had apparently taken upon itself to outlive every generation of Kessles to grace it’s trunk.

Placing a hand on its massive trunk, Jack huffed softly in mirth before looking out across his old backyard. The grass was almost up to his waist in some places, concealing the ground. Thankfully, he already knew what he needed. Heading to the fallen tool shed, he began digging through the ancient wreckage in search of a shovel.

It didn’t take him long to find the old rusted thing, squashed between a beam and the cracked concrete floor. With a bit of brute force, he managed to wrench it free. Turning back toward the yard with shovel in hand. Moving to the trunk of the tree, he closed his eyes, and began to march with slow, steady steps.

Three steps north. Two steps west, nine steps north, two steps west, just by the dog house, three feet down.

He planted the old shovel head deep into the earth, ignoring the pain in his body, and letting the exo do the work for him. As he shoveled the dirt away, he eventually was rewarded with a solid metal thump, roughly four feet down. Clearing away the dirt, he smiled softly when his eyes fell upon the metal box. Pulling it free with a grunt of exertion, Jack wiped the sweat from his scarred forehead as he laid it down on the ground. The sealed metal box had weathered the passage of time far better than the house, though the seal certainly fought him tooth and nail as he pulled it open. The musty smell of old air rushed up to meet him as he waved a hand to dispel the smell. Inside the box was all sorts of mementos of his past life. He sat back, and slowly ran a hand through the contents.

The flag his mother had placed inside was still folded in a gentle triangle, the colours still strong and vibrant thanks to the sealed box. He set it aside, before pausing in shock.

His engagement rings sat under the flag, as if to greet him once again. They sat above stacks of photos he hadn’t put inside the box back when they’d started them as a family project. Back when he’d just graduated high school. He carefully pulled the rings and photos out as he did his best to leave the rest of the contents undisturbed. Setting the photos and engagement rings aside on the flag, he reached just a little further, and pulled out the boxes containing his medals and ribbons. It felt heavier than he remembered.

Cracking open the box, he found a new set of medals on top of his ones from his earthen wars. Before, all he had was a fistful of ribbons, some badges including his senior EOD badge, his purple heart, and his bronze star. The star was laughable compared to the ones he’d earned during the Invasion, and had been awarded posthumously. The Russian Federation’s Medal for Heroics, a German Iron Cross, the Arm-Can Medal of Honour, and finally, the Star of Terra. A dozen minor medals joined them, along with more campaign ribbons than could ever fit on his chest. If he’d remembered to grab the medals he’d earned in Equestria, his stack would be the envy of Generals. Shaking his head, he stuck them all back in the box, and set it aside with the other items. Having grabbed everything that he wanted, he gave the contents of the box one last look over.

They’d planned on opening them in five years after planting them, but they never had everyone in one place again. He regretted having not made the time prior, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Slowly closing the lid on the time capsule, he planted it back in the ground, and reburied it with care.

Turning toward the back of the property, he began to walk. It didn’t take him long to find the gravestone. The stone was roughly six feet tall, and had weathered the test of time with pride, though filth and grime had clogged the names etched deep inside. It wasn’t so much a marker, as it was a memorial to the family he’d lost. Jack sighed softly as his features twisted in pain. Seeing the names of his siblings and loved ones engraved in the stone was like a stake through his heart, the final nail in the coffin that was the life he’d had.

Pulling out the bottle of JD and a single shot glass, he cracked the bottle open, and poured one shot out. Leaving the shot at the base of the monument, he retrieved a rag from his bag, and began using the alcohol to clean the grime from his family’s names. The process was harder than he’d anticipated;the dirt and grime from eighty years of neglect had pressed itself deep into the stone. Shaking his head, Jack pressed harder as tears stung his eye. They rolled down his cheek as he scraped filth from the names, and the siren smell of the bottle at his feet proved almost too much to ignore, yet ignore it he did.

He didn’t know how long it had taken him to clear the long list of names, but as he stepped back, the sun flagged in the sky, and the grass rustled behind him as Flitter approached.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his back, snapped his heels together, and sharply saluted. As he slowly lowered his arm, Flitter slipped hers around him, and they looked over the memorial together.

In Memoriam

Jacob Kessle, 10-08-1995 / 21-09-2032

Julian Kessle, 12-06-1996 / 16-02-2031

Jack Kessle, 17-10-1999 / 21-09-2032

Carl Kessle, 28-06-2003 / 28-06-2032

Carla Kessle, 28-06-2003 / 28-06-2032

Mary Kessle, 20-11-2007 / 08-07-2032

Joey Kessle, 10-08-2008 / 19-05-2032

George Kessle, 27-05-2009 / -

Sophia Kessle, 01-02-2014 / 13-05-2032

Dmitri Kessle, 25-06-1970 / 13-05-2032

William Kessle, 12-02-1972 / 13-05-2032

Guy Kessle, 11-02-1973 / 12-12-2053

Sandy Kessle, 03-06-1974 / 13-12-2053

May the angels carry you to heaven and God welcome you with open arms.

Chapter Sixty: Sauerkraut & Vodka

View Online

November 12th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

The sound of construction echoed across the base as Jack pulled the small pewter coloured sedan into the compound and put it in park. The pair slowly exited, groaning and muttering about cramped conditions and sore limbs.

Stretching high toward the sky, Flitter groaned loudly, before letting out a squeak as her back popped just right. “Fuuuuuuck~ I think I would have gone crazy if I’d been stuck in there any longer!”

“Oh god…” Jack planted both hands on the door, and slowly pulled himself free. “I’m with you… ow… fuck…”

Looking over at him, Flitter smiled softly as he stretched slowly. “You gonna live over there, old man?”

Finally standing straight, he shot her a very mild glare. “Old Man? What, so now that we’ve become an item, you think you can be mean to me? I’ll spank you, woman.”

“Ehehehe~” With a nervous giggle, Flitter rounded the car and went to his side. “I-is that a promise?”

Letting his head fall back with a groan as her cheeks went bright red, Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that a promise? What happened to the innocent girl I used to know?”

“She got left behind in a gangster hideout.” Pushing in, Flitter wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly. “I’ll be around. If you need anything, and I mean anything, please come and see me, okay? I don’t want you going through any of this alone anymore.”

Nodding, he pulled her in close and embraced her as tightly as his body would allow. “Thank you. I’ll do what I can to help you and JSOG train. I can’t exactly… fight, anymore. But, I’ll do my best. I’ll try and source some new guns and armour for you guys. With our bankroll, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Okay.” She lightly nuzzled his ear, before releasing him. The pair stood there for a moment, holding each other’s hands.

With his twisted lips, Jack smiled as softly as he could muster. “Go on, go see your boys and make sure they haven’t set the washing machine on fire.”

Nodding slightly, Flitter released his hands with hesitation, before heading toward the hangar. Turning toward the barracks, Jack began his slow limp back to his room, with his items and bag in tow.

Entering the hangar, Flitter took a moment to take in her surroundings. The inside of the hangar was full of lumber, and resonated with the racket of construction. However, she didn’t see much progress. Sighing to herself, she began to march toward the mess. It didn’t take her long to find somebody.

Baron immediately perked as she neared, though the woman was facing the wrong direction. She made a show of sniffing the air, before turning and starting. “Gah! Captain! You’re back!” Baron smiled as she stood. “You- woah, you smell like-” The changeling suddenly paused, her expression going from confusion to shock. “No way. You finally went through with it?”

Running a hand through her short crop of hair, Flitter smiled sheepishly as she nodded. “Yeah… I told him…”

“And how did it go?” The normally reserved corporal practically buzzed with anticipation.

“It was…” Flitter trailed off for a moment, before smiling softly. “It ended well. We’re gonna see where it goes for now. Anyways, how were things while we were gone?”

Wincing a little, Baron set her hands on her hips while rocking on her heels. “Welp. I can tell you one thing for certain. Not one of us has a construction based cutie mark.”

Blowing air lightly, Flitter looked over the ramshackle set up. “...I can tell.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, Flitter groaned quietly as Walter ambled over.

“Good morning, Captain. How was the trip?” He smiled amiably as he adjusted the heavy toolbelt set around his waist.

“It was… good. Cramped, but I think it went pretty well. How have things gone here?”

“I… I want to apologize.”

Flitter cocked a brow at the man, who was now looking down. “Whyyyy? What did you do?”

Walter cringed deeply as he shifted on the spot. “Not for myself. But um… my sister.” At Flitter’s raised eyebrows, he pressed further. “She um… may have… convinced some of them that… skinny… dipping… in the hot springs…” Flushing hotly, Walter pulled at his collar, before looking down in shame.

Glancing over at Baron, all she got for an answer was a brief shrug. Rolling her eyes, Flitter laced her finds behind her back. “So long as it doesn’t bother any of the locals and nobody gets hurt, it’s fine. I’m not even sure what skinny dipping is, so-”

“Oh! It’s naked swimming.” Walter filled in, which only served to further confuse the pair.

“I thought humans bathed naked anyways? I.... ugh, Human taboos are weird.” Shaking her head, Flitter rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

Smiling weakly, Walter could only shrug, before speaking again. “I forgot to mention before you left, I have some friends that usually meet me here for Martyr’s Day on the seventeenth. We usually all hang out for awhile, get some work done around the base, drink beer and talk. Will that be an issue? Should I-”

“No-no, it’s fine. We’re masters of disguise, see?” Flitter smiled toward the big man. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Just… out of curiosity, what is Martyr’s Day?”

“Hah!” Walter laughed proudly as his smile returned threefold. “It’s only my favourite holiday of the year! It’s where we celebrate the birth and gallant death of… the… mar-Oh shit.” Walter’s eyes went wide with realization as Flitter was galvanized into action.

Clamping her hands on his cheek, she practically screamed in his face. “You mean to tell me Jack’s birthday is in less than a WEEK?!

“I JUST REALIZED IT TOO! NAAAAAAHHH!” Walter set both hands to his head, and screeched. “There’s so much I need to do!”

Flitter was equally vocal as the rest of the platoon stared in confusion. “I haven’t gotten him anything! Fuuuuuuuck!”

Grasping her by the shoulders, Walter shook the captain. “The mall is still open, we can make it if we hurry!”

“Then let’s go! GOGOGOGOGOGO!” Pummelling the bigger man with her fists, the pair swiftly exited the building, leaving behind bemused and confused rangers.

As Mythic approached, Baron looked over her shoulder to him. He smiled weakly at her as he came to a stop at her side. “So… what was that all about?”

“It’s Jack’s birthday in a few days apparently.”

“Oh, that’s nice. What do you think we should get him?”

“A stress ball.”

“Hah.”

Slowly lowering himself into his bed, Jack let out a soft groan that was quickly followed by a knock at his door, which earned a lower, far less approving groan.

“What?” He muttered as he covered his eye with a forearm to protect it from the soft glare of the ceiling light.

Taven cleared his throat as he opened the door a little more. “Hey Jack. How was the roadtrip?”

“Painful.”

“Uh huh.” The door clicked closed as Taven stepped inside the small room, and sat backwards on the desk chair with his arms crossed over the backrest. “When you left so quickly, I didn’t exactly expect you to be coming back. What happened?”

“Flitter happened…” Jack mumbled softly. “She said the word.”

“Oh? And what word was that?” Jack didn’t need to open his eye to see the smarmy smirk Taven was wearing when he could hear it dripping from every word.

“The cruelest four letter word I know.” He slowly sat up, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what she sees in me, to be honest.”

Chuckling mildly, Taven relaxed in the chair. “I’m not surprised you can’t, considering the weapons grade self-loathing you radiate at any given time. You’re a really lucky man, finding a girl like Flitter who can see right through the ugly onion layers you’ve poured over yourself to keep others away.”

“Layers? Really?” Jack muttered as he felt around for his cigarettes.

“Oh yes. You are a grade A asshole.” Taven dusted his chest lightly as Jack slowly lifted a glare his way. “Don’t you glare at me. You’re an asshole to just about everybody and you know it. Of course, it tends to catch people off guard when you’re an even bigger asshole to yourself than you are to them. You have more self destructive tendencies than I have hooves-”

“Are you going anywhere with this?” Jack grunted. “Or are you just riding my balls?”

Grinning as he slid the pack of cigarettes out of Jack’s reach, Taven continued. “A little bit of both. Think of it as the ego check before I tell you that I’m relieved you came back. Relieved. Despite your often shitty attitude, you’re somebody I’m genuinely glad I can call friend, and I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

With all his might, Jack fought back the long, painful winge that grew in his chest. No matter how hard he fought though, he couldn’t keep the soft, sad smile from his lips. “Thank you. That uh… means a lot to me. I’m glad you’re my friend, Taven.” With slow, deliberate motions, Jack reached forward and hugged the black man tightly.

Taven smiled as he patted Jack’s back. “Yeah yeah, I know, I’m the best.” As Jack released, Taven began to fiddle with his hair. “So, what’s next?”

“Finding out if Cabelas sells milsurp.” Jack muttered as he looked over at his laptop, and felt trepidation wash over him like a crashing wave. “I need to… make some calls. Put out feelers.”

“Ah, adding the human touch to the party. I’ll leave you to it. Just-ah… let me know if you need anything. I may not be your batman anymore, but I’ve still got your back.”

“I think it’d be for the best if you looked after Flitter instead.” He murmured back as he rubbed his scarred cheek idly, trying to elicit any sense of feeling from the shrapnel blunted nerves.

Taven’s laugh caught him off guard, and drew him back into the present. “Honestly Jack-” Taven grinned as he shook his head. “-out of the two of you, I’m far more worried about you than I am about Flitter. She’s tough as nails and sharper than a razor. Besides, she’s got a whole platoon ready and willing to sling lead at a moment’s notice. She really, really doesn’t need me. You do.”

Lifting his hands to feign defeat, Jack couldn’t keep himself from giving Taven a twisted grin. “She really is something, isn’t she?” He sighed wistfully, before slowly letting himself fall back to the bed. A soft groan escaped his lips as he stared at the ceiling. “Could you get the light?”

“Sure thing, Old Man.”

“I will kick your nuts up into your throat if you call me Old Man again.”

“If you could even catch me.”

“I know where you fucking sleep, Taven, you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’.”

Chuckling mildly as he went to the door, Taven flicked off the light and closed the door before he could rile Jack up any more. Pausing for a moment as he stood by the door, Taven set his hands on his hips and shook his head in disbelief. “The girl finally did it, huh? Well good for her.” His fanged smile was true and honest as he strode down the halls toward the hangar.

November 13th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

Staring at his laptop, Jack was in the middle of a long, hard consideration of his next move. His body ached from the sleep he’d awoken from mere hours ago; the pain a constant reminder that he was alive, if only by the grace of God. He reached forward toward the mouse, before hesitating. Quickly shaking his head at his own trepidation, he opened up his saved files, and plugged in the thumb drive given to him by Blackburn. Ignoring the intel folders, he coaxed the cursor toward the loose file. He hesitated once again, and pulled his hand away from the mouse.

Are you really considering making a deal with the devil, Jack?

The words teased him as they swirled to form in his mind, though all they succeeded in doing was forcing him to scowl at nothing in particular. “He’s got everything we would need. Guns, armour, trainers, vehicles, everything.”

It’s the easy way out, isn’t it though? One phone call, two little words, and the good doctor would hand you the world. He looks at you how a cat stares down a one winged songbird. We both know that if you make the call, it’s the end for things as they are.

“If it gives JSOG the edge they need to win this, then Blackburn getting his hands on me again is a price I’m willing to pay.”

Oh Jack, my little lovebird~ All it took was three words and she has you doubling over backwards. How pathetic.

“Do me a favour and fuck off back to the shithole you crawled out of.”

Riddle me this, Jackie boy~ If you’re really willing to do whatever it takes, why the hesitation?

His scowl turned to a hateful glare as he ran a set of fingertips down the rough flesh of his ruined cheek. To spite the voice in his head, he grasped the mouse once again, and opened the file. Inside was Blackburn’s contact information, as he’d expected, but there were additional details, which he hadn’t expected. First off was a simple set of instructions for the injector, though he was hardly interested in that when his eyes fell upon the next contact in the list.

Jack’s eye went wide in shock as he leaned forward, as if getting closer to the screen would distort the second name away from what it was. Slowly leaning back as his mind raced, Jack could only mumble. “Holy shit.”

Hans Drescher

VLI Senior Security Contractor

Flitter was lost. She was lost, tired, and almost completely overloaded by the constant barrage of advertisements. She wasn’t even sure what day it was; if she was going to be completely honest with herself, she felt like she was going to go insane if she was forced to navigate the gargantuan Mall any longer. She’d run out of credits hours ago, that she was certain. She’d last seen Walter an hour prior to that as his sister had dragged him off to help her with her own shopping. How his sister had found them in the crushing throngs of humans, Flitter would never know.

Stopping at a clear bench, Flitter set down her load of bags before sitting down with a heavy thud and an ensuing groan. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back as she relaxed. Failing to tune out the near deafening din of human life, she slowly opened her eyes, only to become startled at what she was staring at.

The stars, unimpeded by light or atmosphere twinkled above merrily like guiding lights. A small smile spread across her lips as she found herself staring. Somehow they felt… closer, than what she was used to.

“There she is! Captain!” Walter’s voice was an unexpected distraction from the dancing black canvas above, but it certainly wasn’t an unwelcome one.

Sitting up, Flitter craned her neck toward the large man and smiled at the siblings as they approached. Walter pushed a cart heavily laden with cases of beer and snack foods, while Jessica held several mixed bags, one of which was pitch black with pink print. ‘Sensual Secrets’ was emblazoned upon it, causing Flitter to lift a brow. Deciding to ignore their bags for the moment, Flitter stood and spoke with an annoyance close to what she actually felt. “Stars above, you two had to just up and disappear on me! I’ve been wandering for hours!” She’d long since finished her shopping, or at least, she hoped she had.

“Sorry!” As usual, Walter was the first to offer a sincere apology. “I didn’t notice you weren’t behind me until two hours ago, I tried calling, but I think your omnilink is dead?” The big man smiled weakly as he apologized for a mistake she was on her own in making.

“That’s what I forgot to do.” Flitter sighed in annoyance, though it was all focused toward herself. “I’m just glad you found me, I thought I was going to go crazy trying to find my way through this maze.”

As the two talked, Jessica idly rifled through her assorted bags. “Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starved!”

The moment the words left the butch girl’s lips, Flitter’s stomach turned in protest to it’s lack of sustenance, causing her to nod quickly in agreement. “I could eat. Where can we go?” In her mind, Flitter recalled the highly detailed floor plan for the massive eight story mall, though all of the names meant nothing to her.

“There’s a Taco Bellvue in the fifth level Bourbon Street.” Jessica snagged Flitter’s hand without warning, and quickly began to tug her along. “Come on Captain, I don’t want to hear Walter cry anymore if we lose you again.” As Flitter opened her mouth to protest about her bags, a quick glance over her shoulder saw Walter quickly gathering them and adding their bulk to his already loaded cart. Mild relief pressed into her mind, if only for the fact she wouldn’t have to carry the bags any further herself.

The walk to the mass conveyors was a long one, though not as long as it could have been as Jessica weaved through the crowd with uncanny skill, and Walter’s heavy load saw most people moving out of the way anyways. The huge multiplatforms awaited their occupants with the cold indifference of machines disguised by ornate trappings. The ride down to the fifth level was certainly quicker than walking, which is what Flitter had done prior, and deeply regretted. The level was just as packed as the others had been, but the space held less clothing stores and more food shops than Flitter had ever dreamed of seeing. Scents from a million different dishes played in the air, adding to the mayhem the human mall struck all of her senses with.

The small shops displayed themselves with vibrant signs, though each one was unique unto itself. Some favoured bold colours and lettering, while others danced before the eyes on hardlight and LED. A few still held on to softly humming neon, while the more reserved simply used pleasant palates and quiet colours that seemed flat and subdued by the commercial warfare of the others surrounding them. Jessica all but ignored them all, while Flitter couldn’t seem to stop herself from rubbernecking. Her eyes flicked from greasy burgers to noodles, from noodles to sushi, from sushi to pizza, and so on and so forth. It was all so much to take in, Flitter found herself honestly grateful the shorter woman had snagged her hand. As they passed by the small food shops clamouring for space in huge courts, Flitter began to notice the shift in lighting. Gone were the dazzling spotlights that illuminated everything with a brightness only the sun itself could rival, replaced by dimmed floor lighting strips that gave the ‘street’ a considerably more calm, pleasant tone filled with warmth. Though the crowds were no less thick, the noise was markedly less violent.

Without a word of discussion to her group, Jessica pulled Flitter toward a large, proud establishment that seemed to favor warm lighting and a relaxed atmosphere. Flashing three fingers at the server waiting at the door, Jessica pulled her inside as Walter stowed their purchases in a security corral. The change in atmosphere was almost as violent as a gunshot, going from the hectic crowds and deafening roar of a hundred thousand conversations to a quiet place with pleasant music and conservatively dressed staff. The server leading them weaved through the aisles of booths and tables, before waving an arm to an unoccupied booth. The trio sat, and drinks were ordered as menus were placed down. Walter immediately began to skim through the provided menu, while Jessica seemed happy enough to just sit back and sip at her drink. Flitter sank into the soft cushion with a low groan, and began to stretch her feet out under.

“This place is… nice.” Flitter murmured, after modifying her volume to match that of the quiet restaurant. The place certainly seemed nice, compared to the greasy atmosphere of Founding Mares.

“It’s the best for the price, that’s for sure.” The elder sibling smirked from behind her glass as she watched Flitter in the low, warm light.

“Right!” Walter exclaimed. “We used to come here all the time, but it’s a little pricey to come to with a budget. Typical fancy sit-down.” He grinned brightly from over his menu, before clearing his throat and quickly busying himself with it again.

Opening up her menu, Flitter began searching for words she recognized. The foods on the menu jumped out at her, nearly startling the tired pony as a 4k image of a quesadilla sprung up in her face. “I don’t even know where to begin…” She muttered as she waved a hand through the holographic image.

“Try the Carne Asada, it’s amazing!” Walter chirped cheerily as he plugged his long order into the table mounted console.

“So, Knight Captain. You look a little cold.” Jessica spoke with a smirk that bordered on breaking into a lecherous grin. The sight and question only caused Flitter confusion.

“Erm… not really?”

“Eheh… sure, and you’re not a fan of bras either, huh?” Jessica leaned until she was supporting herself with an elbow.

At the statement, Walter squawked shrilly as he turned bright pink. “J-jessica!”

“Wuh-wuh-Walter!” His sister mocked his embarrassed stammer right back at him as Flitter quirked a brow in confusion.

“You can’t-!”

“I just did~”

Shaking her head, Flitter prodded the screen, and slowly punched numbers for the meal into the screen. “I have no idea what you two are talking about. I have no idea what a bra is.”

The argument that was starting died in an instant as the pair stared at her with incredulity. Sharing a look between each other, the siblings looked back to Flitter. “You… what?”

As Jessica posed her shocked question, the server arrived, setting their food down before them. Smiling thankfully to the woman, Flitter tucked into the food with quiet gusto. Across from her, the siblings quietly argued between each other as if she couldn’t hear them.

“Jessica, she’s an alien, she doesn’t know about bras!” Walter hissed sharply at his sister, who in turn threatened him with a fork.

“She’s got tits, alien or no, they should- they should…!” Jessica slowly trailed off, before snapping to a suddenly realization. “Nudists.” She murmured quietly, before grinning brightly as Walter buried his face into his hands.

Shaking her head as she ate, all Flitter could say toward the argument was “Humans are weird.”

Taven watched as Jack paced back and forth, limping as he went around and around, muttering softly.

“You are a weird human, Jack. Why don’t you just call him, instead of pulling your hair out?” Taven sat backwards on Jack’s desk chair, his arms crossed under him as he watched.

“Because he shouldn’t be alive, Taven! I can explain me, and I can explain Blackburn, but I can’t even begin to explain this! What the hell am I even supposed to say!? Hi Hans, it’s Jack, yeah, I know, I’m supposed to be dead, but how have you been these last eighty five years?”

“...You could try that.” Taven offered lightly.

“I am not going to try that!” Jack swiftly snapped back, before sinking into his bed and groaning. “Fuuuck. Fuck my life. Here goes.” Opening his omnilink, Jack plugged in the number, and sucked in a breath meant to steady his thumping heart. As the link on the other end rang, his breathing did nothing for his anxiety. The link call clicked, and all Jack got was dial tone. Pulling away from the device, he blinked in shock. “That Kraut bastard didn’t even take the call!” Anger flared in his mind as he redialed. “Mother fucking German sonnuva bi-”

“Hello?” Hans’ voice came through as a gruff scratch with a mild electronic drone.

For a moment, Jack froze, recognizing the voice, though it lacked the accent he’d remembered fondly. Hans repeated his greeting, though he sounded annoyed. Fearing the man on the other end would hang up again, Jack all but yelled. “Hans!”

“Yes, that’s me. Who is this? How did you get this number?” The sound of a rumbling vehicle cropped up, along with background conversation.

“Hans Drescher, you were a battle frame pilot in the invasion, Panzer Elite, Oberfeldwebel. Your frame’s name was Irma, after your daughter.”

There was a long pause, and the background conversations had ceased. “...Who are you?” The man asked in a growl. “Explain yourself.”

“You…” Jack started, before running a hand down his thickly stubbled face. “Are you on earth?”

“Yes.”

“Could you meet me at the Washington war memorial?”

There was another pause, followed by someone saying something in the background Jack couldn’t quite make out. “Yes. I can be there tomorrow. If this is a trick, you will sorely regret it.”

“No tricks, I just… I’ll see you there. You’ll know who I am, code phrase thunder, flash.”

“As you say.”

The call terminated, leaving Jack feeling drained. “This might get interesting.”

“Define interesting.” Taven spoke quietly from where he’d remained seated. The former batpony watched him with sharp amber eyes.

“I’m not certain yet… would you-”

“mhm.” Taven stood and stretched out. “I’ll come with, if it means getting off this base for a little while. There’s a whole world out there I want to see, and instead I’m stuck camping in the woods.” He turned a fanged grin toward Jack. “Seems to be a running theme with you.”

Pressing a hand to his own chest, Jack tried to appear as haughty as possible when he spoke. “I happen to like camping, thank you very much.” He winced immediately after, the hand on his chest clutching against the flare of pain.

“Right. Just tell me when.” Taven stood, and patted Jack’s shoulder. “Try not to die in the meantime.”

“Might not have a choice…” Jack swallowed the fiery lump of pain that sat heavy in his chest, before rising as well. “Where’s Flitter?”

“Hmm?” Taven paused, looking over his shoulder at Jack. “She went out with Walter and Jessica. Something about shopping.”

Cursing under his breath, Jack rose from the bed. “Get yourself a kitbag. Bring a pistol. We’re gonna go tonight.”

“Tonight? Are you certain?” Taven had paused at the door to look back.

Nodding, Jack began to pack his own small bag. “Yeah. I don’t want to be late, and we should scope the area first.”

Accepting the explanation, Taven nodded in return. “Right. Anything else?”

“Prod Aurora and make sure she’s eaten.”

“Right. See you in twenty.”

The train ride back to Cascadia was a long and quiet one for Flitter. Her mind was still racing as to what she was going to do for Jack’s birthday. She’d bought him a number of gifts, but now as she sat there, quietly considering them, they all fell short of what he’d provided her. While Flitter was certain that Walter and his coming friends could throw a party, she was painfully out of her element.

“Give me a rifle and I’ll field strip it blindfolded. Give me my love, and… ugh.” Sinking into her seat, she idly fiddled with the portable charger she’d bought. Across the aisle sat the siblings. Walter defended his stack of beer and snacks like a furious mother bear, while Jessica continued to prod his defences, like a hungry wolf smelling an easy meal.

Letting her head loll back, Flitter closed her eyes for a quick catnap. After her adventure in the mall, she was right bushed.

The darkness greeted her momentarily, before splitting open with blinding white light as a star shell burst above her fox hole. The snow that covered the ground was thrown into upheaval by shrieking shells and stray bullets. Tracers lit the night before her eyes, the brilliant green and red fireflies cut bright lines across her vision as they snapped and hissed overhead. Shrieking filled the air in her ears, causing her to look up.

Falling upon her, the progeny howled as it ripped and tore, it’s monstrous grip breaking bone and ruining muscle before it-

*Ding* Welcome to Cascadia station, please ensure you have all of your belongings as you depart the train.

Lurching awake with a stilted gasp, Flitter found herself not nestled down in a snowy foxhole, but sitting on the soft seat of a human magrail. Her mechanical hand gripped the grab bar next to her seat, her momentary terror having seen it squash the aluminum. Slowly lifting her fingers free, she fought a shudder as her stomach lurched in rebellion. The bitter stench of the progeny burned her nostrils by memory alone, and it took all the willpower she had to stand on firm legs and pick up her bags.

“Ready, Captain?” Walter smiled amiably at her, unaware of the horrors she’d just inflicted upon herself.

“...Yeah, let’s go.”

With the small hover dolly in tow, the trio set off for Walter’s truck, which sat in a nearby parking garage. As they loaded the bed with supplies, Jessica tilted her head in confusion.

“Isn’t that my car?”

It most certainly was. The pewter sedan sat nearby, awaiting its driver.

“Looks like Jack had to run an errand.”

“He could have asked first!” She quickly pulled up her omnilink, clearly planning on calling the man and giving him an earful. As she started the device, Jessica paused. “Oh. He texted me. Borrowing car, left two coins in glove compartment. Ohoh! Well, consider yourself excused!” Lowering her link, Jessica happily skipped to the vehicle, where a day's wages awaited her.

The drive back was as unassuming and uneventful as anybody could ever hope for, though as they parked and began offloading, Flitter’s eyes fell upon Jessica’s bags. Spotting her gaze, the shorter woman smirked.

“It’s lingerie~”

“Oookay?” Flitter quirked a brow. “Wh-”

As she began to speak, Jessica continued as if she hadn’t paused at all. “I figured, since it’s the big guy’s birthday, I’d give him a sexy dance.” Her eyes flicked to Walter, who’d gone red at the mention, and looked miserable. “I mean, he’s the Martyr, right? Even if he looks like a Harvey Dent ripoff-”

“Jessica!” Walter yelled shrilly with embarrassment. “You can’t-” Walter’s words died on his tongue as he stared at Flitter, his eyes slowly filling with fear.

“I can’t what?” Jessica asked with a voice edging on laughter. Slowly, Flitter reached forward, and tapped the human’s shoulder twice. Turning, Jessica was already speaking. “Yeah, Flits? Whaaauuuuhhh…” Jessica’s eyes went wide as she found herself nearly engulfed in Flitter’s full wing span. The stare Flitter was giving her was more akin to a forced perspective from the business end of a double barrel shotgun.

Towering over and nearly engulfing the human woman with quivering feathers, Flitter leaned in close. “If you try and take Jack from me, I’ll drop you at cruising altitude and see how well you fly.” Her normally soft voice came through as a furious growl while her eyes burrowed holes into her target.

Having gone completely silent, Jessica stared back at Flitter, until Walter moved forward and grabbed her arm. “Jess, I think you should leave Jack alone, and apologize to the Knight Captain.” While the huge man normally held a higher tone of voice while dealing with his sister, he now only spoke with a low, calm timber.

“Right. Yeah.” Jessica’s voice, usually cool as ice and confident as hell, shook slightly as her gaze wavered, and fell. “I didn’t know you two were bumping. That’s…” She awkwardly rubbed at the back of her neck as she looked everywhere but at Flitter. “That’s my bad. I’m sorry.”

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Flitter slowly withdrew her wings; the massive feathered appendages slipping back into their magical trappings under her tank top. “Thank you. I apologize for the threat, but the thought of having him stolen out from under me again just- urgh.” She shook her head, before offering a weak smile that was easily reciprocated by the stocky girl. “Guys, am I right?”

Walter only allowed himself to relax when Jessica chortled and slapped Flitter’s shoulder playfully. “You’re a bad bitch, I knew I liked you for a reason! And those wings! Goddamn! When you said your type could fly, I didn’t think you had giant wings!”

Sighing wistfully as Flitter adopted a confused look, Walter shook his head as he finished loading the rest of the supplies onto his dolly. “I’ll be inside, try not to kill each other, okay?”

“Sure Walter! So, what’s he like?”

Quickly fleeing the impending conversation, Walter entered the barracks, and began unpacking for the gathering. His mind wandered for a moment to Jack. “Bah, I’m sure he’ll be fine. What kind of trouble could he get up to?”

November 14th, 2119

Washington DC

National Mall War Memorial

“This place is huge…” Taven murmured into his omnilink as he gazed over the massive mall. The entirety was under cover by a shimmering hardlight canopy; the cylindrical cover distorted by the current rains. In among the old monuments and memorials were packs of people milling to and fro, though they were only in the way as far as Taven was concerned.

“We’re in the capital of Old America, of course it’s big. Everything they did was big.” Jack’s eyes ran along the memorials. He’d known a good few prior, but now the mall was almost all memorials. Currently, he was standing before a massive bronze statue of a man wearing Longbow Class Titan armour, carrying the Arm-Can Federation’s standard over his shoulder. Several screens along the base contained impossibly long lists of names. The names of those who’d lost their lives when humanity fought for its.

Softly grunting in acknowledgement, Taven continued to keep an eye out for the supposed contact. “What’s he look like again?” With the crowds, it felt impossible to tell one human from another.

“Honestly, I have no fuckin’ clue anymore.” Jack sighed, before wincing and touching his cotton eyepatch in an attempt to soothe the pulsing agony that cut like a knife into his brain. “I wonder if he’ll even recognize me.”

“Heads up, some woman-”

“Hello, handsome~” Jack tilted his head ever so slightly to look at the woman who had slipped in beside him. She was average in height, but that’s exactly where the term average ended in use. Her shock of auburn hair was styled wildly, while a pair of predatory yellow eyes stared back at him. While he couldn’t gauge much of the rest of the woman thanks to the huge fur collared parka she wore, she’d made a clear and conscious effort to showcase her large tits. An unprofessionally short pencil skirt ended just before a pair of dark black stockings started, and ended in a pair of heavy combat boots. The look screamed street walker, but the way she’d slipped up behind him almost soundlessly certainly didn’t.

While his look over her had been instantly brief, it caused the woman with the thick Russian accent to smile ever so larger as Jack returned his eyes to hers. “Hey there. Odd clothes for the weather. I hear we’re supposed to have thunder and lighting.”

“Oof, I am not likink da flashes, will you keep me safe?” She pursed her lips in a pout, but failed to hide the playful smirk that lingered.

He’d been right in his guess. Or at least, he hoped he had been. “Wish I could, but I’m taken, and I’m waiting for a friend. Maybe you know him.”

Lacing her arm through his and around his back, the fiery woman leaned in close, pressing her chest against his. “Are you so certain, handsome? I am needinks da protection~ We can walks, and maybe meet your friend.”

Finally turning so she could see his full face, Jack took mild comfort in the natural recoil the woman suppressed. “I’m not all that good at protecting anymore, Krasivaya, but I think I can walk.”

“Da, gud.” With her arm laced through his, the girl began to walk with him, back towards the nearest street. “What is your name?” She was lacing her voice with honey, still keeping up with the act, but now he knew it was an act through and through. Or at least, he sincerely hoped it was, as when she’d pressed up against him, he’d felt the undeniable prod of a pistol grip in his ribs.

“Jack.” He replied lightly as he let her keep her arm around his. “And yours?”

“I em Wiktoriya, but you may call me Wikki~”

“Vikki, hmm?” He guess lightly through her brutally thick accent, and earned a nod of approval from the attractive girl. “How do you know Hans?” He didn’t bother to check if Taven was following, as he already knew the batpony was stalking them both from the shadows.

Viktoriya slowly traced his side with her fingers as they walked. “We are workink friends. And you, Jak?”

“We were soldiers together, a long time ago.”

To his surprise, the buxom redhead pouted. “I em sorry, I do not like hurtink such brave, nice man, but~” Jack jerked in surprise as the hypodermic needle jabbed into his side and swiftly injected its contents into his bloodstream. For a moment, Jack was back in Hunter’s perch, having metal needles shoved into his skin and under his nails. Thanks to the paralytic compound quickly overloading his body, all he managed was a surprised grunt. Holding him to her side, Vikki smirked as an unmarked van pulled up, the side door getting opened by the occupants. As they hauled his frozen body inside, Viktoriya finished her sentence as a sultry whisper in his ear. “If we are not killinks you, then I will make it ups.” She gave him a wet kiss on the cheek as the door closed and the van pulled away.

“Nightmother fuck me running…” Taven ran both hands through his steel mohawk as he watched Jack get spirited away by the prostitute and the unmarked van. He had to think, and fast. “Mouth always writing cheques his ass can’t cash-” Setting off at a sprint, Taven ran through a dozen possibilities as his boots slapped pavement loudly. He covered the ground quickly, as if he’d had four legs instead of two. Sliding into the street, he cursed bitterly as the van made a left, and carried on out of sight.

They weren’t going to lose him that easily. Growling and baring his fangs, Taven set off through traffic, leaping over low hoods and sliding across roofs. He earned more than a few curses and honks in his direction, but he paid them no mind as he entered an alleyway and continued his mad sprint.

“Jack, Jack can you hear me, what’s going on!?” Taven yelled into his earpiece as he leapt over dumpsters and the occasional bum box, scattering trash in his wake.

“Turn around and go home.” A gruff, unfamiliar voice answered his call, before the line went dead.

“Like hell!” He snarled as he exited the alley, and looked around frantically. Cars and other vehicles of all makes, shapes, and sizes buzzed by on quiet electric motors, obscuring his sight lines and threatening to throw him off the trail. Then, as the light turned green, he spotted the van, and grinned. “Found you, mother fucker.”

Taking off again, Taven cut into another alley, only to find it blind halfway through. “DAMMIT!” He spat as he skidded to a stop, his eyes following the building up six stories. A fire escape was riveted to the wall, but was locked off and out of easy reach. Backing up, he shook his head. “The shit I do for that human.” Surging forward, Taven leapt, his boots scraping the wall as his massive leathery wing unfurled. Snapping it gave him an immediate, if awkward burst of vertical momentum, turning him from the wall, to the fire escape. Grunting in exertion, he flapped again, going hand over hand on the outside of the fire escape until he crested the peak and sailed over top. Startled pigeons fled with coos and rustling wings in his wake as he rushed to the other side, and peered over the edge. Spotting the van, he grinned savagely, and turned, taking off across the rooftops.

In the van, Jack’s world had turned dark when a bag had been thrown over his head. He could feel the van lurching underneath him, the change in pace, but he couldn’t move a muscle.

“Take that bag off him, what’s the point of confirming an ID if we can't see his damn face?” Jack didn’t recognize the voice, it belong to what sounded like a large, gruff man.

“First it’s bag em, and now it’s don’t bag em, make up your mind, PW.”

“Boys, pleaze, no arguink in front of guest!” He recognized Viktoriya’s voice at least, before the bag was pulled off his head, and a bright light dazzled his eyes.

“Alright Bud, who the hell are you, and what do you want with Hans?” The man who’d spoken first was most certainly the large man Jack had pinged him for, in fact he looked like a shaved gorilla in a two piece business suit.

A second man sat next to him, thumbing a shotgun that rested between his knees. The wild haired ginger grinned and shot Jack a peace sign. Viktoriya had slipped into the front passenger seat, next to a woman wearing a black jacket and a black baseball hat that covered a thick mop of brilliant orange hair. Upon sitting in the passenger seat, Viktoriya immediately began to badger the driver to let her take over. Between them sat a heavy metal drone with four legs, and four manipulators.

Groaning quietly as he struggled and failed to lift even a finger, his lack of answer earned him a swift kick in the gut from the gorilla man. “Answer the question.” He momentarily lifted what Jack could only assume to be his earpiece, and spoke “Turn around and go home.”

“Jack Kessle. Maybe you’ve seen me around.” He wheezed a laugh, and earned one in return from the ginger wielding the shotgun.

“A funny man, great. Alright, we’ll do this the hard way.” The large man reached into his suit jacket, and withdrew a pair of pliers.

“Oh christ, not this again…”Jack muttered quietly. “Are you lot even with Hans? Middle aged guy, salt and pepper hair, pilots a battle frame, sings Hasselhoff when he’s drunk?”

As the big man leaned in with the pliers and Jack quickly shut his mouth, the drone reached forward, and stopped the incoming violence with a light touch. The big man looked aside at it, before stowing the implement and sitting back. The drone slowly rose, and skittered over to where Jack was flopped gracelessly. Its camera eyes focused on Jack’s face as it gripped his chin, manipulating him like a doll. “Who are you?” Hans asked. “Really. You can’t be Jack, he’s a very dead man.”

Blinking slowly, Jack stared at the drone. “I could say the same for you, Hans. I can’t blame you for not coming personally, but a drone and a crew? I’m a little hurt. Or… I would be if I could feel anything. I’m surprised I can even talk, that’s some effective shit...”

“Who-”

“I’m me, goddamit! We fought the Corvellans together, we wiped out a supply base in Tokyo, fought in the Caucuses! We fought in Russia, then Germany, then North America! Christmas morning, twenty thirty three, we got shitfaced on Bulgarian box vodka and played soccer in thirty below! We were fucking skins, and we both got frostbite!” The drone had pulled away, it’s graspers clicking softly like a man tapping at his thigh. The others had gone silent. “We fought, and we bled together!” Jack cried out. “You had to carry me out of Tokyo because I’d been hit so many times I couldn’t walk! You saved me, Hans!” Jack hissed through his teeth as his body refused to move an inch. “You were the only friend I had on this fucking planet…”

“And then you died.” The drone responded quietly. “What happened?”

“A… a lot of really crazy shit… Can we stop the van? Maybe gimme some antidote so I can feel my dick?”

“Yes, Vikki, get-”

“What the fuck-!?” The woman in the driver seat cried out for the first time, before Taven smashed through the front windscreen, his wing crashing into her face as tempered glass rained across the cabin. Taven careened passed the driver, across the cargo bay, and into the back doors with a loud, metal denting slam. The ginger jumped and yelled in shock as the shotgun was ripped from his hands by the winged intruder, Hans’ drone had been bowled right over, and the big man was reaching into his coat again. Taven bared his fangs as he racked a shell and aimed the shotgun at the occupants of the van.

“EVERYBODY BACK THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE CRIPPLE!” His unfurled leather wing quivered, ready to strike as the team in the van stared in shock. The driver groaned, just as Viktoriya took the wheel and kept them on the road.

“Hey Taven. Nice dynamic entry.” Jack spoke with a pained grunt from his slumped position against the van wall. “It’s alright, we’re cool.” His eyes flicked to the downed drone, which was picking itself back up with ease. “Are we cool?”

“...Yes, we are cool. Naomi, are you alright?” The drone turned toward the driver, who was coming to and rubbing at her bleeding nose.

Pausing in shifting the gun barrel from human to human, Taven looked to Jack with confusion. “What the fuck were you thinking!? I thought you were going to get your stupid ass killed!” His confusion was quick to give way to anger as he shifted over the pebbles of broken glass.

Sighing, Jack rolled his eyes, as he couldn’t do much else. “Thank you for saving me, Taven.”

“You’re welcome, you giant pain in the ass.”

With his eyes flicking between everything, the Ginger man seemed about ready to come apart at the seams for all the vibrating he was doing. Leaping off the floor, he pumped a fist and struck the roof with a clang. “THAT WAS FUCKIN AWESOME!”

Next to him, the gorilla man could only groan, and rub at his tired face with a coarse hand. “Why couldn’t this be a normal assignment…”

With the van parked somewhere quiet, and the antidote administered, Jack was rolling out and stretching his sore limbs, while the team inspected the damage to their van. Taven had gone feet first through the window at twenty miles an hour, and yet he seemed no more worse for wear.

“So.” Hans’ drone started as it skittered over on pavement. “Let's start from the top, shall we?”

“Mmhf.” Jack simply grunted as Taven stayed by his side with the pilfered scattergun.

Hans sighed quietly through electronic speakers. “How are you even alive? This should not be possible.” By now, most of what Jack could only assume to be his team had gathered around, and stared at the odd pair.

“Taven?”

“Yeah Jack?” Taven turned slightly toward him, though clearly still didn't trust the others, if the shotgun held at low ready was any indication.

“You got your amulet?” Jack rubbed at the back of his neck, finally feeling the returning agony that plagued him. At Taven’s nod, Jack held a hand out. Muttering quietly, Taven dug it out, and presented it to him. Without much flair, Jack triggered the second chamber, and the team before him recoiled in surprise and horror as the black man was engulfed in green flame.

The flames died off nearly instantly, leaving behind faint purple smoke that caused Taven to cough, and cover his mouth with a hoof. “Could have warned me-”

Not pausing, Jack gestured to the batpony at his side. “These furry motherfuckers happened.”

The silence within the alley was palatable as the crew standing before the pair stared at them. The shock was quick to wear off as the drone’s manipulators slumped.

“What the fuck, Jack.”

Grunting softly, Jack handed the amulet back to Taven, who quickly reverted back to his disguised form. “Yeah… that could sum things up pretty well.”

“Soo…” Vikki peered at Taven, who quirked a brow at her as he held the shotgun by its receiver. “The cyoot black man is secretly talking horse?”

“They find the term offensive.”Jack was quick to iterate. “And uh… They’re aliens.”

“Oh. How wonderful.” The large man looked up with a sigh as he spoke with a deadpan voice.

The ginger grinned back at the big man. “Don’t be such a downer, John. It’s not every day you get held at gunpoint by an one winged alien bat pony.”

“Alright, Jack. Let’s get some lunch and catch up.” Hans had clearly had enough with the situation already, as his drone skittered slowly toward the back of the van.

Jack was quick to follow, though the crew and Taven weren’t so fast. “Speaking of, are you going to come see me in person, or stick with the drone?”

“...Jack, this is all the flesh I have left.” The drone idly gestured to itself as it clambered into the back of the van. When Jack didn’t answer, the camera eyes swivelled back and fixed him like crosshairs.

Jack stared at the drone both shock and confusion etched on his face. “What? I… I don’t follow…”

“Then we both have a lot to tell each other.” The drone peered passed Jack, toward the others. “Are you coming or what? This isn’t a fucking kinderparty, get a goddamn move on!”

“So… that basically sums my last two years up. Kidnapped by a god, shot, stabbed, blown up, press ganged… Tortured, man handled, and mostly sober. Or at least attempting to be.”

Sitting in a quiet restaurant, Hans’s unerring camera gaze burrowed into Jack, beside the crew’s own curious stares. “Well, Jack.” Hans started as his manipulators drummed across the table. “That is possibly, the most utterly insane thing I have ever heard anyone say.”

Jack’s features sagged ever so slightly as those at the table, save Taven, nodded in agreement.

“I’d suggest seeking out a therapist.” The big man spoke lightly.

With an electronic sigh, Hans idly tapped at the table. “If it weren’t for… everything, I’d call you a liar and a fraud. But, you know things nobody else could, and you have… physical proof. So. I’ll suspend my disbelief for now, and take you at your word. That said, I should not be surprised that most of what you’ve told me so far is all your fault.”

“Hey! I-”

“Didn’t use your damn head.” The panzer pilot shot back before Jack could squawk his excuses. “If you weren’t so caught up in the power fantasy, you might have thought about your actions before you moved. But, you’ve always been like this, so I suppose I cannot give you too much guff.”

“I have not-”

“Jack.”

Scowling hard, Jack felt the first nigglings of shame in the back of his head, which caused him to reach back and scratch. “I wasn’t at my best. I’ll admit that…”

“You started a fistfight with their ruler, who, by your own words, sounds like the most literally benevolent politician I’ve ever heard of. And yes, before you get offended, I realize she used you as a pawn, but compared to many of our own kind, I would say she did a very good job of keeping your idiot, cowboy ass alive.”

“If she hadn’t bullshitted me, I could have-!”

“Done what, Jack? Left them to the machinations of this… Carolus creature? Seen your parents die with your own eyes? Lived a life in hiding with that girl? Gotten press ganged into a human war instead? What is done, is done. She was making the best choices to keep her people and land safe.”

Gesturing toward the drone, Taven spoke. “Thank you! Gods, why couldn’t we have gotten you instead…”

Recoiling as if struck, Jack looked to Taven with a clearly wounded face. “...What the fuck, Taven?”

Taven looked back over toward Jack, his expression unmoving. “Sorry, but this is probably the most forward thinking human I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. You’re… bipolar, at the best of times.”

Before Jack could fire back with vitriol, Hans spoke again. “You do seem very different, Jack. Your actions also hardly strike me as those of the man I fought with before. Granted, you always approached situations with a lack of self preservation, sideways, ass toward the enemy.”

“I… fucking Christ, if I’d known I’d be in for a fucking roasting I would have stayed back at the barracks… I ran out of my med battery on my second week, I… I guess I’ve been a little imbalanced since…” Jack lowered his eyes as he rubbed at the back of his head.

“Ah.” Hans tapped the table as Taven quirked a brow.

“Your med battery? What the hell is that?”

Wincing, Jack pinched the back of his neck as he avoided his friend’s gaze. “Medical pills. I’m… you know. They were supposed to make me normal. Normalish. I didn’t go insane, so I figured I’d be alright without them.”

Leaning back, Taven shook his head, before sipping at his drink. “So you filled the gap with alcohol, morphine, and bent anger.” His sigh turned into a groan. “That makes sense, I suppose.”

“Thanks. So glad you understand.” Jack growled toward Taven, before turning his attention back toward the crew before them. “Alright, you’ve heard my shit show of an adventure, what the fuck happened to you, and how did you end up with these people?” He gestured to the crew, earning a myriad of different looks for it.

“Well.” Hans started as he gestured to those sitting next to him. “I do suppose some introductions are in order. The man to my left here-” He gestured to the shaved gorilla in a business suit, who glanced slowly at the drone, then back to Jack and Taven. “-Is Mr. John Chambers, ex-SWAT and HRT. To my right-” He gestured to the ginger man with the persistent half grin. “Is Nate Bellewood, ex-Army Hellhound. The woman beside him is Miss Naomi, a Cleaner. You’ve already met Viktoriya Sokolovskia, ex-russian crime lord and pain in my metal derriere.” The driver of the van simply lifted her head in acknowledgement, while Vikki did a pleasant little wave. Jack and Taven nodded to them all, and exchanged quiet, proper greetings. “As for myself-” Hans’ mechanical body sank back into the booth seat. “I lost my body fifty two years ago. Irma suffered a direct strike from an AGM, just below the cockpit. I woke up to find that I’d survived, but my body had not. The field doctors had cracked my skull open as my body failed, and sunk my brain into a life support box to keep me alive.”

“Jesus Christ, Hans…” Jack flinched in sympathy for the man, though it seemed unneeded.

“It isn’t so bad, once you get used to it. It’s not even that uncommon, being one of the few ways field doctors can save critical condition casualties. Thanks to rejuv treatments, steroids, and a titanium sarcophagus, I’m effectively immortal.” The drone’s manipulators waved lightly, as if waving off the notion of being stuck inside a box forever was a bad prospect.

Jack leaned back, trying to process the information. “And now you’re… what, running some sort of crew? Stuck in a… tiny ass metal spider body?”

“They are coworkers, we work for Voronin Logistics Intergalactic. VLI for short. As for the body, I can have my brainbox plugged into a myriad of war machines; bipedal warforms, superheavy tanks, quad walkers, spacial supremacy fighters, et cetera. This is just my ‘civilian’ body.”

“And what is it that VLI does, that requires a crew like this?” Jack gestured to the group.

“Well, since you asked so nicely. Our employer, Olivia Voronin, procures, transports, and sells all manner of military equipment, arms, and munitions.”

“The Lord will provide…” Jack murmured, and Hans went quiet, as if to let Jack explain himself. “That… is pretty ironic. I find myself in need of an arms dealer. Can I meet her? Get a catalogue maybe?”

Mr. Chambers turned himself slightly toward Hans, before muttering something so softly Jack couldn’t hear it. Immediately, Jack looked to Taven, but found the batpony eagerly paying attention to his drink, and not the mischievous Russian woman across the table from him. Hans spoke in return, though he did not whisper, and Jack knew he was supposed to hear what had to be said. “Yes John, I’m sure. Besides, if he is not, I have faith in all of you to do what needs to be done.” As Jack raised a brow, several of the crew before him smiled with dark intentions. Before he could question exactly what Hans had meant, said cyborg turned his cameras back toward Jack. “Our Employer is meeting a number of others in Seattle, on the seventeenth. That will be the last day we’re on earth for a few months, so if you want to talk turkey, I can arrange for your name to be on the list, plus two guests.”

“Seems I don’t have much of a choice anymore. What kind of meeting are we talking about here?” Jack settled a little more in his seat.

“A meeting for the Lords of war. Arms Dealers, Mercenaries, that sort.”

Grinning brightly, Viktoriya idly twirled her straw, flicking Nate with vodka. “Wear something sexy, and bring cyoot friends.”

With a roll of her eyes and a grunt, Naomi shook her head as Nate rubbed flecks of vodka off his face. “Send him the co-ords?”

All eyes seemed to fall on John, as he slowly activated an older model of omnilink. “This is going to go poorly. What is your number, sir? I’ll send you the location and time.” As Jack shared the information, and got what he needed in return, the big man fixed him with a hard stare that brokered no argument. “We take the protection of our employer very seriously. If you try anything, tell anyone about the meeting, you’ll suffer the full consequences.”

“I understand.” Jack responded quickly and crisply as he memorized the details of the meeting. “And if it helps you sleep at night, if I ever did contact whatever alphabet soup agencies that are left on earth, they’d be far more interested in me and mine than you and yours. Avoiding attention is what I’m aiming for.”

The big man nodded in return, before sitting up straight and paying for his water at the automated payscreen. “We’ll see soon enough.”

“Three days. See you then.” Jack nodded to them as the team all paid for their drinks, and slowly filed out of the booth. “Be seeing you, Hans.”

“Don’t get dead, Jack.”

“Rah.”

Chapter Sixty One: Arms Dealing, and Other Business Ventures

View Online

November 15th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

Jerking awake out of another nightmare, Flitter shuddered harshly as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and rocked. The coolness of her metal arm, and the pinching skin between plates only served as reminder that her nightmares were more than just that; they were reality, one she’d live with for the rest of her life. Sounds from around the barracks began to invade her small quarters, causing her to scrunch her features and screw her eyes shut.

When the sounds refused to abate, she slowly opened her eyes again, and let out a haggard sigh. Rolling out of bed, she set her feet down on the floor, only to quickly retract them with a hiss of surprise. The floorboards were positively frigid, and her sensitive soles had suffered the burden of discovery. Laying on her belly, she began fishing for her boots, which lay discarded halfway across the room, having been left there the night prior.

Straining as she reached out, Flitter grasped weakly at the boots as she clung to the bedsheets, half on, half off the bed as she stretched. She realized her mistake the moment the fitted sheet popped free of the corner, though there was hardly a thing she could do about it as she fell forward, landing chest first onto the frigid floor.

“F-FUCK! A-AHAH!” As quickly as she had fallen, Flitter rolled, and fell completely off the bed as she tried valiantly to keep her bare chest off the frozen floorboards. A flurry of expletives came flying from her as she flailed and jerked, all in attempt to get somewhere that wasn’t frozen. Biting the bullet, she grabbed the bed frame, and hauled herself up onto her feet. Quickly dressing herself as she shivered and suffered, Flitter rubbed at her pained chest as she stumbled groggily toward the door.

Throwing open her door as she grumbled, Flitter nearly jumped out of her skin when someone immediately yelled in surprise.

“Christ! Watch the door, dammit!”

Poking her head around it, Flitter did her best to smile sheepishly toward Jack. “Sorry! Are you alright?” She took the moment of his distraction to quickly take in Jack’s half dressed form. Despite the compounding abuses it’d suffered, it was still a very welcome sight for the Knight Captain.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” Jack sighed as he pulled his warm hoodie closer. “Seems we’ve finally gotten our first chill. Weather network says it’s about minus eleven outside, so you might-” He paused for a moment, his own eyes flicking over her. Flitter immediately felt the chill burn away to her heated blush. Jack quickly redirected his gaze back to her face. “Ehum… you might want to dress a bit warmer. I’d hate to see you catch a cold.”

“Y-you’d take care of me if I did, right?” Upon speaking, the tall woman immediately clammed up, and mentally cursed herself for ever opening her mouth. Her train of thought was immediately derailed when he smiled softly, and ran a coarse hand through his hair.

“Course I would, darlin’.”

“Heeeeeee~” Flitter quickly pulled both hands up to cover her traitorous mouth, her blush expanding twofold as she went wide eyed and stared at the floor.

Staring with wide eyes, Jack grinned as much as his ruined face would allow. Gently reaching up, he took both of her hands in his. “That’s gotta be one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen you do. Top five.”

“Sh-shuddup!” She quickly warbled, her embarrassment driving her voice up several decibels. “I’m a lean mean killing machine, I am not adorable!”

Chuckling, Jack released her hands and started toward the mess hall. “I’m not gonna argue that. You’re a badass. But you’re also fuckin’ adorable, Sparky.”

With a skip in her step, Flitter quickly caught up to him and took his arm. “I’m gonna kick your butt if you keep this up, mister.”

“Heh, feel free, I don’t think you can make me any uglier.”

“Don’t… don’t say that, Jack.” She gave his hand a mild squeeze as she spoke, before tugging his arm, signalling him to pause. “Can you… can you call me Darlin’ more often?”

Smiling softly, he gave her hand a returning squeeze. “I think I owe you more than that. Let’s go get food, darlin’.”

Together, the pair continued down the hall toward the mess hall. As they approached, the sound of loud conversation met them far earlier than they’d expected. Quirking a brow, but saying nothing, Jack pushed open the doors. Inside the mess was the usual suspects, plus another dozen faces neither Jack or Flitter recognized. Walter was at the front of the pack, laughing boisterously as he doled out food. He quickly spotted the pair, and grinned ever wider as he beckoned them forward. Out of the group, Jack’s eyes were immediately drawn to the four foot tall spider-frame, which was clearly a separate model from what Hans had used. This one was more angular and spindly, while his had been bulky and clearly built for abuse. This one was gesturing wildly with it’s manipulators as it spoke with a chirpy woman’s voice.

“-and then Kord nearly threw the guy through the window!”

“He called me a frog! The piece of shit was lucky I didn’t throw him into the deep fryer!” A skinny, mean looking man with a moderate french accent yelled back with venom as Walter handed him a cup of coffee. The man, who Jack assumed to be Kord, immediately switched gears as he smiled bright, “Ah, merci mon ami!”

Taking a seat by the newcomers, Jack smiled to Walter, though Flitter beat him to the punch in regards to talking. “So, Walter. These must be the friends you told me about earlier?” The new group turned their attentions to her, and some waved or nodded as Walter smiled sheepishly.

“Sure are, Captain. Morning!” He was quick to hand her a cup of coffee. “Though I wasn’t expecting them so early!”

A musclebound man with a moustache that could only belong to an officer set his cup of coffee down as he looked to the newcomers. “Well, Walter, are you going to introduce us to your new friends?”

Nodding quickly, Walter ushered everybody in as he smoothly slid a new pot of coffee into the machine. “Alright everyone, these are my new friends, they’re uh….” He paused, as if suddenly finding himself conflicted between the truth and a lie. Flitter chose for him.

Smiling brightly with the charisma only a pony could produce, Flitter crossed her arms over the table top. “I’m Knight Captain Falenas of the Joint Special Operations Group. We’re… not exactly from around here, but thankfully Walter has been so kind as to give us a place to stay and train.”

“In exchange for money!” Jessica was quick to chime in as she sat down by Flitter and bumped her shoulder.

Looking to Jack, Flitter began to speak, when he quickly cut her off. “Just call me Jack. I’m acting as pathfinder for the group.”

A briefly quiet moment passed, before the man with the moustache smiled, and reached forward with a hand. “Master Sergeant Irving Kleese, 401st Cazador Mechanized Infantry, retired. Always a pleasure to meet more career soldiers.” Irving stood tall and carried himself like a man much larger. His handsome face bore a twirled moustache, and a thick leather eyepatch.

As if a dam of social awkwardness had burst, the two groups immediately began to intermingle. The frenchman smirked as he moved up, coffee in one hand and the other going through his scraggly high and tight haircut. “Corporal Kord T. Adder, Legion Front Line Medical, retired. Kind of.” Jack and Flitter were quick to greet him, but were interrupted as the brainbox piloted spiderform pushed the short Kord aside.

“Git outa the way, Napoleon!”

“Don’t shove me, you robo-slut!”

“Eat my shiny metal ass!”

Laughing nervously, Walter quickly slid between the bickering pair and his alien guests. “They’re always like this! Don’t mind the- Yeow! Roxy! Not the knees!” Walter cried out as he doubled over, and the heavy spiderform skittered up his side.

Waving happily with a pair of manipulators, the spiderform quickly introduced herself. “Name’s Roxy, Roxy Shultz!” She reached out and took both Jack and Flitter’s hands, before shaking them both with mechanical vigor. “It’s been so long since we had new people join our little club, and you guys look like you’ve got tons of stor- HEY!” Roxy’s metallic limbs flailed violently as she was hefted off of Walter. “Put me down! I know my rights!”

“I wish you’d exercise the one where you’re silent.” A dour looking woman with long black hair muttered as she set Roxy down. As Roxy gestured violently at the busty woman with her manipulators, she turned her amber eyes and thousand yard stare on to the newcomers. Forcing a soft smile, the woman nodded to them. “Call me Maggie”

With the weight of Roxy’s metal body off his chest, Walter was able to pull himself up and wheeze. “Thank you, Maggie…”

“Don’t mention it.”

Hefting himself up, Walter patted Roxy’s chassis. “Have you lost weight, Rox?”

“Yeah! I swapped out the ceramic plates for carbon fibre, I lost like, thirty pounds!”

As everyone around them chattered, Flitter turned to Jack, and smiled weakly. “Well this is hardly the quiet morning I was hoping for… what did you get up to yesterday with Taven?”

Smiling slightly, Jack ran his eyes over the crowd of veterans as they intermingled with the disguised alien ponies. “Networking. I may have us an arms dealer, but we need to meet her in two days. I’ll talk to you later about it.” Turning his attentions back toward Walter’s veteran friends, Jack did his best to get to know them, as he was certain he’d be bumping shoulders with them sooner rather than later.

November 15th, 2119

Langley, Virginia

Agent Danner’s heels clicked loudly as she walked through the halls of the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters on Earth. Interns and office workers were quick to skitter out of her way like the cockroaches they were to her. It was a blessing sometimes, to have the reputation Danner did, as she didn’t bother looking up from her active omnilink as she walked. She knew where she was going; everyone else just had to stay the hell out of her way.

Entering the elevator, she took a brief moment to straighten herself out as she hit the button for her desired floor. Despite the ever present scowl she wore, she could hardly contain her current excitement. The elevator doors dinged open, and a press of agents began to enter. Her excitement could wait, it seemed. Growling angrily, Danner pushed her way through the crowd, and began her walk to the office of the Deputy Director.

Inside his office, Deputy Director Summers was about to tuck into his lunch. He was a rather portly man who’d once held the physique of a linebacker. Of course, having a high stress desk job and fast food on demand did little to help in that field. As he went in for a bite of his well deserved burger, someone short approached his door, and rapped angry knuckles off the frosted glass. He’d known who it was the moment he had seen the silhouette. Only Agent Marley Danner was so audacious for someone barely pushing five foot. “Come in, Danner.”

His door clicked open, and the severe little woman entered his office with all the contained fury of a bottled whirlwind. He could tell she was utterly pleased with herself, and that told him she’d done something substantial. “Sir.” She stood before his desk, not bothering to sit. Not that she needed to, he could look her straight in the eyes while sitting.

“I assume you’ve found something regarding Voronin? You seem giddy.”

The look of annoyance that crossed the small woman’s face was incredibly brief, but it was more than enough to repay Summers for his lunch, which would definitely be cold by the time he got back to it. She was quick to nod, and bring up her omnilink, sending him the data. “Yes sir. My tailings on her have born fruit. Seems she’s planning on leaving the planet in a few days, probably to shake us off. However-” Danners sent him some documentation, and a slew of videos and pictures. “She’s scheduled to stop by an auction held by Muhammed Bin Kalani in Seattle in two days, along with VLI’s direct competitor, Foxhound. The event is being held in Mohammed Bin Kalani’s private penthouse estate, Kalani Tower.”

“Good.” Summers nodded as he skimmed over the details himself. “This should be an excellent opportunity to get eyes and ears on her. I want to know what she’s doing.”

“Sir?” Danner did her best to hide the anger that would have definitely laced her voice had she not. “We have more than we could ever need. We could take her down right now!”

“I’m not interested in her arms dealing, Agent Danner. She’s planning something bigger, and I want to know what.” The Deputy Director leaned back in his chair as the agent stared at him. “Did you put tailings on her personal guards like I told you to?”

“...Yes. Yes sir.” Agent Danner shifted slightly, unable to hide her frown any longer. “They met with somebody the other day in Washington. I wasn’t paying it much mind. I was more focused on the new intel.” She sent him the video of the day prior at the National Mall, which he began to watch with mild interest. A moment of silence passed between the two as he watched the gun runner’s team scoop up some seemingly random man.

Summers furrowed his brow, and replayed the section again. “Do we have ID on this man?”

Slowly looking over at the image, Danners shrugged. “Tried to, but it’s Elysian Fields, apparently. Double black. I figured him for competition or a potential buyer.”

The news immediately caused his brows to furrow. “Right. Alright Danners, get your team together, and prepare to snoop on this meeting. Get back to me immediately if anything comes up.”

“Yes. Sir.” She had to all but force the words out as she turned and stormed out on loudly clicking heels. She was furious, but currently that didn’t matter to Summers.

Regarding his cold lunch, he shook his head. “Elysian Fields, double black… What the hell are you doing, messing around with a madman like Blackburn, Olivia?”

November 16th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

The day prior had turned into a blur of activity for both Jack and Flitter, with more of Walter’s veteran friends streaming in and filling the barracks to bursting. While it’d been nice to mingle, the numbers were starting to become alarming. Almost a hundred people had shown up to the base in personal vehicles, bringing food and other items for the impending holiday celebration. Thanks to the huge influx, Flitter was forced to put a halt on all training.

Minerva slowly panned her gaze over the fleet of vehicles, suspicion and concern etched into her features. “I don’t like it, Ma’am. What if one of ours slips up?”

Smiling lightly in an attempt to calm her sergeant, Flitter laced her fingers together across the small of her back. “If it happens, we’ll deal with it appropriately. I’ve faith that our soldiers will keep a lid on things, and I’m confident that both Jessica and Walter won’t betray our secret.”

“It’s not much of a secret, ma’am… it feels like everybody we meet ends up figuring out that we don’t fit in.”

“We look human, but we hardly play the part.” Flitter murmured in return, before sighing. “Make sure that everybody is aware of the consequences. I know they already know, but with all of this going on, it needs to be reinforced.”

Nodding sharply, Minerva smiled to her Captain. “You can count on us, Ma’am.”

A sure smile split across Flitter’s face as she nodded to Minerva. “I know I can. You guys are second to none.” Her attentions were quickly pulled down by her chiming omnilink. “Hold on, let me answer this.” Answering the call, she was greeted by Jack’s face.

“Hey guys. Can I get the lot of you alone for a few minutes? Thanks in advance, I’ll be by the tank.”

“Sure thing, Jack, what’s up?” Flitter asked, but got no response. Tilting her head, she spoke again. “Jack? Hello? What-” Without warning, the video message replayed itself, and Flitter flushed with embarrassment. “Dammit… I’ll see you around, Minerva.”

Nodding, Minerva about-faced, and began to march back to the barracks.

Rubbing at her cheek, Flitter looked up to see a small group of people headed for the tank hangar. Without needing any more prompting, Flitter set off after them. Entering the hangar, she was greeted by the smell of cold metal and oil. Leaning against the tank was Jack, before him, Taven, Jessica, Walter, and Yuma. He greeted her with a mild hand motion, before beckoning her over.

“Thanks for coming, guys. Alright, so, a couple days ago, Taven and myself made contact with an old friend of mine, Hans Drescher. He’s a bodyguard for an arms dealer who goes by the name Olivia Voronin. I’ve secured a meeting in Seattle tomorrow.”

Already knowing it all, Taven stayed quiet, as the siblings whispered to each other. Yuma was quiet as well, leaving Flitter to talk. “What kind of meeting?”

“Fancy dress, or so I was told. So that means, that I need Jessica to help you get something snazzy.”

Smirking coyly, Flitter immediately had something in mind. “Right. How many are coming along?”

“Myself, you, and a plus one for security.” Jack set his hands on his hips, and Flitter could immediately tell Taven was smug in knowing the plus one would be him. It came as a mild surprise when Jack looked to Yuma. “Yuma, do you want to be our plus one?”

As Taven coughed in surprise, Yuma seemed to light up with glee. “I am in your debt, Jack. I will be your bodyguard for this event, on my honor.” She thumped a meaty fist against her chest.

“I gotta say…” Taven started as he scratched the back of his head. “I figured I’d be coming along, considering they’ve already met me.”

“True.” Jack glanced over at him coolly. “But you’re in the time-out corner for busting my balls and sassing me.”

“Aw, what!?” Taven exclaimed as Jessica sniggered. “That’s crap!”

“Suck it up, Princess Mochaccino. Jessica, think you can help out Yuma as well?”

The short girl grinned brightly, with the look of a predator in her eyes. “You, paying for a shopping trip? Hell yeah! I’ll get these two looking all kinds of sexy!”

Sighing hard, Walter pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jess, I swear to the Martyr…” He shook his head, before looking at Jack. “So, how does this involve me?”

Relaxing against the cool plates of the tank, Jack did his best to look reassuring. “I figured you deserved to know. If you got any issue with this, I want to hear it.”

With a look crossing surprise and pride, Walter shook his head. “No sir, just don’t bring anything bad back here, alright?”

“Rah.”

With the meeting apparently over, Jessica immediately descended upon Flitter and Yuma. “Are you two ready for this shit!?”

Furrowing her brows in confused concern, Yuma nervously glanced to Flitter. “I thought we were to get clothing? What does poop have to do-”

“You are far, far too excited for this.” Flitter said as she looked to Jessica, whose grin only grew.

“Oh don’t look so scared, come on, we’ll take my car!” Herding the pair out the hangar door, Jack could only smile and shake his head at the small woman’s eagerness to pester and violate personal space.

“Well… do you guys want to get some coffee?” Walter asked as he rocked on the balls of his feet.

“I need a hand getting my Blues ready.” Jack looked to Walter, silently asking him.

The big man turned into a big kid almost instantly, nodding rapidly as he shot a stiff salute. “Sure thing!”

Taven scowled as he kicked at the floor. “I thought-”

He was quickly cut off by Jack, as the man started for the door. “Still in time-out, Princess.”

“DAMMIT!”

The drive into town was a very quick one, thanks to Jessica’s overeager lead foot. The little corolla hit dirt road corners at angles it had no right to, and by the time they arrived at the tailor’s store, she’d managed to terrify both of the other women.

Getting out on shaky legs, Flitter set her mechanical arm down on the roof of the vehicle as she sucked in a weak breath of relief. Yuma hadn’t taken it any better; the huge woman gripping the seat as if it were still a matter of life or death, her mechanical claw digging in deep.

Tugging on the heifer’s shoulder, Flitter did her best to remove the minotaur from the tiny electric car. “Come on Yuma, the ground is solid here.”

“M-N-Noooo!”

“My driving wasn’t that bad!” Jessica yelled from the door. “Come on, slowpokes! Daylight’s burnin’!”

With great effort, Flitter began to peel Yuma out of the car. Today was going to be a trying one, she could already tell.

The inside of the shop was fairly large, but utterly filled to the brim with suit pieces and dresses. “Be there in a moment!” A voice called from the depths of the store, though Jessica had already wandered deeper in to browse.

“Humans have so many things, it is… madness.” Yuma murmured to herself as she looked around the store with wide eyes. “Their race is driven by madness…”

“I’m not going to argue that.” Flitter muttered in return as she slowly made her way to the dresses. She had something very specific in mind, something that would blow Ada’s slinky red dress right out of Jack’s mind. Arms deal or no, she was dead set on it.

“Hello hello!” A voice called out to her, earning a quirked brow and a glance around from Flitter. Not finding the owner of the voice, she craned her neck to look over the racks. “Down here, miss.” Looking down, Flitter nearly jumped in surprise as her eyes fell upon what had to be the tiniest human she’d ever seen. The man was little over three feet tall, though there was no way she could confuse him for a child, as the man was wearing a finely tailored vest and slacks, and his face was a canyon network of wrinkles and age marks.

“Hello, I um-”

“Manny!” Jessica yelled behind Flitter as she peeked around the taller girl. “I’ve got two express orders, party for tomorrow!”

The tiny man sighed as he adjusted his glasses. “I see. Well, if you all could step over to the mirrors, we’ll talk this through.” Without another word, he set off, disappearing into the racks. Flitter didn’t have a moment to contemplate the request as she was herded forward by Jessica.

With the trio of women gathered, Manny the Tailor motioned toward the bench. “One at a time. Who is going first?”

“Flits is!” Jessica motioned to Flitter, who sighed and stood.

“Good afternoon, sir.”

“Military, hmm? Alright, miss. What are you looking for?”

Caught off guard by his immediate call out of her profession, Flitter hesitated for a moment. “A um… dress. Black. I’ve… I’ve kind of got some people to impress, so-”

“What style?”

“I’m sorry, I know a grand total of nothing about dresses.”

Smiling lightly, Manny set off into the back. “I’ve got just the thing.”

After a brief pause, Manny returned from the back with a small black dress. “Alright. Chiquita, scan.” A tiny drone detached itself from the ceiling above Flitter, and began circling her as Manny pulled down a holographic headset. “Mm… Six feet tall, fit, C cup, mmm… alright. That prosthetic.” He gestured to the finely wrought metal prosthetic arm. “Do you want to hide it, or accentuate it?”

“...Hide it.” Flitter shifted. “But only a little.”

“Right. How do you want this? Do you want to come off as professional, or do you want to be sexy?”

“Can I… be both?”

Smiling all the more, Manny nodded as he began modifying the reactive nanofabrics. “I can do that, yes. Single strap, double strap, or strapless?”

“Erm… single strap, and an open back?”

“Alright, let’s see what I can do…” Tucking into his work, Flitter watched as the tiny human began to give Rarity a run for her money with his talented fingers and incredible technology. Within the hour, her dress was finished, thanks to the reactive nanofabrics, which responded to the orders Manny the Tailor gave them. Slipping off to the changing room while Yuma was prodded up on to the floor, Flitter began to change into the slim jet black dress. The dress was tight, but allowed her to breath far more than she’d anticipated by looking at it. The jet black dress hugged her athletic frame like a second skin, but left plenty to the imagination. The single strap connected to a full arm glove that was tailored to slip over her prosthetic, with writhing vines opening opaque windows to allow for the excellent craftsmanship of her arm to show through, but not the twisted, abused flesh it connected to. She had an elbow length glove on the other side to even the look out, but as she turned and looked herself over with the mirrors, Flitter could only find herself stunned by her own accentuated beauty. Everything was hugged tight, perked up, and supported. The knee length dress allowed her to move easily, but the only flaw, was she had not a single place to hide a holster, save for a thigh holster.

Blushing slightly at the sight of herself, Flitter shook her head, and stepped out of the dressing room, only to find everybody waiting for her. Yuma had seemingly opted for a simply suit with a vest and suspenders; the huge woman looked like an Amazonian turned teamster. Yuma seemed very pleased with her choice as she continued to play with the soft fabrics and silk vest. “There she is. How does it fit?” Manny looked up at Flitter as Yuma got used to her new clothes. Having been distracted by the Minotauress, Jessica looked over, before her eyes went alight with stars.

“You look amazing! Like, holy fuck!”

Smiling sheepishly, Flitter looked herself over out of reflex. “It’s um… It’s great. Really great.”

“Wonderful. Would you like shoes to go with it, or no?”

“N-”

“Yes she does!” Again, Jessica butted in, grinning brightly. When Flitter shot her a disapproving glance, the shorter woman smirked. “I got just the thing in mind, it’ll make your ass look fan-fucking-tastic! With a look like that, you’ll kill the old man. Seriously, if he doesn’t fall for you the moment he sees you, I will!”

“That’s a deeply uncomfortable thought…” Flitter muttered, before nodding. “Alright, let’s do this…”

Back at the camp, Jack was taking a far more relaxed approach to his outfit. With his dress blues laid out flat on the small bed, he’d passed his medal boxes over to Walter to set them out for him.

Looking over his tailored uniform, Jack felt a pang of pain and regret toward the mare who’d made it for him as a gift. I’ll get you all back. I promise.

Before he could fall too deeply into his thoughts, Walter’s gasp ripped him back into reality. “What?”

“This… this is the Star of Terra!” The big man exclaimed with a star struck, squeaky voice. “Oh my god!”

Looking over the large medal meant to hang around his neck, Jack pursed his lips lightly. “Leave it in the box. It’ll draw too much attention. Get me the ones out of the other box.” As Walter was distracted with the Star of Terra, Jack slipped a small metal box into his breast pocket. A gift from Blackburn, and a taste of what the old man had to offer.

“This is… wow… I never thought I’d see the real thing, up close, in my hands! This medal, Jack, it’s… there was actually a search for this, like, a decade ago, they wanted to recover it and put it in a museum! It’s utterly priceless!”

“And that’s why it’s staying in the box.” Jack began to press out his jacket and shirt.

“Right, sorry.” Popping open the Equestrian medals box, he faltered again. “You… wow. I thought… Wow!” Holding up the medal Luna had presented him, Walter stared deep into the magical medal containing a million stars in the dead of night. “It’s beautiful…”

“Yeah… There should be a few medals in there. I…” Jack sighed, wanting deeply to say ‘I don’t deserve any of them’, but holding his tongue. “Can you get me the one shaped like a lance?”

Nodding, Walter dug through the small box, and produced two. The Lance of Equestria, and the Broken Lance. “What are they for?”

“Gallantry.” Jack muttered quietly, before relenting. “I was given the lance for the capture of an enemy vessel, the broken lance for this.” He gestured to his ruined features.

“And this shield?”

“Rescue of hostages and exceptional bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.” His mind wandered to the changeling hive, and the operation that’d almost gotten him killed. If it hadn’t been for Baron and Snake, he definitely would have bit the big one. At the thought of Snake, Jack’s features fell again, and he gripped the desk beside him tightly.

“Mar- Jack? Are you alright?” Walter asked quietly as he laid a huge hand over Jack’s shoulder.

“No. But I’ll live.” Slowly pulling on his dress uniform, Jack began to check himself over for any problems.

Once pleased with the condition of his dress blues, Jack turned, and had Walter begin to secure his myriad of campaign ribbons and pin on his rack of medals. A good few remained in their boxes, and even then, his rack was still rather large.

“Goddamn… I gotta say, Jack, you’ve got an amazing rack.”

“Hah!” Jack grinned, and earned one from Walter in return. “Thanks, Wally.”

With his wide grin on, Walter continued carefully placing the medals and pins in with appropriate order. “Seriously though. This is worth more to me than any amount of money. I would have never thought, in all my life, that I’d get to meet you, sir. Let alone pin medals on your chest. You’re a hero to a lot of people, and this is… yeah.”

Sighing softly, Jack did his best to remain still while the big man set medals in. “I’m not a hero, Walter. You should know that by now. I’ve… done a lot of things I regret. Said things. I cuss and bite and I’ve killed a few too many people-”

“Permission to speak freely?” Walter interrupted sharply.

“You know you don’t need it.”

Nodding, Walter did his best to relax his hardened features. “Sir- Jack. It seems to me that you... have a serious misunderstanding of what a hero is. A hero isn’t somebody with amazing powers or abilities, who takes all the bad guys alive and saves everybody in the nick of time. They’re not pretty, perfect people who can do no wrong. They’re normal people, who stand up and do what they can when awful things happen. In the end, it doesn’t matter to me that you cuss and spit and yell, that you’re hurt, or messed up. It doesn’t matter to me the mistakes you’ve made; what does matter to me is the lives you saved by putting yours on the line, your bravery, and your few good deeds. What matters, is that when nobody else would, you stood in the way of death. And… after spending this time with you, I’m insanely proud to say I know you for what you are, not what the media painted you as. You’re not some perfect super hero, bounding around in a super suit saving all the kids and pretty girls; you’re human, doing what you can in the face of impossible odds. You’re exactly why I joined the Legion.”

Smiling softly, Jack shook his head. “You know I’ll argue it all day, but… thanks. Some days it just feels like I’ve done nothing but rage against the world and spin my wheels in the muck.”

“I know the feeling. I really do.” Walter gave his shoulder a knowing squeeze. “But you know what I do when I start getting stuck on all the mistakes I’ve made? I think about the good things. I think about my friends, and the others I’d give my life gladly for, the people and things that make it a life worth living.”

Nodding slowly, Jack patted the hand on his shoulder. “I’ll try that. It’s just.. hard. I got a lot of faces, burned into my mind. But… yeah. Enough of that.”

Grinning a little, Walter set back to finishing with the medals. “I wonder how Jessica and the girls are making out.”

“Ooh, there’s a pleasant thought.”

Cringing as he blushed, Walter buried his face in his big hands. “Noooo! Come on, man! That’s my sister!”

With a cackle, Jack found himself grinning wide and actually laughing. “I gotta say, your sister is fuckin’ cute, if a complete nutjob! And the thought of her with Yuma and… Flitter…” Jack hummed happily as Walter stumbled and whined in agony at the awful thoughts driven into his head. “I’ll take that image with me. Think of it when I’m down~ Thanks for the advice, Wally.”

“I was wrong…” Walter warbled. “You’re a Villain!” Jack’s mirthful laugh only served to torture him further.

November 17th, 2119

Seattle

The trip in to Seattle was thankfully a quick one, though by the time the trio had arrived, it had been deep into the night. With their outfits tucked away carefully in carry bags, they’d made their way downtown, and rented a hotel room for a tentative two days.

Sleep hadn’t come easy to anybody in that room, though they all wanted it.

The morning held more interest as Jack, Yuma, and Flitter all got ready for the meeting. Slipping into her slinky dress, Flitter wobbled and struggled as she tried in vain to get used to the strong, wide backed heels. With every shaky step, they clicked and clacked on the hardwood. Pausing by the large standing mirror, she gave herself a long look over with a critical eye. “Well… if anything, Jessica was right…” With her short hair dolled up to the best of Jessica’s rather surprising abilities, Flitter felt… attractive, for the first time in a long time. With cautious strides toward the door, She pulled in a short steadying breath, and walked out of the bathroom.

Standing in the hotel room’s ‘den’ was Jack and Yuma, who were both already dressed and waiting. Without his exo skeleton filling out the jacket, Jack looked lithe and rigid in his dress blues. Both Jack and Flitter froze upon seeing each other; with Jack dropping his unlit cigarette as he went slack jawed, and Flitter growing immediately self conscious.

Blinking away his shock, Jack reached down awkwardly for his fallen cigarette, while Flitter wrung her hands together and fiddled with the dress. As if unaware of the tension, Yuma smiled brightly and waved. “You look wonderful, Knight Captain!”

“T-thank you, Yuma. You look good as well.”

“The fabric, it is so soft, I want all of my clothes to be made of it!” Yuma grinned happily as she played with her suspender straps under the open vest.

Smiling a little at the Amazonian heifer, Flitter’s eyes flicked over to Jack as he put his weight on a cane. Her smile quickly vanished, to be replaced with concern. “Jack, will you be alright without your Exo?”

With a soft, regretful look, he nodded. “Yeah. Not the first time I’ve hobbled around with a cane… Besides, you’re the one that needs to look impressive, and…” He slowly trailed off, before smiling slyly. “You look... “ He went silent, unable to find the words.

“Thank you…” Flitter smiled with awkward enthusiasm. “Prom all over again… heh. Alright, are we ready?”

“We’ve got three hours to get to the hills address. I’ve got our entry slips.” He held up his omnilink for emphasis. “Hans and his boss will be meeting us there. It’s supposed to be one hell of a shindig.”

Wincing, Flitter nodded her understanding. “Right. Have I ever told you how much I hate parties? And crowds?”

“Probably… I can relate.” Setting his hands on the suspiciously K-bar shaped handle of the cane, Jack smiled as best he could, despite the pain that crept through his bones by the simple act of standing without aid. “I’ll call us a cab. Ma’am.” He added softly as he smirked at her.

Agent Danner was angry. Granted, that was how she normally lived her life; on a gauge of annoyed, to pissed off. Currently, she was angry at the coffee cup that refused to stop leaking.

“Agent Danner, we’ve got eyes on the penthouse deck. Lots of armed guards. Handguns and flexlar vests.” One of her field agents lifted his headset off as he motioned to the screen. The tower was huge, and almost all of it was owned by Mohammed Bin Kalani’s front company. The man was wealthy beyond all reason thanks to several highly successful rare metal orbital deposit claims, and as a result, he loved to throw parties. To facilitate his needs, the penthouse deck was almost as big as the penthouse itself, with a large pool, two hot tubs, a dry bar, and a swim up bar. It could easily hold two hundred guests at a time, plus his armed security detail.

Danner’s team was deployed in a large hotel room, two city blocks away from the tower. It was only thanks to stealth drones and powerful audio-video pickups that they’d be getting anything of worth without getting spotted.

“Floyd, make sure that drone keeps its distance, Kalani will have sensors, without a doubt.”

“Sure thing, ma’am.” The weedy drone jockey answered lightly as he sipped his coffee from a cup that didn’t leak. Danner narrowed her eyes at it, letting her scowl show through.

“First of the guests are arriving by jet.” Fredericks called across the room, drawing her attention to the screen. Surely enough, a twin tilt-repulsor craft was setting down on the landing pad, and a small group of exceptionally dressed people soon climbed out. The craft left as quickly as it had come, and Kalani came out to personally greet his first guests.

Floyd sipped at his coffee again, and spoke without taking his eyes off his screens. “Do we know how many are coming in?”

He didn’t need to know. Danner almost spat that at him with vitriol, but held her tongue long enough to fight back the jealousy she held toward his unleaking cup. “No. But it’s supposed to be a big business meeting. Big enough to have VLI and Foxhound in the same city block.”

“So-” Floyd took another sip, before sighing loudly. He was doing that to annoy her. “It’s gotta be a party for more than just the sellers. Gonna have a lot of buyers.”

Feeling the vein in her forehead pulsing and the migraine inbound, Danner nodded once, sharply. “We’re documenting participants, but I want all cameras and mics on Voronin. Deputy Director Summers wants to bag her for something besides gun running, though I have no idea why. We could put her away for twenty years with what we have now.”

“The boss man has a plan. Always has, always will.” Fredericks assured her, though he knew it wasn’t going to change her mood in the slightest. His thought was reaffirmed when she sat down, and pulled a pair of headphones on. Listening to her anger management course no doubt. Shaking his head, Fredericks shot Floyd a light smirk, before settling in for the long shift of watching the fabulously rich and incredibly dangerous party and mingle.

“Got eyes on Voronin. Should I tell the boss?”

“Send it over and give her five minutes to chill the fuck out.”

The video feed quickly popped up on Fredericks’ screen, and he carefully scanned the group with her. “Huh. Small guard detail this time. The rest must be nearby.”

“Looks like Chambers, Sokolovskia, and Drescher. That leaves out Bellewood, End, and Naomi.”

“Right. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were set up in the same building as us.”

Floyd shivered slightly at the idea of being close to the less diplomatic half of the guard group. “God I hope not. I’m gonna let the Lady know.”

“Your funeral.”

“Is this the place?” Flitter asked nervously as she climbed out of the taxi, and let her eyes follow the behemoth of steel and glass all the way up.

“Yep…” Jack straightened his jacket as Yuma looked around nervously. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

With Jack hobbling heavily up toward the door and the two women flanking him closely, he drew the attention of the door man almost immediately. “This is private property sir, can you present your invitation?” The man was large and stocky, and the hard shoulders of his suit jacket betrayed a heavy bullet proof vest. Jack guessed he likely had a shoulder holster for a pistol, and had no intent of seeing it. Activating his omnilink, he flashed the invitation he’d been sent by Hans. For a moment, his heart paused in its beating as the doorman checked its authenticity. Jack was soon able to breath again when the man nodded to him. “Welcome to Kalani Tower, Mr. Korsov. Take the express elevator up to the penthouse suite, the auction will be starting in a half hour.”

“Right.” Jack answered stiffly as he fixed his jacket again. “Thank you.” Beginning his hobble to the elevator, he was only able to breath easier when the metal doors silently slid shut, and the car began to glide up. “Korsov. Korsov. My name is Jackson Korsov.”

He let out a soft breath as Flitter set her hand over his. “You’ll do fine, Jack. I trust you.”

Glancing over at the woman to his side, he couldn’t help but smile a little bit back at her. “I wish I had as much confidence in myself as you have in me.”

The elevator dinged quietly, and the doors slid open with nary a sound, revealing an opulent hall, leading to an open penthouse, filled with people. A butler bowed slightly to the three of them before he held out a leaflet and a betting chit. Taking the offered items, Jack did his best to hide his heavily pained limp and scan the crowd. The penthouse was full of people, wearing business suits, extravagant dresses, military uniforms, and tuxedos. Warlords, Dictators, Generals, and Runners mingled together, chatting in a dozen languages. They’d descended willingly into the wolves den.

Now all they had to do was find their wolf among the pack, and hope she was willing to play.

John Chambers shifted slightly, his perpetual frown stuck hard on his features as he scanned the crowd. His employer stood nearby, chatting with an acquaintance.

The mechanical clicks of Hans’ spiderform drew his attention momentarily as the old soldier went to his side. “Any sign of Foxhound?”

“No. Their thugs haven’t shown up yet, and neither has their employer.”

“Troubling. They wouldn’t pass up something like this, not with how much money it could make them.”

Having made her way back from the refreshments table, Vikki grinned at the pair over the edge of a martini glass. “You boys are worryink too much. He is just too much of coward to show face.”

John couldn’t help but snort at the idea. “I doubt that. Any sign of Mr. ‘Korsov’?”

“Yis.” Viktoriya grinned like a shark. “He just left elevator, two pretty gurls in tow.”

“Perfect. Right on time.” Hans began to skitter forward, passing through the crowd as John and Viktoriya watched.

Sighing, John continued his vigilant watch over his charge, and quietly hoped that the day would pass without incident.

Jack immediately perked when he spotted Hans skittering over on mechanical limbs, and altered his course to meet the entombed man. “You look good, for a robot.” Jack smiled weakly as he shot Hans a salute. The robotic spiderform was painted black with white accents, and had the VLI corporate logo proudly emblazoned across the chest piece.

“I never expected to see you in uniform again, Jack. And you look almost dead, are you alright?” Hans didn’t bother with a salute, which had Jack eternally grateful for.

“I’ll live long enough to finish the party.” Jack said with a slight grin, before motioning to his companions. “Yuma Stonegust, and Knight Captain Flitter Falenas.”

Hans bowed by bending his two front legs, before standing straight and beckoning them on. “Miss Voronin is eager to meet you both.”

“Lead on, Mr. Drescher.” Flitter spoke confidently as she held on to Jack’s arm. Following the spiderform through the crowd, the trio soon found themselves approaching a group by the balcony railing.

“Miss Voronin? Mr. Korsov and Knight Captain Falenas.” Hans stepped aside, leaving the arms dealer and the trio to look over each other. Olivia Voronin stood a confident five six with a very slight build. The woman was incredibly fair skinned, and her hair doubly so, almost to the point of appearing white. The tailored jacket she wore was furred around the collar, and despite it’s best attempts, it still managed to nearly swallow her diminutive frame. While the woman may not have been very much to look at it, her eyes were sharp as a razor and her small smile was calculated.

Holding out a thin hand, Olivia smiled toward them. “A pleasure to finally meet you both. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting this when my employee came to me with a problem. Now, how can I help you?”

Taking the offered hand, Flitter shook it firmly, before lacing her hands behind her back. “I’m glad you could meet us. We’re looking to make a platoon sized purchase.”

Shaking the Gun Runner’s hand, Jack nodded in agreement. “I’d like to point out that we don’t have much in the way of money-” The moment the words left his mouth, he watched as the warm, pleasant visage of Olivia turned positively frigid within seconds. He was quick to continue as he dug into his pocket. “So, I was hoping you’d be willing to trade.” Brandishing a ruby the size of his thumb, both Jack and Flitter felt relief wash over them as the warmth and light instantly returned to Olivia’s face.

“Well, normally I only deal in cash, but I think we can come to an agreement.” Gingerly reaching forward, Olivia plucked the offered ruby up and slowly looked it over. “Vikki, can you take a look at this?”

With clear glee and a happy purr, Viktoriya took the gem and began to carefully look it over, gauging its authenticity. “This is… wery nice! Yis, is real.” She seemed to hesitate for a moment, before giving it back to her employer, who then handed it back to Jack.

Smiling, Flitter put her arm through Jack’s. “Would you like to talk details now, or-”

“We’ll be staying for the auction. We can talk business afterwards, somewhere private. For now, stick around. You may see something interesting.”

Two City Blocks Away

Agent Fredericks glanced across the hotel room as Danner paced back and forth, while Floyd made a new pot of coffee. “Seems our mystery man and this woman are making a purchase off of Voronin.”

“Run a scan on the woman.” Danner snapped as she paced back and forth.

Smothering a sigh, Fredericks turned back to his console and centered a camera on the new woman’s face. “Looks like she’s arm candy for the Elysian Fields fella. I swear, he looks really… familiar… Wait, what the hell?” Running the search again and broadening the parameters, Fredericks placed two fingers against his temple. “Danner, Floyd, I’m not getting a single network ping on this woman.”

“Run vocals.” Danner shot back snappily. “She probably had a face change at some point.”

“I already did that, she’s not on any network. I’ve broadened to fringe networks.”

Floyd rolled.his chair over, and peered at the screen from over Frederick’s shoulder. “She’s hot. But… look how she carries herself. Definitely military. Might give us something.”

Ignoring the disgusted grunt the comment got out of Danner, Frederick narrowed the parameters of his search, and let his computers run it. “Nothing… our arm candy here is a ghost, as far as the network is concerned.”

“What about the big ass guard? Someone like that has to come up.” Floyd pointed at the huge bronzed woman in a suit. “Probably a military record or a criminal record-”

“...Jesus, same deal! I’m sending this to central, they’ll find something.”

