> General Twilight Sparkle > by MMM WATCHA SAY > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > GLHF > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria's military units are very weak. Very rarely do firearms or any other type of weapon is found in this country. Then again, if your country doesn't have war very often, what's the point of weapons? This is what happens if your leader is extremely ignorant and refuses outside help from any other planets. The times before Nightmare Moon and Discord, like Tirek and The Smooze are long gone, and the Princesses thought nothing of those old creatures. They found having weapons more dangerous then now. But the only defence for Equestria back then, way before Twilight and her friends were alive, was just the Elements of Harmony, and they weren't even that dangerous. Equestria was know as the "Kingdom of Friendship and Harmony" back then, and to most of the other worlds in the galaxy, they laughed at Equestria. Some of them offered help, and were turned down immediately and forcefully. Equestria was a fool for not taking the offers, as they got attacked countless times in the past, by Discord, the Sirens, and then finally, Nightmare Moon. Celestia was lucky enough to weaken Nightmare Moon, so she could banish her to the moon. Discord, defeated by the Elements of Harmony. These days, Discord is reformed, although he still causes some chaos once in a while. Of course, at this point of time, war is going to come anyway. Your kingdom is weak, with almost no defence of the sort. The return of Nightmare Moon and Discord was only the beginning. Then came the changeling attack on Canterlot. That would be a really good wake up call. And it was. A new era in Equestria's history had began. Celestia and Luna made the U.E.A to protect Equestria, consisting of some of the Royal Guard, and finally, soldiers from different worlds. Contract signed, in exchange for some resources that were depleted in other worlds. As much as some of the other leaders in Equestria refused, Celestia and Luna made it anyway, their reason meaning to protect Equestria from harm. You might be wondering, where does Twilight Sparkle come into any of this? Well, you're looking at someone who has connections with the princess, is extremely smart, in this sense that she is the best magician in Equestria, and has at least stocked up some military knowledge in her mind, not to mention she invented the first weapon that wasn't a spear, shield or bow. I could go on and on, but we'll explain that later. Let's move on. The first attack that occurred when the U.E.A was just starting to form was from rebel alliances consisting of many cities around the globe, most notably, the Elite Crew, dubbed, the "1337". They started a civil war between some cities and towns, and even Canterlot was in the mess. You could say that the U.E.A was the first Counter-Terrorism unit at the point in time. The development of weapons were just starting, and successfully, 50% of the rebel alliances were crushed, wiped from the face of the planet, the other 50% went to some unknown places. Very hard to track, since they keep moving, and how do we know this? During the time of before and now, radars and satellites were invented. Yes, the ponies went to space finally. The Royal Guard have been briefed on older weapons from the generation before them, the humans. Bipedal creatures which were very smart, as recorded in old records and books. Weapons like the Auto-Kalashnikov, and the "United States" Colt M16. The soldiers had no idea of what they were working with, but trained with them anyway. Blueprints for the weapons were found in the Canterlot archives, part of the "Ancient Creatures" section. These weapons were set into mass production, in a version re-modified for pony usage, by the one and only, Twilight Sparkle. Let's move on again, towards the Year of Inventions. Yes, specifically called that, this is when some pony scientists and weapon experts pitched in ideas for weapons and other types of communication systems. After the breakthrough of video game machines, satellites and rockets, they needed to move on. Twilight Sparkle, as mentioned before, invented the first weapon able to shoot something that isn't any arrow. A pure beam of magic, contained in small capsules, is shot out of this cannon. This idea was revised many times, as it failed tests, until they found the right materials able to withstand the magic shot out. The cannon's official name was also discussed, until the final name was put in as the "Neuron Gun". A handheld version was made as well, for civilian purposes, as the handheld version was toned down a lot on magical power. I'll explain the name a bit. Since magic comes from a unicorn's horn, the unicorn's brain transfers neurons to make a particular spell. It was the most logical one, and was successfully distributed into the Equestrian Military Service, the sister of the U.E.A, commanded by Princess Luna. Twilight Sparkle was immediately assigned to the U.E.A as a weapons designer, having to test other weapon prototypes placed by other weapon designers. She had the power of whether to distribute it, put it in as a specialist-type weapon, or just scrap it. The norm became go to work, test weapons, choose which one, make it, show to princesses, wait for agreement, go home, and go to sleep. Her friends questioned it, her schedule being different from before, but she told them not to worry. Again, I'll ask this. Are you wondering how Twilight ever got to the rank she is today? She started off down there, and got all the way up to the top. The beginning of the military units, the ones that have protected Equestria for decades. What happened during those decades? Surely, something must have happened, right? > RTS > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bright screen, with icons and miniature representations of soldiers on the field. "All troops engaging targets, requesting permission to shoot." "Permission