Fredericks tensed when he felt Danner’s hands press down on the back of his chair. “Two ghosts and an Elysian Operator walk into a playboy’s mansion… I don’t like this.”

“Should we contact the Deputy Director?” Floyd asked carefully, but to his surprise, it earned no ire from Danner.

“Not yet. But detail a drone to follow them. I want everything, prints, vocals, movement patterns, comms. Everything.”

“Aye aye.”

Leaning back in his chair, Fredericks slowly scratched at his chin as he thought. “I wonder if these people are what Summers meant by something more.” The thin agent sighed as he shook his head, before reaching for his coffee. “Probably means trouble.”

“People like this always mean trouble.” Danner growled in return, before turning and stalking back to her chair.

“I’ve no doubt about that…”

“Five minutes out, going dark.”

The interior of the shuttle went dark, save for a red light that made the soldiers inside look like demons. Demons clad in light power armour and packing powered one centimeter carbines. Their armour bore the label ATF, but not a single man in the shuttle belonged to the organization, or respected it in the slightest. In reality, they belonged to Foxhound Industries, the direct competitor of Voronin Logistics Intergalactic in the arms dealing market.

“ATF is starting their mobilization. When they hit, weapons free. Take out Voronin and her guards, recover her body. We’re in and out, thirty seconds tops.”

“Call on collateral?”

“They’re scumbags. Nobody’ll blink twice if they get plugged.”

Phantom smirks spread across covered faces, as the disguised mercenaries checked their weapons and went over their gear with well practiced precision.

Thirty seconds. It was all they’d ever need.

“DANNER! Marley!” Fredericks span in his chair, spilling his coffee. Agent Danner was up and by his side in a heartbeat.

“What?”

“ATF just pulled up outside, six trucks and a swat team!”

It took a mere moment for the anger to pulse into Danner’s features, a mere moment for her to go from annoyed to furious. “The ATF? What the fuck are these clowns doing here!? Floyd, get Deputy Director Summers on the priority line, now!”

“They’re moving in! Teams moving up the stairs and elevator, toward the penthouse, I- Gunship! They have a gunship, less than a minute out!”

Danner stared at the screens, before slowly looking up to the window. Even two blocks away, she could see how badly things were going to go in a matter of moments.

“Fuck.”

“Next on the block is an intact suit of Mk. 2 Titan power armour, a prototype to the series used in the Great War by Hades Longbow soldiers. Bidding starts at eight billion dollars.”

Jack winced as he looked up at the armour, and heard the price tag. “Couldn’t get me in that suit for that much money… no way.”

Hans chuckled mechanically as he stood by Jack and watched the auction with feigned interest. “Mm, bad memories?”

“They had a penchant for bad servo feeds, tendency for snapping your spine when you went to scratch your ass. Feed sensor would read the movement, and the feed would tell the onboard computer to apply six thousand times the torque it needed.”

“Isn’t it wonderful when they skip animal testing and go straight to human trials?”

“Fuck, at that point, we may as well have been guinea pigs to them.” Jack leaned back, and cast a curious eye over toward Flitter and Yuma. The pair were touring the auction items with Olivia, close to the deck railing. Chambers hovered nearby, while Vikki seemed to have disappeared off somewhere. As the auction team was busying themselves with wheeling the heavy power suit on to the stage, Jack spotted a guard out of the corner of his eye acting oddly. The man walked by quickly, finger on his earpiece as he held some sort of advanced PDW. “Something’s up.”

“I see it too. I’ve informed the others and I’m working with a colleague to crack their comms.” Hans answered cooly, just as the host of the event mounted the stage and took the microphone.

Smiling like a shark, Kalani gestured to the crowd with open palms. “My friends and esteemed guests! I hate to put a pausing on my auction, but it seems we have some uninvited guests in the way of the ATF. Do not worry yourselves too terribly, my security teams are already dealing with this unwelcome intrusion. In the meantime, help yourselves to the refreshments!” The thin man quickly hopped off stage, but if his words had been believed before, they were cast into the mud when two armed guards quickly escorted Kalani deeper into his penthouse, likely to a safe room. Disconcerted murmurs spread through the crowd as the guests began to talk about leaving.

Jack was moving the moment Kalani’s feet left the stage. With Hans by his side, he began crossing the balcony, toward Flitter and Olivia.

“Jack!” Flitter called out to him, concern etched into her features as she looked him in the eye.

“We’ll be alright.” He assured her with a smile he didn’t feel.

As the words left his mouth, his ears pricked at the sound of whining repulsor turbines. As the gunship appeared above the balcony, Jack had only a split second to think, before the nose gun raked the balcony, shattering the tempered glass with blistering cerulean bolts. It was only luck or providence that spared those around him as they dove for cover. For the split second Jack had, he cursed his broken, battered body for not listening to him, for not responding the instant he needed it to. His curse did little for him as a single roiling cerulean bolt struck his midriff. The concentrated pulse bolt burned away his uniform, and boiled the fluids in his skin and muscle within an instant. The energy transferred from the bolt to Jack’s body in a snap as the bolt exploded on contact. The world slowed to a crawl as he was flung off his feet like a doll, with a misted spray of vaporized blood, boiling fat, and liquified offal taking his previous place.

It was like being flicked in the guts by a vengeful god; the strike burning all the air out of his lungs. The burst of bolts struck nearby as he slowly fell; their intense energy shattered the tempered glass that made up the balcony floor. Olivia and Flitter began to fall, the Gunrunner beginning to scream in surprise and horror while Flitter tensed and reached for a handhold.

Chambers pulled a pistol from his coat the moment the gunship fired, though his slugs did nothing against the hardened carapace of the death machine.

Jack hit the floor and bounced, the energy that had sent him flying sending him skidding further across the cracked glass, leaving a deep red stain behind him as he tumbled. When he came to a rest, the last vestiges of his breath began to escape as a death rattle.

Flitter was falling. While she was used to the sensation in an intimate fashion, the sight of the gunship had caused her heart to fall into her stomach. When it’s nose gun had opened up and shattered the glass under her, her training kicked in, taking over while her mind still reeled at the sudden developments. Olivia was below her, skidding down the angled slope toward the edge. As Flitter tumbled and tried to right herself, the young woman crested the edge, and began her plummet of two hundred floors straight down. Allowing her body to spin on the incline, Flitter felt her shoe heels break as they impacted the edge, though she hardly needed shoes for what came next. With the impact throwing her forward, Flitter pushed off the roof, and stuck her arms tight to her side as she began to fall.

Below her, Olivia flailed her arms wildly, her scream consumed by rushing air. Reacting to her thoughts, Flitter’s wings burst from their magical tattoo trappings, and spread out through the open backing of her dress. They quickly snapped back to her sides as she turned herself into a needle, and cut through the air. With only a few feet between them, Flitter wrapped her arms around the other woman and clamped her down with muscles like steel cable. Curling her wings, Flitter cut to the side, and began her controlled descent with the terrified arms dealer clamped to her chest.

Olivia’s flailing ceased the moment Flitter snapped her wings and cut their airspeed. Anything she had to say was stolen by the wind that still ripped passed them, though it was doubtful that it was going to be overly useful. Tilting her head back up, Flitter had only a moment to decide if she was going to head back up and join the fight, or get Olivia to safety. Her decision was made for her as the gunship twisted on its axis, having disgorged its troops. It tilted down, thrusters whining as it accelerated, and began to give chase.

Beating her wings, Flitter cut to the inside of the draft between buildings, and began to plummet again, picking up airspeed, before rolling and jinking between two buildings. The gunship’s nose gun spoke again, sending a pack of blindingly bright shots zipping passed her. Jinking again, Flitter curled one wing, and snapped the other, sending her into a hard rolling dive.

She couldn’t keep this up forever, not with the deadweight against her stomach. She was reminded again as another burst stitched the air around her. It was only luck that kept her alive this time, and that the nose gunner apparently wasn’t used to firing on fast moving airborne targets. The ground was approaching quickly, and Flitter had to make another snap decision. The densely packed civilians on the ground were slow in their response to the crackling gunfire, creating a sea of bodies she hoped she could disappear into.

The third burst popped that plan like a bubble in an instant, as the boiling plasma passed by her so closely that it burned the skin on her arm from the heat. The shots impacted among the crowd, instantly killing several people with violent cerulean explosions. In that instant she knew that hiding wouldn’t be an option. The crew had just shown their complete willingness to open fire on innocent civilians; the gunship would clearly do whatever it took to kill both her and Olivia.

In a way, it simplified things. All she had to do was take down the gunship.

Flaring her wings, Flitter made a hard, fast turn that would have been impossible for anything save for a pegasus, cutting a hard ninety degree turn into an alleyway as the people below her panicked and scattered. All she needed was the right spot.

She quickly found it in an open recycling dumpster. “Sorry!” She called to her passenger, just before dropping the woman into it without a second thought. Flitter landed hard, but on her feet. The remains of her heels skidded across the pavement, before impacting another dumpster. The shoes all but flew off her feet as she coiled like a spring, and shot back out of the alley with all the speed she could muster. Without the dead weight, she could have possibly lost the gunship in the city, but that wasn’t what she was aiming for. The gunship whined as it came to a hover before the alley, but upon finding Flitter coming at it like a bullet, it bucked and jerked in an attempt to get a bead on her.

Passing under the nose gun, she reached out to grasp the running gear, before twisting her body and swinging upwards. Flitter pulsed up along the side of the gunship, surprising the door gunner as he peered over the side for a target. Grasping the grab bars, Flitter pulled her legs up, before releasing a powerfully coiled double buck into the gunner’s chest. The impact went up her spine like a shot as her bare feet struck power armour, but the pain was momentarily negligible as the gunner stumbled backwards, releasing his gun as he careened into the man on the other side. The only thing that held him in was a thin braided cable, hooked into the roof. Grasping the grips of the door gun, Flitter spun it on it’s pintle, and depressed the butterfly triggers as the tri-barrel passed over the gunners.

The powered barrels of the weapon responded instantly, spitting brilliant cerulean bolts at the men. As they impacted, the first gunner split in half at the waist, before both gunners just seemed to come apart and disappear as the compounding shots blew them apart like localized bomb strikes. With the gunners dead and vaporized, Flitter yanked the gun further out of its yoke, and aimed the barrels at the back of the cockpit. She pinned the trigger down, allowing the howling bolts to boil metal and circuitry, before they painted the canopy with vaporized blood and viscera. As the bolts cut through pilot, gunner, and control consoles, the gunship lurched and bucked, warning it’s unwanted passenger of its impending demise. With a grunt of exertion, Flitter grasped the weapon yolk with her prosthetic arm, before ripping the weapon free of it’s pintle mounting. Flaring her wings, she detached herself from the gunship as it spun and slammed into a nearby building. The doomed vehicle scrapped itself across the exterior of the building, showering the pavement below with glass, before crashing down onto the crowded street. People scattered in every direction, screaming and yelling as the twisted fuselage careened forward on the death throes of the engines, crushing several recently abandoned cars with its armoured bulk.

Landing in the alley with a pained thud, Flitter finally allowed herself to breath as she hefted the heavy door gun and surveyed the damage. The gunship had come to a stop on its side, and the engines still whined quietly as it lay still. Setting the heavy tri-barrelled weapon over her shoulder, Flitter took a moment to adjust her dress, before walking bare foot back into the alley.

“Miss Voronin?”

As Flitter spoke, she heard the other woman rustling about in the recycling dumpster, before the lid popped open, and the frazzled woman slowly climbed out. Landing with a clack, Olivia shakily brushed herself off, before looking up at her savior. Finding Flitter standing above her, easily carrying a mounted gun and with wings tucked against her body, Olivia seemed to freeze.

“Are you alright?” Flitter asked breathlessly as sirens began to approach.

Snapped out of her thoughts and staring, Olivia nodded jerkily. “Yeah, I’m alright.” Tapping her ear, Olivia spoke again. “Nate, I need that pick up, now. Good. Okay. Yes, all callsigns, I’m alright. Disengage and retreat. I-” She paused for a moment, as if listening to something. Worry crossed her face quickly. “I understand, John. I’ll do what I can to get you and the others out.”

As the sirens reached the crash, Flitter tossed the gun into the dumpster, and started in the opposite direction. “We need to go.”

“Agreed.”

The pair quickly set off down the alleys, skirting police cruisers and avoiding attention. With her wings hidden once again within the tattoo trappings, Flitter allowed the work and the pain in her feet to distract her. She needed the distraction, otherwise her mind would instantly snap back, and force her to rewatch Jack getting struck by one of the gunship’s rounds. Having seen what the guns could do to somebody in power armour...

“He’s fine… he’s okay.” She assured herself, despite the empty pit that was forming in her stomach, despite the dread that was swiftly filling her brain.

He was alright. He was going to make it.

Jack repeated the mantra in his head as he willed himself to stay alive. The pain in his body had turned into a white noise scream in the background of his mind, against the firefight taking place over him. He just had to get up, and get over to his friends. He’d been shot before, and this wouldn’t be the last time. He just had to ignore the oily stench of boiled fat and melted flesh.

His brain seemed to be turning sluggish, as his body refused to listen to his commands. All he could do was try to move, and watch the area before him. Yuma and the others were holed up behind some solid cover, trading shots with the soldiers who were pressing up along the balcony. Several others lay dead across the floor, and the security team was torn between shooting at the ATF, and the trigger happy soldiers on the balcony.

Rushing forward, one of the power armoured soldiers mounted John’s cover, and aimed his carbine at the besieged man. The soldier didn’t get a chance to fire into him, as Yuma lunged forward, forcing the barrel of the gun up with her flesh and blood hand, while grabbing the soldier’s helmet with her crude prosthetic. What the arm lacked in subtlety, it rapidly made up in raw power. With a roar befitting a minotaur, Yuma crushed the power armoured helmet in a shower of sparks, before ripping the head off, and hurling it at the closest soldier.

He just had to get up. Get over to them. He had to help.

Don’t get up Jack. I’ve put too much work into you-

Slowly but surely, Jack began to roll onto his knees. He could do this. He was okay-

His internal mantra ended when what was left of his guts fell out of the burning hole left in his stomach. Slipping on his own blood, Jack crashed back down to the deck, blood drooling out from between his open lips.

You don’t get to die, Jack. Just move your arms. Get the vial. Just hold on a little longer. You’ll die when I tell you, you’re not allowed to die.

Darkness swiftly began to crowd the edges of his vision as he continued the agonizing process of bleeding to death through a gaping chest wound. The fact he hadn’t died from shock yet was an incredible one, but a quick death would have been preferable to this.

With his eyes rolling in his skull, Jack spotted Yuma again, and internally, he cheered her on. She was using the headless soldier as a shield, while John fired around her bulk. It was a good idea, Jack thought to himself, before withering fire from the other soldiers shredded the body, and destroyed Yuma’s only remaining arm. The heavy muscle seemed to come apart like wet ribbon, causing the heifer to shriek in pain as she was dragged back behind cover just in time to avoid sharing Jack’s fate.

YOU DON’T GET TO DIE! I have come so close, I refuse to let you give up now! You are not allowed to ruin everything!

Flopping onto his side and resting his head in the pool of his own blood, Jack weakly felt at his ruined uniform. The breast pocket catch just seemed to refuse his dumb, bloody fingers. It felt like an eon, before he managed to work the flap out, and grab the little case inside his pocket. Drawing it out, he quickly lost his grip, and the case clattered onto the deck, splashing blood everywhere.

Let’s see what the mind of a human can come up with, shall we?

As Jack’s hand began to move seemingly on it’s own, he closed his eyes, and let out his last breath.

It started as a numb prick into the side of his neck, followed by the sensation of his skin crawling. The sensation quickly spread out across his dead body, infesting his brain as it fired its last neuron. Despite the crawling sensation, the lights went out, and Jack Kessle breathed his last.

“Somebody get me a sitrep.” Deputy Director Summers ordered over the video link. He was now directly tapped into every feed the team had, and he could tell that things had deteriorated.

“Situation is irretrievable sir.” Marley Danner was the first to speak. “We suspect it was Foxhound who attacked in the gunship, disguising themselves as ATF.”

“Any evidence of that?”

She nodded once. “They went immediately for Voronin, live ammo. Her contact, the Elysian double black, he’s been KIA. Voronin took a fall, and we’ve since lost track of her.”

Summers furrowed his brows as he steepled his fingers. “Explain.”

“One of the Ghosts, sir.” Floyd spoke up. “She went down after Voronin. You’ll need to see the video for yourself. It’s… we don’t know what to make of it.”

“I’ll see to it in a moment. What’s the situation like now?”

Fredericks did his best to get a better angle with the drone. “Voronin’s team is pinned down, one ghost badly wounded. Foxhound has lost one of eight, second ghost… ripped their head off. Literally. ATF is almost at the penthouse, and we’ve got the media springing into action. Won’t be long before the air is full of shuttles.”

“What a disaster…” Summers rubbed at the bridge of his nose, before sighing. “Keep on it. Try and find Voronin, if she’s vulnerable, she’ll try something risky-”

“Guys, you should take a look at this! Seems Double Black is still alive!”

Danner scowled, and immediately stalked over toward the screen in question. “I doubt it. He took a two centimeter power slug to the chest.”

“Look!”

Pain.

Jack knew pain.

Pain was something that had inundated his life for countless years, poisoning everything. But this… this wasn’t pain. It was hell, distilled into an injectable form, and shot into his veins like boiling heroin.

Twenty seconds after breathing his last breath, Jack’s eyes had fluttered open, and breath returned to his lungs. Ten seconds after that, his loose guts began to recoil, pulling themselves back into his ruined body. His mouth fell open in silent agony as white hot hell spread through him like a skittering plague.

Aww, does it hurt? You better learn to love the pain, Jack. There’s a lot more of it to come.

His blood began to pulse up and around his arms as he pushed himself up; the blood pouring back into his wounds like a branding iron spreading open his veins. As his skin pulled itself back together, his silent agony turned into a low, hellish growl. His body clicked and shifted as the serum did its work, his new wounds sealing, and his old wounds mending. Scars and stress fractures disappeared and sealed, while newly constructed muscle began to devour fat, and obsolete muscles that couldn’t handle the load any more.

Drawing up to his knees, Jack growled and hissed through clenched teeth as his head buzzed like a hornets nest. He could feel the serum, like a billion little insects flying through his body, repairing all of the damage he’d ever wrought upon himself. With every passing second, he felt less pain, and more anger.

The anger had never left him, it seemed. It had just gone cold and hibernated in the pit of his heart, until it was needed again.

And right now…

He needed a lot of anger.

Bloody fingers grasped the handle of his cane with a grip made of steel, and without a word, he willed his blade to extend. The magical monomolecular blade sprung forth on a wave of ethereal fire, before hardening into magic infused surgical steel. The length of a longsword, Jack pressed the tip into the floor under him as he used the knife turned sword as a means to pull himself off his knees.

Alright, Killer. Let’s take the new wheels for a spin.

A wicked grin spread his bloody lips wide as his grip tightened on the grip of the weapon. “Lord save my wicked soul, I just can’t stop myself.”

Without a single sound escaping him, save for his boots treading over tempered glass, Jack leapt into the fray, eager to return what these soldiers had given him.

Crouched behind the heavy cover, Vikki screamed a scathing string of curses at the men keeping her pinned down. She could feel the ballistic barrier within the bar giving out behind her; the heat from numerous impacts already burning her pale skin.

“Olivia’s made it out, now we just need to escape.” Hans spoke calmly, though it took considerable effort for him to sound worried or panicked anymore.

“Easier said than done.” John fired a loud round out of his handcannon, before going back to cinching down the tourniquet over Yuma’s singed stump. “You’ll be alright, Miss. Just keep breathing.”

Poking her head out, Vikki yelped as a chunk of bar was blown back into her face. “Cyka! I will kill you for that!”

“Oh yeah?” One of the soldiers finally spoke, just as a grenade clinked over the bar, sans spool and pin.

Before the Russian girl had a chance to curse, a massive metal paw slammed down on the grenade, smashing it deep into the floorboards and cracking the casing. The swiftly resulting thump only went as far as to buck Hans off his legs. The misguided shrapnel dug into the floor, while shredding Yuma’s finger joints.

“That’s twice now, Miss.” John said with a weak chuckle as Yuma withdrew her metal arm. “Let me try and return the favour at least.”

SNICKERSNACK

The odd sound struck like an abnormal gunshot, splitting the air. Across the room, somebody yelled, and another burst of powered shots boiled the air, but didn’t strike the bar. Peeking up, Vikki’s eyes went wide as she murmured a quiet prayer.

The soldiers turned, firing on one of their own as his headless corpse was used as a shield by the recently dead man. His power armour absorbed the blows just long enough for Jack to rip his sword out of his chest, and relieve the dead man of his carbine. Diving to the side with speed and agility that defied the pained limps he’d shown not minutes prior, Jack slid across the smooth floor, into cover. The soldiers moved forward, only to find Jack moving as well. Flinging his sword turned knife at one of them, a yell of surprise went out as a burst of unknown energy from the blade severed another man’s head from his shoulders. The knife rebounded back to the sender, as if it had a mind of it’s own, before shifting into a claymore as it was caught in a waiting hand.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS-” The scream of confusion didn’t get a chance to finish as Jack rolled over a display case, and fired a burst into a hostile soldier’s face, spraying his disintegrated grey matter across the floor and wall. The soldier behind him lifted his weapon to fire on Jack, only to have it smashed to pieces by the wildly swinging claymore. With a hellish growl and a bloodthirsty grin, Jack bore down on the soldier, forcing him back with the blade between them. Quickly half swording the big blade, Jack set it against the throat of his victim, before jerking the weapon to the side. The monomolecular edge didn’t dig as deep as he’d hoped it would, but the cut was more than enough as the vorpal magic snapped like a scythe, cleaving the soldier’s head off.

“Now or never, people!” Hans called from behind cover that he was swiftly mounting. Scooping up a fallen plasma gun, the heavy spiderform opened up on the soldier’s flanks, just as Jack crashed into them like a locomotive.

With pressure applied from three sides, the three remaining soldiers began to swiftly retreat to the stairwell, but didn’t get much further than that when they ran into the ATF swat team. Screams for lowered weapons went unheeded, and soon, bursts of automatic gunfire filled the air again.

Mantling the bar, Jack looked to his temporary companions with a grin that could freeze water. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, eh? I figure we’ve got twenty seconds before the ATF get through that door.”

Not one to let the situation get the better of him, Hans began moving toward the penthouse proper. “Kalani has an emergency elevator, straight to the garage.”

The exclamation earned a pair of glances from John and Vikki, but not from Jack, who was busy picking up Yuma. “Let’s go then! I don’t aim to spend much time in a cell today! I aim to misbehave!”

Shrugging his spidery limbs, Hans quickly began to skitter over the ruins and bodies left on the floor of the penthouse floor. As they moved for Kalani’s private room, the ATF collided with the surviving security forces and fleeing guests.

“Kalani was talking about it when the ATF first arrived.” Hans moved forward, pointing toward the open bookcase. “He was the first out.” Tapping the call button, Hans turned to face the rest of the group.

“Slippery Cyka…” Vikki muttered, before turning at the sound of crashing furniture.

Piling up Kalani’s incredibly expensive furniture against the door, Jack turned back to the group just as the express elevator dinged. Not a word was said as they all piled in, nearly overloading the car as John hit the button to descend. Just as the doors closed, the door to the bedroom blew open, and agents rushed in, shouting their allegiance.

The elevator music was pleasant, enough so to have Jack humming along and tapping the pommel of his blade as he rested the tip in the floor.

Clearing her throat, Vikki shot Jack a confident little grin. “Cyoot sword~”

“I’ll be sure to tell her you said that.”

A quiet little ding sounded out as they swiftly reached the garage. Jack couldn’t help but whistle happily at the sight of the few dozen collector cars.

“Hmmm~ Decisions decisions~ Vikki happily sashayed forward, looking over the vehicles. “Eeny, meeny, miny, mine!” She drew a finger across the glossy cherry red paint of the supercar, her smile bright enough to light the entire garage.

“Vikki!” John called out as he continued to help Yuma along. “Pick something big enough for all of us and the boss!”

With a disparaged growl, Vikki gestured around to the garage full of supercars. “I don’t see no fucking seedan, John!”

With his own eyes scanning the garage, Jack swiftly found his own grin returning. “Vikki, John, get Yuma to your doctor. Hans, ride with me and help me find your boss.”

“We need to stick together!” John yelled, but found his protest falling on deaf ears as Jack circled a car older than he was.

Turning toward the big man, Hans spoke up as Jack moved for the keybox. “John, we’ve better luck if we split up. I’ll get Olivia, you need to make sure our guest makes it back. Alright?”

Sighing as Vikki clambered into the sleek supercar, John nodded once, before turning away and helping the badly wounded Yuma into the passenger seat and onto his lap. With a bob of his chassis, Hans turned back to Jack as the man opened the door of the 1970 plum purple Dodge Charger. “I hope you know what you’re doing-” The rest of his sentence was cut off as the car started, and cleared its throat with a hefty rumble. Popping open the passenger door, Jack beckoned Hans in.

Setting down next to Jack, Hans secured his chassis, before checking the stolen carbine. “I have Olivia’s tracker, she’s with your Knight Captain.”

“Great, just navigate for me, and I’ll get them out.” Throwing the gear shift into first, the supercharged muscle car lurched from it’s resting place with squealing tires. The red super car hummed along behind them in an instant. Passing by the sensor, the garage door began to trundle open as Jack opened up the throttle, and let the old V8 roar.

Outside, the local officers and the ATF prepared their positions as the garage door began to open again, and another vehicle approached. Specialized emp spike launchers were loaded, awaiting the first vehicle to come through. They’d already captured the owner of the highrise penthouse through them, and the approaching guests would be no different.

As the ancient musclecar roared into sight, the officers fired, and perforated it’s side with the car killers.

Shifting into third, Jack feathered the brakes as he spun the wheel; the staccato thumps against the side of his stolen vehicle hardly bothering him in the slightest. As the heavy car slid sideways, he dumped the clutch, and launched forward with smoking and squealing tires. The emp spikes sank deep into the sheet metal panels, but did nothing as the energy pulses meant to scramble advanced computer systems ran through the heavy steel frame and passed harmlessly to the wheels. Officers were forced to flee as the heavy vehicle slammed into a much lighter cruiser, sending the struck vehicle skidding out of the way. The purple Charger set off down the road, supercharger howling for its freedom. A swift red supercar stuck to its tail the whole time, avoiding the killer emp spikes by virtue of being second. By the time the officers had regrouped, the red car had disappeared, and the purple musclecar was tearing away.

“They sure don’t build them like they used to!” Hans yelled over the sound of the roaring engine. “How did you know the spikes wouldn’t work!?”

“The what?!” Jack yelled back as he grinned like a banshee. It had been far too long since he’d driven, and naturally, Seattle’s traffic was god awful.

“The EMP spikes!”

“Was that what those were?”

“You had no idea…” Hans sank into his seat with a groan. “Take fifth avenue, up ahead. Turn right.” Feathering the brakes again, Jack mounted the curb and skirted the lines as he kept right. Hans muttered a curse as civilians dove out of the way of the vehicle. “Jack, we need to talk!”

“Can it wait? We’ve got the Five-Oh aiming to spank us for being naughty!” Jack continued to grin as he wheeled the heavy vehicle back onto the street and began weaving through traffic.

“This car has no right handling like this!” Hans growled, before tilting a camera to the back. Sure enough, flashing red and blue lights were closing in behind them. “Dammit, Take this next right, then immediate left!”

“Oorah!”

Flitter was in trouble.

If luck had been on her side, all she would have had to worry about was the coarse concrete and debris roughing up the soles of her feet, but now she had to deal with armed men chasing after both her and Olivia. She swiftly found herself wishing that she hadn’t tossed the heavy tri-barrel into the trash. While the weapon was hardly subtle, it was better than nothing.

“What kind of arms dealer doesn’t carry a gun!?”

“The kind that usually has six heavily armed guards!” Olivia cried back in anger as Flitter pulled her down another sidestreet. The armed men wouldn’t be far behind them, and their fancy clothes stuck out harshly among the Seattleites warm winter gear. Flitter could already feel the bite of the wind across her exposed flesh.

“Princesses fuck me galloping…” Flitter cursed, before tugging Olivia’s sleeve as she ducked into a clothing store. Ducking below the racks, Flitter began to make her way to the back of the store. As she neared it, she heard the door chime again four times.

“I am going to skin that man alive…” Olivia muttered with venom as she hunkered down behind a rack of jeans.

“Which one?” Flitter murmured back as she snagged a box of shoes and pulled them on. They were very large on her small feet, but were better than nothing.

“Elias Fox, owner of Foxhound Industries.” The woman growled as she fixed her white coat. “God-” She hardly had a moment to protest as Flitter quickly pulled her into a dressing room and clamped a hand over her mouth.

The thump of heavy boots met their ears as one of the men paced by, gun drawn. Flitter slowly licked her parched lips, before holding a single finger up to them, wordlessly shushing the arms dealer. When Olivia nodded, Flitter turned, and lunged out through the curtain. The man on the other side yelped for a brief moment, before he was dragged into the dressing room. Clamped around his back, Flitter pressed her mechanical hand against his mouth, while her other hand flicked the safety over on his gun as he tried to bring it to bear. Before he could struggle too greatly, Flitter twisted his shoulders to the left with her powerful legs, while sharply twisting his head to the right. The man’s neck snapped with a rather loud crack, causing Olivia to flinch slightly as he went limp in Flitter’s hands.

Neither woman had much of a chance to celebrate the little victory as the curtain was thrown wide by another armed man. Scooping up the fallen gun, Olivia gave the intruder a sole second to live before she put three powered slugs into him and blew him off his feet. Gunfire swiftly began tearing apart the store as the remaining two men opened fire on the changing rooms. Screams of the patrons cut the air between gunshots, while Flitter and Olivia went down low, heading for the fire exit.

Crashing through the door, Olivia pressed a finger against her ear. “Where the hell are you, Hans!?”

As Flitter turned and shoved Olivia into cover, a single round, unlike the powered slugs, slammed into her mechanical arm as it occupied the space the other woman had only moments prior. The round punched through the armoured plates with contemptuous ease, and all but blew the limb off; leaving behind a glowing, sparking stump as Flitter cried out in surprise. The armoured assailant was adjusting his aim as the alley was filled with guttural roaring and squealing tires. The man turned, and brought his weapon to bear in the new sound, only to get run down by a plum crazy purple Charger.

Skidding to a stop as the man tumbled several meters away, Jack leaned out the window and beckoned the two women. “Look alive ladies!”

Despite the pain lancing Flitter’s shoulder through her heated prosthetic, she found herself smiling brightly at the sight of him.

Not wasting a single moment, Olivia dashed toward the passenger side, where Hans was busy clambering into the back seat. As she passed by her fallen attacker, Olivia lifted her stolen pistol and sent two slugs into the offender’s head as he lay on the pavement.

Climbing through the open drivers side window, Flitter gasped in surprise as Jack reached out and grabbed her firmly by the ass, pulling her in as he gunned the throttle. The supercharger whined and howled, matching the squealing tires as the vehicle lurched forward and shot out of the alley. As they turned the corner, the fourth assailant sent a burst of rounds across the trunk of the vehicle, spurring Jack’s leadfoot down deeper.

“Welcome aboard, Boss.” Hans spoke lightly as he fired back at the fourth man as he exited the alley, shattering the back window in the process.

“You’re in for a raise, Mr. Drescher!” Olivia called out as she made room for Flitter. Crawling out of Jack’s lap, Flitter panted from the adrenaline rush.

As the sirens returned behind them, Jack gripped the wheel and grit his teeth tightly as his vision began to swim. The ruined side of his face felt like it was on fire; melting all over again. “Jack, what’s-” Flitter grabbed his shoulder, before going silent as she watched his twisted flesh remold and grow back before her very eyes. “Stars…”

His vision was instantly flooded with colour as his rebuilt right eye finally connected to his optic nerve. Blinking away tears, Jack found himself with depth perception again, as well as a vastly improved peripheral. In that peripheral, he saw the utterly horrified looks on Flitter and Olivia’s faces. Forcing his jaw to unclench, he spoke out as a pained growl. “Where do I go now!?”

“T-the… erm… g-give me a moment!” Olivia gagged slightly as she turned away from him. “Hans, where’s Nate with the shuttle?”

“They just picked up the others, they’ll meet us up ahead on the freeway. Jack, left, now!”

Every occupant was thrown to the side as the 440 big block was kicked down a gear and the brake feathered heavily; the ass end of the heavy vehicle kicked sideways, nearly clipping a vehicle passing legally through the intersection. The police cruisers made the turn far better, and were quickly back on their tail. No matter how hard Jack shifted and hauled on the big block, the lightweight cruisers with their modern power plants could easily catch up with the Charger as it grabbed asphalt.

“Through this roundabout!”

“Hold on, Ladies!” Jack called out as he brought the car around, and sent it through the roundabout nearly sideways.

Thrown against the side of the car, Olivia groaned as she gave the leather seat a terrified deathgrip. “I think I’m gonna be sick…”

Gritting her teeth against the force of the turn, Flitter was clinging on to Jack as they span around the roundabout, Police cruisers swiftly filling up several streets. “What’s the purpose of this circle!?” She screamed.

“Take a right here!” Hans cried out, before getting thrown to the other side as Jack fought the car and let it swing its heavy metal ass the other way. The whole frame twisted with the force, and the tires greedily ate up pavement. Moments later, they mounted an onramp, and found themselves in the gridlocked freeway. Ahead, a large police roadblock was waiting.

“Hans!” Jack yelled.

“I see it, just keep straight!”

“Aw hell!”

With the gridlocked vehicles rapidly approaching, and cruisers hot on his tailpipe, Jack grit his teeth, and prepared to hammer the brakes. As he reached the range of no return, a large ship floated into view, the loading ramp down all the way. The ship set down on the freeway, matching the speed of the charger as it’s loading ramp scraped up a swarm of sparks. At the last moment, the ship cut it’s speed, and the Charger leapt up the ramp. Unable to brake in time, the vehicle crashed into the back wall, causing the crew chief to dive to the side to avoid the car.

“They’re in! Gogogo!”

The shuttle lurched up as the ramp began to close, leaving behind the chaos in Seattle.

“Nate, throw on the scrambler and take us into orbit! We’ll meet up with the Halcyon and shake scans!” Olivia barked from the back seat into her earpiece, though she didn’t rise from the seat.

Finally allowing his body to relax, Jack let out a long, easy breath as he keyed off the Charger. The vehicle went silent, save for the soft ticking coming from under the hood.

“We made it…” Flitter murmured next to him as Olivia’s guards helped her out of the vehicle. The woman’s legs shook so badly she had to be carried by John.

“We made it.” Jack reaffirmed as the shuttle shot into orbit. Slowly reaching out, Flitter ran her fingertips across his rebuilt features, though she said nothing. Without a word, Jack reached up, placing his own hand over hers.

Setting his forehead against hers, Jack glanced over as Hans cleared his electronic throat. “When we land on the Halcyon, you both should see the doctor. They’ve stabilized your friend, but she’ll need surgery.”

With a nod, Jack undid his seatbelt, and slowly began to pull himself from the vehicle. He found himself shocked when the usual pain that greeted him was utterly absent. Pulling himself out a little quicker, Jack began to check over himself, while Flitter climbed out after him.

“You need a mirror, Jack. It’s… you’re…” She gestured toward him, before deflating ever so slightly. “I thought… I saw you go down, and… I thought-” Flitter jumped as the shuttle set down with a dull thump.

“Alright ladies and gents, welcome home.” The pilot, Nate, spoke over the intercom as the shuttle engines slowly winded down.

“That was… fast.” Jack turned to look about. As the loading ramp slowly lowered, Hans clicked up next to Jack and Flitter.

“Welcome to the Halcyon.”

November 17th, 2119

Orbit over Australia

“Doctor Blackburn? Deputy Director Summers of the CIA is on line two.”

Blackburn glanced up from his work as his receptionist called in through the intercom on his desk. Surely enough, his neglected omnilink was blinking to signify a waiting call.

“Mm. Lost track of time it seems… Send the call through. I’ll take it in the QEC.” Spinning in his chair, Blackburn stood and removed his stained smock, hanging it next to his suit jacket. The wall recessed as he approached, opening up to reveal the quantum entanglement communications system room. While something so incredibly sophisticated wasn’t needed to take a call from Earth, Ernest greatly enjoyed the device, and the QEC was quite possibly the most electronically secure space in all of human space. Stepping into the circle, Blackburn waited as Summers materialized before him. “Deputy Director.”

“Doctor.” Summers was seated at his desk with his hands clasped together before him. The portly man looked severe, which was an unusual look for him.

“I assume you have a good reason to contact me over official channels, Brad. You have my personal line.”

“It’s because this is official business, Ernest. You gave me your word back in ninety-nine that you wouldn’t have your men interfere with any work on Earth.”

Blackburn paused for a brief moment as he quickly thought back, trying to recall how many teams he had operating on the surface. Not many, save for training. “Colour me curious, Brad. What makes you think I’ve broken my word?”

On cue, the video sprung up before Blackburn, and everything clicked together in an instant. As he watched the video, the older man felt an intense knot ball up in his guts when Jack was struck by the two centimeter power bolt and sent flying. A death sentence for certain, but… He soon found himself hiding a smile as Jack took his BZ9K nanite injection, and swiftly returned to the fray. While Blackburn had been expecting quite a show from his old operative, he hadn’t expected the sword. Quirking a brow as he continued to watch, the old doctor’s brain kicked into high gear as he tried to suss out how the blade was morphing so quickly, and yet cutting through power armour like a knife through butter.

Regardless of the details, Blackburn found himself at an awkward impasse. “I don’t know what to tell you, Brad. This one isn’t one of my operatives. While, yes, I admit he’s in our system, he isn’t one of mine.” Yet.

“So you’re telling me, that this man who clearly defied death, regenerated half his guts, killed four soldiers in power armour with nothing but an unidentifiable melee weapon, escaped the ATF and the SPD, isn’t one of yours? Elysian Fields Double Black?” Summers stared hard at Blackburn, as if the glare could force the truth from him.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I’ll tell you what though.” Ernest set his hands on the railing before himself. “I’ll look into it, honestly and seriously. I’ll make sure he doesn’t interfere with whatever it is you’re working on. Does that sound fair?”

Not budging an inch, Summers blinked once as he responded. “I want a report on your solution to the situation. You aren’t going to keep me in the dark over this, Ernest.”

“Of course, Brad. Was there anything else?”

“Not as of yet. I’ll be sure to contact you if something new comes up.” Summers sat up further in his seat, clearly pleased with his progress. “Be-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as Blackburn cancelled the connection and walked back out of the QEC.

“Computer, bring up all available surveillance footage on Jack Kessle in last twenty four hours.” He sat down at his desk, and steepled his fingers before his face. “Let’s see what trouble you’ve gotten yourself into, Jack.”

One thing was certain about Olivia Voronin’s ship; The Halcyon was big. Following after Hans, Jack got a feeling for the size of the freighter as he passed through gangways and entered an elevator. He’d been quickly separated from Flitter and Yuma as the pair had been hauled off to the medical unit aboard the ship, despite his open want to follow after them. The elevator shot up, giving him a brief glimpse of the hold as his mind buzzed in ways it hadn’t for years. The hold itself was monstrously large, easily giving a seaborne mass freighter a run for their money in terms of sealed space. Thousands of tonnes worth of cargo could fit inside it, and there’d still be room for people to pass through the aisles. With some modifications, a ship like this could carry a whole battalion and their equipment.

His view swiftly ended as the elevator stopped at the residential deck, and Hans opened the gate. “Just a little further.”

“The girls will be alright, right?” Jack asked quietly as they passed by a small number of crew members.

“Yes, of course, they’re under the care of End and Olimar. You can trust us, Jack. We’ll take care of your people to the best of our abilities.”

With a soft sigh, Jack nodded. “Right… thanks man, I really appreciate this.”

“It’s not a problem. One moment, please.” Pausing by a odd looking rack that sat recessed into the residential deck wall, Hans slowly pressed his battered frame into it. Not a moment later, the machine came to life, and swiftly pulled Hans’ brainbox out of the frame. The moment the connection was severed, the frame went limp, and was pulled into another suddenly opened recess, which quickly shut again as automated actuators began to pull the beaten frame apart within for repairs. Stepping back, Jack furrowed his brow as he looked around for where Hans was now.

He didn’t have to look for long as a panel with SECURITY painted in big bold white letters slid open, and a seven foot tall suit of power armour stepped out, rolling its shoulders. The suit seemed as if it were a suit of upsized power armour, crammed full of mechanical parts and additional electronics. The chestplate alone was as wide as Jack was shoulder to shoulder.

“Apologies, I could feel my servos grinding; I hate that feeling. I’ll borrow this security drone for the time being.” Looking far up at the towering battlesuit, Jack couldn’t help but feel a little dwarfed as the sensor cluster swivelled down and focused on his face. “Follow me, we can talk in the commons, bitte.”

“Right…” Slowly following after the heavy clanging footsteps of the commandeered drone, Jack couldn’t help but ask what was on his mind. “Why do you even bother with that tiny body if you’ve got this thing to stomp around in?”

“Hah, you’re one to ask. I can only jack into the drones while on the ship. The spiderform is my outside body, save for Irma Six. But a mech is hardly subtle.” Hans opened another hatch, leading into a large common room. The room was actually quite nice, being a vaulted affair with couches, a massive TV, and carpet. There was even a little bar tucked away in the corner. “Sit down. You still take whiskey? Neat?”

“I don’t drink anymore.”

“Liar.” Hans turned his sensor cluster, and focused them on Jack as he moved to the bar.

“Just pour me whatever.” Jack grunted in return as he sank into the couch. As he waited for his heavy metal companion, he finally looked down and began to poke at the burned edges of his uniform. The hole was easily the size of a volleyball, and had spread further in odd directions thanks to the flames. A good portion of his medals had been slagged from the heat, but through the hole all he could see was tight abdominal muscles, and pale, hairless skin that was slightly off colour. As he curiously prodded his own belly, Hans set a glass of neat whiskey down before him.

“I’d like to talk.”

Picking up the glass, Jack eyed the contents as he carefully swirled it, listening to the tinkling ice. “I’m right here. Talk.”

“You’re very cheeky for someone I just watched die.” Hans responded dryly as he leaned forward, causing his seat to groan under the strain.

“I’ve always been a prick, Hans.” The softness in Jack’s voice gave Hans pause, while Jack set down the full glass.

“Yes, but you haven’t been immortal.”

“We both know I’m not-”

“BULLSHIT! What did you do, Jack!? What kind of god forsaken deal did you make to have this happen!?” Hans gestured angrily to the screen, just as video of the opening shots began to play from Hans’ view. “I watched you take a two cenny power slug to the guts! I’ve seen men reduced to vapor by that firepower! I watched your guts fall from your body, coil up under you! And then, I see this.” The video skipped, to Jack’s body regenerating. Watching silently, he watched as his guts slid back up, and his blood coiled up his arms, as if a living entity of its own. Moments after having suffered a fatal wound, he got back up. Hans leaned closer, peering at him. “What did you do? Please, Jack. Just tell me. I believed your tale of survival, but this? This is… this isn’t human.”

It was at that moment, Jack felt incredibly parched. Running his index finger across the rim of the whiskey tumbler. As he opened his mouth to speak, one of the doors to the room swished open, and his words caught in his mouth.

“There he is, Mr. Fuckin’ Invincible!” Nate called out as he meandered in, with John and Vikki on his heels.

“Are we interrupting?” John spoke as he set a heavy hand on Nate’s shoulder, stopping the smaller man in his tracks.

“No. My friend was just explaining the cause of his miraculous recovery to me.” Hans lounged back, further torturing the furniture with his bulk.

“Blyin, look at this face!” Ignoring John, Vikki passed by with him and Nate. Throwing her arms around Jack’s shoulders, she idly stroked his regenerated cheek. “So wery cyoot~ How do you do it, Cowboy? Tell Momma your sexy secrets~”

“Vikki-”

“It’s fine, Hans. I’ll talk.” Jack considered the tumbler in his hand once again, and the sweet ambrosia within. The temptation was like a vice, squeezing down on his willpower, demanding it crack like an egg. Setting the glass down on the table before him, Jack carefully pulled Viktoriya’s arms off his shoulders. As the woman pouted and the others sat down, he leaned back and considered things for a long moment. “I made a deal with Doctor Ernest Blackburn. Or rather… he made a deal with me.”

The room suddenly went very quiet.

“Ernest Blackburn, as in, Star of Terra receiver, third richest man in human space, savior of the human race, Ernest Blackburn?” Nate spoke cautiously and with well measured words, an oddity for the hyperactive man.

“The one who makes super soldiers. Yeah.”

Shaking his head, John leaned back in his chair as he adopted a disgruntled expression. “Blackburn is half the reason the Republic hasn’t recognized Humanity. He’s a terrorist, and you’ve made a deal with him.” It wasn’t so much a question from the ex-cop, but a statement of disgust.

“I didn’t have a choice. Not a real one, at least.”Jack grunted in return at the big man. “He had my number dialed the moment I set foot back on Terran soil. It was either play along and consider his offer, or get black bagged by his operatives and hauled off to god knows where; drag my friends into it. As far as his offer goes, I didn’t have a choice in that either, after getting blown in half.” Turning his scowl down at his still untouched tumbler of whiskey, Jack did his best to soothe himself mentally.

“So, my friend.” Hans set his heavy hands on his mechanical knees. “What is your next move?”

His silence swiftly turned the room quiet, as he reached up and slowly scratched at his new cheek. “I don’t know. Originally, I was going to call Blackburn. But… This Republic, tell me about it.”

John cocked an eyebrow at the request, before shrugging and getting comfortable. “The Republic and their Council govern most of known space, and the various alien empires within. They keep the peace, as best they can. Since Humanity has yet to be recognized as a class five species, we’re stuck as a sub-race, and are forced to pay additional tariffs, while limiting our naval fleet capacity.”

“Where the fuck were they when the Corvellans showed up in extermination mode?” Jack growled, already disliking the idea of being told what to do by some detached alien government that hadn’t done anything for humanity in their greatest time of need.

“Apparently their excuse was that they didn’t believe a sapient species could grow on a class twelve deathworld, and they underwent a considerable bureaucratic investigation. According to the records, Earth was within several of the Corvellan Corporate Nobility Clans contested claim zones. One side found a legal loophole and decided to mine out the planet before their rival could.”

“To hell with the people living there.” Jack rubbed his cheek a little rougher.

“It was a thirty year long court case.” Hans finally spoke. “Our lawyers ripped them to shreds, like a field suppressor through their infantry.” The mental image was enough to bring a brief smirk to Jack’s lips, but it didn’t remain long. “Jack, these… people, you’ve allied yourself with. Knight Captain Falenas and her JSOG. They deserve your help far more than Blackburn ever will; they need it more.”

“I know, Hans. I know.” Finally sinking backwards, Jack ran his thumb over his jaw. “I’ll think of something.”

“I’m sure you will, Mr. Kessle.” John spoke as he got up. “You’re a capable soldier, we saw as much when we were in that firefight.”

“What did Blackburn do?” Looking up at those around him, Jack set his hands on his knees.

Shifting awkwardly, Nate crossed one leg over the other as Vikki lounged like a busty cat. “Well… among other things, he’s been accused of Spiking three Corvellan hatchery worlds. That’s uh… where a ship drops a specialized tungsten pole while in FTL, on course with a planet.”

Vikki grinned a little as she trailed a finger along her skirt hem. “Kaboom~”

Again, the mental image of the invading aliens getting what was coming to them tickled Jack pleasantly, he tried to think objectively. The war was over, and those were innocents, non-combatants. “What else?”

“The Republic.” John started as he sipped at a glass of water. “Has a very staunch set of rules regarding genetic modifications, artificial intelligence, and WMD development. All things Doctor Blackburn and his teams are doing as we speak. The reason he hasn’t been left out to dry by the UTF is his history, and his active work at saving human lives. Since he was given open operations allowance in the Fringe, Gorsian pirate raids have dropped by seventy percent on human settlements and stations, within the last five years alone. Knocking him out of the picture would hamstring the government in far too many places for them to be comfortable with it.”

“Hmm~” With a smile, Vikki leaned forward, presenting a good look at herself as she snagged Jack’s untouched drink. “He has sunk little claws into ewerythink. Like whore who won’t stop suckink. Wery smart, too important and too big to slit throat.” She mimed the action with a slender finger.

“Mr. Kessle?” A new, quiet voice pricked Jack’s ears, drawing his attention to the door. There, a short woman with black hair and a doctor’s coat stood waiting. “Your friends are out of surgery.”

“Goddamn, you future motherfuckers work fast…” Rising from his seat, he started for the door. “It hasn’t even been an hour…”

The doctor smiled nervously as he approached. “Well, modern medicine has made some incredible technological leaps ahead since… you were around last, Mr. Martyr… I-I’m Doctor End. We haven’t had a chance to meet yet- I-I… you look exactly like the pictures, I’m um… just a little surprised… Still! It’s an honor!”

“The honor’s mine, really.” Taking the doctor’s hand and shaking it, Jack motioned to the door. “I want to see them.”

“Of course! Follow me please!” Doctor End spun on her heels, and immediately began to walk back the way she came. Throwing a wave over his shoulder as he left, Jack was quick to follow the doctor as she filled him in. “Their wounds weren’t all that severe to begin with. Miss Stonegust’s arm had to be amputated, clearly, but that process was pleasantly easy, and Olimar has already outfitted her with a cybernetic plug. I can’t even fathom how she got around with that ugly thing strapped to her. We’re printing off replacement limbs for them both right now.”

“Christ, that fast? What about the connection plugs?”

“Easy as pie. Granted, the remains of the limb on Captain Falenas was… interesting, to say the least. How it worked as it did is beyond me. It’s a shame it was destroyed… anyways, we’ve given them both a small upgrade, so to speak.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jack nodded his thanks. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled. Any chance of upgrading my legs?” He asked wryly, not expecting much.

Grinning happily, the doctor nodded with excitement. “I’d love to, Martyr!”

“Please, just call me Jack.”

The short doctor paced ahead of him, leading him through more large gangways and halls. Passing by a pair of security drones, she opened up the medical bay door, revealing a large white room filled to the brim with advanced medical equipment and sealed pods. Sitting on an open bed was Flitter, who was holding out her jet black arm as an older man worked diligently at the complex electronics within. Flitter looked up as the door opened, and her features immediately lit up.

“How’re you holding up, Darlin?” Jack entered, passing by the smaller doctor as he moved up to Flitter’s side.

“I’m fine! I got lucky.” Shifting nervously in her battered dress, Flitter couldn’t keep the relieved smile off her face.

“Very lucky.” Doctor Olimar chimed in, his voice sounding gruff and electronic. Turning away from Flitter as her arm panels clicked closed, the older man set down his tools as he looked to Jack. Olimar’s face was unlike anything he’d ever seen before; the man’s face and head being seemingly comprised of a battle drone’s faceplate, merged with a human skull. His optical sensors shone red like hot coals. “Sorry kid, I know the first glance is pretty startling. Your Captain here is lucky to be alive at all. If the shooter had been gunning for her, she wouldn’t have just lost an arm.”

“I’m aware.” Jack leaned against the table, idly acknowledging of the subtle crawling in his guts. “What about Yuma? Is she alright?”

“Well.” The doctor set his coarse hands on his hip as he looked over his shoulder. “She’s sedated while the cybernetics finish attaching to her nervous system. With a wound like hers, I had to put her under for her own safety.”

Moving up beside the other doctor, Hailey lightly drummed at her arm. “I’m really surprised at how much it took to put her out! We could have sedated a full grown bull, or… an elephant.” The smaller woman shifted slightly, before speaking up again. “Captain? I’d like to test out that new arm of yours.”

“Oh! Sure.” Sitting up slightly, she waited for the other woman to get ready.

“I’ll just run you through the basics, then get into the advanced features.”

“Okaaay? It’s… an arm. What kind of special features could it have?”

“Oh hun. You have no idea. This is one of the top of the line models, they give these to spec ops soldiers. Boss Lady makes sure that we have the best of everything available at a moment’s notice.” The doctor stepped back, and began running Flitter through a battery of tests to gauge how well her body had taken to the new limb. The simple tests went by quickly; move up, move down, move fingers, flex, grip fragile object, etc. With the basics cleared with ease, Doctor End began to run Flitter through the more advanced stages. As they ran down response times, Flitter finally started to smile as she worked the jet black limb about. It was lean and mean looking, with not a single wasted edge. It reacted within microseconds, exactly as her own flesh and blood limb would, only this one was made of composite dipped carbon fibre, magnesium alloys, and carbon nanotubes. It was four times as strong as she could ever hope to be, and thanks to a minor nanite treatment, the plug it was anchored in had apparently successfully married itself to her body without any side effects.

“Okay, now onto hidden weaponry.”

“W-wait, there’s weapons in this thing?” Flitter turned her arm over to examine it closer, causing the plates to shift and chitter in response.

Doctor End nodded, and set aside her holoslate. “Alright, now I want you to imagine pulling a pistol from a hip holster. Do the motion please.” The doctor stood well to the side as Flitter quirked a brow.

“Alright, here goes- WOAH!” As Flitter snapped her arm up in a quick drawing motion, the plates and tubes in her forearm shifted and withdrew, allowing a compacted pistol to spring forth on guide rods. As her hand closed around the grip of the now unfolding pistol, it charged with a short, shrill whistle, causing the weapon’s ammo counter to glow a pleasant blue. 12 shots. “This… this is amazing!” Flitter turned the weapon over, marveling at its compact design and space aged appearance.

Smiling proudly, Hailey rocked on the balls of her feet. “That’s an Aegis Arms Gabriel series Powered Defender pistol. It uses one centimeter cobalt-copper matrix disks as ammunition, and has a micro quad heatsink along the barrel and extractor. Semi automatic with a three and a quarter pound trigger. Very crisp, I’m told. Now, imagine holstering the pistol normally, do the motion if it helps.”

“Heeeeeee~” Unable to contain her excitement, Flitter all but pranced in place as the deadly weapon snapped shut without her needing to pretend to holster it. “So that’s all I need to do? Imagine it in my head?”

“Yep!” Hailey grinned toward Olimar. “I love satisfying patients, don’t you?”

Smiling softly, Jack made himself comfortable against a pod. “Gotta say, Darlin, I’m pretty jealous.”

As Flitter positively beamed at Jack, Hailey checked another box on her holoslate. “Can you extend it once more?” As the weapon leapt forward and charged with a whine, Hailey quickly showed Flitter how to reload it. “The top of the receiver lifts up like so, and you slide the clip in like so.” Showing Flitter the skinny stripper clip of ten millimeter copperish disks, Hailey ejected the current magazine and loaded the new one. “Just close the top, and you’re locked and loaded! Just um… one word of warning, we’ve found that the pistols don’t use enough coolant in the ejector, so if you decide to go rock and roll with this little baby, it might jam up around the sixth or seventh round. If that happens-” Again, Hailey grabbed the weapon and showed Flitter how to open up the extractor chamber. “Just open this up, and pull this little lever. It’ll clear out the rest of the matrix gunk. Alright, that about covers it! You can swap out the pistol for a blade, which can be HF, mono, ripper, or uh… normal. Unfortunately your arm model is a little too small for the pulse sabot punch gun, but, oh well, right?” The doctor grinned with as Flitter’s mind swam with possibilities. “Oh, Oli, could you take a look at these readings?”

“Pass them over.” The pair quickly seemed to enter a world of their own as they poured over the dataslate together.

Glancing over her shoulder at Jack, she smiled softly, and beckoned him over. As he crossed the short distance, she placed her cool cybernetic hand over his. Giving her hand a little squeeze, Jack couldn’t help but stare into her eyes. With her soft smile now rimmed by a healthy blush, Flitter began to move up, her lips parting.

Before the pair could connect, the intercom squawked, and Olivia’s voice echoed through the ship. “If our guests could make their way down to the shuttle bay, we’re ready to take you home now.”

“I guess that’s our cue…” Flitter murmured as she hopped up off the bed and flexed her new arm.

Looking to the doctors, Jack couldn’t keep the frown from his features. “What about Yuma? Is she good to be moved?”

With a light shake of his head, Olimar brought up his omnilink to check her vitals. “She’s still completely out. I cleared it with the Boss before you even came up, and Captain Falenas. She’ll be staying with us until she’s well enough.”

Glancing at Flitter, Jack could only sigh and nod his head. “Alright. Take good care of her, you hear?” He pointed a finger at the pair of doctors to drive his point home.

“She’s in good hands, Martyr. Maybe I’ll get a chance to get you some upgrades when we see you next!” Doctor End chirped happily as Flitter took him by the arm and wheeled him out of the medical bay.

While Flitter took the lead on the way to the hangar bay, Jack did his best to quiet his mind. Leaving Yuma behind on the ship wasn’t his first choice; honestly it hadn’t even been on his list at all. But, he knew that she needed the medical attention, and the best they could offer for her back at base was some bandages. He just hoped she’d forgive him. The walk to the hangar bay was a rather long one, if only thanks to the size of the ship itself. However, when they arrived, the pair found the entire away team sans Naomi, plus Olivia, waiting for them by a second shuttle. The first shuttle was still in the midst of having a wedged 1970 plum purple Charger peeled out of it’s interior.

Smiling as Jack and Flitter descended the elevator, Olivia set her hands on her hips. When the gate rattled open and the pair closed the distance, she was ready for them. “Well, I have to admit that today did not go how I wanted it to, it didn’t go nearly as badly as it could have. None of my people were hurt, and nobody was killed but the bad guys. Usually, we consider that a win. However…” Olivia paced a little, before entering the shuttle. Her team was quick to follow her, and buckle in. Jack and Flitter mirrored the sentiment as Olivia spoke. “Knight Captain, you… you saved my life. For that, I’m honestly grateful, not for giving me more time, but for not letting my crew become unemployed.” The girl grinned a little, but it wasn’t shared by anybody else. “Seriously though. I don’t like having debts, so I intend to pay this one off post haste. You want something, we’ll get it for you. On top of your original order, of course.” The shuttle rocked slightly as it set off toward Earth.

Furrowing her brow in thought, Flitter leaned against Jack as she considered her options. As Olivia began to tell her to take her time, Flitter spoke. “A ship. I want a space ship.” The gunrunner blinked in surprise, but allowed Flitter to continue. “I don’t care if it has guns. I… my world is at war for its very survival, and I’ve been given the task of saving it. Me, and my little team. If we could get a ship like yours, we could be anywhere in the world in a matter of hours, with all the gear we could ever want, at utterly untouchable heights.”

Turning to her boss, Vikki wetted her lips slightly before speaking. “Boss, we could see-”

“Don’t say it, Vikki.”

“Earl is not bad man! He has many ships, no holes and no leaky reactors!”

Olivia let out a sound that crossed between pain, mild anger, and defeat. “You’re right… alright Knight Captain, I’ll get you your warship. Don’t expect a dreadnaught though, my pockets are deep, but not that deep. Now, your order. We never got a chance to discuss it earlier. What was it you were looking for?”

Caught slightly off guard, Flitter looked to Jack for guidance. He carried on without a hitch. “Do you… do sample platters? I’m eighty years out of the loop, and Flitter’s people… kind of just recently invented cartridge weapons. We need firearms, launchers, munitions, vehicles if you can get them, erm- does modern power armour require surgery to use?” He asked with a hint of trepidation.

John shook his head in response. “No sir. All modern armours have built in power plants and motive systems.”

“Great. I want a sample platter of any available armour you can offer at a platoon level.”

“I can offer power armour, war armour, and archangels.” Olivia responded lightly in her business tone.

“Archangels?”

“Light power armour with built in repulsor thruster packs and optional hardpoint weaponry for the extendable wings.”

Grinning wide, Jack nodded. “Yeah. Gimme some of that for sure. What about fissionables?”

Shaking her head, Olivia crossed her arms. “I don’t deal in chemical, bio, or nuclear. No WMD’s of any kind. It’s bad business.”

Nodding once, Jack clasped his hands in his lap. “I can respect that. Alright, I uh… think that’s it. We need whatever you can offer, so if you happen to bring any specialist equipment outside what I detailed, we’ll gladly look it over.”

“Great.” Olivia smiled briefly at them as the shuttle rumbled slightly during it’s descent. “We’ll see you in a few weeks. I can put some of my business aside for this, but gathering everything up will take time. The ship especially.”

“And Yuma?”

“Don’t worry Jack, we’ll bring you back your ogre lady in one piece.” Hans droned lightly. “Worst case, she works for us for a little while.”

“Oh I’m sure she’ll love that…” Jack slowly shook his head, before huffing softly as the shuttle landed and the back hatch opened with a hiss. “Alright, we’ll get out of your hair.” He shivered slightly as a bitter wind swept through the bay.

Seeing her opportunity, Vikki smiled a sultry smile as she leaned on John. “Come get into my hair anytime!~”

As Flitter’s head whipped around and her features turned sour, Jack was quick to herd her out of the shuttle before the goodwill of the gunrunner evaporated in the face of a catfight. “Be seeing you, Hans!”

“Don’t get killed again while I’m gone!”

“Bah, I’ve got to have a few lives left!” Jack grinned as the shuttle door closed, and the craft dipped once, before shooting off into the sky. As the shuttle disappeared, the weight of the day all but landed squarely on Jack’s shoulders. Closing both his eyes, he let out a long breath. “Are we back at the base?”

Lacing her hands around his arm, Flitter nodded as the wind picked at her dress. “Yeah.”

“Is it on fire?”

“No.”

“Does anything look fucked up?”

Tilting her head to look at him, Flitter rubbed at his bicep. “Nope. I can see lots of lights and hear music though.”

“Okay.” Gently removing Flitter’s hands from his arm, Jack turned on his heels, marched six steps, and promptly planted himself into the snowbank. As Flitter quickly moved over to his side, she paused as he began to warble quietly into the snow.

“Do… do you need a moment?”

Rolling over so he was seated in the snow, Jack let his head fall back as he pressed both hands into his face. “Fuuuuuuuhuhuuhuckkkkkk…”

“Jack…” Carefully sitting down in his lap, Flitter gently pulled his hands from his face, and cupped his chin. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m okay.”

Nodding weakly, he shuddered heavily. “I just want to sleep for a hundred days and… fucking hell, Flitter… I… god dammit… I-Hnrg!” Jack tensed as Flitter lunged forward, pressing her lips tightly against his. The tension in his body slowly melted away as she kissed him. It started gently at first, but as he slowly laid a hand over the back of her head, Flitter leaned in and let out a shivering groan of happiness as she pressed the kiss in deeper with greed.

As the cold started to creep in, Flitter reluctantly broke the deep kiss. Placing her forehead against his, she sighed in contentment as she stroked both his cheeks. “Happy birthday, Jack.”

With his eyes still half lidded, Jack slowly groaned. “That was today... “

Giggling softly, Flitter slowly stroked his regenerated cheek. “Yes it was, you big oaf. I bought you a tonne of stuff, but… none of it felt right.”

“Well, Darlin, I hope you’ve got more of what you just gave me, cause after today, I’m gonna need em. All of em.”

Biting her lip, Flitter could hardly contain her excitement. The shiver of excitement and the shiver of cold fought each other for supremacy as she held his shoulders. “Can we go inside now?”

“Yes, please, I can’t feel my ass.”

“Then let’s go! You’re not losing that butt to frostbite, mister!” Prodding and pulling at him, Flitter slowly dragged Jack to his feet.

“I’m goin, I’m goin. Just hold still a moment.”

“What’re- Oh! J-jack!” Flitter yelped in surprise as Jack swept her off her feet and out of her ill fitting shoes; one hand on her back, and the other cradling her butt. “I-I… heheh… I could get used to this!”

“Let’s get inside. I can’t feel my toes either.”

“But- oh you cheeky little-”

“Ow! Not the face!”

Chapter Sixty Two: Trickle Down

View Online

November 18th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

For the first time in what was likely a decade, nothing woke Jack but his internal clock. Snorting awake with the confusion of a man who had no idea where he was, Jack lurched upward and looked around the room with eyes crusted half shut. He was in his room, a good sign… Sunlight lazily pressed against the curtains and the snow gathered on the sill while the wind outside whispering alongside it. As Jack tried to squint at the time, Flitter stirred next to him, her sleeping body noting the lack of warmth against her. Rubbing at his cheek, Jack looked down at her, and by extension, himself. They were both still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, stained with the violence that had befallen the auction.

As his brain kicked into gear with surprising speed, Jack recalled what he’d done the night prior after leaving the company of Olivia Voronin and her crew of mercenaries. They’d stumbled into the barracks to find most of the inhabitants either drunk or still partying. Not wanting to cause a scene, they’d headed in for the night. Jack hadn’t seen anybody the night prior he knew by name, so likely nobody had even recognized them as they’d come through.

The desire to curl up behind Flitter stepped upwards into his mind. The idea of snagging an extra hour of comfort was something he hadn’t had the option of in a very long time, not since it had hurt to breathe, lungs agonized by his existing… He felt good, better than good. Hell, after yesterday, he’d earned another hour, hadn’t he? Better yet, Flitter was a wonderful creature to snuggle into. While lacking fur in her disguised form, she was wonderfully warm, and soft for a woman who appeared to be carved from marble. Nobody would notice an extra hour…

Unless it was already passed two in the afternoon. Jack recoiled at the sight of his clock, before lunging forward at it. With wide eyes, he double-checked his omnilink, and confirmed it to be 2:35pm. “Jesus fuck… I haven’t slept in like this since grade school…” Shaking his head, Jack swung his legs off the bed and lifted himself up. An odd pinch welcomed him from his leg joints, earning his ire for a moment as he turned and pulled the blankets back over Flitter. With a yawn, he set off for the bathroom to relieve himself. Shouldering passed the door, Jack left the light off as he saw to his business. As the door clicked closed behind him and he shook, Jack flicked on the light.

“GAH!”

Recoiling from the mirror, Jack nearly fell over himself into the shower stall. His visage mirrored him, including his shocked expression. His whole, shocked expression. Slowly, Jack moved toward the mirror, staring at himself as he pulled lightly at his recently ruined features. His face had returned in full, and looked entirely younger. The bags under his eyes had receded, and his sharp cheeks had ceased to look as if they were about to split his face open. “Sweet Mother Mary n’ Joseph…” His once missing eye sat in its socket, staring back at him. Leaning a little closer, he pulled down his lower eyelid, and stared. The eye seemed organic, but upon closer inspection, he could see strange, subtle little lines where veins intertwined with tech. Stepping back, Jack pulled off the bloody, burned shirt, and began to look himself over fully. Whatever had been in that hypodermic had apparently dialed him back nearly fifteen years, to his prime. He hadn’t looked this good since he’d finished marine bootcamp, and the subsequent advanced camps. His scars were either faded or gone completely, and his abused muscles had fortified, growing slightly and turning hard as forged steel. He could no longer tell where he’d been shot, as his abdomen was now girded with powerful muscles that held no hints to his previously fatal wound. Unable to fight the urge, he flexed, and grinned in excitement as his military grade muscles responded without complaint, without pause, without pain. Turning, he looked over his shoulder at his back. He stared for a long time, at his faded tattoos and clear, unmolested skin. The brand that had tormented him for a year and a half, that had twisted his flesh and reminded him of loss and failure, was gone entirely. Left behind in its place was a circular bald spot where his tattoos had been destroyed by twisting heat. A quick glance to his wrist saw that the magical tattoo still remained. It seemed he couldn’t win them all.

He was lean and mean, without anything paining him, save for his legs… With the giddy glee of a kid on christmas morning, Jack dropped trou to see how he’d changed, and immediately regretted it. While his thighs looked like they were made of braided steel cable, it was where his flesh met metal that disturbed him, and had him regretting ever thinking that things would have changed for the better. Tendon and muscle had grown over the connecting ring and begun to slowly intertwine with the construction of his prosthetic leg, before stopping with no clear reason. Skin hadn’t even begun to cover the exposed muscles, leaving a nearly grotesque sight bordering on insane. He was quick to yank his stiff, blood spattered dress pants back up.

For a long moment he stood there, his repaired brain burning up with thoughts. He needed to do something. Something productive…

Coffee. Coffee was productive.

As he exited the bathroom, he pulled on a clean shirt and started for the door, only to pause. By the door was a fairly large stack of wrapped gifts, something he’d apparently missed last night when he’d stumbled into his room carrying Flitter. With caution over his noise level, Jack sat down cross legged by the pile, and began looking them over. Surely enough, they were for him, though it seemed most were from Flitter, with a few being from Walter and Jessica.

“Huh…” Jack smiled slightly as he murmured, before allowing an open toothed grin to spread across his features when no pain accompanied the first motion. Despite the setback regarding the appearance of his legs, the fact he could smile without agony splitting his features only caused his morale to soar as he quietly tore into the small pile of gifts.

The first two were from Jessica; a box of alcoholic chocolates, and a swimsuit calendar download, titled ‘Legionnaire Ladies, Fighting Women of the 501st’. “Classy as always…” He murmured with an enthused grin as he plugged in the code and started downloading the calendar to his omnilink. For a long moment he considered the box of chocolates, before setting them aside for further consideration.

Next were Walter’s gifts. A download for a series of movies titled ‘Mighty Martyrs’, a chibi martyr keychain hanger that was definitely from his place of work, and a Legion patrol hat that had clearly seen active patrols. With a little grin, Jack set the cap on his head and began his second download, while attaching the hanger to his keyring.

Flitter’s stack of presents made him roll his eyes, she’d clearly overcompensated. He couldn’t exactly blame her, he was a notorious bastard to shop for. Opening the first, he couldn’t help but laugh. A light grey shirt with the the words ‘Purple girls do it better’ sat above a purple cartoon alien girl striking a pose. “Cheeky little…” Smirking over toward the snoring woman on his bed, Jack stripped off his shirt, replacing it with his new one. It seemed a size too small, causing the shirt to hug him tightly and display his restored prime. Opening the next few, his humors only continued to grow. The second of the pile was a titanium carabiner mug, with the words ‘FUCK MAGIC’ custom engraved on it. The next was a small coffee machine, which explained the fourth and fifth wrapped items. Two cans of Tim Hortons fine grind dark roast. With a happy little gasp, Jack hugged the cans to his chest, before setting them down as he got up. Tromping over to the bed, Jack clambered up to Flitter’s sleeping form.

“Flits~ Spaaarkyyy~” He gave her a gentle nudge, which earned a quiet, unhappy groan from her.

“Nrrgh… five more minutes…”

“Daarliiin~” He grinned happily as he leaned forward, firmly planting his lips on hers.

Jerking slightly in groggy surprise, Flitter squirmed as she mumbled against him. “Mmsat? Jackie?” With fluttering eyes, Flitter traced her fingers up his muscular side as he broke the kiss.

“Good mornin.” He smiled softly at her, before leaning in and giving her another strong kiss that stole her breath away.

Groaning softly into the kiss, Flitter began to squirm out of her clothes. When he broke the kiss and pecked her neck, she broke out her own little grin. “I could get used to this, Jack~” Receiving another peck to her lips, she kept her eyes closed as she hiked her dress up under the covers and continued to sleepily squirm out of it. The bed shifted under her as Jack moved around, causing her heart to beat faster and harder in anticipation. With great effort and considerable struggle, she finally slipped free of her clothes and tossed them to the side. Fully expecting him to be upon her, ravishing her bruised body, she found herself mildly confused when he didn’t. Rubbing at her sleep filled eyes, Flitter looked around the room groggily. “Jack?”

The room was empty and dark, the bathroom door open slightly. Jack and his new coffee machine were long gone. Pouting angrily, Flitter flopped backwards into the bed as she ran her fingers through her messed hair. “Fucking tease… bastard...”

With confident strides, Jack treaded down the barracks hall completely oblivious to the unintentional blueballing he’d given Flitter; his new coffee machine cradled in his arms. Despite the late hour, he found the barracks oddly silent, causing him to tread a little quieter in suspicion. Upon entering the commons, he was grateful to hear voices he recognized. As he entered the mess hall, he found several small groups dealing with hangovers. Near the mess line, he spotted Walter and Jessica, accompanied by Taven, Maggie, Roxy, and Kord. As usual, Roxy and Kord were in the midst of an argument, while Walter was all but asleep on the table in nothing but his sweat pants and a pair of flip flops. Jessica lay against him, equally unconscious.

“Mornin.” He called out lightly as he walked by, intent on plugging in his new machine.

“Good morning.” Maggie lightly lifted a hand, greeting without turning her head toward him. Kord quickly mumbled something in french as he rested his head in both hands, clearly hungover and suffering.

“Hey boss.” Taven lifted a hand in weak greeting as he cradled his head with the vain hope of chasing off his migraine, much how Kord was.

“Heya-” Roxy’s spiderform jerked slightly as she paused mid sentence, before tilting slightly, as if she were cocking her head in confusion. As Jack walked behind the mess line and started unboxing his new machine, Roxy stood, and began to slowly cross the table, her sensors locked onto him.

Quirking a brow, Maggie watched silently as Roxy mounted Kord, much to the frenchman’s distaste. “Get off of me! Roxy! Down! Down Slut, down! I am too hungover for your shit!”

Batting at him with her manipulators, Roxy continued her clamber, sensors locked on to Jack as he loaded fresh grinds into the machine. “Shhhshhshhshut the fuck up, Napoleon!” The spiderform hissed in an electric stage whisper as Kord fought to stay upright. Reaching the ground, Roxy began to quietly skitter toward Jack.

Setting her chin in her cupped hands, Maggie smirked ever so slightly as Kord rubbed at his eyes and scowled like a frenchman scorned. “The hell has gotten into her? Maggie?”

Shrugging slightly, the dour woman watched as Roxy began peeking around at Jack.

“You need something?” Jack tilted his head toward the spiderform as the coffee machine percolated quietly. “Coffee will be-” He paused in surprise as Roxy slowly began to back away, starting a low, terrified cry. Without warning, Roxy’s chassis twisted, and she took off as quickly as her spindly legs could carry her. Her terrified noises echoed through the barracks as she ran through the double doors without stopping. All the eyes that had been on her quickly shifted to Jack. “Uhh… right. Okay.” Shaking his head, Jack turned away and checked the pot of coffee. Pouring out three cups, he turned, and sat down at the table with those still partially conscious. “Here, on the house.” Sliding the cups to them, he began to sweeten his own.

“Thanks… what did you say your name was again?” Maggie asked quietly with an edge of trepidation in her voice.

“Merci…” Kord murmured as he took his cup, and immediately began drinking it black. “Do not mind Roxy. She’s fucked. Oh, this is nice coffee. Little weak, but nice.”

“Fucking… Jack, how…” Taven groaned, and Jack could just imagine his ear splayed hard against his skull. “how the fuck did you live like this?”

“Years of training and a level of self loathing your furry ass ain’t capable of.” Jack pushed over a cup of coffee, and gently petted the dying man’s head. “Come on, up and attem, sergeant.”

Staring at him with wide eyes, Maggie took in a slow, steadying breath. “Your name is… Jack, right?”

As Jack looked over toward her, Kord pulled himself away from his drink with a quirked brow. “Seriously Maggie? There’s no way-”

“Sic semper tyrannis, semper fidelis!” Maggie blurted out, her voice trembling.

“Rah!” “Raaah…” The comatose forms of Walter and Jessica immediately responded to the phrase, as if it had been engrained into their minds.

Jack stared, his own words frozen as he slowly realized what was causing the woman to slowly devolve into a panic attack. “You’re...”

“Religious.” Kord answered gravely and deeply annoyed, confirming Jack’s immediate suspicions.

Slowly leaning over the table, Maggie fixed Jack with a wide eyed stare that bordered between intense and terrified. “Eight Pillars, Eight Tenants, Eight Martyrs! Honour above all, Courage beyond reproach, Determination against all odds, Strength amid adversity, Compassion under fire, Focus in all things, Patience amid chaos, Adaptability against obstacles!” By the time she finished and gasped for breath, Jack had forgotten all about his coffee. As he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, Maggie lunged forward and snatched his wrist, earning a lightning fast reaction from Jack as he grabbed her arm in return. “Please…” She begged, her body shivering in anticipation.

Now Taven was awake. Despite the skull splitting hangover, he was up and alert, his eyes flicking between Maggie, Jack, and Kord. “Is everything alright, Jack?”

“Yeah.” He answered, despite not taking his eyes or hand off the woman. “It’s fine. Maggie-” He began softly, before being interrupted by Walter as the big man rolled over, and took the table with him.

“Merde, Walter! You colossal fuck!” Kord yelled in annoyance, while Jessica stumbled about, now lacking her resting place.

“Whuz goin on?” Jessica lurched, and planted both hands on Taven’s back. When Taven went rigid and his eyes crossed, Jack idly figured her for having grabbed onto the particular place where his wings would be. As Jack opened his mouth to try and reign in the situation, Roxy burst through the doors with several dozen people in tow.

“Fuck.” Jack grunted before scowling hard. “So much for a quiet morning.”

“See! There he is! The martyr lives!” Roxy squawked as she flailed her manipulators at Jack from across the mess hall. Those entering stopped in their tracks, hands going to mouths to cover gasps of shock. Murmurs spread through the ranks as more pushed forward to see.

As more and more of the guests pushed in, and those already in turned their attentions to the commotion, the phrase was repeated, louder each time as soldiers slowly surrounded Jack.

The Martyr Lives.

With her hoodie pulled tight against her body to ward off the ever present cold, Flitter trudged through the halls toward the mess. She knew Jack was going to be there, and she’d be twice damned if she wasn't going to chew his ear off for the teasing he’d given her prior. Like a laser guided missile of ear chewing, she continued on her course with her objective solely in her mind, almost causing her to run into Minerva as the larger woman marched in the opposite direction.

“Ma’am!” The sergeant all but yelled, and spun on her heel to match speed with her commander.

“What is it, Minerva?” Flitter fought hard to keep the frustrated edge out of her voice.

“We have a situation. Developing. Right now.” At the clipped, nervous tone Minerva used, Flitter’s frustration was instantly compartmentalised and she gave her sergeant her full attention.

“Talk to me, what’s going on?”

“It’s our Pathfinder, ma’am. They figured out who he is, and they’re working themselves into a frenzy.” Minerva shifted from foot to foot. “I’ll get the others ready, just in case. You need to head this off before it blows up in our faces.”

“Go. I’m on it.” Flitter gave Minerva a singular nod, before setting off for the mess hall with increased urgency. Pushing through the double doors, she found the situation was far worse than she’d anticipated. Nearly the full group of human veterans had filled the mess, with Jack standing at the front, hands on his hips as he spoke. She skidded to a stop, her eyes going wide at the sight. While seeing over a hundred hardened soldiers surrounding Jack was cause for immediate worry, he was smiling ever so slightly, and things didn't look violent. As there was no immediate danger she could see, her still frustrated mind instantly wandered. He was wearing her gift, and it did not fit. He was two hundred and fifty pounds of lean muscle crammed into a size medium t-shirt with a cartoon alien girl on the front. Regret and embarrassment immediately popped into her mind, soon to be compartmentalised just like everything else.

“Captain Falenas.” A gruff, heavy voice spoke next to her, causing Flitter to lift her head slightly and look to the man it belonged to, Irving Kleese. The man’s twirled moustache was decidedly in a frown as he stared at her with a cold grey eye. “It seems you and your pathfinder have some very serious explaining to do.”

“So it seems.” Setting her jaw, Flitter strode forward as her own unit began to trickle in behind Minerva. Jack’s attention immediately stuck to her, allowing her to watch the tension melt off his features. His reaction was more than enough to calm her as well.

“Good to see you, Darlin.” Jack murmured quietly toward her as she took his side.

“What’s the situation?”

“I’ve been turned into Soldier Jesus by a corporation and I can’t hide it without half my face blown off like a cheap Harvey Dent rip-off.”

Swallowing lightly, Flitter laced her fingers behind her back while she faced the growing crowd. “Good or bad?”

“Undecided. Just follow my lead. I can salvage this… probably.” Turning back to the crowd of soldiers, Jack cleared his throat. “Alright, listen up! I’m honestly getting tired of telling this story, so I’m only saying it once!” The quiet conversations and murmurs instantly died. While some seemed critical, skeptical, and downright distrusting toward him, a good many others listened with bated breath and wide eyes.

Sighing softly, Jack lowered his gaze. “My Name is Jack Kessle. Many of you may know me as Martyr Kessle, and may right now be questioning exactly how the fuck I’m standing here, jawing on like some kind of asshole.” Taking in a short breath, Jack continued. “The short answer is; Alien Bullshit.” He pointed into the crowd, and beckoned forward. Heads turned to watch Simoh slowly move to the front. “Because that’s a shitty explanation and the long form is… fucky, I gotta get into semantics.” Jack motioned Simoh to his side, before leaning close. “Disguise Talisman. You gotta trust me on this.”

“Aye aye.” Simoh nodded once to Jack as he handed over the small, jeweled talisman. He braced himself as Jack hit the second chamber, and magic enveloped his body and he was reverted to his original form.

As Simoh stretched out and the smoke cleared, the crowd broke into an uproar; yells of disbelief, curses, and prayers filled the mess hall, creating a deafening din as Simoh whipped his tail back and forth, before preening his wings.

Gesturing to the griffon standing at his side, Jack bellowed over the din. “LADIES AND GENTS, ALIEN BULLSHIT!”

“Jack!” Walter yelled from the crowd, clearly distraught. “You gotta explain this, man!”

“EVERYBODY SHAAADAAAAAP!”Jessica screamed over the shouting, causing the din to slowly peter out to quiet murmurs of discontent.

Nodding to her, Jack pulled out his PDA. “I have video proof, combat recording of Operation Ironguard, taken straight from my HUDCam. What you’ve all been told, what you’ve all seen, for the past eighty years, has been corporate lies. I never made it to the Corvellan bunker system, I never led that charge, I never waved the flag over my head. The being that took me likely destroyed the complex himself to cover up the move. I need a projector, something to plug this into. Walter?”

Jumping to, Walter immediately scrambled to get everything set up while disparaged murmurs spread through the ranks. None too soon, his footage was playing for the gathered mass. They watched quietly as he plodded through ruined Detroit, trading shots with Corvellan guards as he neared the facility. On the precipice, he dove into a ditch to avoid incoming fire, but, on the feed, he didn't stop falling. When the feed cut to garbled rainbow static, cries went up among the crowd, followed by angry yells. Jack remained silent, watching the screen himself as Walter and Jessica quickly took control of the situation. The feed came back online a minute later, and Whitetail Woods met his eyes. Quickly skipping the long period of which he wandered aimlessly, trying to get signal and comms, Jack resumed as he came into contact with the infected, and the soldiers there got their first views of Ponies.

Beside Jack, Flitter watched quietly as she stood before the infected in a vain attempt to save lives. She could see the utter terror frozen into her features. She could remember that fateful day with painful clarity; the conversation she’d had with her sister, then the sudden violence that had led to her life spiralling out of control. All of the awful things that had happened, and… all of the wonderful moments she would never trade for anything. Taking Jack’s hand in hers, Flitter gave him a firm smile as she squeezed his hand. “You got this.”

As he paused the video, just before he fled the ‘demons’ in terror to save face, Jack looked to the crowd, and was immediately barraged by questions. Some he could answer, others, he couldn’t have touched if he’d wanted to. “I was kidnapped by a powerful being who called himself Discord. Kinda sounded like that Q character off of- have any of you- never mind. Anyways, Discord brought me over, alongside several hundred other humans. He pulled them from our world across a timeframe spanning between twenty fifteen and twenty forty. Time in the planet he dragged us to, Equis, moves forty times slower than it does on earth, thanks to some kind of… magic... time dilation. So, technically, while I’m biologically thirty five years old, I’m chronologically one hundred and twenty. Anyways, back on track. As far as I know, the others and myself were brought over to fight a war against the rulers of the land, in anticipation for the literal apocalypse. Discord figured he could stop it by being in control, but he was defeated and most of the humans were returned to earth. I… was incapacitated before the human revolt, and left behind by the exodus due to being in a coma for a little over six months. Since then, I’ve… Served, under Alien leadership.” The crowd went utterly silent, as he’d expected. “And in that time I’ve met some of the bravest, most courageous people I’ve ever known. I’ve served with them, watched them die… I’ve been fighting another war, another war for a species, for a planet’s very survival. While I don’t agree with the leadership sometimes, I… refuse to leave these people to die. The Equestrians, The Griffons, everyone else, they’re… they’re all so close to human it hurts. They’re so close, a platoon of them have hidden from you all without a hitch.”

As Jack gestured to the platoon, and eyes flicked about, he rubbed his now intact face. “I… know this is a lot to take in. A lot to try and wrap your minds around. I know it was a lot for me to handle.”

Shifting in her seat, the normally dour Maggie had him fixed entirely in her gaze. “Why would you hide your identity? You being alive, Martyr, it… it changes everything! Are any of the other martyrs alive?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Jack answered stiffly as he leaned against the serving line. “Look, I didn’t take on Ironguard, expecting to be turned into a shittier version of Jesus Christ. I didn’t ask for this, but I’ll own it as best I can. I need you all to understand that I’m just another soldier, and that the image I earned after the mission was crafted by a PR team. None of us signed on because we wanted to, myself the very least.”

“Sir, If I may?” Walter spoke groggily, still sitting in his sweatpants. “I don’t care about the crafted image. Only entry level boots think that corp crap is true. But I mean, come on! We live in the information age, we know who you are. There’s documentaries on you all, and a trove of info covering everything you were… And, I for one, think that regardless of that mission’s outcome, you still saved humanity.” Walter looked over his shoulder at the rest of the crowd. “Those among us who subscribe, don’t follow you because Elysian Fields painted you as an action star. We follow the Pillars.”

As if on cue, the pack of ex-soldiers spoke as one, shaking the room with their volume. “Eight Pillars, Eight Tenants, Eight Martyrs! Honour above all, Courage beyond reproach, Determination against all odds, Strength amid adversity, Compassion under fire, Focus in all things, Patience amid chaos, Adaptability against obstacles!”

Thumping his chest, Walter bellowed. “Sic Semper Tyrannis, Semper Fidelis!”

With a shiver running up his spine, Jack clenched his fists at his side as he slowly grew rigid. “Oorah.”

Caught up in the energy that was enveloping the room, others leapt to their feet, stomping boots and shoes and flip flops, each voice adding to the cadence call of “OORAH!”

Jack’s arm shot upwards, snapping a hard salute to those before him. “Sic Semper Tyrannis, Semper Fidelis!”

“I think that solves it!” Kleese called from his place as he moved forward, reaching the front of the ragged formation. “We the broken, lost and unwanted, we reprobates, drunkards, fuckups and nutters, we know our own when we see them! We welcome you back, warrior of man! Pillar of Courage!” Kleese stomped his heavy boots, alongside the crash of the others, just as he snapped a returning salute.

As the salute was lowered, Kleese set his hands on his hips and looked Jack up and down. “You look better today sir, what product do you use?”

“I have no idea. It’s a long story.” Jack answered with a flustered grin.

Responding with a moustache twisted upwards, Kleese simply shook his head. “Alright, you mentioned an impending apocalypse for a whole planet?”

Nodding, Flitter cleared her throat before speaking, thus drawing the attention from Jack to herself. “That’s right, Master Sergeant. The resurgent being known as Jalgromak is threatening to wipe all intelligent life off of our planet. We-”

“Ma’am.” Kleese spoke, interrupting Flitter. “The question isn’t what is happening. The question is, how can the eighty second veterans support group help?”

Unable to keep herself from gaping slightly, Flitter’s eyes flicked across the gathered soldiers, and found only courage and steel before her. “The Joint Special Operations Group, and by extension, Equis, thanks you from the bottoms of our hearts. No matter what contribution you make, know that it saved the lives of thousands. First platoon! ATTEN-SHUN!” Flitter slammed her foot down, and her wings burst forward, saluting while her arms remained laced behind her back. JSOG mirrored her, saluting those who would join them in an impossible fight.

“Oorah.” Jack smiled toward everyone around him. “Let’s get this party started.”

November 18th, 2119

Langley, Virginia

Rasping knuckles on his office door shook Deputy Director Summers from his idle revery as he stared out his window. Taking a moment to straighten himself and push up his glasses, Summers steepled his fingers on his desk as he cleared his throat. “It’s open.”

The door rasped open, and Agent Danners slipped inside his office. For a moment, Summers was taken aback. Danners was normally an incredibly rigid agent, and almost appeared as if she’d been molded for the job. However, today, Agent Danners entered his office with bloodshot eyes, messy hair, and a skewed suit. She took a moment to straighten her pencil skirt, before sitting down without a word. As she sat, she slowly set a thin folder down before Summers.

Slowly quirking a brow, Deputy Director Summers slid the folder across his desk and opened it. Inside, were sparse details on Olivia Voronin’s buyers; the Double Black, and his two ghosts. “I trust you found something useful?” Summers asked quietly as he skimmed the contents. When Danners didn’t answer, he found himself becoming disconcerted. As he continued to read, he began talking, though didn’t expect much response. “So, these Ghosts… Nobody has anything on them? Not even Colony Registrar? Interesting… no biochips, no facial recognition scans, no social media... “ He paused, rereading a section. “The only intel we have is hacked security footage from an Elysian Fields theme park? Are you serious?”

Glancing up at the incredulous look the Deputy Director was giving her, Danners simply gestured at the folder. “Keep reading.”

Fixing his glasses once again, Summers did just that. “Possible connection with a veterans group in New Montana… I don’t like how this looks, Marley-” Summers paused mid sentence as his eyes fell on the next profile in the folder. “No. He… Marley, are you certain of this intel?”

After a long moment, Marley fixed her posture and tucked her hands into her lap. “We got tissue and blood samples from the auction site thanks to ATF CSI. Facial scan match. Iris. Voice pattern. Ninety nine point seven percent accuracy, is what the techs told me.” Marley ran a hand through her hair, sighing softly. “I’m certain.”

“Jesus Christ.” Brad Summers set the folder down with an unceremonious drop, causing a picture of a stone jawed man with black hair in marine dress to slide onto the desktop. “Who else knows? Your partners?”

“Nobody but the lab techs and you.”

Nodding quickly, Summers closed the folder. “Good. Keep it that way, for now. Figure out which veterans group these ghosts are in contact with, and go from there. If you find them, I want to know immediately. I want a satellite on them twenty four-seven, you tell me where, and I’ll make it happen. If these… people, are involved with Voronin, and Blackburn… God knows what’s going to happen…”

“Do you… think it’s really him?” Danners fidgeted in her seat, a motion that was incredibly out of character for the confident and headstrong Agent.

“As in a clone? Hell, maybe. Maybe Blackburn has really gone that insane. If anybody had the tech, it’d be him.”

Sinking deeper into her chair, Danners began resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. “This is going far beyond my paygrade… I do Arms Dealers, not… whatever mess this is.”

“Agent Danners-” Brad sighed softly as he rested some of his weight on his desk. “Marley, I trust you to do the job. Hell, you’re one of the few I can. This can’t leave this office. If this goes how I think it’s going to go, we may have another galactic war on our hands, and we cannot let that happen under our watch.” Sitting back in his chair, Deputy Director Summers finally felt the true weight of the situation squat down on his shoulders. “Get yourself something to eat, and get some rest, Marley.”

Standing and adjusting her pencil skirt, Agent Danners gave her superior a curt nod. “Yes sir. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Turning on the balls of her feet, Marley quickly set out of the large office, her heels clicking away.

Slowly opening the folder open, Summers took another peek at the damning evidence within, before letting the folder fall closed once again as he shook his head. “Fuck sakes Ernest…

November 20th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

Soft morning light filtered through Jack’s window, corresponding with the sounds of the morning birds chirping at each other. The sound of his phone buzzing drew a soft, displeased groan from him as he fought to untangle himself. The phone had begun it’s final ring when he managed to slap it hard enough to accept the call.

“It’s eleven in the morning, Jack.” Hans’ voice sounded from his phone, earning a louder, more displeased groan. “Well, if you’d prefer to sleep, we can always turn the ship full of guns around-”

“I’m up! I’m up…” Flailing free of his covers, Jack snagged his phone as he wiped his eyes. “Fuckin Kraut bastard. What’s your eta?”

“Thirty to forty minutes. Get some coffee, you’re as awful a morning person as ever.”

Grumbling, Jack muttered a mild threat toward his phone, before ending the call and pulling himself out of bed. “Up and attem old man.”

Minutes later, Jack was setting down the hall to the portion of the Barracks JSOG had claimed. By now, most of Kleese’s vets had returned home, but with the revelation of who Jack was, a good few had stayed behind to help, Kleese included. As it turned out, Walter had run out of vacation days, and was forced to return to work the day prior. He’d need to gather JSOG and base leadership for the meet.

Knuckle met door, and the resounding thump was swiftly met by a call from inside. Feet trotted across the floorboards, and soon, Flitter pulled the door open. She’d clearly woken up before Jack, as she was already dressed and refreshed.

“Jack!” She smiled warmly as she relaxed, placing her hands behind her back. “You’re up early.”

Her smile turned out to be infectious, causing Jack to crack a little one in return. “I got a wakeup call. Olivia will be here in under a half hour. Gather the troops, I’ll handle the humans.”

“Oh, sales day? Alright, thanks for the heads up.” Flitter glanced out into the hall, casting her gaze up and down it, before she perked up and peck Jack’s nose. “Trot on, Jack.”

“Well, now I don’t want to hurry.” He smirked, before spinning on his heels and setting off down the hall.

It didn’t take long at all to gather everybody on the airstrip, and as the group stood around chatting idly in the cold morning frost, the hum of a ship soon became apparent on the wind. It wasn’t long before the gunmetal grey hull pushed through the clouds on it’s descent, engines turning the cold air to steam as they passed. The mass conveyor slowed its descent at the last moment, pushing a waft of powdered snow across the airstrip as the ship’s maneuvering repulsors fired and landing gear extended. The ship was big, taking up most of the airstrip as it landed; engines slowly whined as they were shut down, and a bay door opened. The VLI security team were the first down the ramp, scanning the group and their surroundings; their weapons still slung or holstered.

“Area’s clear.” John exclaimed as he turned back toward the ship, and Olivia began descending the ramp.

“Good morning, Jack. Knight Captain Falenas.” The small, pale woman pulled her fur lined parka a little closer. “Lovely weather.”

Stepping forward to greet his arms dealer, Jack offered her a hand. “A little chilly compared to Seattle. Good to see you in one piece.”

Smiling up at him, Olivia nodded as she took his hand. “Likewise. So, I’ve brought the guns. Do you have payment?”

“We do.” Flitter lifted the heavy bag and brought it over, setting it on the ground with an audible clank. “Five thousand gold pieces, and six hundred refined rare gems.”

“That’s JSOG’s lunch money.” Jack said as he opened his own bag, and lifted the massive heart shaped ruby he’d been given as payment. All eyes immediately settled on the huge gem, and multiple breathes drew instantly. “I’m told this was grown by a dragon, to present to somebody he loved.”

“And here you are, selling it for firepower…” Olivia gently reached out to grasp the gem, before finding she had to use both hands. “Vikki, your tools?” The small, fair woman grunted as she passed the gem off to John, who too seemed surprised by the weight.

Sauntering over, Vikki hummed as she lifted a jewelers glass and began scrutinizing it. “It is… real. How did… Who did you steal this from?” She looked to Jack, mischief twinkling in her eyes. “Do they have more?”

“Same place I got all the gold and my old ‘half off’ look.” Jack said with a light smile, before looking to Olivia. “So, are we dealing?” The Gun Runner simply smiled, and gestured with an arm toward the hold of her ship. Nodding once, Jack began to ascend the ramp. “Oorah.”

The inside of the ship was warmer than outside, but that was a fact that was slowly changing as wind blew inside. Jack’s group followed him up the ramp, as Olivia quickly took the lead with her clicking heels. Most of her guards took a perimeter, while a few remained inside, Hans included.

“Normally-” Olivia started before looking over her shoulder at Jack. “I don’t do sample platters. However, you’re certainly a special case. Because of those little favours you did for me in Seattle, I brought some additional pieces. Bulk pieces. With the mention of the world you were returning to, I thought you’d appreciate it if I had some bulk armour, infantry weapons, and power cells on hand.”

Sharing a smile with Flitter, Jack allowed her to speak in his stead as he watched Olivia have several cases opened. “We’re very appreciative. We have some volunteers Earthside who wish to join us, so this works perfectly. What did you bring for us?”

“Nothing fancy, just some last gen Tactical Response Field Armour, Novatech Lasrifles, and Force Recon environmental helmets. The rifles are solid; even for being full laser based, they pack plenty of punch thanks to the hot-shot fusion packs. Rated to punch through tier three personal armours and have a seventy two percent lethality per hit ratio on center mass. Be careful if you’re using them in inclement weather though, the lasers lose a lot of range and punch.”

“How much?” Jack asked as he visualized a full on laser platform. Couldn’t be much different from his old rifle.

“Free, with your platoon sized purchase.” Olivia smiled slyly as she walked them into the hold. “Today, I’ve brought you four separate weapon systems. Lovingly referred to by Tiers, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The first tier is One, meaning conventional ballistics, Caseless firearms. Available in man portable packages with sizes ranging from five millimeter to twenty millimeter, Tier One is characterized by fire rates in excess of twelve hundred rpm, large magazines, excellent recoil management, and simple, ubiquitous design. Their primary drawback is that they’re the weakest in terms of damage and range.”

Picking up an assault rifle, Jack turned it over in his hands slowly. It was constructed with lightweight alloys and plastic, and housed a large helical bullpup magazine, with said magazine able to hold over a hundred rounds of 10mm caseless. “If we only had the army to deal with, I’d have made up my mind already. Run me through the other tiers.”

“With pleasure.” Olivia smiled again as she strolled across the bay. She clearly enjoyed her job. “Tier two is Magnetic Coil Weaponry.”

“Coil? Not rail?”

“After the war, Humanity had gained a lot of interesting alien tech, some of which being for power cells. With power packs no longer an issue, Coil was discovered to have a number of noticeable applications over a standard rail. Less materials required, better projectile trajectory, that sort of thing. They are the second most powerful weapons group, and boast impressive penetration statistics, but their recoil is difficult to manage, and their magazine sizes are small.”

“Interesting…” Jack turned a pistol over in his hands, eyeing the heavy piece.

As he did, Flitter stepped up behind him. “That’s the weapon that took my old arm off…”

“It’d be good for progeny, but not much else… low mag size has a lot of implications.” Setting down the pistol, Jack nodded to Olivia, who continued on.

“Third Tier is one you will be more familiar with, Mr. Kessle. Lasers. These ones are top of the line, the sort that Black Watch, and Saeder Krupp use for their special forces squads. Zero recoil, eighty percent lethality per hit ratio for center mass, cuts through armour like butter. They’ve fairly large magazines, but their range leaves something to be desired. As they are lasers, any smoke or inclement weather will reduce their effectiveness.”

“Pass. It’s going to be ugly down there, we can’t afford that drop in effectiveness. Besides, Progeny need knockdown power.”

“Hm.” Olivia paused to ponder his words. “I had a feeling you’d have an interest in Tier Four.” Stepping over to the final show piece, she lifted a weapon Jack’s guts were intimately familiar with. “Tier Four, Powered Metallic Plasma Projection System, lovingly referred to as Power Guns by the public. Uses contained cold fusion cells projecting electrons at a specific wavelength to excite copper and cobalt atoms contained in a disk shaped matrix. The atoms are excited, and forced down a modified compression coil chamber, focusing them into a shaped plasma projectile. Average muzzle velocity of one thousand five hundred meters per second, and no projectile drop. These are what you would consider to be ‘line of sight’ weapons. If you can see it, you can ruin its day.”

Ambling over, Jack began looking over the specs of the system. “Draw backs?”

“I’m glad you asked.” The woman smiled up at him. “The projectile has close to no weight in of itself, so the only penetrative properties it has is the immense amounts of energy it contains. The large disk sizes, specifically twenty centimeter, can slag modern battle tanks in one or two shots. However, the moment that projectile impacts, it disperses its energy in a blast. Consecutive shots make short work of any armour, but technically, the weapon has zero penetrative values. If you were to use it in dense foliage, you would be at a serious disadvantage. Besides that, it boasts a ninety eight percent lethality per hit ratio on center mass, and very, very light ammo. Something to take into consideration is that weapons meant for slower firing will jam up if you fire them too quickly. The liquid nitrogen injection system tends to struggle with matrix gunk build up.”

“We’re expecting rough conditions, how does it handle?” Jack slowly turned the compact rifle over in his hands. Under the honestly beefy barrel was a cylinder roughly the size of a pringles can. Releasing the magazine saw that it was empty, but apparently the magazine was designed to contain sixty five rounds.

“The system is very robust, jostling it won’t disrupt the internals, and the entire system is sealed, save for the gunk ejection port. The casing is make of a certanium alloy, so it can handle whatever you throw at it. In the event the case is ruptured and the system compromised, I would suggest a swift disposal of the weapon, as sometimes the liquid nitrogen system can leak at high pressures, and those wounds aren’t pretty, or pleasant. There are some recorded cases where power weapon shots can cause chain reactions in the normally unreactive ammunition as well, but I don’t think you’ll be having that issue in this case.”

“Noted…” Jack continued to look over the weapon, checking its ergonomics.

Stepping up, Flitter’s eyes went to the containers. “What weapon types did you bring for four?”

“The standard ammunition types are one centimeter, two centimeter, ten, and twenty. I’ve brought an excess of two centimeter rifles, a collection of one centimeter smgs, shotguns with modified compression chamber barrels, squad automatics of the one and two centimeter families, AT weapons in ten and twenty, and AMS mountings. I also have a large selection of drones, of you’re interested.”

Smiling a little, Flitter nodded. “I am interested. Aurora?” Flitter looked over at the entourage as the small woman perked her head up. “Over here, this is your speciality.”

As Aurora joined the pair, and Hans took over answering Jack’s questions, Olivia led the two women over to her selection of drones. “I have a large selection, but I’ve only brought the best today. Here-”

“Oh!” Aurora chirped as she moved in. “I passed a course online in operating these!”

Staring at the mare in disguise, Flitter managed a weak smile to her salesperson. “I’m sorry. Continue?”

“Right. I’ve brought three separate drone platforms for you to look over, each with their own set roles. The first is the Osprey, a lightly armoured vtol drone. Well suited for recon and harassment, they can be fitted with standard issue smgs and rifles.” The drone was a slim looking creation, sporting a pair of curled wings and a powerful set of thrusters. “You can easily slave a drone to a single operator, and have it follow standard bodyguard procedures. It contains top of the line programming in regards to missile evasion and pre set orders. Our second piece, is the Calliope.” The drone was roughly the size of a big dog, but sported six metallic spider legs, and a big domed head that sat in the center. “The Calliope comes equipped standard with twin five barreled one centimeter power guns and alpha class tracking software.”

Before Olivia could continue, Aurora took over. “Usually they’re slaved to an orbital overseer, but these drones cam shoot down incoming artillery, rockets, and planes!”

“Yes, exactly.” Olivia cleared her throat. “It seems you know your drones, Miss.”

“Well I mean, they gave me an open internet connection, and told me ‘learn all the things!’ so I kinda had to. Did you know there’s a site called ‘Wikipedia’? It has sooo much information, you can learn everything from it!”

Smiling slightly, Olivia nodded in agreement. “Anyways, the Calliope is a must if you anticipate running into those sorts of threats-”

“How many do you have?” Flitter asked as she looked over the drones, collapsed for storage and shipment.

“Of the Calliope system? Ten.”

“We’ll take all of them. What’s the third system?”

Humming slightly, Olivia simply nodded and walked a few more paces to remove a tarp. Flitter found herself pausing at the sight. The drone was large, almost as large as a car, or a carriage. It sported large, fat tracks, and a lifted chassis that could clear rough terrain. “This, is the Ogre. Heavy Ground Support and Area Denial. Comes standard with two machine gun mounts, one top mounted, and the other coaxial, and anti-vehicle cannon mount. This is, of course, in addition to chaff, smoke launchers, and anti-personnel deterrents. It can be modified to have heavy armoured skirts, to provide additional protection to an accompanying squad. It can also carry large amounts of supplies, and house communications systems, a drone hub relay, and an EWAR suite. The all in one squad support drone.” Olivia smiled as she patted the hefty plating on the drone.

Nodding slowly, Flitter began looking over the drone. “What sort of armour?”

“Fifty millimeters of layered ceramic microlattice, with a iridium-titanium alloy lattice fill.” From the slightly stunned look she received at the statement, Olivia sighed. “Equivalent to two thousand millimeters of RHA vs high explosive penetration, and twelve hundred against APFSDS. In other words, extremely resistant for it’s weight class. Sustained fire will damage and destroy it, but it’ll require considerable effort on your enemies part.”

“How many did you bring?”

“Three.”

Flitter nodded once. “We’ll take them. Same with the aerial drones.”

“Alright.” Olivia smiled brightly. “Honestly I wish all of my sales went this well. Now, let’s- Oh, Jack. Made up your mind?” Olivia looked to Jack as he approached.

With a small smile, Jack nodded. “Yeah. We’ll take the tier four primaries, but I want tier two secondaries in there as well for sidearms. Hans showed me your explosives, we’ll be taking the C6 explosives, Micro-Rockets, Limpet Launchers, and the MANPADS. I also noticed you had a uh… power cannon.”

“Yes, the twenty centimeter. What about it?”

“Do you think it could be mounted on a Leopard 4B3?” Jack rocked on the balls of his feet as Olivia tilted her head and stared at him.

“I… I erm… Yes, yes I think… it could… Where did you ever get your hands on a relic like that?” She asked as she rubbed at her jawline, hesitation clear in her confident voice.

“I have my ways. If you could send in a feed system and any conversion kits, that’d be great.”

“Done and done.” Olivia smiled once again. “Now, on to the fun portion of our sale. Your armour.” As Flitter and Jack shared looks, Olivia began to stroll deeper into the bowels of her ship. “Since you saved my life, and saved my employees from an embarrassing arrest, I decided to go the extra kilometer.” Pulling free a tarp, Olivia revealed row after row of impressive, large power armour suits, all painted a matching matte black and grey. They sported compact, angular helmets; overall, the suits just bled aggression, like manifestations of thousands of years in armour technology. “Terran Expeditionary Army Force Recon power armours. I’ve brought three separate models, considering your unique… composition. At their core, the suits sport a frame made with a Titanium alloy core, coated in Magnalium, making their core frame tough and light. Powered with a bank of micro-cold fusion reactors, the suits are rated for forty years of active service before requiring a powerplant replacement. Unlike old power armours which used hydraulics as their primary means for movement and surgical implants for guidance, the new armours rely entirely upon impulse muscle fibres and an accompanying linkage suit. With only a single nanosecond of input lag, it’s like wearing a second skin, I’m told. Armour plates are modular and easily replaced in the event of damage, and provide total body coverage. The plates themselves are roughly twenty millimeters thick on average, and comprised of the same materials the Ogre’s armour is, making you incredibly tough. Even a power gun would require a few strikes to cause any internal damage.” Olivia took a moment to catch her breath, and allowed her buyers to look over the intimidating armours. “The armours themselves are fully sealed, and can be modified with a micro-thruster bank for zero gravity operations. Your helmet contains a slaved virtual intelligence that monitors everything from hostile positions, armour statistics, communications, to your own vitals. Even without a primary hub, a squad can share tactical data instantly and maintain clear comms at excess of two hundred kilometers.”

Glancing over at Jack, Flitter got his attention with a slight tap on the shoulder. “What do you think?”

Slowly allowing his eyes to be pulled from the new suits. “They’re lithe. Light. My old armour was like wearing a tank. Took months to train with the exo alone, then with the added weight. Input lag of half a second, but you learned to anticipate and move before you actually needed to. These… Christ, one on one, they’d peel my old armour apart without breaking a sweat, and my suit was bleeding edge.”

“Eighty years ago, old man.” Hans reminded him, and earned a mild grin in return.

“So.” Flitter spoke to Olivia. “You mentioned you had three models? What’s the difference?”

Smiling in Return, Olivia looked back to the armours. “I’m glad you asked.” Walking over to the left of the armours, she motioned to one that seemed a bit more lithe than the others. “This is the Icarus armour variant. It sacrifices armour for higher maneuverability, and sustained flight micro-repulsors. The standard field suit comes with jump jets, but the sustained flight module allows for exactly that. Comes standard with two light shoulder mounts for launchers and the like.”

Having listened to the sales pitch, Flitter slowly looked over at Jack, no longer able to hide her smile. “You hear that Jack? Flying armour. We get to fly again.”

“You mean you get to fly again. I’ve always been more of a ‘Falling with Style’ kind of guy. I’ve sure Taven will be ecstatic, though.” Jack smiled at the thought. “Buy as many as you need for our natural fliers. They’ve trained for that kind of combat already, may as well put it to use. What else have you got for us, Olivia?”

“Hmm~ I always enjoy seeing happy customers. The second is the bog standard infantry armour, with some small modifications. Titled Medusa, all of the modifications are inside the helmet and chest, but they’re worth it. Improved VI capabilities, improved spatial awareness chits, command and control modules for extended drone use, and miniature TacNet plugs. Normally this model would be reserved for Noncoms, but I’ve brought enough for your needs. The third model, is the Zeus.” Gesturing to the bulkier suit, Olivia began her sales pitch. “The Zeus is built around overwhelming force focused to surgical precision. Sporting thirty millimeters of armour and oversized impulse fibre muscles, the Zeus outweighs the Medusa by almost a hundred kilos, while still maintaining tactical jump capabilities. Soldiers in the field have used it for ‘death from above’ style of attacks, with a high success rate. I’ve seen a predilection toward use of combat shields or heavy weapons with these styles of suits, but generally they’re well suited for assault and point positions.”

As Jack looked over the large Zeus suit, he couldn’t help but feel ever so slightly unenamored by it. “Better than Kevlar and a prayer. What’s the composition of the helmets? You mentioned a Iridium-Titanium alloy?”

“The helmets? Same as the armour itself, but generally five or so millimeters thinner to compensate for weight and to avoid stressing the neck’s impulse fibers, in addition to leaving room for the onboard electronics. As for the armour itself, the Iridium-titanium alloy forms the exterior of the wafer, while the interior is filled with a ceramic-titanium hybrid alloy, which absorbs and dissipates heat faster than standard titanium. Each wafer is like a honeycomb comprised of those materials. Each honeycomb is micrometers thick and layered unevenly over each other, resulting in a very dense armour that lasts longer, does more, and is highly space efficient. On top of that, for every ten millimeters of armour, you’ll have an additional millimeter of kinetic impact gel, further reducing the effectiveness of incoming fire. Keep in mind, this is all over the Impulse fiber muscles, which are, in essence, carbon-fiber kevlar nanotubes which are energized and made into augmented muscle stand ins. I've heard rumors of a new method that allows for nanometer honeycomb wafers, which would almost double the armour’s effectiveness for only a price tag trade off. However, pulling that sort of thing off would require the power of a sun, so don’t expect to see it on the market for another ten years.” Olivia smirked ever so slightly toward her buyers, though it fell away when she saw them paying more attention to each other than her.

Idly running a finger across the breastplate of a Medusa, Flitter glanced to Jack. “Thoughts?”

There was a long pause as Jack ran his eyes over the black suits and their angular helmets. They were the wet dream of any soldier in the field, and a pipe dream to the R&D team Jack had been the test bed for, back eighty years prior. “It’s exactly what we need; extreme mobility with unsurpassed survivability. The titanium in the mix should add extra protection, and hopefully an immunity to Order’s abilities, but there’s the chance it may not do anything, if it needs to be pure.”

Nodding slowly, Flitter slowly turned over the billion dollar price tag. “We can test it, but as it sits, it’s our best option. Now, what kind do you want?” A coy little smile spread across Flitter’s features as she gave him a sidelong glance.

Again, Jack left a long pause between her question and his answer, but this time, it was surprising. “None. I think I’ll try and pull some repairs on my old suit, use the new materials.”

“What?” Olivia cut in as Flitter turned to regard Jack with confusion. “Why? That’s suit’s a relic, not to mention it’s been all but ruined. You’re better off selling it to a museum than trying to make it something it’s not.”

With a sigh, Jack nodded. “I know you’re right, but there’s more problems to it than just preference. My training, is eighty years old. All my bad habits and counters to the old suit are hardwired into me. It’ll take longer to break those habits than it will to train newbies, and that’s time we don’t have. I’d rather slog in a relic than trip over my own two feet in new stuff.”

Clucking her tongue softly, Olivia tried to disguise her disappointment. “Okay. Every suit comes with a year’s worth of spare parts for high wear parts, but if you plan on pulling anything apart, I’d suggest getting a few spare suits.”

“Of course.” Flitter smiled and nodded. “Did you have somebody who could train us in the use? We-”

“I’m way ahead of you.” Olivia’s smile returned, now smug. “I realized that your group would rather live off the grid, so instead of compiling a list of trainers I trust, I’ve included a Augmented Reality Space trainer. Simply feed situations into the computer, and it’ll spit out a holographic training area. I’ve included a holo-instructor for armour and weaponry. Only ten million~”

Ignoring the shrewdness of her salesman attitude, Jack pressed on to a different tangent. “What else have you brought along?”

“Hm.” Olivia sniffed mildly. “Nothing of note, besides a container of munitions. Frag grenades, shredders, strumm, those sorts.”

Nodding once, Jack cast a long gaze across the collection weapons of war. “Flitter can help you crunch the numbers, but whatever ammunition you planned on selling us, double or triple it. Half a million rounds of each type at minimum, not a single round less. If you have more, we’ll take it all.”

“It’ll cost you...”

“We’ve already paid in full. I’m just asking you don’t screw us, or misunderstand.”

Tensing up ever so slightly, Olivia nodded slowly. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” Jack murmured quietly, before turning his back on the pair and marching out. As he walked, he motioned to Kleese, who pulled himself away from the weapon system he was inspecting.

Walking out out of the ship, Kleese waited until Jack stopped walking to ask his questions. By then, they’d already neared the barracks. “Is something wrong, sir?”

“Yeah.” Jack spoke softly, with a long, drawn out voice. “It won’t be enough.”

“Sir?” Kleese circled around to stand before Jack. “I’m not sure I understand. That’s all cutting edge tech, even better than what I used when I was in the service. How is it not enough?”

Leaning against a wall, Jack let out a long sigh as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “There’s forty members in JSOG. Maybe fifty or so volunteers, and I wouldn’t judge anybody if that number got cut in half. Sub Company, at best. When we left that world, there were two million brainwashed hostiles charging down on the capital, with air support, and more on the way. We can’t scare them. Can’t break them. They don’t have morale, because they don’t need it. This isn’t even counting their Progeny support, which is of a completely unknown number. Even if those suits put JSOG up in terms of power, it won’t be enough. We need... “ Jack’s shoulder sank as he slowly convinced himself of the reality. “We need more. So much more.”

Allowing the words to sink in, Kleese brought up a hand so he could rest his chin within it as he thought. “You raise a good point… Have you considered… WMD’s?”

“Chemical, nuclear, yeah… Problem is, Voronin doesn’t deal in them and I can’t blame her for it. Those suits and guns give JSOG hope, but we need something-” Jack paused for a moment, before continuing. “Something bigger. Kleese?”

“Yes sir?”

Jack turned his full attention to the other man. “You and your volunteers take care of JSOG. You teach them every single dirty little trick you know. You don’t pull any punches, and you give them everything you’ve got.”

Nodding slowly, Kleese tilted his head ever so slightly as he eyed Jack. “That was the plan. Something has come to mind, what is it?”

“Just a personal realization. I’ve got a call to make. Can you… get out there and help Flitter?”

“Yes.” Kleese nodded. “I’ll do everything I can, but something tells me she’ll be bitter about your replacement.”

“Yeah…” Jack nodded as he lifted off the wall. “Thank you, Irving. You’re giving them more than I could ever hope, or ask for.”

Saluting, Kleese turned on his heels, and headed for the door. As he reached for the knob, he paused, and glanced over his shoulder. “That may be so, Martyr, but I’ll never outdo you. If you walk out, I doubt they’d ever recover.”

“I’m not walking out. They’ve got their mission, and I’ve got mine. I just… need to go down a different path. One I can’t take them down.” Jack’s eyes fell to the floorboards as he answered, but he earned a silent nod from Kleese in response. Without another word spent between the two, they parted ways, with Jack heading for his room, and Kleese returning to the group.

Gently closing the door to his room, Jack unlocked his omnilink, and fed in the number he’d been give. The line began to connect and ring as he sat down on the edge of his bed, and ran a hand through his thick hairline.

“Jack, I’m surprised you called me so soon.” The smooth voice on the other side greeted him, and Jack swiftly realized that the other man already knew exactly what he was calling for.

“Blackburn.” Jack swallowed heavily as he focused his mind to the words he needed to form. “I’m in.”

Author's Notes:

6 months later, after 2 months of school, 3 rewrites, and amid writers block and other BS going down, you all finally get the chapter you've been waiting ever so patiently for! And guess what? Nothing really happened.

Honestly, I'm tired. I want to finish Ballad and move on to other projects; I've already begun a couple smaller things, which were to help me beat my writers block. As some of you may know, I'm not a fan of MLP any more. I don't read the fanfics, I don't watch the show, and I don't talk about it any more. That being said though, I do want to finish Ballad, properly. The trick is just getting there.

So, thank you all for having patience for Ballad and my slow writing; the chapters to come will have more action and drama within them.

Let's just hope they don't take this fucking long, eh?

Chapter Sixty Three: A Promise Made

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Fidgeting.

It was a little habit Jack had long since wished he’d broken; it was one that at a certain point in his life, he’d been certain he had broken. Yet, all the same, he fidgeted as he waited as the Elysian Fields shuttle plunged through the clouds toward him. He’d left nearly everything behind, including all of his weapons, and gold. Blackburn hadn’t exactly given him much time to even leave the base. It had been hard enough avoiding Flitter and the Arms Dealers.

“Chomping at the bit to get my ass back in line.” Jack muttered softly to himself as the shuttle set down, and a young man in a well tailored suit opened the door.

“Mister Kessle!” The young man waved for his attention, as if the black shuttle the size of a chinook helicopter hadn’t gotten his attention well enough. Taking a brief moment to cease his fidgeting, Jack began his short walk to the shuttle. He’d barely had a moment to sit down before the suit smiled brightly, and offered a hand. “Welcome aboard, Mr. Kessle, I’m Ryan Dents. Mr. Blackburn is-”

“Giggling maniacally to himself. There’s somewhere we need to go, before I meet Blackburn up in his tower, or wherever he’s hiding.” Jack had been expecting the long pause, and the brief look of surprise. He also knew what was coming next. “Blackburn can wait a few minutes. Either we-”

“Of course sir, where would you like to go?” Jack had not, been expecting that.

Letting out a mildly annoyed sigh, he slumped back into the luxury crash seat. “Britain. Hereford.”

“Done and done. Mr. Blackburn told me to meet any of your requests.”

Jack’s eyes flicked up to meet the young man’s as the shuttle banked, and stopped gaining altitude. “Really. He told you that.”

“Yes he did.” Ryan’s smile never ceased. “He also told me that you’d threaten dropping contact if we didn’t. Cigarette?”

“That sunova…” Jack took in a breath. “You ever get the feeling you’ve played right into somebody’s hand?”

Chuckling as Jack took the offered cigarette, Ryan engaged the air filtration unit in the cabin. “Quite often, sir. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s in Hereford?”

“A promise.”

November 20th, 2119

St. Martin’s Church, Hereford, Great Britain

Walking along the rows of headstones, Jack slowly chewed on the butt of his unlit cigarette as he scanned the headstones, looking for a name. The old church’s cemetery had long since been renovated after the war, though the coffins that had once been held in the ground were long gone, rows upon rows of self cleaning plaques had taken their places. The removal of the coffins had been a scandal apparently, as Jack had found while undergoing his search, but apparently, the SAS still maintained their plot, and updated it from time to time.

It didn’t take long to find her memorial, resting peacefully among the others.

Corporal Ada Forth

September 10, 2000 - August 6, 2023

Jack stared down at the memorial for a long, hard minute, before finally allowing himself to exhale softly, and rest a hand on its surface. “I tried, Ada. I tried to find your folks, but…” He paused for a moment. “Turns out we were a lot more alike than we realized, and I still can’t keep a promise.” Slowly sitting down at it’s base, Jack looked to the sky, and the overcast weather Hereford was suffering from. “You know, the moment I saw you for the first time, my heart fluttered a little. I’d been stuck in Candyland for far too long, and it felt like you were the first breath of saccharin free air I’d gotten. You were… so familiar, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by you, and I guess you ended up drawn in by me.” He cracked a soft smile as he looked down again. “Sometimes I think about you in that dress… That first night we had shared together. Say what you want about galas and magic, but you.. You were magical. Then, you went and cursed yourself… You told me you loved me, and I said it back. I got you killed, Ada, and for that, I’ll never be sorry enough, and now… now it’s happening again with Flitter. I want it, Ada, I want it so bad, but I just… I can’t bring myself to say it. It’s like, if I say those words out loud, that’s it, her days are numbered. Losing you… I think I lost another big piece of my soul, watching you die like that, scared, and… fucking alone…” He let out a soft sigh, before looking over his shoulder, toward the entrance of the cemetery.

Ryan had left Jack alone, as requested, but it was doubtful he wasn’t listening in, and recording everything for Blackburn.

Turning back to the memorial, Jack set the flowers he had been carrying with him, down on the grass before it. “I never got to ask what kinda flowers you liked best, so I bought a whole bunch to hopefully fit the bill. They smell nice, so that’s a plus.” The attempt at shifting the one sided conversation failed, and his mind swiftly fell back to her last moments. Broiling hot anger coursed through his veins, and forced his hand to ball into a fist over the grave stone. “I might be shit with my promises, but I promise you, Ada. I promise you, that I’m going to kill that Rat Bastard. I’m going to end his life, and you’ll be the last thing he thinks about. The last thing he sees. Even if I gotta make a deal with the devil himself, if I gotta cast aside the last raggedy scraps of my wretched fuckin soul, I’ll drag Carolus to hell with me, kicking and screaming the whole way down.” He soon softened his fist, and ran his palm over the top of the marker. “Goodbye, Ada. I hope that wherever you ended up in the end, you’re comfortable. I’ll never forget you, luv.” Standing, Jack saluted the marker, before turning on his heel, and marching back toward the shuttle. He had a Devil to meet, after all, and he could only be so fashionably late.

In Orbit, over Japan

Under normal circumstances, Ernest Blackburn was at best reserved, and at worst, taciturn. He wore an excellent poker face, as he’d once been told. He rarely showed much to his subordinates, and it never took much effort on his part to maintain the guise he’d carefully crafted over the years. However, there were always a few moments that had his heart beating just a little faster in his chest, moments that had the ghost of a gleeful smile tugging playfully at the knife edges of his lips. One such moment had come upon him as he watched the shuttle set down in the landing bay, and the doors pop open. Ryan Dents was the first to exit the shuttle, as was to be expected. The young man gave Ernest a single nod, and a brief smile, silently informing the older man that all was right with the world.

And, as if on cue, Ryan’s silent statement was proven correct as Jack descended the ramp, his eyes flicking about like a cornered rat’s, searching the environment for exits that didn’t exist. For once in a long time, Ernest smiled, and nearly felt it. As he began to open his mouth to greet his guest, Jack’s eyes locked on to him, and the words caught in Ernest’s throat, dying stillborn as they were. That’s no rat.

Shaking aside his intrusive thoughts, Ernest approached Jack, holding his poker smile in place. “Welcome aboard, Jack. I have to say, your call surprised me. I thought you’d be fucking about Earthside for another week at least.”

Approaching the Doctor, Jack kept his features stoney as he responded. “What can I say, Doc. I missed your company.”

Chuckling softly, Ernest turned on his heels, and began to lead Jack out of the hangar bay, and away from prying eyes. “So, how are you feeling? You took a rather hard fall in Seattle.”

“Those new plasma guns are right fucking cruel, I’ll tell yah that much.” Jack muttered idly as they entered into the sterilized hallways filled with Elysian Fields Ratings and Armsmen. “It was a wakeup call, that’s for sure. Whatever you put in that birthday present had heads rolling.”

Allowing himself an indulging smile, Ernest ushered Jack into an elevator, and pinged his floor. “That was all you, Jack. I have to say, I wasn’t very impressed when I saw you in Yellowstone, but one little ampule of tailored nanites, and you’re tearing back into the fray. I’ve never seen such a quick recovery before, let alone one from death’s door.”

The station was a big one, that was for certain. Following Doctor Blackburn through the large halls of the beast only continued to fill Jack with the feeling of impending doom. “I’ve burned through my nine lives already, so I figure at this point, me and Death have a restraining order.”

“Oh? And just how many lives have you burned by now?” The old doctor tilted his head toward Jack, a small, well calculated smile prying at his lips. A loaded question if there ever was one.

Taking a moment to count on his fingers. “I think… ignoring any minor brushes… Ten? No, wait, fourteen. Ish.”

“Leave it to you to forget how many brushes with death you’ve had. It sounds like you’ve got a story to tell, Jackie boy.” Ernest smiled just a little bit more, intrigued as ever. Opening the door to his office, he waved Jack inside, and closed the door.

“Nope. Not here to trade stories. I’m here to make a deal with you, Sir.”

Turning slowly, as he engaged the privacy field, Blackburn regarding Jack for a long moment. “A deal, you say. And what sort of deal are you looking for, Jack Kessle?” The smile was gone, replaced by another poker mask of curious features. Blackburn sat down in his chair, and leaned back as he regarded the man before him.

“The people I was hiding out with.”

“What about them?”

“You leave them all the hell alone.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because, you’ll get me.” Jack presented his palms as he sat in the chair across from Blackburn. “No sass, no shit, no trouble. You pump me full of whatever you’re feeding your bodyguards, turn me into whatever the hell you want. On two conditions. You let me help people, and you leave my people alone.”

A long, quiet moment passed between the pair as Ernest relaxed, and mulled over the offer. “I’ve got to say, Jack. You’ve gotten better at lying. You’ll never be without your trouble, or shit. It’s who you are. However, your promise of cooperation, is more than I could ever ask for. The programme that I’m running currently, is not something for the faint of heart, or uncooperative. It requires the utmost caution and precision, and I cannot allow someone, even you, to fight me on it. You know, I’ve always said that we often shared the same desires, the same drive. I want you to help people, I want you, to help our people. Humanity.” Blackburn sighed, and steepled his fingers together as he turned his chair slightly. “I’m sure. that at this point, everybody has told you how wretched a man I am, how I’m ‘oh so cruel’ to those ‘poor little xenos’. All the people making these claims, didn’t see what we saw, Jack. They’ve grown up in a world knowing only peace, only prosperity. Humanity is growing soft again, and now it won’t just be barbarians at the gate seeking to sack our Rome. It’s hordes of Xenos, pining to see who can wipe us out first. I have hundreds of files, petabytes in size, detailing a dozen separate species that want to take us out; half of which are trying actively to do so as we speak. So what if we spiked a few Corvellan hatchery worlds back in the day? The Corvellans didn’t pay anything back to us, so we took everything from them. We made them pay for what they did, and the supposed peacekeepers of the galaxy had the audacity to threaten us for it. The Council, is a farce. They don’t care about us, they only care for their interests, and their interests, do not lay with humanity. The only people who care about Humanity, are Human. This is a fight for our very survival, as a species.”

“Save me the sales pitch. You agree to my terms, and I’m in.”

“Well then. I’m glad you’re as resolute as you always were.” Blackburn leaned forward, offering his hand. When Jack took it, the old man squeezed, sending a lance of pain through Jack’s hand as he partially crushed it. “Welcome back to the fold, Jack. Hold on tight, and don’t look back.”

When the two men broke the handshake, Jack leaned back in his chair, and let out a petulant huff. “So… Tell me about this project. What can I expect?”

With a smile that told Jack he’d played right into his hands, Ernest stood, and motioned toward the door. “Tell me, Jack. Have you ever wanted to feel like a god?”

Standing to accompany the older man, Jack followed him out of his office. “Not particularly. Me and Gods have had a rougher history than the Kennedy family tree. Do I have to sign anything? Do I get dental?”

“There’s some papers you’ll need to sign, but we can worry about those later. The current project, Thanatos, has hit an evolutionary dead end. Eighty percent washout rate, two percent fatality. Subjects chosen from the best of the best, Special Forces, HRT, Triple S, everybody. The result is a median forty percent increase to body mass, all in lean muscle. Vastly improved land speed, durability, and reflexes. Bone growth, bio-organic flexlar subdermals, and a greatly increased appetite. Thanatos Operators are our best of the best, but they’re not good enough any more. We need something new. Something to give us that bleeding edge. When I saw you last, I had a bit of a eureka moment. We’re returning to the Bezikiner formula, heavily modified, of course; gone are the days of that barbarian steroid.”

Glancing about as they entered another elevator, and immediately began skimming downward, Jack couldn’t help but chime in when Ernest paused for breath. “Glad to hear it. Considering I just had all of my broken bits fixed, I wasn’t keen on melting my brain again on that crap.”

“If I can be painfully frank with you, Jack, you’re one of the best examples of BZ-2 going perfectly right. Thanks to your history of heavy substance abuse, the formula could roam free and do its job, as opposed to giving you a deadly brain hemmorage. However, the new formula is… Well, it’s something special, Jack. It’s currently in it’s prototype stage, and you’ll be joining two other candidates for the test trials. Best case scenario, the three of you will form a special team, delegated to handling situations nobody else can.”

“So, worst case scenario, I pop like a meat balloon. Best case?”

“Power, Jack. Real, tangible power.”

“So… Mind Reading? X-ray Vision?”

Blackburn shot a scalding, sidelong glance toward Jack. “You promised no sass.”

“And you didn’t take that promise.”

Letting out a tired sigh as the elevator dinged, Dr. Blackburn marched passed the sliding doors, and into a hallway passing between laboratories. Inside, several dozen scientists worked away diligently. “Follow me, Jack. And don’t touch anything, unless you want to be thrown into decontamination early.”

“So what do you mean by ‘power’?” Jack glanced side to side as they walked through the labs. He could see armours, weapons, and chemistry labs. Everything else was a mess of computers, white accents, and hyper-space aged tech that made his mind spin. “Everyone seems to have their own definition.” He murmured out as he stared at the working scientists.

“We don’t know yet.” Blackburn answered honestly, immediately drawing Jack’s attention. “As I said, the new program is in its infancy. We don’t know the extents of what it can do. However, with how effective Thanatos was, we’re forecasting incredible things.

Nodding slowly as they continued through the maze of labs, Jack couldn’t keep his mind from wandering about, and coming back with questions. “What’s the project called? More Greek patronage? Is it Kratos?” Jack asked flatly, and earned a sidelong glance from the lithe doctor.

“No. The program has so far been dubbed… Nemesis. Tell me, are you familiar with Nemesis?”

“I know a bit, if we’re speaking on a biblical sense or pop culturally, I can’t say I’m caught up with my greek mythos.”

Failing to hide a mild smile as they entered a decontamination chamber, Blackburn spoke over the quiet hiss of the jets above them. “Nemesis is the Goddess of Retribution, sent out to enact justice upon those who succumb to hubris. Nemesis, is Divine Retribution.”

“I seem to recall a program of the same name failing spectacularly.” Jack muttered as the decontamination process ended, and they entered the lab Blackburn had led him to. Inside were a number of white jacketed scientists busily working on their project.

“Hrn. Well, if it entertains you so, I can see about having your lips peeled back and a trenchcoat being made for you.”

Sucking his teeth momentarily, Jack decided to err on the side of caution, in case Blackburn wasn’t joking. “I’m good. I was always more of a bomber jacket kind of guy anyways.” Glancing over at the various workstations they passed by, Jack found himself unable to make heads or tails of anything he was seeing. “So… Who’re my two new partners?”

Reaching the final door, Ernest paused, and set his hand down on a scanner. He then scanned his eyes, and murmured a phrase into the console. Within moments, the door had popped open, and the final lab was revealed. “Mirio Togata. Ex-Helldiver and current Thanatos Operator. Emanuel Alvarez. Ex-Special Space Service, and Thanatos Operator. You’ll meet them within the week. They’ve already had their first doses of BZX, and have shown improvements across the board.”

“And we’re… we’re not doing my first shots right now, are we?”

“You sound nervous, Jack.” Blackburn didn’t bother looking over as he pulled on a smock, and other scientists entered the lab. “No, we’re not. First, we need to give you a proper medical scan, and fix anything that the nanites got wrong. There’s several days of prep work we need to do to make sure you’re ready for this. After all, we wouldn’t want you exploding like a meat balloon.”

“Yeah. Great.” Sitting on the center table, Jack let out a slow breath. “Good talk.”

“Please strip down and lie on the table. One of my assistants needs to begin your scans. Then, we can begin.”

“Woo…”

November 22nd, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘HE’S GONE’!?” Flitter shrilly squawked as she stared at Irving Kleese, who’d had the unfortunate responsibility of breaking the news to her, after she’d realized that Jack hadn’t been spotted in two days. “THAT- GGGRRAAA! That fucking asshole! He didn’t even say goodbye! Gods above and Princesses below, so help me, if he comes sliding back in here, I’m going to beat him within an inch of his life! Never, have I fucking ever! Met a man so utterly incapable of just TALKING about his plans! So fucking incapable of communication!” Flitter was pacing in circles, her hands gesturing wildly in a vain attempt to work off some of the excess emotion she was currently venting.

Irving, who for his part, was doing his best to weather the storm as stoically as possible. “Whatever his plan was, he certainly didn’t seem pleased with it. He wanted to keep you all as separate from it as possible, for safety's sake. He wouldn’t even tell me what it was.”

“Of course it was for our safety!” Flitter snarled out. “But he left you here as a scapegoat for me to chew apart, and I’m sorry!” Yanking her hat off her head, Flitter bit down on it, and began savaging it angrily with her teeth all while cursing Jack’s name through the fabric. Slowly but surely, Flitter composed herself, and fixed her mauled cap back upon her head. Letting out a hot breath through her nose, Flitter fixed Irving with a hard stare. “How are we looking on the training thing? The fucking… what the hell was it called…”

“Holo-trainer?”

“Yeah, that overpriced piece of shit.” Flitter pinched the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes as she forced herself to calm down. “Is it working?”

Irving nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Yes, They got it running last night. It has some basic programs in it already, but they’re rather easy to add in. Some of the volunteers brought out a Bobcat yesterday and helped dig a training course as well. Should be good for testing the new power armour in a more straightforward manner. Have you heard from Miss Voronin on what sort of ship she’s bringing you?”

“No…”

“Ah.” Irving clasped his hands behind his back, and considered things. “I know a woman who may be willing to captain the vessel. She’s… shall we say, Sympathetic. And, most importantly, unemployed and shipless. She has her own crew that she can call upon as well.”

Sighing quietly, Flitter nodded and lifted her head. “That’d be great, Irving. If she’s willing to help, we’ll have her. I’m sorry for snapping, I’m just…”

“Stressed out beyond your wits. It’s alright ma’am, it wasn’t even the worst I’ve been subjected to, and you’ve already apologized twice. Would you like to get some air? Clear your head?”

Nodding slowly, Flitter started toward the door. “Let’s take a walk.”

Exiting the barracks, the pair walked out into the airbase, and were welcomed by the sight of people working away diligently on numerous projects. The distant echoes of power-gun fire reached across the tarmac, telling of another live fire exercise with the new weapons. At one end of the runway was a large and growing obstacle course, with people mulling about carrying construction equipment. Heaving a heavy sigh, Flitter continued toward the hangars with Kleese at her side. Pressing inside the hangar to avoid the oppressive cold that was descending upon the base, Flitter found herself pausing momentarily as the new set up met her eyes.

“So… tell me what I’m looking at here.” Flitter stared at the mass of plywood, prefabs, and holographic projections.

Pointing upwards toward the large emitter mounted on the roof, Kleese began to explain. “That’s the emitter, all of this, isn’t real.” To make his point, he put a hand through a metal wall, before waving it about. “With the primary emitter and the networked casters, we can have a large, working hardlight construct that can change to match our needs.” Waving down one of the soldiers working at the computer, he yelled across the way. “Start up one of the sims.”

Rocking on her heels, Flitter watched as the set-up before her faded away, before the new simulation shimmered into view as the hardlight holograms reformed. Within a few minutes, the interior of a ship met her. “This is… good. What can we do?”

“Well, with the VR rigs that came with it, we can run squads of ten through combat simulations that are custom tailored to what we need. Rig can emulate the armour systems, which can let the trainees figure them out before they climb into the real thing. Anything in particular you want to cover?”

Thinking for a long moment, Flitter idly ran her hand over the hardlight. “We need urban combat situations, trenches, plains, and ship combat. Any specialist sims you can think of. We have less than a year to make the most of what we have.”

“Affirmative. I’ll get one of the guys to hunt down specific sims, and I’ll think of a few more specific ones, I- oh.” Kleese paused as Walter and Jessica entered. “Hey guys.”

With a mild wave, Walter looked around at the hangar in surprise, while Jessica made a beeline for Flitter. “Where’s Jack?”

“Off on his own little misadventure. Why?” Flitter tilted her head ever so slightly as she looked to Jessica.

Sharing a look between themselves, Walter was the one to speak next. “Videos from Seattle have started to come up... People recognize him.”

Pushing her phone towards Flitter, Jessica showed her the rough cam shots. “You two are trending on Twatter. Angel of Seattle, and The Martyr Lives.” A video of the gunship firing on a winged Flitter started up, and the chaos that followed. Despite herself, Flitter could feel her blush beginning to burn at her cheeks as she took down the gunship in a dress and heels. As the video stopped, Jessica began scrolling through the feed, showing the pictures, videos, and fan art that was blossoming up across the internet. “Grats, Babe, you’re internet famous.” Jessica said with a grin.

Running her hands down her cheeks, Flitter let out a slow breath. “Well, it could be worse…”

Several days later,

in Orbit

“It could be worse… right?” Jack muttered to himself as he scrolled through the massive legal contract before him. As he plunked down his signature for the Nth time, he couldn’t help but shake his head as just how screwed he was. Blackburn all but legally owned him, for the second time. It was just unfortunate that he had enough of his faculties to realize how screwed he was this time around.

“Jack!” Blackburn strode into the room, his suit freshly pressed. “Are you almost done with that crap?”

“Yeah, almost. Why, what’s up?”

Standing by the door, Blackburn crossed his arms. “It’s time we had you meet Alvarez and Togata. The doctors also tell me you’ve had all your preliminary injections. You know what that means?”

Cringing internally as he set down the last signature, Jack forced a weak smile for his new boss. “It means… we can go for lunch?”

“It means you’re getting the first treatment.”

“Great.” Jack said without any feeling as he pushed himself out of the chair, and closed his omnilink.

Motioning for Jack to follow, Ernest turned on his heels, and started down the hall, finding Jack was quick to follow. “The other two will be observing the initial injections, and if they’re successful, then they will follow suite.”

“So… why am I going first?”

“Nervous, Jack? Don’t be. Your body is the most acclimated to BZ2, that means it’ll have the most predictable reaction to BZX. You’re our gold standard today, and we’ve already run thousands of simulations.”

Letting the information sink in as they descended down to the laboratories, Jack couldn’t shake the trepidation he felt toward the coming events. “Onwards and offwards… Let’s meet your new boys then.”

Leading him into a small room aside the labs, Ernest stepped in, and cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, your third is joining you today. You may recognize him.” Stepping aside, Blackburn motioned Jack forward.

Stepping around the corner, Jack entered the small breakroom and immediately felt dwarfed by the two giants. The pair of men were seven feet tall, easily, but each of them looked oddly proportionate to their size. Ernest began introductions, introducing the larger of the two as Mirio Togata, a Japanese native with bright eyes and a shock of blonde hair atop his head. Mirio shook Jack’s hand with two of his own, though it was hardly needed when one dwarfed Jack’s entirely. “I’d heard rumors that you were with us, but I never imagined meeting you. It’s an honour, sir.” The brilliant and ernest smile helped to wash away some of his initial worries.

“Likewise. You were a Helldiver, right?”

Smiling even brighter, Mirio nodded. “Yeah man, feet first into hell!”

Emanuel Alvarez stepped up, sizing Jack up as he approached. “I’m Alvarez, but you can call me Manny, Sir.” He offered a large shovelhead shaped hand to Jack, who took it.

Shaking the offered hand, Jack managed to smile momentarily. “You boys can just call me Jack. I haven’t held rank in awhile.”

“Affirmative.” Mirio grinned at Jack, before glancing to Blackburn. “So I guess today is the day, sir?”

“Yes, yes it is, Boys. Follow me, we’ll be beginning the first of the tests today, and Jack has been chosen to go first, as he’s got the body most likely to succeed.”

Manny cast a brief glance over at Jack. “Doesn’t look like it, sir.”

Leading the trio out of the room and toward the lab, Blackburn maintained his poker face. “He may not look it, but you’re walking next to a first gen super soldier.” Entering the large lab, a group of scientists greeted Blackburn, and informed him that everything was ready to go. Pulling on a labcoat, Blackburn motioned the two Thanatos operatives to the viewing area, before guiding Jack into the hands of a young doctor wearing scrubs and a surgical mask.

The woman smiled under her surgical mask, causing it to rise slightly. “I’m Doctor Amanda, and I’ll be with you inside the chamber for the first few minutes. If you would follow follow me, we can get you changed.” Nodding slowly, Jack took a deep breath as he tried to center himself. Following after the doctor, he was brought into a small room, and asked to change into a hospital smock. “Have you had much surgery before, Mister Kessle?” Amanda asked as she averted her eyes.

“More than I’d care to mention.” He admitted quietly as he folded his clothes and set them on the bench. “What can I expect today?”

“Nothing too terribly noticeable, I’d wager. The formula will likely take time to begin changing your body. However, there is a chance you may grow a little taller.”

Chuckling softly, Jack stretched out and groaned. “Right, we’ll see about that.”

Leading him into the surgery theatre, Jack took a moment to look around. The room was roughly circular, with a single full body seat in the center. There were separate sections for each limb, and each section had its own magnetic restraints. A large overhead device sat above it, along with a large collection of tubes and pipes. All together, it looked like a large metal spider

“Please take a seat, Mister Kessle. Remember, the restraints are for your own safety.” Taking a moment to further inspect the metal contraption that sat above above the table, Jack forced himself to hide a small flinch at the sight of the huge needles it was sporting. “Is everything alright, Mister Kessle?” Amanda smiled at him again from behind her mask, though it felt plastic.

“Yeah.” Clambering on to the table, he tried to focus himself, amd calm down. It wasn’t an easy task, as Amanda secured his restraints and brought the multi-limbed machine down close. She then began attaching wireless leads to his body that clamped on with a little electric hum.

Glancing to her boss behind the glass, Amanda received a single nod. “Okay Mister Kessle, you might feel a little pinch. This time, he failed to contain his flinch as a dozen needles slid into his skin, seeking out his veins and target muscles. “Beginning first injection.” Dark red liquid began flowing through the tubes, and down into the needles. Immediately, Jack could feel his muscles contract, and his body attempt to reject the injection.

Gritting his teeth, Jack almost didn’t notice when a familiar voice chuckled in his ear. ”Well shit, Jack. This is some interesting stuff…”

Closing his eyes as the formula continued to enter his blood stream, Jack responded to the voice in his own head. ”Can it, Mark. I can han-” Jack’s own train of thought was interrupted by the piercing pain in the back of his neck, inside his neural plug. Heat was spreading through his veins, though it was swiftly growing from a warmth to a burning.

”Jack, whatever they accounted for in their formulas, they didn’t do it right. You’ve got, oh, I don’t know… two minutes of consciousness, if that? Your core temperature is rising fast, and not long after you pass out, your organs will melt.”

Doctor Amanda was looking rather frantic as she adjusted some equipment inside the room, though the others inside the observation lab seemed more worried than she. Blackburn was wearing a hard scowl, and yelling at people. The formula was still pumping into his body, and Jack felt like he was boiling alive in his own skin.

”I’m going to interfere. You’re of no use if you just up and die on me again.”

“Dammit Mark-” Jack managed to choke out, before he jerked up against the restraints, a silent cry escaping him as agony laced his bones. A spray of blood flew from his nose, spattering the window. His veins were standing hard against his bright red skin, and were pulsing red-purple. He was burning up, and he had to cool down, now. A lance of pain spread down his left arm, causing him to flex and strain against it. With the sound of shearing metal, the restraint holding his arm broke free, and clattered loudly against the steel floor. Roaring with all his might, Jack pulled against his remaining restraints, and shattered them. Stumbling off the table, he motioned with a wavering arm to Amanda. “GO! Get out of here!”

Fleeing quickly, Doctor Amanda fled the room, leaving Jack alone inside as his own insides boiled. He needed a way to cool down; he could already feel himself losing consciousness.

Up, Jack! UP!”

Jerking his attentions upward, Jack grinned like a manic when his eyes fell on the exposed piping in the ceiling. The one that interested him the most, however, was the four inch pipe with the warning ‘Liquid Nitrogen’ on it. His body was on fire, and twisting under him as the formula did it’s work; he didn’t have any other choice. With black invading his sight rapidly, Jack climbed shakily up on to the table, and leapt off. His hands instantly tensed when he gripped the ice cold pipe, but the heavy thing refused to budge from the ceiling, which left him dangling in the air. With a cry of primal defiance, he swung both of his leaden legs up, bracing them against the ceiling as he wrenched the pipe. Just as his consciousness began to flee him, the pipe burst, sending a torrent of liquid nitrogen into the room, and down on to Jack.

While normally being doused in liquid nitrogen would be unpleasant and painful, Jack could only muster a lurid groan of pleasure as the liquid washed over him, freezing his hair and hospital smock stiff. As the pipe continued to flow, a thick white fog filled the room, thanks to the liquid nitrogen. Despite the small degree of respite he’d found, his ordeal was far from over. He wasn’t certain when he finally lost consciousness, whether it was when his mechanical legs fell off, or when his vertebrae began to elongate; regardless, he did not enjoy waking up on the cold steel floor, in a pool of liquid nitrogen.

“Jack, are you still with us?” Blackburn’s voice was the first thing to greet him back into the land of the conscious.

“Yeah-” Jack paused, and cleared his throat, before repeating himself. His voice sounded off.

“Good, that’s good. Could you stand up for me?”

Slowly pushing himself up off the floor, Jack groaned softly as his sore muscles protested under the workload. Drawing his feet up under himself, Jack hissed as his soles met cold steel, but scant seconds later, he all but fell over in shock. He just felt his feet. Waving some of the smoke away, he found himself staring at two, big, newly formed feet, with five toes each. Despite everything, Jack could feel a ball of happiness welling up brightly inside him. He had legs again, after so many long years, he was whole.

“What’s the hold-up, Jack?” Blackburn’s voice sounded again, breaking Jack’s concentration away from his feet.

“I’m going, I’m going.” Pushing himself up, Jack yelled in surprise as his head rammed into the medical device hanging off the ceiling. “Fuck!” Rubbing his head, Jack found he had to tilt his head slightly to see into the observation room. The entire team was staring at him in awe, save for Blackburn.

“How do you feel, Jack? We almost lost you there.”

“I uh…” He hesitated for a moment, thinking as he tried to get a handle on his surroundings. “I feel… good? Better than I did. I have to say, Ernest... That was fuckin awful.”

Nodding slowly, Ernest glanced over to one of the technicians working next to him, and said something away from the mic. When he spoke again, Jack was leaning against the table, marvelling at his long, beefy legs. “We need to get some scans on you, Jack, but it seems a little hazardous for Doctor Miller to enter. Do you think you can help us on your end?”

Hopping down with a splash, Jack shivered slightly at the chill of the liquid nitrogen. “I have to say, I’m a little worried about how little this hurts right now. Doesn’t nitrogen run around minus four hundred?”

“Something like that, Jack. Just help us get some scans. Pull the Myer’s shackle down from the ceiling.”

A few minutes later, after following all of Blackburn’s instructions, Jack was allowed to exit the wrecked room, and pull some clothes back on. Ducking under the doorway, he muttered softly as he tried, and failed to fit into his old clothes. Reduced to wearing his pants like a pair of shorts and throwing the rest of his clothes over his shoulder, Jack treaded out into the observation room. As everyone turned to look at him, he couldn’t help but stand there awkwardly, softly patting his new feet against the cold steel.

Clearing his throat, Blackburn nodded slowly. “Good… this is… better than we anticipated.” Lacing his fingers together, the older man managed a short sigh as the doctors and technicians all filed out. When they were gone, he spoke again. “Jack, we detected some… disturbing signatures when you underwent initial injection. I have to ask, have you… done anything that would result in your body producing miniscule amounts of dark energy?”

“Producing small amounts of what?”Jack leaned forward slightly, before correcting himself so he was no longer looming over the Doctor. Mirio and Emanuel stood nearby, watching him closely.

“Nevermind, it’s just… odd. What happened was an outcome that had been only a fraction of a percentage of possibility. It simply… shouldn’t have. This injection was supposed to implement minimal changes to your body, not…” Ernest sighed, and for once, looked at a loss for words. “I’m shocked you survived at all. Pulling that pipe down likely saved your life.”

Mirio nodded in agreement, before speaking. “Pretty quick thinking for someone running a fever of one hundred and sixty.” The blonde man glanced to Emanuel, as if to hear his agreement, but the shorter operative said nothing as he watched Jack closely.

“Indeed.” Ernest tapped at his tablet. “I’ll have one of the doctors retrieve you some clothes, but for now we’re going to have you under close observation.”

Jack nodded lightly as he reached up and touched the ceiling. “So, what changes happened?”

“Well, you grew taller, for one. Seventeen centimeters. You have… also regrown your legs, which is rather shocking.”

“What about my ribs? I felt them… moving. Just a smidge.”

With a nod, Blackburn swiped the page on his notepad. “It seems each rib expanded, and as they are now, have nearly formed a complete plate over your internal organs. Bone density increase of fifteen percent across the board, and eighteen point two percent lean muscle growth. Are you hungry, Jack?”

Looking up in mild surprise, Jack took a moment to answer as he realized just how hungry he was. “Yeah… I could eat.” The tense gnawing in his guts agreed.

“What would you like? Whatever you want, I’ll have it flown up from the best places on earth, if our cooks can’t do it.” Blackburn laced his hands behind his back, and found himself looking up to meet Jack’s gaze.

With his eyes flicking to the other two operatives, Jack thought. “Sushi. Gimme a fuckload of sushi.”

With a single nod, Blackburn sent the message, and began gathering his lab coat, which he had discarded at some point. “Will you be needing a wheelchair to get to your room?”

“Blackburn-” Jack started as he flexed his feet. “I don’t think you could make me sit down right now.”

Cracking a rare smile, Ernest chuckled softly. “Good. That’s what I like to hear. Tomorrow will be a busy day for you, so get some rest. You’re free to move around, but do not stray from your room without a medical escort. Mister Togata, Mister Alvarez, if you would accompany me?” The pair responded with a curt ‘yes sir’ in near unison, and soon Jack was left alone in the observation unit, before Doctor Amanda came to retrieve him. The next few days were going to be busy, as Ernest had said, but Jack had a feeling that whatever the old man had planned, would be nothing compared to what Jack was going to achieve. For once as he walked to his room, chatting idly with Amanda, He felt confident, and in control.

You and me, Mark. We’re going to make the most of this, and we’re gonna turn Jalgromak inside out.

Chapter Sixty Four: Drive and Progress

View Online

December 23rd, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

“UP AND OVER! HOP TO IT, SQUAD!” Flitter’s voice boomed over the rumble of close quarters combat as tracers zipped overhead. Pushing out from behind cover, her squad pressed forward, weapons tracking back and forth. Targets sprung up, firing back at her squad from cover as they advanced. Flitter was laser focused as her weapon sight sought out targets. Virulent cerulean blasts belched from the barrel if her weapon as the muzzle passed over target after target, the report muffled behind her helmet. “Taven, break left and lay down suppressive!” Flitter’s command and control helmet allowed her to see everybody in her squad, and send individual orders as needed. It required a massive level of concentration on her part to keep track of everybody, and herself in the field. “Baron, watch your six! Mythic, Lemon, prep that door for breach!”

The pair moved forward under the cover of the squad, placing the cutting charge over the bulkhead door. “Charge set!”

“Blow it!”

The charge hissed softly against the steel, before the magnetic repulsor activated, and shot the section of door into the bridge of the ship. Flitter set a bright holographic arrow forward as she yelled “Go! Into the breach!” Lemon charged forward, passing through the breach first with her heavy armour; as the rest of the squad followed and swiftly cleared the bridge, a klaxon sounded, and the sim ended.

Pulling off the stuffy helmet, Flitter wiped her brow as she looked over to the control desk. “How was that?”

Sitting back as he sipped at his coffee, Kleese pulled up the details. “Lagged by three seconds, total time was one minute and twenty two point four.”

A muted curse rose from the small squad as they walked off the holotrainer and racked their rigs. Running a hand through her short shock of hair, Flitter walked over to Kleese and leaned over the back of his chair to read the screen. Watching the replay, she found she could only sigh. “We’ll try again tomorrow, I want it under a minute ten if we can.” Waving over her squad, She forced herself to stand straight. “We’ve done better, guys, but it still wasn’t bad. Thirty hostiles nixed and no injuries on our end, under a minute thirty.”

Leaning against a heavy munitions container, Taven took a brief moment to wipe his own brow and take a swig of water before speaking. “The rest of you all should hit the showers. Flitter?”

With a brief motion to dismiss the others, Flitter nodded to Taven. “Sup?”

“I think we’re ready to hop into the real things. The rigs are fine for general learning, but I think the only way we’ll be able to cut down our times is if we train with the real deal.”

“You’re right.” Flitter nodded briefly as she scratched at her scalp. “I’ll make sure the techs have a squad’s worth ready to go by tomorrow, and we’ll begin in the early AM. Aurora is making good progress with the drones, at least.

Chuckling softly, Taven hung up his rig, and motioned to the hangar door. “Let’s get some fresh air. You hear from Jack?”

“No.” Stretching for the sky, Flitter groaned as her limbs popped softly. “Not a peep.”

“I just hope he’s alright.” Taven muttered quietly as he looked up into the star filled night sky. “Sure is a beautiful planet…”

Looking up at the stars as well, Flitter couldn’t help but smile a little in return. “Yeah… I-” She paused, and squinted. Some of the stars were getting closer. As she began to say something, her omnilink chimed with the sound of an incoming call. “Hello?” She answered quickly, eyes still on the descending stars.

The voice on the other end belonged to none other than Olivia Voronin. “Knight Captain! I’ve found you a ship!”

Flitter nodded as she laughed. “So that’s what it is. Bring it down on the airstrip and I’ll meet you there.” As the call ended, She cracked a huge grin and punched Taven in the shoulder. “Our chariot has arrived, go get Kleese, Walter, and Jessica. I’ll be on the tarmac.” Setting off at a jog, she found she couldn’t contain her excitement as she unfurled her wings and took to the skies to cover the ground faster.

The ship setting down on the airstrip was large, larger than the air-carrier the Crown had been so proud of. The ship was tall and wide, and was almost two hundred meters long. It had no noticeable command spire, but two dozen large round metal hatches lined each side near the center of the ship. The heavy repulsors of the vessel rumbled as it set down, the air pressure forcing Flitter to the ground even several dozen meters away, where she had to cover her face against the blowing snow. The engines slowed with a whine as the ship’s bulk sank into the snow, and the front of the ship began to open into a loading ramp. As the ramp clanged down on to the tarmac, a small figure wearing a heavy winter coat that managed to dwarf them entirely began walking down it, with two guards at their flanks.

Olivia Voronin lifted a hand in greeting, waving slightly. “Good evening Captain!” Shifting her coat against the wind, the Arms Dealer smiled as she gestured back at the ship. “Do you like it?”

Unable to hide her own smile, Flitter nodded as she looked over the massive vessel. “I do… what is it?”

“Come on in, let’s get out of this cold.” Waving Flitter up, just as the others arrived, the group reentered the hold of the vessel. Shaking her coat free of the snow, Olivia let out a shivering breath. “Miserable weather… You’re a very popular woman online, Captain.”

With a soft cough into her fist, Flitter nodded slightly as she looked around. The hold of the ship was cavernous, but had large areas pre-marked for operations. “l’ve noticed… hopefully nobody big decides to come looking for me.”

“Yes, let’s hope. Your little operation could do without the journalists and alphabet soup agencies snooping around. Now, to business.” she smiled again at them all. “This is a Ulysses class Helldiver Frigate; two hundred and fifty meters long, crew of forty, with room for two hundred support personnel, five hundred combat personnel, and thirty eight long tonnes of cargo. While it doesn’t have any armaments, it does have an impressively thick hull, and a launch deck for fighters. That all, however, is secondary to the primary purpose of the frigate. The selling point that puts the Ullyses apart from other ships of its size, is it’s drop pod compliment.” Giving the group a tour through the vessel, she gestured to the large drop pod berths, which were currently loaded with sleek oblong pods. “I’ve taken the liberty of having eighty pods loaded in, though you only have forty eight launchers.”

While it all sounded good, Flitter couldn’t help but bring up a question that was burning a hole in her head. “What’s a drop pod?”

“Ah.” Olivia blinked, looking lost as her train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt.

Clearing her throat, Jessica spoke up. “These are the Kraken drop pods, right?” At the nod in return she received, she continued. “The Kraken pod is dropped from orbit, and uses a load of mini-thrusters to position itself for the designated dropzone. Once it’s hit a thousand meters, it deploys contragravity and inertia dampeners before hitting the ground, with the person inside hopefully not turned to paste.”

“More or less correct.” Olivia smiled briefly. “The Kraken pod is preferable for hotzone drops, because when they deploy their final stages of decceleration, they can detonate antipersonel mines lined along the bottom, clearing your landing zone of soft targets. Once the pod has landed, a medium airborne combat drone deploys from the top, and three fifteen millimeter caseless machineguns deploy along the extended legs.” She pointed out the recesses. “The machineguns work via networked VI to fire on any hostile entering their range, while the drone falls under control of the designated operator. Once they run out of ammo, the pod self destructs for null salvage for hostile forces. A drop pod is an excellent way to make a notable entrance. They’re prefered by special forces due to the shock and awe they provide on initial engagements, and tactical flexibility.”

Moving up next to Flitter, Kleese murmured into her ear. “Ship seems solid.”

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Flitter reached forward, and tightly hugged the arms dealer, who let out an unrefined squeak of surprise. While Nate and Chambers had tensed at the motion, they paused and didn’t intervene. Wrapping her wings around the woman, Flitter made sure the hug was as good as she could give. “Thank you, Olivia. You may have saved my planet.”

Squirming slightly in the hug, the much smaller woman awkwardly patted Flitter’s back. “yeah. okay.” She stood there for a moment, before sighing gruffly, and hugging back. “You’re welcome. Don’t let it ever be said that Olivia Voronin doesn’t pay her debts. Even I have to deal with… Earl.”

Pulling away, Flitter laughed softly as she gazed around the ship’s interior. “Well, thank you Olivia. By the way, how is Yuma?”

“Oh! The new hire!” Cringing a little, she turned to glance at John. “I kind of forgot we were supposed to give her back…”

With a quiet sigh, John Chambers shook his head. “I’ll radio the ship and have them send her down with the retrieval shuttle. She’s been… a great addition to our security team. Yuma’s an exceptional woman.”

Laughing lightly, Flitter smiled at John. “She’s a minotaur, I’m not surprised she made herself useful.”

“Minotaur? I’m not sure I follow.” John tilted his shaved head slightly.

“She’s a Minotaur. You know, bipedal humanoid bull person, affinity for mazes?” Flitter said as John and Nate shared a glance between them. “Aaanyways, is there anything else I should know about the ship, Olivia? Any repairs it needs?”

Clearing her throat, Olivia shifted a little on her tiny feet. “Well, it’s a ship from Earl, so… more than likely stolen, if I’m going to be honest… Give it a few maintenance checks before you fly into vacuum.” The woman was already walking out of the ship with the others in tow, but something made her pause and turn. “Knight Captain, how serious are you willing to get with your war?”

“I’m willing to go all the way.” Flitter said resolutely. “No matter what it takes.”

“Good…” Olivia stood still for a brief few seconds, considering things. “I may have some more equipment for you. Heavy machinery. Like I told Mister Kessle, I don’t deal in WMD’s, but I can give you the next best thing. The issue is, is I doubt you have the money to even begin to pay off most of it, so, I have a proposal.”

Lacing her hands behind her back, Flitter regarded the short woman for a long moment. “I’m listening.”

“VLI has been having some… difficulties of late with Foxhound Industries. They’re trying to muscle in on my operations, disrupt deals and deliveries. When I ask, if you could provide me with some high speed low drag folks prepped and ready to kick ass and take names, then I could most certainly obtain you heavy machinery.”

Considering the offer, Flitter had to chew on it for a long while. “What sort of machinery?”

“Primarily, a HOG battery. That’s High Orbit to Ground; mobile missile launch system, loaded with thermobaric warheads. A full upgrade kit for that tank you have, and a hyper-sonic strike fighter, if you have a pilot.”

“I’ll need time to think about it, but as it sits, we’ll help. JSOG takes care of their own, and I’ve got a bone to pick with Foxhound. Was that all?”

Smiling grimly, Olivia nodded. “Yes. Have a good night, Flitter.” The VLI shuttle was punching through the dark clouds, sending frigid air currents that buffeted those around it heavily. As the Smuggler and her security boarded, a familiar face climbed off. While some words were shared between Yuma and the VLI crew, Flitter turned to the people standing with her.

“Any thoughts? Have I made a mistake?”

Letting out a breath into the frigid air, Walter nodded. “A little, yeah. But I think it’s one you had to make. Let’s just hope to high hell that nobody takes interest in us with you all running around getting into gun fights with PMC’s. Roxy used to fly fighters, and I’m sure she’d jump at the chance to do it again.”

“Ma’am…” Kleese started. “None of the volunteers are here to fight battles for an Arms Dealer.”

“And I wouldn’t ask them to. I don’t want to whore out my soldiers either, but more guns can only help us. Besides, she’s been good to us so far, so it’s not likely going to be too much.”

With a quiet huff, Taven stuck his hands in his pockets. “If anything, it’ll be good training, but if we lose anyone, it’ll be a massive blow.”

“I’m aware.” Flitter murmured softly as Yuma returned to them, carrying a duffel bag.

“My friends!” Dropping the bag, the huge woman embraced as many people as she could in one go. Her new cybernetic arms squeezed tightly, earning some muffles yells and groans as people were crushed. “Where is Jack? I do not see him?”

With a strained grunt, Flitter slipped from the crushing hug and straightened her blouse. “Jack’s off base for the time being, but you got here just in time for dinner.”

“Wonderful!” Yuma took to carrying Taven, who looked confused at the sudden development. “I have many stories to tell all of you!”

Jack hardly recognized himself when he looked in the mirror now. The weeks prior had been all but a blur of surgeries, implants, and injections, but try as he might, he could find no evidence of it on his skin. After the first injection had gone so horribly wrong, Blackburn had returned to the drawing board, and come back grinning like a maniac.

Wiping steam off the mirror, Jack exhaled as he looked over himself. He’d grown a lot since they had started, even more than the other two. Standing at seven feet, eight inches tall, and weighing just over five hundred pounds, he was faster, stronger, and overall more powerful than his two counterparts. His muscles had become twice as dense, and almost had no give to them anymore thanks to the bio-weave coating that lay under his skin. His bones were laced with titanium nano-sheathes, and had grown to nearly twice their original size. He was powerful. More powerful than anybody else had ever thought possible. Whether the others envied him for it remained to be seen, but from what had happened to Jack so far, he doubted either Mirio or Emanuel were terribly interested in taking his place.

As his omnilink buzzed, alerting him to his next session, Jack sighed, finished toweling off, and changed. Stepping out the door, he was careful to duck to avoid beaning his face off the bulkhead. While the halls were tall and wide, people still gave him an uncomfortably wide berth and only whispered when they thought he couldn’t hear them. Blackburn was keeping the project hard under wraps, but the station rumormill was just as healthy as any other posting he’d been sent to.

“Jack!” Mirio waved lightly as he slipped into the elevator next to Jack. “Last one today, huh?” The young man grinned up at Jack as he scratched at his scalp through his shock of blonde hair.

“Yeah. Last shot and we’re on to greater things next.” Jack had to duck his head in the elevator to avoid scraping along the top of the car.

“You really filled out, man. You started off looking pretty gangly.” Mirio teased lightly as he hit the button for the bottom lab.

Huffing in mild amusement, He grinned toward Mirio. “I’m just glad I’m proportionate, and not some swollen muscle ball. Head still feels fuzzy…”

“That’s the bone lacing. Always feels fuzzy over the head area. You can still see fine, right?”

He nodded once as the car continued to shoot downwards. “Better than I used to.”

“Then the sheathes didn’t grow over your optic nerve. That means you’re good!” Mirio laughed as the doors dinged open. “Come on, Chief. Let’s go see what Papa Blackburn has cooking.”

Following, Jack could only shake his head. “Probably fuckin meatloaf.”

Perking as the pair walked in, Blackburn turned in his chair. “Gentlemen. Today, is the day.” He smiled faintly as he stood. “Mister Alvarez has capped yesterday at ten activations, Mister Togata, you’ll be on twelve after today. Jack.” Blackburn looked to Jack. “Against our best assumptions, your body will have somehow managed to contain twenty four. As of right now, Jack, you may very well be the most physically powerful human ever.”

Rocking on his heels Mirio smiled. “So, after final activations, what’s the plan?”

“Armour and armaments.” Blackburn paced before the pair, undaunted by the sheer size of them. “We have custom pieces for each of you that will be tailored to your fighting styles. Once we’re ready… We’ll go looking for trouble.”

Grinning at the mention of a fight, Mirio nodded slowly. “Hoo-fuckin-rah.”

“Let’s get this over with then.” Jack rolled his shoulders, idly watching as the thick braided cables of muscles twisted and flexed. “Tired of sitting around.”

“Then let’s go, gentlemen!” Blackburn stood and lead the pair down to the labs, where the doctors were waiting and ready with the final activations. If Alvarez’s final was anything to go by, this was the one where the magic happened.

Waiting his turn took ages as the doctors strapped down Mirio, and readied the final shot. Shifting from foot to foot, Jack watched as the thick fluids filled Mirio’s veins, bulging them heavily as his body struggled with the load. Jack had grown to hate the injections; each one was torturous and exhausting. Being stuck in the station was grating on his nerves, constantly under surveillance, constantly being poked and prodded. He had to stay, though. If he were to leave, he’d put everybody in jeopardy. As Mirio roared and strained against the restraints, Jack sighed softly and closed his eyes. He missed the others. He missed Flitter.

“You’re up, Jack.”

Slowly opening his eyes, Jack strode off, to climb into the machine one last time. Allowing himself to be strapped in as the doctors helped Mirio out, Jack let out a slow, even breath as he braced for it. As the needles punched in under his skin, he felt himself floating off.

“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it, Jackie?” A soft, familiar voice greeted him as he opened his eyes. Around him was burning sands, and boiling black skies. Pools of brackish oil broke the terrain, between where burning rigs sent flaming hellish fingers into the skies. Finally, his eyes fell on the owner of the voice, who sat nearly naked on the edge of a deep black pool. Ada smiled faintly as she traced her fingers over his hand. “I missed you luv.”

Hesitating for a long moment, Jack gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Yeah… I missed you too, Ada.”

“Y’been real busy, Jack.” She leaned against his side, and traced the heavy tendons in his hand. “Turned yourself into a beast. Died again.” In the distance, another flaring finger of smoke and fire pierced the sky, illuminating the harsh hellscape for a moment.

“I… had to.” He murmured quietly in response as he grasped her hands. “Gotta make those sacrifices. Somebody has to…”

“Had to be you, because somebody else would get it wrong.” Ada leaned against him, letting out a soft breath as she laced her arm around his side. “When will it be enough, Jack?”

Embracing the woman at his side, he rested his chin atop her head. As much as he wanted to inhale and smell her one last time, his nose was clogged with the stench of cordite, death, and burning crude. “I don’t know. I wish I knew, but I don’t. There’s still so much to do…”

Standing as her clothes caught fire and burned away, Ada leaned down, and kissed him gingerly. “We’re waiting, Jack.” Standing, Ada stepped into the oily oasis, and began to sink below the surface. As Jack moved forward to stop her, he froze in place when his eyes met the faces that were just under the surface. There were dozens, if not hundreds of faces, and he recognized them all. “We’re waiting.” Ada repeated as she sank below the surface, and joined them.

Jack’s eyes snapped open in horror, startling the doctor above him. He slowly released the breath he’d been subconsciously holding, before sitting up slowly and bringing his hands to his face. The faces under the oil continued to stare into his eyes, even through his eyelids and hands. They were burned into his mind, and there was no getting them out. Slowly dragging his hands down his features, Jack shuddered.

“Welcome back, Jack.” Blackburn’s voice spoke from the mic. “And congratulations on surviving. How do you feel?”

His body ached, and his head burned with a throbbing pain that he swiftly shoved into the back of his consciousness as he sat up and stretched. “I’m alive. Did it work?”

“Yes, yes it did. Can you walk?”

“Yeah.”

As Jack lifted up from the table, Blackburn smiled behind the glass. “Good. We’ll move forward as planned. Get washed up and dressed, then meet me in the armoury.”

“Rah.” As Blackburn left, Jack looked to his hands and flexed them idly. He hardly recognized his own hands anymore; even the exo plugs in the backs of his hands didn’t look the same as the old ones. Hefting himself up, Jack rolled his shoulders and set off to clean up and head to the armoury. It didn’t take him long to reach the large armoury and workstations, where prototype weaponry was being made for the new project.

Mirio and Emanuel had arrived ahead of him, and the pair were already in their linkage. The suits were the last artificial line of defense they had, as each suit was a skin tight weave of bio-organic kevlars, impulse fibers, and nano connections meant to directly link the user with their armour. After the treatments, both of the men were even more physically imposing than they had been before, but they still didn’t come close to reaching the level Jack had managed.

Emanuel and Mirio lifted their hands in greeting as he treaded up, though they seemed uneasy.

“Jack, hurry over and get into your heavy link suit.” Blackburn waved him over, before gesturing to the heavy lift station holding up the suit. It looked thicker than the others, and sported an impressive reinforced exo-skeleton.

“What’s with the Exo? I thought we didn’t need that kind of hardware.” Jack didn’t stop or wait to have his question answered as he slipped into the suit, and allowed it to adjust mechanically to his size. Once everything was lined up, the exo anchored itself into his plugs, sending a wave of fuzz through his body, instead of the old wash of pain.

Smiling at the question, Ernest let out a mild chuckle. “It’s for your armour, Jack. Considering your body kept the plugs and joint reinforcements after the first activation, I decided that not using them would be a waste! So, the exo is there to carry the full weight of your armour, without limiting your mobility like the old ones. With the added strength, we were able to make a heavy variant of the initially planned suit.”

As he spoke, the first two suits were pushed out on heavy lift platforms. The armours were massive, but still maintained a sleek and cutting edge outline. Hard edges and baffles for fooling tracking, composite layered certanium lattices for deflecting and absorbing both solid projecties and energy based attacks, and space for a shoulder mounted weapon. The two suits were clearly top of the line, and heavier than any normal suit of power armour. Mirio and Emanuel seemed pleased with them as they began to slip in.

“Now, Jack.” Blackburn started. “We had to break from the mold a little with yours, but as always, we’re willing to take your feedback and make modifications to better suit your needs in the field.” As he spoke, the final rack was rolled out with a full on heavy duty forklift. Pulling the tarp away that covered the rack, Jack fell into a momentary stunned silence that was followed by a gently murmured

“Jesus H. Christ.”

Jack’s armour was seemingly the bastard child between a mech and power armour, standing at a towering eight and a half feet tall, it positively loomed over everything in the room. The layered interlocking armour was monstrously thick, forming an impenetrable hide over the huge artificial muscle system. The helmet was aggressively shaped, and sported no visible optics, leaving an eyeless, monolithic impression. The armour flowered open as Jack approached, revealing the multitude of subsystems and bundles of synthetic impulse fiber muscles that were as thick as clenched fists layered under the heavy lattice plates. Clambering inside, Jack let out a slow breath as it closed, and his HUD glittered up. The suit compressed, hugging him tightly. Flicking his eyes back and forth across his HUD, it was like learning to ride a bike again as he quickly scanned through the subsystems using a combination of jaw movements and thoughts to fire select pins and activate little microdimples in the helmet.

For a moment, his HUD flickered, and a familiar voice echoed softly inside the helmet and his head. “Hello again, Father.”

Perking up, Jack silenced his external mics without hesitation as he smiled. “Samhain, where’ve you been hiding?”

“I was trapped inside your implants. I have taken over this armour, and replaced the intelligence here before. We will fight together again.”

“Oorah, Sammy-girl. I want you to run through the subsystems, tell me if you find anything suspicious, but keep quiet. I need to take the new wheels for a spin, and I don’t want Blackburn knowing about you.” Re-engaging his external mic as he pulled off the rig, Jack let out a soft sigh of contentment as the armour acted as a second skin, instead of a heavy coffin. There was no hesitation in it’s fluid movements, and with the additional exo, he could hardly notice the weight of the massive suit of armour. “What kind of party favours can I expect from the armour, Blackburn?” He towered over everybody, though his HUD immediately brought up a slew of RFID’s and friendly markers that momentarily blocked out his vision.

“The suit is all but unique, only one like it in the whole world. Price tag of one hundred and thirty billion. You have a fully modular weapons suites on both shoulders, internal cold fusion reactor, active missile defenses, life support, medical support, full vision suite including thermal night vision, magnetic, heartbeat, and sonar. Full EWAR suite, operated by an onboard VI, supercharged dual cowl repulsor jumpjets, and a lovely host of other systems.”

Stretching out to test the mobility limitations of the armour, Jack found there were none. “Impressive… What’s the first mission?”

Nodding to himself, Blackburn motioned for the men to follow. Leading them to a large holo-projector, he gestured and a small, desert covered planet glittered into existance. “Telesair IV. Residing on the human side of the contested zone, it housed a small colony and a starship fuel refinery. As of nine days ago, the colony went dark. Security footage shows Gorsian mercenaries sacking the colony and combatting local militias. Gorsians are a well known species that are a vassal of the Corvellans.” Blackburn paused for a moment as the holomap shifted and zoomed in on the area of operations. “You’re to be hotdropped in sixty klicks from the refinery, close to the colony proper. The mission is to eliminate the Gorsian presence, and stop them from claiming the planet.”

“What about civilians?” Emanuel held his new helmet under his left arm as he stared at the map.

“It’s unlikely there are any left, but if you do find survivors of any stripe on the surface, avoid them if possible. If your mission takes you into the eyes of any survivors, don’t sweat it, but remember that this is a black op. We’ll cover it up, but the less people who know the better.”

Crossing his arms, Mirio smiled ever so slightly. “So, hot dropping… what altitude?”

“Orbit. You’ll be deploying thermal re-entry shields, before using your jets to maneuver to the landing zone.” Blackburn gestured backward toward the workshop. “Arm up, enemy numbers are around a hundred with minimal armour, so we’re anticipating the op won’t last longer than a day.”

Walking into the armoury with the other two men, Jack’s eyes flicked over the available armaments. “Sammy, find the entry on the Gorsians.”

“Gorsian, satellite vassal of Corvellan noble family ‘B-krzt’glk’, often found acting as mercenary enforcers. Lizard-like species, standing at an average seven feet tall, with a tough outer carapace and secondary hearts. Preference for heavier armours and conventional tungsten projectile weaponry. Hand to hand combat is not suggested for normal humans.”

Listening to the report, Jack’s eyes slowly scanned over the amassed weapons. “Thank you, Sammy.” Pulling a large chaingun off the rack, his armour clamped onto the connections of the weapon, and secured it on his left shoulder. A read-out for the weapon linked up immediately as techs loaded APHE 15mm caseless rounds into the ammo hopper set into the small of his back. 800 rounds registered by the time he grabbed a missile rack and secured it to his right. A dozen HE Hive rockets followed a dozen APFSS, loaded into the multibarrel launcher. Despite already having two weapons, he simply… didn’t feel fully prepared. As he ambled and scanned, his eyes eventually fell on one final weapon. “What… is that?”

“This?” One of the techs gestured to the weapon Jack was looking at. “It’s a prototype, wrist mounted, twin barrel Bio Force-feedback Generator. It feeds off the reactor in your armour, but it has a cooldown period after firing to recharge the pulse coils. My suggestion? Keep anything you want alive outside of a thirty five degree cone. Would you like it mounted, sir?”

“The acronym is B-F-fuckin-G, and you’re asking me if I want it? Hell the fuck yes son! Hook me up!”

Laughing from across the armoury as he lifted a large caseless round assault rifle, Mirio shook his head. “You’re either crazy or brave, man.”

With a light grunt, Emanuel set his twin launchers over his shoulders. “Pillar of Courage, Mirio. If he wasn’t either of those things, then he wouldn’t be a pillar.”

“How many times do I gotta tell you guys, that crap’s all made up by Elysian Fields. I swear to god, if my callsign is Courage, I’ll lose my shit.” Jack held his arm out, allowing the tech to clamp down the weapon on his arm and hook it up to his reactor.

“Gentlemen!” Blackburn stode in, a tablet in his off hand. “Finish preparations, your chariot awaits! Togata, your callsign is Hitman. Alvarez, Watchdog. Kessle, Courage.”

“Fuck my ass.” Jack muttered hotly as Mirio laughed.

As the Black-ops stealth corvette lifted out of the bay, Doctor Blackburn waved his aide forward. “How has recon on the group in Yellowstone gone, Mister Dents?”

Smiling as he straightened his tie, Ryan offered his tablet to his boss. “We’ve set up an advanced post, and I have an operative ready to bag one of the xenos on your command. They seem to be some sort of shape shifters, and they’ve got humans helping them.”

“What about the energy readings we picked up?” Ernest asked as he skimmed through the report.

“It seems that there’s a small portion of them who are manipulating the energies we’re detecting. We’ve marked the ones of interest.”

Slowly flicking through the recon photos, Ernest paused on a picture of a well built woman with faded blue hair and a cybernetic arm, ordering the others. “This is the leader? Interesting… Your team has the greenlight, but make sure it looks good. We don’t want them going on guard.”

“I’ll let my men know and we’ll be ready in case one wanders off the range.” Taking the tablet back, Ryan opened his omnilink and fired off a message. “Will we have time to watch the new unit in their first operation?”

“Yes, follow me. They should be arriving within an hour.”

The forest before Minty Lemon stretched on and on, as if for hundreds of miles in every direction. The only sign of civilization was the sound of the compound, steadily fading behind her, and the snow covered sign posts that marked the trail she was on.

“Almost there, are you ready?” The man at her side grinned sidelong at her, causing her to grin nervously in return.

“Yeah!” The man’s name was Dominic, and he reminded her of the human her parents had owned when she was a filly. He was soft and kind in demeanor, while proud and composed in stature. They’d been planning this little hike for days, and between them there was a case of locally brewed beer and a pack of sandwiches. She hadn’t commented on the pack of condoms Dominic had slid into his bag, because frankly, the idea excited her beyond words. “So, this hotspring is away from the wind, right?” She asked as the frigid winter air whipped around them, driving the fine powder away.

“Yeah, we built a wood enclosure for it two years ago.” He shifted the hood of his parka to better protect against the wind as he spoke. “It’s not much further now-” He paused for a moment, seeming perplexed as he looked to his side. A small metal barb poked out from his parka, and it wasn’t before his knees went weak from the paralytic toxin coursing through his bloodstream.

“Dom?” Minty stepped forward, before yelping as her companion fell face first into the snow. “Dom!” As she moved forward, a shimmer of air caught her eye, and for a moment, she panicked. Turning on her heels, Minty began to run back for the camp, only to be clotheslined by a shimmer of air. As she fell on her back into the snow, a human form appeared from the shimmering air. A trio of imaging optics stared down at her as the figure pulled back on their rifle.

“Nighty night, Xeno.” The rifle butt smashed hard into her face, breaking her nose and knocking her out cold as her head whipped back. “Specimen neutralized, prep for extraction.”

Two more men materialized as they shut off their active camo. “What about the militant?”

“What about him? No witnesses, so dispose of him somewhere they won’t find him.” The lead man lifted the unconscious woman over his shoulder as he gestured idly off to the side. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of this cold shithole.”

“Two minutes out, prep for drop.” The pilot’s voice sounded over the intercom as pale red light flooded the bay.

Slowly pushing himself up, Jack sighed softly. “This brings back memories…”

“Where of?” Emanuel asked softly over squad comms as he walked over to his re-entry shield and began locking himself in.

“Tokyo, high altitude insertion into a Corvellan owned hotzone.” Jack lifted on leg, and locked his boot into the holster, before following with the other. “Anti-air batteries made it an expensive drop for the company.”

Locking himself into his own shield, Mirio relaxed visibly. “That’s why I like the new pods. Real fast, low profile. AA can’t get a lock. The shields are fine too, just… you know. Uncomfortable. You gotta be a real badass to not have your fillings shaken out by these things.”

As the trio finished locking in and the light went green, Emanuel patched in. “Good thing we’re the biggest badasses money can buy.” After a moment, gravity cut, allowing the shields to lift gently off the deck with their cargo. The air from the bay immediately vented as the launchpad opened, and the shields shot free from the ship, being launched by the decompression. Once free from the ship, the shields automatically oriented themselves, and fired their boosters. The three men swiftly began to descend toward the planet, the re-entry shields began glowing vibrantly from the heat coronas that bloomed off of them.

Though it felt like Jack should have tensed and braced for the ordeal, he found himself able to just sit back and ride out the fall. If anything, it gave him a little more time to rewatch the video ‘Jump-jets for dummies’.

“Ugly planet down there. Reading a large group of signatures to the northeast by the refinery, and sparse contacts through the colony.” Emanuel chimed in as the flaming re-entry shields disengaged, and blew free of the power armoured soldiers, leaving them in freefall.

“I’ll take the colony, and regroup at the refinery with you two.” Jack tested his jets, banking to the right as he punched through a thick cloud. The nanocam array on Jack’s helmet cleared away the rain that streamed across his faceplate. “Is now a bad time to say that this is the first time I’ve had jumpjets?”

There was a long, pregnant pause on the comms, before Mirio let out a quiet “Oh.”

“Courage, now is not the time to tell us that, give me override control of your armour.” Emanuel began to bank closer as the ground screamed toward them.

“Easy, Watchdog, I’ve been falling with style for years, I’ll let my AI guide me in and figure it out from there.” Jack jinked away slowly to keep Emanuel from clamping on.

With a disgruntled sigh, Emanuel banked off again, and began to put distance between himself and the others. “Hitman, let’s set down at the marked LZ, let Courage take the sparse contacts, and get used to his training wheels.”

Beginning to fire back a retort, Jack stopped himself, and momentarily silenced his mic in group comms. “Sammy, bring me in nice and easy, in that park in the center of the colony. Scan for life signs and get me a map.”

“Yes father.”

Rolling to the left, he waited until he hit the right altitude before activating his thrusters. With Samhain adjusting his trajectory, he swiftly span on his axis, and came in for a fast landing in the park. Despite the controlled landing, Jack’s bulk crushed the concrete below him, shattering it. The large cylindrical jumpjets furled back into his armour as he set off out of the divet he’d created, reaching the edge of the park in a few light strides. As he cast his gaze side to side, all he found was deserted streets and sparse signs of fightly. Within moments his map came up and orbital readings filtered through giving him targets as he set off. Kicking off from the park, he strode into the street, unfurling his jumpjets as he used them to take the corner harder and faster. The streets around him became a blur as he jogged by using his jets for maneuvering as his weapons scanning for targets. “Courage, in the AO. Negative contacts, moving on the first cluster.”

“Orbital confirms, carry on, Courage.”

“This is Hitman, we’ve met resistance, moving up to the refinery. No problems here.”

Setting his attentions back to the task at hand, Jack jetted around another corner, taking it hard as one of his hands dug into the hard asphalt like dirt to help him take the corner. The sensation of running again with his own legs was one he just couldn’t ever get tired of. To feel the impact in the soles of his feet and the tensing in his calves, it was a little bit of heaven.

“Targets ahead, Father. Six Xray hostiles, one vehicle, and two human contacts. One human contact.”

Flicking his eyes over the map, he saw that the targets were still a block away, and on the other side of a row of buildings. “Going to get creative.” Pushing himself just a little faster, he engaged his jumpjets at the last moment, giving himself the boost he needed. The storefront was passed through like it was paper, shattering explosively as Jack bulldozed through and hit the back wall. Smashing through the prefab with ease, he exited on to the next street trailing wires, drywall, and steel support bars. With his momentum, he pass by the group going eighty miles an hour before slamming side long into the Gorsian transport. The impact was jarring, but hardly more than an annoyance as he gripped the treads of the light vehicle, and used his forward momentum to flip the whole vehicle on it’s side.

“Contact made.” He said calmly as he pushed off the vehicle, hardly losing even an ounce of speed. Cruising forward, the Gorsian patrol reacted slowly, almost in slow motion as Jack’s enhanced adrenal glands pushed his reactions far passed normal human limits. The first contact met his shoulder, and all but came apart at the seams, eyes bursting from it’s skull from the raw pressure of the impact. “One.” His shoulder rotary cannon had been spinning up by the time he’d hit the vehicle, and now was feeding the Gorsians a steady stream of armour piercing high explosive caseless ammunition. Their armour and scales came apart under the sudden barrage, spraying their vital fluids across the road as Jack dug his feet in and immediately came to a halt as he shattered the asphalt underfoot. “Two and three.” Four was lifting his weapon, yelling something in his guttural native tongue- though whatever it was saying got cut short as Jack backhanded the mercenary, caving in it’s ballistic helmet and skull with one idle movement as it was blown off its feet and sent flying across the street. “Four.”

Heavy tungsten rounds impacted his armour, spalling and shattering as the intricate nanoweaved armour plates absorbed the kinetic energy. His free right arm snapped up, catching the xeno mercenary under his snout with all the force of a runaway freight train. The alien’s head left it’s shoulders in pieces as Jack’s fist didn’t stop, spraying shattered armour, bone, and grey matter across the street like momentary rain. “Five.” Turning on his heel, Jack fired an armour piercing missile into the underbelly of the vehicle. The missile’s fins barely had a moment to deploy as the sabot punched through the thin armour on the bottom, and delivered it’s explosive payload inside the vehicle. The hatch burst open moments after, spewing flames and the Gorsian operator, who stumbled out and flopped to the pavement with most of his body on fire, and shredded by the micromissile’s payload. “Six Xrays, confirmed KIA. One human recovered.”

“Orbital copies, slick moves, Courage.”

Turning to the human, Jack spoke through his external speakers. “You alright?”

Stunned, the lone survivor slowly looked up, as her hands hovered near her head in a naively protective motion. “What the fuuuuck…?” The woman’s gaze went way, way up, following Jack’s gargantuan form until she was craning her neck, staring up at him in shock, with wide eyes. “Martyr’s blood…”

“None yet. Are you hurt?” Jack kneeled down, and still towered over her.

“No! I-I mean… a little, but…” She cast a look over at her partner, a man who had been nailed to the wall with tungsten spikes. Looking the pair over, they both wore matching camo fatigues, and had ramshackle vests holding assortments of kit and ammo. “What a mess… we… we came out looking for food and water, but the patrol ambushed us.”

“How many others in your encampment?”

Sitting on a bit of rubble, the woman ran a hand through her hair. “The others… oh shit!” She jumped up in a panic. “The Gators figured out where the militia’s hiding! They were gloating about it!”

Opening up his map, Jack nodded slowly. “Give me a grid location. I’ll do what I can.”

“Eastward, grid is… E-976-N-090. You have to hurry, th-” The woman stopped mid-sentence as Jack set off, leaving gusts of dust in his wake as he bounded.

“This is Courage, Gorsians have sent an attack force toward primary militia hold out. I am moving to intercept. Can I get eyes on this grid location?”

“That’s a negative, Courage. Rejoin Hitman and Watchdog.”

Setting his jaw, Jack continued toward the location, starting his jump with his legs, and activating his jumpjets midarc, to maximize his distance. “These people won’t last against the Gorsians. Hitman, Watchdog, what’s your situation?” He spoke into squad comms, momentarily cutting off orbital.

“This is Watchdog. We’re in a spot.” There was a brief pause. “Go save those people, Courage. We’ll be fine.”

Smiling briefly, Jack pushed harder for the marked grid. “Affirmative, Watchdog. I’ll make it count and regroup on you. How bad is it?”

Mirio quickly spoke over the sound of gunfire. “This is Hitman, few more than we anticipated. Got a group of seventy or so plus armour.”

“Copy. Give em hell and I’ll be by for the mop up.” Rolling his neck, Jack continued toward the grid location, leaving the dusty planet below him with every jet assisted bounce. Soon, he could see the smoke plumes rising over the horizon, only twenty kilometers from his position. The percussion thump of gunfire echoed far across the open ground, telling of a pitched firefight. “Sammy, get me an orbital feed, I need to see what’s going on.” Within seconds of the words leaving his lips, the feed of his map skipped forward, and flicked up the overhead view of the area. A large force of Gorsians, assisted by tanks and a gunship were working hard away at digging out an entrenched force of humans, who lacked the heavy weapons to knock out the alien vehicles. “Orbital, this is Courage, approaching militia hold-out now. I have forty three Xrays, four armour targets and a gunship. Hostile numbers are past initial speculation. Making contact in three, two, one-”

At the cusp of his bounce, he throttled hard on his jets, driving his bulk into the side of the gunship. His heavy metal fingers ripped into the fuselage as he grabbed hold, and began to climb up it with ease. The gunship bucked and sank from his sudden added weight, the pilot clearly trying to figure out what had hit him. He found out all too quickly when his canopy was ripped free from it’s housing, and Jack wrapped one massive hand around his head. Hurling the pilot free from the gunship, it only took a flick of his wrist against the controls to send the gunship spiralling dangerously out of control. Jumping free, Jack jetted upwards as the gunship shattered against the ground, bursting into flames as it’s fuel ignited. As he began to arc downwards, and the hostiles below recoiled from the sudden loss of their air superiority, he lifted his left arm, and set off the twin barreled weapon mounted there.

For a moment his visor all but went black as the photovisor fought hard to counteract the massive muzzle flash from the weapon. His gyro and compass began spinning wildly as the recoil from the weapon sent him spiralling out of control, crashing hard into one of the tanks. The tinny echoing after-report continued to ring through the area as the fighting paused for a brief moment.

Slowly peeling himself off the tank, Jack shook his head. “Wow… okay.” Looking up, he spied the weapon impact; the energy blast had melted one of the tanks nearly all the way through, leaving a twisted mass of glowing metal and glassed terrain. Motes of ash wafted from the atomized remains of the Gorsians who had been caught up in the blast. “Groovy…” A round swiftly pinged off his helmet, reminding him of the fight he was to be finishing. “Sammy, run a diagnostic, see if I broke anything in the fall.” His shoulder cannon swivelled, and fired a swift burst at the offending shooter as he ran to cover. With the orbital view in place, he locked on to a dozen targets, and fired a pair of hive missiles high into the air. He didn’t bother watching the impacts as he shot out of cover, chaingun churning out shot after shot. The hostiles were just too slow; they were locked in slow motion, and he was the fastest man alive. They were made out of paper mache, and he was a wrecking ball. It almost felt unfair. Almost.

“Jumpjets repaired. No other damage detected.”

“Thanks Sammy.” Jetting up high with a light leap, he came crashing down on to the remaining tank, lifting it’s backside off the ground as armour shattered and crumpled under him. Gripping the top hatch, he peeled it open like a tin can so he could drop a stolen Gorsian grenade into the awaiting hole. As he turned away from the detonating tank, the world slowed again as he spied a missile streaking straight for his face.

Not gonna get me a second time.

His active defenses hummed for a split second as a micro-laser array popped up from it’s recess in his armour, punching a tiny hole through the incoming projectile and rendering it useless midflight. Unwilling to let it hit him, Jack swatted the missile, shattering it’s casing as it was sent flying off several meters away.

“Behind you, Father.” Swivelling his shoulder mounted chaingun around 180 degrees, he gave the offending Gorsian a face full of explosive ammo, blowing it off it’s feet and sending it tumbling backwards in pieces. “Xrays are retreating, twenty six KIA.” Samhain almost sounded smug, full of pride.

“Thanks Sammy.” With a quick spurt of his jets, he landed atop a ruined tank, and gave his computer a moment to finish locking on to all of the targets. With a twitch of his jaw, a salvo of missiles leapt off his shoulder, arcing off into the air, before flowering apart and diving on the retreating enemies.

“All hostiles KIA. Why didn’t you start with that?”

Shrugging lightly as he dropped the six feet off the shattered tank, Jack eyed the damage left in his wake. “Would have taken more munitions, and I wanted to find out what my big gun would do.”

“Father, a-” Sammy was cut off as Jack’s comm cut in.

“Courage, this is Hitman, what’s your eta?” Mirio sounded almost out of breath as he barked into his radio.

“Just finished with the splinter group, what’s your situation?”

“Fuckin pear shaped as usual! Corvellan gunboat just showed up, we have to pull back.”

Cursing softly, Jack ran his eyes over his munitions read outs. “I’ll be there shortly, just keep all your parts attached. Orbital, this is Courage. Hitman and Watchdog have a gunboat sitting on them, what’s the call?”

“This is Orbital. Pull back. Our ship is unable to handle the sort of firepower they have.”

“What about Hitman and Watchdog?” Jack paused in his walking, his eyes going forward as he anticipated the answer.

“They’ll have to make their own way back. Retreat, Courage. That’s a direct order.”

“I’m not leaving anyone to die to Corvellans. Take it up with Blackburn if you got a problem with it; I’ll get them out if I need to tear that ship apart with my bare fuckin hands.” Tensing his legs, Jack set off at a hard run, using his jumpjets to extend every stride as far as he could, all with the hopes of pouring as much speed as he could into his trip. “Hitman, Watchdog, I’m inbound, give me your scans and I’ll give them something else to think about.”

With every bound, more data flowed in. Eighty plus foot mobiles, ten vehicles, emplacements, three gunships, and the gunboat. It wasn’t looking good. Setting his jaw, Jack soon crested a ridge, and found himself looking down upon the battle. Opening up his map, he marked out a retreat point south of his teammates current position. “Watchdog, Hitman, pull back to these co-ords’, it’ll string them out and give me more leeway.” Not waiting to hear back from them, he began sliding down the near vertical slope. “Sammy, get me a schematic for that gunship, plunge the Elysian Fields records and find me a way in.”

“Right away, Papa.”

Beginning his run, Jack eyed the gunship cautiously as he sped toward it at ninety miles an hour, pushing himself as hard as he could. “Tick tock Sammy!” Brilliant bolts of energy began to rain down upon him, glassing the ground around him and turning sections of his armour cherry red as the gunship fired several of its weapons at him.

“The launch bay has a shield generator that allows properly marked personnel to come and go as they please, separate from the primary shield array. It is located here, next to the bay door itself.” Sammy brought up the schematic on his hud, showing him the shield generator’s location.

“Good girl. Now, hold on tight.” Circling until he spied the launch bay, just as a gunship was leaving it, he coiled his legs, and took off for it, giving his jets a hard throttle up, causing them to shriek as their cowlings opened up wide. As he sailed toward the shield, he dumped four AT missiles into the space next to the shield. Jack watched as the first exploded off the armour, leaving a dent. The next bit deeper, but barely scratched the skin under it. The third however, did. Blasting a bigger hole, the fourth slid through, and struck the generator right where the schematics said it would be. The shield shuddered, and failed moments before Jack ripped through the bay, his hand smashing into the deck plates to arrest his forward momentum. Sparks sprayed as Jack slid across on his knees, peeling up the deck plates as he slowed. His shoulder cannon was already spooling, and as he set off at a run for the engine room, it began to track any and all hostiles, spraying shots at anything that moved. Outside of their armour, Corvellans were soft bodied creatures, used to a nitrogen rich atmosphere. The armour piercing high explosive shells almost seemed like too much. Almost. Barrelling through a bulkhead door, he blasted it clear of it’s hinges and sent it careening down the hall as a warped mess. Jack barely noticed as a soft crewman spattered across his shoulder like a bug on a windshield.

Alarm klaxons were beginning to blare, but it was a small ship, and he had a map. Nearing the plasma generators of the ship, Sammy chimed in. “BFG fully recharged.”

Blasting through the next bulkhead door, Jack slid to a stop within the generator room, eying its layout. His sightseeing lasted a second or two, as his shoulder cannon spooled, and filled the large central chamber with explosive rounds, sending the reactor into meltdown as it was perforated. “Sammy, path to the bridge, fast.”

“Back the way you came.” A light path sprung up before him, leading him back into the ship. As he barreled through the halls, the ratings of the vessel were finally putting together a defence, though unfortunately, their anti-boarder weapons lacked the punch to do any more than bristle Jack’s heavy armour. Plowin through them without firing a shot, he careened into the bridge, turning the captain into a fine mist as he shouldered into him. It was second nature to gun the bridge crew down as he found the control console, and sent the ship hurtling toward the ground. With a swipe of his massive hand, the console was rent apart, rendering it inoperable. The last console to be destroyed controlled the primary shield, and it lasted about as long as the bridge crew had.

“Okay…” Jack surveyed the damage as plasma fed flames began to roll into the bridge, cooking several of the crew as they tried to flee. Lifting his left arm, he aimed for a section of wall, just to the right of the primary view screen. His photo-visor flared again, but this time he was able to brace against the monstrous recoil. A twin jet of vibrant, chaotic energy shot out of the weapon, binding around each other as wild offshooting lances of energy struck crewmen, atomizing them all but instantly as the primary charge penetrated the ship wal, and turned itl to slag, as it blasted a gaping, boiling hole to the outside. Charging through it, Jack landed on the hull, and began sliding down it as the doomed ship plunged to earth. “Xray gunboat is down, engaging surviving hostiles. I hope you boys still have some juice left in you, cause the party doesn’t stop until I do.”

As the ship crashed into the ground, suffering secondary detonations along it’s shattered hull. Jack landed firmly on both feet, and he couldn’t help but start to grin like a maniac. He was back, and there was nothing that could stop him. The Devil was coming back to Equestria, and he had a bone to pick with God.

Chapter Sixty Five: A Taste

View Online

December 25th, 2119

Yellowstone National Park

“Okay, enough’s enough.” Flitter stood from her chair, shaking her head. “Minerva, get a search party together and look for Lemons while I run first section through the armours.”

Looking up from her breakfast momentarily, Minerva nodded once. “I’ll have the guys fan out and look for her, though I get the feeling she’s gone awol.”

Furrowing her brow, Flitter pulled a curtain aside and stared out at the pure white world outside the mess hall. “You mean with the one man she was with?”

“Yeah.” Minerva finished chewing down her salad. “They were going on a walk a few days ago. He probably convinced her to run away. Wouldn’t take much convincing, considering we’ve been cooped up on this base for months, with death waiting for us back home.” Minerva didn’t look up at Flitter as the other woman turned and stared at her for a long moment. “Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we’re fucked.” The sergeant murmured softly, almost to herself as she prodded at the remaining croutons on the plate.

Slowly sitting back down, Flitter laced her fingers together and let out a quiet sigh. “We have to try, Minerva. What’s the alternative?” Flitter looked up toward her sergeant. “We leave everyone to die? Abandon them? What if we stay? We lose this base, sooner rather than later. We spend the rest of our days doing mercenary work for an arms dealer, never fitting into this crazy world. Maybe people start looking into us… start seeing that we don’t fit…”

“I…” Minerva paused for a moment, before letting her fork fall to the plate. “Look, Captain. I know what we need to do. We all do. I’m just saying that… maybe some of our guys aren’t as all about it as you are.”

“They all made their choice, coming here. We can’t stop now. Get a team together and check the area for Lemons, I’ll chat up Kleese and Walter, see if anyone has this mystery man’s number.” Rising again from the table, Flitter took her plate to the line, and set it down for the washers to see to. Heading back into the barracks, Flitter couldn’t help but reflect on Minerva’s words. Giving her head a gentle shake, She let out an irritated huff as she entered her room, just as her omnilink chirped.

“Falenas.” She didn’t even bother checking the number as she began changing into her winter gear. The snow was kicking up and it the wind managed to chill even her to the bone. It was going to be a lonely, cold Hearths Warming.

“Merry Christmas, darlin.”

Caught off guard, Flitter almost tripped over her own boots as she looked to her omnilink. “Jack!”

“The one and only.” He smiled lightly at her through the video link. “I can’t talk too much, I don’t know how long it’ll be before my ass gets chewed out for making a call.”

“Where are you?” Flitter asked as she sat down on the edge of her bunk, pants still around her ankles.

Looking off the the side briefly, Jack let out a breath. He looked different to her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he looked… off. “I can’t say. I really can’t.” He sat down against something that groaned against the weight. “I’m sorry I ran off on you.”

“So why did you then?” Shifting her omnilink a little more, Flitter scrutinized Jack’s face.

“I couldn’t bring any of you into this.” He murmured softly. “Couldn’t endanger you like that. I’ve gotten stuck into some deep shit, Sparky. It was… the only way forward I could see.”

Frowning gently, Flitter ran a pair of fingers down the hardlight display. “Jack…” She hesitated, wanting to gently chastise him for throwing himself back into the fire for her sake, but held herself back. “Will I be seeing you again soon?”

Smiling softly, Jack cast his gaze down the hall both ways. “Yeah. I’ll be there when you need me. Anyways, I should get going, just wanted to wish you a merry christmas.”

“Hearths Warming.” She corrected, hiding a small smile.

“Not calling it that.”

Letting out a quiet giggle, Flitter felt herself smiling brightly for the first time in a long time. “I love you, Jack.”

“I…” He hesitated, hard, the words almost slipping from his lips before he stopped himself. “I gotta go, Flitter. Stay safe.”

“I will, Jack. Take care of yourself, please.”

Smiling a bit more, Jack stood. “Don’t think that’ll be much of an issue any more. Bye Sparky.”

With the call ended, Flitter flopped back into her bunk, a smile still plastered on her face. “Merry Christmas, Jack.” Allowing herself a moment of rest, she pushed off the bed, and finished changing into her uniform. Lacing up her boots, she pulled her coat close, and set off to meet the others.

Entering the training hangar, she was pleased to see everyone in section one prepared for her orders. “Today’s the day, ladies and gents!” A cheer went up among the collected soldiers as the protective tarps were pulled free from the power armours by the technicians. “Four by four, line up and prep. Link suits on and hair tied back!” Flitter followed through with the order herself, more than eager to slip into her command armour and take it for a test run through the snow. Her armour blossomed open before her as she approached in her linksuit; climbing inside saw it closing carefully around her, and sealing in tight like a second skin. Her HUD glittered up, momentarily flooding her view as the startup sequence initiated.

“Microreactor’s reading a hundred percent, Captain. Take it for a spin.” The tech stood back as Flitter slowly pulled from the rack, her armour finally able to rest on its own weight. Lifting each of her arms, before letting them drop as she rolled her neck and shoulder, Flitter smiled to herself as she hopped in place, testing the servoes.

“Careful Flitter, you bounce around too much and you’ll distract the techs.” Taven stood next to her, testing the jet deployment on his new armour.

“Wha- Oh shut up.” Flitter lightly punched him in the shoulder. “How's it fit?”

“Like a dream. The sims don’t prepare you for the feeling.” Taven’s faceplate lifted, showing his face and the edge of his mohawk. “What’s the call?”

Looking over at the others as they all entered their armours and tested them out, she opened squad comms and spoke through it. “Once you’re all squared away, head outside. We’re going for a run, then we’ll be testing out individual processes.” Setting off, Flitter kept herself at a brisk walking pace as she left the hangar, sealing her armour entirely against the cold. The internal heaters kicked in just as a blast of frigid wind struck her. “Beautiful weather for a flight, eh Taven?”

“It could be raining hellfire and brimstone, and I’d still be giddy to fly again for the first time.” Taven rolled his neck as he tilted his head toward the sky. “Almost can’t believe it.”

“Just a few more minutes, gotta run through the systems and make sure nobody’s going to die. The weather could be nicer, but it is what it is, right?”

Chuckling lightly, Taven tested his thrusters just ever so slightly, letting them flare and warm up. “At least if someone does eat it, it’ll probably be into a snow drift.”

“It’s all about the silver linings, or in this case, the snowy ones.”

Running her team through a battery of tests and exercises, Flitter continued to test the armour she’d bet her planet’s survival on. She ran JSOG ragged, unwilling to let anything go wrong due to negligence on her part. They were good soldiers, her soldiers. As far as she could tell, the armour was holding up just fine, and all the time in the sims was paying off for everybody as issues remained minimal. Soon, it was time to get into the more advanced techniques.

“Okay, Taven, let’s run through flight controls, take it away.”

Standing across from the others, Taven extended his thrusters and microrepulsor banks, letting them flare softly and warm up. “Okay… just like the sims… just ease into the throttle-” He let out a wheeze of surprise as he lifted off the ground, the internal gyroscope keeping him vertical and stable. “Hah! Lookit this!” He waved his legs back and forth, hovering a foot off the ground.

Smiling inside her helmet, Flitter watched the one winged batpony float around, getting the handle for hovering. “Mind on task, Taven. Take it up with Talon Squad.”

“Aye aye! Come on Talons, let’s test out this human crap!” Opening up on his throttle, Taven only managed to let out the smallest grunt of surprise as he rocketed upwards, thrusters howling.

On the ground, Flitter watched as the sergeant plowed through the cloud layer, laughing like a maniac. She could hear the pure joy in his voice as he did his best to command his squad through formations and maneuvers, but it was hardly needed. Once the pegasi had a handle for their new armours, they handled flying like pros.

“Fireball Squad, head south and test out spells with the armours. I want a full breakdown of what we can and can’t do. Stress those armours to the maximum. Baron, you’re on them. Breaker squad, I want six runs through the obstacle course, same thing with you guys! I want a full sitrep by noon!”

“Oorah.” Jessica spoke from behind Flitter as the other two squads set off with their designated leaders.

Turning, Flitter lifted her face plate and dismissed the hardlight HUD. “Hey Jessica.”

Grinning as she rocked on her heels, clad in a heavy parka that the wind snatched at, Jessica watched as the others left. “I heard you’re missing one. Wally ran into town earlier.”

“Yeah… Come on, let’s get out of the wind.” Motioning to the training hangar, Flitter opened the door, allowing Jessica to slip in before her. “A Private of mine by the name of Minty Lemons disappeared with one of the volunteers, she hasn’t been seen in two days. She’s about this tall-” Flitter gestured to her armoured breast. “- and has two tone yellow and green hair.”

“Oh yeah, I remember her…” Jessica leaned against one of he munitions crates as she rubbed her chin. “I think she and Dominic were hitting it off…”

“Dominic? Alright… Maybe ask around and see if anyone has his number? I need to know if she ran off with him or what.” Flitter crossed her arms and looked down as she kicked off some snow from her treads.

Smiling faintly, Jessica leaned forward ever so slightly, getting a little too close to Flitter’s exposed face. “Whatcha gonna do if she did?”

With a sigh, Flitter closed her eyes for a moment. “I don’t know. Remind her of the choice she made. Her responsibilities to her planet and her unit.”

“You sound like my old XO.” Pushing forward, Jessica prodded Flitter’s nose, causing the power armour clad woman to scrunch up her features. “I’ll shoot Dom a message and see where it goes. The weather’s supposed to be getting worse, so uh… you might wanna reign in the boys for today.”

“I’ll let them finish up with the training today, but I’ll call back the search team.” Flitter sighed quietly as she brought her HUD up and watched as her various teams worked. The command unit in the armour fed her amazing amounts of information, from the vitals of individual squad members, to their ammo counts and helmet cams. “Heads up, squads. We’ve got a blizzard rolling in, so double time the tests and head in asap. Sergeant Aegis, call it quits, we’ll look again when the weather’s less shit.”

A chorus of affirmatives came through her comms, earning a little grin from Jessica. “So, any plans for Christmas? Drink and snuggle up with someone special?”

Rolling her eyes, Flitter idly flicked Jessica’s parka covered breast, earning a startled gasp. “Jack’s off doing something, somewhere. Once the guys have finished their training, they’ve got the day off.”

“Y-yeah, but what about you, girl?” Jessica rubbed her chest through the parka as she asked.

Pausing for a moment, Flitter blew a soft raspberry. “I don’t have any plans. You?”

“Hot chocolate, romance flicks, and my hitachi wand.” The woman grinned as she waggled her eyebrows. “Wanna join me, Angel?”

“Angel?” Flitter made a face as her eyes flicked over to watch Taven’s helmet cam as he dove through a cloud bank and ripped by the forest, pulling a complex high G maneuver. “I suppose I wouldn’t be opposed, but your clothes are staying on.”

“Psh, spoilsport…”

Scoffing, Flitter crossed her arms under her armoured bust. “Jessica, I’ve seen you naked more than I’ve seen you clothed. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume nudity wasn’t a human taboo.”

Grinning lightly, Jessica laughed enthusiastically. “And you’re the only alien here I haven’t seen naked! The martyr turned you into a prude, didn’t he-” The woman squawked as Flitter idly swatted her already sore tit. “Ow! Stop that!”

“No, stop lewding my soldiers.”

“Never!”

Lifting her hand again, Flitter broke a smile as Jessica pulled away and shielded her chest. “I’ll see you shortly, I need to see how Simoh and Yuma are getting on with Aurora.”

Pulling on her hood again, Jessica nodded. “Sure, meet me at my room in a few hours, and bring snacks.”

Leaving Jessica behind, Flitter sealed her armour again before setting out back into the growing blizzard. Once outside, she paused, and looked around. The base was blanketed by heavy snow, and if not for the huge ship squatting down on the runway, and the barbed wire fences, it would look like something from a postcard. Flicking her eyes over to the helmet cams and positioning tracker for her squads, she watched them for a minute, getting used to the near overload of information the command and control suite her armour afforded her. The earth ponies in Breaker Squad were making great progress in getting used to the raw power the suits afforded them, over their own natural abilities. Fireball Squad, the unicorns, were training in tandem with offensive and defensive spells, going over every possible angle to see what the armour would and wouldn’t allow. Talon Squad, the pegasi, were chasing the storm.

“Taven, you’re heading right into the blizzard, what’s the plan?”

“These suits are amazing!” Taven replied over squad comms as his wingmen stuck to his side and matched his maneuvers. “Currently cruising at angels five, turbulence is choppy but we’re handling. I want to dive right into this storm and see exactly how far we can push these suits!”

Shaking her head, Flitter began to chastise Taven, before stopping herself momentarily as she considered things. “Alright, but no fancy flying. If it gets too rough, pull out, that’s an order.”

“Copy that, Captain. Ascending to angels six and entering the storm.”

Watching momentarily as the squad ascended to six thousand feet, Flitter smiled momentarily as she set off again for the ship, intending on checking on her specialists. Kicking up to a light jog, even the driving snow and dense powder on the ground didn’t slow her down with the suit assisting her. Closing the distance, Flitter gave her jump jets a brief shot, bouncing to the open landing bay ramp. Inside, one of the huge Ogre drones was ambling about, carrying Aurora. The woman was on her back, suited up with the light armour she’d been provided. Her AR helmet was strapped on tight, and her hands motioning too and fro as she directed the horde of drones like a maestro conducting an orchestra. She was humming happily as she directed flying Osprey drones through the halls of the ship, working on her fine control.

“Hello Captain!” Aurora called out from her prone position. “Don’t mind my babies!”

“Babies?” Flitter moved aside as a Calliope scuttled by, manueving around another stationary Ogre drone.

Setting the drones to their standard automated programming, Aurora flipped her visor up and smiled. “My babies! Watch! Six, Twenty, bodyguard routines on VIP!” As she spoke the order, a pair of Osprey drones buzzed over, and took position over Flitter’s shoulders, covering her back. “I’m so proud of them, they listen so well!”

Stifling a noise of annoyance, Flitter popped open her face plate, but left her HUD activated. “I noticed you haven’t been coming to the barracks much, is everything alright?”

“Mhm!” Now hanging upside down off the carry rails of the Ogre she was seated on, Aurora smiled at Flitter. “I’ve been sleeping on the ship. I’m closer to my drones that way, and I get to know the ship better.”

“Good to hear.” Flitter leaned on the side of the stationary Ogre. “Next week, I want you running with the combined arms squads, training and doing maneuvers with them and your drones.”

“Finally! I’ve been waiting for a chance to show off!” Aurora’s wings materialized through her armour as she attempted to dismount the drone, but only succeeded in tripping over herself and falling to the deck gracelessly.

“Quite the show.” Flitter teased mildly as she helped the tiny woman off the deck. “Where are Simoh and Yuma?”

Shaking her head, Aurora pulled the AR helmet back down, and began flicking her fingers back and forth. “Aft launch deck.”

Nodding, Flitter patted her shoulder. “Keep up the good work, Aurora, and don’t forget to eat. You can take the day off if you want, it’s Hearth’s Warming after all.”

“Thanks Captain, but I haven’t worked a day since we’ve arrived!”

Smiling faintly as she walked for the Aft launch deck, Flitter called out to the scrawny tech. “At least one of us is enjoying themselves.” The deckplating of the drop ship clanged softly under Flitter with every footstep as she made her way through the bowels of the ship. Entering the launch deck, she began walking between the drop pods as they rested in their cradles. The oblong pods looked aggressive and ominous, painted dark grey with red warning signs sprayed on to needed panels. Flitter didn’t know exactly how they were supposed to make the fall from orbit anything short of instantly lethal, but she’d be putting her trust, and life, into their metal confines. Voices drew her attention away from the pods as she ran the tips of her fingers across their shells, reminding her of what she was to be doing.

“-and as we were exploring, and Miss Olivia was shopping, a pair of people suddenly pulled guns and began to shoot at us!” Yuma was sitting before Simoh, with her back to the whip thin man, who was braiding her hair idly.

“So what did you do?” Simoh asked as he twisted her deep brown hair into meandering whimsical braids.

“Well we shot back, clearly, but I just reached forward, grabbed Miss Olivia, picked her up, and a table, and ran!”

“While you were being shot at?” Simoh glanced up, giving Flitter a gentle head nod to acknowledge her existence.

Nodding excitedly, the huge minotaur woman had to lean back again so Simoh could continue. “Yes, and the gunmen followed, yelling something about orchestras and gunfire, I’m not certain, but I believe the leader of the pair was quite mad. So we got into a roaming gunfight in this little city- Oh! Captain Flitter!” Yuma stood, nearly taking Simoh with her. “You’ve come to visit!”

“That I have.” Flitter smiled as she leaned against a handrail. “Sounds like you had quite the adventure with Olivia and her crew.”

Smiling brightly in return, Yuma clasped her jet black cybernetic hands before herself. “Yes. We had many adventures, and I look forward to the next one we’ll have. Did you need something from us?”

“Well, I wanted to check in on you two first, see how you’re doing and how training is coming along.”

Simoh remained seated as he fixed his t-shirt and leaned back. “Well enough. The rifle I was given is…” He trailed off for a moment, before finding his words. “Excellent. I’m not used to having so many shots at my disposal.”

“Tell me about it, Is there anything you would change about it? I know you went with a conventional rifle instead of a power gun.”

Simoh nodded, his eagle eyes remaining locked on Flitter. “I do not like the other guns. Too many flaws. The rail weapons are heavy and limited in ammunition. The lasers suffer in the environment, and plasma marks where you are. I have chosen the twenty millimeter caseless anti-material rifle, with free floating barrel, muzzle break, and full length recoil system.”

Smiling faintly, Flitter nodded to him. “And the ammo? Did you get that?”

“Yes.” Simoh reached into his bag, and produced two fat drum magazines, one marked silver, and the other red. “Titanium full metal jackets and tungsten jacketed high explosive dual purpose penetrators, for mask wearers and progeny respectfully.”

“Quite the improvement over that old muzzle loader. Yuma, how have you been getting on with Aurora? Will you be able to keep her safe on the field?”

Nodding quickly, Yuma thumped a massive metal hand against her chest. “Yes! It’ll be my honor to!”

Letting out a small breath, Flitter gave them both a smile. “Good. Keep at it, you two. Next week we’re beginning combined arms training, so I expect you both to be there. Oh, and feel free to take today off for Hearth’s Warming.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Reaching forward, Yuma embraced Flitter, and lifted her off the deck, armour and all. “Send Jack my love, and take care of yourself!”

Grunting softly at the manhandling she was receiving, Flitter patted Yuma’s back. “Will do. Okay, put me down, I’ve got lots to do.”

Saying her goodbyes, Flitter set off again, her mind buzzing with everything she still had to do. The task ahead of her was nothing short of astronomical by any account, and she had less than a year to make up for it. Tromping off the cargo bay ramp, Flitter walked into the blizzard, setting her mind to her coming trials.

April 6th, 2120

Yellowstone National Park

The chime of Flitter’s omnilink earned a strained grunt of annoyance from the woman as she continued her pull ups, dead set on finishing her set. As her omnilink ringtone reached it’s last dingle, She dropped to the floor and answered, covered in sweat and wearing her workout clothes. “Falenas.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Flitter could see the snowy blonde hair of Olivia Voronin. “Good afternoon, Knight Captain. Are you busy?”

“I’m always busy. What can I help you with, Miss Voronin?” Flitter wiped her brow with a towel, before turning her full attentions to the woman on her commlink.

“I have a bit of a situation, and I was hoping you could help me. I’m transporting equipment across the ground, and we decided to hire on some local mercs for additional deterrence. Issue is, is the mercs were a little too bloodthirsty for my liking, so I let them go. John’s worried that they’re going to try and raid the convoy now.”

“So you want me and a squad to come out and dissuade them?”

“Precisely.”

Already heading out the door into the fresh spring air, Flitter gave Olivia a single nod. “I’ll gather a squad. I assume you have transportation prepared? Our ship is still grounded until Kleese can find a pilot.”

“I knew I could count on you.” Olivia smiled as she shifted in her seat, giving Flitter a fine view of an alien desert. “The Halcyon was already on it’s way, it should be over earth within two hours. I look forward to working with you soon.” As the call ended, Flitter set off for the training ground.

Sticking two fingers between her lips, Flitter let out a shrill whistle to draw the attentions of her soldiers. As they put pause to their activities and came over, Flitter cleared her throat and spoke out loudly. “I need a volunteer squad to assist Miss Voronin with some hostile deterrence. Any takers?”

Many hands went up, with most of the crew more than willing to get off the base for awhile. Nodding in approval, Flitter looked to Minerva. “Sergeant Aegis, build a combined arms squad with Yuma. Sergeant Varennikov, you’re holding down the fort. Keep the training going, and see how the search for Lemons is going. Kleese mentioned something about Dominic’s family, so follow through with that.”

“Aye aye, ma’am.” Taven nodded to her, but seemed a little unhappy about it.

Turning to the group at large, Minerva began calling out names, swiftly building a squad. It took hardly a moment before they were ready, and following Flitter back to the hangars to prepare.

With only a short wait for the ship, and a hurried boarding, Flitter braced in her armour as the Halcyon shot back into orbit. The crew on board were working quickly and efficiently, checking cargo straps and loads to ensure they hadn’t shifted in the swift entry and exit of atmosphere. “Jumping to Lightspeed in sixty, all hands, strap in!” The pilot’s voice called out over the intercom, sending the crew into a further frenzy.

Looking around nervously, Flitter lifted a hand to flag down a crewman, only to be ignored as they hustled by. “Come!” Yuma patted Flitter’s armoured shoulder. “Follow me, this is my favourite part!”

With the squad in tow, Yuma quickly walked for a designated section of wall, and began to strap in the armoured soldiers with heavy duty velcro straps. With barely enough time to secure herself, the ship seemed to lurch, before accelerating so swiftly that it squashed Flitter against the inside of her armour, and pressed the air from her lungs. Gripping her safety straps for everything she was worth, Flitter held on for dear life as Yuma laughed and tried to push back against the brutal acceleration.

Then, as swiftly as it had come, the acceleration ceased, and everything returned to normal. “What… the fuck… was that?” Flitter demanded breathlessly as she leaned forward, placing her hands on her knees.

“We are at light speed!” Yuma exclaimed happily. “That was the dampened acceleration, and we are currently enroute to our location!”

“It seems you remember your shit, Yoomy.” A man’s voice called out, earning a brilliant smile from Yuma.

“Sal!” Yuma turned on her heels and enveloped the tall blonde man in a bone crushing hug, lifting him off the deck. “I missed you!”

Laughing as he patted her back, the man named Sal made himself in her arms. “We missed you too! Me, Sol, Mil, and Mal were just talking about you.” He patted her cheek caringly. “We’ll have to have some drinks again when this mission’s over. Who’re your friends?” He gestured to the group as he lounged, looking comfortable.

“These are my comrades, Knight Captain Flitter, and her JSOG. We’ve come to help Olivia with her problem.”

“And here I was hoping you were back for good.” Sal sighed whimsically, before hopping out of Yuma’s cradling arms to offer a hand to Flitter. “Sal Oshini.”

Taking the hand with care to not crush it, Flitter shook. “Why aren’t you on the ground with Miss Voronin?”

“The boss lady?” He motioned for the group to follow him as he began to head deeper into the ship. “They sent me back to make sure you were all appraised of the situation on the ground. Locals were worried about an attack from xeno pirates, so they reached out to VLI. We’ve got a good bundle of ground to air interceptor missiles on the trucks, so that’s a thing.”

“Why didn’t she just fly in?” Flitter questioned as they all piled into the elevator amd started up out of the cargo bay.

“Staying low on the radar. Things are getting busy on the frontier, and that means more eyes on. We’ve got three times as many customers, and six times the potential of being caught. With the recent attack at Telesair IV, the Boss Lady wanted extra security, but that’s just turned around and bit us in the ass.” Sal shook his head lightly as he entered the lounge, and gestured to the couches. “Feel free to get comfortable. We’ve got a little over an hour in transit. I’ll come get you before we drop from FTL, and give you a briefing then.”

“What about ammo?” Minerva spoke up, watching the man with narrow eyes. Mythic and Baron stood behind her, though they were busy checking out the bar.

“Any ammo you expend will be replaced, naturally.” Sal grinned. “Yuma, are you staying with them or coming with me?”

Yuma paused, seemingly torn. “Are your brothers on board too?”

“No, they’re dirtside with the boss.”

“Then I will remain with JSOG, for now.” Yuma sat down on the couch, nearly launching one of Flitter’s squad with the sudden pressure change.

With a nod, Sal turned, and exited the lounge, leaving the group behind. When he was gone, Flitter turned her head to Yuma, and perked a brow. “So, he seemed pretty friendly with you.” As the disguised minotaur heifer squirmed at the question, Flitter walked to the bar, and eyeballed the selection of drinks.

“Well, yes… He and his brothers are good friends of mine. The four of them are all identical, however, which makes telling them apart difficult…”

Minerva lounged back in her power armour as she stared at the door the man had left through. “How good of friends?”

“T-that isn’t any of your business…” Yuma murmured as she got up and helped herself to a drink.

A sudden laugh broke from Baron as she glanced up. “You don’t need to be an empath to feel the sexual tension you two had. Now the question is, how many of the four have you had?” As Yuma turned a bright cherry red, Baron laughed. “Wow, all of them? Yuma!”

“It was only once!” Yuma cried out, making distressed minotaur noises.

“You go girl!”

As her squad bickered and bantered back and forth, Flitter managed a soft smile as she poured out a small glass of whiskey, and began to taste it. It was rough, and hardly to her liking, but it lent her a soothing warmth and served to calm the concerned knot settling in her stomach. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to center as she sipped at her drink again. It wouldn’t be long now.

True to his word, Sal returned just as the ship gently lurched, dropping out of FTL over a muddy ball of a world. The squad murmured amongst themselves as they looked down toward it, through the coldness of space. After a moment, Sal cleared his throat, and drew attentions to the holographic map. “This is the situation. We have a convoy of eight trucks, with two people per truck currently, and an additional gunner in the leading and trailing truck. Currently they’re holding up close to a mountain pass, letting the planet’s short night roll by. Miss Voronin confirms that nobody has approached yet, but we’re still erring on the side of caution. The eight of you should be split up among the trucks or flying in overwatch, but I won’t tell you how to do your jobs.

“What sort of kit were the mercenaries packing?” Minerva leaned forward to idly prod at the map.

“Conventional caseless ballistics; rifles, machine guns, buzz bombs, that sort of thing. We didn’t see any heavy ordnance in their vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any. Our biggest concerns are the center trucks, which are carrying missiles, munitions, and other high explosive party favours. If those trucks get hit and we suffer a detonation, it’s a good chance we’ll all die violently within a few seconds.” There was a pregnant pause as Sal adjusted one of his webbing straps. “So try not to let that happen.”

Nodding slowly, Flitter copied everything down into her armour’s databanks. “Rules of Engagement?”

“If it’s a civvie, leave em be but don’t be afraid to stick a gun in their face if they won’t fuck off when we tell em. If they’re a Blackwolf Merc, you’re weapons free. They ain’t supposed to be anywhere near us, so them approaching is an act of aggression. Shoot to kill, because they will too.”

As the squad nodded in understanding, the pilot chimed in over comms. “We’re in orbit now, shuttle’s prepped and ready for launch.”

Tossing up his helmet and catching it as he plunked it down on his head, Sal grinned as his mask sealed to the helmet, and began emitting a holographic skull across the blank faceplate. “Let’s rock and roll.”

The shuttle rumbled and rocked as it plunged through the atmosphere of the planet below, the thick clouds causing the shuttle to rattle with each one punched through. “Four minutes out!” The pilot called out.

Nodding, Flitter turned, and pointed at her one pegasi operative and Simoh. “Now! Bail and circle at Angels ten!” The operatives saluted as the shuttle bay door slid open, and wind roared into the cabin. The two operatives bailed out the door, jets deploying once they were clear. Watching as the two blips on her HUD descended to ten thousand feet and pulled into a holding pattern, Flitter nodded to herself and prepared for landing. It was only a few short minutes before the shuttle set down, and the doors opened again. Flitter and her squad quickly left the ship before it lifted off again, and took off for orbit. Alien desert surrounded them on all side, with craggy redstone mesa’s reaching up toward the sky like ancient bone fingers.

“What a shit hole.” Minerva muttered as she held her rifle at low ready, her helmet scanning slowly back and forth.

“It’s our shit hole now. We own this desert.” Setting off at a brisk pace, Flitter jogged off toward the convoy of trucks that sat in the shade of a huge redstone outcropping. Sal was quickly on her heels, with the rest of her squad following along closely. As they approached, a figure wearing a white arid environment suit waved them down, before adjusting their wide brimmed sun hat.

The white clad figure turned out to be Olivia, who wore a bright smile under the shade of her hat, in addition to a comfortable and fashionable liquid cooled suit. “Hello hello! I’m glad you could all make it!”

“Have fun.” Sal waved to the squad as he split off, and approached a trio of men wearing armour identical to his, save for the holographic skulls each had over their faceplates.

Nodding once to Sal, Flitter opened her face plate as she approached. “Good morning Olivia. How are you?”

“Lovely, just lovely.” Olivia smiled cutely up toward the power armoured spec ops leader before her. “You fill out that armour very well! Come on, let’s get your people intermingled among mine, and get this party rolling!~”

Smirking momentarily as she closed her faceplate, Flitter brought her power gun to a low resting position. “That’s why we’re here.”

The group spread out, finding vehicles to clamber up on to. Flitter mounted the front vehicle, riding with Olivia, John Chambers, and Hans Drescher. “Gutentag, Knight Captain.” Hans waved lightly with his eight foot tall combat form, which was magnetized to the top of the truck, and carrying a rotary cannon.

“Good morning Mister Drescher.” Securing herself to the vehicle, Flitter keyed onto the VLI comms, and was immediately bombarded with chatter between groups. “Sergeant Aegis, how are you faring?”

Over the briefly quieted chatter, Minerva spoke up as Flitter brought her helmet cam feed up. “Dandy. I’m straddled next to some weird human woman.”

“I am not weird, I am sexy!” Vikki’s indignant riposte earned some light chuckles through the comms.

Smiling lightly, Flitter commed her air cover. “Talon Flight, what’s your situation?”

View of blue skies and stretching alien desert popped up in the corner of her hud as Simoh commed back. “All clear, Knight Captain. Lots of cloud cover and no flak.”

“Copy. All operatives, hunker down. Miss Voronin, we’re ready to go.” Flitter sat on the reinforced cab of the transport truck, aside Hans as she rested her power rifle across her lap.

“Excellent~” Olivia purred into her headset. “Mister Bellewood, let’s get this convoy rolling.”

“Aye aye, ma’am!”

With a lurch, the trucks set off one by one, their heavy, deadly cargo swaying gently within. Leaving the protection of the canyon walls, the alien sun began to beat down on the white trucks as they rumbled into the desert. The barren landscape stretched on forever before them, with only a solitary two lane highway to guide them.

“All Shooters, report.” Flitter spoke into her comms as she flicked through body cams and orbital feed with little motions of her jaw.

“Shooter Two, All clear mid.”

“Shooter Three here, clear rear.”

“Talon Flight, scopes are empty.”

Nodding once, Flitter returned to gazing out into the distance. “Solid copy, keep the eyes on.”

“Training must be going well.” Olivia chimed in over comms as she tilted her hat up so she could see Flitter through the sunroof.

“We’re making progress. We’re starting drop pod training soon.” Flitter slowly scanned the area ahead of her, watching for any waiting soldiers trying to ambush the convoy. “How have things been?”

Kicking her feet up so they rested on the dash, Olivia smiled. “Busy. Very very busy. A lot of people want guns now, despite the UN trying to convince everyone that the attacks on the frontier are one offs.”

“You don’t think they are?”

“No.” There was a brief pause. “Any fight that Ernest Blackburn is involved in, isn’t cut and dry.”

The name pricking her ears, Flitter leaned forward slightly. “I know that name. Care to explain?”

“Blackburn’s paramilitary outfit deployed again recently, slaughtered a whole pirate base on their own when the UN patrols couldn’t oust them. Rumor mill says that he’s made new super soldiers, and people on both sides are getting nervous.”

“Why?” Flitter’s mind flicked briefly to Jack, and the thing he was involved in that he couldn’t talk about.

“Because when Blackburn gets an edge, he cuts his enemies with it, and his enemies number in the trillions. The UN doesn’t want another war, and our neighbors won’t be so forgiving if one of ours commits another alien genocide. Hence people panicking and buying enough ordnance to start a war. Which makes it look like we’re gearing for war.”

Smiling briefly, Flitter gazed out into the sun bleached alien desert. “And it’s all good for your business, isn’t it?”

With a soft chuckle, Olivia tipped her hat back down. “Only time will tell, Angel.”

Falling into silence, Flitter sat back, and allowed herself a moment of rest as the trucks trundled on, and on, and on.

“All shooters, report.” Several hours later, Flitter called over comms as the alien sun baked her armour.

“Shooter two. We’re fine.”

“Shooter three, all clear boss. We gonna see any action?”

“Talon Flight. Knight Captain, we’re seeing a suspect area ahead, could be nothing but we might want to reccy it before we roll in.”

Pausing for a moment to mull the idea over as she keyed into the cam feed of Talon flight, Flitter commed Olivia. “Air cover reports a suspicious section ahead. What’s your call?”

Humming softly, Olivia didn’t respond to Flitter as she made the all-call to the whole convoy. “Pull over, we have recon to do. Everyone stretch your legs and secure the area.”

With a light nod, Flitter keyed the pegasi above. “Talon Flight, this is Shooter Actual. Take a peek at that area and let me know if we need hooves on the ground.”

“Solid copy, Shooter Actual. We’re heading in for a closer look.”

Lifting off the truck, Flitter let herself fall to the cracked tarmac below, letting the hydraulics in her armour absorb the mild impact. “Shooters two through five, spread out and scan the area. Sergeant Aegis, on me.”

“Aye aye.”

Flitter paced to the edge of the road, and gazed out at the endless desert. Behind her, she could hear the truck doors opening and slamming as Olivia’s crew piled out to stretch their legs. John Chambers and Olivia were approaching Flitter as Minerva jogged up.

“Knight Captain?” Minerva glanced at the pair of humans, before following Flitter’s gaze out into the endless desert. “We haven’t seen anything move for hours. Are we sure there’s anything out here?”

As Olivia and John stopped abreast from her, Flitter mulled over the question. “Before everything... happened, Jack used to tell me stories about his service, and I watched almost all of his combat videos. He told me about how the people who lived in the deserts on Earth used explosives hidden underground to disrupt convoys, and launch attacks on the soldiers there during the chaos. Add on to that, Jack’s use of active camouflage cloaking technology… I don’t think we can trust our eyes entirely here, Sergeant.”

Humming softly, Olivia scanned the Horizon. “We haven’t had a guerrilla war against other humans in decades… Those sorts of tactics might not be as widespread now, but it’s a good thing you brought them up.” She glanced over to the man next to her. “John? Get Mil up front of the trucks, looking for triggers while JSOG clears the area.”

“Right away.” The big man nodded under his modified HRT armour, before turning on his heels to head back to the convoy.

Glancing to Minerva, Flitter smirked at her, and gave her a swat on the armour plates covering her ass. “Welcome to the suck, Sergeant. Embrace it.”

Jumping at the swat, Minerva stuttered and tripped over her words momentarily. “U-uh, y-yeah, right Flits. I mean, Knight Captain.” Clearing her throat, Minerva rocked on her heels. “So uh…” As she spoke, the communication line chirped, and Simoh cut off the woman.

“Knight Captain, we’ve cleared the target area. There are tracks, but no hostiles. What are your orders?”

Pausing, Flitter keyed her mic. “Are you on the ground?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Get in the air, now! The enemy could be using cloaking tech.” The brief pause left Flitter on edge, before Simoh spoke again.

“Gaining altitude. I have been using the separate vision modes, but have picked up nothing.”

Letting out a soft sigh, Flitter closed her faceplate again. “Better to be safe, Simoh. The convoy will begin moving again soon.”

“Understood.”

“On me, Sergeant.” Flitter motioned to Minerva, who was quick to pick up the rear. “Olivia, my scout reports the suspect area has seen traffic, but there are no hostiles present.”

Climbing into the leading rig, Olivia gave Flitter a little wave before she adjusted her hat. “Then we’ll continue onwards! Mil, are you ready up front?”

One of the Oshini brothers waved from the ground, his holographic skull having an X across it’s forehead. “Yeah. Let’s get this started.”

Clambering up on to the lead truck, Flitter keyed her squad comms. “Flare, Sandstone, Lee, I want you three prepared with shield spells, the moment it kicks off I want shields up. The rest of you are weapons free in any case.” A short smattering of affirmatives responded as the trucks lurched forward, and began to crawl after the man in front as he walked the highway, watching for IEDs.

As the distance between the convoy and the suspect area grew smaller and smaller, Flitter found herself feeling ill at ease as she scanned the horizon. The sun was cresting high in the sky, forcing her environmental control unit to work double time to keep her from cooking alive in the suit.

“Knight Captain.” Simoh spoke softly into her ear. “I see shimmers, to your west, two hundred meters.”

Casually panning her view to the west, Flitter narrowed her eyes and magnified her vision. For a moment, there was nothing, but then as the wind picked up ever so slightly, she could see a faint shimmer against the rocks as light and sand gently toyed at the edge of a camo cloak. “All shooters, one hundred and seventy two meters up on the west side, camo cloak spotted. They don’t know they’ve been made yet.”

“Good eyes.” John Chambers rumbled softly. “All hands, prepare for a fight, but keep it lowkey. Expect fire from both sides. Fire when ready.” A murmur of affirmatives came from the convoy as everyone prepared for the imminent fight.

“Hundred meters…”

“Shields ready.” Flare called up from the middle as the three unicorn operatives prepared to cast.

“Simoh.” Flitter spoke. “Open fire.”

The distant crack echoed softly from high altitude, moments before the high powered 15mm round slapped into the cloaked object, and a massive fireball detonated across the highway. Allowing herself to relax instead of tensing, Flitter turned as Mil raised his hands to defend himself from the blast, but found the deadly shrapnel impacting a shimmering green shield. Fire began to blossom from the desert, spattering and spalling off the shields as the JSOG operatives set to work.

“All shooters-” Flitter raised her rifle, letting her crosshairs settle over a point where muzzle flash had flared momentarily. “Aim for the muzzle flare. Weapons free.”

Her shot exited the barrel of her power rifle, and crossed the distance in a moment; the cloaked mercenary it impacted was flung backwards, his body trailing superheated offal and vaporised blood. The shrill whistle-howl of a buzzbomb smashed into the shield before Flitter, level with her legs. As the warhead detonated prematurely, Flitter could see the deep cracks appearing in the magical protection around them. It would only be moments now.

“Focus firepower left, fill them full of daylight!” Flitter called as she dismounted the semi, impacting the tarmac as she fired another shot. “Watch for the muzzle flashes!” The plasma roar of her weapon was muted within her helmet as targets sprung up on her HUD, but while the noise of the battle was keyed down, the concussive thrumming of Hans’ rotary cannon served to nearly rattle her teeth as the big cyborg dropped off the truck and landed next to her. His muzzle tracked back and forth, spewing tracer fire that would occasionally find purchase in body armour and flesh.

“Shield’s coming down, one minute cooldown!” Sandstone called out. “Three, two, one!”

The shield collapsed with the sound of shattering glass, but served as a surprise to nobody. Pushing forward, Flitter crossed the meridian and stuck herself to a large stone to serve for cover. By now, multiple target marks had sprung up on the cloaked targets, fouling their advantage.

“Vehicles, around the bend!” Simoh called out as a pack of armoured trucks appeared ahead of the convoy, their turret gunners opening fire. Heavy slugs shattered the tarmac around Flitter as she stood, sprinting to better cover. As she dove, a round struck her in the chest, knocking her off her feet and sending her tumbling to the ground.

As she grunted, and tried to push up off the asphalt, hands grasped her drag handle, and hauled her out of the line of fire. Grunting as tracers spat by overhead, Mil pulled Flitter into cover as he returned fire. “Nice landing! Looks like the plate caught it!” The man sounded amused as he sprayed rounds at the oncoming trucks.

“Thanks for the assist, I’m fine.” Pushing up, Flitter shook her head, and keyed her comms. “Yuma! I want these trucks gone! Flare, Sandstone, assist!”

“It’s my time to shine!” Yuma’s enthusiastic tone gave Flitter a momentary smirk as the big woman leveled her weapon at the oncoming vehicles, and loosed a shell downrange. The heavy round struck the leading truck, shattering it’s engine block and sending it tumbling as it’s ruined driveshaft dug into the asphalt. Magical fireballs quickly followed, setting two more of the trucks ablaze. As the flaming wrecks careened toward the convoy, a shimmering green shield leapt up from the ground, and the burning vehicles smashed into it at speed.

The fire fight was beginning to grow more sporadic, as the mercenary hostiles began to retreat back into the sands to lick their wounds. Slowly approaching Olivia’s side, Flitter scanned the battlefield as she held her rifle at low ready. “I think they’re through. Any casualties?”

Lifting her head slightly to peek out around John, Olivia soon turned back to Flitter, and offered her a smile that spoke of a complete lack of concern. “Minor wounds and a couple new holes, nothing major. Thanks to you and your team, at least. We were completely outnumbered here.”

“I don’t think your convoy was worth this much attention.”

Taking a moment to consider Flitter’s statement, Olivia nodded slowly. “You’re right… while it’d be a windfall, they took a lot of risks and commited a fair chunk of manpower…” Rubbing her chin, Olivia lifted her head upwards. “John, do you-”

“Get down!” John yelled as he reached back, trying to move Olivia out of the way of the threat he’d spotted. As Flitter tensed, a mercenary materialised before the three of them, smashing John across the face with the haft of an energized saber. Vaporizing blood split from his helmet as the exoskeleton clad mercenary drove John into the ground, and brought the saber up in one fluid motion to bisect Olivia as she stood frozen in place.

The energized saber squealed through the air as it boiled John’s blood off while enroute to Olivia, but as it nipped at her environment suit, Flitter jammed herself and her weapon between the pair. The saber slashed through the hardened casing of the power weapon, releasing a burst of wild electricity and liquid nitrogen into the air as Flitter let the two broken parts fall. With the saber on the downswing, Flitter used her jump jets to pulse forward, rocketting her shoulder into the merc.

“Bitch!” The cloaked merc yelled, sliding back in the sand as he readied his weapon. “Get out of the way!”

As Flitter and the merc squared off, Flitter ordered the others to hold fire as she drew her combat knife. “If you want her, you’ve got to go through me.”

“Gladly.” The merc growled as he sprung forward, bring the saber down in a well trained slash, aiming to cut down Flitter. Rocking backwards on her heels, Flitter used her own knife to deflect the blow, though immediately lost a portion of it. As the merc brought his weapon around again, Flitter ducked low, and continued to close in.

The energized saber howled passed Flitter as she dipped and dodged through the practised blows, just like she’d be taught to in the academy. “You’re too slow, human.” She growled aggressively, the hint of a smile touching her lips as she used her jets to side step another slash, and deliver a lightning fast jab into the mercenaries faceplate with her cybernetic fist. “Too slow and too predictable!”

“Can it!” The merc slashed angrily at her as he fought against his own stumbling, managing to cut through her breastplate. The virulent energy caused her HUD to flicker as painful numbness spread across her chest, all while warning symbols flashed across her eyes. As she stepped back, he stabbed toward her, intent on running her through, but found his weapon only meeting air, and Flitter’s arm locking around his own. The merc wrestled and struggled to free himself, but faltered when Flitter jammed her damaged combat knife into his side, and pulled back her cybernetic arm. He had barely a moment to breath out a shocked gasp as Flitter’s cybernetic arm blossomed open, and her power pistol sprung forth. The first shot cratered his armour, but the second burned through into his guts. The third emptied his torso of organs, and the forth all but split the man in half with a detonation of steam vapor and bone turned to superhot shrapnel.

Letting the mercenary fall to the ground in two separate sections, Flitter stepped on his twitching wrist, and pulled his saber free. Switching it off, she stuck it in her webbing, before casting a solitary glance at the man’s face as it shivered and twitched through his shattered faceplate. “You’re nothing but a punk with a sword.”

Walking away from the cooling corpse, Flitter gently placed a hand across the gouge in her breastplate, grimacing as the pain in her chest refused to abate. “Report, how are we looking?”

“Clearing out the stragglers now.” Minerva responded as sporadic whizzbangs from power guns echoed through the desert.

Nodding lightly to herself as she walked to Olivia, Flitter breathed a soft sigh or relief when she saw that John was still alive, and being tended to by Doctor End. Without a doubt, he was losing the eye, but he’d make it. “It seems you were right to bring us along, Olivia.”

“So it seems!” Olivia sat down on the tarmac with a soft huff, frowning at the destruction. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right…”

“It was an assassination attempt, and an expensive one at that. They wouldn’t have brought this much firepower if they wanted the trucks intact. Do you have a bounty on your head?” Flitter leaned against the truck, and began to idly finger the hot gouge in her breastplate.

“I’d have to check… So strange… they were supposed to be reliable.” There was a brief pause between the two as they watched one of the trucks cook off, the corpses within twisted from the flames. “Can you help me up?” Olivia held her hands up, waiting. When Flitter pulled her up, the woman reached around the back of Flitter’s helmet, and hit the emergency release. As the faceplate hissed open, Olivia leaned in, and pecked Flitter’s lips with a kiss. “My Guardian Angel, saving my butt again. If you keep this up, I’ll have to kidnap you.”

Coughing slightly, Flitter rubbed at her neck through the armour. “Y-yeah… you know, just doing my job.” She cleared her throat, and tried in vain to will the heat in her cheeks away.

“It’s a shame you have to run off again, otherwise I’d love to offer you a position on my crew.” Olivia smiled gently as she rubbed soot from her pale cheek. “See to your people, and help yourselves to the dead. We’ll get the convoy rolling again in twenty minutes. Once we’re back on the Halcyon, we’ll have a private chat about your… reward.” Olivia winked as she set off, patting John’s battered helmet with care.

Breathing out, Flitter reengaged her faceplate, and set off to collect her soldiers, and a few trophies. However, as her feet hit the sand, her omnilink chimed softly. With a sigh, Flitter took the call and had it appear on her hud. When Taven’s sharp, handsome features appeared, Flitter managed a smile for him. “Taven, good timing, we just finished our firefight.”

“Well uh… that’s good!” Taven scratched at the back of his neck, before exhaling. The look on his face saw that Flitter’s smile would be vanishing quickly. “I got some news about Lemons.”

“I get the feeling I’m not going to like it.” Flitter answered tentatively.

“You’re not.” Taven looked down toward her on the link. “We found Dominic. He’s dead.”

Chapter Sixty Six: Mounting Pressure

View Online

May 15th, 2120

Langley Virginia

Special Agent Marley Danners was anxious. So very, very anxious. Sending a nervous glance over both of her shoulders to ensure she wasn’t being watched. As the Elysian Fields shuttle passed through the cloud layer, she felt the butterflies in her stomach become stones that pinned her in place. She said little to the well dressed man who welcomed her on to the shuttle, and had to fight to keep herself from fidgeting on the flight up to the station Elysian Fields had in orbit. Her breathing exercises did little for her.

Exiting the shuttle all too soon, Marley straightened her pencil skirt and clutched her dossier tightly to her chest, as if the motion would keep her heart from exploding from her ribcage.

“Agent Danners.” Ernest Blackburn smiled easily as he walked up to her, wearing a well tailored three piece suit. “You had me worried when you said you couldn’t send the update via the normal channels, what’s going on?”

Swallowing faintly, Marley nodded to Ernest as she drummed the dossier. “The case on Voronin has hit a… interesting snag. The Deputy Director is… he’s worried about leaks.”

“Does he suspect you?” Ernest waved her deeper into the station.

“No. And why would he? I’m his best field agent.”

Smiling lightly, Ernest put out a hand, and was rewarded with the dossier that Marley was carrying. “Naturally. Brad has always been too trusting of those he keeps close to his chest. Now, what is the situation on the frontier?”

“Bad and growing worse. Voronin has been making sales every week; militias are popping up like weeds. The UN hasn’t noticed, but our enemies have. Frost Fall colony is going to be the next to be hit, and Voronin is making a delivery there soon. To make matters worse, Foxhound has taken an interest in Frost Fall as well. My mole on her ship has confirmed the delivery, and the attack is all but written on the wall. It’s all in the dossier.”

“Yes… I can see that…” Ernest hummed softly. “And the other thing?”

Marley paused for a moment as they entered an elevator and began to move through the station. She’d never been this deep into the station, and she knew for certain she wasn’t headed for the offices. “Voronin hired on alien mercenaries. They clashed with the mercenaries bought off by Foxhound to kill her not too long ago. They… appear human, but you’ll see from the video… they aren’t. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’ll have my people look into it. What sort of situation are we looking at between VLI and FH? If we’re going to be having a war, we cannot afford to have two major arms dealers coming to blows during it. Especially Foxhound...”

Running her tongue over the back of her teeth, Marley fixed her skirt as the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. “Elias Fox sent Blackwolf mercs after Voronin. She survived the attempt, again, but they’re dialing up their efforts. My guess is they’ll try and strike at her team on Frost Fall to try and weaken her defenses, then tighten the noose around her neck if they don’t get her there. The situation is bad and if given time, it’ll get worse.”

“Voronin is nobody’s fool, she’ll see the trouble coming a mile away, which means she’ll bring her xeno mercenaries. Interesting…” Ernest hummed softly as he scanned his eye over an access pad, before placing his palm on the reader. “Kill a traitor before you kill an enemy.”

Clearing her throat, Marley, glanced at the signage above the door that read ‘RESTRICTED ACCESS’. “Where are we going?”

Walking into the restricted barracks, Ernest nodded to the three massive men inside. “I felt you could do with a bit more reward than usual. Considering your efforts are what’s making it possible for us to continue to operate under the Deputy Director’s nose, I thought you might enjoy meeting Humanity’s newest heroes.”

The three men stood, and walked over, seeing as how they were being motioned over. Marley felt herself tensing instinctively, and fighting to hide her fear and excitement. “Hello.” She managed to choke out, standing rigid straight.

“Agent Marley Danners,” Ernest began. “Meet Mirio Togata, Emanuel Alvarez, and Jack Kessle.”

Feeling her knees go weak but forcing herself to mentally power through it, Marley swallowed nervously as she looked up at the three looming men. Her eyes stuck on to Jack; her mouth hanging open a little as she forced herself to acknowledge the others. “I-it’s… It’s an honor to meet all of you… Your work on Montezair Colony was… it made for quite a read.” Again her eyes settled on Jack. “S-so… it… it is you… Martyr Kessle…”

“The one and only.” Jack waved lightly, before crossing his arms behind his back. The woman before him was hardly much to look at; she was rather short, with sharp features and a soft nose where a set of round glasses were perched. Her mousy hair was tied up in a bun with stray strands poking out wildly. She continued to worry at her clothes as he stared at her; the panic in her eyes forcing him to do his best to appear non-aggressive.

“I… was observing the party in seattle.” She managed to work out nervously. “I… I didn’t recognize you then, b-but… I am… a huge fan of your work, Mister Kessle… I had posters of you on my walls as a girl.” She awkwardly cleared her throat as a healthy shade of pink settled on her cheeks.

With his eyes momentarily flicking to his squadmates, Jack found them equally bemused and nonchalant about the attention he was receiving. Mirio and Emanuel were already pulling off to chat with Blackburn, leaving him with his fangirl.

“you’re bigger than I imagined…” Marley murmured softly as she stared up at him.

With a gentle smirk, Jack sat back down on his bunk, and returned to cleaning the huge 12.7mm pistol he’d acquired. As the woman floundered for words and began to look crestfallen, Jack patted the space next to him, inviting her to sit. “So, Marley was it?”

“Y-yes, Special Agent Marley Danners. I’m erm… w-with the CIA.” She sat down next to him, worrying at the hem of her grey pencil skirt and the chestnut hose under it.

“Wow, you know, I didn’t know if the old alphabet agencies were still around from my time. Colour me shocked.” He smiled lightly to her as he ran a bore brush through the barrel of the pistol, cleaning out the carbon buildup.

“Yes, yes of course, most are… well not around any more, but a good few congealed into singular terran agencies under the UN, the CIA included.” Marley clasped her hands together, if only to stop their fidgeting. “What… was it like? The war?”

Sighing softly, Jack set down the frame of the pistol, and carefully pushed aside the various components. Glancing to Marley for a moment, Jack set his mammoth hand under her two tiny ones, while covering her omnilink with his other hand. “Awful. You lost friends every day and you knew you couldn’t win. We did what we had to do, because nobody else could. So… What brings you up here?” He turned to her, showing her attention as he continued to hold her two hands.

Flushed pink, Marley allowed her hands to be held as she felt his hands in return. “I-i’m… not really supposed to say…” She murmured softly, caressing his palm with her thumb. “b-but… since… since it’s you, M-martyr…” She squirmed in place as she glanced nervously to the others across the empty bay; Mirio and Emanuel were abreast of Ernest, looking out of the viewport toward Earth. Whatever they were talking about, she couldn’t hear a peep. “I’m… helping him to protect the colonies. I have been for… awhile. Ever since my own home on Helen’s Pass was… you know…” She sighed softly, and managed a smile when he gave her hands a comforting squeeze. ”A frontier colony called Frost Fall is going to be attacked soon, but not only that, two arms dealers are going to be coming to blows there… It’s a mess and unless we do something, innocents will die.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack noted a small blip on his own omnilink, hidden from her view. Smiling faintly, he removed his hand covering her omnilink, and settled it on her thigh, earning the faintest of gasps and a little jerk from the special agent. “Then I suppose we’ll be headed there soon. I’m curious though… is no one else willing to keep the colonies safe?”

“No… w-we have the intel, but… the UN wants to avoid another war, so we’re all forced to sit on our thumbs. I… I hate it.”

With a grunt of irritation, Jack ran a thumb up and down the seam of her hose, along her thigh. The shiver that shot up her spine was entertaining, at least. “So they leave the outer colonies high and dry while sitting pretty close to the core. I wish shit had changed, but it seems that nothing ever does. Politics has always given me a headache.” He sighed idly. “We’ll see how they feel about it when Earth gets hit again.”

“Agent Danners!” Ernest called across the bay as he began to approach. “We had best get you back to Langley before your absence is noticed.”

“Oh! Y-yes, of course.” Agent Danners stood, straightening her pencil skirt as Jack stood as well. Glancing nervously toward Jack, she smiled meekly as she brought a hand up to play with a tray lock of her hair. “It was… amazing, meeting you…talking, to you. I hope we get the chance to do this again.”

Wrapping a big hand around her slim hip, Jack gave her an easy smile in return. “Maybe. Keep up the good work out there, Marley.”

“I-I will!” Her smile brightened slightly as she briefly brushed her hip against his thigh, before being forced to quick hustle and catch up with Blackburn as he opened the door. Casting a longing glance over her shoulder, the special agent left the barracks with a bit more pep in her step and a slight sashay to her hips.

As the bulkhead door sealed, Jack cracked a grin as Mirio jumped on his back. “Fuckin ladies maaaan! Hahahaha! Mother fucker, what was that all about!?”

Tossing off the smaller man, Jack grinned and shook his head. “What can I say? She’s a good girl, and we both got something out of it.”

With a brief chuckle, Emanuel leaned against the heavy bunk. “So what’d you get out of it?”

“I know our next vacation spot.” Jack answered as he let Mirio shadowbox his hands.

“Don’t keep us waiting, we had to listen to the old man while you were getting handsy. Granted she was like a six out of ten, but still! Stuck up here with no action makes that six an easy eight!” Mirio smacked one of Jack’s hands, before bouncing about on the balls of his feet.

“Frost Fall, some shithole colony on the frontier. Sounds like we’ll have some crossfire between a few arms dealers as well.” Jack slipped passed Mirio’s defences, smacking him upside the head. “Don’t lie, I know you Helldivers will fuck anything that moves.”

Humming, Emanuel nodded in respect. “Nice. That’ll give us some time to research the colony. Who knows, maybe Mirio will get through this one without getting shot in the ass.”

“That was one fuckin time!”

Cackling, Jack snagged the next blow Mirio sent his way, and quickly swept his legs out from under him. “Mirio, you’re so fuckin slow, my Gran could shoot you in the ass at a hundred meters, and she’s fuckin dead.” As Mirio spat venom in response, Jack grinned and released him. “I’m going to work on my armour, holler if y’all need me.”

With a single wave, Emanuel smirked. “Alright, have fun, Cowboy. And nice work with the special agent.”

Unable to hold back his laughs, Mirio parroted Jack as the bigger man started for the armoury. “Y’all!”

“Ah fuck off, ya spooky midget.” Tossing a bit of trash at Mirio, Jack gave the pair a two fingered salute as he left the barracks, and made a beeline for the armoury, and his armour. Glancing at his omnilink, he winked at the little avatar girl who sat on it’s screen. It didn’t take him long to reach the armoury and his rack of tools. Over the past few months, he’d done all he could to quietly retool his armour to fit a more demanding standard. While his armour was still coloured a flat primer white, he’d left the titanium bare, leaving it shining with a silver luster. He’d refitted the left hand vambrace with titanium studs that lined the back of the hand up to the elbow, and had ordered a pair of custom arc-forge titanium knuckle dusters for both gauntlets. On his right arm was a piece of kit he was particularly proud of; the Pile Bunker. A kinetic mass driver working off his own strength for the initial detonation, and a set of high density rails used to jam high arc-forged steel rods, coated once again in titanium, into any target he struck while the weapon was activated.

His armour hissed open as he approached, doffing his leisure clothes to bare his skin tight link suit. Rolling his shoulders, Jack clambered inside his armour, and breathed a sigh of contentment as it sealed around him, form fitted to his body. “Comms blackout, Sammy.”

“Nothing gets in or out.” Samhain spoke into his ear, sounding pleased with herself. “Would you like to look over the contents of the Special Agent’s omnilink?”

“I will in a moment. I’m more interested in that dossier she handed to Blackburn, can you get me anything in that?” To avoid standing too still and drawing suspicion, Jack idly ambled toward the weapon racks, and began fitting a few choice weapons to his armour.

“Not all of it, it appears the Special Agent was particular in not having a digital copy of it’s contents, but I am able to rip several pages from it using her personal body camera and her omnilink.”

Smiling to himself as he slotted on a micro-rocket rack, Jack began to scan through the contents of Marley’s omnilink. “Make it so. By the by, did you finish subverting the subsystems Blackburn had installed on the sly?”

“Yes, the armour kill switch is no longer active.”

Pausing for a moment, Jack gave his shaved head a brief shake. “Turn it back on. I don’t want our cover being blown too early. Lord knows it’s only a matter of time before he flicks it just to try and put me in my place, and I don’t want that little trump card out of my sleeve.” Scanning through Marley’s contact list, Jack smiled as he came across the exact number he wanted. “Why hello, Mister Deputy Director of the CIA. I’ll just save that number for a rainy day.”

“We also have her tracking tag, likely the same used by her handler. We can track the special agent no matter where she is with it.”

“Might be handy.” Jack’s eyes lingered briefly on the folder holding her photos and videos. After a moment, he closed them away, leaving Marley her privacy.

As he began to walk to the testing range, Sammy chirped once again in his ear. “Dossier recompiled.”

“Put it on screen, left side.” Idly firing off a few rounds to dial in his weapons, Jack began flicking through the dossier. “Frost Fall… Gorsians, interesting… Ah, fuck.” Jack exhaled through his nose as Olivia’s profile came up, and was followed by long distance shots of JSOG engaging human mercenaries. “Why the fuck can’t anything fucking-! FUCK!” Cursing a brilliant blue streak as he fought to keep his external composure, Jack soon slowed, and let out a long, pained breath through his nose. “Great. Sammy, can we slip through the comms net again? My arms dealer has gotten herself neck deep in it.”

“Debatable.” The answer earned a hard scowl from him. “The security of the station is far superior to that of an omnilink. I believe last time, we were simply lucky with server maintenance.”

“Great.” Jack sighed. “Great. Can’t warn them right now then. We’ll have to try and warn them when we can, or just prepare for the worst. Alright, let’s see what else we have.” Skimming through the dossier, Jack found himself frowning just a little more. “Sizable xeno population in the colony… That’ll mean trouble. Sammy, gimme a sitrep on what a ‘Codruxji’ is.”

An image of a tall, lanky humanoid popped up on the left side of his HUD as Sammy began reading their entry. “The Coduxji are a race of bipedal humanoids with four arms, standing two meters tall, and weighing seventy kilograms on average. Their defining facial features include large forward facing eyes with yellow sclera, a lack of iris, and moderately sized black pupils. Primary sexual dimorphism includes large skull protrusions, with male Codruxji having swept back ridges under their hair that terminate at the back of the skull, and females having side swept fin-like protrusions that terminate by the cheeks.” A clearly male and female Codru stood side by side, spinning in place to show him.

“They look fairly human. Any similarities?”

“Ninety six percent match for standard biological functions.”

Whistling softly, Jack turned over the heavy rifle he’d picked up, pretending to be interested in it. “Rare. So why are they on a human colony?”

“Political relations with Codruxji are stable, and in many cases friendly. Lacking a centralized government, many clans have gravitated toward human space due to similar beliefs, and lack of tailored medical advancements elsewhere. It appears that the species suffers from a rare ailment known as ‘Asthma’, and often settle on human colonies for treatment. In addition, it appears that the species as a whole are historically mistreated by the Council Races, sharing a similar history with humanity in not agreeing with many legal decisions, political machinations, and spacial claims laid out by the Council.”

Smiling a little, Jack continued to pretend to be doing things as he flicked over the dossier on the aliens. “Sounds like they shouldn’t be a problem, they’re almost human as it is. Anything else?”

“Unfortunately, due to tensions on the outer colonies from unchecked xeno aggressions, the Codruxji have been facing some backlash, and violence from fringe xenophobic groups.”

There was a long pause as Jack swallowed the information. “Are we one of those groups?”

“As far as records show, no. Due to the lack of aggression towards Humanity the Codruxji show, our xenophobic militant group has not had any recorded clashes with them.” As Jack breathed a sigh of relief, he found it interrupted. “However, it appears that Foxhound Industries has been charged, but found not guilty, of multiple counts; kidnapping, torture, murder, and assault. Foxhound Industries Public Relations assures us that any cases of violence are fringe events acted out by unsanctioned elements, and while they are looking into them, they will not be held accountable.”

“So in other words ‘Fuck you, we do what we want.’ Typical.” Setting the barrel of the heavy rifle against his shoulder, Jack stared at the target down range and the ultra tight grouping he’d plugged into it. “And Foxhound will be on the surface. That’ll make things interesting… We’ll have to try and intercept any attacks.”

“Affirmative, Father. Shall I re-engage video and comms?”

Heading back to the racks, Jack nodded. “Yeah, do it.”

Heading back to the others, Jack couldn’t dispel the sense of unease that had settled over him like a fog. He returned to training, but constantly began to pick away at the op on Frost Fall, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It didn’t take long.

June 10th, 2120

Wiping hot water from his face as he stepped free from the shower, Jack found himself just in time for a group call between Ernest, Emanuel, and Mirio. “Jack!” Ernest called. “You’re just in time, I was about to send someone to retrieve you when I couldn’t get through.”

Smiling for the camera, Jack continued to towel off. “Just got out of the shower, Boss, anything wrong?”

“Not in particular. Now, we find ourselves in a unique position. Thanks to the efforts of Special Agent Danners, we know where our enemies will attack next, and as such, we’re going to set an ambush for them.” Ernest smiled broadly, pride clear on his features. “It’s our turn to strike first.”

With a gentle sense of unease settling over his shoulders, Jack began to walk back to the barracks. “What’s the op?”

“You three will be infiltrating Frost Fall colony with the help of a squad of Thanatos Operatives who have set up an operations center within city limits. You will scope out the local area, and prepare for the attack. Elysian Fields will be dispatching evacuation shuttles just prior, so most civilians should be evacuated before the shooting begins. We may have additional players on the field, in the form of the local PDF, and two arms dealers. You’re to avoid direct contact, but if they threaten our objectives, you all have full authority to put them down. Your shuttle leaves in thirty minutes, so start packing.”

“Question.” Mirio spoke into the mic as he began setting clothes into his bag. “How exactly are we supposed to ‘infiltrate’? Fully kitted, each of us weighs just about a thousand kilos and we’re bristling with firepower. Dunno if customs will want to let us through.”

“Leave that to the Thanatos Operators. They’ll get you in. One last thing, it’s likely that the CIA will be operating on the surface due to the the conflict between the arms dealers, so watch your backs, and remember, ‘covert ops’.”

“Copy.” Closing out the video connection, Jack finished drying off and quickly pulled on his linksuit. “Covert ops, right. About as covert as a Mexican border strip bar.” Snorting idly as he started for his bunk, Jack couldn’t help but smile a little to himself. He’d be seeing some familiar faces on Frost Fall, one way or another. He just hoped that it wouldn’t be from either end of a weapon.

Within twenty minutes, the trio were marching in tandem down to the hangar, and loading into the ship with their full kit, and several small bags between the lot of them. Settling into the crash harness in his armour, Jack shifted back and forth to get comfy, before letting out a sigh as the heavy bars thumped down over his breastplate.

“Hey Jack.” Mirio spoke from across the way, sitting with a rifle secured between his legs.

“What?”

“You think they’ll let us off the leash for a bit?”

Laughing, Jack let his head rest against the hull of the ship as the cargo bay pressurized and the flight crew ran about running flight pre-checks. “No. Why, you got something better to do?”

“Nooo, well… I mean yeah. Don’t get me wrong, love my job, but I need a good burger and a beer. These tailored diets are driving me crazy.”

Pausing for the briefest of moments as he lifted his head, Jack swiftly let it fall back again as he groaned. “You’re a son of a bitch…”

“Now I got you thinking about it too!”

“Eat a cock.”

“Why are you booing me? I’m right!”

Chiming in on the conversation, Emanuel cradled his multi-barrel rocket launcher. “There’s a Chili’s on the colony.”

Mirio was the first to respond, jerking forward. “It’s a date! We get set up, slip the net, and get fucked up!”

“Chili’s is still around?” Jack muttered into comms, making a face.

“Yeah, Old Man.” Emanuel responded with humor in his voice. “Chili’s is a reputable establishment. Really fancy.”

“You are so full of shit, Manny.”

Laughter bounded back and forth between the three warmachines as the ship lifted off, and slipped from the shackles of the massive space station. Once free of Earth’s gravity well, the ship jumped to FTL, and the journey began. Slipping into the trade lanes, the ship made good time in crossing over Humanity’s stellar claims, passing by planets and suns, asteroid fields and gas giants. The trip was spent by the Nemesis operatives tending to kit, playing with digital cards, and bullshitting back and forth. The ship crew did their best to avoid the three, and while they did it as respectfully as possible, it was clear they were uncomfortable.

Planetfall came within a day as the ship lurched out of FTL, arcing gently into the snow covered planet’s atmosphere. Ceramic armour flared as brilliant flames licked across the ship’s skin and deceleration measures were taken. The bumpy ride was quickly over as the ship came in low, setting down in a seldom used Starport. “Welcome to Frost Fall, population one million, six thousand and ninety nine.” The pilot announced as a single tone klaxon blared obnoxiously through the confined space.

Standing and stretching, Jack groaned gently as his back popped and clicked. “Now we gotta wait for the other big boys to come and get us.”

“Come on, Cowboy. Hurry up and wait.” Emanuel smacked Jack on the shoulder as he collected his bags and ambled over to his armour case, which stood as a large upright steel container next to Jack’s and Mirio’s.

Rolling his eyes theatrically, Jack joined the other two men in seeing to their kit, and preparing for the low profile ride that was on its way. Soon, however, the order would come down that the three were to armour up, and enclose themselves inside the armour station crates. A chorus of groans arose from the order, but it was followed regardless.

“I feel like a rented, redheaded stepchild.” Jack muttered into comms as a crewman closed the metal door before him, locking him inside the steel cargo container.

“Unwanted?” Mirio asked as he engaged squad vid-coms.

“Essentially.” Emanuel murmured as he closed his eyes and rested his head inside his helmet.

The cargo bay door opened shortly after the containers were closed up, and a squad of Thanatos operators and their ground crew moved on, quickly securing the containers to haul out to a flatbed truck.

“Scratch last, we’re livestock.” Jack called out as a pair of men ratcheted his container down.

“Heavily armed livestock.”

“Moo.”

The flatbed truck started with a hum, and set off with it’s low profile escort. Quickly tapping into the vehicles cameras, Jack patched the others in as he got comfy. The colony was more upscale than many he’d been to in his short stint with the Nemesis program, the city being fairly sprawling, and quite vertical. It was night out, and snow blanketed everything save for the areas that were protected by warmly glowing heat lamps. Bundled up Humans and Codruxji intermingled as they walked too and fro from stores to shops to restaurants to homes, seeing to errands and personal needs. Letting out a gentle sigh, Jack smiled at the sights before him.

“Nice place.” Mirio commented before yawning.

One of the men from the escort squad patched in with his voice. “Stay on your toes, Frost Fall is a co-op colony, so we’ve got lots of xeno contacts all over. It might look nice, but it’ll turn into a nightmare to fight in.”

“Only if you shoot at the wrong xenos.” Jack toned in. “The Gorsians hate the Codru just as much as they hate humans, and that's a lot.” Watching his two squadmates smirk at the chastising, Jack continued. “Besides, even if it does become a street fight, this place is laid out perfectly square. Impossible to get pinned down for long and plenty of places to duck into for cover if you need it. If you’re mobile, an urban setting is the best place to be.”

“It’s not that simple.” The Thanatos operator returned.

“It really is. The Gorsians come down here, they’re in for hell. Don’t tell me you’d rather fight in an open field?”

“Hey-” A new voice chimed in. “Police traffic stop, cut the chatter.”

Settling down, Jack crossed his arms across his chest, and began idly toying with the barrels of his BFG. The truck came to a gentle stop, and he could hear the officers questioning the driver and his companion.

“Hey.” Emanuel motioned to the side with his head. “Turn on high yield thermals.”

Doing as he was instructed, Jack watched as an officer walked by the crates, holding some sort of device in his hands.

“Scanner.” Mirio muttered.

“Cans are shielded, but…” Jack, Emanuel, and Mirio all watched the officer take his sweet time, scanning each box. If he could see what was on the inside, it’d be doubtful that he’d want to stick around, considering each of the Nemesis operators was more heavily armed than a main battle tank.

“I could scare the this guy shitless, right now.” Mirio stared at the officer as he circled the truck, taking his precious time, much to the chagrin of everybody involved.

“Let’s not piss off the babysitters just yet.” Emanuel spoke softly. “If we want to do anything on the side, they gotta be on ours.”

Soon enough, the officer walked away from the trailer, and the truck was waived through. Staying quiet for the most part, the three men stood about, waiting until they reached a warehouse on the edge of the commercial zone. Rolling doors were opened as they approached, allowing the truck and it’s escort to pull in and circle around. The moment the cans were unlocked, the trio exited, stretching out and scanning the area. The warehouse was large, but hardly sprawling. Several military grade armoured combat trucks sat nearby, painted matte black with tinted windows. A mobile command center sat in the center, with heavy duty power conduits running every which way. A team of roughly thirty milled about, but had stopped to look at the newest additions to the crew. Despite the multiple operations they’d already run, the Nemesis team was still a double black asset, and all but a handful of people knew about their existence. Thus, they earned more than a few awe filled glances from the normal human crew, and several jealous looks from the previously top of the line Thanatos operatives.

Assisting with the unloading, the trio only exited their armours once their maintenance racks were powered, and the massive war-armours could rest on them properly. As they stood in their link suits, a short man wearing a blue beret approached, before stopping on a dime and snapping a salute.

“Colonel Roh of the Wolf Brigade. Welcome to Frost Fall, gentlemen. Follow me to the op center and we’ll get you filled in.

Nodding once, Emanuel took the lead. “Glad to be here, Colonel. We’re Operators Hitman, Courage, and Watchdog. Lead the way.”

Quickly turning on his heels, Colonel Roh walked quickly to the mobile command center for a man of his height, but even his swift strides couldn’t outpace the unnaturally long ones of the Nemesis operators. The inside of the command center was more spacious than they’d anticipation, but with the three of them piling in, it soon became almost uncomfortably cramped. Crowding around the holographic display, Colonel Roh brought up a map of the colony.

“Gentlemen. This is Frost Fall.” He gestured to the cramped sprawl of buildings. “Population of roughly a million souls, and in less than a week, we’re going to turn it into a warzone. Gorsian forces are rolling in hot and heavy, bringing some considerable firepower to bear. Why they’re focusing on Frost, we don’t know. However, what we do know is that there will be multiple vessels, and at a minimum, a battalion of Gorsian shock troops, including support. From our tactical predictions, we’ve figured that their most likely primary insertion point will be central park, which is a large, kilometer long, half kilometer wide park. Plenty of space for a group of troop carriers to land, and plenty of ways for them to go once they’re down. Heavy assets will likely be spread out around the colony, striking at the pdf, police forces, and setting up to take down any fleeing ships.” Colonel Roh marked out several locations of note as he spoke, forming a map with multiple red locations.

“What’s the plan for the civilians?” Mirio asked as he rubbed at his chin.

“Glad you asked. We’re avoiding them for the most part, as corporate is sending evacuation ships and supposedly roping in the pdf. It’s a big colony, however. The little time they have may not be enough, so we’re to protect those evacuation ships with everything we have. Primary targets will be Gorsian heavy weapons teams and anti-air batteries.”

Thinking for a moment, Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “You mentioned multiple ships. What’s the call on them?”

“Don’t worry about the ships.” The Colonel smirked, drumming his fingers on the edge of the table. “We have some tricks up our sleeve. If all goes well, then they won’t be an issue.”

“I don’t like going into ops in the dark if I can avoid it.” Jack said as he looked down and met the Colonel’s gaze. “If it’s possible, I’d like to know, but I understand that we both have our orders.”

Staring at Jack for a long moment, The Colonel smiled briefly. “We’ve managed to slip several weaponized stealth satellites into orbit, which are currently running on silent. Once the Gorsian ships enter orbit, we’ll hit them with the God Rods.”

Pausing for a moment, Jack chewed on his cheek. “How many shots do we have?”

“Three per satellite, nine in total. The rods carry enough kinetic energy to down a shielded cruiser.”

He’s hiding something. Mark’s voice tickled Jack’s ear, wrapping around his skull as he hissed truth that was readable on the Colonel’s face.

“I’m aware.” Jack spoke out loud, but quickly moved to cover it. “Anything else? Where will we all be deploying?”

“Deployment zones will be fluid until we have confirmation of hostile landing points. We have several forward recon units that will deploy prior, and send us up to date info.”

“When’s the attack slated?”

“Two days from now, if not sooner. We’ll know when they arrive in system.”

Nodding slightly, Jack looked to his compatriots. “Let’s get settled and find some chow.” Nodding to the Colonel, Jack continued as he held the door open for Mirio and Emanuel. “We’ll see to ourselves, and try not to get under foot.”

“Thanks, oh, and by the way.” Jack paused as he looked back over his shoulder. “If you boys order anything out, set the address a block away, east, for drop off.”

Smirking a little, Jack gave Roh a two fingered salute as he exited the mobile command center, and regrouped with his squad.

“So,-” He clapped his hands together, grinning. “Chow.”

It was hours later, when the sun had set completely and the hidden base switched to night shift, that Jack was able to slip away and start to explore. Mirio and Emanuel were sound asleep, among burger wrappers and empty pizza boxes, crushed cans of local beer, and more than a few other little needless extravagences. It had been a good night, though it was little more than a moment to unwind and forget what they were. As Jack slipped away, and crept through the dark base, he cast his gaze back and forth, noting the guards as they watched the security station monitors. They were watching outside, not in.

Walking over to one of the walls, Jack leaned on it, and shielded his omnilink from sight. “Sammy.” He whispered softly, earning a chime from it. She was sequestered firmly inside his armour, but he could attempt contact from his omnilink, as he was now. “Sammy, are we clear to make calls?”

“Negative, Father. They have a security net up that will catch our calls.”

“Fucking hell.” He grunted softly. “Okay. Can you check for tags? Who do we have on planet?”

“Special Agent Danners is on site.” There was a brief pause as Jack cast a look over his shoulder, to check and ensure he was still alone. “Miss Voronin has some staff on the ground, and Foxhound employees have been sighted as well.”

“Alright.” Jack took in a breath, before running his hand down his face. “Sounds like the gang’s all here.”

There’s something nearby…

The words made Jack frown hard as he lifted off the wall. So far, Mark had nearly been silent, save for a few smarmy quips here and there, but now...

The box, there.

He stopped just a few feet away from a large reinforced crate, which was sealed tightly and marked with all kinds of biological hazard markings. Atop the hardened container was a strange sort of maneuverable emitter of which Jack had never seen before. Along the side was a darkened control interface, which was currently recessed into the side and protected by a drop down screen. “What am I looking at here?” Jack rumbled softly to himself.

You can’t feel it? It’s magic, Jack. Whatever is in that box is magic.

For the first time in a long while, Jack felt a pang of fearful trepidation pass over him. Casting his gaze back and forth, He slipped closer to the box, and began feeling for latches. “Sammy, shut off any alarms this box might have.”

“Yes, Father.”

Soon, his big hands grazed the latches and with all the caution and quiet he could muster, Jack undid the locks, slowly cracking open the container. In the dark, a soft blue light shone back at Jack as he opened the lid, and revealed it’s contents.

He had discovered Minty Lemons, or rather, what was left of the poor mare. Her head was completely shaved, severed mid neck, and had all manner of thick tubes running into the stump of her neck, regulating fluids back and forth with the aid of a small pump. A thick, clear gel-like substance surrounded the dead mare’s head, and a heavy, intricate framework that was more akin to a power weapon barrel than anything else, sat upon her bisected horn. More tubes ran from the severed head, connecting to several thick, heavy duty bags that contained some sort of roiling substance. As Jack’s features crinkled in shock and disgust, Lemons’ lidless eyes rolled up to stare at him through the clear gel. As Jack’s mouth fell open in silent horror, Lemons emitted a noiseless scream, causing the gel to bubble gently.

Quickly closing the lid to the container, Jack stood back, hands planted firmly on the lid as he failed to keep them from trembling. “Blackburn…” He rumbled softly, as anger slowly injected into his bloodstream.

He had to act. It was time.

“I’m gonna burn this whole motherfucker to the ground.”

Chapter Sixty Seven: Flashpoint

View Online

June 8th 2120

The small base was a hive of activity, with loaders and troops moving back and forth, loading everything into the refurbished dropship. Pallets of ammunition, rations, and equipment were sequestered away in the hold, next to huge armoured terran vehicles that were swiftly being ratcheted down and secured for the transition.

“Keep it up people, we’re out of here by the end of the week!” Flitter called out, encouraging JSOG and the expeditionary force forward. At the sound of boots behind her, Flitter turned and nodded to Irving Kleese as he approached. “Mister Kleese, how are you?”

“Giddy, I’m looking forward to seeing this world of yours.” The older man smiled genially as he stopped and stood next to her, looking on at the work. “Walter’s on his way, and Jessica is about.”

“Good. Did you talk to everyone? Make sure they’re really okay with this? There may not be a return trip.”

Glancing over at Flitter, Kleese nodded once. “They know. Anyone not serious about this will head home tonight after the ship is packed up. From the sounds of things, most of us will be staying.”

Letting out a gentle sigh of relief, Flitter tried to smile for him. “I would thank you, but I know I’ll sound like a broken record. How’s the new equipment from VLI? I didn’t get much of a chance to look it over.”

“Well.” Kleese shifted slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “The fighter is almost top of the line, and Roxy has been drooling over it since it came in. The War Armours were a nice touch, and the Hogs are in working order too. We don’t have enough trucks for everybody, but the trucks we do have are well armored and armed. The only issue we have is the tank. The maintenance crew is working hard to try and get the conversion kit in place and replace the gun, but they’ve hit a snag it seems.”

“Even if it doesn't have the main cannon operational, having it running will be better than nothing.” Flitter rubbed at her face as she tried to sort everything in her head. “Your guys all have their arms and armor?”

Grinning ever so slightly, Kleese nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. A few people have brought their personal kit, and Maggie managed to get a flag made up for the unit.” Rocking on his heels, Kleese looked over his shoulder, before patting Flitter’s arm. “There’s somebody you need to meet.”

“Oh?” Turning on her heels to look back the way Kleese had, Flitter spied a small car rolling up into the modest parking lot. “New recruits?”

“Something like that.” Motioning Flitter forward, Kleese started for the parking lot, lifting a hand in greeting to the driver of the new vehicle. Following along out of curiosity, Flitter watched as the car door opened, and a middle-aged woman in a sky blue naval uniform climbed out, propping her weight on a cane. Turning toward them, the woman smiled, and offered them a brief wave, before adjusting her thick long brown hair and the embroidered leather eyepatch that sat under it, over her left eye.

“Captain Milani!” Kleese called out as he trotted over, looking pleased. “I’m glad you could make it, I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding the place.”

“It’s good to see you again, Irving, you’re as dashing as always. And no, I didn’t have any problems, the parking lot full of cars certainly helped. The locals seem to be well aware of your gathering as well.” The woman was just a little shorter than Flitter but far buxomer. She fixed Flitter with her singular eye, looking her up and down slowly as if studying every inch.

Motioning to her with a hand, Kleese quickly initiated introductions. “Augustina, this is Knight-Captain Flitter Falenas of the Joint Special Operations Group, she’s running the show around here. Flitter, this is Captain Augustina Milani, a veteran officer of the UN’s navy.”

Smiling brightly, Flitter took the woman’s soft, smooth hand and shook it politely. “I was starting to sweat, thinking we wouldn’t have a ship captain. Welcome aboard.”

“The Navy is never early, nor late. The Navy arrives exactly when it is needed. I’m glad to be here, Knight Captain, Irving has told me much about the operation. You’ll find my resume is more than adequate for the role you need me to fill.” She cast a look around, observing the work with a detached coolness. “Is... He here?”

It took only a moment for Flitter to clue into which ‘He’ the woman was referring to. “Not currently, unfortunately. We’re expecting him any day now.” Flitter did her best to keep the knife edge of worry out of her voice.

Almost imperceptibly, Augustina’s features fell. “That's a shame, I wanted to see for myself if the rumors were true.” With a wistful sigh, she turned her attention to the ship itself, squaring her shoulders as if it were an opponent in a boxing ring. “Where did you find this relic? A museum?”

“An associate gave it to us in return for saving her life,” Flitter answered briskly, feeling defensive over the honor of the vessel, despite knowing full well it’s shortcomings. “Can you fly it?”

Smiling ever so slightly, Milani nodded. “Oh yes, as easy as breathing. Will it fall apart around my ears?” The woman asked with a faint teasing smile as she leaned on her cane.

“If not from age, then from enemy fire. We’re expecting a shitstorm when we get back home. We’ll be trying to keep her out of their range, which shouldn’t be too hard.” Flitter shifted uncomfortably as her mind slid back into her worries of the coming battle. There was no kidding herself, or anybody else. It’d be bloody.

“Good.” Milani smiled a bit more as she looked over the ship, a glint of excitement shining in her eye. “It’s been far too long since I’ve had a frontline mission. At least you had the forethought to have some guns installed.” Augustina motioned lightly to the small cannons that dotted the ship, recessed into the hull for now. In total, there were six refurbished heavy laser batteries, a trio of factory stock laser CWIS systems, and a pair of bushmaster autocannons that covered the belly, which had just recently been acquired after a particularly interesting mission with Olivia.

Glancing over the aged hull of the ship, which shone in some spots from the recent replacement panels that had been welded on to reinforce the keel, Flitter could only nod slowly in response. “Feel free to get comfortable, we’re skids up by the end of the week, if not sooner. We-” Flitter paused as her omnilink chirruped pleasantly, and Olivia’s contact info displayed itself. “I’m sorry, I need to take this.” At Milani’s understanding nod, Flitter walked away and answered her omnilink. “Mike’s Mortuary, you stab em and we slab em, how can I help you?”

“Flitter, it’s Olivia-”

“I know, the omnilink thingy tells me your name every time-”

“Flitter, please.” Olivia forced herself to breathe as Flitter paused. “I need some assistance on Frostfall colony, anyone you can send. Foxhound is all over the place, and they are making a very focused attempt to kill me before I can make this deal. This is a very time sensitive deal and my guys are hard pressed as it is...”

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Flitter ran a hand through her shock of hair. “Frostfall… alright, alright. We’ll be there.” Hanging up, Flitter slowly exhaled as she stared at the crisp blue sky. “Captain Milani?”

“Yes?” The Captain smiled faintly, though excitement glinted in her eye again, telling of an eavesdropper.

“How do you feel about a dry run?”

June 12th 2120

It was difficult, keeping his emotions completely under wraps as he sat not ten meters away from Lemon’s severed head.. As Jack tightened the last of the fasteners on his armor, he flexed the arm and rolled his fingers. The small secondary arms recently mounted under it sprung out on command, ready to reload his weapons when needed. Setting them back into their recesses, Jack quickly began reassembling the armored overlays. He forced himself to keep his features neutral, or risk the chance of detonating prematurely on the Wolf Brigade. The sound of howling wind and rain shook the warehouse as well, as lightning flashed through the high up windows.

The men around him were beginning to scramble, throwing on armor and cocking weapons, but all he could think about was Lemon’s lidless eyes, rolling up to meet his. Squeezing his own eyes shut to dispel the image, Jack scowled as he lifted himself up, and began to go over his armor systems.

“Two Corvellan cruisers pinged in the system with ten landers and five support craft!” One of the overseers called out as they watched the screens spew out data and telemetry.

“Game time people, hustle it up!” Colonel Roh called out across the warehouse. Vehicles manuevered inside the large building, with operatives clambering on top and inside.

Carefully setting the detached arm into his armor socket, Jack ignored the frenzy of activity around him as he reattached the control leads. The heavy pat on his shoulder earned a gentle grunt of annoyance in response.

Mirio was slipping into his armor, while Emanuel passed by Jack. “Ready to go?” He glanced to the darkened windows as thunder shook the building. “What a shitty day for a firefight.”

“Yeah.” Jack rumbled as his armor shuttered open before him. Rolling his massive shoulders, he slipped inside and closed his eyes as the neuro-shunts shot into his exo-plugs. As he reopened them, he found his HUD glittering to life around him, filled with incoming data. “Sammy, clear out all this useless bullshit, it’s giving me a headache.”

“Affirmative.”As the incoming data was shunted out of his visual feed, Samhain spoke again. “What’s the plan?”

“Save people. Everything beyond that is secondary.”

With a hum that seemed almost pleased, Samhain began focusing his feeds on civilian signatures. “I’ve detected JSOG signatures to the north of the city, grouped with what I can assume to be VLI.”

“There’s tags on them?” Jack asked as he set off after Mirio and Emanuel.

“No, however, they are one of the few points where multiple untagged power armor supply sources have been detected by satellites. Nobody else was looking for them.”

“Keep it that way. Spoof the sats and keep our guys safe.”

“Affirmative, Father. I have also ascertained the positioning transponder code for the orbital weapons satellites, as you requested.”

A sly little grin festered on his lips as he stepped up on to the flatbed. “Good. Make it a sendable packet. Find the security codes for them and the launch keys as well.”

“We will need to enter Colonel Roh’s personal datalock.”

The sky above split open with roaring thunder and rushing rain as the convoy left the building, staining Jack’s visor for a moment before the microscrubbers vibrated it clean. “Leave that part to me.” Keying himself back into squad comms, Jack looked to the men riding with him. “This is the big one. Let’s get as many civilians out as possible then send the Corvellans and their lapdogs packing.”

“Ten landers is a hell of a thing,” Mirio noted with a hint of nerves in his voice as he adjusted the feed on his rifle.

“Keep mobile and know your limits.” Jack rumbled as he looked forward to the street ahead. Civilian cars were rushing back and forth as the emergency evacuation sirens blared. Over the din of the thunder and noise of the city, he could make out the public alerts calling for general evacuation at the starport, and to avoid the central park area. “Seems hostiles are setting down in central like the Colonel thought they would. Bringing up satellite imagery.” Jack frowned as it flicked up in the corner of his vision. “Hard to say through the weather, but it looks like they’ve got standard combat spread, landers are coming in staggered by a few dozen meters, real tight formation.”

As he spoke, a cruiser slipped into orbit, it’s bulk sending a dark shadow over the already mottled grey-black clouds above. Flashes of lightning revealed sleek ceramo-metallic armor plates and a dozen capital class plasma lance batteries.

“They’re launching fighters, and the PDF has engaged.” Colonel Roh announced over comms as the first flashes of retaliation sent little motes of fiery light crashing amongst the roiling clouds. The all too near rumble of anti-ship guns served as a beating drum against the raucous crashing of thunder across the city. Automated defense platforms whirred to life somewhere in the colony, spewing vibrant firefly tracers up into the sky like whips, hoping to lash across the hostiles as they flitted between buildings and began their assault.

Without a hint of warning, a brilliant plasma lance lashed out from the edge of the city, cleaving a landing ship’s aft into molten slag. The lander spun on its axis, the pilot struggling to keep it from flopping down violently as defense platforms ran their high caliber tracers across its belly. Any hope the scene may have raised was dashed when the cruisers unleashed their own lance batteries. They reached down into the city like the fingers of a vengeful god, smiting defenders and their weapons where they stood.

As the plasma fire subsided, the Gorsians descended upon the city, while their masters sat just above, circling like hungry birds of prey.

“Incoming,” Jack said as he thumped a fist against the cab of the flatbed truck. Torrential ice rain was pouring down and flooding the roads, causing the convoy of trucks to create waves across the street as they sped toward the central park. Eyes turned upward as Jack spoke, to the Corvellan fighter as it rolled on its axis and lined up its attack run. The fighter’s guns spoke, shattering the pavement and spraying up geysers of boiled water ahead of them before it tilted it’s nose up and shredded the cab, turning the crew inside to spattered steaming offal detonations. The tail end of the barrage struck through the cab and spalled across Jack’s armour, the rain hissing against the heated scuffs.

“Damage minimal, heat diffusion in progress.”

“Put some fire on it!” Somebody yelled over comms as their weapon raked across the nose of the craft, affecting the armored strike fighter as much as the sleeting rain.

“Haven’t changed their design since the war,” Jack noted grimly as his shoulder cannon spooled up. “The nose is armored. The ass isn’t.” As the fighter shot by, armor panels glinting in the rain under returning fire, Jack clenched his jaw just long enough to send a brief half-second burst into the tail of the fighter. The high tech HEAP rounds punched through the thin plating, exploding within the reactor of the craft. It jinked hard on its axis, before plunging into the ground as it lost all power. The small fireball was swiftly smothered by the howling wind and driving rain, the sound of it all lost to the storm.

Dropping off the flatbed as the driverless vehicle careened into a nearby building, Jack rolled his shoulders and waved the other two Nemesis operatives forward. “Convoy, move on without us. We’ll regroup at central, keep us posted.”

“Affirmative!” Colonel Roh yelled over comms, despite being safe in the heavily armored mobile command center. “Move swiftly and with purpose, gentlemen! We’ll see you on the battlefield!”

Waving forward the convoy around the sizzling wreck of the flatbed, Jack took point as the other two operatives took up his flanks. “We’ll exit the industrial zone into the commercial districts, and from there we’ll be close to central.”

“Still lots of civilians around, someone goofed badly on the timeline,” Mirio stated as the group unfurled their jump jets. The twin repulsor engines of Jack’s pack hissed in the rain as he worked the nozzles back and forth in a final spot check.

“Or maybe they’re pissed off and decided to rush in.” Emanuel countered as he steadily fed power into his jets until they were idling fully.

“One way to find out.” Jack set forward with a pulse of his legs, using the jets to control his forward lunge. The other two were quickly on his ass as he ripped down the streets, using his hands to take hard corners as tightly as an F1 racer, his thick tree trunk legs pumping back and forth like a power skater’s. The trio of Nemesis Operatives caused heavy window panes to rattle and shake as they skated past, leaving the industrial district for the bright lights of the commercial zone. Civilians still ran to and fro, trying to exit gridlocked traffic with what little personal belongings they could. Ahead in a nearly flooded intersection stood a beleaguered traffic officer, trying in vain to direct civilian vehicles amidst the sound of crashing thunder, shrill screaming, and echoing gunfire.

“We’re under orders to avoid civilian contacts.” Emanuel reminded the other two as they keyed their jets off and slowed from a skating jog to a trot.

Grunting in annoyance at the statement, Jack started forward toward the scene. “That went out the window when command screwed the pooch all over our timeline. Let em see us, give em some hope.” Passing between gridlocked cars, Jack had to turn sideways to avoid crushing anything but still managed to take out a few side mirrors.

“Stay in your vehicles!” The officer cried out between whistle blasts, the man’s face soaked from the rain. As he turned to yell at the approaching figures, lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating the three 8ft tall goliaths, and their prototype arsenal.

Passing by the officer in his stark white-grey armor, Jack simply nodded, tapping the side of his faceless helmet with two fingers to mimic a salute. “Get them out safe, officer.”

If the officer said anything to them, it was lost in the rain and against the chatter of comms in Jack’s ear. “Central has engaged, hostile forces landing in a split pattern, we’re stretched too thin and the PDF is busy putting out fires! We have shuttles disgorging, they’re pushing around the blockade!”

“Watchdog, Hitman!” Jack barked, gesturing to the two men as the gathering civilians watched in struck awe. “Double time to Central, I’ll run interdiction on the shuttle groups!”

With singular nods and clicks of their comms for copies, the pair engaged their jump jets, bounding over buildings with the assistance of their jump jets. Civilians cried out in shock at the sudden, raw show of power they’d just been witness to.

“Sammy, plot a course to the nearest hot-zone.” Unfurling his jump jets again, Jack sidestepped the gathering civilians and blared his external speakers. “STAND CLEAR!” The moment the course was secured, shimmering up as a high vis’ holographic line, Jack set off. At the launch, his feet shattered the concrete below him, and he took off like a gunshot down the street, setting off car alarms with every agile bootfall. The commercial district turned into a blur, with headlights and neon signs being blitzed by at breakneck speeds. Shortcuts took him through abandoned stores, shattering their exteriors and destroying the interior with a single-minded path. The fighting sounded closer now; the percussive thundering of guns echoed through the buildings around him as rain continued to pour down and lightning flashed above.

Again he found a street clogged with vehicles and civilians, though the cars were now abandoned and the civilians were fleeing toward the starport on foot despite the rain. Tracers arced over cars as Gorsian troopers clashed with the PDF, who were desperately clinging to their position at the intersection. Flexing his legs, Jack tilted his jump jets downward and throttled them hard as he launched, sailing clear over the cars and throngs of fleeing civilians. Target markers sprung up as he reached the top of his arc, and spooled his shoulder cannon.

Lightning struck as he loosed the first burst, the high explosive rounds sawing a pair in half as they tried to find cover from the PDF. Neither squad had the time to register the deaths before he landed, flattening another of the eight under his massive weight. As his shoulder cannon swiveled to its next target, Jack’s new revolver sprung into his hand, which snapped upwards in a single fluid action. The monstrously massive handcannon bellowed a challenge against the thunder, illuminating the street every third of a second as he tracked the muzzle over the remaining Gorsian squad. The huge tungsten tipped sabot penetrator rounds struck hard, slicing through Gorsian armor as cleanly as hot lead through butter, before their densely packed sub munitions detonated deep inside the alien’s soft tissue.

It had taken him two and a half seconds to wipe out the hostile squad, and he was taking too long. “Next zone, plot it,” Jack ordered as he disengaged the wheel of his revolver, and his small secondary arms sprung forward to knock the empty cannon shells free before sliding in a new load. Spinning the cylinder, his secondary hand slapped it closed, resulting in a chiming chirp from the weapon to denote its reload.

“Hostile squad leader still active. It’s a Corvellan.” His HUD illuminated one of the squad that had nearly been blown in half. The alien was attempting to drag itself into a seated position, but failing harshly without the use of its legs.

“They don’t deploy on the ground any more…” Jack muttered softly to nobody in particular. It took all of a second for his curiosity to get the better of him. “Sammy, translate.” Stepping over to the fallen alien, Jack spoke and winced internally as his voice came out in the deeply unpleasant Corvellan tongue. “Why are you here?” As the squad leader began to fade, Jack kneeled down and grabbed him by what passed for a chin for the delicate species. “Why are you trying to start another war?”

The glassy eyes of the Corvellan slowly rolled to look at him, as the xeno’s suit leaked the slug-like mucus that kept them hydrated in oxygen-rich environments. It stared up at Jack with its sharp avian eyes, not breaking the stare as it forced out an answer. “re-...venge… for… o-our… future...” Slumping in Jack’s grasp, the squad leader released the grenade he’d been priming, letting it roll on to the concrete.

As the PDF squad that had gathered around Jack recoiled and yelled for cover, He let out a grunt of annoyance, and crushed the device against the concrete, spilling its guts and turning the electronic fuse to dust. A cluster of tox-darts jingled to the ground as they failed to penetrate his armor; the off-pink darts slowly began to turn the puddles around them into a weak oily brackish color. Plucking a few up, Jack stowed them in his kit and stood tall. “Revenge for their future…” Jack spoke again to himself as rain and wind buffeted against his armor. “Plot the next course, Sammy. Find me another Corvellan.”

“Course plotted. Alert, JSOG and VLI operatives are currently in a standoff with Foxhound soldiers in the Codruxji quarter. Civilians are present and caught in the crossfire.”

Letting out a disgruntled noise, Jack engaged his jump jets and took off like a rocket for the next location. “Always gotta bust my balls… Let's see what the Corvellans have to say, then we’ll pull JSOG out of the fire again. I owe Foxhound a visit anyways.” He almost smiled in anticipation, but it was hard to find humor in the situation he found himself facing.

Frostfall Colony,

some time prior

“Well, this is miserable…” Taven mutter to Flitter as the rain and wind buffeted them in their armor. Nearby Olivia stood under cover, gesturing to the covered flatbed truck and its cargo. Her words to the PDF officer were lost to the wind and thunder, but Flitter could make a good guess to which sales pitch the woman was using. The city hadn’t exactly been hospitable, as Foxhound goons had made two separate attempts on Olivia’s life since Flitter and her crew had arrived with Captain Milani and the ship. The ship had flown, much to Flitter’s pleasure.

“Enjoy it while you can,” Flitter said softly as she cradled her weapon and scanned her surroundings. They were on the edge of the city, but still within an outer civilian quarter. Thanks to the storm, there was naught but defense force soldiers milling around, eyeballing Olivia’s high powered wares. Slowly, Flitter panned her attention over to Olivia’s own security group. “They’re nervous.” Chambers was pacing, and for once, Viktoria was still, which concerned Flitter deeply.

Stretching, Taven let out a grunt of strain. “Makes me wonder if we have more inbound than just some potential mercs. That evacuation warning isn’t good news.”

“Don’t jinx us.” Minerva scolded swiftly as she returned to the group, her armor glazed over with frozen rain.

Sighing gently, Flitter rocked on her heels. Her attention was soon taken by the forms of several civilians observing the trade. “We have shadows. I’m going to check it out.” As she received a limited number of affirmative clicks, Flitter turned her attention to the trio of civilians as they peeked around a corner at the gathered soldiers, mercenaries, and heavy transport trucks. Walking closer, it was clear they saw her approach but didn’t run off. Growing closer, Flitter noted that these civilians had four armed parkas. Sucking in a breath, Flitter realized she was about to make her first contact with another alien species. The thought was exhilarating, and she tried not to let it show in her voice. “Hey, what are you three doing?”

Shifting nervously, the three alien civilians looked to each other, before turning their full attentions to Flitter. Their pure yellow eyes stuck to her like knives, causing a feeling of instinctual nervousness that she was quick to squash down. “We live here. What are you doing?”

The speaker was clearly young, and now looking at them a little closer, Flitter noted that they were all a little short. If they were roughly the same height as humans, then these ones must have been adolescents, teens. “We’re just talking with the PDF. You should go home, the weather’s awful, and there’s an evacuation on.”

“Awful?” There was a curious pause as the teens glanced between each other, sharing smiles and smirks. “It’s just another Thursday. Why aren’t you talking to them at the base?” The young girl questioned, tilting her head slightly as she wrung her four hands together. “Why do you have so many guns for a talk?” It was less a questioning and more an interrogation, though Flitter had no idea what the girl could glean from it.

“Well…” Flitter paused and thought for a moment, wishing that Jack were here to handle it for her. He’d always been better with kids… alien or otherwise. Smiling wistfully at the thought, Flitter turned her faceplate clear and showed her smile to the kids. “There are some pretty unpleasant people out there who want my friend dead. We’re here to keep her safe.”

Thunder shook the ground as lightning cracked the sky, unleashing a whole new level of storm upon the city. The trio looked to the sky as the freezing rain pelted them like needles. “We’ve got the same problem… Maybe we should go-”

Again, thunder cracked, but no lightning followed.

“Shooter shooter shooter! Take cover!”

Moving in front of the trio of kids, Flitter opened her mouth to begin barking orders, just as the colony air raid sirens began their ghostly wail. “Somebody get me a sitrep, what’s going on?” The PDF officer all but shoved a credstick into Olivia’s hands and began gesturing upwards to his men. The cannon on the back of the truck began to rise; the tarpaulin covering it sliding to the ground with a thick sheen of ice following it. The cannon was a powerful, menacing beast made for gunboats, she’d been told. Originally reverse engineered from Corvellan invasion era tech, the plasma lance was a favorite for fast attack craft. With its cold-fusion power source, it could generate plasma shots that were capable of cutting smaller ships in half, and instantly immolate any infantry or ground vehicle in its way.

Following the cannon upwards, Flitter felt her heart drop into her stomach as a massive cruiser slipped over the skyline, it’s bulk sending a dark shadow over the already mottled grey-black clouds above. Flashes of lightning revealed sleek ceramo-metallic armor plates and multiple plasma lance batteries, while fighters and landing craft disgorged from the vessel’s hangar bays.

A larger landing vessel slipped through the clouds, angling toward the ground as it slipped between skyscrapers. A cry of warning went out as the cannon on the back of the truck began to charge, ionizing the rain around it’s quad rail barrel. As the lander swung into the cannons crosshairs, the gunner fired. Vibrant white plasma illuminated the whole block as the shot leapt forward, cleaving the lander’s aft section off with a violent detonation. The lander immediately began rolling, suffering secondary explosions from lashing ground fire before it crashed hard into the city. A cheer went up among those present, but it died almost as quickly as it came up as the cruiser sent a return report.

“SCATTER!” Flitter bellowed as she pushed the civilians down, shielding them with her body as the much larger Corvellan capital class lance carved the street out of existence, instantly detonating the truck and its weapon. The intense heat buffeted Flitter from behind, earning a gasp of pain as it passed partially through her armor.

“Report!” She cried out as the heat subsided. Her eyes searched furtively, trying to see who they’d lost. The PDF soldiers had suffered more than a few casualties due to their closeness to the cannon, but thankfully it seemed that Olivia’s squad, and by extension, JSOG, had all made it out. “Regroup, now!” Flitter called out over comms as a wing of alien fighters whipped by overhead, chased by PDF interceptors. Her unit quickly regrouped, huddled down in cover as the rain poured down and the colony siren continued to wail through the buildings.

“All accounted for,” Taven reported as he scanned the area with his rifle. “Anybody hurt?”

A chorus of negatives returned as Olivia and her group joined them. Taking control of the situation, Flitter called the ship. “Captain Milani, prime the ship, we’re leaving the city.”

The return was fast, but the captain sounded calm and cool. “Good. I just picked up a couple transports from Elysian Fields setting down in the starport. Awful good timing on their part.” The sounds of the busy bridge came in behind Milani’s voice, her matronly face appearing in the vidcom feed.

Shaking her head, Flitter scanned her surroundings. “We’ll start making our way toward you, but it’ll take time we may not have. What’s the likelihood of a hot pickup?” Flitter cursed herself for not saving up to buy a small shuttle, despite the goal being unattainable.

“In this rustbucket? Slim to none. It's too big for most locations, and a prime target for that cruiser. The armor’s good, but not lance battery good.” Turning away momentarily, the captain barked orders to her crew, before settling again. “We’ll be ready and waiting.”

Nodding slowly, Flitter looked to Olivia for her end. The young arms dealer grimaced and shook her head, her features ashen. “My shuttle was just shot down…” The pall that was cast over the others told Flitter immediately there’d been casualties. She prayed silently that the friends she had among Olivia’s team that weren’t present had made it out.

“Affirmative. Listen up!” Flitter called out. “We’re heading to the east edge of the city on foot, three meter spread, diamond formation. I want forward scouts and a rear guard with our VIp in the center. Nobody leaves the ground without my say so, we don’t want any attention from the fliers. You are weapons free, if there’s a threat, kill it.” As a chorus of affirmatives returned, Flitter turned toward the alley the civilians had been in. They had all but vanished, thankfully. Breathing a faint sigh of relief, Flitter motioned her group forward and took a center position. “Somebody get me a drone in the air!”

Picking their way through the city as chaos descended upon it, JSOG swiftly found their progress harried by the invading aliens and Foxhound mercenaries. Fleeing civilians and abandoned vehicles made for slow going, as most roads were grossly clogged, or flooded from the torrential rain being combined with damaged infrastructure. Hostile rounds whipped by overhead as Flitter dove for cover, her HUD marking the shooter’s location. Her relief was only slight when she saw the silhouette of a human firing a machine gun from a concealed position. There must have been at least twenty of them, not much of a worry… Save for her marker reticule refusing to lock on to any of them.

Or it wouldn’t have been, if not for the screams of civilians caught between the crossfire.

“Get those civilians out of the way!” Flitter fired a swift double-tap burst in response to the suppressive fire; her vibrant cerulean bolts blasted away masonry and hab-block steel. More fire began to pour down upon the street, intermixing with the icy rain that pelted down remorselessly. A crack of lightning illuminated the street momentarily as Taven rushed forward, urging the four armed civilians down into cover behind the cars. The Foxhound mercenaries were quick to pin him down, striking several slow civilians.

“They’re targeting the civilians too!” Minerva called out as she deployed the bipod of her tri-barrel, and spooled it up. Her line of bolts tore away at the building, sending molten chunks of stone and steel flying in every direction, only finding purchase on occasion against the hostile soldiers. “I can’t target them, they’ve got some kind of tech!”

“A scrambler! Everyone keep your eyes open for any flanking-!” Flitter’s order was ended before it could finish leaving her lips, as a heavy shot struck her helmet, spinning her on her feet and sending her to the ground.

“Medic! Doctor Hallows!” Olivia called out in alarm, gesturing to Flitter. The doctor started out of cover, before being forced right back into it by suppressive fire.

Shaking her head and pushing herself up off the icy ground, Flitter cursed as her HUD shimmered and shuddered, the electronics of the helmet damaged by a lucky graze. “We’re being flanked!” As she called out, a mercenary peeked around the car before her, his weapon barrel drizzling water in the dark as it leveled with her again. She wouldn’t get another chance.

Using her low squatting position, Flitter sprung forward, using her jumpjets to generate more speed as she plowed into the merc’s chest, knocking him off his feet and pinning the gun between the two of them. Bringing her right arm across hard and fast, Flitter struck the merc across the faceplate, jarring it. In the span of a split second, the blacked out merc rolled with her impact, and kicked upwards, sending Flitter tumbling to the concrete. Rolling fast, Flitter set her flesh and blood hand on her sword hilt, which hummed vibrantly as it ejected from its scabbard, hissing hard against the icy rain. Slashing at the merc, Flitter was rewarded with a chunk of concrete exploding by his head, causing him to duck and dive into cover as her mechanical arm flowered open and her pistol sent powered blasts chasing him.

A swift retort followed from the merc, further scarring her armor as the gauss rounds bounced from the crude angles. Despite the lack of penetration, Flitter felt every hit as if it where a truck slamming into her, imparting all of its kinetic energy into her body and her armor. Going for cover, Flitter tracked the place the merc had dived for cover, hoping to spy any one of his limbs. Her hopes were met, and dashed, when the merc rolled over another section of cover, his camo cloak shimmering and cutting into his silhouette, making him a very hard target in the dark and rain. As the merc rolled, he landed near a huddled bundle of Codruxji, his gun barrel tracking Flitter as he pulled the trigger. As he squeezed, a set of arms grasped on to his, forcing his aim off and causing the shot to go wide of Flitter’s head. A young, familiar Codruxji clung to the mercs armor, eyes wide in fear as his featureless helmet whipped around to glare at her. Wrenching free, the merc sent the civilian flying into a nearby car with the assistance of his exoskeleton, before turning over again to attack Flitter. What he found when he turned, was the JSOG leader barreling down on him, sword point leading the way. The powered blade slid in between his armor plates, earning a sudden gasp of pain from the merc as he was slammed into an abandoned car, and pinned there with a powerblade cooking his innards.

Sticking the muzzle of her pistol under the hem of his helmet, Flitter hardly flinched as she vapourized his skull with the first shot, and didn’t flinch at all the faceplate of his helmet detonated from the second shot. Removing her blade from the dead man’s torso, Flitter rushed to the side of the fallen girl, checking her over for injuries. The rest of the group swiftly joined her, terror written on their features, illuminated by flashing lightning.

Squirming weakly, the Codruxji sat up, holding her side with two hands. Her breathes came in as shallow, labored gasps, telling of a broken rib or two.

“Hey.” Flitter set an armored hand on her shoulder to steady the girl as she prepared a universal painkiller in the other. “What’s your name?”

Trembling slightly, the alien girl managed a weak “M-miw.”

“Well Miw, I’m Knight Captain Falenas. I’m going to get you and the other civilians out of here safely, alright?” Gently pulling back the sleeve of her parka, Flitter gave Miw the shot and turned her faceplate clear. “What you did was very brave.”

“T-thanks... M-my parents… are they okay?”

Looking at the other two youths, Flitter turned her attention to the large group of civilians huddled down in cover. Two, in particular, seemed almost at their wit's end as they watched Flitter tend to Miw, unable to move under the suppressive fire. John Chambers stood by, firing a large bore shotgun down the line of cars at flanking mercs. “I think they’re okay, but we definitely need to move. Do you know how to get to the starport from here?”

“Y-ye-yeah… I do…” Miw squeezed her eyes shut as she sat up straighter, before opening her eyes again to look at Flitter. “You-” The girl paused, panic showing in her bright yellow eyes. “L-look out!” She cried, pointing behind Flitter to the sky.

Jerking around, Flitter found a curse slipping through her lips as an alien shuttle hurtled toward then, spewing flame and smoke as it plowed through the icy rain. “INCOMING!” The call went out only just in time, as the few operatives in it’s path scattered deeper into cover before the shuttle slammed into the pavement, shattering it with the force of the impact. The craft bounced and crashed again, sliding forward, showering the area with sparks and shrapnel as it shoved aside abandoned vehicles, before slowly coming to a stop amidst a pile of shattered pavement and mangled cars. Car alarms blared obnoxiously as the fighting found a lull, all eyes on the alien craft.

Without warning, the craft rocked violently, earning forty weapons being aimed at it simultaneously. Again the craft rocked before the side door was launched free, trailing viscera and a half destroyed Gorsian shocktrooper. The door slid on the ice, grating loudly against the sound of pouring rain and crashing thunder. Seconds later, a thin Corvellan fell from the craft, and began to run away as swiftly as possible, resulting in an awkward, wounded gait.

Muttering, Flitter sighted the ugly alien and slipped her finger into the trigger guard of her weapon. The figure that followed swiftly informed her that a shot was completely unneeded. For a moment, Flitter was taken aback; the new figure stood head and shoulders above the Corvellan, snatching the alien up off its feet as easily as one would pick up a stray shirt. The newcomer was clad in white-grey armor that almost seemed to shine in opposition to the dark storm, and their guns most certainly outweighed anything JSOG had brought to the field.

Murmuring in Russian, Vikki tucked down next to Flitter, her rifle panning between the new target and the Foxhound soldiers, who were currently holding their fire. “must be robot… like Hans…”

“That’s offensive, Vikki. We prefer meat-challenged.” Hans hunkered behind a concrete divider, his combat frame all but completely folded up as he aimed a massive autocannon at the scene.

Any reaction the joke might have earned was dashed as the goliath newcomer finished with the Corvellan, and squashed the alien against the crashed shuttle like a bug. Rolling its massive shoulders, the figure visibly turned its head, scanning everybody present with its unnervingly featureless helmet. It paused over the civilians, seeming to take in the sight, before finally settling its disturbing gaze on the building the Foxhound mercenaries were using for cover.

“That’s a Nemesis soldier!” Olivia hissed over comms, failing to hide her combined terror and excitement. “I’ve been hearing about these guys… nobody knows anything about them, besides that they’re completely unstoppable-!” Without warning, the operative opened fire on the building, lifting a large hand cannon as their shoulder mounted gatling immediately began spraying tight, accurate bursts into the building. A flurry of returning fire spattered, spalled, and sparked off of the Nemesis armor, not doing so much as causing a flinch from the operative. A hive rocket finished the sudden burst of violence, the submunitions slipping through the holes the rotary cannon had made. As the shockwave reached the street, all incoming fire had died in an instant, leaving the area eerily quiet as the dust settled against the rain.

As Flitter slowly rose out of cover, the Nemesis operator holstered the hand cannon on their hip, before jutting a hand out faster than Flitter could blink, catching a cloaked Foxhound assassin by the arm. “Commere, I need a hand.” The voice came out growling and harshly distorted by the external speakers, likely to disguise the voice of the user. The Foxhound soldier kicked and thrashed, trying in vain to escape from the titanium grip. Seemingly unwilling to endure the annoyance, the Nemesis soldier whipped the cloaked soldier’s arm as how one would a towel, tearing his armoured limb from his shoulder socket with contemptuous ease. As seemingly an afterthought, the Nemesis pushed the much smaller man’s head into the side of a car, crumpling the frame of the vehicle and squashing the armoured helmet like a ball of tinfoil.

“Whatever you do…” John started over comms as he ushered several shocked civilians behind himself. “Do not piss it off…”

Pushing fully out of cover, Flitter approached the operative as they picked at the Foxhound merc’s omnilink. “Excuse me?” She started tentatively.

“Just as I thought…” The operative rumbled, before turning their attention to Flitter. A tinge of fear ran through Flitter’s spine as the operative started toward her. “Well, if there’s ever been a silver lining, it’s you.” Mid Sentence the audio filter shut off, and the faceplate blossomed open, revealing Jack’s shaved features. “Howdy, Darlin. I missed you.”

Feeling her heart leap into her throat, Flitter dropped her rifle into its sling and closed the minimal distance between them, leaping into his arms. “JACK!”

Relief washed over his features immediately as he caught the smaller woman, embracing her gently. Her helmet opened up, revealing her own smile. “I’m going to kick your ass.” She said, still maintaining her smile as she pressed her face to his, nuzzling into him despite the pouring ice rain.

“I need it,” Jack replied softly as he rested his forehead against hers. His smile slowly faded as he adjusted his grip, holding her close. “It’s bad, Flitter… I’m stuck in some pretty bad shit right now. We need to talk with Olivia.”

Quickly regaining control of her emotions, Flitter nodded and cast a glance over her shoulder. “She’s still alive. How bad are-” She paused, seeing every single set of eyes in the area, watching Jack hold her up with one hand on her butt. “Mm. Put me down.” Upon being set down, she grabbed his hand. “We’ll finish this later. Come on.” With a quick nod, Jack followed her to Olivia. As they walked, Flitter closed her helmet to hide her blush, and furtive glances back to him. “I missed you.” She murmured softly, unsure if he’d even hear her through the rain.

“I’m sorry I made you wait. I’ll make it up to you, soon. I promise.” The gentle squeeze in her hand could be felt through her plates, but thankfully didn’t damage anything. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“You got better armor.” She commented with a smile he couldn’t see but was sure he could feel it.

“Not the only thing I got. I’ll show you later. Do you have my knife?”

“Of course I do.” Handing it over without question, Flitter followed Jack as he started for Olivia.

“Taven.” Jack nodded to Taven as he passed, the smaller man shaking his head and relaxing as they walked by. Jack turned his attentions to Olivia, who was quickly walking toward them, barely containing her excitement.

“Hello Mister Kessle! I have-!”

“We don’t have time.” Jack interrupted, bringing up his armored omnilink. “I’m sending you a datapacket, I need you to do everything contained inside the first note.” Quirking a brow, the younger woman lifted up her own omnilink and accepted the package.

“Jack,” Hans spoke, walking closer in his combat form, the heavy robotic frame perforated with hostile rounds. “What is going on?”

“Long story short-” Jack paused and looked around, before looking back to the gathered group. “Blackburn has been waging a shadow war through pirates and shell companies like Foxhound against the Corvellan noble houses in an effort to bring on another war. I’m going to be snagging one last packet of data, but what I have so far is good enough for me. The reason why that is here-” He gestured sharply to the cruiser that was beginning to bank to central park. “Is because a human group sabotaged a Corvellan colony ship, killing the crew and all six million cryo pods. They’re here for revenge. Just so happens, Frostfall is one of the colonies making an argument for human-xeno cooperation. Could just be coincidence, but I’ve learned that there’s rarely such a thing in Blackburn’s company.” He shrugged momentarily as the gravity of the situation settled over the group.

If a robotic body could show anger, Hans would have been trembling if the tone of voice he used was any indication. “I warned you, Jack! I told you that bastard was no good! Now he’s dragged you into it!”

“He has.” Jack idly reloaded his handcannon, spinning the heavy cylinder before snapping it closed and chirped. “But now I’m in a position to stop it.” He looked up sharply, catching the group off guard before he turned his attention to Olivia. “Can you do it?”

“You have top-secret files from the CIA in here… how did you get these?” Olivia asked incredulously, not bothering to look up from her screen as she scrolled. “Full dossiers on me and my crew… a mole? How did you get these!?”

“My devilish charms. Can you do it?” The tone of his voice demanded an answer, now.

Furrowing her brow, Flitter stared up at Jack, before looking to Olivia for clarification. “Do what?”

Shaking her head slowly, Olivia continued to read. “It’s insanity… there’s no way-”

Scowling at the lack of answers, Flitter repeated herself. “What are we doing?”

“I can get you the security keys within a couple hours, one way or another. Can you do it?” Jack continued to stare down at the diminutive arms dealer with the intensity of an apex predator.

“...Yes.” Olivia looked up at Jack, smiling despite the situation. “Yes, we can. Consider it a thank you on our part for giving me these files. The rest should be easy.”

“Good.” Jack’s helmet slammed shut. “I need to go. Got an invasion to stop.” He paused for a moment as the massive twin engine turbines exited his armor and began to spool. “Eighty-sixth is clear of hostiles, it should get you close to the spaceport without any trouble. Use my comm channel if something comes up, I’ll do my best to get there.”

“Jack.” Flitter started, setting a hand over his gargant gauntlets.

Letting his jumpjets fall to low idle, Jack turned and hunched over so as to rest his helmet on top of hers. “Stay safe Darlin. Get the ship packed and ready to go.” He took in a soft breath. “Be ready. I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.” Flitter set her hand over the side of his helmet, where she wagered his cheek was. “I’ll hold you to that, Cowboy.”

From the tone of his voice, she could tell he was smiling as icy rain poured down over them. “Oorah.” Stepping clear of the pack, he throttled his jumpjets and tensed his legs. “Keep them safe.” The crack of concrete shattering under Jack’s boots as he launched acted as the gunshot signaling his exit, his bulk swiftly vanishing into the dark. The keening roar of his jumpjets soon vanished amidst the falling rain and crashing thunder, leaving the large group behind in stunned silence.

“I would say something about Guardian Angels…” Taven started, hands resting on his hips. “But I think the angel part is pushing it.”

Icy rain ran in thick rivulets down Jack’s faceplate, despite his microscrubbers working overtime to keep his thousands of nanocameras clean. As he ripped through empty streets, the second cruiser entered atmo with a supersonic boom that shook the colony, sending debris raining down on to the lanes below. Plasma lances lashed out across the colony with the fury of six million slain souls, carving into buildings and defense platforms that still cut the sky with lines of tracers.

“The Slugs have fully committed!” Colonel Roh cried out over the radio. “This is it, everyone bunker down, we need to draw the second target into the satellite's line of fire!”

A plasma lance struck hard ahead of Jack, shattering concrete and turning steel molten red from the heat. Men cried out against the thundering rumble of guns, which fought hard against the crashing roar of the storm above, creating an orchestra of chaotic bloody noise. Entering PDF lines, Jack throttled back on his jets, slowing himself to a trot as he scanned for a way through the battle line.

“Second cruiser isn’t lining up! Satellite can’t get a bead! We need to force it over!” The call went out over the radio, next to a map location, showing the satellite's coverage, which missed the ship by several hundred meters. “Repositioning the satellite will take too long, we need to draw the cruiser in!”

As Jack’s eyes fell on the largest tower in the colony, he felt a grim excitement pass over him. “This is Courage-” He announced with unquestionable authority, purposefully using the master comms channel. “I’m going to draw the cruiser toward central park using the Tokyo maneuver.”

“Affirmative!” Roh responded swiftly, before pausing and speaking again. “Clarify, what is the Tokyo maneuver?”

“You’ll know it when it happens.”

Setting forward, Jack started for the ad-hoc command post of the PDF, opening his helmet as he went. Soldiers perked as he strode past, pausing to murmur to each other in excited whispers. Entering the command tent, Jack spoke with a volume he hadn’t anticipated having, especially without yelling. “Who’s in charge here?”

The officers in the tent froze at the sudden boom, all eyes sticking to the goliath as his shaved head grazed the roof, his features unflinching as tracers and plasma fire arced overhead. “Martyrs blood…” A second lieutenant muttered, crossing his chest in reverence.

“In the flesh. Are you the commanding officer?” Jack turned his full attention on to the young man, letting his vibrant emerald eyes drill into him and pin the boy in place.

“T-the General is… Yes sir! I’m the commanding officer here!” The young Lieutenant straightened his back, puffing out his chest to fill his uniform a little better.

“I need all the CX10 demolition charges you have. I’m going to punch a hole through the Gorsian battle lines and draw the attention of the second cruiser.” Eyes widened at the statement, but nobody challenged it in the slightest.

“Yes sir!” The Lieutenant saluted sharply and began barking orders. Word soon returned that left a grim pall over the command tent. “Sir! Martyr, sir! We only have thirty kilos, will that be enough?”

Jack chewed his cheek behind a scowl as he ran the numbers in his head, calling up old memories and intermixing them with new ones. New loads, materials, and explosive potential, versus gravity, weight, and good old physics. “I need eighty. It’ll have to do. What’s your name, Lieutenant?”

“Sam Kessler, sir!”

“Kessler. I like that name. Okay, listen up Kessler, this whole area is going to turn into a shit storm within a few minutes. When I punch a hole through the enemy lines, do not push through it. Anyone who does is committing suicide, so stay put and use the chance to fortify your position. Do you understand?” At Kessler's nod, Jack smiled faintly, patted his shoulder, and marched out of the tent to find his explosives.

Boots clomped loudly behind him, splashing through the icy puddles present behind every footfall Jack placed. “Martyr, sir! What’s your plan, maybe we can help?”

Sighing, Jack glanced at the following officer. Lifting one heavy arm, he pointed at the cruiser. “I am going to beat that ship-” He shifted his finger to the tallest building in the colony. “With that stick.”

“N-Nakatomi Plaza!?” Sam sputtered and deflated as he stared up the bulk of the huge building. After a moment he seemed to stiffen, nodding once. “Okay… there’s… there is a sway stabilizer in the center, if you can take it out, it’ll be too tall to stand for long.” The young officer ran a hand through his short cropped hair as he stared up at the skyscraping building, removing his helmet momentarily to do so.

Immediately rethinking his battle plan, Jack smiled. “Yeah… good call, Sam. Keep your soldiers safe, I’ll take it from here.” His helmet chattered closed, sealing against the driving elements. Collecting the explosives from the runner, Jack tossed the burlap bag over his shoulder as his jumpjets extended once again, hissing against the ice build up on their injection nozzles. Beginning his stride through the combat lines, Jack passed by fighting holes and hastily erected pillboxes, unconcerned with the tracers flying by him. As he reached the front line of sandbags, he rolled his shoulders and let Sammy scan the enemy forces before him. The Gorsian battleline was staggered across the wide street, using effective cover left behind by abandoned cars and damaged buildings. Their lynchpins were the trio of light mechs, and the heavy hover tank that dominated the center.

As if on cue, the Gorsians shifted their fire onto Jack, knowing him to be the far bigger threat.

“All guns, pour the fire on, give the Martyr an opening!” Sam cried out, moments before every available gun opened fire on the Gorsian lines.

Smiling at the unrequested aid, Jack tensed his legs and opened wide on his throttle as he launched, sending a shotgun blast of concrete shards into the vehicle behind him. The distance between the two lines felt so much smaller than it really was as he immediately accelerated to ninety kilometers per hour, guns blazing. His autocannon scythed back and forth, driving infantry to cover and cutting down any that didn’t, while his hand cannon boomed and snarled at snipers and anti-tank teams. The mechs were converging on him, but he had the time advantage. Cutting his jets and folding them into his armor as the tank approached rapidly, Jack threw himself backward, letting his momentum carry him forward across the pavement, leaving a shower of sparks behind him as he slid under the hover tank.

The sudden blast of pressure from the gravity drives would have been enough to immobilize and crush anybody stupid enough to get stuck under them, but hardly felt worse than a rough shove to Jack as he grabbed the first emitter, crushing it and ripping it free from its housing. His pilebunker followed, penetrating the thinner bottom armor of the heavy tank. The driver chattered sharply at Jack as he ripped into the tank, cursing his lineage, before being yanked out of the tank through the very small hole. The remaining gravity drives finished the driver off for Jack as he fired a single high explosive rocket into the tank through the hole, leaving it on a three second timer. Grabbing the skirt of the tank, Jack ripped himself free, trailing gorsian offal as he cleared the blast radius of the tank, leaving it to all but split itself in half as his rocket detonated next to the plasma generator. Through the expanding fireball, Jack launched himself, immediately accelerating to eighty kilometers an hour into the mech squad.

They were designed for anti-infantry work, and while they were newer models, they clearly followed old-school Corvellan design philosophy. They were heavily armored in the front and soft in the rear. Impacting the nose of the first mech, Jack arched his back, and slid over the top, between the two huge gun racks. His free hand grasped armor, crushing enough for a handhold to arrest his forward momentum as he swung in hard, slamming his pilebunker into the back of the mech. The mech spasmed as its driver had a pair of foot-long titanium rods punched through his body as if it were made of paper mache.

Grasping for the controls if the mech, Jack pushed it forward as he forced himself deeper into the cockpit, irreparably damaging the machine. “Sammy, find the gun controls!” Awkwardly lurching forward, the bipedal mech crashed into the one next to it, entangling the pair. The third began to circle them, seeking an angle to strike Jack with its anti-tank lances.

“Controls found.” The console lit up on his HUD through holographic pointers; while the aiming controls were completely incompatible with his hands, the fire toggle was perfectly compatible for a single finger. Jamming the trigger down, Jack unloaded the full gunrack of the mech into the other, alpha striking it at point blank range. The anti-tank plasma lances cut in deep, gouging out great chunks of the enemy mech, and breaching it’s reactor’s containment. The hostile mech immediately began to heat up, the glowing scars on its chassis glowing ever brighter as the mech burst into brilliant plasma fed flames. Ripping out of his stolen mech at the last moment, Jack rolled over backward, barely avoiding a cleaving plasma lance as it cut through the backside of his stolen ride.

“I didn’t forget about you!” Jack called out as he hit the ground and rolled, under the mech’s gun arcs. The pilot immediately began to reposition, attempting to crush him with one of his mech’s legs. As a heavy all-terrain claw foot came down on him, Jack grasped it tightly and braced. The concrete under him shattered as the momentum of the leg was slowed; icy rainwater quickly pouring into the deepening divet. He could feel his muscles struggling to manage the sudden load of several tonnes bearing down on him.

With an animalistic roar, Jack fired his jumpjets, throttling them to full as he pushed all of his power down through his core and legs. Slowly, the mech’s leg began to lift, even as small arms fire bounced off of Jack’s armour, searching for purchase between the plates. His shoulder cannon swiveled immediately, searching out the culprits to send his scathing armour piercing retort back at them. His fingers dug deep into the metal of the mech’s foot as he continued to force his power squat up, and push it past its critical tilt point.

The mech’s engine answered his roar with its own threatening keen, the multi-tonne mech bearing him back into the pavement. Feeling his muscles begin to reach their breaking point, Jack reached in deep to draw up a way out of the deathtrap he found himself in. Pulling his one hand free, Jack slammed his pile bunker high into the leg, aiming for the hydraulic lines. He was rewarded with a high-pressure torrent of alien hydraulic fluid that exploded out of the over-pressured piston, and the leg’s pushing power all but fleeing it. Cackling like mad, Jack pushed himself up, toppling the mech onto its side. Ignoring the aching agony that lanced through his back and legs, he pulled himself over the mech’s legs, plunging his pile bunker into the enemy cockpit. Ripping into the forward armour, Jack tore into the mech as it fired it’s weapons in vain, attempting to swat him off before it was too late.

The pilot got a single burst off before it was too late, and the Corvellan found himself sailing through the air across the street, ripped unceremoniously from his control harness.

Giving his head a shake, Jack settled his gaze on the tallest building in the colony, Nakatomi Plaza. With a little grin, he launched forward, regardless of the infantry in his way.

Moving up the streets, fanned out and with weapons panning before them, Flitter waved JSOG forward as they escorted the ever-growing horde of civilians who had gotten trapped by the fighting. True to his word, the street Jack had told them to take was much clearer than any of the others, but it was hardly safe. Gunfire echoed through the buildings, joined by howling wind and driving rain. If not for her NVG’s, Flitter would have been blind, save for the occasional crack of lightning that illuminated the street before her. The colony’s power grid had been the first target.

As much as she wanted to turn around and follow after Jack, Flitter forged forward, guiding the people behind her. Coming across a large intersection, she held a hand up and motioned for everyone to hunker down.

Slipping forward, Taven peeked around the corners both ways. “Looks clear.”

Holding up a pair of fingers, Flitter sent her two scouts across the street and waited as they slipped past, sweeping across with their backs hunched and their weapons ready. The murmur and sobs of the civilians served as a distraction Flitter forced herself to ignore as the storm raged, and her people put themselves in danger. Once the scouts reached the other side without harm, she lifted her hand again and waved forward the vanguard, who took up position on both sides of the street, using cover to conceal themselves as they set up overwatch.

“Civilians, let’s move!” Flitter hissed through her external speakers, waving the horde forward. Between her small twenty man force, and Olivia’s detail, Flitter had somehow wrangled over a thousand civilians, almost all of which were aliens.

As they crossed the street, she allowed herself a breath of relief at the sight of the Starport in the distance. “Come on, hustle it up.” She waved people forward, before jogging to retake her position at the lead.

“Fast movers, inbound!” Minerva hissed, her weapon spooling up.

“Everybody find cover, Yuma, you’re up.” The huge woman nodded, hefting her shoulder mounted rail cannon and letting the targeting reticule spring up before her. The low keening howl of hostile engines echoed through the buildings, often interrupted by rumbling thunder, but as Flitter paused, she waved Yuma to the north. Rolling across the street, a hostile fighter shrieked into view, with a PDF interceptor in its sights. The interceptor jinked hard through the street, trying desperately to avoid the blazing plasma bolts. Civilians cried out as the bolts began to splash against the concrete, nearing them with deadly intent as the hostile fighter pitched its nose to try and score as many kills as it could.

The electrical discharge of the SMRC had Flitter’s hair standing on end, but the result left her smiling. The solid slug slammed into the wing of the craft, damaging it badly enough to force the craft to bank hard to the left. Normally, the blow would have been an annoyance and a detriment, but in the tight confines of the street, it meant death, as the fighter slammed headlong into a shopping center and sheared itself in half on impact.

“Go, go! Get everyone across!” Flitter waved, urging the civilians to move as the PDF interceptor gave them a wing waggle, before leaping away with a hypersonic shriek. “Good guns, Yuma. Good fuckin guns.”

Pushing forward through the street, Flitter soon found herself looking up on the starport, and the utter chaos that surrounded it. Even here, so far away from the main force, the Corvellans and their Gorsian soldiers continued to harass the PDF and the civilians. They pushed on with a savage, thorough intensity, killing anybody and anything they could. Coming up behind the battle lines, Flitter was quick to spread everyone out, and mark targets.

“Fast and hard, don’t give them a chance to recover. And please-” She ducked back into cover as human projectiles sprayed cross the area. “Try to watch out for blue on blue. Let’s go!”

Hurtling over cover, Flitter’s rifle barrel tracked back and forth, seeking out hostiles within the driving rain. Their forms popped up as mottled orange red blobs, brilliantly opposed to the shades of green the NVG’s turned everything. Her powergun bucked in her shoulder with each trigger pull, each round finding purchase in an enemy combatant. The two centimeter power blasts bowled over shock troopers, opening up their carapace armour with great steaming wounds. Often the round would fail to kill on the first blow, requiring a second and usually a third to kill the downed aliens. In the end, all it felt like was a chore. Pace forward, sight target, squeeze. Track. Squeeze squeeze. Rinse. Repeat.

Flitter pushed ahead, working through her sector with the efficiency of a killing machine.

“Clear, bring the civilians up!” Flitter called through comms as the incoming human fire subsided for the most part. Opening up her external microphone, she turned to the starport defenders, some few hundred meters away. “Friendlies coming up! Hold fire!”

As the horde of civilians passed through the street and rubble, walking by the still steaming corpses of the alien invaders, they began to smile. They’d made it. The starport lay ahead, a shining beacon running on backup generators. The defending PDF was dug in deep with quick deploy pillboxes and reinforced positions, but the number of peeking heat signatures and tracking gun barrels was far less than anybody had anticipated. As they saw the civilians, the PDF waved them forward, opening up the gates to the interior of the port. The battle still raged behind them, and the colony was burning. Even amidst the raging storm, pillars of fire and smoke reached up into the sky; flames licking the clouds above with roaring fury, fueled by the chaos below.

“Excuse me?” A gentle, masculine voice spoke behind Flitter, drawing her attention back toward the starport. An older Codruxji stood there with his wife, and three children; one of which looking very familiar. “Thank you for getting us to safety, we thought we were done for when those Mercenaries wouldn’t let us leave. We tried calling the police, but nobody would answer.” The alien father smiled, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. “Thank you. On behalf of us all, thank you. I’m glad there are people like you out there among the stars.” With all four hands, he grasped Flitter’s right, and bowed bodily to her, while his family followed suit.

“W-well…” Flitter sputtered, caught off guard by the gesture. “I… suppose you’re welcome. We couldn’t just leave you all there, it wouldn’t have been right. You should go, though. Those ships won’t sit there forever.”

“Yes, of course! Good luck out there-” The man paused, seeming to realize something. “What’s your name?”

Smiling, Flitter turned her faceplate clear. “I’m Knight Captain Flitter Falenas, the others with me are members of the Joint Special Operations Group.”

“Flitter Falenas. May the Martyrs watch over you.”

“One already does,” Flitter replied with a smile and a wink, turning her faceplate back to opaque. “Good luck out there. JSOG!” She twirled a finger over her head and called for the regroup. “On me, let’s go!” As the others quickly regrouped, and the civilians were ushered inside, Flitter cast one last glance to the city below. In the distance, she could see the central park, and all of the death being sent back and forth there. Fires raged well into the dark, promising to burn the image into her mind for the rest of her life. “So this is war…”

The trip to the skyscraper was a fast one for Jack, if only due to his complete disregard for hostiles and obstacles in his way. Having ensured the bag of explosives had survived his tangle with the mechs, Jack abandoned all pretense as he plowed through the front security gate of the building. Finding it abandoned, he swiftly set to work. As he pushed into the building proper, he soon discovered the sway stabilizer, set smack dab in the center of the building, reaching all the way up to the roof through the open center pit. “Fuck me that’s a big rod…” Jack spent a moment staring up at the artistically disguised sway rod, which was a huge overengineered mass of metal, pistons, cables, and other mechanical parts all meant to keep the building as stable as possible in high winds. Shaking his head, he set off. Crashing into the elevator shaft, Jack slammed his fingers into the soft concrete and began to forcefully claw his way upwards, level by level. “Sammy, elevation of the enemy cruiser.”

As she spouted off the number, he began to count floors as he climbed, letting chunks of reinforced concrete fall behind him. Reaching the sixteenth floor, Jack slung the bag forward, and set to work, placing highly conservative amounts of explosive charges on the most important support pillars. Those he deemed unimportant received a plowing haymaker, blasting them to pieces across the floor, dragging ruined rebar out with the shattered forms. He continued upwards, growing closer to the cruiser. At the hundred and thirtieth floor, he found he could see the barest hints of the cruiser’s belly, hundreds of meters away. At the hundred and thirty fifth, he ran out of explosives. “Okay Sammy,-” He took a moment to breath. “Set the charges to master trigger six. Simultaneous detonation for group one through five, and ten second delay on groups six through eight.”

“Affirmative, triggers set. What will you do now?”

“Make some fuckin noise.”

Continuing his climb up through the kilometer and a half tall tower, Jack began using his jets to power up the stairs, passing floor after floor as he demolished stairs and railings on his way to the top. At floor four hundred and two, he burst through the last door, exiting on to the maintenance level. The stairs to the roof were on the other side, but between Jack and them, was the anchor pitons for the sway stabilizer. The stabilizer spread over most of the floor, anchored hard into every structural surface it could be. Maintenance cubicles and workshops circled it, almost treating the engineering miracle as an altar. Without a hint of hesitation, Jack leveled his left arm at the anchor and fired both barrels of the BFG into it. The explosion of energy slagged the anchor, plowing through with brutal efficiency. As the steam and smoke settled, Jack found the anchor still holding on, if only barely. It wouldn’t for long, as he began ripping into it with his hands, tossing slagged steel aside until the whole stabilizer groaned under its own weight, and fell through the floor. The building rumbled as the stabilizer plummeted down four hundred floors, smashing into several balconies on the way down. The whole tower seemed to shudder from the sudden loss of support and began to sway against the storm outside. The gunshot sounds of windows shattering greeted him next to the sudden influx of howling wind. He had a limited window now.

As he started for the roof access, his comms lit up once again. “We’re being pushed back, Courage, what is your ETA!? We need you down here, not playing hero for xenos!” Colonel Roh bellowed into the comms as Jack burst through the door, taking it off its hinges. Four hundred and four floors up, the storm was all but a hurricane, blasting into his bulk like a freight train bent for hell. Ice coated the roof, creating a windswept skating rink of conduit, antennas, and ventilation ducts. Jack’s boots shattered ice as he walked, looking over the edge toward Central park. The first cruiser was smack dab in the center, firing its weapons at defensive emplacements while tiny tracers cut back and forth across the ground. The second cruiser was much closer, and just within Jack’s targeted zone.

Triggering the demolition charges, Jack paced to the other end of the roof as the whole building shook and shuddered violently. Rolling his neck, Jack felt the building start to lean hard to one side. “Yippee ki yay motherfucker.”

The second set of charges detonated as the tower leaned, sending it just past the critical point. The gunshot boom of exploding structural supports and shattering glass fought hard against the howling wind but soon lost as the wind howled harder past Jack’s helmet. The tower began to fall, hard and fast, toward the second cruiser with Jack clinging to the roof and riding it down. With a cry of exhilaration, Jack grinned brightly as the gargantuan building slammed into the cruiser, smashing against its shields and hull. The great vessel sagged from the sudden impact as thousands of tonnes of debris crashed into it, it’s AA batteries shattered before they could target the tiny figure that mounted the hull as the rest of the building fell away, creating a massive cloud of dust.

“Christ alive! Courage, report! What the hell just happened!?” Colonel Roh sounded to be in a panic as he continued. “What are you doing now!?”

“I’m drawing in the cruiser the only way I know how. By pissing them off.” Firing his weapons into the maintenance panels of the ship’s upper plasma lances, Jack made one hell of a show for the crew within, going as far as flipping off the shielded bridge with the sight of destroyed lances burning behind him. As the ship changed course and fighters were recalled to swat him off, Jack destroyed one last lance, before charging off the prow of the ship, into the park. On cue, the cruiser set course to follow him, firing lances down at him. He only survived due to his electronic warfare suit and fancy footwork, which saw him far off from where the gunners thought he would be but still far too close for human comfort.

Blasting through a copse of burning trees, his armor steaming its own paint off, Jack finally spotted friendly lines. The thanatos operatives waved him in as they fired on relentlessly, engaging shock troops in hand to hand combat. Unwilling to stop, Jack pushed on past them, pulling the cruiser into the target zone.

“The cruiser has entered the target zone, fire the device and launch the rods.”

Sudden realization passed through Jack’s brain like a bolt of lightning. “Belay the order, friendlies are still inside the blast zone!” Suddenly, a wave of magical energy erupted from near the command center, washing over the entire battlefield. The spell crackled over Jack’s armor, struggling to beat the titanium within; the edges of the magic warped around him, taking on the appearance of torn ethereal fabric. Rain froze mid-air, and everything seemed to slow to a crawl as the spell continued to wash over the area. “Lemons…”

“Rods have launched.” The voice in his ear announced with a sort of dispassionate tone that formed a little ball of dread in his guts. Jack’s eyes turned skyward, catching the glint of superheated tungsten, passing through the atmosphere at mach 25 and headed right for him.

“Jack, get the hell out of there!” Mirio called out over squad comms. “What the hell did they just hit us with!? I can barely move!”

“Fucking lunatics!” Emanuel spat into the channel, his weapon still firing in slow motion over his vid-feed. “Pull back to point Oscar! We’re too deep inside the kill zone!”

Giving his jets everything he could, Jack rocketed for the edge of the park, tearing wide swathes of shimmering fabric like a knife through the savage spell field. He had almost reached the safe zone before the first of six weaponized telephone poles slammed into the ground, ending the spell through sheer brute force. The shockwave blew Jack clear off the ground, the very earth below him roiling and heaving like raging water rapids from the brutal strike. The second blast struck Jack hard in the chest as he tumbled, driving the air from his lungs as the rod plunged through the heart of the first cruiser. The concussive detonation of the vessel proved to only add to the cacophony of earth-shattering strikes. Smashing hard into the ground, Jack tucked himself into a ball and covered his head as the world turned dark, soil stone and steel burying him alive.

It felt like eons, waiting for the shockwaves to subside, each one striking him like a sledgehammer across his whole body through the soil encasing him. His lungs ached for air they couldn’t hold, as each kinetic rod drove the precious O2 back out prematurely. Finally, his comms activated once more.

“Rods one through six expended, all hostiles in the AO have been terminated, but several landers remain outside killzone. Satellite three on standby.” There was a pause. “Experimental device spent.”

With a groan, Jack began to dig himself out, using his internal flight instruments to tell up from down. Within a few moments, big gauntlets grabbed his own, and his two squadmates pulled him free from the hole.

Panting heavily, Mirio sat down with a rough clank, letting his spent rifle fall across his lap. Emanuel just continued to shake his head, unable to take in what had just happened. Brushing himself off, Jack found that most of his paint had been cooked off, leaving behind a shining heat treated silver luster on his armor, and bright white ceramics. All that remained of the markings on his armor was the stenciled ‘COURAGE’ across his armored gorget.

“He tried to kill us… Six rods… only needed one...” Mirio muttered softly as he gazed out at the impact zone.

Casting his gaze toward the same place, Jack found himself taken aback by the damage dealt to the planet. Massive craters reached down dozens of meters, while jagged spires of heated rock jutted up from the edges of the lake-sized pits. The colony beyond was now a wasteland ruin of shattered concrete and fires growing wild, where the dying storm refused to touch. “There’s something I need to do.” Jack slowly pulled himself up, shaking off the dirt, willing his pain to follow suit. “There’s something going on and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

“What do you mean?” Emanuel turned, fixing Jack with eyes that wanted to glare, but couldn’t. Not anymore.

“I cracked some Corvellan datalinks, and a few omnilinks belonging to Foxhound mercs.” Jack started as he walked toward the command center, his mild regenerative abilities seeing to his wounds. “I just need one last piece.” He suddenly found himself stopped, not by force, but by a single hand, resting on his forearm.

Mirio looked up at him, his helmet disengaged. The youthful Togata’s scalp was split open, but his blood was already coagulating. His face was exhausted, but not just from combat. “We’re a team, Jack. You can trust us.”

Letting his shoulders settle, Jack set a hand over Mirio’s. “I know, and I do. I just… need one last piece of intel before I jump to conclusions. When I get it, you guys will be the first I tell.”

“What’s the last piece? We’ll help you get it.” Emanuel brought his weapon up, cradling it in his huge arms.

“Colonel Roh’s omnilink. I suspect he and the Wolfpack are starting this war on Blackburn’s behalf.”

The sudden silent pall that fell over the other two men struck like a hammer. “That’s one hell of an accusation, Jack…” Emanuel murmured, his weapon sagging in his arms, following suit with his body.

“That’s why I need to be sure. I am sure, but I need more for others to be sure.” His gaze went back to the wasteland he found himself within. “People need to know, if it’s true.”

Pushing himself up, Mirio hopped to his feet and brought his weapon up to rest the barrel against his shoulder. “Oorah, let’s do it.”

With a small grin, Jack re-engaged his helmet and started for the command center. As he walked, the other two started to speak. “So, that little stunt you pulled?”

“The Tokyo maneuver.”

“The fuckin Tokyo maneuver…” Mirio laughed, and it sounded as if he truly felt it. “That was fucking brilliant.”

Emanuel grinned weakly as he took up Jack’s other side. “What was it… Yippee ki yay, motherfucker? Where is that even from?”

Waving it off as they spied the mobile command center, Jack turned his head to Emanuel. “You’re too young to get it, ask me when you're older.”

“There’s the grumpy old man!”

Smirking to himself, Jack rolled his neck as he neared the mobile command center. Stepping before him, a heavily armed Thanatos operator lifted a hand. “You’re not authorized-” The man grunted in surprise as Jack grabbed him by his armored collar, and tossed him across the building.

“Authorize this.” Pulling the door open, Jack pushed inside, warping the door frame as he forced his way in. Turning in place, Colonel Roh scowled at the sight.

“What do you think you’re doing, Courage?”

“Sammy, brute force it, I’ll distract him.” Pushing forward, Jack grabbed Roh by the arm and pulled him closer. “I think I’m questioning you, Roh. On why you just tried to bury us.” Jack growled at the Colonel as data began to roll across his feed from Roh’s omnilink. The keycodes and triggers for the orbital satellite were among the first files to be sent off, straight for Olivia.

“It’s war! You are assaulting an officer-”

“I haven’t assaulted you yet, Colonel. Bear in mind you’re a hundred and seventy pounds, and I can throw a keg full of concrete half a kilometer. You’ll know when I assault you. Now answer the question. Why’d you try and kill us?”

Pushing his chin up to glare daggers at Jack’s faceplate, Roh’s features bristled with the fury of a pack alpha. “I was ordered to do whatever it takes to win, and we won.” Finally, the data Jack was looking for slid onto his HUD.

“Just like how you nuked CCS 12092 six months ago, killing six million Corvellans and kicking off a war.” Jack slid the compiled documentation across to his squad mates, who bristled and pushed inside out of anger, wrecking the entrance and causing some of the support staff to pull away in panic. Watching the confidence bleed from Roh’s features was almost satisfying. “You ordered Foxhound to keep the Codruxji penned in and kill any who tried to escape. You paid them to kill Terran citizens. You paid them with Taxpayer dollars funneled from CIA slush funds.”

“Those xenos scum aren’t human, they’re not citizens! Ernest was right when he warned me you might sympathize with those disgusting beasts, and I was right to try and bury you for your lack of commitment!” Roh’s spittle spattered against Jack’s faceplate, only to be cleaned away by the microscrubbers. “Humanity must remain strong in the face of the alien menace, and that means cutting out the cancer!” Roh grunted as Jack pulled him out of the command center, and wrapped a goliath hand around his chest, grasping muscle and clothes. “Put me down you xeno loving bastard, or I’ll have my men take you down!”

“It’s called having humanity, Roh. Not exactly something I expected you to have after what you’ve been doing to Lemons.” Jack exited the mobile command center, and found himself facing a wall of guns from the remaining Thanatos operators.

“Put down the Colonel!” Someone barked, aiming a rifle for Jack’s face.

The Colonel’s confidence seemed to return, but Jack’s words seemingly left him confused, and still utterly furious. “Who the hell is Lemons!?”

“A friend.” Reeling back, Jack hurled the Colonel out of the building, and across Central Park like a stone across a lake. The soldiers before him remained as they were out of shock, several heads following their leader as his cry of terror faded into the silence of the wasteland. “Alright, Wolf Brigade. Fetch.”

The dozen Thanatos Operators all returned their gaze to Jack, weapons raising in anticipation. Beside him, Emanuel and Mirio readied their own weapons, pointing just as many guns back at the Wolf Brigade. Then, without warning, Jack’s armor froze in place.

“Father, the kill-switch has been activated. Should I engage our backdoor?” Mirio and Emanuel’s weapons slowly lowered as they looked to Jack.

“No. Not yet. Send The Plan to Mirio and Emanuel.” Jack spoke softly as his vidcomm channel opened up, revealing Blackburn’s severe features.

“All of you, stand down. Anyone who doesn’t will be disposed of.” As the Wolf Brigade reluctantly lowered their own weapons, Jack got comfortable. Within moments, a sleek black frigate came to hover before the building, above the ragged wasteland. “I’m so disappointed in you, Jack.”

Slipping the atmosphere of Frostfall colony was a simple enough task for Olivia’s shuttle, though the same couldn’t be said for the no-frills drop-cruiser that roared behind it, using boosters to brute force it’s way up through the continent-spanning stormcell. As they pushed past the harsh pull of the planet, Flitter swung herself into the bridge and watched as the void greeted them with cold indifference. “I’ll never get used to this,” Flitter spoke with a small smile as she floated in zero gravity next to Captain Milani.

“I’m more preferable to re-entry, but I can see the appeal.” The one-eyed matronly woman smiled in return, almost teasing in tone. “Now, let’s see what these coordinates hold.”

As Milani brought the ship in, following the small shuttle, one of the bridge crew called out. “Evacuation ships have made the jump safely! No losses!” A small cheer went up among the crew, bringing a skile to Flitter’s lips

“Coming up on the target location now, eight minutes out-” The report was cut short as six flashes appeared on the viewscreen, and six telephone pole sized rods where shot at the planet. Silence fell over the bridge as Flitter floated in to get a better view.

“What just happened?”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Milani could only shake her head. “Someone just used kinetic bombardment on the planet. Weapons of mass destruction.”

Letting her eyes follow the little glowing dots as they slipped through the storm cell, Flitter felt a chill run down her spine as six massive holes were suddenly punched in the cloud layer, visible even from space. Shaking her head, she focused on the target location. “Okay. Let’s focus on our objective, we’ve overstayed our welcome.”

Minutes later, the drop cruiser came to a slow stop, facing a trio of large satellites. Olivia’s shuttle sat closer, and Flitter could just barely make out the sight of her crew disembarking in sealed suits. “That’s our cue.” Exiting the bridge, Flitter kicked off a bulkhead and let her wings curl, helping her navigate zero gravity. “Aurora, suit up, we’re heading out.”

“Affirmative Cap’n!”

Minutes later, Flitter was gently cruising through zero gravity, sealed inside her power armor and letting her repulsor jets guide her in. Olivia’s team had approached one of the satellites, and were currently doing something to it. What they were doing, she couldn’t tell.

“Privyet!” Vikki called out to the pair as they floated in. “How was flight?”

“Bumpy, but enjoyable.” Flitter engaged her boot magnets, clamping on to the hull of the satellite. “What are we doing?”

“We-” Olivia started as she floated nearby. “-Are cutting into the maintenance override panel so we can manually insert the override codes Kessle just sent up.” Nearby, Nate and John were busy using a vacuum torch to peel off the armored plates of the heavy military satellite.

“Okay…” Flitter let her eyes wander up and down the craft, taking in the sight. The satellite was twenty-five meters long, and eighteen meters in diameter with a pair of solar panel wings stretching out a dozen meters each. At the bottom, a trio of barrel coils penetrated the armor, exposed to the void. “So… what can you tell me about this thing? Why did Jack want it?”

“If you weren’t paying attention earlier, it can sling a telephone pole sized projectile at re-entry speeds with pinpoint accuracy. The impact is close to a thermonuclear bomb, but lacks the area denial. Has a ferrous core so they can utilize the coil launchers built into the satellite’s frame, but these set-ups aren’t meant to be reloaded. They’re stealthed set-and-forget jobs, meant to enter a rapidly decaying orbit after expending payload. Helps cover up the fact you just used WMD’s. Well, besides the crater.” Olivia cleared her throat over comms as the maintenance panel began to float off into the abyss. “I assume he wants one because he needs a lot of things to be very dead.”

Nodding once, Flitter motioned Aurora over to aid in the work. “Captain Milani, bring the ship in. We’ve got some last minute cargo.”

Earth Orbit

Elysian Fields Headquarters

Jack was offloaded from the sleek black frigate, strapped to a heavy loader and still encased within his armor. Blackburn waited ahead with a deep frown stamped into his face. “Take Mister Kessle to conference room three, and do not remove his armor. Mister Togata and Mister Alvarez are to be stripped of their equipment and placed under guard in their barracks until I find the depth of their betrayal.”

Led away at gunpoint, the two other men soon left Jack’s company, leaving him and Blackburn side by side, as an intern pushed the hover-dolly down the hall. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done, Jack?” When no response came, Blackburn shook his head. “Colonel Roh was one of my best men.”

“Sir!” A suited member ran up, omnilink active. “One of the weaponized satellites has been stolen from Frostfall orbit, they used Colonel Roh’s security codes!”

With a deep sigh, Blackburn shot a sidelong glare at Jack. “Very stupid. Call the ATF and the FBI. You know what? Tell Homeland Security as well. It’s the xeno mercenary group in Yellowstone.” As they walked, Blackburn paused, before smiling grimly. “Inform them that the leader has something I want. I want her alive.” As the aid nodded and scampered off, Ernest cast a long, glowering look at Jack. “It’s your fault that this is happening, you know?”

Entering the conference room, Jack held in his grunt of annoyance as the technician set the hover dolly down roughly, jarring him awkwardly. Inside his helmet, Jack muttered silently. “Come on guys… I know you can do it…”

“We were on the cusp of greatness, you know. You could have been something great, Jack.”

Closing his eyes, Jack exhaled, and said a silent prayer for luck. He’d need it.

Yellowstone

“Hey, something's up with the TV…”

As everyone in the mess hall looked, the news channel flickered again, before being taken over by the slowly spinning Elysian Fields logo. For a moment, the logo began to fade, before glitching and freezing as a chibi Jack Kessle appeared. The chibi grinned, cackling like an imp before it vanished as a helmet cam view appeared.

The view was of Ernest Blackburn, the Hero of Earth, and owner of the Elysian Fields Media Conglomerate. If the banner above the broadcast was to be believed, the video was being sent across the entirety of human space, live and unfiltered.

Pausing in her work, Flitter leaned against her armour and watched the broadcast as it began.

Earth Orbit

Jack smiled grimly as his internal comms activated. The faces of his squadmembers appeared before him, thanks to the efforts of Samhain.

“Jack, it’s Mirio. We broke into Blackburn’s office, and plugged in that dongle. It’s all up to you now.” Mirio cast a glance toward the door of the office. “Had to take out some Tiny’s on the way out.”

Aside Mirio, Emanuel stood, grinning slightly. “We’ll head to the armory and wait for you.” The big latino hefted a large pipe over his shoulder. “Hope to hell this plan of yours works, or we’re all taking space walks.”

“Yeah, without the suits.” Mirio chimed in mildly.

“Thanks, boys. Get somewhere safe, and enjoy the show.” Jack cracked his neck inside his armor as Blackburn glared at him.

“Well, Jack? Do you have anything to say for yourself? You’ve set back my plans by months, if not years, and for what? Some aliens? Have you forgotten what they did to us? To you, and your family?” Blackburn paced before Jack, using a near pleading tone as he spoke.

“No.” Jack rumbled. “I saved those people because it was the right thing to do, Blackburn.”

“The right thing to do!? The right thing to do is to bury them all in an unmarked grave! The Codruxji are nothing but a parasite, feeding off of weaker humans.” The pleading tone slipped away as easily as a mask, revealing the true emotion of pure rage.

“Is that why you had the Wolf Brigade nuke that Corvellan Colony Ship? Why you paid Foxhound Mercenaries to pen in Codruxji when they came looking for revenge?” Jack didn’t bother keeping the anger out of his own voice, letting it fuel the direction of the argument.

“Is that was this is about? Jack! I’ve ordered the deaths of billions of those Slug bastards! Who gives a shit about some backwater colony ship?” Ernest shook his head as he paced, his fingers prying at a metal cigarette tin. “Jack fucking Kessle… This whole ‘Martyr’ thing has gone right to your head! You think any of those scum will care about you prostrating yourself before them? That they’ll pay you back?” Ernest yanked a cigarette from the tin, but chose to jab it at Jack instead of sticking between his lips.

“Dammit Ernest, why?!” Jack yelled. “They came looking for revenge, and we lost a damn colony because of it! We were doing this to save lives, not sacrifice them!” His voice boomed through the conference room, but earned no reaction, save for a scowl, from Blackburn.

“A colony of sympathizers! I’ll kill a trillion sympathizers before I let humanity die!” Blackburn screamed in Jack’s face, his eyes filled with fury. “You never understood the real cost of being a hero, you were nothing but a pawn!” He began lighting the thin cigarette, only to be interrupted by Jack.

“You’re starting another war!”

“Of course I am! I thought that much was clear!” Toggling the opacity on the glass-steel window, Ernest swept a hand toward Earth as it came into view. “Humanity has forgotten its past! We are not some second class species like the council thinks, we’re the most terrifying predators this galaxy has ever seen! Our empire could span thousands of stars, and yet the UN is pleased with nothing more than a few dozen backwaters and a handful of dry asteroid belts! Cheap change in return for the billions we lost when the Slugs came charging through us! Well, I’m going to change that, Jack! I’m starting a war, yeah, and I’m doing it to awaken the sleeping giant. Like the Japanese with Pearl Harbor, but unlike them, I know exactly what I’m doing!” Blackburn paced forward, and jabbed the lit cigarette into Jack’s concealed face. “I know exactly what I’m doing, and nothing can stop me.”

“How many worlds have you burned trying to wake us up?” Jack growled softly at Blackburn through his locked armor.

With a grim purse of his lips, Blackburn turned away, and walked slowly to the window port. “Enough. They called me a terrorist when I retaliated against the Corvellans. A terrorist. The UN had us demilitarized to appease the Council, so I bought up all the mercenary companies I could. Wolf Pack, Foxhound, Focus Fire, Blackwater, the names go on. They tried to neuter our intelligence agencies, so I placed moles in the CIA, UNIB, the ATF, Homeland, and the TSB, to feed me intel so I’d know exactly where to strike. I continued my research into humanity’s immortality, and I was snubbed for it. Given sanctions. We were stuck.” He slowly turned, glancing over his shoulder at Jack. “And then you came back from the dead.”

“You needed me back.” Jack interrupted, rolling his eyes at the theatrics. “Humanity needs a hero, I remember you saying. You never wanted a hero, you wanted propaganda pieces. Is that why you had Roh try to kill us on Frostfall? We started looking past the narrative. We started acting like humans, not pawns.”

“You’re too rebellious for your own good.” Ernest nearly spat venom as he spoke. “You’ve served your purpose, and as always, dealt damage to the cause. Humanity’s cause.” Turning fully, Ernest opened a slim black case and produced a long needle. “You were always more useful dead, than alive. It won’t hurt, I wager. We’ll make a broadcast proclaiming that Jack Kessle, the Martyr, Pillar of courage, has died on Frostfall, trying in vain to save civilians. As before, your death with serve humanity more than your life ever did.”

“Do you feel like a hero, Ernest?” Jack questioned as someone began pounding against the conference room door.

“Of course I do, Jack. I’m a patriot. I’ve given everything for humanity, and I will continue to do so until they recognize me as what I am.” Blackburn’s eyes flicked to the door momentarily, before returning to Jack. Slowly, Jack began to chuckle, before breaking into a laugh. Sighing, Blackburn rolled his eyes as he aligned the needle with an emergency port. “Try to contain your insanity and die a quiet death for once.”

The pounding at the door grew more frantic and forceful. “You think you’re a hero? After all you’ve done?” Jack laughed harder. “I almost want to stick around and see what people really think of you after this.”

As Blackburn scowled, the door was finally forced open, and a Thanatos operative pushed his head inside. “SIR! YOU’RE BROADCASTING EVERYTHING!”

Watching the color drain from Blackburn’s features, Jack ordered the killswitch to be disengaged. In one fluid motion, he unsheathed his knife, and beheaded the operative with a single swipe. As the malign noise of the snickersnack echoed through the room, Jack lunged forward, grabbing hold of Blackburn’s hands. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Ernest.” Jack rolled his shoulders as he stepped off the dolly, snapping the tie down straps like shoestrings. “It’s what real heroes look like. The people willing to risk everything to help defend those in need, with no gain for themselves. The people willing to stand next to a complete stranger in their time of need. We’re at our best when we’re helping each other. You’ve been sacrificing others for so long that you’ve forgotten that.” The sounds of pounding boots and combat calls echoed through the halls, swiftly approaching the conference room. Picking Ernest up off his feet, Jack turned so that the older man was between him and the door. His magical kbar warped and twisted, becoming a blade more fitting for a fight in such tight quarters.

“You’re a traitor to the whole damn human race, Jack Kessle!” Blackburn gripped Jack’s offending hand, but no matter how he pulled or pried, he couldn’t break the iron grip. “Those xenos you brought to our homeworld are capable of so much it’s mind boggling! You’ve been building an army for them! You think you have any right to criticize me, with all you’ve done?” Blackburn glared hard at Jack as Thanatos soldiers poured into the room, aiming weapons at Jack. “Do you think humanity will forgive you for what you’re planning on doing?”

“I’ll let them decide for themselves. In the end, we’re both still only human. The problem is, you seem to have forgotten that.”

Lifting his left arm to the viewport, Jack fired his BFG into the wall, blasting a molten hot hole through the structure. Immediately, the room depressurized, sucking the unsecured Thanatos soldiers out into space. Disengaging his boot magnets, Jack floated out on the rush of venting O2, before the room sealed itself off. Once free from the shadow of the station, Jack oriented himself toward earth, and gave Blackburn a gentle push toward it. The older man thrashed and roared silently as spacial vacuum pulled at his skin, freezing his eyes and boiling his blood. Looking away from the brutal spectacle, Jack turned his gaze toward Earth, and allowed himself to float there for a moment.

“Sammy?”

“Yes Father?”

“Are we still broadcasting?” Jack allowed himself to relax for a moment, floating freely in zero gravity.

“Yes.”

Nodding slowly, Jack cleared his throat.

Across human territory, everybody who could be was glued to their screens, watching the spectacle of the decade unfold live before their eyes.

“Lookit me now pa, I’m on tv…” The weak mutter drew people in closer, before Jack blew air into his helmet. “This is… Jack Kessle. Many of you know me as one of the eight Martyrs, Pillar of Courage. I know what just happened was a lot to take in, but I’ve ensured that all of the evidence has been released across every Elysian Field website and beyond, making it available to everybody. It includes all of the operations I’ve taken part in, and everything I’ve done. What you all make of it, will be up to you and you alone.”

Across the galaxy, people watched with bated breath, idle amusement, horror, irritation, and boredom. On earth, Flitter leaned against the weaponized satellite, watching the broadcast with JSOG.

After a moment, he continued. “Ernest Blackburn had plans for humanity. Plans that would have lead to more war, death, and suffering, but plans that a lot of people might believe to be the right ones nonetheless. Some of you might think that I’m the one who’s correct, but… the reality of it all isn’t so cut and dry. Blackburn had the right idea, in uniting all of humanity to meet the stars as one, but…” Jack sighed gently. “We can’t afford to close ourselves off, to block out our allies and lash at our enemies without hesitation or thought. At the same time, we can’t just open our arms wide and hope for the best. The galaxy is a cruel place, and we’ve got to be tough, if not for ourselves, then for each other. We need a balance… a certain level of… Harmony. We don’t need to resort to cruelties and inhumanity to survive, and humanity doesn’t need to be fully human. If I’ve learned anything in my time away, it’s that some of the most unexpected beings will be the most human. They’re heroes, courageous fighters, gentle souls, and… steadfast loved ones. Turning them away solely based on their appearance or beliefs would be a disservice to them, and ourselves. I know I don’t want to face the galaxy without them by my side.” Lifting his head, Jack smiled as the sun crested past the earth, bathing the void around him in solar radiation. “Now, more than ever, we need to come together. We need to stand as one against the dark, or we'll be doomed to fall one by one.” There was a long pause, the view lingering over the Earth. A stray coil gun shot glanced off of his armour, treating the galactic audience to a shower of sparks and fireflies as Jack began to move to avoid incoming fire. “Love each other and be kind, but never be afraid to stand up for yourself, and fight those who would do harm unto you and others. Semper Fidelis. Jack Kessle out.”

The transmission cut back to the usual programming as the Pillar of Courage jetted through zipping fields of projectiles, his silver-white armor glinting against the sun while he engaged the Thanatos operators and regrouped with his teammates. Across the Republic of Humanity, people were broken free from the spell the transmission had cast, and life continued on.

“Little ironic, don’t you think?” A heavily armed agent commented as the feed went back to normal, and the shuttle bay was bathed in red again. “He says, ‘let's be friends’ while we’re riding down on some mean mothers with WMD’s. What do you think, Agent Danners?”

With her eyes still stuck to her omnilink, Marley could feel a deep, dark pit having opened up in her stomach. Everything had been released, everything. Including the documents she’d leaked, and her involvement with Blackburn and Elysian Fields. She’d been involved in espionage, and treason. She was damned, doomed, and it was all just a matter of time until it all caught up with her.

“Hey, Earth to Special Agent Danners!”

Letting her eyes flick up to the group of CIA agents, Marley forced a shrug for their benefit. “Not sure if it’d be irony. How are we sitting?”

A light chuckle came from the operation leader as the shuttle banked. “We’re a few minutes out still- hey, what the hell?”

“Unknown shuttle, change course immediately! This zone is currently within active ATF operations!”

Scrunching her features, Marley craned her neck to see the feeds of the pilot as a laugh and a murmur went up around the crew of CIA beatsticks. As she watched, several other groups cropped up, claiming jurisdiction of the target zone. The operation was falling apart before it would have a chance to begin, all because Ernest had been too eager to take this group down. Shaking her head, Marley settled, and waited for the shuttle to roll in. She could only hope it wouldn’t turn into another Waco.

“CAPTAAAIN!”

Flitter was rudely ripped from her conversation with Olivia over her omnilink as Minerva came running across the tarmac toward the ship. “Minerva, what’s wrong?”

“LOOK!” Gesturing to the sky, Flitter followed the finger, and swiftly felt her stomach drop out. On the horizon was a fleet of shuttles, approaching fast.

“Shit. All hands, batten down the hatches and secure the payload! We’ve got company!” Glancing down at the Omnilink, Flitter grinned. “Looks like we’ve got to cut this short. It’s been… quite the adventure. I hope we can have more soon.”

“Take care of my guy!” Olivia called back, pouting. “And… good luck.” She smiled faintly, settling back against Chambers.

“We’ll need it. Take care of yourself.” Ending the call, Flitter engaged her helmet, and patted Hans’ metal thigh. “Showtime.”

“I guess this is goodbye.” Jack murmured softly as he and his teammates finished loading munitions and experimental equipment into a pair of drop pods. His own orbital insertion shield sat nearby.

Nodding, Emanuel sealed up the second pod and thumped his closed fist against it. “Should be everything you need to win a war.”

Chuckling softly, Jack walked to regroup with them. “Ain’t no fancy toy that’s gonna win a war.”

“Don’t ruin the moment trying to be profound.” Mirio chided, crossing his arms over his scarred and pitted chest plate. “I’m still torn on going with you, Cowboy. Sounds like a hell of a fight you’ve got before you.”

Shaking his head as the evacuation alarm continued to blarr overhead, Jack paused to cast a look toward the Earth. “No… They’ll need you guys more than I will. You got family here too, and there’s probably no coming back from this.”

“Hey.” Emanuel set a hand down on Jack’s shoulder. “You’re family too, amigo. We didn’t go through all that shit together to not be.”

“That’s right. You always will be family. If you ever find yourself back on good old Earth, give us a call.” Mirio affirmed with a light smile. “Shit’s gonna be a mess for a little while, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. You sure about what you’re doing?”

Nodding once, Jack’s eyes flicked to the station feed that Samhain had rerouted to his helmet. “I’ve never been so sure in my life. I know you guys can handle the situation here.” Chuckling softly, he shook his head and smiled at the pair. “Alright, I need to get going, the UN ships have arrived. Can’t be here when they dock, otherwise I’ll miss my date with fate.” Quickly embracing the pair, Jack didn’t bother squeezing their armor. “Stay out of fuckin trouble, y’hear?”

Moving to the edge of the room and setting his gauntleted hand over the bay door switch, Emanuel grinned into his vid feed. “Never in a million years, Courage.” The alarm claxon wailed loudly as the switch was thrown, and the bay door opened, venting the atmosphere within the bay. Disengaging his boot magnets, Jack used his jets to aid him in pushing the two large drop pods outside the station. Once in position, he activated the targeting systems, and fired the pods down at the earth. As the pair of canisters shot down toward the planet, Jack slid his boots into the shackles of the reentry shield, letting it orient him properly as it to began its descent.

“Target landing zone is contested,” Samhain spoke in his ear, bringing up the view of the airstrip. JSOG’s ship was surrounded by various agencies, each of which making their own demands.

“Shitfire… I was hoping I’d have more time… Sammy, are they broadcasting on open channels?”

“Yes father, but they are also using encrypted channels as well. It seems there is some confusion as to who is supposed to be leading their operation.”

“Use Blackburn’s command override and tell them to hold fire.” He shifted in his shield as a corona of fire erupted off it. Screaming toward the ground at re-entry speed, he forced his heart to settle. He’d done it a million times. Just, never with this much on the line.

“Are you sure that will be enough?”

“No, but it’ll buy us a few seconds, play into the chaos.” A pleased feeling swept through him as the ground came racing up toward him, his orbital insertion shield already breaking apart. “Showtime.”

Tucked into the bay of the ship, Flitter flicked from target to target with her rifle. They were on comms, demanding that JSOG and the First Expeditionary Force surrender their weapons, but it seemed that each separate group wanted the arrest for themselves, and it was buying JSOG a few seconds of time. Another round of demands went out, and an armored truck began to roll closer with armed men pacing behind it with weapons raised and shields present.

“Hold fire…” Flitter held her hand up to the others, but didn’t take her aim off the vehicle. “We don’t want a firefight, just yet…”

“Do you hear that? Sounds like-!”

The distant whistling sound swiftly became a supersonic screech, followed by a concussive boom as a pair of drop pods stuck the tarmac between them and the armored truck, causing the truck to swerve and skid to a stop as the ground below it lurched in protest. The sound of roaring jumpjets followed the concussive bang, and the third projectile landed directly on the hood of the truck. Under the sudden surge of weight, the vehicle’s front axle snapped, and the engine block was smashed into the tarmac below, while the ass end of the armored truck lifted entirely off the ground in a single motion

Stepping off the crumpled vehicle as airbags went off in the faces of the crew, Jack immediately started for the ship, grasping the large containers with one hand each.

“Someone get out there and give him a hand, those look-” Flitter quieted as he pulled both drop pods from their impact zones, and began to drag them quickly toward the ship. The drop pods trailed tarmac and sparks, but didn’t seem to slow him down at all. “heavy… Jack! Great timing!”

All but shoving the two pods into the cargo bay, Jack nodded once to her. “Start the engines, I’ll be back in thirty seconds.” Setting off immediately, Jack ran off, vanishing from sight into the forest.

“Aw hell…” Flitter activated the comms. “Captain Milani, get our engines primed! Aurora, is the net ready?”

“Yes ma’am!” The tech rattled up in her armour, trailing wires and several magical devices. “It’s ready and set, all I need is your go ahead!”

“I’m seeing launchers!” Minerva called out. “We can’t be here when they go off!”

“Hurry up, jack…”

Sprinting through the trees, Jack slid to a stop as he spied the crude marker he’d made all those months ago, sticking out from the ground. Plunging his hands into the hardpacked earth, he shoveled aside great clumps of soil, until a heavy metal box was revealed. Yanking the box out of the ground, he pulled the lid right off, and set his eyes upon Delta King, the five megaton thermonuclear bunker buster he’d been dragging all over hell’s half acre. “I sure as shit didn’t miss you, King.” Securing the nuke in his armour, Jack stood.

“Freeze!” The sound of weapons being aimed at him may have been surprising, if he hadn’t had the entire team pinged from the moment he’d landed. “CIA, put down the device.”

Standing at his full height, Jack disengaged his helmet, allowing it to chatter open. Weapons flagged slightly, and his piercing emerald eyes sought out a single target. “Hey Marley.”

Aiming her sidearm at the gargantuan martyr, Special Agent Marley Danners fought to keep her composure. “You’re under arrest.” While she should have been moving to try and secure him with restraints, her legs refused to listen.

“I’m really not.” Striding toward the woman, Jack gently set his hand over her pistol, and guided it toward the ground. “Why are you here, Marley?”

Staring up into his eyes, Marley slowly closed her own, and let her head loll downwards. “I don’t know anymore… Blackburn, he’d… told me what we were doing was the right thing, but…”

“Now you’re in too deep.” Jack sighed, and brought her chin up so as to have her look at him. “Call the Deputy Director. Come clean.”

“I can’t.” Marley protested as fear filled her eyes. “I-It’s… It’s treason.” Her previous objective was all but forgotten in the face of him, though her comrades certainly hadn’t forgotten. The only thing keeping them from closing in, was Jack, barely a foot away from their field agent.

“You can still make it right.” He turned away, starting to walk despite the multiple weapons being pointed at him. “You got one shot, Marley. You can take me in, or you can make that call.”

Watching Jack start to jog off, Marley exhaled slowly, and made the call on her omnilink. Filtering out the questions of the team around her, she focused on the ringing on the other end. Jack had set off, back into the forest. She had no hope of catching him now, but she doubted she’d ever really had the chance in the first place.

“What’s the situation down there?” The deputy director’s face appeared on her HUD, filling her with dread from the deep glare she received.

“Sir.” Marley started, struggling with her words. “About the leaks-”

The Deputy Director cut her off almost immediately. “I know. Once you’re off the ground you’ll be in custody. I expected better from you-” The deputy director himself was suddenly cut off as another number joined the call, brute forcing its way in. Marley nearly jumped out of her skin when Jack’s face appeared.

“Nice to meet you, Deputy Director. I wish we’d had a chance to meet in person, but I need to inform you of a few things.”

Deputy Director Summers stared slack-jawed at the screen for a brief moment, before gathering his wits and pushing his glasses up. “Mister Kessle. It seems we have you to thank for the biggest data leak in the history of mankind. You uncovered a lot of worms. A small aside to the biggest scandal ever known.”

“I’m a shit disturber, it’s in my blood. I’m calling about Special Agent Danners.” Jack pushed aside an ATF agent who attempted to take him into custody, like how someone would push aside an annoying child. “This all wouldn’t have been possible without the intel she shared with me, risking her own life in the process.” Marley felt her brain grind to a halt as he spoke. “While the records may not cover it, she’s not a double agent. She’s my triple, and has been from the beginning. That being said, go easy on her. The poor girl’s having a heart attack.” Winking at her over the call, Jack entered the ship. “I have to go now, try not to mess the place up while I’m gone.” Suddenly, a shot rang out, bouncing off his helmet. “Welp, that’s kicked off!”

The storm of gunfire started up, rattling back and forth as Jack struck the ramp button, closing off the firing port. “Get us off the ground!” Glancing to his call, Jack chuckled. “It’s not a successful adventure until the ATF shoots at you.” The call ended, leaving the pair of CIA agents stunned into silence.

“About time, that wasn’t even close to thirty seconds!” Flitter chided Jack as she dropped her rifle barrel. “AURORA! HIT IT!”

“We’ve got launches!” Minerva cried out as the engines within the ship whined, causing the large craft to shudder. “INCOMING!”

“THIS IS IT, HANG ON TO SOMETHING!”

The anti-ship rockets leapt free from the shuttle gunships as they hovered nearby, streaking across the treetops and over the tarmac. As they closed with the old dropship, the vessel’s engines flared, but it did not move from it’s landed place. Instead, a great golden sheen spread across its hull. The vessel seemed to shimmer and sway as the magical teleportation talismans were supercharged by the fusion reactor. Daisy chained together, the talismans activated in tandem, whisking the ship away at the last possible moment. The stray missiles went wild as their target vanished from reality, smashing into trees and pavement.

JSOG was long gone, but their actions would be felt for decades more.

“Did uh… Did it work?”

The question hung in the air for the two hundred people aboard the vessel as they stood in the dark, waiting for the lights to come back on. The sound of battle had all but been cut off mid verse, leaving an eerie quiet that hung stillborn in the air. Glancing to his HUD, Jack noted the complete lack of outside signals. All that remained was the ship’s command unit, and the linked signals of every living human on the ship.

“We’re here.” He announced as he began walking for the cockpit through the groaning gantries and between the gently swaying drop pods. Flitter quickly joined him, and the pair soon found themselves staring out the central viewscreen at a thick copse of nearly pastel coloured trees in the middle of the night. The bridge was abuzz with activity, with the new Captain at the head of it all.

“Eta on reactor reignition?” Milani sat in the captain’s chair, rising above the others with the pulpit style command station. Beside her rested her cane, which jostled and bounced with every thumping step Jack took closer.

A woman wearing rolled up coveralls and a white tank top called out as she worked away at a panel. “Now, Captain.” On cue, the lights came flickering back on, earning a soft pleased cheer from the crew aboard. The woman bowed theatrically, smiling as she crossed her arms.

Nodding once at the technician, Milani began cycling through her screens as they booted up. “Good… Now, would somebody mind telling me where we are?” The dark forest outside gave no obvious clues, except to the pair standing behind Milani.

“Planet named Equus.” Jack answered, startling the older woman, earning a surprised gasp from her as he stared out the view screen. “Trees… we’re on the ground, clearly... We’re going to pop open the back and take a look around, be ready to kick it for orbit if we get spotted. If we’re spotted, we could be overrun before we’re ready.”

Smiling a little, Flitter spoke next. “Prop up the comms mast. Don’t send out any signals though, just yet. We need to get an idea as to how bad things are.

“Y-yes, yes of course!” The woman all but beamed, craning her neck to get a look at Jack as he turned away and started for the cargo ramp. Shaking her head, Flitter followed after Jack, being forced to pick her pace up to a quick trot to keep up with his long strides.

“Walter!” Jack called out, earning more than just Walter’s attention. A great many of the soldiers who had followed him in stood straighter, whispering amongst each other as they stared in awe.

“Welcome back, old man.” Walter smiled brightly as Jack walked up. “Where have you been hiding?” Despite speaking casually, Walter’s back was rigid, his chest puffed out.

“Been working. Open the ramp, let’s get a look at what we’re dealing with. Jack cast a glance at Flitter, but she was already ordering her troops. The sight brought a soft grin to his lips, before he was jabbed in the ribs by Hans.

Ignoring Jack as he smacked Hans, Flitter gestured to her gathered squads. “I need two fliers for recon, and I need fast drones to assist! Taven, Cobalt, you’re up! Aurora, hop to it!” The trio of affirmatives quickly answered Flitter as the rest of the troops in the massive cargo bay got prepared. “The rest of you, fan out and form a perimeter, nothing is taking us off guard, Do I make myself clear?”

“Oorah!”

As the cargo bay door groaned and slowly opened, trailing dirt displaced from another universe, the two recon fliers took off with their drone escorts. The smell of pine trees and the summer forest wafted in thickly, but was corrupted by the stench of smoke and death. Taven and Cobalt flew off into the night, vanishing into the pitch black skies like ghosts. Flicking on his night vision, Jack strode out of the bay, scanning around. The forest was definitely familiar, he’d seen these sort of trees around Canterlot while training the original JSOG. The memory earned a tinge of pain in his mind, but soon a little voice returned to him as well.

Welcome back, Jack. I hope you’re ready for this.

“Good news.” Taven spoke over comms, cutting off Jack before he could mutter at himself. “We’re a little over a kilometer from Canterlot, and we’re not too late.”

“What’s the bad news?” Flitter asked as she walked out with Jack, headed for the edge of the forest.

“...Keep walking for two hundred meters, northwest.” The unusual tone in Taven’s voice caused the pair to pick up the pace a little.

Looking between at each other, Jack and Flitter jogged off for the marked location, and swiftly arrived. “Oh.” Jack started as he let his arms hang limp by his sides.

“Yeah… yeah, that’s pretty bad.” Flitter murmured as the rest of the group followed along behind them. A ripple of mixed murmurs, gasps, and curses went up among the group.

Roughly a kilometer before them was the valley leading to Canterlot, though instead of rolling green hills and pastel pleasantry, the valley had descended into hell. A massive golden magical shell sat upon Canterlot, casting an eerie glow down upon the trenches that zigzagged across the base of the mountain, but did little to combat the flickering lights of fires spread across the entire valley, illuminating hundreds of thousands of bodies. Millions. The valley was choked with camps and bodies, beyond anything any of them had ever seen. Dozens of airship lights floated across the sky at various altitudes, occasionally firing booming salvos at the city, testing the shield. Across the ground, stitching tracers arced through the night, their weapon reports echoing through the air like a deadly melody. Artillery fired into the night, adding percussion to the chaotic rhythm.

Canterlot was under siege, and had been for some time.

“Welcome to Equestria, ladies and gents.” Jack turned, having seen enough. “Kleese, you’re in charge of the ground deployment. I want fast form pillboxes, trenches, and razor wire set up in staggered positions under the tree line. Make sure we get a pair of Calliope's set up for CWIS ops. Defense in depth, I want three separate combat lines and overlapping kill zones.”

Nodding in agreement, Kleese turned and began barking orders. “Let's get those Hogs out, we trained for this people, let’s not disappoint now! Maggie, start the tank!”

Grinning, Jessica dove into the work, calling out. “Come on bitches, we got a world to save!”

Chapter Sixty Eight: The Darkest Hour

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Canterlot, 0300 Hours

Day 9 of the Siege

The heavy thumping of rounds hitting the sandbag berm before Cloudchaser only earned a brief flinch from her as dirt rained down from the shells. Around her, the dark was barely kept at bay by strings of gently swaying Hearthswarming lights that were daisy chained across the trenches. Her uniform was utterly soiled from nine days of constant fighting, and her coat was stained black by the filth she’d been wallowing in. Despite her filthy appearance, her grenade rifle was as clean as it could be with the circumstances. It had to be, It was the only thing keeping her alive. The shield shimmered above as the distant navy ships pummeled away at it, seeking a crack in Celestia’s willpower. The shield only covered the arc of artillery, so as to save energy and strengthen it against the monstrously heavy shells of the ship cannons. On occasion, the ground would light up as if it were day, though the light would swiftly vanish, telling of the dreadnought testing the shields itself.

"Alright, listen up. Local time is 0300 hours, weather is cloudy and warm. The first Expeditionary have finished with their fortifications, and are waiting on our go ahead. The enemy numbers one point six million, and have our objective, our capital, completely surrounded."

Letting out a shivering breath, Cloudchaser turned her gaze to the lines past her own. Because of the shield’s location, they had cover from artillery, but no cover from ground forces. That’s what the trenches were for, she figured, but what was the point of them if they were just as likely to put you out of the fight with trenchhoof as a hostile knife or bullet?

There were more knives than bullets, of course… The valley was full of mind controlled ponies and griffons, far too many for the Imperial war machine to equip at all, let alone properly. Thus, she often found herself facing down waves of ponies wielding nothing but crude tools, or their own hooves. The first few days had shattered her heart every time the civilian waves crashed upon them, but after seeing so many of her squadmates be bludgeoned, stabbed, or ripped apart by them, she’d grown cold to it. As long as they were mind controlled, they were as much of an enemy as the imperial soldiers. She could hold back the horror of it all so long as they were the enemy. Killing the enemy wasn’t anything like killing a real pony.

Next to her in the trench were a pair of zebras, brothers displaced from their home in Neigh York by the coming tide. Their white stripes had become so mudded and stained with soot that Cloudchaser had swiftly found herself forgetting about their origins, as she could no longer tell them apart from the reflections of herself she saw in the trenchwater puddles. The elder brother Chance was on the mounted gun, firing off wild bursts of fat bullets into the night, no doubt scoring kills regardless of his poor aim. His sibling, Fate, fed the belt to him as it chattered through the crude stamped receiver of the weapon, speaking words of encouragement to his sibling as the latter continued to yell, scream, and laugh in the face of it all.

Soon though, the fire died, and all that illuminated the trench was the soft glow of the festive lights. Voices called out, before muting as a rifle grenade whizzed by, and exploded inside the trenchline, unleashing a phosphor burst that flashed in the dark like a firework. Again, the world went silent for a moment, before distant cries soon filtered in without the thundering of guns to drone them out.

“I think there’s one left, out passed the wire…” Fate said a little too loudly, his hearing shot from the first fire firefights. Blood had stained the fur on the right side of his head, but it was likely he had no clue.

“I’ll get the fucker!” Chance swivelled his gun across his murderhole, spewing more rounds wildly into the night. “YOU THINK YOU’RE BAD, MOTHERFUCKER!? YOU THINK YOU’RE BAD!? COME GET SOME! COME GET SOME!”

Pulling at his brother’s shoulders, Fate shook his head. “No man, no, listen… It’s just one guy…” Again the firing paused, giving the mounted gun a chance to cool off.

Tilting her head slightly, Cloudchaser listened to the sound of hell around her. It was close, sure enough. Some brainwashed griffon, screaming obscenities at them. At first, the enemy hadn’t spoken at all, they’d been eerily silent for almost the whole war, but now, when Equestria was backed into a corner and had grown cold to the silence, Order’s troops started with the psywar ops.

“You’re all going to die if you keep fighting! We’ll rip your guts out and feast on them!” There was a brief pause in the taunting as another machinegun burst whipped over the speaker, muting him only momentarily. “Just give up, give in! Order will be kind to those who surrender!”

Turning, Fate cantered into the trench, keeping his head down as he shook Cloudchaser. “Hey yo, Cloud. We got a spook on the wire.”

“I hear him. He’s stuck under his buddies.” Cloudchaser spoke softly, not bothering to raise her voice as she pushed herself up, and slowly trotted to the gun pit. Spent brass clattered against her boots as they sloshed into the waterlogged pit. The duckboards were fucked, simple as that.

“You need a flare?” Fate asked as his brother turned, casting a wild eyed gaze back at them. Their eyes all but shone in the dark; pinprick small pupils surrounded by seas of bloodshot white. She looked much the same, like a ghost haunting the trenches.

Slowly shaking her head, Cloudchaser loaded a 35mm grenade into her rifle. “No, he’s close.” She slowly lifted the barrel of her grenade rifle, gauging the distance as the soldier continued to scream at them in the dark. The buttstock of the weapon kicked against her battlesaddle as she squeezed the trigger bit, the anemic round belching out of the muzzle with a muted fwomp. A brief pause passed between the shot and the impact, cutting the soldier off mid-sentence. Slowly sitting back down, Cloudy cracked the action of the weapon, letting the shell fall into the dirt. With her head falling back against the dirt berm, she let her eyes drift upwards to the trio of airships that sat above them, hiding under the shield. Their spotlights swept back and forth, illuminating the ground lining the edge of the shield. It almost looked as if little buzzing creatures were flitting back and forth through the dark, only pausing seldomly to pan about, before scooting off. Waving off the image as a hallucination, Cloudchaser closed her eyes again.

“Where are you, flitter…”

”The enemy is seeking to destroy our homes, kill our families, and annihilate our way of life. They have a god on their side, and they’re willing to throw away lives by the thousand to achieve their objectives. They’ve committed atrocities, and they’ll commit more.”

“Close the shutters, the attack wave is over,” Marsa ordered as she turned away from the bridge window, shaking her head. “What a waste.” Falling into her command chair, the Captain of the battleship Righteous Justice rubbed at her face with her hooves, pressing them deep into her gaunt features. “How is Celestia faring? How much longer can we keep this up?”

Continuing to stare out the window down at the dark fields below, Luna watched expressionlessly as tracers arced back and forth through the night. “Sister can last as long as her ponies need her to. Even if the sun must never rise again, the shield will hold.” The shutters slowly rattled over the windows, protecting the occupants in case of the worst. Letting her head fall slightly, Princess Luna turned away, and began trotting into the bridge. Her ancient, arcane armour shone like the night sky, unmarred by the days of brutal fighting. “Get some rest while you can, Captain. They will attack again soon.”

“They always do.” Marsa murmured quietly. “I’ll rest here, It’s where I’m needed.”

“Captain! Spotters have noted some strange lights heading upwards, kilometer from the shield limit.” One of her ratings called out to her, the radio headset sitting half cocked over their ears. The bridge reeked of sweat and heat, but it wasn’t like anybody on it could tell anymore.

“Likely another Imperial tactic. Mark the location it came from for later bombardment.” Sitting forward, Marsa shook her head, and cast a glance to the tactical map. “The bombers are still on course. Princess?” Marsa called over her shoulder, causing Luna to pause as she headed for the bulkhead door.

“Yes?”

“You may want to gather your night guard. Once those bombers get in range, they’ll be priority targets for the Imperials. They’ll need more than just the Wonderbolts and their fighter escort if they’re going to have a ghost of a chance.”

“Leaving the shield will make us the priority for their guns.” Luna answered idly, turned her attentions back to the door. “I will gather volunteers. What was it again, that we wished to achieve with the bombers?”

Shifting her gaze away from the princess, Marsa sank into her chair. “Get us more time...bloody the enemy’s nose a little… one last cry of defiance, does it really matter any more? Did it ever?”

Sighing softly, Luna set off out of the bridge. “I suppose we will find out soon enough.”

The great ship groaned gently under Luna’s hooves, as if the metal could feel the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. A general call sounded over the intercom, stating the attack to be over, and requesting reports from each station. Aeronaut’s cantered back and forth, many wearing as little uniform as possible to dissuade the oppressive heat that filled the ship, telling of it’s magical generators working overtime to feed additional power into Celestia’s shield. The shield could not fail, for if it did, it’d be the end of the war. The defenders would swiftly be overrun from all sides, and the city would be shelled until the mountain itself was naught but a smoking ruin. The million civilians hunkering down in the crystal caves would be slaughtered, and for what? Luna felt disgusted by it all… Even the Nightmare had wished to rule over the lands, she’d had goals, tangible plans… whatever Jalgromak and Carolus were planning was nigh on apocalyptic.

At the thought of the young griffon Emperor, Luna bristled deeply, feeling remnants of the Nightmare stir in her chest. She had to force them back down, despite the potential it could offer her. She had to win, without falling to the siren call of the Nightmare. She knew that deep down, Celestia felt the pull of her own demon, the beast of rage that had begun to rear its ugly head when the solar diarch had fought Jack in the castle.

They had to fight the pull, because they knew that letting go was exactly what Carolus wanted, and by extension, what Jalgromak wanted. Why exactly, neither knew. They just had to hold on.

”Below us, right now, our people are fighting to the last bullet, fighting to their last breath. They’ve held on long enough for us to arrive, and for that we’ve got to give them our all. We’ve trained for this, amassed an army and weapons beyond our wildest dreams. We’re going to use it all, and then some.”

“Hurry, Flitter. Jack.” Luna let her head fall slightly. “Forgive us.” Her horn ignited, whisking her away to the Nightguard staging ground. She had a battle to prepare for.

Barely two kilometers away, Carolus hummed softly to himself as he slowly swirled the cool whiskey rocks around his glass. He stared off through the view port that covered most of his lounge wall aboard the dreadnought. Below him the battle found it’s lull, letting the world fall to darkness without the flashes of gunfire to illuminate it. Gently setting his glass aside, Carolus began to pace, letting his talons click rhythmically across the wood floor.

“I am curious.” King Xerox began, as he formed from the shadows. “Tell me, why have we not simply taken the capital? Was that not the purpose of gathering souls from every population center between here and the mountains?”

“The Lord-” Carolus began as he lowered himself into his lounger. “-works in mysterious ways, and we both serve his will. Do not question it.” There was a brief silence between the two, as Xerox continued to stare. Letting out a grunt of annoyance, Carolus sat forward, and fixed the bug king with his most regal glare. “The Lord has demanded we not push in, just yet. He is waiting for something, though what it is, he will not say.”

“Perhaps he waits for the Goliath to show himself again.” Xerox paced to the window, and peered out into the dark. “The Lord was not pleased that you allowed him to slip from your talons.”

Lunging forward, but stopping himself before his flanks left the lounger, Carolus did his best to not bristle. “That, is because the ‘Goliath’, as you so reverently refer to him as, is nothing but an Equine attack dog. Broken and beaten, by none other than Celestia herself. He hasn’t interfered for nine days, he is likely too wounded to kill a hatchling. The Lord wants nothing from such a creature.”

“Then how is it such a beast escaped from the depths of your most isolated, well defended fortress? From the dungeon, no less. He killed your favourite pet, slew scores of guards, and killed some of the few scientists bright enough to not benefit from the Lord’s wisdom. Not to mention the loss of the noble conspirators within Canterlot, and the teleportation machine.”

“Watch your tone, Changeling.” Carolus growled as fury spiked his brain. “Your own spies confirmed his battle with Celestia, and do not forget, that YOUR plan to take the chaos core out from under them failed spectacularly, alongside the foolish attempt to assassinate Celestia. We learned nothing, and lost a dozen spies in the process. Perhaps your contributions to the war should be scrutinized. Pray tell, how goes your crusade against Omega hive?”

“Slowly. They are nestled into their jungle and kill any of your soldiers who enter.” Xerox continued to stare out the window, his wings buzzing gently. “It will be over soon. My hive has had many prime breeders plucked from the masses, and our numbers are increasing exponentially. Our weapons division has made progress as well.” The Changeling king glanced over to Carolus. “They will not stand for long. How goes Forge’s experiments?”

Waving it off as he drank, Carolus suppressed a growl at the burn of the whiskey. “The good Doctor is making ‘great advances’ within his lab hidden in the Crystal Kingdom. We have a platoon of the latest progeny at our disposal, as well as a ‘special unit’ he refused to provide details on. If it were not for his work on the Lord's new form, he would have long since outlived his usefulness. The progeny have been more a hamper for our advance than a boon.”

“Once the work is finished, he should be removed.” Xerox turned his attention back to the window, just catching glance of small lights flitting fast up into the sky. Furrowing his chitin brows, Xerox shook it off. The lights were well outside of the shield, and couldn’t be anything but imperial.

”So to our enemy I say this: NO MORE! Not one more atrocity, not one more victory, not one more step forward! We will deny you at every turn, fight you tooth and nail for every inch of ground! This is our home, this is our world, and we’ll kill you all for what you’ve done to it!”

“On that-” Carolus lifted his glass to toast as he gently plucked up the record players arm, setting it down as the vinyl spun. “-we agree.” Gentle opera began to echo through the ship as the dreadnought continued to float high above the battlefield, utterly untouchable by anything of Equis.

Far, far away, above the clouds surrounding the great mountains, bomber wing Molotov droned on toward the battlefield, their crews girded in high altitude clothing and breathing masks. Passing through the bomb racks, Private Fedorovich looked out through the view ports, trying to catch sight of the Wonderbolts as they flew escort. The massive 1000Ib magical napalm bombs swayed gently in their racks, each carrying enough raw energy to immolate dozens of meters of ground. The private worried slightly as he leaned on one, craning his neck to look out the port. A small smile crossed his muzzle as a blue-yellow jumpsuit flitted by, covered by high altitude gear and submachine gun battlesaddle. One of Stalliongrad’s own aerofighters droned up alongside the huge six engined bomber, the pilot giving a hoofsign to the pilot. The fighter was new, that much Fedorovich could tell. The fighter had no paint, instead the base metal was polished to a mirror shine, making the fighters like bolts of silver lightning in the skies.

As he remained at the port, admiring the engineering of the craft, a call went out for all stations. Cursing softly, Fedorovich hustled up to his gun nest, climbing up the ladder and forcing his earth pony bulk into the ball turret. The dark skies greeted him as he nestled in, pulling on his radio headset. “I am here, comrade captain.”

“Welcome back old chap.” The tail gunner greeted him gently over the comms. “We’ve quite a storm building over the eastern mountains, should make for some rough flying, the pilot says.”

“Is just clouds…” the young earth pony responded as he waggled his thirty caliber machineguns back and forth, testing their responsiveness. “How bad could it be?”

“Gunners, look ten o clock!” The spotter called out as lightning cracked the sky and flashed against the clouds. “Multiple contacts! How are they up this high!?” Another flash of lightning earned a chorus of curses as it illuminated an Imperial corvette, hiding among the clouds. Immediately, the corvette began disgorging troops, intent on swarming them. It’s guns spoke, and flak burst around the lead bomber.

Gasping in pain when hot shrapnel punctured his turret, Private Fedorovich slumped in his seat as wild wind bellowed by his head. His blood was already running down his legs and pooling at his feet, his oxygen hose punctured and hissing. He could feel his head swimming in the high altitude as he gasped for air, and more flak bursts lit up among the formation. The corvette would shred them soon enough. Whether he’d be conscious for it remained to be seen.

“This is Soarin, we’ll take on the fast movers. Molotov, don’t wait up.” The Wonderbolt sounded tired over the radio, as if accepting his fate before it had been confirmed.

Of course, Fedorovich couldn’t blame the stallion. They all knew this flight was a one way trip. They’d all volunteered. Letting his head loll back as his blood poured out, Fedorovich let out a soft sigh as he slowly began to close his eyes.

Before dark enveloped Fedorovich, the clouds above him began to part as a smooth bellied alien craft slipped out from its cover there. How long had it been there, he wondered quietly as the other guns opened fire on the approaching griffons. “What are-” His breath was stolen away as the belly of the craft blossomed open, stealth plating sliding back to allow rotating racks of ship killer missiles to slide out into the jet stream. As the craft slid back and forth across the air, he found he could see no glass, no cockpit. The only identifying marks on the craft were a trio of strikes that ran across the vertical ailerons, and snarling shark teeth that coated the nose. The young buck found he just… had to keep living, just to see what would happen next.

As Fedorovich pressed a hoof against his wound, the alien craft suddenly rolled across the top of his bomber, sliding over the jetstream like a fish. As it flattened out, one of the missiles on its belly ignited, and leapt forward like a bat out of hell, streaking off toward the corvette hiding in the clouds. “Blyat…”

”So ready up, JSOG! We’re dropping feet first into hell, and I plan to give that Devil Carolus a taste of my boot treads! There will be no retreat today! Not one step back! We win here, or we die trying, so give them a taste of real war! RETREAT HELL!”

“RETREAT HELL!”

“Now that’s what I’m fuckin talking about.”

Chapter Sixty Nine: The Rise of Dawn

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Punching through the atmosphere of the alien planet, Roxy kept to a high cruising altitude, enjoying her momentary freedom behind the controls of the spacefighter. Up so high the wind currents didn’t bother her as she cruised across the top of the Mesosphere teasing the Thermosphere. She was well beyond the reprise of any terrestrial being, well above earthly concerns. This was her home, her kingdom, and she was its Queen straddling the line between stars and sky, sailing the deep dark blue. Bouncing from the southern continent, up across the coast and over the jagged Ural Mountain peaks in a matter of minutes, Roxy began to lower her altitude into the clouds. It was time to become a predator again, to become a shark within the rolling clouds. “This is Buzzsaw, target sighted. Objective Guardian is about to run face first into an ambush, am I cleared to engage?” The air before her was filled with clouds, but with each individual in the air marked with wireframes and pips, nothing could ever hope to hide from her.

“You’re weapons free, Buzzsaw.”

If she’d still had a face, Roxy would be grinning ear to ear. “Let’s begin introductions.”

Rolling on her axis, Roxy descended upon the formation from above, easing herself in just before it all hit the fan. The naval ship hiding in the clouds gave her brief pause, but the prospect of scoring a ship kill excited her far more than her curiosity. Bellying down through the clouds, she made her presence known to the bomber formation as rainwater ran sharp rivulets across her dark grey hull. She was the Queen of the Deep Blue Skies, and this was her airspace. She was the shark, and they the tasty little morsels who dared to trespass within her sea. Below her, a wounded ball gunner stared up at her craft with features mixed between wonder and horror. She would have smiled to herself if she could, as her targeting system chimed a lock, and she set off the trigger with a simple thought.

“Fox two, I’m moving to engage the air mobiles.” Roxy called over comms as her hypersonic fighter loosed an anti-ship missile toward the floating airship. The AGM Kingfisher Mk VIII leapt forward, streaking by the allied defenders as flak from the ship blossomed around the formation. Ponies fluttered in shock at roar of the missile, while fighters jinked and dove, surprised by it’s sudden appearance from behind them. The griffons didn’t react as such, but were equally unable to touch the blistering fast munition before it slipped through the clouds, and delivered a haymaker blow to the Imperial corvette. Using high powered repulsor jets, the missile made a hairpin dive at the last moment and dove into the bowels of the ship through the top deck, where the armour was all but nonexistent.

“Boom. Target spiked, switching to guns.”

As if a tiny sun had erupted inside it’s mid-deck, the corvette detonated in a dramatic fashion. Splitting down the center, the hull was shoved apart, spewing fire and shrapnel in every direction, while the deck guns were blown sky high, trailing smoke and flame. Before the shockwave had even reached the impending dogfight, Roxy jinked her craft to the side, and loosed an incredibly brief burst of her gun. The 30mm gatling cannon that straddled the length of her craft’s belly spooled immediately, and in the brief moment the trigger was activated by her linked neurons, the cannon had already spewed forth two hundred and nine rounds. Designed to take on tanks and hardened structures, the huge rail accelerated caseless HEAP rounds turned the incoming hostile wave into a cloud of red mist and falling, flaming offal. It was overkill, but the Queen had passed her judgement.

Returning her weapons into the belly of the craft, Roxy hummed to herself as the Equestrians swiftly mopped up the ravaged attacking wave. “Objective Guardian completed, pushing on to Objective Castle.” Pausing momentarily, Roxy watched as the Wonderbolts and silver fishbed fighters formed up around her, their leader looking over at her craft with windswept admiration. To them, she must have appeared as something completely alien; while their aircraft still had gas guzzling prop engines and riveted fuselages, her Northrop Grumman F/A 37 Talon was all hard radar baffling angles, with swept forward variable wings and a hugely oversized double thrust vectoring repulsor bank. With no cockpit, and it’s deadly cargo stowed back inside it’s belly, the Talon must have appeared to be some sort of divine sci-fi wet dream to the locals. When the leading pony shot her a salute with a hoof, Roxy dipped her tail, before performing a quick aileron roll for the crowd. “See you guys soon!” The whole craft shuddered as she engaged the hypersonic drives, thrust vectoring cowls tightening as the reactor whining vibrantly before she took off like a shot. To the Equestrians, she was gone in a moment, leaving only the distant double barrel booms of her craft hitting supersonic, and immediately blasting into hypersonic.

The latest attack had been launched upon Cloudchaser’s line, and they were already neck deep in it. The bodies were piling up, and refused to stop coming. The imperial forces were like a tide, and they were the rocks that they dashed themselves against. It was a pleasant statement, for those who didn’t know that even the mightiest rocks could shatter or erode away to nothing under the tides. And erode they did. The imperials sent wave after wave, crashing down on top of the trenches. Cloudchaser had already been forced to leave the trench once to clear aside corpses so Chance could keep his firing lane free of hostiles. Every time she crawled up into the filthy muck, she came away slathered in dark black mud, and deep red blood. Often she found she couldn’t tell what there was more of, but she was so far gone into it all that the difference no longer mattered. It didn’t matter, because the next wave was already on top of them.

“Fuckin thing’s jammed!” Chance cried out in panic as he wrenched the charging handle back and forth, trying to clear the stovepiped round out of the action. The barrel of the heavy gun all but glowed in the dark, steaming from the heat and blood spattered on it.

“More of them, pushing up!” Fate yelled as he poured a bucket of piss across the barrel in desperate hopes of cooling it down. They’d run out of water hours ago, despite all the rainwater in the trenches. They could never hope to use that filth, for worry of fouling the gun even worse. The reek of cooking ammonia filled the area, fighting against the stench of the dead and dying.

Cresting the trench, Cloudchaser lobbed a 35mm grenade at the encroaching pack, killing scores of them as the round tossed up clods of dirt and a puff of smoke. Reaching into her webbing for another round, terror quickly enveloped Cloudchaser as her hoof squished empty pockets and spent pouches. “I’m out! I’m-” The round that punched into her crude chest armour knocked the air from her lungs, stealing her words from her throat as stillborn warnings. Falling back into the trench with a splash, Cloudchaser forced herself to gasp around bruised ribs and push her head out of the mud. Turning her eyes toward the sky, horror enveloped her as the last barrage of artillery smashed it’s way through, shattering the shield.

The golden shield that had protected them from the crashing Imperial shells exploded from the pounding pressure, the fragments dematerialising as they fell to earth. Beyond it, vibrant comets lit up the inky black skies, barrelling down toward the earth.

The sky was falling.

“We have broken through, Emperor.” The words echoed through the bridge of the dreadnought, but brokered little celebration as the great magic shield covering Canterlot fractured, and began to fall. It would only be a matter of moments until the next shells were loaded, and the real bombardment would begin. Lance Corporal Alentius Steelbeak of the Imperial Special Operations Group watched on wordlessly as the Emperor chuckled, and raised a glass.

“To the Fall of Equestria. The conquest of ages, and it’s finally my right to claim.” Carolus toasted with his generals, a murmur of pleasure and self congratulation passing through the flight of them.

Trapped within his own mind, Alentius wallowed and lamented against it all. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do. He had tried to fight when it all had began, but the god Jalgromak had simply shoved his consciousness deeper into his mind, and taken control. At one time, Alentius had been a rising star, joining the ranks of JSOG and serving with distinction across the world. Now, he was nothing but a door guard, no better than a coat hanger. As the shield fell, he knew that at least it would be over soon, one way or another.

Subconsciously, he flicked his attentions to the Equestrian elements as they stood nearby, equally entranced by the magic. Each of them had their eyes all but blazing bright blue as they continued to fight the control, but only earned more in return. Alentius wished them well in their endeavor.

“Come here.” Carolus snapped his talons, pointing to the deck as he looked to the six mares. “I want you all to witness the fall of your capital. Order, has won.” While no smile etched the young Emperor’s features, the vile venom of his malice all but dripped from every syllable. As the mares slowly approached, one of the generals spoke.

“My Emperor, what is that? In the sky.” The withered talon pointed up, toward forty blisteringly bright comets that streaked toward the ground.

A pall fell over the bridge that belonged wholly to Carolus as he crushed his glass in hand, and leaned forward on the console. “No… No! Damn that insufferable harpy, she wishes to steal my victory!”

Lunging forward into his mind, Alentius pushed all of his willpower into simply craning his neck to see out the viewport.

Against the inky black backdrop that had smothered the world for nine days, forty comets lit up the night, plunging downwards. A smile was creeping onto his face, earning him more agony from the vindictive god controlling his actions. The pain hardly registered for the large griffon as he stared out the window, eyes fixated on what he just knew weren’t simple comets.

The sky was falling.

Within her sanctum, Celestia gasped for air, nearly falling over as her willpower was spent by the last few imperial shells. Within the realm of magic, every strike to her shield had carried the full bloody minded intent of the beast responsible for their launching. She’d known for nine days and nights what would happen if the shield were to fall, and so for nine days and nights, she pushed herself as hard as she could. Celestia could hear the sirens sounding already through the high pitched ringing that sounded in her ears, telling of their coming doom. Letting her head hang and the blood dribble free from her muzzle, Celestia screwed her eyes shut, mourning what was about to be lost. Her mane was long since limp, as she was unwilling to waste even the barest ounce of power to keep it flowing. Her coat was matted with sweat and stained with blood, despite the best efforts of her loyal attendants. Pushing herself up, the solar diarch walked shakily to her balcony. If she was going to witness the end of the world, she wanted to do it with the wind in her mane and through her coat.

Her guards and attendants came galloping in, crying out to her, but all she heard was the low keening whine the mental backlash had forced upon her. Pushing open her balcony doors, Celestia stared out at the battlefields at the base of the mountain. In the distance, she could see the Imperial guns thundering again, and could imagine the shells screaming toward her, with the same genocidal intent. Closing her eyes, Celestia pulled in a breath-

-and all but found it stolen away as an alien craft screamed by her tower, shattering windows with its slipstream. Opening her eyes wide, Celestia tried to follow the glowing tail of the craft as it streaked through the city, jinking and rolling between Canterlot towers and through Cloudsdale streets. The imperial artillery that shrieked toward her detonated mid air, their warheads set off prematurely by precision laser CIWS fire from the craft. As a foolish smile began to play at Celestia’s lips, her eyes went up.

“Celestia!” Her guard captain yelled to be heard over the ringing in her ears. “What are your orders!?”

Casting her gaze over at the stallion, Celestia saw his ears go flat out of shock. “All orders to surrender, are false. We will no longer fight in the shade. Deploy everything, every spell, every bullet and every body! If we’re to win this, we must strike now!” With the urgency in her voice and the wild look in her eyes, Celestia sent her guard galloping off with her orders in mind. Raising her head skywards, Celestia pushed deep into her soul, bringing up the last of her magic. No matter the cost, she’d see the sun rise one last time. “We will not die in the dark.” As her eyes went up, she watched as the rising sun gleamed off forty comets streaking toward earth

The sky was falling, and hell followed with it.

Like meteors, forty drop pods entered the atmosphere of the planet as the sun was forced to crest, flames licking across their tempered shells as they hurtled toward the ground, hellbound. Air brakes deployed, emitting sonic booms as they jostled the pods out of re-entry speed, and began slowing them down. Soon, the heat would blow off the breaks, and the drag chutes would deploy, jostling the craft again as they slowed just a little more. To an observer’s eye, it would appear as if they pods hadn’t slowed at all, but as the area denial charges detonated across the bottoms of the pods and their automated guns opened fire, it would be known that the pods were working exactly as intended.

Flitter’s pod shuddered as the AD charges set off, splashing the impact area below her with six thousand high velocity steel ball bearings, turning anything caught within the dozen meter zone into chutney and offal. She didn’t bother holding her breath as the ground rushed up and her pod slammed into it. The gravity dampers kicked in just in time, lowering the G’s she felt on impact to a mere 15, well within tolerances. The pod’s automated guns were already hammering away as she burst forward from the drop door, rifle raised forward.

Drones whipped back and forth through the air, providing tactical data and support fire to the three teams as they disgorged from their pods, immediately shoving the scales of the battle aside as the sun flooded the valley with light, blinding the imperials. JSOG Unicorns were the first to act, slamming their hands together as they focused their magics into gloved fingers, untainted by titanium influences. Polarized shields leapt up in key locations as the earth ponies deployed, taking point in their massive power armours. Shoulder rockets leapt across the battlefield as rotary tri-barrel power guns spooled, and started spewing cerulean death across the lines. Every hostile struck by a powered round became an immediate threat to the fellows around him, as his body was turned to boiling hot steam and bone shrapnel. The blistering firepower was immediately improved by the assistance of the heavy drones, which formed mobile fortresses that lumbered through the muck and filth with zero issue as their autocannons blasted away at the hordes. The next wave of Imperial shells were turned to flak as the deployed Calliope drones tracked each round, gunning them down moments after their launches had been detected by orbital scanners.

The pegasi of JSOG took to the skies, immediately assisting in facing down the waves of attackers as they bore down toward Canterlot’s defenders. Their smaller weapons packed no less punch, and their hive rockets swiftly set the battle in their favour as whole wings of hostiles were smashed from the skies.

Overhead, Roxy only throttled back long enough to acquire eleven targets, and loose her remaining complement of Kingfisher AGM’s. The missiles streaked forward, smashing apart smaller corvettes and outright crippling line cruisers as they detonated and tossed the ships about like toys. The brainbox bound pilot twirled through streaking tracers, laughing as the skies burned with light and explosives.

Despite it all, on the ground, JSOG was still only forty against the world, and they couldn’t last on their own.

The thunder of the battle shook the trees gently as the humans waited. Within their pillboxes and entrenched positions, they waited. Guns were readied, scopes were dialed in, and engines idled. They waited, for the signal.

Letting out a long, slow breath, Jack watched as JSOG descended from the heavens, while the shield shattered and fell to earth. Experimental hardware burdened his frame, his feet pushed into the sodden ground from the heavy weight. Rain pitter pattered against the tarps and metal, as of nature were attempting to lull them all into a deep sleep. They couldn’t act too early, and no matter how much he wished to leap into battle and wade in waist deep, he waited for the signal.

Lifting a hand, as the First Expeditionary force held their fire and lined up their targets, the War Armour clad Kleese waited for the signal. As pods fell from the skies and ships exploded, his hand remained aloft, and the human guns remained silent. They had to wait for the signal.

“This is Overlord, Tactica-Command is established, orbit belongs to Humanity.” Captain Milani’s prideful voice sounded in their ears, earning grins as tactical data streamed in by the terabyte, and targets were locked on. “Satellites have been launched and locked into orbit sync with target area. We’re reading some… implausible things from the local sun, but it seems you boys will be fighting in the light. Give them hell.”

“All units!” Irving declared as he opened his hand, and drove his arm down like a knife. “Weapons free!”

The treeline exploded with the vicious firepower of a hundred and fifty humans, taking the Imperial flank completely off guard. Various weapon tracers licked back and forth, felling scores without need to aim against the veritable horde. Behind the line, the huge eight wheeled Hogs activated their raised missile batteries, and unleashed their payloads. Cruise missiles streaked forward from the trees, trailing smoke from their rocket engines as they angled up high, before splintering and launching their submunitions like how a dandelion spreads its seeds in the wind. Each submunition was launched far from the host body, pushed onwards by a small repulsor engine bank that saw each warhead changing angle and diving on their own accord. The submunitions, if they could be called as such, each carried a single two tonne yield plasma warhead that was targeted for the Imperial warships and camps, where they would do the most immediate damage. Where Roxy’s anti-ship missiles had crippled the smaller cruisers, the Hogs immolated entire ships, erasing them from existence with white hot flashes of light. The ground targets fared no better, hundreds vanishing in blinding flashes that caused the valley to experience a second dawn for the first time in nine days.

Standing at the front line, Jack tracked the smaller attack ships as they tried to maneuver out of the killing field, unleashing some of his experimental hardware. His twin shoulder mounted cannons boomed again and again, driving fifty kilogram slugs into the ships like they were made of paper. As ships fell from the sky, his cannons disengaged, landing in the dirt as they chimed empty. “Keep up the fire, they’ll regroup and be on us at any moment.” His voice carried over the gunfire, warning of the attack wave that was already forming.

“Jack!” Jessica called out. “Now or never big guy!”

“Copy.” Treading over, Jack walked with Walter and Jessica as the woman wheeled a dirtbike toward the sideline. “I’ll guide you through the city via comms, but all the hard shit will be up to you.”

“I got it, I got it. Just make sure I’ve got an opening.” Hopping onto the dirt bike, Jessica started the bike up as her brother double checked her cargo.

“I don’t like this.” Walter rumbled through his War Armour’s external mic.

“You don’t like anything, Wally.” Jessica chided, before taking off through the treeline.

Sighing hard, Walter shook his head as he looked to Jack. “Well, let's get you ready for your part. Are you sure this plan will work?”

“If I lie, will it make you feel better?” Jack tromped over to the backline stations, where several of his pods stood, ready to deploy his rearmament and experimental kit. “I always wanted to be a Rocketman.”

Jessica lived for excitement. She lived for the rush, lived for the feeling of being alive. She’d joined the Legion looking for a means to feed her excitement, but had only walked away missing years of her life with nothing to show for it. Her civilian life as a day trader offered her some creature comforts, but all the work kept her shackled down, staring at her omnilink, a slave to fluctuating numbers.

But now? As she raced downhill with tracers whipping back and forth over her head, straddling a screaming dirtbike pinned to high gear? She was alive. Ostensibly, she was carrying out one of the most important objectives, with nothing but Jack’s voice in her ear guiding her forward. The weight of her cargo felt like a feather as she braced her legs and whipped across no-mans land, spraying a muddy rooster tail as bullets snapped and hissed by like wasps. Hopping over trenches and ducking alien heads, Jessica ran the bike for everything it was worth. The trenches zigzagged back and forth, creating a maze of pitfalls that the bike skipped and hopped over at speed, revving and screaming as the big knobby tires bit and grabbed at the muddy terrain. Soon, she was guided to a set of train tracks that scaled the mountain aggressively. A massive armoured train sat at the base, its cannons roaring as she zipped by, an uninteresting target for the heavy guns.

Exiting the trenches, Jessica set forth into the equine city. “Don’t let the architecture distract you.” Jack spoke in her ear, watching through her eyepiece. “Hang a hard left at the station and carry down the main avenue. Don’t stop for anything less than six feet tall and regal.”

“Copy that, Big Guy!” Gunning her throttle as she shot through the train tunnel, Jessica burst on to the station’s tracks, only to find the station itself nearly deserted. A number of militia and guards called out in surprise as she mounted the ledge, but none acted in time to stop her as she leapt down main street and carried on to the castle. Zipping by abandoned shops and public works, Jessica found it incredibly hard to not get distracted. “Wow… Jack, this place is beautiful! It’s like something right out of a fairy tail! I’ve never seen so many soft colours in a city!” Her tires squealed and her engine keened as she skipped across an intersection, bringing the castle into full view. “Holy- Damn, look at this place! It’s- It’s amazing!”

“Focus, the main gates will be closed. Use that park hill and jump the wall!” A trio of guards aimed their rifles at her, screaming for the intruder to stop, but she’d never intended on listening. Popping the front wheel off the ground, Jessica jumped the wall surrounding the castle grounds, and landed inside the unmaintained gardens within. The aftermath of the militia camp was still visible in every direction, from turned up dirt to small portions of destris. “They’re converging on you now, go through that door.”

Slipping between the massive oaken doors, Jessica had to fight to keep from gawking at the fantastical opulence of the castle. She couldn’t afford a single distraction as she churned up carpets and slid across polished marble, leaving skid marks upon the fine finish. The guards were really moving in on her now, going as far as to take flight and give chase. “How much further!?”

“Straight, straight... Left! Now!” Jack called out, causing Jessica to nearly put the bike down sideways to make the turn. “Up those stairs and through the doors!”

“The doors are closed!” As she mounted the stairs with squealing tires, the guards at the door roared for her to halt.

“Fuck it, ram em!”

With a laugh, Jessica pulled her front wheel up, letting the bottom of the bike take a warning shot from one of the guards, before slamming into the heavy wood doors. Smashing through, Jessica was sent tumbling into the war room, her bike scraping up sparks as it rolled. The Generals within dove for cover as weapons were raised and magic charged; at the center of it all was a battle-ready Luna, horn ready to lance forward and fell the intruder. Slinging off her backpack cargo, Jessica slammed the device down on the table, and activated it.

Unwilling to let her carry on, Luna’s magic wrapped around the human woman, hefting her off the ground like a toy as a sword pressed against the girl’s neck. “Identify thyself before I run you through!”

“Wow, you’re really tall for a pony.” Jessica quipped as she hung upside down, her neck bare millimeters away from being opened up. A slight grin cracked under her helmet as the device fully activated, and deployed on to the table. The grin vanished as she was pulled over violently and used as a shield from the impending explosion that would never come. With no small amount of smugness in her tone, Jessica called out. “Tactica-Command module is deployed, Boss!”

“What do-!” Luna was cut off as the combined radio chatter of JSOG and the 1st Expeditionary flooded into the room and the holographic display kicked in, revealing the battle in real time, alongside projected enemy movements, friendly positions, and a whole slew of tactical data. “Gods above…” The radio calls of the assisting army were calm and collected, each layered back and forth to avoid chaos. JSOG was a well oiled machine, working flawlessly together, and in tandem to the assisting 1st Expeditionary Force, which faced the horde with a bravado only possible in foolhardy humans.

“It’s cool, don’t worry. We’re here to help!” Jessica grinned as she hung upside down, and the rest of the war room staff began to move closer in to get a better look at the revolutionary device. While magic could afford near real time positions for tactics, it was fickle, and never this clear.

“Princess Luna-” Jack’s voice boomed in the room, his dagger icon lighting up upon the board, with the callsign ‘Courage’ above it. “-I’m about to begin my assault on the Dreadnought, use your radios to readjust your lines with the new tactical data. Have Jessica dial in your radios to the system, it’ll sort everything else out!”

Suddenly, new battle lines were drawn, and JSOG units began to move to match them.“The left flank is flagging, Aurora, get a pair of heavy drones on it!” Flitter commanded, her sword and shield icon popping up as ‘Hellion’. “Princess Luna, JSOG has landed and repelled the wave, we’re digging in and holding the line until Jack’s objective is complete!”

Dropping Jessica, Luna pushed forward. “I do not know if you can hear me, but my Night Guard are ready to deploy!”

With a chuckle, Jack set a marker upon the floating dreadnought. “Then you better prepare for their counter attack, because I’m about to piss them off something fierce.” The dreadnought’s massive signature was pinged, and outlined in red.

“You heard the human!” Luna bellowed. “Deploy my Nightguard, and Cloudsdale!” The war room exploded with activity that had been frozen by the sudden arrival of Jessica, but now that Luna had broken the spell, it carried on with a hopeful, frenetic energy. New orders were shouted, battle lines redrawn, lives were saved, and lives were ended with simple gestures.

“Simoh.” Jack started as the technicians attached the huge experimental pack to his back, ratcheting it down with pins and clamps. Despite his strength, the pack weighed almost too much to be used properly.

“Yes?” The snowy griffon man was settled atop a copse of rocks, with a commanding view of the battlefield through his rifle scope. All anybody could see of him outside the optical camo ghillie suit was the meter and a half long 20mm barrel poking free.

“You see my markers?” Jack tested the throttle on his new equipment, the huge pack rumbling and whining with great power. The pack was a huge array of control surfaces, oversized thrusters, and a small power supply, giving Jack the appearance of a hedgehog. An experimental jetpack, that was about to be turned into a one-way rocket ride.

“Of course I do. Do you know how to fly that thing?” Simoh toggled his munition switch until the titanium penetrators chimed in.

“I know enough to go real fast in a straight line.” Jack squatted down slightly, bracing his knees against the adhoc launchpad. “Gimme three rounds, on my mark.”

“With pleasure.” Simoh sighted his rifle, and allowed a little smile to play his lips. “If you’re good at anything, it's going really fast in a straight line.”

Jack chuckled mildly as his rocketpack shook the woods with it’s thrusters. It took everything Jack had to brace against the monstrous thrust the pack was putting out, he had to hold it all in until the right moment. “Now he gets with the program. Mark!”

“I’ve seen enough.” Carolus snarled as he watched the battle unfold before him. “Humans. Damnable, disgusting humans!” He spat at the window, fuming as another ship exploded and sank to the ground, flaming and disgorging burning crew. Alentius watched near the door, silent and still as he waited. He could see something though, far off in the distance.

Without warning, the tinted window was struck, and a uniformed general’s head turned to a fine mist as a trio of heavy rounds snapped by, into the wall behind them. The bridge went silent in shock, though the silence was entirely Carolus’. They were supposed to be untouchable within the dreadnought, not targets of opportunity. The only thing that had spared Carolus was his current lack of uniform. The object from the woods was gaining speed, and detail. Whatever it was, it was spewing flame and smoke, and headed straight for the ragged holes that sat in the once impenetrable shield.

“I…” Carolus waivered, before his own eyes glowed blue for a moment. “All guns, fire on that human!”

It took all of Jack’s willpower to not cry out with terror and excitement as he was launched from the woods atop his rocket pack, the g-force from the flight pulling hard at his face. The rough kilometer and a half between him and his target vanished in all but an instant as he blitzed through the air like a missile. Now that the ships in his way were repositioning or falling to the ground as broken wrecks, he had the clearest shot possible, he just had to make it count. As it turned out, keeping the pack straight was far harder than he’d anticipated, and there was plenty of reasons why the jetpack had never been circulated.

Raising his arms against the pressure of flight almost felt like too much, but as the great glowing shield fast approached, he knew he had to, otherwise he’d just become a stain smeared across the ship at four hundred kilometers per hour. Heaving his arms forward, Jack only managed to utter a simple “FUCK!” as he slammed fist first into the shield. With the three pre existing holes acting as guides, his titanium forged knuckle dusters smashing through like the shield were made of glass. Unfortunately, his experimental pack was too big to make it through the hole, exploding in a conflagration of twisted metal and plasma fire. Trying to tumble mid air as his own inbuilt thrusters deployed and tried to slow him down, Jack failed entirely, and plowed through the top deck like a rocket. Structure and pipes clanged and hissed as he smashed through them, before finally coming to a stop two decks below.

“ow… This is Courage… I’m onboard the dreadnought.” Slowly rolling over, Jack rested on his haunches as he popped his shoulder back into place. “ow…”

Jack.

Mark’s voice echoed in his head as he pushed himself up, drawing his pistol and fighting knife. “What?”

There’s something you need to know about Jalgromak.

Grunting in annoyance, Jack set off down the cramped gangway, weapon muzzle sweeping back and forth. “What, you couldn’t tell me before?” Shaking his head slightly, his attentions flicked to the side at the sound of quietly clicking talons growing closer. Jack jerked his arm upwards without a second's hesitation and pulled the trigger, blasting an Imperial armsman off his feet, killing the griffon behind that one with the overpenetration. “Go on, I ain’t got all day.”

Jalgromak and I are brothers, as you know. We were placed upon this world at it’s birth, and tasked in seeding it with life. Together, the two of us created harmony, or rather, a physical manifestation of Harmony. The tree of Harmony.

“Good to see your naming conventions are simple enough for marines to remember.” Jack tucked into cover, rolling his Kbar in the palm of his hand. The clack of hostile talons on metal and the jingling of loose equipment was the only sound in his ears that mattered. He lunged out as the group passed him, impaling the lead armsman as he bore down on the others. The griffons fired through each other, but even without the unwitting meat shields he had, their rounds were far too anemic to do more than marr the gleaming silver finish of his armour’s heat treated plates.

Yes yes, I’ll reward you with some crayons later. Anyways, the tree of harmony… It, and all pieces of it, ala the Elements of Harmony, are derived from our essence. All pieces are equal parts order and chaos, intertwined.

“And that means?” Rounding a corner, in pursuit of the fleeing armsmen, Jack was met by a hail of bullets from an infantry support weapon that sparked and spalled off his plates. Idly yanking a smoke grenade from the storage unit in his leg plates, Jack tossed it into the intersection as he sidestepped out of the way momentarily. Using the smoke as cover, he slipped aside from the storm of bullets, and used his magnetic vision mode to seek out the gunnery crew through the glittering cloud. “High Ex.” The cylinder of his handcannon span on its own accord, before chiming an affirmative, moments before he pulled the trigger. The shot rang out in the enclosed spaces of the dreadnought, but the echo of the explosion swiftly overlapped it as the crew was annihilated. Jack strode by the position, ignoring the cooking ammo as it plinked off his armour harmlessly.

It means that both myself and my dear brother are able to manipulate the elements, and by extension their wearers. I’ve done so in the past, for my own entertainment, but you know by now what Jalgromak is using it for.

With an uncharacteristic cry of rage, an Armsman charged him, clutching two fragmentation grenades. “Yeah that would have been real slick info a year ago, but how’s this affect me now?” Jack grunted in angry derision toward the voice in his head as he slammed a fist into the Imperial armsman, crushing the griffon’s ribcage before idly tossing him down a set of stairs, toward a charging group of griffons. The frag grenades did the rest.

You’ll need to separate the bearers from their elements. To do that, you’re going to need to separate the bearers themselves from each other.

Entering the primary superstructure underneath the center tower, Jack scanned the area, and found stairs. “Noted.” Jack muttered in exasperation as he began mounting the stairs. “Anything else?”

There is. You won’t like it.

The thumping and clattering of Armsmen rushing downstairs toward him provided Jack ample warning, while the confined stairwell provided him a whole squad of easy targets. “Flechette.” He spoke to his weapon, shifting his ammo type over. The tungsten darts made short work of the squad, ripping through their soft bodies. “Stop fucking around and give me a straight answer dammit, I don’t have all day for fucking story time!” Jack fired again inside the confined space, spraying blood across the walls.

When I betrayed my brother, I sealed him away within a stone dias, and placed a requirement for release far too heavy for any mortal to achieve upon it. To free him, it requires a massive blood sacrifice from innocents. Over millennia, he used his remaining power to shape the dias into something that would allow him to exert control over the denizens of the world I was ruling. I would have stopped him from creating the first mask, had I not been sealed away myself within stone before I knew.

The sole survivor of the squad attempted to retreat, inly to find the bulkhead closed behind him. Turning, he made to face down the oncoming monster. “You fucking deserved it, you cunt.” Pistoning a foot into the griffon, Jack split the armsman in half, while blasting the door off its hinges. He sprung upon the armsmen behind it, laying into them with knife and fist. “What’s the catch!”

The welp, Carolus, is using this seige to fulfill the blood requirements of the ritual. A million innocents, all lined up nicely.

“So I stop him, big deal. It doesn’t change-”

It changes everything! To destroy my brother once and for all, we must see the ritual complete, and for that, we must carry on with the sacrifice!

His orders were followed to the letter. His soldiers never hesitated. It was a thousand to one, and they were being slaughtered like rats. Carolus clutched his radio, sweat beading on his skin. “Sergeant, where is the human!?”

“He’s-YAREUG-” The line went dead momentarily, before a voice crackled over it, booming out the receiver. “Gobble gobble, Turkey Bitch.”

“Teleport me to Hunter’s Perch!” Carolus ordered frantically as the sound of stomping boots and staccato gunfire drew closer and closer to his lounge. All too soon, his glasses and bottles of fine brandy were bouncing in their shelves from the footfalls alone. As the Element of Magic nodded slowly, twin holes exploded through his lounge doors, the fine wood fragments carrying portions of skull and brain with them. “NOW!”

Plowing through the doors, Jack showered the inside of the lounge with splintered wood. “CAROLUS!” He bellowed in unadulterated fury as his jets unfurled, seeing him lunge forward like a cannon shot from hell. Despite his speed, he couldn’t outrun the swiftness of Twilight’s spell. They were already beginning to light up, and there was no way he could reach the Emperor before he was whisked away. “I’LL FIND YOU!” He roared in anger as he dove, interposing himself between the first element he could reach. With his titanium clad armour raking across Dash’s hide, the teleportation spell around her came undone, just as the rest of the girls vanished before Jack’s eyes. “Motherfucker! FUCK! Slamming a fist into the wood floor, Jack pushed himself up as more armsmen flooded in, and Dash squared off against him. “Goddamn my fucking life!”

Alentius recognised the voice inside the lounge, but he didn’t recognize the imposing armour. More mind controlled armsmen flooded ahead of him, keen to follow their lord’s orders to the letter. Alentius however, had other plans. It was agony, fighting against the control, but he had been waiting for a moment like this. He’d played docile, and didn’t try to fight the control when he knew he couldn’t escape, but now? Now his commander was here. With his weapon already raised from the commands, Alentius willed his talon into the trigger guard, and pinned his rifle down in full auto. The action racked his body with lances of unbelievable pain, repayment for his sudden but inevitable betrayal. As his rifle clicked empty and the magazine fell from the well, Alentius found himself facing down the large bore barrel of a pistol, belonging to a beast far bigger than he’d remembered, who currently had the Element of Loyalty slung over his shoulder. The weapon didn’t fire as Alentius felt his body being overtaken by Order’s influence.

“You always were stubborn for a chicken.” Alentius lost consciousness as an armoured hand smacked his skull, ringing his bell like never before. As he hit the deck, Alentius felt his failing body being picked up, and manhandled like a sack of potatoes. He hoped that wherever he ended up, it was better than the hell he had endured.

“Overlord, this is Courage! Enemy Commander has fled the field, and I have two VIP’s in tow, I need immediate medivac for the VIP’s once I’m off the dreadnought, how copy?”

“We read you, Courage.” Augustina watched the battle unfold before her scope. Far below her, Courage was still on the dreadnaught, fighting his way off. There were no friendlies nearby, or at least, none crazy enough to make a run at the dreadnought while it was still active. “Anybody willing to jump into the flames for Courage?” She called across the unencrypted radio channels.

“This is Captain Alsan of the Righteous Justice, we’ll retrieve him.” The voice was unfamiliar to Augustina, but the steel within it earned a respectful smile.

“Great!” Jack responded as he reached the top deck. “Overlord, Drop the Hammer on the dreadnought! We need this beast out of the fight before it does anything drastic! We plug it, and it’s all over for em!” As if on cue, the gargantuan ship began to make full steam for Canterlot. “Aw hell… Marsa, kick that tub into high gear!” Jack spun on his heels, shielding his two charges with his body as rounds danced off him. In the distance, the massive cloud city above Canterlot began to move. “Why is Cloudsdale move-” He found his answer immediately as lightning began to emit from the city, acting as weapon arrays. The lightning lashed out, smashing into the ground before the front line. Skirmishes opened up between imperial vessels and the floating city, and it was impossible to tell who would come out on top. Every building had been weaponized, and the weather factories were churning out emergency class weather cells that wreaked havoc across the sky and the vessels within, but the Imperials had more guns than the Equestrian’s had bodies. Cloudsdale, wouldn’t be enough. “That ain’t something you see every day…”

“Jack!” Marsa called over the radio as her destroyer slipped from the lines, it’s great golden prow gleaming against the sun. “Get ready to jump, I’m not slowing down!” The Righteous Justice’s shields sparked and shone as rounds impacted them, the whole array focused forward. Aerial units were attempting to catch up with it and swarm it’s decks from behind, leaving not a single inch for error on either end.

“Aw hell…” Running for the tear in the Dreadnoughts shields that was slowly beginning to seal, Jack leapt through, still clutching his unconscious charges. Squeezing through the hole with all the grace of a dying buffalo, Jack began to tumble, before he slammed his hand into the shield, and entered a more controlled fall as he raked his way across it. Coming in hot was the Righteous Justice, guns blazing like suns.

“Now!” Marsa called as the destroyer slipped under the dreadnought, and Jack let go.

“Fuuuuck!” Jack managed to yell as he plummeted through the air, his thrusters firing frantically to try and keep him oriented and slow his velocity enough to avoid punching right through the deck. Landing with a loud thud, Jack grunted from the impact as his boots hit the deck and he tumbled from the transferred inertia. “GO! HIT IT MARSA, HIT IT!” He hadn’t even stopped sliding across the deck when he bellowed into comms, eyes on the little glint in the sky.

As the Righteous Justice began to push away, a great weapon in orbit span it’s three cylinders. The 6.1 meter long, .3 meter diameter tungsten rod slowly slid into the chamber of the satellite, which held itself in a pleasant geostationary orbit above the country of Equestria. Far removed from the battle, the satellite secured the rod within the firing chamber, and began using solar power to charge the initial capacitors. The ferrous core of the poles changed little in regards to their design, but gave the satellites the ability to use charged rails to launch the rods faster, assisting in delivery times. As the capacitors charged, the trigger signal was received. With a single pulse signal, the capacitors discharged, jettisoning the multi-thousand pound rod into the atmosphere. Punching through the mesosphere, the rod began to superheat itself from the air friction, the tungsten itself catching fire from the heat. As the rod passed through layer after layer of atmosphere, gaining speed and slowly earning its heat corona, it began to glow so brightly that it acted as a falling star. Punching through clouds like a dart, the rod continued downwards, aimed for the mid deck of a gargantuan ship.

The rod’s impact flashed by in an instant, the superheated pole punching directly through the magical shield, which had never been designed with weapons of mass destruction in mind. The steel and wood used in the construction of the mighty vessel provided little means to do so much as slow the rod’s descent, let alone stop it. The rod carried onwards, punching through the bottom of the ship, and into the ground below.

Such monstrous kinetic energy had to go somewhere. The resulting blast detonated under the dreadnought, splitting it in half and sending pieces sailing off into the bright blue skies. The blast continued to expand, stealing away any hope of watching the dreadnought’s final moments as the area was filled with flying debris, dirt, and dust. The shockwave passed over Equestrian and human lines, knocking some people off their feet or hooves, and shattered every window in a twenty kilometer radius. As the blast subsided to a low rumble, the battle was found to have gone silent, as if it had been momentarily cowed by the godly blow.

“Hammer has landed. Good effect on target.”

Braced against the concussive wave as it passed over her, Flitter covered her face to avoid the blast of dust and debris that followed. A stunned silence fell across the battlefield as the report of the impact echoed back and forth. Above, the sun poured down, with the clouds blasted aside to reveal brilliant blue skies. “Gods…” Flitter fought against the need to gawk, but found it hard to take her eyes off the impact site. Giving her head a hard shake, she forced her feet to move. “All units, check in!” She ordered as she slid into a filth filled trench, careful to keep her rifle above the muck line. She could see the readouts of her whole team in the corner of her hud, but with the dust cloud she wanted confirmation. Scanning the battlefield as the echoing roar of the strike bounced through the valley, Flitter watched as godrays reached down to touch the earth through the dust. The clouds above had already been parted by the concussive wave, allowing the dawn to shine brightly. Any flier near the impact zone had been knocked for a loop, and more than a great few had been outright killed by the blast.

“Breaker Squad, we’re all still hanging on. That was… that was...” Minerva sounded breathless, but exhilarated. The tight-beam info shot from the sergeant gave Flitter a swift rundown of their munitions and vitals, which earned a swift frown.

“Minerva, you’ve used half your medigel and your armour is breached, swap out with Fellows. Fireball, you’re up.”

“Fireball Squad.” Taven spoke through the soft sound of whistling wind. He sounded awestruck, only just now moving. “Jolt’s headed back for medical treatment, he took some bad flak but he’s still mobile.” Fireball Squad’s munitions were running dangerously low, but they were the furthest back. Not an easy resupply by any means.

“Copy, I’ll send one of my squad to escort him. Daisy, you’re up, on the bounce, trooper!” The young corporal nodded once, before jetting off with her thrusters screeching. Across the board, people were sore and tired, running low on munitions. “All squads, pop caffeine tabs if you haven’t, and try to conserve medigel. I know we just witnessed something… insane, but we need to keep our heads in the game. Switchblade Actual, do you read me?”

There was a brief pause, followed by a click as Kleese answered. “Yes! Sorry, we’re all here! That kinetic strike gave us a good rattle, but our lines have held for now. Do you need a resupply, Hellion?” It felt comforting to know that even the humans were awestruck by the sheer power of the weapon, which had almost brought an end to the battle with a single blow.

“Yes, send it immediately while there’s a lull.” Flitter continued to scan the dust cloud as the godrays cut neat glowing lines through it. Something was moving inside it. “All units, heads up. Got movement-” The sudden low whining tone of a casualty rang in her ear, causing her eyes to widen in shock. The radio call came moments later.

“Progeny! Flying Progeny got Jolt!” Daisy called out, jinking about frantically as an unmarked bogey stuck to her tail. “It’s all over me, I can’t shake it!”

Taven’s authoritative voice spoke over Daisy’s as his pip rocketed toward her. “Don’t panic, keep up your maneuvers and I’ll get him off your tail.”

“We got progeny all over, where the hell did they come from!?” Minerva's gun spooled up, and immediately began spitting rounds downrange. Her hud cam showed shapes and forms flitting about in the dust, like wicked poltergeists. “They’re using the dust cloud to get closer, pour the fire on!”

As a great lumbering shape charged toward her, Flitter found her limbs locked from fear. All she saw was her blood, splashed across snow, and a monstrous beast tearing her limb from limb. As the ogre progeny locked on to her and lowered its head into it’s charge, the scream of terror within her mind began to morph and shift, changing from terror, to molten fury. Soon, her scream forced its way out her mouth as a roar, challenging the ogre’s own in volume and ferocity. With her mind locked on to the target, Flitter leapt over the trench parapet, firing her rifle into the beast’s guts. The rounds struck and splashed across it’s brutally thick hide, boiling and burning it, but failing to penetrate deep enough. As the beast lunged forward, Flitter threw herself backwards, and fired her jumpjets down. Shooting out from under the ogre, Flitter twisted on the ground, and immediately changed the angle of her thrusters so she was pushing forward. In a single pulse she leapt upon the beast’s back, planting her boots between it’s thick shoulders. Firing her miniature anchors, Flitter dug her boots into the thick flesh, and began pouring fire on to the back of the Ogre’s head. Realizing it had been duped, the creature shrieked in fury, and began to buck about in hopes of jostling her free. The bipedal thing reached upwards to snatch at her, but found its muscles far too large to have such range of motion.

The ogre’s resistance died moments after, when the eighth two centimeter plasma ball shattered it’s skull, and detonated it’s brains into a slew of grey mush and steam. More shrieks sounded around flitter as she slung her empty rifle over her back, and drew her sword. “ALL UNITS, SWAP TO APSV MISSILES AND FOCUS FIRE! LET’S SHOW THESE MONSTERS WHO WE ARE!”

“Incoming, another wave!” Kleese rushed back to the frontline as another wave of bodies came crashing down upon them. Guns opened back up, stressing their cooling jackets as round after round was poured on. The cacophony of bullet, laser, slug and plasma lit up the copse of trees like a macabre christmas, but still only served to keep back so much. As the wave closed in, -and it could only be called a wave, as every body within it lacked the individual thought to be considered anything else-, they crashed into the monofilament razorwire. Bodies came apart at the seams against the hypertense wires, sliced to ribbons by the nearly imperceptible hazard. Waving a hand, Kleese gestured toward the convoy. “JSOG needs it’s ammo, get going!”

“Large bandits, inbound on us.” Hans responded as he fired his heavy gauss rifle into the oncoming horde. Through the dust and smoke, great beasts barreled down on them, not showing any signs of slowing as they batted aside anything in their way. “Hold the convoy back.”

“Heavy weapons teams, focus fire and bring them down!” The order had barely been spoken when one of the AT guns spiked the lead ogre, tearing an arm off with the railslung round. However, despite the grievous wound, the creature continued onward, giggling like a child. More of them exited the cover of the cloud, advancing rapidly on the human position. “More of them, pour the fire on!” Shots lanced out, perforating the beast’s hide, but most failed to cause more than a shriek of pain. All too soon, it crashed into the wire, falling upon it. With a gap opened up, the wave began to wash through, and more of the progeny began to hit the line. Simoh’s bombastic rifle thundered from within his stand, coring out a progeny’s skull, but only resulted in it’s lifeless corpse falling on top of more wire.

“If they push any closer, we’re screwed!” Walter yelled as he unleashed a torrent of jellied fuel, incinerating anything that got close with his gauntlet mounted flamethrowers. The torrential flow of the fuel emitted a sharp noise that fought against the noises the enemy made as they were cooked alive, their blood boiled and their bones charred. The smell of jellied DE-40 incinerator fuel was one that would never leave a nose, and intertwined with cooked meat it made for a stomach churning, eye watering concoction.

“Buzzsaw, this is Switchblade Actual, we need air support, danger close! There’s- shit-!” Kleese poured the fire down on the big ones as they charged the line, taking down sections of monofilament wire. His eyes tried to follow the smaller, faster ones as they leapt the wire and made to close in with the 1st’s lines. “Overlord, we need pegs on these things, they’re all over us!” As an ogre finally reached the skirmish line, it lunged forward, grabbing a human trooper by the legs. The woman barely had a moment to scream before she was tossed through the air like a toy, landing somewhere within the coming tide of hostiles.

As the beast began to rampage, Walter disengaged and charged it head on. “Bastard, commere! I’ll teach you to touch my friends!” His heavy war armour boomed as he collided with the Ogre progeny, the pair grabbing at each other for hand holds. As furious as Walter was, he couldn’t help but be wigged out by the childish giggling that it continued to let out as it slammed a huge meaty fist into his chest plates.

“Blowtorch, give me an opening!” Hans yelled as he turned toward the wrestling pair, his warform twisting on its axis before lopping over on huge clawed feet.

“I’m trying!” Walter yelled back, before feeding the beast a brutal right hook that shattered it’s jaw. As the beast recoiled at the kinetic strike, Walter jumped on to it, wrapping a massive arm around it’s head. “Now!”

Striding forward, Hans pressed the barrel of his gauss rifle against the progeny’s skull, and promptly fed a two round burst into it’s twisted cortex. The Ogre hadn’t even gone limp before the old soldier turned again, and unleashed a volley of rockets from his rack. “Keep up the pressure!”

“Fast movers inside the wire, Calliopes! Get the Calliopes on them!” Kleese cried out as one of his squad was shredded by the swift footed, talon bearing progeny. The thing giggled and laughed as it dodged around his shots, wounding and slaying anybody who it got near with brutally efficient claws. As if on cue, the scuttling drones turned their attentions from the skies, and began pouring the rounds onto the groundbourne targets. For as fast as these progeny were, they weren’t faster than artillery shells, which the Calliopes had a field day shooting down. The catlike progeny yeowled as it was struck again and again, it’s hide being split by the blistering firepower. The moment it slowed, it fell prey to Kleese’s big guns. “YEAH, HAVE SOME OF THAT, CREEP! BUZZSAW, WHERE’S THAT AIR SUPPORT!?”

“Yeah yeah, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” With her craft being jostled from the swift dive. Her sights tracked back and forth, seeking out hostiles in the dust cloud. “Having a hard time spying them, I need manual pings or I might splash some of our guys!”

“This is Overlord, we can’t get accurate readings through the dust cloud, you’re on your own.”

Moments later, as she reached the point of no return, a dozen pips appeared on Roxy’s scope. “Guns guns guns.” With all the coolness of a veteran fighter jockey, she rolled, and unleashed the 30mm gatling cannon. The report of the weapon shook the Talon’s airframe as she kept up the dive, driving thousands of rounds down to the ground in a matter of moments. With every second the monumental ‘BRRRRRRRTTTTTTT’ carried on, another pip simply vanished from her scope, eliminated by her firepower. All too soon, she reached her final elevation. “That’s all I got, returning to Overlord for a rearm. See you in five mikes.” Twisting her craft, Roxy pinned the throttle down and shot up in a near straight vertical line, the double barrel blasts of speed marking her exit from the field. She could only hope her CAS hadn’t hit any of her buddies in the dust. The guilt gnawed on her all the way up.

“Good guns, Buzzsaw, good fucking guns! It was close but we’re okay! We’ve got a moment to breath. Tiger Lead, you’re up!” Kleese waved erratically to the convoy of vehicles, the lead of which was the massive main battle tank, recently fully retrofitted with a fully modern control suite, a mine plow, twin 20mm caseless anti-infantry bushmaster autocannons, and finally, the 20cm power cannon. The power cannon gleamed maliciously against the godrays as Maggie started the powerplant, filling the forest with her nuclear turbine whine.

“This is Tiger Lead to all Tigers, stick close and let the plow do the work, break off once we hit the trenches and don’t get bogged down. All gunners, eyes open for the big boys, call ‘em out for the cannon.” As a chorus of affirmatives from the heavily armed and armoured combat trucks rolled through her suite within the tank, Maggie smiled, and gunned the throttle. “Let’s go hunting.”

Cloudchaser was in hell. That, she was sure of. It was only through the arrival of JSOG that her position hadn’t been completely overrun, but now that the huge bipedal soldiers had shifted their locations to fight the progeny, she and Chance were all that was left. “Chance, pass me another mag!” Cloudchaser cried out as an Imperial round plinked off her helmet, fuzzing her senses with the ricochet. She felt like vomiting, but she’d already done that, and there was nothing left to puke up but bile. “CHANCE!” Cloudchaser screamed as she turned to the blackened zebra. “He’s dead, and we’ll both join him unless you get back on the line!”

Huddled over his brother’s crumpled, headless frame, Chance could only murmur quiet little nothings into the filthy fur of his brother’s chest. Chance’s eyes were all but entirely white, and she could tell he was gone. Cloudy hadn’t even seen how Fate had died, she hadn’t been paying any attention to them. Maybe if she had been, she could have saved him…

No. No, there was no place for thoughts like that here, and now. There was no place for them in her head at all. Pushing aside a griffon corpse, Cloudy pulled a half empty stick mag from his crude bandoleer, and jammed it into her own pilfered sub machine gun. Aiming down sights, she squeezed the trigger, and was rewarded with two rounds before the action stuck open and double fed a pair of rounds. “Piece of shit! PIECE OF IMPERIAL FUCKING SHIT!” Her voice was going hoarse from the stress and screaming, but she couldn’t care any more. Not with one of the huge progeny lopping toward her. Panic gripped Cloudy’s heart as it’s giggle echoed to her, and she began to frantically work at the action meant for dextrous talons. “ComeoncomeoncomeON!” Her eyes flicked forward as he Ogre crossed over their concertina wire, smashing it aside with little care. She was dead and done. Closing her eyes, Cloudy waited for its thumping feet to grow closer, and for it all to end.

Her closed eyes were all that saved her sight as a bolt of cerulean energy caught the ogre on it’s blind side, instantly atomizing half its body. The blast furnace of heat washed over Cloudy, turning the filthy water around her hot as white spots danced behind her eyelids. Gasping in shock as the heatwave hit her, Cloudchaser tried desperately to blink away the spots in her eyes and spy her savior. She found her hero was impossible to miss; the hundred tonne MBT plowing over the Progeny’s teetering corpse as it’s cannon swept the battlefield, hunting for targets. It flashed again, sending a miniature sun downrange to spell something's doom. Cloudsdale’s weather factories were working overtime, pushing out wind to clear out the dust. The light of day began to truly pour down, illuminating the great beast of war. Cloudy had just a moment to gawk and laugh in absurd disbelief at the sight of the mighty tracked vehicle as it churned up mud and pushed aside the sea of corpses as if they were nothing. A pair of cannons of a separate upper turret scanned about, occasionally barking so as to swat down an annoyance that made the mistake of coming too close. Behind, within the tank’s wide wake, was a convoy of vehicles which upon reaching the trenchline, broke off from their caretaker and ripped off to places unknown.

One truck went all of twenty meters behind her, and slid to a stop. The doors were flung open as the roof gunner opened fire, his gatling gun churning out a torrent of tracer rounds. Finally turning around, Cloudchaser found one of the JSOG soldiers standing nearby, protecting one of their wounded. The soldier was clad in hightech black power armour, with a human half skull painted across their helmet’s jawline. In their hands was a wicked, crackling sword, and a smoking plasma pistol. Slowly pulling herself out of the muck, Cloudchaser began to make her way through the ravaged trenches, passed the drooping hearth's warming lights and stinking corpses. As she struggled to pull herself up over a muddy berm, a pair of strong, gauntlet covered hands wrapped around her hooves, pulling her up. Looking up, Cloudy found the sword wielding soldier staring down at her, scanning over her.

“How’s Taven faring, Kord?” The woman asked, turning slightly in place to regard another human, clad in far lighter body armour with a red cross emblazoned over his helmet. Behind the safety of his deployed cover and the watchful eye of his bodyguards, Kord could work without much interruption.

Reaching into the toolbox hatches in the mobile cover system, the medic swiftly shot the woman a thumbs up. “All good, Hellion. He’s out of the fight, but he’ll make a full recovery. You got your ammo?”

“Fully loaded. My thanks. Taven, keep your head down, this is what you get for being a hotshot.” A weak chuckle emanated from the downed soldier as he waved her off. As Cloud chaser struggled to open her mouth to speak, the woman turned back to her, and picked her up entirely off her hooves. “Come on, Cloudy. Out of the mud.”

“F-flitter?” Cloudy mumbled as she all but deflated into the strong human arms, her bottled emotions beginning to overwhelm her.

Turning her faceplate clear, Flitter smiled, and winked. “Who else could it be?” Carrying Cloudchaser over to the combat truck, Flitter pulled open one of the heavy, blast proof doors, and set her filthy sister down on the mudmats. “Stay with these guys, they’ll protect you while I’m gone.” She reached out, gently stroking her sister’s muzzle. “I told you I’d come back.”

“Hellion, this is Tiger Actual, I’m moving on, we’ve got more hotspots opening up!” Maggie called out from the confines of her tank, interrupting the sisterly moment, seconds before Cloudy could speak.

Lifting a hand toward the tank, Flitter responded over her comms. “Solid copy Tiger Actual, good hunting.”

“See you around, sister!” The tank’s powerplant whined again as it kicked in, while the brilliant red flag of the 1st Expeditionary Force waved in the wind, secured tightly to the top turret of the warmachine. Emblazoned upon it was a proud golden eagle with wings outstretched, a golden earth clutched safely in its talons. The flag fluttered proudly, shining against all the muck and filth around it. The tank took off across the frontline, an unassailable bastion of firepower before the world.

Smiling to herself, Flitter closed the door on her sister, and turned her faceplate back to a solid metal. Her eyes went back to the door as her hand lingered on the handle, wanting to pull it open again and join her sister within. Turning away from the vehicle, Flitter keyed her comms as she slid another cylinder magazine into her weapon. “JSOG, rally on me! Full force, let’s end this!”

“Here they come!” Somebody called out as the remaining Imperial navy redeployed, and formed a tight attack wedge. The formation pushed far into Equestrian lines, hellbent for Cloudsdale as it chugged along, spitting out lightning and tracerfire. On the ground, the horde reformed, making a final progeny tipped push for the breakthrough. Clearly, somebody was still slinging orders, and that somebody had been hiding until they’d gotten close enough.

“Masks! Look out, Masks!”

“Don’t let them get any closer!”

“ALL ORDERS TO SURRENDER ARE FALSE!”

The cries went up along the line as soldiers repositioned, and poured fire down on the supposed locations of the mask wearers. Despite all the fighting, the battle still raged, and was swiftly reaching it’s fever pitch. The Progeny bore down upon Equestrian lines, clashing against the Royal Guard, Militia, JSOG, and the human 1st. It was brutal, bloody fighting, fought over every inch of ground with neither side willing or able to give up.

As the lines were slowly pushed back towards Canterlot, things were looking dire for the defenders. For every progeny put down, it appeared as if two would take their place. The progeny were fast and strong, and could absorb all but the heaviest artillery or the sharpest blade, which JSOG was more than happy to feed them.

Flitter fought for all she was worth, slashing and firing at anything that came close. There wasn’t any way she could stop, not with everything on the line. She was locked in, all but dancing across the field with the orchestra of guns and death all around her. Her armour bleeped at her, before injecting more vital stabilizing drugs and painkillers as she pushed herself further and further. She had to win. She wouldn’t stop until she was dead, or they’d ripped victory from the jaws of defeat. Driving her blade into the chest of a swift progeny, Flitter roared in defiance as she pistoned a power armoured foot into its neck, pinning the beast long enough for her to atomize it’s facial features with her pistol. There was already another bearing down on her, alongside several dozen mind controlled soldiers. She activated her micro-missile rack, only to hear the dread chime of an empty magazine.

“Fireball, form up, you’re drifting!” She bellowed as she slashed at the progeny in wild hopes of keeping it at bay, while small arms fire spalled against her armour. “We need reinforcements in sector A Niner Six! They’re nearly breaking through! Buzzsaw, any word on CAS?”

“Hard negative, fliers are keeping me busy!” Roxy responded as she roared across the sky, dog fighting the batlike progeny as they flitted from ship to ship like hungry predators, eager to leap upon her craft if she slowed enough to make an appealing target. “I’ll bring it around when I can!”

“This is Tiger Actual, I’m inbound, Hellion!” The call brought a smile to Flitter’s face as Roxy roared by overhead, vibrating her guts with the Talon’s slipstream.

Within the confines of her tank, Maggie coughed against the thick coiling smoke that filled the cabin, thanks to the overworked 20cm cannon. The weapon had never been meant to be mounted in such an old tank, and fitting it in had meant the maintenance crew had turned it on it’s side, and thus been forced to push the comms equipment out the back of the turret. The smoke was a thick, off grey colour, and reeked of burning ozone and melted plastics. Pulling down her gasmask, Maggie pulled it over her sweat soaked features, before gunning the engine. Her tank bounced and jostled over the rough terrain, it’s turret tracking where she demanded. Her coaxial machinegun chattered away with a pulse of her finger, stitching rounds across the enemy horde. Firing another cannon round downrange, Maggie slowed her advance as she reached Flitter’s position. “Give me pips, Hellion, and I’ll remove them!”

“Tiger Actual, don’t stop there! The ground- Contact! Contact right!” Flitter plugged down a pip on the advancing ogre, and began pouring rounds down on it as Maggie traversed the turret. It was all too late, as the ogre slammed into the tank, and began to drive it deeper into the watery muck. The turbine engine roared as the woman within pinned the accelerator, but only succeeded in driving the tracks deeper into the muck and filth, spraying rooster tails into the air as her tracks bit and tore at Progeny flesh..

“Dammit, Yuma, hit that thing!” Flitter yelled as she emptied her magazine on to the beast, peppering it’s hide with rounds.

“Out of ammunition!” Yuma yelled back as she struck a griffon with a balled up cybernetic fist, shattering it’s skull. The minotauren woman had retaken her natural appearance, seeing as there was nobody to hide herself from.

“Man down, man down!” The cry came up across comms as a casualty tone blarred across Flitter’s hud. The roar of battle around her became nearly unbearable as it pressed in, simultaneous distress signals overlapping overtop of each other to add to the chaos.

“It’s got Ken! Someone stop it! Medic!”

“Somebody cover me!”

“HELP!”

It was all falling apart. Even the clouds were returning, drowning out the light. Firing her sidearm into the horde in desperation, Flitter began to call to her orbital support.

“Overlord, this is Hellion. Broken Arrow. If my signal goes down, drop a hammer on it’s last.” The calmness in her own voice shocked her, even as her pistol chimed empty.

The dark skies had almost completely enveloped her position now, and it was accompanied with flapping wings. As the horde closed with her position, the ground before her erupted with the strikes of Equestrian artillery. Gunfire and spells stitched across the field, felling hostiles by the dozens. Changing a disbelieving glance over her shoulder, Flitter felt hope welling up once again within her chest. What she found behind her wasn’t clouds, but the entirety of the Nightguard in full formation with the sun at their backs, descending upon her from the Stalwart Liberty’s flight deck, whose shadow blanketed the land around her. Overhead, a formation of Stalliongrader bombers unleashed their payloads, the huge magically guided bombs smashing apart the condensed Imperial fleet, while unpainted fighters ripped across the air, following Roxy’s lead.

“Overlord-” Jack spoke into comms as Princess Luna landed, her magic tossing enemies about like ragdolls. “Disregard Hellion’s last. We have the situation under control.”

As if on cue, the Righteous Justice can swooping in, guns blazing. The huge shells crashed into the ground, sending powerful shockwaves over the the defenders. A large, silver armoured shape disembarked the ship as it slipped over the field, it’s broadside blazing. Spent brass fell like torrential rain, peppering the ground below as hundreds of thousands of rounds were fired.

Charging the enemy headon, Luna roared in defiance as her midnight blade consumed the light around it, eviscerating her enemies with every swing. Even the progeny felt it’s bite, though it only served to infuriate those it failed to kill, rather than leave them keening in paralyzed agony. Standing side by side as the progeny charged them, Flitter and Luna prepared to leave forward and meet them head on-

Just as Jack landed before them, flattening a swift progeny under his bootheels. He leapt into the fray as if he were possessed, his reacquired gatling cannon spewing out a torrent of armour piercing rounds as he engaged the bulk of the pack. “COME ON, COME AND GET SOME IF YOU THINK YOU’RE FUCKIN HARD!” He bellowed through his armour comms, shaking the area with his timber as he threw a hard right hook at an ogre, meeting the beast’s own meaty fist midair. The twisted limb all but came apart at the seams as Jack’s fist turned it to paste, continuing on through it. With a single hand he gripped the wounded progeny’s head, and wrenched it free as he rolled over it’s bulk to engage another one without skipping a beat. As the Nightguard and JSOG pushed back against the horde, Jack held back the Progeny, slaying them with powerful, calculated blows and high tech equipment. Slowly but surely, the lines were pushed back, the enemy being forced back inch by inch, grinded down by the combined arms over every race present. The final progeny were slain as Jack mounted the human tank, wrenching the 1st Expeditionary flag free to drive into the eye socket of an ogre as it tried to clamber over the great vehicle. Prying it free, Jack leveled his wrist mounted BFG, and unleashed a blistering ball of energy that rent apart everything it touched, annihilating even the progeny where they stood.

“This is Overlord, we have detected unidentified surges of energy, pinging the locations now. They’re coming from individuals within the enemy host.” The location was immediately focused upon HUD’s, and the four mask bearers leapt into view thanks to precise orbital cameras.

“Masks!” Jack called out, despite the lack of need. “Everyone pick one and engage, do not let them discharge!” Without waiting for affirmatives, he took off after the furthest one, crossing the distance with powerful strides and repulsorpack assistance.

“This one’s mine!” Flitter called out, locking on to the griffon as energy collated around him. “If we blow the masks, we’ll retake the whole valley! JSOG, assist Luna!” As the United Equestrian spearhead punctured the host of the Imperial army, the left flank was struck by rippling blue energy that washed over everything like a wave. As Flitter impacted her own target, slashing them in half with her powered sword, another wash of energy leapt from the right flank, washing over her. The griffon fell with a cry of surprise twisted in agony, but was silenced as Flitter drew a titanium baton from her boot holster, and used it to smash the stone mask to pieces. A pulse of powerful blue magic erupted from it, blasting Flitter off her feet and jarring her senses, even through the protection of her power armour. Painful surges of raw nerves ran up and down her striking arm as she stared up at the bright blue sky, listening to cheers begin to echo from Equestrian lines as the fourth mask was felled, but no wave followed.

Chapter Seventy: Reprieve

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The battle to end the siege of Canterlot had lasted nearly three hours after JSOG’s entry into the conflict. The aftermath of the past nine days littered the valley like mounds of detritus; corpses were piled up into artificial hills, equipment burned like flares, and airship hulls smoked through their wounds as they lay broken upon the ground like toys. The sheer casualties from both sides were uncountable, unbelievable, unacceptable. The Equestrian losses had been in the hundreds of thousands, if not over a million. The Griffons had lost nearly their entire army group, the bulk of which was slain by the human godrod, and then to the subsequent counterattack that had followed from the Night Guard. The human forces had suffered badly as well, losing nearly a quarter of their effective fighting force, and several irreplaceable vehicles. The lowest losses, but the most telling, was in JSOG’s numbers. They were a dozen now, including the wounded.

With the masks having been destroyed, and the last of the progeny slain, the war for Canterlot had ended. There were Imperial battlegroups spread across the continent, continuing their objectives, but the most important battle had been won. The balance of the war had been pushed back into Equestrian favor, and out of Order’s hands.

“There’s the cost.” Jack muttered softly as he found his eyes wandering across the fields, where hundreds of thousands of ex-mindwashed civilians and the like were still being looked over by the militia and the royal guard. The jubilant mood the victory had brought was swiftly crushed beneath the foul weight of the pyrrhic victory. The sound of mourning echoed across the valley, pulling a grim pall over the morbid event.

“Almost got it, try it now, Maggie.” Walter called out as he shoved wooden boards under the tank’s track, trying to give it something to grab besides watery muck.

Bracing against the back of the tank, Jack heaved as the driver eased into the throttle, letting the tracks bite into the terrain. A pair of royal guard unicorns lent their magical strength, attempting to lessen the weight of the huge tank. Slowly but surely, the tank pulled itself free from the muck, it’s nuclear turbine engine spewing out clouds of steam out the exhaust. “That’s got it!” Maggie called out as the tank trundled free from it’s would-be muddy tomb, flag fluttering in the afternoon breeze. Overhead, the 1st Expeditionary mothership slipped through the air, headed for it’s landing zone within the forest

“Flitter.” Jack spoke quietly, but drew the woman’s swift attention easily enough. “I need to go and check on my people, see to the dead. If you need me, I’ll be nearby.”

“Alright.” Flitter nodded once, seeing him off as he began to slowly follow the procession of battered combat trucks as the tank cleared a path through the corpse fields. Sliding a hand over Daisy’s eyes, Flitter plucked the fallen mare’s tags free, and marked her for retrieval. The girl’s armour was rent to pieces around her, ruined by the claws of the flying progeny. She’d fought hard, but that was all Flitter could say. There was no upside to her death, no silver lining; she was gone, and nobody could replace her. Slowly standing, with a ball of dog tags in her hand, Flitter set off for the next casualty marker on her HUD.

As she plodded across the filth laden muddy fields, Flitter paused in her patrol for JSOG casualties to veer off toward a field hospital that the wounded were lining up before. The place was completely overloaded, but people, griffons, and ponies alike were being sent through notably fast. The procession exited the tent, headed for the waiting combat train. As she passed by the lines, Flitter stepped aside to allow a heavy drone to slowly stomp by, laden with medical equipment and supplies. Inside the tent she found the 1st’s field medics and doctors hard at work, using terran medicine and training to patch up the wounded at speed equalling equine mage doctors. Over the cries of the badly wounded and dying, Kord yelled directions and guided the others, having multiple militia ponies sort the wounded by severity.

“Mister Adder?” Flitter spoke, pulling off her helmet and tucked it under her arm.

“Knight Captain, merde, you look like hammered shit. I’m a little busy, were you wounded?” The irritable french medic began unloading the heavy drone as it stopped, calling out the supplies for those who needed them.

Shaking her head, Flitter blew a lock of stray hair from her eyes. “Just bumps and bruises. Where… did you put my sister?”

“The mudball you loaded into the truck? Minimal wounds, she was sent out on the last train. My guess is she’s getting cleaned up in the city up there.” Kord motioned with his head toward Canterlot, guessing it’s location through the thick olive drab plasteel tent. “You should get something in you, you look like the walking dead.”

Nodding slowly, Flitter set an armoured hand over her cheek, as if finally feeling the weight of it all come crashing down on her. “Right… maybe later. I still have… business.”

“I understand.” Kord spoke softly, turning his eyes toward those who’d died on the operating tables. They were covered by simple white sheets, stacked high upon each other. There were more than a few human boots pushing the sheets up. “Do not worry for us, Knight Captain. We knew what we were signing up for.”

“I don’t think any of us did.” Flitter spoke quietly, leaning on a medical crate. Her rifle was slung over her back, it’s barrel turned shades of blue and purple from the heat of battle. “I partially wish… we hadn’t dragged any of you along. To die so far from your home, following Jack and me…”

Pausing momentarily as he reached into a supply box, Kord sighed. “Flitter, we knew what we were getting into, one way or another. To those outside, it might seem like we just followed the Martyr out of blind loyalty, but the reality is more… complicated. I know at least three dozen of us who didn’t have permanent homes, permanent jobs. More didn’t have any family left. The military was a last resort for a good lot of us, so when it chewed us up and spat us out, we didn’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt it, but to live your life as a meaningless void, simply taking up space? It’s awful. To be given a reason to keep going, to be given an objective? Given something to fight for?” Kord turned an unlit cigarette over in his fingers watching it with tired eyes. “To some people, dying for a good cause, is just as good as fighting for it. You and the Martyr just gave some of us what we needed. What we wanted.”

“Thank you, Kord.” Crossing the small distance between them, Flitter pulled the far shorter man into a hug, earning a wheeze from the frenchman.

“Merde, she’s a hugger…”

Releasing Kord, Flitter cracked the faintest of smiles. “Keep up the good work-” She paused as her hardlight hud appeared before her face, projected from the neckline of her armour.

“Hellion, this is Overlord. Princess Luna is looking for you, you should probably save her the trouble.” Milani was sitting rigidly within her command chair, looking no worse for wear over the events of the day. “We’ve landed at Firebase Gorgon, come and get some coffee when you can.”

“Affirmative. Have someone run some out for the doctors here too, they’ll need it.” Flitter set her free hand on her hip, resting it beside the pommel of her sword.

Chuckling gently, Milani nodded in agreement. “I’ll send a drone out with a kettle. Overlord out.”

With a simple nod to Kord, Flitter popped her helmet up, and secured it on her head with practiced smoothness. Pacing out of the medical tents, Flitter found the Princess’s location marked with a golden pip. Kicking on her jump jets, Flitter began to bounce across the ravaged grasslands. With the air rushing passed her helmet, Flitter was thankfully saved from the wailing sounds of sorrow rising across the killing fields. Her bounce carried her onwards, well into lands previously held by Imperial forces. Spotting Luna was a simple job, as the alicorn was standing upon the lip of the massive crater left by the godrod’s impact. Heat still radiated from the crater, like an oven left on and the door stuck open. All around them were pieces of the Imperial air navy, indistinguishable from each other due to heat damage and warping from the blast.

“It really was something else…” Flitter intoned as she landed, and walked up to Luna’s side.

“To think, such destructive force available at a word.” Luna glanced over to Flitter, her features pale and grim. “We have won, but at what cost? We’ve changed the face of life on Equus forever. One does not simply… return to the old, after witnessing what we have witnessed. After doing what we have done.”

Nodding in agreement, Flitter set her hands on her hips and let her eyes wander across the field. She wanted to look away, but found herself powerless to. “I was told you were looking for me?”

“Yes.” Luna nodded, slowly tearing herself away from the crater’s edge. “I wanted to speak to you before the press pulls themselves from the crystal caves, alongside the rest of the civilians. Before the generals and their ilk get their hooves on you.”

“Well, you’ve got me here, now.” Pulling off her helmet, Flitter wrinkled her nose against the stench of the area, immediately regretting the attempt at familiarity. The smell of overloaded magical discharge was like a slap to the face, far worse than the stench of cooked fuel, burning ozone and melted metal.

“The Generals will want the technology you’ve brought. They will want a full report of everything you’ve done on Earth as well.” Luna paused, finally tearing her gaze away from the glass at the bottom of the pit. “They will want the humans as well, but I doubt they’ll make any progress there, considering Jack’s past surliness with them.”

Coughing politely, Flitter braced herself against the unpleasantness that hung from the air and Luna’s words. “Well, then I do suppose it’s a good thing that it has already been established that JSOG does not answer to them, only the princesses and other signatories. They can bark and demand all they want, but until you or Celestia give the order, it all stays classified.”

“Good.” Luna’s response earned a gentle eyebrow raise from Flitter as she followed the Lunar Diarch down the berm of glass. “I… do not wish for such destructive devices to be within reach so swiftly. Our technology has raced forward thanks to humans, but it has not done so naturally. We have no checks, no balances. Unchecked progress can claim as many lives as it saves, especially when in the wrong hands.” Sighing softly, Luna stepped over the broken skeleton of a griffon that was fused to the ground around it, flesh all but blasted off while bone fused to metal. “When Jack first brought his weapons before us, I was elated at the idea of what they could mean for our defense. My… mind, was focused upon war, still.” Pausing, the princess looked out across the battlefield, haunted by what she saw before her eyes. Flitter couldn’t help but wonder where the recognition in the Princesses eyes came from, but she was certain she truly didn’t want to know. “I have had my fill of war…”

“If I may?” Flitter spoke equally quiet, though there was only the dead to hear them. The dead, and the softly ticking, cooling metal. “Keep the talks of peace for when we’ve won this thing. We might have smashed Order in the nose, but he’s not down yet.” Glancing over at Luna, Flitter mentally registered the calculating look she was receiving in return. It was a dark one, a look with no return if the wearer embraced it. “It’s not over until it’s over. Right now, we need strong leaders, we need offensive leaders, not defensive ones. We need to act before our enemy, because if we don’t, they’ll fucking bury us.” Flitter’s animated hands stabbed at the ground for emphasis that wasn’t needed, while she swallowed and held her composure with bands of mental steel.

With a soft, regal chuckle that was all too out of place in this sprawling graveyard, Luna leaned against her ex-aide’s power armoured side. “And here, I had thought you’d changed drastically during our conflict with Discord… what did you encounter on the other side of the portal?” Luna tilted her head ever so slightly, now on eye level with the shapeshifted pegasus. Her eyes twinkled gently with an unquenchable curiosity, while also searching for a mental distraction. Any port in the storm, as it were.

“I…” Flitter hesitated as she turned her helmet in her hands, gazing upon the painted half skull across it’s jawline; taken in no small part from Jack’s once ruined appearance. “We found a whole other galaxy, Princess. We found heroes and villains, places you wouldn’t believe, sights that… stick with me, no matter what. The beauty of it all, the ugliness, and… lies. So many lies. So much… misdirection. Did you know that even after the war for their species survival cost them nearly four billion people, humanity’s total population numbers in the hundreds of billions now, across forty two colonies, six O’Neill cylinders, and countless other little satellites? And they’re… they’re all in danger again, at risk of another war because of one man.” Sticking up a single index finger, Flitter smiled in disbelief at her own memories, lost in them for the briefest of moments. “I want to go back.” Her voice came out softer than she’d wanted, betraying her heart in five words. “I want to go back and bury myself in that world again, I want to feel it’s pulse again. I will never feel it here. I… don’t want to feel it here.”

Leaving the site of impact, Flitter and Luna started across the battlefield, headed back towards Canterlot’s lines. The Lunar Diarch spoke as Flitter fell into a momentary silence while they walked. “Celestia will want to award medals. Your tale is one that will be etched into stone and told again and again for years to come.” Luna spoke gently as Flitter suppressed a shudder at the memory of the amusement park they’d first set foot into. The rundown, flagging mockery of heroes all in the name of squeezing another dollar from hapless consumers. She could see now why Jack had been so abhorred by it all, to have his accomplishments, and the sacrifices of others reduced to a cheeky tagline and bathed in corporate sterility. To have it all turned into a failing side attraction. A part of her wondered if the same would happen to her, and JSOG.

“You’ll have to excuse me if I wholeheartedly want to avoid that kind of thing-” Flitter paused as her comms lit up again with a call from Overlord. She was thankful for it, she apparently couldn’t keep her mouth shut around Luna. Never could, it felt. There was a comfort in that though, a familiarity she only felt around one other person.

Milani was moving in her chair, going to get up it seemed. “Hellion, sorry to pester you, but Equestrian High Command is demanding our presence in the city. Might want to collect the Royal Highness and see what they want. I’ll alert Courage. They’re being… Awfully insistent.” There was a tone of… Flitter wanted to call it warning, but it wasn’t quite that. She didn’t know the woman well enough to say for sure. Regardless, it set a razors edge to her skull, hardening her again.

“Thanks, Overlord, see you soon.” Closing the channel, Flitter let her head hang as she sighed. “There really is no rest for the wicked, hm?” She let the corner of her mouth tug upwards in the failed facsimile of a smirk. She didn’t feel it. Luna didn’t believe it.

“Yes…” Sighing in turn, Luna pushed a bit of slagged ship hull aside with her magic, clearing a path so as to not be forced to walk around. Such earthly concerns were still below her, and why wouldn’t they be? “I had dismissed my Nightguard in vain hopes of having a moment to myself among the graves, to avoid the pratling for even a few minutes. The Generals serve their purposes to the crown, but now, they serve too much of their own machinations… The last time I ruled, nobody would dare.” There was a brief pause, followed by a grim smirk. “The only saving grace I can foresee is seeing our Jack confronting those puffed chests again. It’s always a treat for my soul to see him among today’s ‘high’ society. While Celestia may not admit it, we’ve both found it wonderfully pleasant to witness him saying the very things the two of us are forced to keep silent, so as to save face and avoid political fallout.” As she spoke, an armoured Nightguard landed abreast of the pair, bowing slightly before giving the same report Flitter had earlier received. “Thank you, Matriarch Scratch, but I’m already aware. You should return indoors, the sun is doing you no good.”

Vinyl Scratch lifted the hem of her helmet, grimacing toward the sun like it was a hated enemy. “Yeah, that was the plan. I also wanted to inform you myself, the end of this battle means our contract is complete.” The once DJ watched the Lunar Princess with sharp red eyes, barely even registering Flitter’s presence, save for when her mechanical arm clicked, sending a bristle of fur down the mare’s neck.

“I expected as much.” Luna intoned as she continued to walk. “I thank you for your assistance regardless. May I not need to call upon you for another hundred years. Libertas.”

As the word was uttered with a hushed whisper, the former DJ visibly relaxed as if a spell were lifted, letting her magical bat wings dematerialise into her armour, which she allowed to fall into the mud without a care. “Finally. My club has gone to shit, and this armour chafes my ass.” Without another word, she set off, all too eager to leave for her own reasons.

With the freed DJ cantering off through the wastes, Flitter chanced a glance at the princess. “Dare I ask?” She didn’t want to know, not really, but her curiosity kept nagging at her.

“I have pacts with many night dwellers, the vampiric are no different. I simply offered her some… upward mobility, in exchange for her services.” Luna flapped her wings idly, coming to a gentle hover to avoid the deep cloying muck. “The aid of a vampiric matriarch usually comes at a much higher price. Collect your soldiers and see to your dead, Flitter. I will keep the Generals at bay so you may have the time you need to do so. Your bravery today demands no less of me.”

Nodding once, Flitter pulled her helmet back on, breathing in the recycled air as it hissed shut and sealed. Her own jetpack unfurled from within her armor plates, letting out a keening hum as it prepared for flight. “We’ll be in the human camp, find us there.” Without another word, Flitter lifted off, jetting across the desolate wasteland like a rocket.

The human camp smelled of burnt ozone, cooked cordite, smoking gunpowder, and clinging death. The cries of the wasteland before them were naught but a distant echo on the wind, haunting the woods. The support staff had since disgorged from the ship, and had begun assisting in cleaning up the firebase with power loaders. The Progeny proved to be often too heavy to move in one piece, so their bodies were cut apart with monofilament chainsaws, and promptly tossed in a thankfully distant fire pit to burn. The pit was deep, dug out with machinery and doused with accelerants; a nameless pit for the monsters to be turned to ash and reduced to naught but a bad memory. The area around the camp had all but been deforested by the blistering fire whipping back and forth, with the heavyset quickform concrete barricades being all that had saved humanity from being turned to ground beef against the imperial onslaught. A thick layer of sawdust, splinters, and fallen leaves covered the ground, making it spongy and awkward to find proper footing. Graves had already been dug for the fallen, though more than a few were empty, with no body to be found to fill them. The graves themselves were far more respectful than the pit for the progeny. After all, the people who had fought and died here deserved that much.

With a grunt and a heave, Jack tossed a smashed troll progeny’s corpse into the roaring fire, allowing his eyes to remain for the briefest of moments as flame licked up around their greasy hides. A woman in a rebreather stood nearby and nodded to him, before she levelled her flamethrower and gave the pile another squirt of jellied ship fuel. The stuff reeked, but it couldn’t possibly beat of the smell of cooking Progeny. The smell was worse than death.

Shaking his head gently, Jack turned on his heels, heading back to the battlelines. There was still more corpses to move, and friendly bodies to recover from under them. In some places, the corpses of their enemy were stacked up five or six tall, high enough to be used as sandbags. It was morbid to say the least, but it had saved lives. Nearby, Walter was rolling several griffons off a fallen human, his features scrunched up like he’d eaten something and found it to be utterly offensive to all of his senses. He didn’t slow in his work as Jack tred closer, wrapping his huge hands around the bodies to toss them aside like broken ragdolls. The casualty was a young man with a prosthetic arm. He’d died clutching his service knife. Died fighting.

Leaning in, Walter rested his forehead against the young man’s, screwing his eyes shut tight. “M’sorry, brother…” He lifted his head momentarily, to gently close the fallen warrior’s eyes with his hand.

Jack hesitated for a moment, before starting. “Walter-”

“Jack.” Walter’s response came whipfast, the tone almost warning, nearly cracking. “Don’t.” The broad shouldered man didn’t need to say anything else. Jack knew. He knew all too well what was being said wordlessly. Without a single word, he settled his massive hand on Walter’s shoulder. He wouldn’t leave, there was nothing Walter could do to make him. Nodding once, the ex-security guard set his own hand over Jack’s, taking a deep breath as he did so. A steadying thing, to soothe his raw nerves and stuff the emotions back down. “We still got a job to do.”

“Yup.” The response could have been taken as callous, but wasn’t. It was the honest, naked truth; an ugly, squat little thing that demanded you stare it in the eyes and accept it.

“Yeah…” Walter nodding again, rising to his feet. “Yeah, we got work to do.” Walter’s eyes flicked skyward for a moment, just before Flitter landed and trotted to a halt, bleeding off the momentum of her bounce. Without a word traded between the two, Walter gestured toward the woman with his head, before plodding off toward the other corpses

Taking the hint, Jack set off for Flitter; the woman spotted him immediately, as he was all but impossible to miss at almost eight feet tall and two thousand pounds of gleaming silver armour. The two shared a gaze for the briefest of moments, before Jack lowered his slightly. Flitter was the one who broke the silence between the two of them. “High Command wants us in Canterlot.” Before he could spit venom at the idea, she spoke again. “Luna’s giving us all the time we need to see to our guys, living and… dead.” The word was heavy… always would be. Again, Jack found himself silent, nodding gently in thanks to a Royal who wasn’t present. Flitter slowly pulled off her helmet, glowering at the ground before she closed her eyes, willing the emotions down, and out through her feet. “Once we get everyone squared away, I want to go up there and head this off. None of the others need that shit.” The final word came out as a sharp hiss, more angry than she’d meant to let on.

“Agreed.” Jack spoke softly, letting the roll go to Flitter for a time. “There’s coffee, good stuff. The support staff put it on a few minutes ago, so it’s fresh.” He was already turning for the lowered landing ramp, sliding by a trundling heavy drone with far too much grace for a man so large.

Cracking the ghost of a smile, Flitter followed after him, meeting his long strides with two of her own, though they were in no hurry. As they started up the ramp, she felt a sudden wave of exhaustion fall over her like a leaden blanket, making her want to just buckle right then and there. How long had she been awake? How long had Jack, for that matter? She hadn’t even seen him close his eyes for longer than a blink, while she’d stolen a minute or two where she could… Her legs worked on autopilot, her body remaining upright and striding as her brain took a little break. Coffee was consumed, gulped down greedily by parched lips regardless of temperature. As she drank, Flitter could only slowly shake her head. “I just…”

“Take your time.” Jack murmured quietly, setting a massive armoured hand over her shoulder, nearly engulfing it with the simple gesture.

Setting her own hand over his, Flitter smiled faintly, squeezing the armour despite knowing he couldn’t feel it. “Let’s find the others and make sure they’re not doing anything foolish.”

The others were seen to, ensured that they were alright, that they weren’t hiding wounds. They were just as stubborn as Flitter was. Minerva had to be sent to the medics despite her claims that her gunshot wound wasn’t that bad, that it had only nicked the bone and that the docs had bigger things to worry about. Flitter wasn’t having any of it. Even if she had to carry the big bitch all the way there herself, she threatened. It earned a smile, an earnest, amused thing that almost glowed with tired warmth. A warm, damp towelette was offered for Flitter’s face by a support crewman, when she wiped it came away filthy black. She needed a shower, no, a bath. A long, hot bath, and a big bed to crash down upon so she could sleep for a million years. A big bed, with feather filled pillows, like fluffy clouds… Her mind wandered to Cloudsdale as it hung over Canterlot like a shall. Surely she could head up there for a few and catch a nap, nobody would mind, but… she’d need to be a pegasus to do that.

Looking to Jack, Flitter shooed that thought away as she curled a hand around the bottom of his arm, her fingers not meeting her palm. “Come on, let’s go. We wait any longer and High Command might scrape together enough bodies to ask politely.”

With a faint smirk, Jack nodded and stood. “Aight, yeah. Let’s do it.” Without a hint of tiredness or resignation in his steps, Jack turned about-face and began striding out of the ship, still fully clad in his armour. Shaking her head at his demeanor, Flitter left with him, headed for Canterlot. The pair took to the skies on the bounce, doing their best to avoid the clearing operations working away below. By the time they reached the path leading up the mountain, the sun was slowly beginning to set, causing a burning colour across the sky. The sunset was simple, a canvas of smudged warm colours washed across fluffy clouds. Ceasing their jumps, the pair walked up the road, enjoying the sight.

By the time they reached the gates at the top of the road, the sky had grown dark, and the gates were closed. Pausing briefly, Jack glanced at Flitter, his helmet furled up in his collar. “So, what? Should we knock?”

“I’ve seen you knock, we don’t want them thinking they’re under attack again.” Flitter mused with a half smirk playing her lips, earning a near comical pout from the large man.

“I see how it is.”

“Do you now?” Flitter teased gently as her jets unfurled and helped her simply hop over the gate, landing on the other side with a rubber muffled thud on the cobblestone. The city was slowly coming to life before her. Lights were on, and guards patrolled the streets, but now she could see ponies returning to their homes, the jubilation of victory still in the air here. The serene scene was interrupted when Jack landed next to her with a booming thoom of mass against the cobblestones, shattering them with the sound of gunshots. The guard manning the gate all but toppled over himself, and several nearby ponies bolted for cover. Glancing over to him, Flitter gestured at the disturbed peace. “My point-”

“Yeah yeah, keep it up, Sparky.” Jack muttered as they set off for the Castle, which stood in the distance like a crooked, regal finger. “Remind me to not let any of our engineers come up here.”

“Shut up, you know it’s magic.”

“Point still stands, don’t it?” He shot back as ponies peered out at them through windows or around objects, eyeballing the pair of heavily armed humans as they trod through the streets. Flitter’s rifle remained secured against her chest on it’s smart sling, barrel replaced and magazine reloaded. Jack was almost entirely unarmed, that is to say, of ranged firepower. Flitter was sure he’d be fine no matter what he had on him. “Heads up.” Jack murmured quietly, drawing Flitter’s attention away from him, and back to the street ahead.

A ramshackle squad of royal guard and militia were approaching, still heavily armed, though from the looks of them, definitely not looking for a fight. “Knight Captain Falenas?” The leader called out to them.

“That’s me, what can I help you with?”

“I need you to come to the castle immediately, you’ve been called upon by High Command.”

Sighing in exasperation, Flitter drummed her fingers across her helmet’s side. “Wonderful, thank you.”

The guard nodded simply, and continued. “Please follow us, we’ve been tasked to retrieve you.”

“Retrieve me? Did they think I was going to run off?” When the guard didn’t respond, Flitter shot a furrowed look to Jack, who only looked mildly amused. With no reason to fight it, Flitter fell into Step with Jack, and followed the ramshackle squad through the castle gates, and into the main hall. The castle was in upheaval, with civilians still streaming up through the halls, exiting the crystal caves where they had taken shelter in from the siege above. The civilians parted aside without so much as a single order shouted, whether out of fear or awe, Flitter didn’t know. They were heroes, but heroes of war, inequine… She understood their trepidations, in some primal way at least.

Approaching the big doors leading into the council chamber, Flitter found herself pausing when Jack stopped short, looking at the large ornate oak doors, with their swooping golden filigree. He took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out through his nose, his eyes closing as he did so.

“Jack?” Flitter asked softly, her eyes flicking up in hopes of meeting his, to try and read what was going on in his mind.

Slowly opening his eyes, Jack looked to the side, and let his eyes wander along the walls, following the scorched scars that ran their length, remnants of his battle with Celestia. “She’s going to be in there.” He said, with a tone so soft Flitter almost didn’t recognize it as his. She had no illusion as to whom he reference, either.

“I can’t imagine why not… Are you…?” She let the question trail off.

“Maybe. Probably.” He sighed, and activated his helmet, letting it unfurl and close around his head, sealing like heavy metal skin over his gruff features, to hide his face from everyone around him. “Let’s do this.”

The guards nodded, and pushed the doors open with their magic. The sound of argument within the room immediately became apparent as the magic seal on the room that held sound in was fouled. The argument swiftly died as the pair strode in, Flitter leading before Jack. The three generals stood around the central table, a map of Equestria rolled across it with a great number of tactical icons spread across it. Luna was at the table as well, accompanied by the commander of the Night Guard. Princess Gilda was present, accompanied by the once rebellious officer who had been appointed as her personal bodyguard. It took Flitter a moment to Find Celestia, as the great white alicorn was not standing at the table, but rather furled up on a pile of pillows, being tended to by a swarm of doctors. Flitter found herself dumbstruck at the sight of Celestia; completely deprived of power, reduced to a mess of limp hair, frail limbs, and rough coat. She found herself shocked beyond words, unable to even conjure the faintest idea of what to say.

Jack found the words all too quickly, and voiced them faster than reason could stall. “You look like shit, Princess.” There was the faintest hostile edge to his words, though they rode on a wave of mirth.

The room all but froze at the flippant words, a whole gamut of emotions running across the collected people there as Jack crossed his great armoured limbs before his chest. It was a good thing he’d put on his helmet, because Flitter could tell he was probably smirking like a jackass. Before the bubble of emotions burst across the room, Celestia lifted her head, and let out a faint, exhausted titter of laughter. “Fuck you, Jack.”

If the room hadn’t been shocked to silence before hand, it was now. Letting out a huff of amusement, Jack approached the table and set his huge hands down on it. “Alright, you all wanted us up here.” His helmet slowly panned across the table, the featureless plate betraying nothing. “So talk.”

Stepping up next to him, Flitter shot a brief salute to those at the table. “Knight Captain Falenas and Pathfinder Kessel, reporting as requested.” She crossed her arms behind her back, letting her gaze find a place to rest on the wall behind the gathered leadership, while Jack simply set his armoured hands on his hips, staring down at them all.

Major Highwater was the first to speak, lifting his beak and breaking a small smile on it. “I’m glad to hear your voice again, Captain Kessle. After that mess in the mountains, I wasn’t sure if I’d see you alive again. Thank you for sparing both myself and my men, as well as saving Princess Gilda.”

“I don’t remember him being so damn big.” Gilda muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

With the tension in the room dissipating ever so slightly, General Ironsides resumed his ramrod straight stature, and looked upon the pair of humans before him. “We called you here, primarily to… Thank you, both of you. Our situation was beyond critical, and your help could not have come at a better time.” General Wave, and General Stormfront both nodded in agreement, before matching Ironsides’ stock straight posture as all three saluted the pair. “We have put in to have the pair of you awarded the Solar Medal, the highest honour one can receive in Equestria.”

Flitter fought as best she could to withhold the little shiver that ran through her body from the shock of the announcement. Her heart skipped a beat, but despite the excitement, she just couldn’t muster it up. It felt wrong.

Again, Jack beat her to the punch.

“You could have waited to tell us that. You want something, and you’re trying to sugarcoat it with medals.” Flitter had almost expected him to be angry, not… emotionless. Mechanical.

The generals shifted slightly, their gazes dropping ever so slightly out of shame. “We require further assistance against the Empire, and Order’s forces. The humans have proven to be a competent fighting force, so we would request that they attack the Empire’s manufacturing centers as soon as they are able, or engage the Army Group near our border to the Crystal Empire. If we can strike decisive blows to their remaining strategic resources, then we can end this war before it drags on too long. In the meantime, our forces will be regrouping, and making a push for their capital while they’re on the backhoof.”

Squashing down the feelings in her chest and the exhaustion clawing at the inside of her skull, Flitter lifted her head to regard the trio of Princesses. “JSOG will follow your orders and go where you order us to. Our operational strength is one dozen, including myself.”

Recoiling as if struck across the muzzle, Celestia closed her eyes as she released a shaky breath, unable to meet Flitter’s gaze. “Good. Thank you, Knight Captain.”

With Flitter’s forces committed, all eyes save Celestia’s fell upon Jack, who stood back and glared at them all through his faceplate. He slowly licked his teeth as he considered his words, allowing those present to stew in anticipation. “The First Expeditionary isn’t your personal attack dog.” The moment the words left his armour’s external speakers, a chill fell down across the room. “They are not your army. Every last person within it is a volunteer, who agreed to break the siege. Any further operations will need to be agreed upon by their leadership, and appropriately compensated.”

“Mercenaries…” Stormfront muttered, his thankful appearance shifting to one of distaste. “With that weapon of yours, you could lay waste to anything you met on the field! All we ask is that you use it on the targets we specify!”

“No.”

“NO!?” General Stormfront nearly jumped the table in anger. “And why not!? The Empire has earned our wrath a thousand times over!”

“No, they haven’t.” Jack slowly leaned his weight onto the heavy oak table, his grip causing it to splinter and fracture like ice. The whole table groaned in earnest under the weight of the Thanatos Operator. “The Empire has been forced to fight, just like your civilians. Every time that weapon is used, it’ll slaughter thousands of innocents. It will not be used against the Empire again, only targets that I deem worth the cost. Not you, not JSOG, Not the Princesses, Not God. Me.”

“You hypocrite.” Wave growled out, while Celestia looked aside, lowering her gaze. “You fired it on the Empire before our gates, when they were packed shoulder to shoulder with our own civilians, and now it’s too much to use of solely military targets? You’re trying to stronghoof us in our time of need, and it is disgusting. Your sudden moral shift is just going to cost us more innocents.”

“Generals.” Celestia spoke once; a low, soft tone that still managed to utterly silence the room and quell the trio. “Jack is right… I understand what he is really saying. We cannot be trusted to not abuse the power of that weapon, not in his eyes. The power to shatter the sky. I remember…” She slowly turned her soft eyes toward Jack, causing him to stiffen inside his armour. “I remember when we spoke of humanity’s weapons of mass destruction. When you told me we weren’t ready. I asked you if you thought humanity was.”

“And I told you the truth. Nothing’s changed in eighty years. I won’t trust anyone with it, only myself.” He straightened slightly, releasing the table from his death grip.

“Can you be trusted with it?” Celestia asked, her soft eyes suddenly gaining a diamond hard edge.

He stared at her for a long moment, letting the question hang in the air. “No. And I’ll have to live with my choices for the rest of my life. It’ll all be on me, not anyone else. I’ll be the one accountable. Somebody has to be accountable for it.”

Celestia’s eyes softened again as she slumped back into her chair, allowing her attendants to see to her again. She nodded once, before closing her eyes. Luna looked from her sister to those present at the table as she let out a gentle breath. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. We will speak to the human leaders when they are available, and formulate our next move. I would offer you both a place to stay, here in the palace, but…” The lunar diarch paused momentarily, before tilting her head ever so slightly. “I do have a room available, if you would take it. I’ll have food brought up to you, and ensure nobody bothers your. Consider it the barest beginnings of a thanks, for both your efforts today.”

“It’s a start.” Jack rumbled, turning from the table. Flitter began to turn with him as well, just as Celestia spoke again.

“Jack… May I have a moment of time with you? Alone?”

Squaring his shoulders, Jack continued for the door. “No you may not.”

“Jack-” Celestia began again as Jack pushed the door open.

“I’m not going to forgive you. I’m not gonna give you a chance to try and justify what you did in private. Just like how I gotta live with what I’ve done, with the blood on my hands, you gotta live with the blood on yours. You gotta live with Ada’s blood. Petyr’s. Mine. If you’d let us go home, they’d both still be alive.” Jack walked through the doors, into the hallway beyond. “Maybe I would still be too.”

As it turned out, the room that Luna had offered to Jack and Flitter was her own; the second tallest tower of the castle. It was an opulent room, dark and rich in colours with silks draping down from the roof across the large bed. There was a private bath off to the side, with a balcony overlooking the city below on the other. It was where Luna would raise the moon every night, but seeing as how she already had, the room was left to the pair without any interruption.

Flitter had slipped off to the bath, leaving her armour to stand as a terracotta guard by the door, with her rifle leaning against it. Gauging from the extremely pleased noises coming from beyond the bathroom door, Jack could only assume she was getting the most out of the hot bath. Slowly taking in the room, he disengaged his armour, slipping free from it’s confines. His bodysuit flexed around his huge body as it too disconnected from the life support systems. He felt lighter on his feet, but fatigue was beginning to drag at his limbs like lead weights. Looking over the paltry food cart that had been rolled in a few minutes prior, Jack sighed softly as he gently took a crystal glass and a bottle of Appleoosan whiskey off the cart. Pouring the whiskey over ice cubes, he wandered out onto the balcony and let his weight rest on it for a moment, drink in hand.

The lights in the valley were dim now, the fires having died down to embers throughout the day. He could still make out the shape of the ship in the woods through the night, thanks to his augmentations. He could see shapes moving around it, shadowed by high powered lanterns marking the perimeter. Jack’s eyes slowly drifted toward Ponyville, and the border mountains beyond. Letting out a sigh, Jack closed his eyes.

The door to the bath creaked open quietly, though not quietly enough to avoid alerting him. Flitter’s bare feet tread across the floor, the wetness of her skin causing them to slap faintly with every step. “Jack?” She called out, seeing his empty armour.

“On the balcony.” He called back, swirling his drink slowly, watching the dark liquid slosh around the cold rocks.

Her feet grew closer, and he closed his eyes in anticipation. He could hear her passing through the threshold of the door, and stop in her tracks. He could hear the near silent inhalation of breath through her open mouth, a quiet little gasp at the sight of him.

“Jack…” She murmured softly, approaching him slowly. She placed her hand over his forearm, barely able to even cover it’s width. “What… what did they do to you?”

Opening his eyes again, he turned his head to her and smiled gently. Her eyes were tired and full of worry for him, but the worry softened as he placed one of his huge hands over her smaller metal and flesh ones. “We both made sacrifices to pull this off, Sparky.” She was wrapped only in a towel, though it was one meant for an Alicorn. Her hair was wet and brought back in a loose ponytail, serving to highlight the scars marring her face and shoulders. “Anyone tell you that you’re beautiful, lately?” Lifting his hand, Jack ran his forefinger across her jaw, while tilting her head with his thumb.

His compliment earned a faint flush of colour in her cheeks, and a playful cuff across his chest that earned a surprised noise from Flitter. “Fuck me, it’s like steel… Did Blackburn do this to you?”

“Yep… Me and two other guys. Thanatos Operators. I’m so fucked with cybernetics and genetic augmentations, I’m… not really human anymore, which is ironic given Blackburn’s stance on that.”

Investigating his body, Flitter soon took him by the hand before pausing. She hung her head, a deep flush of colour tinting the tips of her ears. “Why…”

“Why?” He grinned gently. “I’m looking at my why.”

“You did this to yourself for me?” Flitter asked with a bit more edge in her voice. An angry little edge that bit in like no other.

Sighing, Jack downed the glass of whiskey in one gulp, pausing to feel the liquor run down his throat. The feeling was one he’d been so used to that it’s absence for the past year only hit him now. He wanted more, but would stop there. “Yeah.” He finally said, looking down at Flitter. “I did. Blackburn knew about JSOG, and if I didn’t play his game he would have come after all of you, like… Minty.”

“So he was the one behind her going missing… bastard…” Flitter’s lips curled in pure hate, her eyes narrowing out at nothing. “I watched you space him… he deserved worse for what he did to you.”

“Flitter, he… never did anything to me I didn’t agree to.” Jack placed a hand on his own chest. “I became this so I could keep… the people I care about safe. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” His gentle tone killed the hate in her eyes all but instantly as they lifted up to meet his. “I know I’m not the man you fell in-...” He trailed off for a moment. “I’m still Jack, Flitter. And I know you’re still you.” He placed his big hand over her own chest now, between the swell of her breasts. Flitter settled both of her hands over his, closing her eyes.

“I know… I love you, Jack.” She squeezed his hand as she squeezed her eyes. “I missed you… so much.”

“I missed you too, Sparky…”

Pulling away, Flitter continued to grip his hand, leading him back inside. “Come on.”

“You seem to have a plan-” Jack’s words failed him as she let the towel fall off her body as they entered Luna’s room, revealing the magically intricate wings detailed across her muscular back.

“Mhm.” She stated simply as she climbed up onto a nearby bit of furniture, dragging him in as she did. Now at equal heights, Flitter leaned in, and kissed him for all she was worth. Jack was quick to embrace her back, wrapping his inhumanly large limbs around her powerful athletic body, tracing the lines of her nudity idly as he closed his eyes and revelled in the moment. Flitter soon broke off the kiss to sink into the embrace. “The plan is: you’re going to take off your bodysuit, we’re gonna lay down in the princesses bed, and I’m gonna snuggle the everloving fluff out of you.”

Unable to control himself, Jack let out a laugh. “And here I thought you were going to say Fuck.”

“Did I say we weren’t going to?” Flitter flicked the tip of his nose. “No, I didn’t. We’re going to take advantage of this moment, and we’re going to have a good time.”

“Yes ma’am.”

A soft purr exited Flitter’s lips. “Oh I liked that… Come on Pathfinder, The Captain needs her backrub.”

Author's Notes:

Well, better late than never I guess. This chapter hasn't exactly been easy for me to do, being part diplomacy and part whatever. I know there's likely a lot of things you guys want touched on, but they'll be taken care of in the next chapter.

The reason why this chapter took so long is a combination of me having way too much shit to do, and life throwing curveballs at me. I was laid off my job back in March, and I was on my way home when I learned that I was going to be losing my home too. One of my roommates essentially hadn't paid rent, and we were too short to make our bills so instead of suffering through it for another month, my other roommate decided he wanted to leave, which meant I had roughly under a month to find myself a new home, sign for it, and move before the landlord came and kicked us out.

On top of that I've had a number of side projects, which have resulted in about 100k words in collab docs with friends of mine for our Pen and Paper game, and completely rebuilding the rules for said game. I hope I can get the next chapter out faster than I did this one, but at this point I need to avoid rushing as well. This chapter feels rushed as hell to me, but there's not much else I can do at this point.

Chapter Seventy One: Again and Again

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The world was quiet when Jack awoke. Instinctively he sucked in a breath, expecting the tangy taste of recycled air mixed with stale sweat, but instead all he got was a nose full of hair. Pulling away slightly with a snort, he blinked the sleep from his bleary eyes and looked down at Flitter’s naked, slumbering form.

Memories of the long night surfaced, earning a mildly entertained smile from him as he sat up in the huge bed. It was big enough for alicorn royalty to sprawl out in, and he’d made sure that every inch of the damn thing would smell like him and Flitter. After only a moment of reflection, he rolled his hips and planted his bare feet on the cold floor. His tightly fitting armour link suit was sitting crumpled on the floor nearby, interspersed with Flitter’s own clothes and undergarments. Ignoring the clothes, Jack stood up and began to meander about; it was the first time in a long time that he’d had a full sleep, and he didn’t have anything to do right away either.

He was listless, and it felt good.

Ambling over to his armour where it stood sentinel over the royal suite next to Flitter’s, he dug around in the enclosed pouches. Ignoring the feeling of a thin plastic tube brushing his fingers, he searched for something in particular. After a moment he dug out a single stogie, the end already clipped off but unlit. Twirling it between his huge fingers, he smiled to himself as he retrieved the battered lighter that rested in the same place, before wandering out onto the royal balcony. Standing naked in the cool morning breeze, he lit the cigar and leaned against the chilly marble castle wall. Allowing the cloying smoke to collect in his mouth before pushing it out his nose, Jack allowed himself a moment of calm serenity, free from the demands of everybody, free from the world, free from his life.

It was only a moment, and it was all he dared afford himself. Pulling one final puff off the cigar, he held it in and savoured the hearty, woody taste of the cheap cigar. He snubbed it on the perfect white marble, staining it with blackened synth-tobacco. He’d finish the rest later. He had something to do.

He’d lied to himself earlier in saying he had nothing to do, but what he had planned was unpleasant to even consider, and he hadn’t wanted it to spoil his rare good mood. Carefully stowing the partially smoked cigar back in the pouch with the battered USMC lighter, he once again searched the pouches until he found what he was looking for.

Drawing out the small Bic pen, he slowly looked over it as his features fell to a terse neutral.
“Just take th’ bloody thing, you deviant!~” He closed his eyes as her voice echoed in his head. It was painful. Embarrassing. The only tangible thing he had left of Ada Forth was a Bic Pen, loaned to him to write letters to families of fallen warriors. After a long breath and a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, and gently ran his thumb over the length of the pen. He imagined her holding it in her slender fingers, he imagined her chewing on the end of it as she thought. He imagined her with the pen in her tactical vest, the innocuous little thing close to her heart.

He closed his eyes once more as he drew in a deep breath, and set the pen down on the grand vanity. He’d said goodbye in Hereford, but, it hadn’t felt right. He hadn’t really let her go. In fact, he’d kept the only Bic pen in all of equestria close to his own heart during his whole near year long journey from dead man to hercules.

His fingers remained on the thin plastic pen, as if the simple act of lifting them off would banish her forever to the desert oasis inside his mind, where all the other faces and names coalesced into darkness. Opening his eyes, he cast a glance over his shoulder to Flitter as she lay in the bed, bare chest rising and falling with every steady breath.

He shouldn’t…

Then, Flitter’s breath caught in her chest, and she tossed in the bed, murmuring quietly. He paused, holding his own breath as if the near silent inhale-exhale would disturb her. Turning again, Flitter shuddered and grasped at nothing.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was having nightmares. Flitter was strong, but…

He’d convinced himself once that he was strong. That because of it, he didn’t need help. That accepting help made him weaker.

Letting his fingers leave the plastic pen, Jack walked back to the bed and sat down, reaching over to run a hand through her short cropped hair, a gentle shush escaping his lips as he stroked her head. To his relief her tossing and turning ceased as she nuzzled into his hand. A smile met his lips as he lay back down and pulled her close, letting her head rest against his chest, as close to his heart as he could manage.

Jack awoke for the second time in the morning when someone knocked loudly on the double doors leading into the royal suite. He closed his eyes again, squeezing them against the noise, willing his ears to close with them. Against his chest, Flitter groaned in disbelief.

“Seriously… what fucking… what time is it?” She grumbled as she began to turn, looking to her mechanical wrist with sleep blurred eyes. “Ughgod…” She let her head fall back down onto Jack’s bicep. She glanced over at him, looking none too pleased. “Can you believe this?”

Chuckling, Jack began slipping from the bed. “I’ll get it.”

“Hey.” Flitter purred, grabbing his arm. She wasn’t strong enough to stop him, but the move did more than enough to pull him right back down into her arms, and against her waiting lips. Jack embraced her fully, pressing gently into the morning kiss that did more to warm him than a full pot of coffee. “Hey~” Flitter murmured happily as she set her forehead against his, their noses touching.

“Hey yourself.” He murmured back, cracking a smile.

The knock sounded again, dispelling the shared smiles and replacing them with annoyance and eye rolls.

“I got it, I got it.” Jack stood, still stark nude. He didn’t bother dressing as he strode to the door. The third knock was just beginning to sound as he pulled the door open, peering out and down at the morning intruder. “WHAT.”

The royal guard backed up slightly, eyes going up, and then down. The mare’s eyes went wide, and whatever message she had was caught in her throat with a little croak. A flush was working across her fur and to the tips of her ears, and while the sight was, in Jack’s humble opinion, fucking hilarious, he was annoyed and didn’t want to give the mare more than a passing glance between his legs.

“Hey,” he rumbled. “My eyes are up here, cupcake.”

“H-how-”

“Fuckin Magic. Spit it out already.” He crossed his arms and stared down at the mare, nearly three times her height. The poor guard had to sit to fully look him in the eyes.

“Sir! The Princesses and High Command are requesting you and Knight Captain Falenas in the War Room!” She saluted, whether out of instinct or orders, he wasn’t certain and he sure as shit didn’t care.

“Right. Tell them we’ll be there shortly. Oh, and get one of the bellhops to bring breakfast. Lots of breakfast.”

“S-sir, they’re requested your immediate-”

He was done. “Is Canterlot on fire?”

“No…”

“Is the human camp on fire?”

“No?”

“Is Order knocking down the front gates?”

“No sir…”

“Then Sun Butt and the Funky Bunch can wait ten fuckin’ minutes while I eat.” He glowered down at the mare, though in his heart he felt a little bad. She was just following orders.

“Yes sir!” The mare stood, and cantered off to see things through, and face the repercussions of his actions.

“You signed up for this shit, lady,” Jack muttered as he turned from the door, idly mooning a maid in the process as he shut the double doors behind himself.

“Marching orders?” Flitter asked from the bed as she slipped on her sports bra, and wiggled into the matching shorts.

“Oh you betcha bud.” Jack chirped with fake joviality. “Breakfast should be by shortly, hopefully that stuck up cook didn’t get smoked. I like the way he does his waffles.”

Smiling lightly, Flitter stood and began hunting down her under-armour uniform. “You gonna get dressed and stop mooning the staff? I mean, not that I’m complaining about the view.”

Scoffing, Jack set his hands on his hips. “Oh so when everyone else does it, it’s fine, but when I go commando, everybody loses their shit. What, you afraid ponies are gonna mistake me for Luna?”

“Why would ponies-”

“Cuza this full moon!” He turned and wiggled his ass, causing Flitter to nearly double over with a suppressed snort. Unable to contain herself, Flitter began giggling and cackling, tossing pillows at Jack as she fell to the bed and rolled. “Oh you like that one huh? Crude humor?” He teased with a grin

Only to receive a swift rebuttal from Flitter as she managed to suppress her tittering giggles. “C-call me Neil Armstong, cuz I’m claiming that moon!” Springing up off the bed and leaping at him, Flitter began her surprise attack, eager to make use of the little time they had before breakfast arrived.

Celestia idly glanced at the clock on the wall, her cabinet gathered before her at the war table. The human leaders had joined as well. Walter, his sister Jessica, Captain Milani, and Hans Drescher. Gilda and Malcolm Highwater sat at the table as well, though the former was drumming her talons against the table in annoyance.

“Did the guard get shot or what?” Gilda began to complain, but was met with Captain Milani’s calm and measured voice.

“I’ve never known the Captain to be late, nor Mar- Pathfinder Kessle to have anything short of impeccable timing.” She tapped her cane lightly, sitting prim and proper on the cushion.

An electronic snort sounded from Hans as he waved a manipulator idly, resting in his spider-form. “Then you really don’t know Jack at all.”

“I bet they’re fucking.” Jessica blurted out nonchalantly.

“Jess!” Walter started, but was swiftly met with a miffed response.

“WHAT!? Am I wrong!?”

Before the argument could break out, the double doors to the war room swung open, and two unarmoured figures strode in. Flitter lead, dressed in a uniform Celestia didn’t recognize that hugged her athletic body like a second skin. Jack trailed, carrying a plate overflowing with pancakes that he was busying himself devouring. It wasn’t his manners that disturbed Celestia, but his body. She’d mistakenly thought that his armour had simply contained his frail, broken body. The man, no, the beast before her could not possibly be Jack. Not after what had happened...

“Sorry we’re late, a certain somebody demanded on getting seconds.” Flitter shot a glance over her shoulder at Jack as he sat at the table, though dwarfing it and his plate with his shadow.

All at the table were silent as they took in the sight of him. It appeared that his true appearance was a shock to everybody. If Jack noticed, he didn’t lift his attentions from the pile of fluffy pancakes, devouring them as if he had room for gallons. Which, he likely did.

“Jack-” Flitter started.

“Woman, I need ten thousand calories a day, don’t shame me!” He shot back, doing his best to eat quickly.

Coughing, Hans straightened and waved a manipulator. “I believe we can start while Jack eats. This wouldn’t be the first briefing he’s eaten through.”

“I’m hearing more voices and they’re still shaming me.” Jack growled. “Keep it up and imma chew with my mouth open.”

“Please don’t.” Luna muttered, head nearly into both hooves. “Please…”
“Let us begin….” Celestia murmured, before standing to her full height. Even then, she was eye level with Jack. “We have a problem.” She saw a flash of snark fly across Jack’s features, but thanks to the pancakes, he kept quiet. Sudden realization met Celestia a moment later, and she let out a breath. “The Imperial Primary Battlegroup has gone into full retreat, linking up with the group retreating from Stalliongrad. They’re full steam, headed for Ironclaw Foundries, their primary naval yard. We believe they’ll be refitting and rearming, with plans of pushing out again. I know it does not need to be said again, but we cannot weather another siege.”

“Do you have an approximate location?” Milani asked, clasping her hands together on the grand oak table. “If I can receive a geographic location, I can task our overhead satellite to orbit over the area so we can have an eye on their operations.”

The locals all blinked in surprise, but again Celestia lead. “Yes, I can provide you with that.”

Heaving a sigh, Walter rubbed at his features. “I don’t know if we’re ready to take on another fight like that…”

“You still need to talk over reimbursement with Celestia and her Generals, Walter. The volunteers were for the siege busting, not continued warfare.” Jack said as he set down his fork. “If their forces there aren’t too heavy, you can just have a chopper drop me off near the area and I’ll handle things.”

“On your own?” General Ironside asked, skeptical. “You’re one man.”

“One man in the right place can cause a whole lot of mayhem.” Jack spoke back simply, picking up his fork again.

“That and he’s Nasty Jack Fuckin Kessle!” Jessica burst out, grinning. “Kickin ass and takin names!”

“Oorah.” Jack lifted the fork slightly as Walter shot a look at his sister, while others took the outburst with emotions ranging from annoyance to amusement.

“Second, the Turned Rangers have been sighted camping in the area surrounding Ponyville. It seems they were late for the attack, or held back for some unknown reason. As it sits, they are impeding our ability to move forward, and we currently lack the ponypower to force them off the point.” Celestia looked around the room, waiting for ideas. A few were shot about the room lightly; an artillery barrage, a vehicle assault, even the application of one of the remaining airships. However, Flitter spoke up quickly, and all but squashed the opposing ideas.

"If I may, I can infiltrate their camp and destroy one of our captured masks, it'll bring them back to our side."

Luna lifted her chin and spoke before her sister had a chance. "That will be a highly dangerous infiltration mission"

"No more dangerous than an Orbital Drop into that hell outside." Flitter countered smoothly, her mechanical fingers drumming on the table. Jack could tell she was nervous. "It has to be me.
Somebody else might screw it up."

Milani was the first to properly speak, her hands gently clasped together and her back straight. "My ship can get you over the target area, and from their you can halo jump in. They certainly won't be expecting it."

"Never underestimate a ranger, Captain, but I'll take your offer."

Jack. A familiar voice echoed in his mind, causing him to pause halfway through a bite. His mood soured all but immediately, though he fought to keep it from showing.
You can't waste your time with conventional warfare. We're close. So very close.

The statement rang true, causing him to set down his fork and crack his knuckles. The pops sounded like suppressed gunshots in the room. Standing smoothly, he circled the table, easily dwarfing everyone he passed.

"Jack? Celestia started, the ghost of concern on her still ragged voice.

"The Imperial Army isn't what we need to worry about. Not really." He stopped before the maps, setting his hands on his hips. "Forge, Carolus, Jalgromak. We kill them, we end this war. We might get lucky and not have to fight Order, but at this point I don't think our combined lucks could win two bucks off a scratch ticket."

"Easier said than done, Pathfinder." General wave spoke, unimpressed with the creature before him. "While we can safely assume Carolus has retreated to Hunter's Perch for the time being, getting there with a force sizable enough to crack the defenses will be a gargantuan task. As for the doctor, he hasn't been sighted for years."

"What about Omega Hive?" Jack countered. "They were everywhere, maybe they have intel."

Letting out a sigh, Celestia sank slightly more into her cushion. "Hive Omega has been under assault by Chrysalis' hive, under the leadership of King Xerox. While I'm sure they've managed to hold, I haven't received a missive from them since days before the siege began."

"We shall assemble a taskforce and investigate the hive." Luna said firmly. "Jack, can we count on you-"

As the princess spoke, the door to the war room swung open and a guard entered. "Beg pardon, but one of the prisoners is vehemently requesting a Knight Sergeant Jack Kessle? He said it was urgent."

Everyone present at the table jumped slightly when the massive thing was bumped to the side like a toy by Jack's bulk. He was at the door in a blink, moving faster than a man his size had any right to. "Alentius." He murmured, before pausing at the door. "I'll be back, carry on without me."

Jack's boots clipped and thumped down the rough hewn stone halls of the dungeons, weaving through the torchlit halls as he followed the guard. If he knew where they were holding Alentius, he would have left the guard behind minutes ago. But he didn't, so he was forced to stew in his thoughts.

"Here he is. I-"

"Unlock it."

"I…" The guard glanced from Jack to the cell door.

Sensing the obvious opposition of orders, Jack sighed in exasperation. "Just tell your superior whatever you need to. If you don't open the door I'll open it myself either way."

After a very brief moment, the guard nodded, and shuffled through his keys. Soon the iron barred door swung open with a rusty groan that echoed throughout the halls. The dungeon was rather sparse, though it went deep, so Jack had no idea how deep he really was. Pressing inside of the cell, he soon found the feathered form of one of his men. "Alentius." He went down to one knee, lifting his head slightly. "Hey, you with me?"

The emaciated griffon managed a grin. "You got fat." His proud voice was raspy and hoarse, a shadow of what it had once been. He wasn't a big griffon, like Cassus had been. He was even smaller now, and it only served to anger Jack. "Took… your sweetass time…" his grin wavered.

Huffing in amusement, Jack helped him lift his head, feeding him some water. "Yeah. But I'm here now, and I'm gonna make things right. You called for me?"

Alentius nodded, managing to sit up on his haunches with help. He cringed hard, seeming woozy. "They really did a number on me… should have just kept my damn head down…" He drank the water greedily before speaking again. "I-" He paused shortly to wince. "I know where JSOG is."

His heart skipped a beat, his breath catching for a moment. "Where are they, Alentius? Where are my boys?"

Alentius' grin grows slightly. "Haven't changed, have you?" Sitting up a little more under his own power, Alentius wiped his beak. "You remember the village, in the Crystal Empire? Where we lost Captain Tac?"

A gentle chill began running through his veins. "Yeah." He had nightmares about it still. "I remember."

The griffon nodded again. "JSOG is there… keeping the Crystals away from the… monsters. They come out of the woods…" He took a short break, focusing on his breathing. His opposition to the control had fried his head, hopefully just for the short term.

Jack began to slowly nod, his mind forming an image. The snow filled woods, the effigies… "The Crystal Empire still kicking?"

Again a nod. "Yeah… can't push us off… but you can. You can save them." Alentius grasped Jack's arm. "You have to save them and stop the monsters." His grasp slackened, the sudden burst of strength fleeing his body.

Nodding slowly, Jack helped him to his bedroll. "You rest up, Alentius. I'll get the boys out. Even if it means going back to that place."

The griffon nodded, easing down into the mat as if he were a hundred years old, not nearing his thirties. "And… kick that punk's tailfeathers, will you?"

"Don't you worry about Carolus." Jack muttered grimly. "I brought him a present from home."

Treading back through the halls, Jack mulled over his options in his head. JSOG were well armed, well trained, and likely expecting an attack. If he wanted to try and minimize casualties, he had to hit them just right. The Equestrians only had so many Order masks, and each one used meant a lot of others wouldn't be tasting freedom for a long time. How many of his unit were still alive, after everything that had happened? A dozen? Maybe less?

The area burst of a shattered mask could free thousands, if not more if they were packed in tightly.

It didn't matter. He had to try.

He owed them that much.

As he turned, he nearly trampled a bright ball of fur underfoot. As he went to mutter an apology and continue on his way, the mare snarled.

"Get the hell out of my way!"

The sudden outburst forced his train of thought off track, and he turned to eyeball the offending pony. The irritated return died in his throat as a flash of rainbow mane flipped around the corner and vanished. "Dash?" He moved to follow the mare around, only to find her bolting down the hall. "Hey!"

His call only caused her to flare her wings and fire off, launching forward with incredible speed. She was headed for the doors.

"Fucking hell!" Jack cursed as he took off after her, boots pounding hard against stone. He was fast, but the halls were the only thing slowing her down. The moment she left them she was gone, and there was no way in hell he could keep up. Without the bulk of his armour holding him down, Jack rocketed after the pegasus, startling guards and civilians as he went. She was pushing hard for the exit, daring to use her wings indoors. All it would take is one mistake and she'd be peeling herself off a wall. "Dash, stop! It's me, Jack!"

He had one chance to grab her. One chance to keep her from bolting out the doors and starting whatever it was she had going through her head. At his name, she faltered, hooves touching stone. She cast a wide eyed glance over her shoulder, only to be leapt upon by Jack. It was a difficult move, to try and tumble around her, instead of simply tackling her. He doubted she'd be well off if she ate his shoulder, so he was forced to land awkwardly, rolling the prismatic mare up in his arms. Immediately hooves began beating upon his face, stinging slightly on impact. She was still a very athletic creature, and she wasn't pulling her punches.

"LET ME GO DAMMIT!"

"Why're you running, Dash?" He knew why. He knew why the moment she'd taken off, but he still had to hear her say it.

"I have to save them! They're my friends! I can't let them be slaves!" Dash continued to fight, as if her awkward punches and bucks could bust her free.

She was the element of loyalty. Intrinsically connected to the other five by means well beyond Jack. He still understood, felt it in his core. After all, he was about to do the same damn thing, commandeer a ship and steam north to save a bunch of dead men. "Dash." He held her tight, careful to not crush her, or her flapping wings. "Dash I can't let you go." Despite his gentle voice, he could feel her go rigid. "You can't go alone. Not now."

"Why didn't you grab one of the others?" Dash asked through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you grab Twilight?" She sucked in an angry, grieving breath. "Why me?"

He knew exactly what she was feeling. "You were the closest." He answers quietly. "I wasn't fast enough, Dash. I tried to get as many as I could but I only got you." He couldn't have her coming apart now on the breakers of self loathing. He had to point her somewhere else. "We're still hunting them, Dash. I'll get all of your friends out."

She pulled in a deep, sturdy breath. "And you'll kill that son of a bitch? Rip his feathers out and-and-!" She faltered, her mind unable to process the cocktail of fury and grief.

"I'm gonna commit a cruelty unto him your world has never seen before." He spoke softly into her ear, still holding her. He could feel her dense, coiled muscles slowly unloading, the leaden weights taking up place over her frame. "I promise you, Rainbow Dash. Ah will fuckin' murder that man for what he's done."

She nodded jerkily, shuddering slightly. "Good. I want to be there. I… I have to be there…" She deflated further, holding his arm.

"I understand." He said simply, petting her head. Confident that she wouldn't bolt out the door on a suicide mission, he slowly released the girl, returning to his full height.

"What now? What do we do?" The mare asked quietly, rubbing at her forehoof.

"I need to get back to the war room and give a report. I just got some intel from an old squaddie of mine that needs to be acted on fast." He was already starting down that way, and the pegasus was quick to fly next to him to keep up.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm headed to the Crystal Empire to destroy a monster factory."

Jack entered the war room as the meeting was concluding, earning the full attention of everybody in the room. "Sorry, had to handle that." Dash slipped in behind him, peering about the room.

Celestia simply nodded to him, as her full attention turned to the mare. "Rainbow Dash, I'm glad you're awake. We were just finishing up here, can you wait for me outside?" Her tone was soft and motherly, belonging to someone tiptoeing on eggshells.

"No." Dash said firmly. "I want to join up and help. If you think I'm just gonna sit back here and- and not do anything, you're-"

"Then wait outside, Rainbow." Luna said curtly, causing the mare to clam up a little. "We'll decide where you can serve best momentarily."

"Right… I guess I'll be… outside." Dash gestured to the door with her wing, awkwardly slipping out.

Celestia sighed hard, shooting a needle tipped glare at her sister, who sat cooly and unaffected. Jessica leaned over and stage whispered to her brother. "Who was that?"

Waving a flippant hand, Jack took back his seat next to Flitter, groaning gently as his frame compressed. "Vital component of the friendship laser." His answer clearly didn't answer any questions the human delegation had, but he had things to do. "I've just learned from Alentius that JSOG is stationed in the Crystal Empire, protecting Doctor Forge's Progeny breeding ground. I need an Order mask and a ride up there, otherwise we'll be drowning in those monsters well before the Imperial task force returns."

The news was shocking to many in the room, but it simply made Celestia look tired. "And you intend to take down the progeny, JSOG, and Doctor Forge all on your own?"

"Yeah, that's the cut and dry of it." Jack set his hands on the table. "Anybody else will just slow me down, and risk additional assets."

"And we won't be risking you?" Celestia asked, attempting to skewer him. It was clear she wanted to apply him to a different issue. He'd long since learned that her concerns were rarely over his safety or bodily health.

"You must have not seen me working. I'm not going to brag or showboat here, but you can't afford to send anybody else. If I get killed out there, then you have much bigger fuckin problems."

The solar diarch stared into his eyes for a long moment, as if searching him. "You've said that to me before, Jack. I pray you're right. We need you to assist in the clearing of Chrysalis Hive."

"Ma'am." Walter lifted a hand. "Like I said, a lot of the first expeditionary are veterans of the Poliquean Campaign, that was nothing but bug hunts and tunnel work. We can handle this so long as we have support."

"You've never fought changelings." One of the generals said.

"If the situation becomes untenable, you have my permission to drop a rod of the hive." Jack said as he picked himself back up. "Nuke the shithole from the face of the map. Go in after and smoke any survivors. Mark King Xerox as a Jack of Spades, offer a prize to the soldier who bags his bug ass. Now, which ship will I be taking north?"

Chapter Seventy Two: Shit Hot Operator

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Preparations were well underway for the multipronged operations that were to be conducted from Canterlot. The airships were repaired to the best of the ground crew's abilities, and their weapons rearmed with ammunition fresh from the forges. Jack was to be taking Stalwart Liberty out to the Crystal Empire, with Captain Chord at the helm. It had taken a harsh debate with the Equestrian high command to see him go nearly alone, but finally he had been forced to acquiesce to bringing Maggie Dupont, Hans Drescher, and Malcolm Highwater's platoon. He didn't mind bringing the tank or Hans, but bringing in Major Highwater and his men didn't sit well with him.

It wasn't that he thought less of them, it was that he didn't trust them not to shoot one of his lost boys.

Flitter's situation was much like Jack's, her solo mission weighed down by needless bodies. Thankfully they were her own team, so she knew she could trust them explicitly with carrying out her every order.

The final team was a combined force of Equestrian, Griffon, and Human. They were headed for Chrysalis' old hive to clean it out and relieve Omega Hive. From there, each prong of the force would meet back up and move on the Imperial naval yard. If orbital imagery could be trusted, then he Imperials were busy retrofitting one of their seaborne dreadnaughts for air combat. While it wouldn't be nearly as unassailable as the first had been, it would still bring more firepower to the fight than anybody was comfortable with.

Hugging Flitter close, Jack let out a quiet sigh of a breath. "You be careful out there, Sparky. Come back in one piece."

Flitter rested her cheek against his chest, smiling fondly. "You too, ya big galoot." She patted his back, pulling away. As much as she wanted to spend just one more night together, they both had jobs to do. "You got your spaceman kit?"

He nodded lightly, gesturing to the three containers being loaded onto the Stalwart. The squat flat one was nearly dropped, causing Jack to bark harshly. "DO NOT DROP THAT!" He jabbed a finger at the aeronaut, striking fear into not just the pony responsible, but everyone around him. Jack watched the container be gingerly carried away, his fingers drumming at his armoured thighs.

"What's in that one?" Flitter asked with a raised brow.

"Something very important." He said quietly, before turning back to her. "So I guess this is goodbye for now." He was just as morose as she was. Their scant time together had almost made all the time apart worth it, but it left them both wanting more. "Maybe when this is all said and done, we…"

"Should go somewhere." He filled in, smiling gently. "Somewhere quiet and peaceful."

She returned the smile, chuckling as she set her hands on her hips. "No more caves."

"What's wrong with caves?"

A voice called across the dock, Taven waved to the pair. He was wearing his full armour, his helmet tucked under his right arm. He was still wounded from the fight, but he could hold his own. "Captain, the Righteous is about to shove off!"

The pair both sighed at the same time, hanging their heads in unison. Patting Jack's shoulder, Flitter pulled herself up from his chest armour, and kissed his cheek. "Take care of yourself, Cowboy."

Letting out a laugh, he returned the gesture. "Go on, don't keep Captain Alsan waiting." He released Flitter, and watched as she went. Before the pair left his sight, he called out to them. "You take care of her, Taven!"

The man turned and offered a tooth filled grin. "I think I'm the one who's going to be looked after, but I'll try! Good luck, Jack!"

Jack kept his hand aloft as the last remnants of JSOG boarded. He waved to Baron, Mythic, Minerva and Simoh as they loaded up, before spying the human battle group loading into the Righteous Justice. Maggie Dupont's tank trundled close, stopping just a few feet shy of the big man. The top hatch popped open, and her grease stained head popped out

"Hey! Which way to Berlin? Sprichst du Deutsch?" She grinned at him as the 1st Expeditionary flag fluttered in the wind.

"The Stalwart's thata way, Mags." He gestured down the dock to the loading platform. "You got a fresh load of ammo in that tub?"

The woman nodded, crossing her arms on the cupola ring, where she rested her chest. "Yeah, I got a fresh load of twenties for the big gun and a full battery of twos for the pintle. It just us?"

"Almost." He shot a wave to Walter and the others, earning some back from the faces he recognized. Jessica clambered up on his back to wave exuberantly toward him. "Us, Full Metal Kraut, and some revolutionary turkies."

"Sounds like fun." The woman smirked. "Well, I'll see you on there, Chief." She shot him a two fingered salute, before slipping back inside the control suite of the tank. As she set off once again, he turned, and watched as the line of soldiers carried on all around him. Drawing in a deep breath, Jack closed his eyes and held onto the moment. The city was filled with hope, for the first time in what felt like years.

Don't get your hopes up.

Up on the flight deck of the Stalwart, Jack watched as Canterlot slowly shrank into the distance, it's tall towers covered by the structures of Cloudsdale. He set down the squat, square box, letting out a sigh. He cast a glance over both shoulders to ensure he was alone, and would be for a few minutes. His fingers traced across the locking mechanism, deftly unlocking the box. It's lid separated with a hiss of nitrogen, and the sound of the life support machinery within let itself be known. Lifting the lid, Jack looked down with eyes full of pity and sorrow.

"Hey Minty…" He said gently. "I got you back to Equestria, like I promised I would."

The severed head inside the box blinked slowly, eyes rolling up to meet his. Her horn was no longer in the emitter shackle, and the agony she'd been subjected to by the superweapon was now only a painful memory. He'd dragged her free from the station at the last moment, bringing her with him in lieu of more weapons or ammo. "Can…. I…. See?"

He nodded. "You ready? This'll… probably kill you." Jack kept his voice low and gentle. He still felt that it was partially his fault she was like this, even if he'd killed the man responsible for it.

The mare inside the box closed her eyes for a long moment. "Please…"

He nodded again, and gently pushed his hands through the thick medigel, until he grasped her flesh. Scooping up her severed head as gently as he humanly could, Jack lifted Minty free from her prison. Wiping free the gunk from her eyes, he winced as several leads were unplugged by the motion. With each lead pulled out, she was one step closer to death. By the time she was straight up, and looking out over the sunset that blazed by Canterlot, she had only one lead left, her primary one.

"Beau...tiful… thank-" Her voice went silent as he unplugged the last one, cradling her head gently as her eyes fluttered shut.

"I'm sorry, Minty." He said softly to her as the life support system droned a single note behind him. "I'll make sure you get a good spot. Somewhere with a view." Slowly lowering her back into the box, he shut the lid and sealed it once again. The soft hum of nitrogen flooding it meant he wouldn't need to worry about her head rotting while he fought. To make sure she got what she needed, he had left a letter on Luna's desk, set to open in several days. His eyes drifted back down to the box. She'd begged him not to let the others see her like this, to let her die seeing the sunset one last time.

Before him lay the Crystal Empire, and a reunion years in the making. Picking up the box, Jack set off to his berth. He had work to do, things to prepare for. Forge wouldn't escape him this time.

Flitter rolled her neck nervously as she worried away at her rifle with a bit of microfiber cloth and cleaning oils. She'd replaced the barrel, and was carefully cleaning away the plasma scoring along the length. The barrels were good for several thousand rounds, but she only had three, so they needed to be cared for and maintained slavishly. The rest of the hightech powergun had to be cared for as well, despite it's tough construction. The end of her buttstock was dinged and slightly deformed from where she'd used it as a blunt instrument during the siege.

The sound of rubber boot soles met her ears, though she didn't lift her head to regard whoever it was invading her privacy. A light knock sounded outside her berth.

"Permission to enter?"

It was Taven. Flitter gave him a single stroke nod, eyes still searching the weapon for any remaining traces of filth.

Stepping inside her small room by about a step, Taven leaned on the bulkhead. "Captain Milani says we're about an hour out. You want to let me in on your cunning plan?"

She rolled her jaw as she thought, a habit she'd picked up on earth. "Yeah. I'm gonna take a mask down and try to get close enough to catch the rangers in the blast. If I gaff it, the rest of you come down and the ship unloads with the thirty millimeter CIWS's." She couldn't let the second happen. The Rangers had held the line so they could escape, she wasn't going to slaughter them all now. Not now.

Not ever.

Taven nodded slowly, scratching at his neck. "You open to constructive criticism?"

"No."

He went ahead anyways. "That's a fucking awful plan."

"Taven, that's not constructive criticism." Flitter said with exasperation. "Which I'm still not open to."

"Flitter," Taven started, his own nerves clearly frayed still. "Jumping down there alone is tantamount to suicide. If they see you coming, they'll fill you full of daylight. What if they've got a progeny?" He exhaled hard through his nose. "You're not Jack, Flitter. You can't afford to try to be. Fuck sakes woman, We cannot afford for you to try to be."

She tried not to show it, but his words had rankled her badly. "Taven" She said quietly, setting her rifle down. She fought back a scathing response and gathered herself to respond with tact. "I've gone over the plan with Captain Milani. I'm being dropped from forty thousand feet in the dead of night. The rangers will be expecting a pegasus, not me. If there's Progeny, I'll call down CAS from the ship. If I'm blown, that's where you guys come in." She set her hands together to keep them from fidgeting. "If that's not good enough for you, then I don't know what to say, Taven. We dropped into worse odds mere days ago."

"And we damn near lost everybody to those odds, Captain." Taven said quietly, lifting off the bulkhead. "See you in the launch tubes."

"Taven." She spoke up, looking to him as he started away. He paused, but didn't turn. "I'll be careful. You… just have to trust me." He nodded his head faintly, broad shoulders sinking slightly.

It was going to be a long day.

Forty Thousand feet in the air, the world looked peaceful. Flitter stood on the edge of the precipice, kit strapped tight to her. She'd double checked, triple checked, and then had Taven quadruple check her kit. She was as ready as she could ever be, and yet the prospect of the mission before her gave her pause. The mask of control was secured tightly, and she had the means to break the magical wards placed over it, and destroy it. All she had to do was get close.

The world was wrapped in a blanket of perfect darkness before her, wispy clouds floated here and there. She could see the faint lights of Canterlot in the distance, a beacon against the cloying dark. The light beside her went from red to green, bathing the launch bay in light. The crew chief made a sharp motion downward, but Flitter had already dived over the edge.

The wind whistled passed her sealed helmet as she began her unassisted plunge back to earth. "Mother Goose this is Raptor Actual, I've made a clean separation and am on course. Hold position."

"I copy that, Raptor. Happy hunting." Captain Milani spoke in a cool and crisp professional tone that never seemed to change, even when shit was hitting the fan.

The skies were clear between Flitter and her target, but the turbulence was still there. The winds at thirty five thousand feet were like an unrelenting tide, threatening to blow her off course like a paper boat caught in a monsoon. She couldn't afford to have that happen.

Pinning her boots together as she stuck her arms to her sides, she went from a controlled freefall to a hard nose dive, using her feet as rudders to steer her toward the target zone. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her accelerometer clicking upwards, faster and faster as the howl of wind became a screech passed her helmet.

She hit terminal velocity, 55 meters per second, at thirty three thousand feet and held it. The strain of holding herself on course caused her limbs to start aching and burning as she fought the wind, but she paid it no mind. The target location was marked with a holographic pin on her hud, and she was determined to land dead center.

She hit fifteen thousand feet, and could see camp fires in the dark. Using her innate magics, she sent herself into a fast sidelong roll, returning to the plotted course she'd drifted from at around twenty thousand feet.

Ten thousand feet.

Six.

Five.

She braced, jaw nearly ready to clamp on the parachute release built into her power armour.

Four.

Three thousand feet.

She flared her limbs out, cutting her speed as she deployed her chute. The black carbosilk stealth chute popped open above her with a heavy FWumP, jolting her body hard as her velocity was ripped away. She was deadcenter in the middle of the ranger camp, just as planned. She watched her speed drop, but not quickly enough. She'd either have to hit the ground harder than anticipated, or risk using her repulsors, which would blow her cover all but immediately.

She ran the two options in her head against each other for a fast second, before the decision was made for her at one thousand feet.

The staccato blasts of fifty cal anti air guns filled her visor, barely giving her a split second to flinch in shock as the rounds ripped passed her and bit into her canvas. The chute came apart as she hit the emergency release on reflex, rolling over backwards to avoid the rest of the tracers.

The rounds lashed back and forth through the skies, trying to track her as the ground rushed forward. She was coming in far too hot now, and there was no way her reserve chute would help in the slightest. She had no other option than to throttle her repulsor flight pack. With the air in her lungs forced down into her feet, Flitter arced her body to come in at an angle, instead of straight. A fat, heavy round slapped into her armour, the ball tracer deflecting off shaped plates. The blow still drove what little breath she had from her lungs, and caused her to hit the ground hard.

She tumbled through a tent, bowling over boxes of ammunition and cots. Rolling to a stop, Flitter drew in a gasping breath that tortured her ribs and made her empty lungs burn. Her vision was still spinning, but she forced herself to stand nonetheless. She was at the center of camp, all she had to do was smash the mask. Her hands went to her low profile webbing, reaching for the pouch the mask was stored in.

All she found was shredded fabric and a dinged side plate. A swift, leaden pall of dread fell upon her and clamped down around her heart as she realized the mask was missing, dropped somewhere in the camp.

"Shit." She breathed as the weight of it crashed down upon her. "SHIT."

It was only then that she heard the voices in her ears over the keening whine of her impact still ringing in her ears. "Raptor One, I repeat, what's your situation?" Captain Milani was as calm, cool, and collected as Flitter wanted to be. A niggling lance of jealousy cut through Flitter as she scrambled for cover. The Turned Rangers were scrambling to attack her now, and she had to move.

"I don't know how, but they saw me coming, I took a round and I've lost track of the mask." She cursed as she unslung her rifle. "Start dropping altitude and prepare to give CAS. The other Raptors cannot deploy, I repeat, Cannot deploy! There's an Anti-Air battery that needs to be disabled first." She burst out of the tent, skipping through her vision modes as she frantically began searching for the mask of control.

"I copy that, Raptor One. Hold tight." The line clicked, and Flitter knew the ship was repositioning to give her support. She had to find the mask before then. Rifle rounds skipped off her power armour, causing her to curse and duck into cover. She brought her rifle up and sighted her first target, only to hesitate and duck back down.

She'd recognized the ranger on the other end. She'd trained with them, fought with them. She had to give them all a chance. Slinging her rifle again, Flitter set off at a half hunched run through the alarmed camp. She could see the point where she'd slammed into the ground and began tumbling. The anti air guns were nearby, manned by another ranger. Flitter deployed her shoulder launcher, plugging the base of the mount with an AP micromissile. The whole thing collapsed, knocking the gunner back and onto his ass.

The pony didn't look any different from- Flitter saw the flash of movement and locked onto it long before she registered what exactly it was. The progeny uncoiled from the weapon array, it's head full of bulbous, watering eyes. It arched nearly over backwards, and loosed a warning howl that shook Flitter's visor like a sustained concussive blast. The gunner's ears burst with gouts of blood, but it was evident the cry of the beast wasn't what Flitter had to worry about.

It was the raucous scream that answered it from across the camp. She was running out of time, fast. "Mothergoose, this is Raptor One! I've taken down the AA emplacement, encountered a new form of progeny!" She unslung her rifle in one smooth motion, and put a two centimeter plasma bolt into its head. The bundle of eyeballs and viscous flesh burst like an overripe melon, spraying flaming bone and liquified greymatter across the area. She gave it another two rounds just to be sure. "Progeny eliminated, others present! Deploy Raptors Two through Twelve!"

Searching frantically, Flitter picked up a flash from a nearby tent, and set off at an augmented sprint. The camp was roused and gathering thanks to the proddings of Jalgromak. She had to do this now, or it'd be a slaughter. She owed it to the rangers. She had to give them everything she had.

Plowing through the tent, Flitter nearly crashed across a map table as she reached for the source of the flash. Her hands gripped uniform and fur, and then stone mask wrapped in magic. Her fingers dove through the eyeholes of the mask, prying it from the awaiting face of it's next supposed wearer. Colonel Sunshine Glow growled and fired his sidearm into her faceplate, the rounds bouncing off harmlessly while the kinetic force rattling her. With a wrench of her core, Flitter ripped the mask from the Colonel, throwing him like a child across the tent. She took a knee, placing the mask on the ground as she smashed her titanium rod into it.

The pulse of energy nearly blew her off the ground as it detonated from the mask, washing over the camp. Those under Order's control collapsed, writhing in the dirt. Flitter landed on her ass, eyes rolling as her brain tried to reorientate itself and her body tottered upwards. She let out a laugh, a mad little titter of realization that she'd done it.

Then the progeny struck her midsection and bulldozed her through the camp.

Flitter gasped for air as she was slammed into the dirt, before being grabbed by the legs and used like a hammer against an invisible nail. She could feel her shoulder pop free of its socket as the progeny manhandled her like an angry child would an upsetting toy. She had to do something fast, or she was going to be reduced to paste and feathers.

Her arm mounted pistol flourished out of her armour smoothly, and she risked a double tap of shots at the hand holding her foot. Incredible heat blistered her skin under the armour as her boot fused at the graze area, but despite the injury she was rewarded with it's fingers popping free. Firing off her whole bank of repulsors, Flitter leapt into the air and marked the Progeny. "FIVE SECOND CAS BURST ON MY TARGET NOW! DANGER FUCKING CLOSE!!" She came back to the ground, rolling as one of her repulsors malfunctioned and threw her off balance. Warnings blared across her visor, things she had to dispell fast to keep her focus where it was needed.

The Rangers were rousing from their stupors, and a few had the presence of mind to start shooting at the beast. The progeny looked from Flitter to the Rangers, and began to lope into the camp, giggling like an eager child. The Rangers began to scatter, but the ogre Progeny was just too damn fast.

Driven to desperate measures, Flitter drew the beast's attention. Lifting her pistol she dumps the magazine into its back, blowing off chunks of blazing fat and muscle. The ogre howled in fury, turning on a dime to begin charging her again.

"Fuck me." She breathed out as she began to backpedal. Then the night sky ripped apart like fabric, the brutal snarling report of the ship's CIWS shattering the air. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTT The 30mm rounds slammed into the Progeny's back as it leapt for her, the sheer weight of the onslaught forced it into the ground, squealing like a pig stuck with a flaming poker. Flitter continued to scramble for distance between her and the beast as the close air support pummeled it for exactly five seconds. She had only that time to retrieve her power sword and try to relocate her shoulder. She was unsuccessful with her shoulder, leaving her meat arm hanging limp at her side as the onboard medical system of her armour fed her a chemical cocktail of painkillers.

The moment the CAS abated, Flitter leapt into action. The progeny writhed in pain, it's hide a patchwork of ugly smoking holes of missing meat. It was dying, but not fast enough. Flitter crossed the distance quickly, blade flashing through the midnight air.

The progeny lifted it's heavy arm to block the blow, only to find the powered blade carving through it like a perfectly cooked rump roast. The heavy limb fell to the ground, causing it to topple over onto its wounded side. The beast thrashed and squealed violently as Flitter hacked and slashed at it, taking whatever she could reach off. It felt like the fight for the beast's life took forever, but when she sank the tip of the blade into the center of it's now featureless face she discovered the brawl had taken under a minute from start to finish.

With the progeny slack at her feet, Flitter drew her blade out and switched it off as she fed it back into the low drag scabbard. With the camp suddenly quiet, all she could hear was her heart thumping in her ears like a trip hammer.

"Rangers, secure the area!" A ghostly familiar voice called out as Flitter scanned over her armour's inbuilt medical system. Her ribs were bruised and her shoulder was dislocated for certain. But, save for that, she wasn't bleeding and nothing was broken.

It could have been worse.

"Knight Sergeant Jack Kessle?" Colonel Sunshine Glow asked as he approached, his mane a greasy, scraggly mess. "I don't know what the hell you did… but you have my thanks."

"Close, but not quite sir." Flitter answered with a smile only she could feel. Blips of JSOG jumping down from the ship filled her radar as the Colonel's features lifted in surprise.

"Lieutenant?"

Pulling off her helmet, Flitter smiled at Colonel Glow. "It's Knight Captain now, actually. Glad to have you back, sir."

The shock of hearing her voice come from a human's mouth clearly struck the colonel in place for more than a few moments, giving the rest of Flitter's team time to land. "Hhhooow?" He finally managed, his mind struggling to take stock of what he was looking at.

Waving her mechanical arm to Taven as he landed, Flitter tucked her helmet under her good arm. "Long story. Pack up camp, we're bringing you all back to Canterlot. We're in the middle of an op."

"Shitfire…" Colonel Glow shook his head, eyes bloodshot and exhausted. "How can the Mountain Rangers help?"

Taven's brisk trot across the open ground was what underscored his voice. "You can help by getting your butts back to Canterlot, resting, eating, and rearming. We have a war to win." Taven swiftly turned his attentions to Flitter. "You were supposed to call us down if things went fucking sideways."

She could tell he was fuming behind his helmet, and so she had to cool him down. "I would have, but there was an AA emplacement still active. Likely the only reason I made it down in one piece is because I got the jump on them. The rest of you would have been sitting ducks. As for after, I was a little busy being handled like a hot little whore by the fuckin ogre over there."

Taven breathed out hard through his nose, an action made sharper by his armour mic. "Why do I always end up with the shit hot cowboy operators… Do you think you're invincible or something? Come here, let me try and fix that arm of yours"

Looking to Colonel Glow, Flitter managed a weak smile as the human spacecraft made to set down in the open field nearby. "We'll talk later, sir."

"I expect some answers, Flitter." The Colonel smiled faintly in return, before forcing his body to go rigid as he saluted. "The Mountain Rangers are in your debt."

Patting the stallion's shoulder, Flitter allowed Taven to lead her back to the ship, where she'd be tended to by medics while her team assisted the rangers in breaking camp. With her shoulder relocated sometime later, Flitter pushed into the cockpit to speak with Captain Milani. "Have you reported our success?"

The buxom woman smiled and nodded from her command chair, fixing nonexistent creases from her crisp white uniform. "Of course. Canterlot Command is very impressed, but the report of new progeny has them worried."

Flitter nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on Milani's face. "Then it's a good thing that Jack's taking out their factory for the things. Do we have any news on him?"

For a moment the captain hesitated, causing Flitter's breath to catch. "Yes, there is. They've run into some trouble."

As if on cue, Jack's voice broke over the comms against the background rattle of gunfire, and something roaring. "JUST GET YOUR METAL ASS IN THE AIR, ROXY!"

Chapter Seventy Three: Operation Blacksun

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High above the frozen lands of the Crystal Empire, the steel bulk of Stalwart Liberty loomed like the specter of war, casting a long shadow over the terrain. Once again, a blizzard had rolled around the mountains, making visibility near zero and blanketing the whole area in a deep layer of fresh powder.

"Jack, we're nearing the target zone." Captain Chord spoke lightly, but Jack heard him clearly as he hunched over the planning table, pouring over the tactical maps.

"I know," Jack murmured quietly, eyes still searching for any clue to the whereabouts of Doctor Forge's Factory of Horrors. Alentius had nearly died to get him that information, now all he had to do was make good on it. All he had to do, was find a needle in a haystack; only the haystack was untold thousands of acres of forest nestled into some of the most inhospitable terrain on Equis, and the needle itself was likely crawling with some of the most insane and deadly creatures in the whole world.

The Captain stood still and silent for a long moment, the only sound coming from the murmur of the bridge behind him, the soothing hum of the ship, and the ticking of the clock above the bulkhead door. "Anything?" Chord asked, keeping his voice low.

"No. Maybe an old crystal mine, but it's too small to hide a factory of the magnitude Forge would need..." Jack ran his hand down his features, dragging them out of place for a moment. "But, it's the best shot we have, so that's the first target."

"Have you a plan for JSOG?" Another quiet question, with an equally quiet answer. One he'd chewed down to the bone over the long flight out.

"Not really. Could wade in with a mask and get them loose, but then replay the last mission we had in this god forsaken place." Jack scowled softly, mind flicking back to the first time they'd encountered a Progeny Variant. Now there was more. A lot more, if he had to guess. Forge was as creative as he was sadistic, he had to give the man that. "Either that-" Jack said after a breath "-or I leave them unturned and try to get it at the end of the mission, making things more complicated on my end but with, hopefully, far less casualties than the first."

"If you free them first off we could run chariot teams down there and retrieve anyone who can't fly."

"Still using those?" Jack perked a brow slowly. "No X203's?"

"Yes. The helicopters we had were destroyed in the battle, or were damaged. There's word of a few being express ordered for the final leg of our operations, but-"

"But in the meantime we're back to square one." Jack finished for the captain, and received a curt nod in agreement.

"Yes. The chariots will work well enough, they're fast and silent, unlike the helicopters."

"True." Jack conceded that point easily. "But the choppers are faster, and they're more heavily armed and armoured." He was getting off topic and he knew it, there was no point in arguing over what was just semantics in the end. "Have two teams of your fastest ready to move on my signal. I'm going to hit the village first and free the soldiers there. Somebody may have a better idea where the factory is, which means we'll be spending minimal time in this cold shithole."

The Captain nodded curtly. "I'll inform the crew, though, I have to say it's not the cold I'm worried about."

He could only nod in agreement. "I know… Me too." Turning away from the maps, Jack activated his helmet, letting it unfurl from his armour and assemble over his head like a bug, where it sealed with a hiss of atmosphere. His armour still bore the scorch marks of the Battle for Canterlot, but the space aged coating was still a shining silver despite everything the world had thrown at him. He'd had a brief thought of painting it over with some ad-hoc form of camo, but… something about the gleaming silver just seemed right. It was like an unspoken challenge, a call for all eyes to be on him in the field, not his more fragile compatriots. Flitter had liked it as well, and that was more than enough reason for him to keep it.

Striding out of the tactical room behind Captain Chord, Jack left him to hail the crew and inform them of the plan. He was off to brief his own. As he walked the halls, he found himself sharing the halls with a great number of aeronaughts, though they hardly had to shuffle for room in the wide passageways. Pegasi glided by at head height, but he was still forced to duck through bulkheads. Thankfully the silver armour earned him a little respect, and most moved out of his way before shooting brief salutes. The mission had cast a quiet, excited pall over the ship, causing it to nearly buzz with anticipation. After a long and brutal siege, they were finally striking back against Carolus' forces in a meaningful way.

Jack found Maggie in the hangars beneath the flight deck, tooling about the battle scarred tank. "Mags!" He called across the bay as he approached, earning the temporary attention of all present, and the lasting focus of his tank operator. "Get some warm clothes on and get that tin can on the runway."

"I'm not coming down with you?" The woman wiped some grease from her forehead and lifted one of the straps on her stained workmans overalls to fix its position on her built shoulder. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and capped with a hat that held the name of FFHWG, whatever that meant. She was shapely and pretty, on top of being strong and intelligent. The sort of woman he would have chased had life turned out differently.

"Negative." He shooed the thoughts away, giving off a faint mental growl at them. "It's a wasteland down there and you won't have infantry cover. You're anchoring to the flight deck and killing anything that gets close to the ship that ain't me."

"Artillery, huh? You know I wont be able to depress the barrel enough to cover you on the ground until you're neck deep in those woods, right? Not without the Captain tilting the deck, and that'll be a fuckshow."

Jack shook his head and waved a hand, as if the mere motion could dissuade her worries. "I'm not worried about what's on the ground. We saw fliers in the battle, I'm worried about them getting to the ship or hitting our flight crews. The two centimeters are the only thing we have that can reliably put them down."

Sighing quietly, Maggie nodded, and settled in the commander's cupola with arms crossed and chest resting on them. "Copy that, sir. I'll be your fly swatter."

"Disappointed?" He asked with a nearly wry grin. "The fly swatter's if everything goes well. That's why I want you mag-anchored to the deck, if shit really hits the fan then I'll have Captain Chord pull some slick moves to give you a bead for the cannon."

The woman grinned and shook her head. "No wonder Captain Falenas likes you so much, you sure know how to make a lady smile!" Maggie slipped back into the tank, closing the hatch. The tank rumbled to life after a brief pause, and swiftly began to rattle and rumble toward the lifts.

With a shake of his own head, Jack smiled faintly as he turned to collect his weaponry for the mission. Everyone would be waiting on him if he dallied any longer.

Bitterly cold wind lashed hard against the deck, whipping up eddies of dusty snow across the perfectly smooth metal deck. Maggie's tank formed a dark blob at the midship length, weapons slowly tracking across the sky, all but begging for something to shoot. On the back end, Jack ran one more check of his equipment, listening to Sammy intone his diagnostics in his ear and watching the code lines slide down across his visor. Everything was coming up green, so it was time to kick things off.

"This is Kessle, Captain Milani, are you there?" Milani was going to be observing the operation through satellite feeds, and informing him of large hostile movements, but she would likely be busy running tactical for Flitter's mission, so he made a mental note not to pester her too much. His own armour had a good satellite link, but hers was still far better.

"This is Milani, reading you loud and clear."

His eyes flicked to the second name. "Captain Chord, how copy?" Chord was running onsite tactical, though Jack doubted comms would remain clear with the storm pounding the valley. If Jack fucked things up, Chord and his crew would be the first to pay the price.

"Crystal, despite the weather."

"Maggie?"

"Ready and waiting!"

Jack nodded faintly. "Comms are clear. I will be running under callsign Pathfinder. Milani will be Watchdog, Chord is Homeplate, Maggie is Nova. Operation Blacksun is a go." He throttled his jumpjets and leapt off the deck, plunging headlong into the blizzard before the carrier. Wind currents buffeted him as they tried to blow him off course, but with his repulsor jets and heavy weight, he wasn't too worried.

His eyes flicked up to his holographic map, and just as he was about to shift his course, Captain Milani spoke in his ear. "Pathfinder adjust your course by twelve degrees east."

"Thanks, Watchdog." He tilted his body, working his jets to fix his angle.

"Satellite coverage is spotty with this weather, don't panic if you lose contact." Milani sounded calm and cool, but he could just barely pick up the faint stress she put into 'don't panic'. Running surveillance for one mission and operations on another was likely fraying her, though she was clearly too proud to let it on.

"Copy that. Don't worry too much about me, just watch my feed, Watchdog. Homeplate has me if things go sideways."

His words didn't reduce the sound of faint strain in her voice, but he hadn't expected it to. "Affirmative, Pathfinder."

His altitude was dropping fast, even with his jets on full. "The benefits of being a flying brick…" Jack mused to himself quietly as he swung his legs up and braced for impact. His boots struck frozen snow, and immediately sank. A wall of snow all but swallowed him as his momentum and weight sent him right to the permafrost.

Sammy's voice chimed in his ear after a moment. "For a brick, you flew pretty good."

"Haha, very funny." Jack squatted down and jumped, giving his jets a blast of power to send him on a good arch over the area. The moment he left the snow, tracers began lancing through the air, several spalling off his snow covered armour. "This is Pathfinder, I'm not certain but I think they've noticed me." He landed in a sprint on the hard packed road, sinking up to his knees in the fresh powder. The powder barely slowed him down as he plowed through it like a runaway train billowing snow, forming a cloud behind him. The probing rounds quickly grew laser accurate and plinked off his hardened hide like rain, with more than a few hitting his faceplate.

"Nine muzzle signatures detected. 7.62 impacts, no penetration." Sammy chimed in his ear as he brought forth the first bit of kit he'd dragged along for the fight. The heavy rounds ceased skipping off his armour, and began shattering against the heavy ablative plating of the ballistic shield. It was doubtful they'd do any damage but it was better safe than sorry. "Incoming!"

His little mental gymnastics were all but immediately vindicated when a recoilless rifle round smashed into the heavy shield, blowing a hole in it and spraying his armour with molten metal. The incessant vibration of the impact left his hand stinging faintly.

"Pathfinder, this is Homeplate, they have that road presighted, you need to move before they bring heavier weapons to bear "

"I should have figured they would." He grumbled as he changed course and swiftly trudged into hip deep snow, rounds splashing off his plating like so much hail. "I fuckin’ trained them to do that…" They were the best the empire had to offer, and he'd trained them himself in modern tactics. He couldn't pull punches here, not with so much on the line, because they sure as hell wouldn't be. They’d already be moving from their holes, repositioning to harass and bully him, like he’d trained them to.

His boosters fired with a howl, throwing up a blizzard snowscreen around him as he leapt forward, closing the distance to the abandoned village hundreds of meters at a time.

"This is Nova, picking up air targets." Maggy spoke with a cool and clipped voice, the sound of the tank's interior filtering in as background noise to her call. He could pick up the sound of the 20mm cannon gears turning.

"Size and bearing?" He stowed a mental growl as his eyes flicked to his radar and satellite uplink. Spotty, at best. He couldn't keep the air targets on for long, and they were moving erratically.

"Big and headed right for you."

That made things simpler. "Smoke ‘em." He hardly even glanced up as a wicked fast pulse of cerulean plasma bolts shot through the air, finding their target somewhere in the whiteout. His attention was much more focused on the ogre progeny charging him from the houses, giggling manically as it threw up great gouts of snow with every bounding step.

Rounds were still bouncing off his armour as he levelled one of his shoulder mounted weapons, and promptly separated the ogre's upper body from its lower. Jack's visor automatically darkened to protect him from the flash of plasma from the 10cm cannon, but even with the flare protection it was hot and bright, flash melting the snow along its path which formed a massive steam wall between him and the ogre.

As he began moving to use the steam as cover, the target of Maggie's fusilade slammed into the ground nearby, sending up a plume of snow. Whether it was properly dead remained to be seen, but he had bigger worries.

"Pathfinder this is Watchdog, satellite feed shows notable movement in the forest, though numbers are unknown. ETA to arrival, three minutes."

"...Affirmative." Jack ground his teeth momentarily, trying to find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of the Progeny. Unknown numbers of hostiles, tight time window, friends he can't shoot… "Nova, I need a barrage of twenties on the marked targets, as many as you can until they fuck off." Unless that just pissed them off and accelerated his time window.

"That's going to make for a lot of rounds, Pathfinder. They've got lots of cover." Trepidation coloured Maggie Dupont's voice, and he couldn't blame her. Those rounds were as valuable as solid gold now, with no means to reproduce them and a finite supply.

"Then give them a lot of rounds. Homeplate, get your recovery teams in the air, I'm moving on the center of the village. Nova you are weapons free, Homeplate, give her the angles she needs."

Worst case, hm?

A pair of affirmatives sounded in his ear, and nearly a minute later vibrant balls of plasma streaked through the air like comets, splashing down in the forest behind the small village. The howls of wounded progeny chorused against the sudden flare of violent fires and exploding trees. His worst case scenario had swiftly become the only case, and he didn't have long to act.

Moving from house to house, Jack made his way toward the center of town, where he would surely catch all of JSOG in the blast once the mask was destroyed. He hoped. Prayed. Any far roaming patrollers or guards inside the facility wouldn't be in range, and he'd be forced to kill them.

The little village showed signs of battle, specifically that of griffon on pony. Bits of Crystal Empire armour poked up from over the collected drifts, and broken weapons protruded on occasion. He didn't see any progeny corpses, or even those of griffons. If he was any guess, then it was likely the crystal empire had sent their reinforcements to the town as promised, but they likely didn't succeed in a full evacuation. The progeny had seen to that. The nature of the battle that had been fought here a mystery to him, but he could still hold out hope that all of the civilians had been evacuated to somewhere safe.

Exhaling sharply through his nose, Jack slipped between another pair of leaning cabins, ignoring the plink of rounds off his armour as former comrades harried him from the air. How long had it been since he was here last? How long had it been since Hard Tac had died? He didn't want to think about it. Couldn't. The past was a distraction he couldn't afford right now, so he locked it away and hid the key.

The center of town was a mess of broken carriages, burnt wood, and smashed homes. Snow had begun to pile up before the cabins and cottages, left to drift and deepen with nobody to remove it. The mayor's old home was partially dug out, with the front door and a side entrance uncovered. From the machine-gun nest in the upper window that opened up on Jack immediately, he could only assume that his former squadmates had set up their basecamp there. His proximity alarm blared, warning him of the recoilless rifle team coming up behind him. With a grunt of displeasure, Jack dove through the building next to him, avoiding the shot by a margin of inches. Shrapnel spalled against his armour as the weapon began reloading. Going through the other side, Jack muttered hotly as he searched himself for a nonlethal option. Coming up empty, his eyes went to the snow below.

"Homeplate, ETA on the rescue teams?" A round glanced off his helmet, temporarily fuzzing a dozen of the nanocams on the featureless helmet, before the onboard nanites repaired them. Turning the corner toward the recoilless rifle team, Jack hurled a snowball into the face of the gunner, blasting him off his paws and sending the second round sailing far off into the sunset. His partner followed him down with a compacted ball to the chest.

"Four minutes." Not bad, he could work with that.

"Watchdog, how's orbital look?"

"Hostiles have fallen back due to plasma shelling but they are definitely chomping at the bit to get to you." Whether four minutes would be enough time remained to be seen, but he had to make it work.

Retrieving the mask of power from the hardcase on his leg, Jack tightened his fingers around the object, preparing to crush it with his hand. "How many masks do we have left?" The question was something that had been niggling at the back of his mind, chewing on his cortex. Why he asked it now was beyond him.

It was the point of no return, and had been for too long.

"...One, after yours." Captain Chord responded softly. The masks used prior had freed thousands of civilians, hundreds of soldiers. Did he really need to use it for eight or nine? Was it the morally right thing to do? The tactically right thing? As the thought wormed its way into his skull and caused a moment's hesitation, something fast and feathered slammed into his arm, snatching at the mask like a creature possessed.

Grunting a curse, Jack squeezed his fist shut, feeling the magical stone mask turn to powder, and the flesh under it splatter and pulp. The pulse of magical energy washed over him like a physical wave, hitting his chest harder than a sledge and forming eddies behind him. The culprit of the snatch was blown clear, trailing blood and feathers as the wave washed through the village faster than any could flee.

"Pulse is off, I need those Evac crews now. Tell them to double time it." Jack shook off the fuzz of the mask's destruction as he plodded over to the prone griffon. The offending paw was a complete write off, being a mess of pulverized bone, pulped muscle, and broken feathers. Turning the griffon over, Jack found that he did indeed recognize the face. Muttering a quiet apology, Jack ripped off a chunk of the downed griffon's uniform, tying a tourniquet above the damaged paw. Better he just lose it entirely than bleed out. "Okay, up you get." Jack muttered to himself as he pulled the griffon over his shoulder, and started into the open square. "FRONT AND CENTER, JSOG!"

Slowly but surely, dazed soldiers began to filter out of the village, coming to answer his call. Setting the wounded griffon down as best he could, Jack searched the faces for someone he recognized, and a rank to get answers from. He quickly found what he was looking for. "Titus, over here." He waved the trim sergeant over. "Where's the progeny factory?"

"Is… that you, sir?" Titus murmured quietly, holding his head. The griffons weren't looking their best, that was for certain. They'd need immediate medical care, and the only place they could get that was on the ship.

"In the flesh. Get your head on straight Titus, /where/ is the factory?" Jack's eyes flicked up to movement in the woods just as he received a proximity warning from Watchdog.

"It's.." Titus wobbled and fell onto his ass. "Deeper in… the mine."

"Rescue teams are inbound, stay there. Is this everyone? Are you missing anyone?" Jack's own eyes flicked over the cameras in his hud, but he couldn't tell who he was missing, not anymore.

"Yeah… yeah that's all that's left…" Titus laid fully in the snow as the wind blew more over him. "Where were you?" The question was softly spoken and weak, almost not requiring an answer.

It still felt like a spear through his heart. "I'm here now. I'm finishing this." Titus didn't respond, not that he had to as he began to fall asleep in the snow.

The shadows of the rescue crews flicked over the ground, causing Jack's eyes to momentarily flick upwards. "Pathfinder, hostiles inbound, north north east quadrant." He didn't bother looking fully up to the crews or responding to the message as he squared his shoulders and dug his feet into the snow. With one hand he held Titus down and covered his eyes, while he pushed the other hand up, clenched his fist, and then pulled it down.

"Hit the deck!" His speakers boomed over the blizzard as his shoulder mounted weapons tracked after his eyes, seeking the progeny as they crossed the forest line and entered the village. His boys, his JSOG, were fast to act even with their wits fried and their bodies suffering. Rifles popped and a machine-gun opened up, chasing the flitting shadows that moved to encircle them and rip them limb from bloody limb. They were wasting ammo, but it probably made them feel better, so Jack allowed them the moment. With the world moving that much slower before his eyes, Jack locked onto the first of his targets, a fast and lopping progeny that moved like a cat over the snow. The same kind that slaughtered Hard Tac in this very village. His rotary shoulder cannon spun up in a moment, and unleashed a fusillade of rail accelerated tungsten spikes that caught the beast like a gust of razor wind, lifting it off its feet and shredding it to little bloody bits.

The first target hadn't even hit the ground when his eyes locked onto the next target and he triggered the neural connection. His 10cm power cannon unleashed its payload, seeing the cerulean ball of plasma atomize the torso and head of the ogre progeny as it stampeded through town, leaving its legs to flop uselessly and drag it's arms about.

Over the raucous cacophony of gunfire and screeching death, Jack could hear the skidding of runners on snow, and the sound of two dozen sets of hooves making contact with land. Lifting up, Jack scooped up the wounded griffon and began to backpedal toward the rescue carriages. "JSOG, MOUNT UP! YOU ARE LEAVING!"

Two by two, his griffons stood and retreated back to the carriages, hauling themselves in as the crews prepared for a fast lift off. A streak of vibrant plasma cut through the blizzard, sending another airborne target to a flaming grave. His eyes flicked up periodically, checking his 360 cameras to see how many were left. Soon there was only one pair left, the MG team. Plowing through the snow, Jack picked up the prone griffons by their uniforms and began backpedalling toward the carriages as they both continued firing. "Prepare for liftoff!" He yelled back at the team leader, who gave nothing but a single nod before he began waving his team to bring the carriages around for a fast take off.

Unceremoniously dumping the gunner into one of the two carriages and chucking the loader over him, Jack made a sharp forward hand motion. "GO GO GO!" He wheeled away from the chariots, placing himself between the progeny and his fellow soldiers. The rescue teams were already galloping when he gave his first ‘go’, flapping hard against the crosswind that no doubt bit at them like a hail of icey razors.

A sudden warning chirp in his ear alerted him to a strange form in the snow, mere meters from the teams and moving fast for them. Alabaster white spines and undulating egg shell coloured leather skin made for perfect camouflage as the new progeny burrowed through the fresh powder, bursting forward with outstretched talons toward the rescue team leader. Beady black eyes glittering with hunger topped a predatory doglike snout filled with hypodermic needle teeth. He could see the team leader beginning to recoil in response, a deeply ingrained fear response to the unnatural trying in vain to save him from an exceptionally gruesome death.

There were a great many things Jack loathed Ernest Blackburn for, but the quality of his craft was never one of those things. Launching forward off of coiled muscles and roaring jumpjets, Jack slammed hands first into the progeny as it's talons bit into the pony's fur. Both he and the progeny crashed to the ground as the rescue carriages lifted off and sped into the air, leaving him behind with the beasts. The creature thrashed and snarled in anger that its prey had escaped it, claws and teeth flashing as it did. The snarl turned to a pained howl, then to gruesome gurgling as Jack's armoured digits shattered teeth and gripped it by the jaws. It's head cracked open like a wishbone as he wrenched on it, nearly splitting it down the center. The beast thrashed frantically in his hands, until his vorpal knife dug hard into its throat and neatly removed its ruined head from its spiney shoulders.

Drawing his Thanatos sized Magnum, Jack spun on his feet, drawing a bead on the flying progeny that was pursuing the teams as they slipped into the clouds. "AP." The pistol barked four times as he walked the recoil up the target's spine and into the back of its head. The progeny was sent spiralling to the ground, wings furling uselessly at its sides as it plunged headlong toward the ground.

A snarling roar drew Jack's attention back to the village, where the progeny were slowly encircling him. Now he was the only target they could reach, and they had him thirty to one. Rolling his shoulders, Jack willed a form into the magical knife, gripping it with two hands as its blade lengthened and thickened. "Come on then, I haven't got all fuckin' day."

Electrical currents ran across the carapace coating of Jack's armour, lifting off the blood that had spattered across his visor. Around him motes of steam coiled upwards like crooked fingers from the blood and offal scattered about. With his vision cleared again, Jack willed his knife to shrink, before gently sliding it back into its sheath. His combat shield was discarded into the snow, having been completely shredded by the frenetic close combat.

"All targets vanquished." Sammy chirped in his ear with vocal pleasure. Despite her words, he still slowly scanned the area, almost willing more targets to come forward. Satisfied after a minute, Jack relaxed and stood tall.

"This is Pathfinder, I am moving on the factory now." A quiet chorus of affirmatives echoed him as he reentered the village and began moving for the forest.

"Rescue teams have landed, all hooves accounted for." Captain Chord intoned lightly, sounding all too relieved. He'd likely been holding his breath the whole time. "Good work everyone."

The trees of the forest began overtaking Jack as he pushed inside, keeping to a slower pace so as to not miss his target. The snow here was hip deep, but had been disturbed by the rush of progeny moving into the town. His sharp senses probed the area, searching for anything foolish enough to be hostile.

The area was becoming painfully familiar, drawing up memories he didn't want.

He had been lighter then. Full of piss and vinegar and hope that things would work out. He closed his eyes for a moment, his features tightening as the emotions washed over him. It had been the first time since the research facility that he had run into another Progeny, and he'd been immediately dragged back to that awful place. All that anger, fear, the confusion… The torture, the deaths, the abuse… He could hear himself screaming, even though his lips now were screwed shut. It had all just come rushing back to him then, just as it was now. He could almost smell the sterility of the facility, feel the chill of the air on his skin. He wanted to screw his eyes shut tighter, he wanted to block out the world that demanded his attention. What if he opened his eyes and he was back there?

He'd lost his shit the first time he’d been in this spot. Had he cost Hard Tac his life because of it? Maybe if he'd been on the ball, he'd have killed the progeny in the woods instead of having it follow his trail back to the village. He’d let the weight of the past bring him to his knees, he’d let his fear control his reactions.

"Pathfinder, you seem to have stopped moving," Milani spoke into his ear, concern gently lacing her voice.

Slowly opening his eyes, Jack took a slow breath in through his nose, before releasing it out through his mouth. The air in his helmet tasted tangy with sweat and heavily recycled air, just the way he liked it. "Just getting my bearings." He began moving again, following the trails in the snow toward the mine. He didn't know whether he was really at fault for Hardy's death, but he did know he was about to ruin the day of the one man who truly was responsible. The thought gave him a sense of deepening determination, and angry excitement.

The past could wait, it was payback time.

The burnline of the plasma shelling became instantly apparent as he neared it, finding flash boiled snow refrozen into perfect half circles, trees burst open and still aflame. Chunks of burning Progeny littered the area, half a torso here, reaching out with charred fingers, an atomized corpse there that still twitched despite it's fused skeleton. His magnum hung loose at his hip, ready to draw at a moment to put down any target his searching shoulder mounted weapons didn't.

"Good effect on target, Nova. I'll owe you a drink for this." Jack praised his artillery piece lightly as he walked, crushing cooked bone and splintering burnt wood wherever he stepped.

"Hah, happy to hear it, Pathfinder. Problem is, I'm sitting with a dozen plates left in the main mag. That drink better be big." He could hear the grin in her voice, though it was hindered by the nervousness at her low ammo. It had been a big, costly gamble for all of two minutes of breathing room.

"Area appears clear, I don't think I'll need any more shelling. Just keep the twenty mills loaded and the tri barrel hunting. If it moves and it ain't me, you give it all you got. Nothing gets out of here alive." He shoved aside a corpse, eyes hunting for any clue to the entrance of the mine. He froze in place and silenced his comms, ears pricked to the wind. "Could have swore…" The faint tinkling laughter of a child rode upon the wind as it pushed against his face. "I wonder-" He paused for a moment, an idea percolating in his mind. The progeny were monsters without a single doubt remaining of that truth, but the childish giggling…

Cranking his audio output, Jack licked his lips and stood stock still. "PROOGENNYY, COME OUT TO PLAAY!~” He belted out the taunt, and swiftly fell silent afterwards as he listened intently.

A giggle responded, excited and frantic. It was to his east, upwind. He began treading toward the sound, a wicked little grin crossing his previously grim and stoney features. "PROOOOGENYYYY, COOME OOUT TOO PLAAAAYY!!~”

Another childish squeal, to his north now. He began to pick up the pace as the responding volume only increased as he got closer. He was grinning like a maniac now, hunting the progeny down like animals. His voice was beginning to take a manic edge, all of his hate for the creatures and their creator coming to a head as he abused a weakness he'd never realized until now. "PROOOOOGENYYYYY, COOOME OOOUT TOOO PLAAAYAAAAAAY!!!~~"

He didn't need to hear the response as his eyes locked onto a shadowed entrance, half buried in fresh powder that had been pushed aside by thirty something rancid bodies only minutes prior. He barreled into the entrance, finding at least half a dozen badly wounded progeny there. One was half cooked, laying on the floor, giggling in response to the funny creature calling out to it. His autocannon had already spooled, and the moment he saw their beady little eyes in the dark he opened fire with a hellish grin.

They deserved no mercy, and he gave them none.

Thirteen seconds in, his cannon spun to a halt and steamed, his blade slowly sliding out if the skull of the cooked progeny. "Found you~"

The entrance to the mine was cramped and squalid, hardly the image of a massive monster factory. Forced to duck to push into the entrance, Jack slipped inside and activated his lowlight visor. The mine looked abandoned at first glance, with rough hewn walls and pools of moisture had frozen across both wall and floor, reflecting small shafts of light at oblique angles. However, despite the initial appearance of the mine, Jack could see the telltale signs of heavy traffic, most of which had big claws that left deep furrows in the stone.

Retracting his shoulder mounted weapons so as to avoid scraping them across the low roof, Jack held his magnum at low ready as his eyes slowly scanned the area. The main entrance of the shaft quickly splintered and spread off in a dozen directions, making for a veritable maze of potential routes and pitfalls.

"Sammy. Prepare a sonar pulse." He squared himself for a moment, squatting down on the uneven stone floor, straddling rusted tracks.

"Pulse ready." The little symbol blipped to life on his HUD, prompting him to look at his map.

"Mark." The pulse went off with a fizzle, nearly silent and completely invisible to the naked eye, sending the subsonic frequency echoing deep into the caves and mine shafts. A wireframe map quickly formed on his HUD, revealing potential routes. Most of the shafts were short, ending in rough plugs. However, one such shaft went further than the others, and ended abruptly at a flat wall. Without a moment of hesitation, he set off again, following the side shaft. The walls of the mine were cut with tools and magic, and braced with heavy timbers. Halfway into his chosen shaft however, the telltale toolmarks fell away to rough, scratched out forms. "Progeny dug it out, of course…"

He felt a little ridiculous upon the realization, of course Forge had made the ugly bastards dig him out something. The likelihood of the mine being the main factory was growing with every step.

It was all but completely confirmed when Jack reached the end of the shaft, and came across a large steel door.

He didn't bother knocking.

The door squealed as metal twisted and rent, the hydraulics that controlled the door hissing as they were forced to fail. Then, with a bang, the door failed completely and was flung wide open to crash against the opposing wall. Pale lights hung from metal sockets, swinging gently to illuminate sterile halls made of tile and steel.

"Welcome back, 4859."

The voice that crackled through nearby speakers sent a hard shiver up his spine. The halls were all too familiar in construction to him, plucking at his memories in an almost taunting way, threatening to send him back to DRMSI.

"Doctor Forge." He rumbled back, sneering in his helmet. Jack didn't stop moving, he wasn't willing to let the past bind him down and let the man responsible escape like how Carolus had.

"What do you think you're doing down here, 4859?" Every time Forge spoke through the speakers, it caused the magical brand on his arm to burn angrily, as if the doctor himself were needling at his flesh again.

"Committing genocide." Jack lifted his magnum as a progeny came barrelling down one of the halls, putting an end to its charge before it had made it four steps toward him.

A deep, musical chuckle echoed through the halls as Jack passed under buzzing lights. "Go right ahead." His brow furrowed as he passed into an intersection, finding it suspiciously empty. "They have served their purpose, now that my great work is nearly complete." The smugness dripped from every syllable of every word the doctor spoke, as if he were just toying with a child.

Jack fired off another sonar pulse as he began to tread faster, hunting through the facility. Doctor Forge must have been safe wherever he was if he felt like chatting, but if he got spooked… there was no doubt the doctor had an exit strategy. Jack just had to keep him from it.

Make him talk. Let him prattle as you hunt.

Without hesitation Jack opened his mouth. "So all of this? What, a science project to see if you could do it?" He licked his lips, wetting them. They felt cracked and dry, like the oppressive weight of this place were sapping the life from him through sheer presence alone.

"As quaint a comparison that is, yes, I suppose so. A test, and a… an example, of my abilities. To earn approval for the great work."

Clearing room after room, Jack grit his teeth in annoyance. Each room was full of magical medical technology, and it was all stained with blood. He never found any bodies, only blood. The hum of the overhead lights was swiftly grating on his senses, pushing his temper back up from the place he'd soothed it into. "You should have stuck with baking soda volcanos, Forge. Your halfbreeds are already out of date."

The doctor chuckled gently into the mic, before sighing. "Perhaps. You've done an excellent job ridding me of my rejects. They were enough to placate the Pretend Emperor, and earn his support for my work, but they're little better than biological refuse." There was a long pause as Jack swept a hallway with his muzzle, growing far more concerned with the lack of targets than anything else. "4859, would you like to know a secret of mine?"

Jack paused momentarily, lips curled upwards in disgust and brows perked in curiosity. "...Sure, why the fuck not. Air out your dirty laundry."

"I took the concept from you. The idea for the original progeny, that is. You see, I've always found myself interested in biology and genetic codes, mainly due to my own condition as a hippogriff. I'd been trapped in the Equestrian Condition and unable to move forward, until I saw you." A sharp chill and down Jack's spine, and he checked his comms. Surely enough, no signal.

"Shitfire…" He murmured into his helmet, not letting the curse escape his speakers.

"You see, 4859, I had a stroke of genius when I saw you working with the others. Until that point, I had always seen humans as nothing more than an evolutionary dead end, filthy things hardly worth being used as lab rats. At that moment, however, I saw how humans could be so much more, if I could combine my condition with your kind. Humans, as it would be, have a very stable genetic signature, unlike ponies, griffons, or any other properly sapient being. A stable enough signature to be tweaked, manipulated, and made into something grand. Two parts human, one part anything else. Of course, this has made some rather… intriguing combinations, but overall it has helped my work to flourish."

Another shiver ran its course through Jack's body, though now it was made purely of anger. He'd always had his suspicions, but now everything was coming together. "And the childish laughter? What, some kind of psychological warfare?"

"No, of course not. While that is certainly a side effect, it was not the main purpose. You see, that is where the two parts human comes in. One large adult human to act as the frame of the body, and one child to act as the brain for indoctrination. The minds of the young were just so much easier to train and mold, it was the most intelligent choice."

He stumbled slightly, catching himself against the wall as his features twisted in horror. Every progeny he'd killed so far, every last one, had truly been a child. A baby, even.

No.

Not anymore.

They weren't children when Forge had finished with them. Not anymore.

His fist clenched hard, and slammed into one of the walls, causing the panel to buckle. Ahead lay a pair of massive double doors that appeared as solid as they were large. With an angry snarl, Jack leapt forward and impacted them shoulder first, driving his silver pauldron hard into the center. The doors blew inwards, banging loudly off the walls of the next room. "I must be going now, 4859, but don't think I'll leave you alone. Hmhm~ No, it's been a little pet project of mine to see which of my Progeny would be the one to kill you."

The room before Jack was gargantuan, easily the length and width of several football fields laid end to end, and filled entirely with huge glass tubes and twisting machinery. Each tube of the hundreds present was filled with a viscous blue liquid, and contained a different strain of progeny. At one end of the room lay a truly huge tank more akin to a crude oil silo than a tank of any kind, though that one was comprised entirely of metal. Miles of pipe and wire formed a maze within the huge underground room, and at least two dozen mind controlled griffons and ponies milled about, checking readouts and working panels. Above it all near the far side, was a long observation window. Inside the observation window, Jack watched as Forge slipped into a teleporter much like the one at Hunter's Perch he'd destroyed a lifetime ago.

His thrusters were already screaming hot as magic wrapped around Forge's body, his outstretched hands were smashing through the observation window as the smiling hippogriff vanished with a snap.

Too damn slow.

His momentum carried him into the teleporter, shattering it to pieces under his massive armoured bulk. The device exploded around him as titanium and weight blew apart the sensitive arcane apertures and runes.

Too damn hasty.

Jack snapped and snarled in pure unbridled fury as he rolled off the pile and sprung up to his feet. His bloody oath could have made his many past selves blush, and bordered near manic.

Then, the tubes below began to open. One at a time, then two by two, then half a dozen, a dozen, then whole rows. A thousand progeny, at least half nearly fully grown, and all of them looking right at him. "Oh for the love of- FUCK YOU, GOD, LAY OFF MY ASS FOR ONCE!" Jack keyed his comms and still found them dead. "Sammy, estimated depth!"

"Twenty point nine meters."

"Fuck it, it'll have to do." He snarled as he lifted his arm up, and primed the double barrel bio force-feedback gun. The blistering hot shot boiled through the metal and stone above, letting molten slag pour down into the observation room as it bored a way all the way out. The lights in the room winked out the moment he had fired, but moments later a shaft of sunlight poured down into the underground facility.

"Pathfinder, we just picked your signal back-"

"I NEED A ROD AT MY COORDINATES, NOW! THIS PLACE CRAWLS!" He began lasing video feed out through the hole to the over head satellite as he unfurled his guns and opened fire on the progeny. They began to pour out of their tanks, forming a veritable wave of sickening flesh and childish minds focused solely on ripping him apart. He didn't have enough damn ammo for them all, even if he spared each only a single round. "Micro Neutronium, full rack!" He forced his emotions down, forced down the anger, hate, and fear. The salvo of rockets ripped out of his armour, detonating amid the field of tubes and pipes. Everything they touched simply ceased to be, and each micromissile had cost thirty eight million dollars. All told, he unleashed half a billion dollars in ordnance in one single second, and it only served to stem the tide for a moment or two.

"Good god…" Milani whispered in his ear, fear lacing her own voice as she no doubt stared through his feed.

"Milani I need that Rod! I can't let any of these fuckers get out or we'll be here all fucking year hunting them down!"

There was only a brief pause before the captain stowed her own emotions and responded in a crisp, cool demeanor. "What about you? You're underground, you won't escape the blast radius in time."

"This ain't my first GodRod rodeo, Milani, I'll figure-... something... out?" He found himself staring at the far silo as it bulged and buckled, spilling out thousands of liters of the thick blue liquid. So much liquid washed out, that it simply swept away the controlled staff and several under developed progeny. "Oh." Jack murmured as the occupant of the tank clawed its way out.

Milani squawked faintly in his ear, letting him feel a moment of relief in knowing he wasn't the only one frozen in place."Is… that a dragon?"

"Mm." He responded quietly, his guns silent for a moment. "Yeah it'd look like it, wouldn't it?"

The dragon shook itself side to side, sloping off thick sheaths of some form of biological gunk, a writhing mass of sickening flesh that quivered as it hit the ground. While its wings touched the room from side to side, it's scales looked thicker than tank armour, and it's claws were easily as long as he was tall, the one thing that stood out clear as day to Jack was it's colour, a sickening off white alabaster that tinged a faint yellow.

The colour all progeny shared.

"Pathfinder, this is Homeplate. Describe the dragon to me, does it look like it is capable of flight?" How Chord sounded so calm was beyond Jack, as he mentally blanked for a moment.

The dragon snapped each of its wings, the whipcrack like that of a massive sonic boom. The remaining glass of the observation window exploded inward, showered Jack in shrapnel and blowing the papers within into a maelstrom.

"Yeah, yeah I definitely think so! I think it's stuck down here though-" As if divine providence had cursed his words to damn him, the dragon lifted it's head back, and unleashed an unholy keen that crackled off his armour visibly from the raw magic it carried. The roof above seemed to respond to the noise, lifting itself away as magic poured forth from the dragon's maw. "IT IS NOT STUCK DOWN HERE, WHERE'S THAT FUCKING ROD!?"

"Eta is two minutes and twenty eight seconds, Pathfinder!"

"Not fast enough- GOD DAMN ME!" Jack bolted for the blown open observation window, legs pumping hard as he leapt forward, firing his thrusters. The dragon's wings cracked again, almost immediately arresting his forward momentum. No longer anchored to the ground, Jack was sent tumbling to the ground below, smashing through a dozen meters of pipe and a trio of tanks, which saw the underdeveloped progeny within pasted under his bulk. Scrambling up onto his feet as the horde of released progeny bore down on him, Jack began mantling the pipes and tanks, launching himself at the dragon again as it prepared to take off.

As it brought its wings up a third time, and tilted it's head upwards, Jack lunged for its neck, attempting to strike it with his outstretched knife. The dragon's wings cracked again, and the resulting lift was so great that it all but vanished before Jack's eyes as he fell toward the floor.

He'd missed. Again.

As he began opening his mouth to bellow in anger, a massive, meaty limb struck him in his midsection, and began hauling him upwards as if we were nothing but a gnat. The tail of the Progeny Dragon whipped forward, nearly hurling him headfirst into the roof as it gained altitude, climbing faster than anything it's size had any right to move.

"Eta is two minutes-" Jack didn't hear the rest as he yelled, grabbing onto scales and digging his knife in between to avoid being thrown free.

"Canterlot, this is Stalwart Liberty, come in Canterlot." Captain Chord spoke calmly into his mic. Jack was forced to cling for dear life as the dragon climbed and climbed.

"This is Canterlot, what is your situation?"

"We appear to have a Greater Wyrm under Order control, how copy?"

"S-say again, a Greater Wyrm?"

"Affirmative."

Jack screamed as the dragon barreled through the clouds, subjecting him to a reverse orbital drop that strained every muscle in his body to simply hold on.

"Pathfinder, you appear to be rising with the Wyrm, you're not-" Chord was cut off as Jack yelled into his mic.

"ROXY!" He tried in vain to bring his guns to bear, the rotary cannon letting off a brief belch of rounds before it ran dry, having spent it's drum earlier on progeny. The wyrm roared in response as the rounds skipped off it's thick scales and punched a hole in it's thick leathery wing. The 10cm power cannon found the heat resistant scales of a dragon to be too tough to crack, though the impact clearly pissed it off.

"Y-yeah? I'm just going through refit right no-"

"JUST GET YOUR METAL ASS IN THE AIR, ROXY!" He lunged forward, grabbing a scale as he forced himself to climb higher upon the dragon's body.

Tossing down her hand of cards, Roxy turned her spiderform away from the poker table and began skittering for the tarmac where her Talon sat, undergoing refit and rearm. Her Wonderbolt poker buddies yelled in complaint, only getting a jerky manipulator wave from the pilot as she activated the retrieval arms on the underbelly of the craft. The human techs in charge of refitting her craft with a mix of munitions for the upcoming operation were already disconnecting the feeds and wheeling away. The crew chief shot her a brief salute as she skittered by, ensuring his team was out of the way.

Her spindly body was grabbed by the inbuilt anchor points and yanked upwards into the Talon's belly. Her brainbox was swiftly disconnected, leaving her in perfect darkness for only the briefest moment. Without her body she had no connection to the outside world, and thus was stuck in a very tiny isolation tank until the automated process plugged her into the control center of the Talon. It should have been six seconds, but it always felt like years to her.

She'd never done well with the dark, and now she had no eyes in which to shut against it.

With an electric buzz and a deep thrum, the Talon's systems connected to her brainbox, sending in all of it's collective data as an avalanche. Some pilots hated the influx of data, but Roxy loved it. It was just another reminder that everything had worked, and she wasn't trapped inside the internal workings of the Talon. She picked out the data she needed as she initiated an emergency checklist, priming the engines once they clicked by as green.

Seven seconds had passed.

She had a quarter of her compliment of anti ship missiles, and twelve seconds worth of 30mm caseless.

She was two thousand three hundred and six kilometers from her target zone.

She had a clear runway.

"Canterlot tower, this is Buzzsaw, am I green for takeoff?" She wanted to drum her fingers in anticipation, eager to be in the air again but anxious over the sound of Jack's voice over the radio.

"This is tower, you are clear for takeoff, Buzzsaw. Sisters guide you." She didn't wait for their wish of good luck, already wheeling the Northrop Grumman F/A 37 Talon around onto the runway. Her hypersonic engines keened low as she taxied forward, just as eager as she was to get in the air and go pick a fight somewhere.

As the checklist showed a full green thirty seconds in, she straightened her nose, and fed those huge double barrel jets power. The craft lurched forward, engines whining loudly. The shapes of the silver fishbed jets passed her by as the other pilots watched her go, waving her on. The engine cowlings tightened as she fed in more power, picking up speed until the air currents lifted at her outstretched variable wings. The end of the runway rushed up, signalling a hundred meter sheer drop to the ground below at the end.

Her tail hardly dipped as she punched the throttle, forcing the nose of the Talon up hard and fast. The fighter was just as hungry for sky as she was, greedily eating up the power and using it to claw at the vast blue void. Huge thrusters taxed the oversized zero point reactor as she throttled them up smooth and fast, pushing herself up higher and higher. Her altimeter climbed thousands of meters a second, punching through cloud layer after cloud later like a dark grey dart. Variable wings folded inwards as she hit super sonic, and clawed into hypersonic. Warning signals lit in her hud as she slipped by the mesosphere and bellied into the thermosphere 90 kilometers up, swiftly shutting off once the stress on the airframe had subsided. Settling into her line of approach, Roxy gunned her engines and settled in, letting her brainbox protect her as she rode the knife's edge between atmospheres.

"This is Buzzsaw, Pathfinder, I'm two and a half minutes out. Hang tight."

As she began accessing local tactical data, Roxy winced as Jack yelled in her ear again, wind howling by his helmet.

"Hanging here is about all I can do!"

"The hell is he doing-" Roxy murmured to herself quietly as she glanced over the data, before gawking mentally. Her shock swiftly bled into bloodthirsty excitement, and she began wishing she could push her Talon even faster.

She was about to become the only modern human to ever kill a dragon.

"Pathfinder, I can't draw a bead with you dangling on that thing, the splash of the big gun will cook you!"

"I AM WELL AWARE!"

Jack bellowed into his mic as the dragon rolled again, attempting to dislodge him. His feet lifted free, leaving only his hands to anchor him as they clung to whatever handhold they could find. His muscles tensed and his bones ground together in protest as he was subjected to a nine G turn while stuck in a half pull-up. As the massive progeny beast pulled out of the roll, The two scales Jack was using for handholds broke free, seeing him slide five feet back across the ridged spines of the dragon's back.

"Rod impact in five, four, three-"

Jack grit his teeth as he forced himself to tighten around the back of the dragon's spine, clamping his thighs down and grasping scales with his fat fingers. "I am so fucking through with this sh-"

The blow struck him in the chest like a sledge, driving the air from his lungs as the sky split open. The envelope of explosive concussive force cracked like a bullwhip in his ear, annihilating the blizzard that had settled over the area.

As he drew in a sharp gasp of air, the dragon lost its equilibrium, and was sent into a violently uncontrolled spiralling dive. The G's ripped at his features as he clung to the dragon's hide out of pure desperation, his hips sliding across the scales with little purchase to keep him in place.

"This is Buzzsaw, I have arrived!" The raw excitement in Roxy's modulated voice was clear as day, though he certainly didn't share it. "I see the target… cannot get a lock for missiles."

The dragon leveled out, once again abusing its rider with powerful G's and a rough impact as Jack's floating hips slammed home on it's spine. It roared into the air, headed straight for the Stalwart Liberty. Arcs of AA fire streaked by, skipping off thick scales and pinging off Jack's armour.

"Not- Happening!" Jack yelled at the dragon, knowing it couldn't hear him. Lunging forward, he clamped his hands around the huge base of one wing, and wrenched it back with all his strength. It was like trying to pull a train with his pinky finger, but all he had to do was move it a little. The dragon's angle changed sharply as the gusting wind caught its wing and sent it into an awkward roll. Jack grunted in exertion as the belly of the carrier skimmed by his face.

Chord's voice was calm, but the strain was evident as the sound of rattling windows bled into the mic. "Keep doing whatever you're doing up there, Pathfinder, if that Wyrm gets one good run on us, who knows what kind of damage it'll do."

Releasing the wing as the dragon pulled up, Jack clamped back down and grunted his response. "Right!"

Roxy's voice practically came in riding the tail of his own. "I'm on your ass, going guns!"

Jack cast a suddenly worried look over his shoulder as the Talon rolled into line behind the swooping dragon, and its nose cap sprang open to reveal the massive mouth if the 30mm rail gatling. "Please don't hit-"

The cannon ripped open the sky, spewing a deluge of rounds at its target. The rounds bit hard into the dense scales, some finding purchase, while others either shattered on impact or skipped off completely. Pain lanced through Jack's arm as one such round slammed into his shoulder pauldron. The round had lost most of its power, causing it to fail in penetrating his armour, but the raw energy behind it was still enough to dislocate his shoulder and send a blare of warning alarms off in his helmet. "FUCK! ROXY DON'T FUCKING HIT ME! FUCK!"

"Sorry boss, sorry!" Roxy squeaked into her mic as the dragon roared and twirled on its axis, diving hard.

"HIT ME AGAIN AND I'LL USE YOUR CHARGE PORT AS AN ONAHOOOOOOLLLLEEE!" Jack bellowed as the dragon dove, forcing him to cling for dear life. His dislocated shoulder screamed in his head as his hand clamped down on hard scales, finding only the slightest purchase.

"I need to hit it with a King Fisher, but I can't get a lock! It's dead cold!" Roxy sent her craft dancing through the air, deftly avoiding a crag of rocks as the dragon flew into the mountains. Looming towers of stone, ice, and snow blitzed by his head as the dragon spun and rolled through the twisting valleys between jagged mountains. As if aiming to blow Jack off it's back, the dragon raked it's spine against the mountain edge, shattering stone and ice. The barrage pelted it's displeased passenger, earning another colourfully worded retort as he jammed his knife between scales and hunkered down.

"Sammy-" Jack grunted as he settled in. "I need you to use the armour lock and relocate my shoulder. One the count of three. One. Two. Thre-" He bit down hard, growling in pain as his shoulder was roughly shoved back into the socket. It was the same one he'd landed on storming the dreadnought, no doubt he'd gone and done something to it. He had to stow the pain and bite back his anger, neither would help him win the day here. "Roxy, you still back there?"

"Yeah! I'm close to my stall limit though, this fucker's slow as hell!" Her craft jinked aside another barrage of ice and rock, trailing lines through the air.

"I'm going to try and set a beacon on it for you to target. Please, do not fucking shoot at me until I tell you to."

"...Copy that."

He reaffirmed his grip as he made the second call. "Watchdog, this is Pathfinder, what is my current heading?"

There was a brief pause, before Milani spoke. "It appears that the dragon is circling the mountain, and will likely make another attack run on the Stalwart Liberty. I hope there's a method to your madness right now."

"Not-" He drove his knife in again, using it as an anchor point to draw himself further up. It wasn't getting to the muscle beneath the scales, but it was enough to keep him in place. "-really! Sort of just a-" Hauling himself hand over hand, Jack grunted in exertion. "-pile of bad choices made into a person!" As he settled between the dragon's huge wings, he began attempting to cut away scales as best he could. "Where the fuck is the human in this thing anyways!?"

The floating bulk of Stalwart Liberty appeared all too quickly as the dragon coiled around the mountain, unleashing an unholy keen that rattled his brains inside his helmet. “Come on, come-” A gasp began to emanate from his lungs as the dragon flared it’s wings, arresting it’s forward momentum. With his hands preoccupied, he had little chance to grab hold of something as he was launched forward and into the air. His world became a maelstrom of gnashing teeth, howling wind, and yelling as the dragon caught him in it’s mouth and began doing its best to devour him.

“ROXY! KILL IT!”

The grinding rip of the 30mm cannon was muted as the massive wyrm roared in his face, feral magic spewing around his armour. His whole world turned upside down violently as the massive beast rolled, attempting to avoid Roxy's chasing fire. A cascade of hearty thumps sounded as rounds struck home, earning a roar that set Jack's ears to ringing. All too quickly the world rolled again and the abusive slap of hard impact tore Jack from the beast's gaping maw. Unable to catch his bearings, he twirled gracelessly through the air before smacking against Stalwart's flight deck, bouncing and rolling before coming to a stop some few meters away.

One by one the alarms going off in his helmet shut off as he either toggled them, or the nanites fixed the issues. "Okay… fuck this…" Jack muttered quietly as he rolled to his feet, ears still ringing like air raid klaxons. His visor suddenly darkened without warning, the wash of a 20cm plasma blast washing over him like an oven being opened, setting off proximity alarms as the massive beast charged him. "Shit." He managed before the dragon was upon him again, bowling him off his feet like a toy as it tried to split him in half with its massive swordlike teeth. The only thing between him and certain death was the massive hydraulic system the suit contained, and his own burning muscles.

Maggie cursed and swore as she rotated the turrets around, trying to draw a bead on the dragon as it crashed into the deck with Jack in tow. The inside of the old tank was thick with acrid smoke and the stench of melted plastic mixing with her sweat, its air filtration system struggling to keep up with the firefight. As the air inside grew too difficult to breath, Maggie ripped open the emergency kit and yanked out the mask sitting inside it. The rubber bit into her face as she cinched down the straps hard with one hand, while twirling the oxygen feed valve with the other. Positive air pressure flooded the mask, giving her an hour of clean air but at the cost of having to wrestle around the air hose.

Bringing her hands back to the guns after wiping grimy sweat away with the back of her hand, Maggie drew a bead on the mammoth beast, just as it swallowed Jack whole. Shock froze her in place for only a brief moment, before her brows furrowed hard and her hands squeezed the gunner's sticks. The old tank's full compliment immediately opened up, unloading a withering barrage of munitions into the Dragon's backside. The 20cm main cannon melted a furrow in the launch deck as round after round exited the barrel, setting off heat alarms inside the turret. Above in the cupola, the remote control tri-barrel was focusing on the same spot, acting like a probe as the twin 20mm cannons belched forward round after round. The glare of the main cannon was so painful that even with the flare reduction of the gunners sight, she couldn't make out anything but dancing spots.

That made the following impact against the tank's hull all the more jarring, as it rang the inside like a gong and slid the whole bulk of the magnetically anchored tank toward the edge of the deck. "No way!" Maggie gasped into her mask as the front end of the tank began to dip toward a kilometer long fall. The main gun chimed empty as the body of the tank lurched hard, driving her face into the scope.

Panic swiftly gripped her body as a kilometer long drop in a multi-tonne coffin loomed over Maggie's head. Scrambling upward, she disengaged the magnetic seal on the cupola hatch, triggering the automatic opening. The foul, acrid air filling the tank swiftly began to billow out as she grabbed the bailout kit, hauling herself through the cloud of smoke and into the frigid blizzard outside.

Tossing the bag to the deck below, Maggie looked up as she prepared to jump. Only then did she see what had hit her, just as it came in for a second blow. The dragon's meaty tail slammed into the side of the tank, booming like a cannon shot as the magnetic transport clamps spewed up fountains of sparks. The impact simultaneously hurled Maggie off her feet, and sent the tank skidding another foot across the deck, causing it to tip further over the edge. Tumbling off the tank, Maggie only managed a muffled curse into her mask before the short airline yanked her back onto her ass.

With her world spinning and blood pouring into her eyes from a bad cut just under her hairline, Maggie felt honest fear for the first time in a long time. The airline tugged her backwards as the tank continued to slide, promising to take her with it over the edge. Training kicked in as her fingers went to the hose fitting on the side of the mask, only to find it stuck fast from swiftly freezing condensate.

"Piece of shit!" She screamed as she was slowly dragged closer and closer to the edge, her fingers now digging at the straps of the mask. Her face was growing swiftly numb from the blistering cold, but her frantic digging earned lances of stinging pain regardless. Wrenching herself free gracelessly, Maggie rolled away and scrambled for the bag laying on the launch deck. Inside was the only shot they had at killing the Dragon, though at this range, it was likely to kill her too.

Roxy watched the situation below swiftly grow dire as she swept her craft around, coming in for another attack round. The low ammo counter on her HUD blinked slow, reading out only two and a half seconds of guns left. Her missiles sat unused, each needing a heat signature or IR beacon to lock onto. "Come on come on… give me something!" Ripping around out of the 16g turn, Roxy leveled off and drew her bead on the dragon. "Come on you overgrown lizard, just die already!"

As she dove in on the friendly carrier, guiding her gunsights onto the very unfriendly dragon squatting on it's bow, an IR beacon grenade went sailing through the air, before splatting against the dragon's hide. The glue on the sticky grenade would harden fast, leaving the perfect target for her missiles. The only problem she had, was that she was two seconds deep into a supersonic attack run and swiftly running out of arming distance. There was also the issue of over-penetrating with the ship killer missiles, and to make matters worse, the dragon was turning it's attention back toward the teetering tank it shared the bow with.

She had to act fast.

"Oh no you don't!" Roxy yelled as she sharply twisted her craft sideways, showing her belly to the ship as she swept in low and fast. Alarms and warning flashed across her HUD as the airframe suffered under the strain. "EAT THIS!"

The King Fisher missile leapt free from the open weapons pod tucked into her belly, its repulsor cutting a jagged contrail through the air as it slashed toward its target like a knife. The dragon's head snapped back to attention, and all too late it began to rear back it's wings to take off again. The missile struck it hard in the side, punching through hardened scales as it arced in at a ninety degree angle.. The dragon proved too soft a target to see the munition detonate inside it, but the resulting hole was more than good enough for Roxy as she blitzed by, clawing her way into hypersonic. The faster she turned around, the faster she could put more rounds on it.

The concussive blast of the missile exploding off the port bow sent Maggie sprawling to her hands and knees, gasping for air that had been stolen from her so abruptly. The dragon reeled from the blow, bellowing in pain as it began to thrash about.

"How… are you still… ALIVE!?" She cried out in anger as huge hate filled eyes locked onto her. Lifting her service pistol, she began dumping the magazine into the dragon's face. The gargantuan thing opened its maw to blast her to bits with magic, only to seemingly pause with its mouth open wide. A horrific jerky shudder passed through the great beast, before it fell to the deck, unmoving. As Maggie's pistol chimed empty, a twisted, human shaped lump came spilling out the ragged hole blown in the dragon's side.

Following the thing out, Jack peeled himself out of the dragon's guts, coated head to toe in blood, steaming offal, and stomach acid.

"...found the human…" He muttered, waving passively to the shrivelled thing slowly freezing to the deck.

"Are…" Maggie stood stock still, her brain trying in vain to find something to say. "Are you alright?"

Jack slowly tilted his head toward her, and stayed silent for a long moment. "No. No I am not."

Response teams began flooding down the deck, as Roxy blitzed by at super sonic. The wind had started to die down, but the temperature was still unpleasantly low. Maggie shivered as adrenaline bled away, leaving her standing covered in frosted over sweat in a tank top and overalls. Jack stood still beside her for another long moment, before exhaling deeply and gesturing toward the carrier's superstructure. "Let's get the fuck out of here. I need to find someone with a hose. And alcohol. I need a fucking drink…"

Despite herself, Maggie let out a shiver-filled chuckle. "Lead the way, Pathfinder."

Chapter Seventy Four: Blood and Thunder

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As the Stalwart Liberty pulled into dock, it drew in a great deal more attention than usual. Thanks to the crumpled dragon corpse splayed across the deck and the battle tank stuck to the side of the hull. The moment the gangplanks hit the docks, Flitter was up them and moving inside, weaving between aeronaughts as she searched.

The first to notice her was a skittering mechanical spiderform; Roxy quickly stuck to her side, following Flitter in. "Hey Cap, what's the good word?"

"Bugs are dug in and the Imperials are grinding themselves to dust. Princess Celestia wants everybody in the meeting room."

Roxy's spider form clattered through a bulkhead alongside her, mounting the obstacle with ease. "Right, of course. Final push. You looking for the big guy? He's down in the aft hangar with Maggie."

"Thanks." Flitter murmured in return, changing her direction slightly. It didn't take long to find the aforementioned hangar and spy Jack among the chaos. He was sitting on his ass near the open elevator, getting sprayed down with a firehose and a team of earth ponies. Maggie sat nearby, bundled in a thermal blanket and holding a cup of something steaming while a medic stitched her forehead up. She had bloody welts running down her cheeks, evidence of her frantic escape from the tank. "Hey Maggie." Flitter greeted lightly as she strode up, still fully clad in her armour.

The woman glanced upwards, careful to not move her head as she was tended to, instead opting for a little two fingered wave. "Hey Captain, Hey Rox. How'd your rescue mission go?"

"About as well as it could have." Flitter said idly, her eyes on Jack as more filth was blasted off his armour. His shoulders were sagged downwards, and she didn't like that at all. "How bad was it?"

"Well…" Maggie winced lightly. "We completed our objectives without any casualties, but…"

Jack's voice rumbled over the hiss of water, amplified by his armour speakers. "Forge escaped." A great hunk of offal was blasted free, sent sliding out the open bay. "He's at Hunter's Perch. I know it, in my gut."

"Well then chin up, Jack." Flitter said, setting a hand on her hip. "Because that's the final target in our next attack. Once you get cleaned off, we need to get going."

"It never fucking ends…" Jack muttered as he waved a hand, signalling the firehose team to stop. With water running off his plates like miniature waterfalls, he broke the seal on his armour and stepped out. As he stepped away it resealed, and mag-clamped itself to the floor. "Sammy keep the lights on while I'm out."

"Affirmative." The electronic voice of his armour sounded, just as the water resumed blasting filth from it.

Rising to her feet, Maggie began to follow the pair. They'd nearly left the hangar before Flitter glanced over her shoulder at the two operators. "We'll meet you guys there, go on ahead."

The pair glanced between each other, before Maggie shrugged. "Alright. Come on Rox."

As they walked off, Roxy tilted her cameras upwards to peer at Maggie. "So how're you gonna get the tank down?"

"I don't fucking know, do I look like an engineer to you?" The woman shot back with arms crossed over her chest

"Well you kinda look like a stripper, always running around in that skimpy tank top-"

Closing a hatch door, Flitter turned toward Jack as he found a spot to sit. She stared for a long moment as he sat, running his hands over his head while pulling his knees in closer. "Jack." She spoke softly, though it didn't garner a response. "Jack." Her voice rose slightly as she walked over, setting her armoured gauntlet over his shoulder. "Something's wrong, I can tell. Talk to me." She squared her feet before squatting down next to him, letting the weight of her armour rest on her haunches.

Lifting his head, Jack exhaled through his nose. He slowly turned his head toward her, a gentle frown on his features while concern etched its way into hers. Despite the youth that the Nemesis project had imbued him with, the repairs it had wrought on his features. It could do nothing to hide the deep worn lines that etched into his flesh, and the weight of the gaze that he laid upon her. It wasn’t the sort of tired sleep could fix. Wasn’t the sort anything could fix. Slowly his gaze left her again to trail downwards to the floor, half lidded as the creases in his rugged features grew miles deep and agonizingly wide.

"I'm tired, Flitter."

Flitter squatted next to him, utterly silent for an uncomfortably long moment. She wanted to speak, but found the words just stuck. Eventually, she found the means to break the uncomfortable silence. "So… what will you do, then? Are you leaving?" She felt fear creeping into her voice. "If you leave now…"

"I'm not going anywhere." He answered after a moment with a sort of exasperated tone that felt wholly aimed inward. "Not until I finish what's on my plate. After that?" He opened his eyes again and looked toward her. For a moment, he smiled faintly and squeezed her hand, the creases seeming to fade almost imperceptibly. "I wanna start a farm."

"I…" Flitter sat down fully, placing her helmet down on the deck. "Farming? Really? Man of your talents?"

"I should have never let you fucking watch those movies." Jack shot back bitterly as Flitter giggled; the sound of which earned a grumbling grin from him.

"Sorry, sorry…" Flitter scooted over against his side, resting against him. "What kind of farm?"

"A wheat farm, like the one I grew up on."

Flitter looked down to the deck, smiling a bit more. "I remember. I liked the smell, and it was kind of pretty. What else is gonna be on this farm of yours?" Her smile seemed to tease one out of him, though it was faint as a whisper and just as weak.

He shrugged lightly, as if unsure of his own desires. "A nice little house. White picket fence. Backyard. Motorcycle. Dog. Maybe... a wife, and some kids."

Straightening up fully, Flitter stared at him with wide eyes and burning ears. "Uh, say again your last?"

He slowly rolled his gaze to the other side, looking away from her as the burn of embarrassment took in his own chest like some sort of contagious thing. "Well, when I got eaten by that dragon, I kind of took a moment to reflect on my life and everything moving forward, you know? I mean, what better time than when you're living one of your deepest darkest fears?" His voice had humor in it though, as propped up and stilted as it was.

Flitter turned, grabbing his shoulder. "A-are you really doing this right now? Like right now!? I'm still in power armour and you smell like dragon guts!" Her voice took on a frantic edge as she shook him.

"Well I wasn't gonna until I grabbed the ring, but now that you've called me out I feel like I gotta!"

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

Jack could feel his smile growing in lock step with his excitement. "It'd be pretty easy, just four little words-"

Grabbing him by both shoulders, Flitter mounted his lap and set her forehead against his. "If you say that, you owe me a four letter word." Her eyes were wide and boring right into his. Suddenly silent, Jack maintained the staring match for only a moment, before he looked down in shame.

"...Fuck…"

"Not that one." Flitter shot back quietly as she relaxed her grip and sat down in his lap. "Just one time… please, Jack? I've been through this much with you, your curse ain't gonna take me down." She slowly ran the backs of her fingers over his cheek. "I promise."

He opened his mouth as if to speak, only to shut it again. His downcast eyes shut as he set his hands over her shoulders, holding her close for just the moment. "I'll… I'll say it. I promise."

Pressing in, Flitter locked lips with the large man, kissing him passionately as they sat on the cold deck. They remained that way for a long moment, before breaking apart slowly. Cracking a smile, Flitter began to rise. "Come on, Jack. Let's get going before somebody busts us for P D A."

Pushing himself up, Jack stretched and popped his neck as he joined her side. "Yeah yeah, got a war on and all that. There's always a war somewhere- ach, hey!"

Having cuffed her armoured hand across his ass, Flitter skipped ahead, spun on her toes, and stuck her tongue out at him. "Wax off already, Philosopher boy!"

Finding a grin returning to his features, Jack picked up the pace a little. "I'm gonna get you back for that, through the armour." He raised his hand, earning a cackle from Flitter as she took off ahead of him. "You can't run from me!"

The war room was packed to the gills this time around; with ponies, griffons, minotaurs, and humans standing shoulder to shoulder as they looked down upon the laid out map. Celestia stood at the head of the table once again, looking healthier than before but still only a shadow of her former self. Her hair had been combed and styled, but still hung limp without an ounce of magic within it. Her eyes were bagged so deeply that not even the finest makeup available could hide the darkness and the pain, but try she did, to spare the others. With her coat brushed and bathed, despite the deep weariness evident on her every fiber, Celestia still managed to exude a sensation of shining golden goddess. She cast her gaze over the collected people, a faint smile twisting her muzzle. As the door opened and both Jack and Flitter entered, she cleared her throat to speak. "Glad you could join us. I believe this is everybody, so let us begin."

Gesturing to the human tech working the holographic map, Celestia waited for the map to zoom out and give a full view of the target area. "This is Fort Blackclaw, a major industrial city within the Griffon Empire's heartland. Contained within is the Kriegsmarine naval refit yard, one of the largest in the empire. Gilda?" Celestia waved a hoof to the Princess as she stood, brushing her crest.

"Right…" Gilda began as she had the map shifted to show the general area. "Blackclaw is what's standing between us and Hunter's Perch, it, and it's standard garrison of ten thousand, untold irregulars, dozens of ships, and the world's most sophisticated anti-air system." Cones of red filled the valley and approach to the hidden castle in the mountains. "Anybody who approaches Hunter's Perch has to go through Blackclaw. You can't fly over the mountains, they're some of the tallest in the world and they're loaded with scouts and spy stations. Even if you managed to fly over, you'd be swarmed by troops pretty much immediately, without any way to retreat or get reinforcements." Gilda paused for a moment as everyone looked over the approach, the zigzag through overlapping fields of fire, ambush points and naturally hostile terrain.

"What about orbital drop? Or a Halo jump?" Jack questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Like the one I did to get the Mountain Rangers back." Flitter clarified for those unfamiliar.

Gilda seemed to consider it for a moment. "Still won't work… as bad as Blackclaw is, Hunter's Perch is worse. It was built to be unassailable, and has been constantly upgraded over the past four hundred years, including the modern package. Anyone who jumps in there quietly will probably be spotted, and either shot out of the air or land and be outnumbered a thousand to one."

Leaning back and crossing his arms, Kord frowned deeply. "So what I am hearing, is that we go straight through them, or not at all. Merde."

Running a hoof through his recently buzzed mane, Colonel Glow looked toward Flitter. "I seem to remember a certain tactical genius, I wonder what she makes of all this."

"Thanks Colonel…" Flitter muttered as she walked to the edge of the table and began intensely gazing down at the map. Slowly one of her brows began to climb upwards. "Princess Gilda, what's this?"

Leaning over, Gilda and several others looked to where she was pointing. "That's Du Hoc River. It's where the factories and foundries send their coolant runoff. It's fast and deep, but too narrow for a ship."

"And this structure upstream?"

"The hydroelectric dam that powers the city, why?" Gilda furrowed her brow as she looked over toward Flitter.

Beginning to work, Flitter blocked out the murmuring of others as she manipulated the map. It only took a few minutes before she'd hashed a plan. "Okay everyone, take a load of this." She stepped back and began narrating the active plan before the gathered soldiers and generals.

"Step one! Buzzsaw follows the nap of the earth upstream carrying a compliment of bunker-busters. She hits the dam, bursting it. Two fold point, it kills the power to Blackclaw, and it floods the river." Flitter brought her pointer over, following an arrow as it moved up through the valley.

"Step two. Our remaining forces hit Blackclaw in the face. They do as much damage as possible and stir up as much attention as they can, and distract the enemy from step three."

She took a brief breath as the others followed along. "Step three. Righteous Justice takes the engorged river right under their AA grid with JSOG onboard. We hit Hunter's Perch with everything we got. Free the elements, Kill the Emperor, and end the war." Flitter jabbed at the marker for the castle with a faint grin on her face. "If things shake out our way, we're looking at minimal casualties on both sides."

Luna waited a beat before speaking up. "Does anyone have any better ideas? No? Then I say we give this a shot. Ultimately, this is not about revenge, it is about ending this war as swiftly as possible. Once the Imperials are freed of Order's control, they will stop fighting."

General Wave leaned forward slightly, brows furrowing as he looked over the plan. "It's Cowboy as all Tartarus. If this goes sideways we're looking at losing a lot of lives and equipment. Even if the raiders pull everything off, if the main force is wiped, we'll be suffering the consequences for years. Decades even. That said, I can't think of any other way to pull this off. This whole valley is a death trap, and was purposely designed that way. If we can come out of this with even a portion of our collective flanks not shot to shreds, then we'll have done better than we had any right to."

A murmur of agreement went up as Flitter stepped back, looking to her team. "It's the best shot we have. This war has to end. No matter the cost..."

Sharing a glance, Baron and Mythic could only nod, while Taven sighed in resignation. "Suicide missions are our speciality after all…"

The man jumped slightly as Jack set his hand on his shoulder. "All you have to do is secure a beachhead. I'll do the heavy lifting-"

"Jack-" Celestia spoke up, causing his smile to vanish. "We will need your assistance with the opening blows. We have no doubt that a number of progeny remain at Blackclaw, and if we want to avoid unneeded casualties, we'll need your help to clear them out."

His immediate knee-jerk reaction was a scathing one with a few choice expletives, but it was something he bit back with acid. Slowly, Jack looked back to the map and the distance between city and castle. His eyes flicked to those around him, each one present a life he was connected to in some way. There were dozens of them now, over the single one he'd had when he had first arrived in Equestria. They were good soldiers, all of them. More than that they were good people. He trusted all of them to do what had to be done should it come down to it. Those very people met his gaze as it slowly swept the room, waiting to hear if he was ready to trust them, and to make the same sacrifice.

Could he give them all up?

Mustering up the breath in his chest, Jack hardened his heart and his mind. "Alright. To Hell and Back again, just like old times."

Oh it could give me chills~ You know, if I still had a body.

Jack sank slightly into his chair, scratching at his ear in irritation. As the others began to hammer in the details, he whispered to himself. "What do you want?"

Straight to the point, I always liked that about you, Jack. This little plan won't work, not until we kill Jalgromak. The stage is set for his return, and we have an incredibly limited window in which he'll be vulnerable.

Rubbing his head and looking to the floor, Jack closed his eyes as he thought. "What do we need?"

We need my Essence, the Chaos Core. Remember that? Little power source that sent you back to Earth? Mm?

"That means the others won't be able to return…" He rolled his jaw, opening his eyes slightly as he glanced around. "Walter." He kept his voice firm and level, immediately drawing the big man's attention.

"Yeah?" Walter straightened up as eyes flicked from him to Jack. "What's up?"

"Did you and the others talk over things with the Princesses? Reward and going home and all that?" He slowly drummed his fingers along his legs, forcing his gaze to remain on Walter.

Walter hesitated for a moment, his own gaze breaking off to look at Luna and Celestia. "Yeah… We did."

His sister Jessica spoke up over him. "We've decided to stay. Permanently. I mean, it's a pretty sweet deal."

Irving Kleese nodded in agreement. "Homes, citizenship, status and money." The others were beginning to give more attention to the conversation, and Jack.

"Most of us didn't exactly have much back on Earth anyways." Kord said idly as he gestured formlessly with an unlit cigarette. "So this works out nicely.”

"If we don't all die." Roxy added at the end, causing the faint upbeat tone to fall flat again.

Jack stayed silent for a long moment, before turning fully toward the Equine side of the table. "Celestia." The Solar Diarchs attention snapped up, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly. "Luna. I need to talk to you both. In private." Without another word, he pushed off the table and trod out of the room, letting the big doors close quietly behind him.

It was only a minute before Luna trotted out, quirking a brow at him. "What is this about?"

"Where's Celestia?" He tried his best to keep the edge out of his voice as his eyes flicked to the door. Sure enough it opened again, and the tired princess trotted out.

"I'm right here, Jack. What did you want to talk about?" Curiosity tinged her exhausted voice as she met his gaze.

He simply gestured with a hand, heading away from the doors. "Not here. Need privacy." He paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder. "It's important. The… others can't know."

"I see…" Luna murmured in response as she began to follow him a way down the grand halls, with Celestia taking up her side. The pair remained silent as they followed along, though their apprehension was palpable.

Ducking into an empty room, Jack took a few steps in before he turned on his heels and faced the pair. Once the door clicked shut and Luna erected a privacy bubble, he took a long breath. "Thank you for offering a fair deal to my people."

Celestia's ears flicked faintly as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Of course… I am not the monster you think I am, Jack." Her gaze went down slightly, as if in thought.

Luna however, was still focused on him. "You did not bring us out here to thank us for quaint gifts and the like. What do you truly wish to speak about?"

A slight smirk played across his lips as he set his hands on his hips and straightened out. "You're right. I need the Chaos Core."

Both stiffened in response, and spoke their minds immediately. "Whatever for?" Luna broached with an edge in her voice.

"Absolutely not." Celestia added, her eyes fully focused and narrowed on him now.

He rolled his shoulders slightly, keeping his back ramrod straight and his eyes laser locked onto the pair. "Jalgromak is going to be born likely before the operation even ends. We have an extremely limited window of operation in which we can kill him, before he becomes an immortal god critter and promptly wipes Equis free of all life. To do that, we need the Chaos Core. I, need the Chaos Core."

While Celestia's eyes fell, Luna continued to drill him with her stare. "You intend to fight the creature on your own? That's foolhardy, even for you. If you truly mean what you say, then you will need help."

"Celestia's in no shape to fight, and either way, you're both Equestrians."

"What is /that/ supposed to mean? Do not tell me that even now you look down on-" Luna started, before getting cut off as Jack held a hand up.

"Last I checked you don't have a titanium plate bolted to your skull. Order and Discord built this world, I can only assume they have utter control of it and everyone in it. Once he's out of his cage, all bets are off." Jack blew air through his nose as he looked to his feet. "Believe me, I do not like the idea of squaring off against him alone, not one bit. Honestly, the idea of it scares the crap out of me. But, with the Core, I may just stand the ghost of a chance of pulling this shit off and getting out with my life." He sucked in a breath and took a mental leap forward. "I'm not asking. This whole conversation is a courtesy out of respect."

Bristling, Luna began to respond with venom, before Celestia cast a gaze that silenced her sister. "Fine. If you truly believe that it can bring us victory, then I will not stop you. I've learned to trust your instincts." There was a brief pause, before Celestia sprung her next question like a steel trap. "How do you know he's going to be born soon?"

Jack paused for a second, meeting the gazes of the pair. "The Siege was a gamble to provide an appropriately sized blood sacrifice capable of breaking the seal on a god's prison. One million souls, didn't matter who or how. We likely would have hit it by the end anyways, but when I dropped that rod, I shattered the seal." He could see the why's forming on their features, why would he do such a thing. "If Jalgromak doesn't die, then he's going to haunt this world, just like Discord. You won't ever get rid of him, no matter what you do, and he won't play games like Discord. The only way to kill him, is to summon him onto the material plane and smoke-check his raggedy ass while he's temporarily mortal."

"This gambit…" Luna started, gritting her teeth. "Is the most insane thing I have ever heard. What happens if you fail, Jack?"

"End of the world for everyone else." He replied with a flat edge. "The whole thing stripped bare and restarted from scratch." Lacing his fingers behind his back, Jack tried to keep his voice level. "This was going to happen one way or another-"

"Jack." Celestia spoke softly, cutting off his sentence and killing Luna's before it had a chance to start. "How do you know?"

He stood silent, meeting both their gazes before he sighed softly. "Discord told me. What's left of his psyche anyways. Why do you think he pulled all those humans over here in the first place? It was to make a force capable of fighting his pissed off brother. When they failed to depose you two, he lost them, and only had one card left. Me. Honestly… he's done a pretty piss poor job of preparing me for this in the slightest, but I think preparation of any kind is antithetical to his being."

Silence reigned over the trio as they stood in the empty room, the tense sensation of a standoff beginning to percolate. Luna kept her mouth clamped shut as a venom filled scowl twisted her features, while Celestia sagged her shoulders and closed her eyes. "Fine." Celestia finally said after what felt like hours. "We have no choice but to trust you, and pray that you succeed. What else do you need?"

"Thirteen teleportation beacons, six for JSOG, six for the Elements, one for me." He chewed on his thoughts, imagining the operation in his mind's eye. "I need full control of the raid on Hunter's perch once the elements are secured. We kick off the op like planned, and once the dam is blown, my unit heads straight for Hunter's Perch while the army trades blows. Everything is the same as we planned in there, just with a little twist at the end to keep ours from dying without reason."

"Without you to blunt the Progeny through the operation..." Luna started with grit teeth. "We will suffer grievous casualties." There was a brief pause in which Celestia began to speak, to assuage her sister. Luna cut her off as she glared at Jack, meeting his gaze with her own. "I know what must be done. This is a callous and dangerous game you are forcing us to play, and you are an utter bastard for it."

Tilting his chin upwards ever so slightly, Jack broke his gaze away from Lunas. "I've always been a bastard, seems people like to forget that." He began to turn back, before pausing on an afterthought. "Using what little goodwill we have left, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell them about what I've got planned." His features soured visibly as he started walking again. "I've always been awful with goodbyes."

Du Hoc River, 5:12am

Water sprayed up around Roxy's craft as it cut through the air like a knife, trailing a rooster tail a dozen meters long as she ripped through the nape of the earth. Barely a handful of meters to spare between her and becoming a supersonic smear across the landscape. So close to the river, she could see the white caps forming along jagged stones and whipping pine trees that blitzed by like a solid wall of browns and greens. "This is Buzzsaw, three minutes to target." She spoke easily, but inside she was riding on a high of adrenaline and anxiety. This was not her kingdom, her domain of deep deep blue seemed impossibly far away, forcing her to contend with black, brown, white and green. It was times like these she wished most to have her body back. With a body, she had a great many ways to bleed away the anxiety; without it, all she had was her focus and willpower.

The hydroelectric dam appeared before her as her craft swept around a meandering river bend like a shark sniffing out blood. It was a massive construct of steel, concrete and stone towering over the river valley like a golem set to rest and watch. Trickles of water poured from the outflow pipes telling of the lake held at bay behind it. Without a word, the pilot activated her weapons. The belly of the craft swung open mere meters from the water's edge, exposing the high powered bunker busting missiles within.

They hadn't been clear on how many she would need to blow the dam, but anything less than the bare minimum would kill the whole operation in its cradle. However, using too many would leave her woefully under armed in case she ran into trouble.

A dozen missiles sat in the belly of the hypersonic fighter, and at a thought, a dozen leapt forward like claws aiming to rip out the throat of a hated enemy. They shrieked through the air, spitting watery rooster tails up as oversized repulsor scramjets sped them away from Roxy while she jinked upward. The Bunker busters sliced into the thick concrete like a hot knife through belly fat, only to detonate deep within the collosal dam. Mere moments as Roxy passed over the top of the dam, the micro-neutronium warheads detonated with enough force to rip away the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of steel, stone and concrete, hurling massive chunks into the air. The concussive blow forced the lake back as the dam shattered, though for all the power of the weapons, they failed to hold back the hundreds of millions of liters of water that came rushing forward a second later.

Like a tidal wave, the griffonmade lake came crashing down, sweeping through the river valley in a great torrent, annihilating all in it's way. The cacophonous explosion served as an immediate signal to every last soul within a hundred kilometers of Fort Blackclaw.

The final battle was to be met there and then.

Blackclaw Approach, 5:16am

The raucous whip crack of explosives split the air, signalling a great big green light in Jack's mind, as he launched forward toward the massive fortress foundry that sprawled across the valley like an industrial spider, spewing fumes into the air and poison into the dirt and water. It was dark that morning, a cold pitch black that seemed to bathe everything in a soft ice blue. His NVG’s flared for only a moment as the distant explosion coloured the clouds above and the fortress forge city went dark. It was as good a signal as any, but the moment he left cover and started across the open ground tracers glinted across his visor, and pounding artillery began firing on presighted zones, filling the dark of morning with splashes of hateful colour where gentle yellow lights had once stood. With Jalgromak in control, there was no moment of hesitation, no confusion among the enemy as the lights went out across the whole city. Just sureness of action, and total, complete order.

He would have to deal with the front most defenses first, before moving into the city to handle the artillery. If the Allies of Equis had any hope of surviving the encounter, the big guns had to be silenced, permanently.

The front line walls of the fort came up fast and hard, gunports flashing as they spat bullets and shells at Jack as he churned up frozen soil with each foot fall. Conscious of his ammunition, a single rocket ripped from Jack's shoulder, blasting a small hole in the thick stonework that had stood for hundreds of years against every weapon conceived upon Equis. His bulk did the rest, seeing him smash through the wall and enter the first defensive ring of Fort Blackclaw.

As explosions ripped through the wall and guns fell silent, the fastest of the allies launched forward. Humans and their screaming wheeled machines spat up frozen tundra as pegasi and griffons winged by overhead, vectoring in on the weak point breached in the defenses. Heavy artillery screamed down upon them as tracers ripped back and forth, seeking out soft flesh. They had only the dark of night and raw speed to protect them, but those two together would prove to be a deadly mix for both sides.

A heavy truck was sent hurtling through the air as heavy artillery proved to be a match for its speed, turning the steel frame and ceramic armour into a fireball that careened end over end. Griffons and pegasi fell in bloody clumps of feather and broken bone as unpowered AA guns were handcranked into position, killing those unfortunate enough to cross their sights. Those unfortunate ran afoul tricks and traps laid by crafty defenders, like half buried steel hedgehogs that were naught but dark blotches in night vision that ripped off axles and ditched people into the unforgiving dirt, or razor wire strung up so anyone landing on the walls would be tangled up, ripped open and left as easy prey for guards.

The first wave struck hard despite the grievous casualties, the unbridled desperation bleeding into ferocity as allied troops collided head to head with entrenched warriors of Order. They had to fight hard, to leave the dead, dying and wounded where they fell. It was all or nothing, and they all knew the risks.

At the mouth of the river, the grey and blue hull of Righteous Justice sat belly down in the water, archanotech engines spooling behind it as the river engorged itself and flooded deep. It had taken time to make the vessel water ready, but it had been required for the plan to work. Unlike the agile fighter that had kicked off the battle, the ship could not stick to the nap of the earth so easily, not without some notable issues such as sucking trees and debris into the powerful engines or grinding against stone. So, the great vessel bellied down, and began pushing upstream with engines at half power and with heavy grates strapped over the intakes.

Aboard the Righteous stood JSOG, kitted in black power armour, guns ready and seen to thrice over. The popping of distant guns and the rumbling thunder of artillery floated over the dark valley like a wraith, telling of a battle they couldn't afford to join. The crew of the destroyer were out in force, manning heavy guns, AA emplacements, and securing the camo netting that would serve to hide the ship from prying eyes in the sky before it was too late.

Flitter stared off at the horizon, her fingers twitching at each pop and boom that echoed over them. She grit her teeth as she turned away from it, and looked to the river. The broken dam lay ahead, and beyond it, Hunter's Perch.

Hunter’s Perch, 5:20am

Deep inside the mountains, watching the distant explosions and plumes of flame from his balcony backdropped against the dark, chilly morning, Carolus exhaled through his nose. His victory was assured, but anxiety still ate at his mind, under the power of his god, his lord. Despite all the power that had been afforded to him, he had still been forced to fall so far. He no longer felt pleasure from the simple joys he had enjoyed even days ago, he no longer felt pride for his myriad accomplishments.

The end was approaching swiftly, he could feel it. His lord's birth was at hand, but the enemy was at the gates. Squeezing his eyes shut, he shivered and thought of his father. The old griffon always seemed to know the best way forward, even if it meant bending the knee. A part of him wished that it had been his father in charge of the revolution, that he himself would not have had to suffer such hardships.

Turning away from the balcony, Carolus tread back inside, intent on donning his armour and preparing for the battle he knew would come.

Fort Blackclaw, 5:21am

Progeny howled furiously as they assailed Jack, smashing against his armour as he powered through them, firing on the artillery where it sat in neat rows. His rounds sought purchase in the stacks of shells that sat waiting to be loaded and fired by the enslaved crew, who continued to load and fire as if he were not mere meters from their positions. Every round was a potential death, so he ensured the artillery crews met theirs first. Lifting his weapon, Jack fired on the stacks, setting the shells off prematurely in their racks. The explosive rounds detonated quickly, their warheads and propellant proving to be notably volatile as they set each other off in rapid succession. As the rippling wave of explosives neared him, Jack dug his fingers deep into the muscles of the Progeny who wrestled him, and turned on his heel to use the great thrashing beast as a shield against the concussive wave that smashed into his organs like a dozen sledgehammers.

Emitting barely a grunt, he shoved off the monster and put two in it’s skull, before turning to slaughter the following he’d acquired in heading for the artillery pieces. It was gruesome, bloody work, but he couldn’t waste time. He had to move.

With the big guns silenced, the rest of the Allied forces came crashing down, joining the faltering fast attack units that were now well and truly stuck in with the Imperial forces. Heavily armoured Earth ponies stood shoulder to shoulder with minotaurs and exo-suit wearing humans, weathering the storm of death that rained down upon them, all while giving back as good as they got.

Guns traced back and forth as the fighting left the wide open fields before the fort and entered the cramped streets and alleys of the great industrial fort. With no power, the fort was dark as night before the dawn, as thick clouds gathered overhead and began to pour down rain.

The streets would be flooded with blood by the time that JSOG reached the dam, and Righteous Justice would dump her engine covers into the river. Tossing aside the camo netting, the crew prepared for their air assault as the ship’s engines growled and whined, gaining power as the weightless drives within allowed the ship to gain altitude. Flitter grimaced as she kneeled down on the deck, and lined up her sights on Imperial soldiers who swarmed over the ruins of the dam, taking off to try and impede them. They were running out of time, and couldn’t afford to be hung up by those on the ground.

She hardly felt the kick of the rifle in her arms as it sent bolts forward that slew and slaughtered what they hit with grim efficiency. She couldn’t possibly keep track of how many she had killed over the past few days, but with each pull of the trigger she felt her shoulders getting heavier. Still, she didn’t stop. She couldn’t, not with so much on the line.

Fort Blackclaw, 5:25am

Jack’s boots shattered cobblestone as he pounded through the streets, picking his targets carefully as he ran through at full speed, jumpjets keening as they assisted him in taking corners hard and fast, picking up the worst of his weight to keep from slowing him down. His radio chattered incessantly as flight after flight of chariots launched from the Stalwart Liberty, reinforcing each line the Allies secured in their pounding grind through the city. Supplies were flown in, and casualties were flown out, but he needed something other than supplies.

He’d stuck around too long, his own timetable thrown off balance by a particularly large pack of Progeny he’d been forced to engage to save the forward elements of the Allied attack, and now there was no way he could make a rendezvous with the Righteous on foot.

Eyes flicking up, he saw exactly what he needed. With a word of warning to the crew over the radio, he jetted upwards, landing deftly in the back of a heavy cargo chariot, redirecting them from the Stalwart to the Righteous.

As the chariot bucked and sped off at it’s best speed, the defenders of the fort saw fit to sling flak up at it, attempting to ground it permanently and dash the crew against the cobblestones below. Jack’s limited ammunition swiftly became used to strike back at the probing flak guns, annihilating crew and equipment as quickly as they appeared in his scope.

With the rain pouring down, he almost missed a new threat as it winged in, guns blazing. A flight of griffon elite troops, swinging down hard with their target in sight. Uttering an oath within his helmet as rounds spalled and sparked off his armour amid the onslaught of rain, he turned his weapons on the flight, firing cautiously to avoid wasting precious ammunition. One of the crew cried out and fell free from their harness, tumbling to earth as a balled up clump of shattered armour, spattered blood, and colourful feathers. Jack was fast, but he wasn’t faster than Imperial lead.

With the sound of tearing fabric that ousted the rumbling thunder in the sky, Roxy swept past the flight of griffons, her nose cannon churning up elite soldiers and turning them to fine mist and ejected offal. Behind her were the silver bolts of Stalliongradish fighters, eager to dig their teeth into the battle and bloody the nose of those who would strike at them.

Jack let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and turned his eyes toward the ship that they were angling hard for now. He was close.

He was close, and so was the end of all this fighting. The end of the journey, clawing its way to the forefront.

The core Celestia had given him thrummed with anticipation as it sat nestled against another item of terrible power.

The King of Kings, Delta King, was about to fulfill his purpose, just as Jack was.

Chapter Seventy Five: The Martyr

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Hunter’s Perch, 5:34am

The heavens above had opened up, unleashing a deluge of torrential rain upon the chilly valley. The sun had yet to peek over the mountains but was threatening to do so shortly, giving both sides a small window in which darkness proved to be the thin line between life and death. High above the land and far detracted from the battle for Fort Blackclaw, Righteous Justice steamed hard for Hunter’s Perch, all guns trained forward. Each of the nine massive main guns of the destroyer were prepared for combat, half loaded with potent airburst munitions, and the other half prepared to go slug for slug with the enemy vessels clinging to the air around the castle.

It had been some time since Jack had laid eyes upon the castle, though he had wished to never see it again after what he went through on his first visit. A deep scowl carved itself into his stoney features, causing his grip to tighten on the weapons he held close.

At his side stood Flitter, who regarded the castle with much the same energy through her NVGs. “Ugly place.” She muttered, seemingly to herself but without care of who would hear.

“It’s uglier on the inside.” Jack responded quietly, rolling his shoulders. By now the enemy had spotted them, even among the dark clouds that seemed to cling to the jagged mountains like a death shawl.

Nodding faintly, Flitter turned from his side and looked to the crew. “Ladies and Gentlemen! Prepare to defend yourselves!” It was the only order she gave, and the only one she needed to. The Righteous opened fire, starting the fight with a knock-out straight left. The massive 406mm shells slammed into the imperial vessels, blasting open decks and buckling armour plating while the concussive blast turned nearby crew and fliers to jelly that fell lifelessly to earth. With the opening punches thrown, the deck of the swift destroyer lit up as if set ablaze, every gun firing on whatever target they could train upon. Tracers cut the air like a million fireflies, buzzing back and forth to end life and saw away at flesh. The airburst rounds followed as the Imperial defenders rallied with perfect precision, filling the air amid the tracers with singing shrapnel that knew no ally.

Bolts of plasma joined the lead rounds, cutting away all in the path of the destroyer as it made a bee-line straight for the castle. Everyone onboard the Righteous knew that this was likely a one way trip, and they would be damned if they wouldn’t make it count. Guns fired until they were cherry red, and the crew fought until the deck was slick with hot casings, torrential rain, and flowing blood. As an imperial corvette fell to the mountainside spewing flames and molten metal, the Righteous kicked sideways, drifting into close proximity with the castle.

“GO!” Flitter bellowed over comms as the strike team disgorged onto the stone landing below. They were met with immediate fire, which they responded to with precise and deadly blows from their advanced weaponry. Jack took to the front, leading the team across the open landing pad as the Righteous slipped away from the berth and fell back from the mountain, continuing to brawl with the enemy vessels.

The fighting was brutally violent in the close quarters, with there barely being enough air to breath for all the lead and plasma being flung back and forth. Despite the danger, the team daringly pushed forward, continuing to stretch into the castle in search of The Elements, The Emperor, and Forge.

Turning a corner, Jack fired his rifle like a scythe, cutting a pair of guards in half with the raw rate of fire the weapon was capable of. “Clear!” He called, stalking deeper in as the team followed behind him, a blue pegasi in the middle of the pack. Dash looked about frantically, trying to get her bearings. She wore heavy armour that would likely interfere with her flying for long, but would save her from meeting an untimely end at the bite of an Imperial bullet. A simple SMG sat strapped to her side in a saddle, the firing bit hanging near her mouth as she panted from the adrenaline coursing through her system.

Jack paused for a moment to check his map, and activate the sonar ping to expand it. He stood stock still as JSOG spread out through the hall, weapons trained on every approach. They stacked a dozen fresh bodies by the time the scan completed, and Jack waved them forward again.

“Changing mag.” Ace called as he stuck to Baron’s back, the empty cylinder falling to the stone with a clatter as he slid home a new one and activated the feed. As Ace lifted his attentions, stone exploded, and a neat hole punched itself through mere inches from Baron’s midsection. “COVER!” Leaping forward, he rammed himself between her shoulder blades, driving the humanized changeling to the ground as another round cut through the wall, striking him in the side with enough force to spray blood across the stonework.

“MAN DOWN, COVER, COVER!” The order went up as another two round cut through the stone, the echoing thump of the autocannon echoing through the cold, candle lit halls.

A hall away, an elite griffon soldier slowly panned the muzzle of the cannon over the wall, claw squeezed around the trigger as he sent round after round down range into JSOG. So focused was he on his archanotech scope that he didn’t notice the eerily quiet bulk of the Thanatos operator who had slid up beside him, until a heavy boot forced him over onto his back, and a fat gunmuzzle emptied two rounds into his chest and face.

Thunder boomed outside and shook the castle windows as Jack returned to the squad, finding Mythic Ace’s armour opened up and Baron swiftly applying first aid to the oozing wound. The round had gone through his side, taking out a portion of his midsection and leaving behind a wound that would need immediate professional attention. As bad as it looked, Ace smacked Baron’s shoulder and yelled. “Just foam it and seal me up! I can pick up the rear!” He gasped after speaking, forcing his lung to take in air through the shock of pain.

“I’m giving you a pain shot, hold still.” Baron spoke calmly as she worked while the rest of the squad took up defensive positions around the pair. They didn’t have time for this, not any more.

“I can’t fight if I’m doped, Baron.” Ace shot back through grit teeth, trying to stop her from wasting the supplies on his dark oozing wound.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Baron slapped the man across the face before sticking her extended index finger into it. “Stop trying to impress me, cowpony. You’re getting it whether you like it or not.”

“Ace, can you walk?” Jack demanded as he looked over his shoulder at him. His ex-bodyguard simply looked up and gave him a grin through bloody teeth, nodding once as he slid his helmet back on.

Flitter turned and pointed to Baron. “Give him a hand, we’ll pick up the slack. Jack, once we secure a viable location we need to send him back.”

“Affirmative. Scan’s done, this way.” Jack waved them forward as Baron filled the gaping hole in Ace’s side with quick expanding coagulant foam, before bodily picking him up and having him lean heavily on her as she one handed the rifle she was armed with. Tucking the stock into her armpit, the changeling took no pause in protecting her teammate.

Cutting through the halls like white hot knives, JSOG carved and shot and fought onward and upward, spilling blood across the halls and stacking corpses like cordwood. They moved as one, covering every approach, cycling out as reloads were performed as fast as the shooting had been moments prior. They were one being, moving effortlessly through the puppets that stood before them and their final goal.

“We’re close.” Jack murmured into his comm as he paused outside a large set of double doors. “Twelve targets, five ponies. Dash?” He turned to the mare, who perked and looked up at him with wide, fierce eyes. “We breach, you get the talismans off the others. You secure them however you can, and we’ll kill everything that tries to stop you.” He only faintly glanced to the team as they nodded in agreement, while Dash took in a deep breath and whispered out

“Oorah.”

Approaching the massive doors, Jack rolled his shoulders and sneered, his own anger coming out as his sights settled on a single thermal outline among the others. His large armoured fingers curled into his fist, from three, to two, to one, to none where the door shattered inward like balsa, showering splinters across the room.

Magic lanced across the room, cutting into the team and felling someone with an angry cry of pain. Jack didn’t dare flick his eyes from the sight of regal armour, fleeing out the back door. His rounds cut through the bodyguard before the Emperor, blowing the griffon guard to pieces, as only one round slipped through the meat and gristle to penetrate the Emperor’s hide. The door slammed shut behind the griffon as he fled, leaving his guards and the elements to fend for themselves. Magic, bullets, and plasma cut back and forth through the air, over the bolt of blue that dodged and danced like a gymnast through the field of fire, tackling into the purple mare at the lead of the group. Twilight went down hard, ringing her head off stone as Dash wrenched the corrupted crown off her friend’s head, before diving upon the others.

The remaining griffon guards lasted as long as their cover did, which is to say they ended much the same; in flaming piles of shrapnel and blood. It took seconds, but with each round cutting across the small open room, it felt like it took eternity for Dash to remove the last and final talisman from Fluttershy as she snarled and bit into Dash’s foreleg. As the golden apparel bounced across the floor, Jack ripped forward the last mask of control, and crushed it in his grip.

The power washed over the room and the castle, erasing the control Carolus and Jalgromak had left, save for those wearing masks. Without the talismans to corrupt them, the elements of Harmony took their first gasps of air as free mares, for the first time in weeks. A cacophony of cries went up, enraged, disgusted, broken and sorrowful as they all hugged each other, sobbing hot, angry tears.

Turning from the scene, Jack looked back to his team to find Taven sprawled on his back, and Flitter limping from a smoking hole in her thigh armour. “I’m fine!” She yelled angrily, waving him off the second his vision alighted to her wound. “Taven! Get Taven!”

“I have him!” Minerva called out as she slid to her knees, checking the downed man’s vitals. “Come on, come on…”

Jack’s fists curled in fury, but he forced himself to focus. Bringing up a small canister, he sprayed a large square across the outermost wall, before blasting it away with the breaching charge. “Captain Alsan, do you read? We have the Elements, ready to RTB!” Torrential rain poured through the hole as thunder boomed and lightning peeled by the ship clinging to the air. It was still pitch dark, the sun having not crested the mountains.

“I hear you, but I have bad news.” The captain responded through grit teeth. “We’ve taken engine damage, we can only muster combat speed.”

The news gave Jack pause, a flash of panic ripping through him. His plan was in flames already, and he had to think fast. “...Copy. Sending over our wounded and the Elements shortly. Once they are onboard, you are to let nobody return to the castle, and immediately retreat at all possible speed. Do whatever you have to do to get the hell out.” A lump was forming in his throat, his fingers trembling faintly inside his armour. The immediate protests of the Elements fell on deaf ears as he turned toward JSOG.

Taven was on his side, gasping for breath as he drooled blood. He grinned faintly at Jack, the light in his eyes fading from the magical gutshot. Clenching his fists, Jack shook his head and disengaged his helmet, letting it unfold and nestle down in his thick collar. “Flitter.” He spoke with a voice ragged with emotion as he strode toward her.

The woman unsealed her own helmet, quirking a brow. “We still need the Emperor, we’re still in this, Jack-”

“You can’t send us back, do you have any idea what that monster did to us!?” Twilight screamed, her fury coalescing as magical energy over her body. He ignored her.

He ignored her, as he wrapped his arms around Flitter, hugging her tightly as he kissed her deep before the others. The kiss lasted only a moment, taking her by surprise, before he rested his forehead against hers. “I-” He nearly choked on the words as he forced them up and out, through the little locked box he’d held them so tight within for so long. “I love you Flitter.” He all but whispered the words, watching her eyes widen and her own breath catch in her throat. “I love you so much, and I’m sorry I-” He cringed, tears stinging his eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to tell you until now. And-” He drew in a deep breath. “I’m sorry for what I have to do.”

“Jack-” She started with a wavering voice, before he activated the talisman recall, sending the whole team, and the Elements back to the Righteous Justice. They went off one after the other, sending either a shocked soldier or screaming Element away to safety. Flitter lunged for him, eyes with and mouth open, but she wasn’t fast enough to beat the spell as it teleported her through the hole and onto the ship.

Inhaling deeply, he activated his comms. “Captain Alsan, GO! Give it all you’ve got! Don’t wait for me!”

“I copy-”

“JACK! JACK YOU BASTARD, DON’T YOU DO THIS! DON’T YOU DO THIS TO ME!” Flitter screamed furiously into her comms as the Destroyer turned away from the fort and began steaming off.

Reactivating his helmet, Jack’s features hardened into titanium slabs as he checked the time.

5:50am

“Stay on the ship, Flitter. If you come back, you’re DEAD.” He spat like the word was molten metal stuck in his mouth, the burning in his eyes testament to the heat. “I’ll do everything I can to come back to you, I promise.” He said softly, almost a whimper as the last vestige of his kindly emotions left him.

“You-” She whispered back, voice rife with thick emotions. “You better come back to me, Jack!”

“Don’t let the others leave.” He said softly, turning to the door where Carolus had fled through. “I love you Flitter Falenas.”

“I know… I love you too, Jack Kessle.” The comm line went silent as he cut it, forcing his mind to the task that remained before him.

“Sammy?” He spoke quietly as he pushed the door open, eyes alighting to the blood trail leading away.

“Yes Father?”

“You’re the best magic knife intelligence a marine could ever ask for.”

“...Thank you, Father.”

Stalking the blood stains through the halls, Jack almost wanted to smile as his attentions fell upon Carolus, splayed out on the floor, holding his bloody leg. The griffon spied him at the same time, and lifted a long, gilded pistol at him, squeezing the trigger as many times as the trigger would allow. The fat rounds bounced and spalled off Jack’s shining silver plates, the attack cut short as he backhanded the weapon, shattering it and scattering the pieces across the floor. “I told you I’d get you.” Jack spoke smoothly as he grabbed Carolus by the forearm, pulling him closer.

“ACK! Y-yes, so you’ve found me, monkey!” The Emperor spat at Jack, laughing at him through the agony of his wound being aggravated. “Go ahead, give me everything you think I deserve! Give me back all the pain and anger you’ve felt!” The Emperor’s eyes glowed blue in the dark, only undercut in their power when lightning flashed by the windows of the storm swept castle. The appeal truly was there, a deep dark desire to slowly pluck the griffon and torture him beyond belief.

“Oh, I’ll do that and more.” Jack purred gently as he dug into his armoured pouches, retrieving a small metallic cylinder that was coated in biohazard warnings. “But not when I have a rendezvous with your god and a schedule to keep.” He popped the cap off the armoured cylinder, and shook free a corvellan toxdart. “I’ll see you in hell, Carolus, and we’ll finish this right. Tell the Devil who sent you.” He stabbed the dark into the exposed flesh on Carolus’ forearm, earning a squawk of pain. With cold efficiency, Jack twisted the arm until it popped free of the socket, earning another cry from the boy emperor. He then grabbed the opposite arm, and repeated the action until Carolus was immobile on the floor, a twisted wretch of a creature bound in gilded armour splayed on blood slicked marble floors. “I don’t want you ending yourself too quickly. Enjoy what comes next, Cyka. You earned every second.” He spat back with molten fury as Carolus’ eyes began to widen and go bloodshot. The griffon choked on his words as they engorged his tongue, the overpowered neurotoxin swiftly moving through his broken body.

“Good.” Jack purred again as he watched the Emperor buck and thrash on the ground, aggravating his broken and twisted limbs. Choked screams and blood curdling squalls began to pour from Carolus, telling of the alien agony inflicted upon him. “It works. Sammy, set a three minute detonation timer, voice code authorization as a backup.” There was a brief pause as he waited for her to confirm before nodding. Without another word, he set forward, toward the largest chamber in the castle. Carolus’ screams painted a nearly pleasant backdrop against the roaring storm outside. The massive oaken doors swung open, revealing a massive banquet room, repurposed into an abattoir for Doctor Forge. The hippogriff stood at the end of the hall, before a massive tank that towered a half dozen meters tall, and just as many wide. A maze of wires and tubes ran to the tank. The doctor took a step away from the tank as it rumbled, the rivets blowing off it like gunshots that destroyed delicate archanotech machinery around the room. Steam hissed free across the hall as Jack stepped in, eyes narrowing as he lined up a shot on the Doctor’s chest.

5:53:02am

The vessel split, and a large humanoid creature lifted itself free, feathered wings flaring. The god made incarnate was a perfect being, ten feet tall, rippling in muscle and clad in perfect porcelain skin. Upon its head sat a face that was all too painfully familiar.

Petyr stared back at Jack with cold, unfeeling blue eyes that glowed with impossible divine power, locking surely onto him like a laser. Fingers rolled, popping knuckles as the god made flesh slapped aside the doctor who opened his mouth to speak, plastering the hippogriff against the wall as if he hadn’t had any bones at all. Wordlessly, a sword shimmered into existence in Jalgromak’s hand, and the point was directed toward Jack’s heart.

5:53:34am

In an instant, Jack squeezed the trigger and leapt forward, every weapon mounted to his armour spooling and spitting, launching a fusillade of death at Jalgromak as he leapt for cover. His physical power and speed proved to be the only thing that kept him alive, as Order lunged forward like a bullet, cleaving into the wall with his silver sword where Jack had been only a mere split second ago, cutting only the sole of his boot off with the cleave.

The god lunged again, swinging expertly at the marine as he backpedalled and circled, emptying whole magazines into the perfect, impenetrable hide of the god before him. He lifted his rifle, allowing it to be sundered by a blow meant for his throat as he rolled away, unloading his rocket racks on the God’s side. The rattle orchestra of explosions left only a smudge of darkness upon the god’s side as he swung again, carving off a piece of Jack’s armour. He was playing with him, Jack was sure of it.

5:53:42am

As his shoulder mounted launchers chimed empty, Jack Jetted backward to avoid a cleaving blow, only to find Jalgromak following him through, sword point forward. Gritting his teeth as fear took over him, Jack leveled his arm at Order, and unleashed the BFG DD. The shrieking green ball lashed out at the god, inflaming the skin it touched, turning the perfect porcelain skin to an angry red. Snarling, the god put a hand to its side as it deftly dodged the bulk of the shot, allowing the round to slide past him and detonate against the far wall, opening the hall to the storm outside.

5:53:53am

The next strike came in faster and harder, cutting a neat line into Jack’s breastplate as he ducked and dodged, drawing his Kbar knife. Flicking his wrist, the knife thickened and extended into a sword of his own, which he brought up against Order’s following blow.

An explosion of magic and sparks erupted from the pair of weapons as they clashed, the knife’s steel all but screaming as it collided with the unknown material that formed the weapon Jalgromak used. Back and forth the blows rained down, only serving to force Jack back on his heels and cut away sections of his armour.

5:54:00am

With a grunt of exertion, Jack caught the next blow against his weapon, before driving a pilebunker board fist into Jalgromak’s ribs. He almost grinned as his feint worked, and the armour penetrating titanium rod was launched forward on magnets to impale the god.

The rod impacted Jalgromak, earning a grunt of either pain or annoyance, just as the rod exploded into useless fragments. His shock froze Jack in place for a single second, and that was all the time the god of Order made flesh needed to drive his weapon into Jack’s flesh. Gasping in pain, Jack twisted away from the blow, sacrificing muscle in favour of internal organs. His blood quickly poured forth from the burning wound as his regeneration fought to seal it. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his weapon again, and launched at Jalgromak like a man possessed.

5:54:03am

Desperation began to colour his thoughts as he was forced back time and time again, parried and riposted and outplayed at every turn. He had challenged god, and now the god was proving his divinity threefold. Snarling under his helmet as he was struck again, losing a chunk of bicep, Jack lunged forward, snaring Jalgromak’s wrist in his steel crushing grip. Driving his weapon forward, the vorpal blade sliced into the angry red flesh of the god’s side, embedding itself inside him as Jack reached into his vest, and wrapped his hand around the glowing rod that oozed awful power.

5:54:15am

Chaotic energy lashed out around Jack’s fist as he drew out the Chaos Core, using it as a fist filler. With his hand still latched to Jalgromak’s wrist, Jack’s filled hand shot forward and up, striking the much bigger being in the chin and sending Order’s head snapping back with an explosion of chaotic energies. Glee burned away the desperation and fear in Jack’s mind as he accepted the power as his own, accepted the corruption so he could fight just a little longer, and give the Righteous Justice the time it would need to escape the blast radius. He could still escape, he still had his ace in the hole.

Bringing back his fist full of chaos, Jack struck Jalgromak repeatedly, driving his titanium lined fist into the god’s ribs, feeling exhilaration with each impact and each noise of discomfort he earned from the god before him. Bringing the god down low, Jack brought his fist down, aiming to crush the skull that housed the face of a man he’d called friend.

Only, the blow didn’t connect, as his own Kbar slid through armour and impaled Jack’s hand, the shock causing him to drop the core. Deftly catching the core in his free hand, Jalgromak twirled the blade out of the wound, and ran it’s point through Jack’s chest.

5:54:20am

Lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall behind him, Jack gasped for air as the horrible burning sensation of his own blade carving his flesh apart filled his mind. His armour was in tatters, shredded beyond belief as if it had been made of canvas instead of the best materials known to man. His breath came out through grit teeth bound in pain as the sword was left stabbed into him, pinning him to the wall.

5:54:23am

With the core in one hand, Jalgromak grabbed Jack by the throat, and squeezed. His once friendly features twisted in disgust as he tilted Jack’s head side to side, as if examining him. Without warning, the god released his throat, and instead grabbed a great handful of muscle. With a horrific yank, Jack felt his body ripped away from him like it was nothing but a bandaid. Armour and muscle and augment fell to the ground as the god of Order regarded him with almost a smug smile.

5:54:25am

Through pain worse than he’d ever felt in his life, Jack sagged on his own sword, eyes falling to what the god had down to him. Chaotic energy crackled down his body, carving welts of pain into his very soul as he bore witness to the broken, destroyed body he had left Equis with. The one he had died in for the last time. His true form. Jalgromak seemed pleased, though said nothing as he drew the sword out of Jack’s chest, and instead plunged it into his belly, impaling him to the wall once again.

5:54:30am

The agony of living had returned with a vengeance, as if paying him back for all the time he had spent gallivanting around in his new body, for all the joy he’d felt at being a new man. It was as if he was being reminded that he was nothing but a man, and would die as one. Shuddering inside what remained of his armour, Jack slowly turned his gaze upward, to watch as Jalgromak, God of Order, walked toward the hole blown in the wall.

In the corner of his shattered helmet, the broadcasting light blinked softly. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, to accept that he had failed. As Jalgromak spread his wings wide, Jack wanted nothing more than to just die, rather than witness the world he had come to love in some strange, twisted way be wiped clean.

5:54:35am

It was then that his eyes flashed open, that white hot anger returning to his veins. His body was broken, but his spirit and mind remained strong. His anger and hate, used as a fuel one last time. “My name-” He snarled through cracked and bloody lips as he grasped the pistol inside the ruined vest that clung to his bent and broken body. “Is Jack-”

“-Fucking-

He fired the last round in the weapon into the sword that pinned him to the wall, shattering the already badly damaged blade. Discarding the spent revolver, he clutched the near magicless handle of the knife, only an inch or two of blade remaining.

“KESSLE!”

His mechanical feet trod across the floor as Jalgromak took to the skies, Chaos Core in hand. With his ruined hand, Jack forced himself to cinch tight the armoured vest that contained his trump card. The teleporting rune was ruined, as was his chances of escaping, but…

That didn’t matter anymore. He had bought Flitter and JSOG all the time he could.

5:54:40am

With his guts threatening to spill out, and his prosthetics pounding across the ground, Jack leapt from the hole after Jalgromak, hands flashing out to catch whatever they could. With the broken knife, he plunged into the god’s calf, and found himself flying high above the battlefield, into the storm and clouds. Clinging onto Jalgromak, Jack opened his mouth, only to be cut off as the God reached down, and plucked him up. With a snarl, the god Jalgromak began to speak, only to get a face full of bloody spit that defied the blowing winds and driving rain. Infuriated, Jalgromak brought his fist filled with Chaos Core down toward Jack, intending to erase him from existence, right down to the last atom.

5:54:48am

With a grin, Jack turned himself and braced his feet against Jalgromak’s face and neck as he wrapped his arms around the core, pressing it to his chest, against the containment cell of Delta King where chaotic energy began to wildly arc.

"SEMPER FI MOTHER-"

Aboard the Righteous Justice, Flitter watched the live feed from Jack’s armour with gut wrenching pain, her hands clenched into fists as the whole ship sailed as hard as it could to escape whatever it was he had planned. She knew he wasn’t coming home. Her heart ached like a bullet wound as she watched him die, but she couldn’t bear to tear her eyes away.

She watched, as he tore himself free, declaring his name in defiance to the world, and running. The last she saw of him was his mechanical legs as they vanished into the dark storm, his helmet discarded on the ground. Her heart leaped, and for a moment she looked up. A loud bleep to her side distracted her for but a moment, and that moment is what saved her.

The sun appeared over the mountains a half hour early, a ball of impossibly powerful chaotic nuclear fusion that parted the storm like curtains, and boiled the rain in the sky. The mushroom cloud forced itself up and up and up, until it exceeded even the tallest peaks with its horror and beauty, until it’s stem touched the ground, and the concussive shockwave struck the limping vessel, a split second before a wave of combined harmonious magic struck home. Windows exploded inward as it began to fall, voices cried out as engines failed, and the hundred thousand ton vessel plummeted to the earth. As she fell, Flitter’s eyes remained on the broiling nuclear cloud as rippling orange lightning cut the sky, testament to the chaotic energies that had shattered the sky and slain a god.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head, a cold, empty sensation flooding her heart as a wave of purple magic encased the ship as it slammed into the forest below, sliding some way before coming to a gentle stop before the churning river.

Pulling herself from the wreckage, bleeding and weary, Flitter’s eyes drifted to the sky to watch two suns rise, and peace fall over the world.

Author's Notes:

Well, here we are. The End. Almost six years of writing, and it's finally over. I don't know if this ending meets people's expectations, but it feels right to me. I've become a notably different person over these few years, to the point most of you know that I'm no longer with the fandom, and haven't been since 2015ish. I've been through some dark times, and I've had some great times as well.

Despite the trouble Ballad has given me over the years, it's still hard to see it go. Still hard to let go of these characters who I've been building for six years. I think a part of me didn't want to finish Ballad, because it would mean the story would be over.

Either way, I'm happy to have reached the end, to put what I feel to be an appropriate capstone on this 600k+ word beast. I hope that some of you feel the same way as I do. In a world currently wracked with pandemic, strife, and pain, all I will give you is 11k words and a quiet 'goodbye and thanks for all the thumbs'.

There may be an epilogue, but I make no promises.