granted." The sounds of gunfire echoing from Twilight's headset. There was no emotion displayed on her face as troops and enemies dropped down on the screen. The development team had been researching different ways to command their troops, and found their choice. A screen with different functions, able to control the troops and command them to go wherever Twilight told them to go. Dubbing this the "RTS Command", it used old video game components, as well as some new tech that was invented by the scientists. "Targets down, but we are under heavy fire! SHIT!" Static present in the headphones. "Operator #2367 is down, switch over to #2368.", Twilight said calmly, asking her second-in-command to switch over. "Switching now, this might take a few seconds. Just wait.....got it!" "General Sparkle, what are your orders?" "Stay put, get behind cover. We are sending aerial support." As much as Twilight knew they were the elite troops, she was still aware of the deaths occurring in the battlefield. They had a significant advantage over their enemies, as Twilight had permission to use the latest military technology available. Still, the enemies were skilled. They used old weapons and tactics, but their experience was by far, higher even than the U.E.A's Elite Troops. The zooming sounds of the fighter jets whooshed over the troops heads behind cover, the sound of missiles being launching in front of them. Still, the enemies relentlessly sprayed bullets and lasers at the incoming assailants and soldiers. Suddenly, an explosion rocked in their enemies' ears. Bodies went flying, and Twilight's troops charged ahead. The battle was long, but paid off with their new equipment. "Good work, now head back to extraction point, we can't waste anymore time." Twilight commanded the troops. It was her job to get as many back to the base as possible. It reminded her of the time she first was promoted to the rank General. It was a success, and after the first time, failures were minimal, if not, there were none. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Lieutenant General Twilight Sparkle, you are now hereby promoted to General. Your tactics have never failed, both on the field and commanding at HQ." Those words were spoken by Princess Celestia, and that day, Twilight Sparkle was actually nervous. She had no idea what her position meant now. If it meant working with new ponies and military services, she might have a chance. "Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle." When that was said, everyone in the room went silent. Finally, someone spoke up. "Are you, THE, Twilight Sparkle?", a mare with a white coat and blue mane asked. "Yes, I am. The one who defeated Discord and Nightmare Moon." Twilight never really liked describing her exploits. It felt wrong. She was not one to boast, unlike her friend Rainbow Dash. She smiled at the mention of the name. Her friends still didn't know she was a military official. "Let me as you a question first. First of all, WHAT POSITION ARE YOU IN TO QUESTION ME LIKE THAT?" "I'm...I'm sorry! I was just asking!" the white mare replied, the nervousness evident in her posture and voice. "You do not, I repeat, DO NOT, reply to me like that. Second of all, aren't you Vinyl Scratch? The popular DJ in Equestria? What are you doing here, in this top secret military facility?" "Ummm...." Vinyl had no answer to this question. But she did answer eventually. "Ok, ok! I was assigned to be your second-in-command! I've worked here for 7 years, and Princess Celestia just told me someone new was coming here! I didn't know it was you!" "Looks like Celestia still can't trust many, not after the incident." "What incident?" "You weren't told? The pony was disguised as a military officer. She killed many guards and troops." Twilight sighed. "Looks like we have a lot to talk about. Let's this discuss later." At this point, Twilight wondered if it was a good idea for Celestia to give her the position. If she was going to have a DJ as a second-in-command, she might as well try to work with it. "Hey, Vinyl?" Twilight called? "Yea?" "Look I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Twilight heaved a heavy sigh. "I just got promoted today and I have a lot on my mind. Can you....forgive me?" Vinyl looked at her and sighed as well. "In time. Hopefully this doesn't happen in the future." With that statement, Vinyl bounced back up to her normal cheerful self. "Now how about we get some lunch General?", winking at Twilight Twilight just stared at her. This was going to be a long day. > Rush > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So Twilight, tell me more about yourself. Kinda need to get to know you before we work together.", Vinyl stated, sipping her coffee. "Where should I start?" "When you joined the military." "You've heard of me making the first weapon for Equestrian Military, right? That's where are started in the military. Princess Celestia wouldn't want me to start at the very bottom, and well, I didn't. The only problem was, I had no idea what to do." Twilight Sparkle read books on military strategies, and books and firearms and weapons, but to be actually commanding, it was a whole different story. You probably wouldn't have recognised her before as she is now. She didn't wear the noticeable uniform or hat she wears now. Her first mission was well, successful, but a better word to describe would be, eventful. I'll sum it up for you. The plan was simple. A B Rush, flash crystal the tunnel, and rush in, but that messed up when the troops thought they heard A rush, so they did that and well, they won. Probably because all the enemies were at B, and the enemies were completely oblivious to what was going on. Huh, and they were called "The Elite Crew." Not very elite, now I think about it. To top it of, why did the enemies label the bomb sites? Most importantly, the Princess didn't even tell Twilight what her assignment was. This was her first commanding assignment, and it wasn't pretty. "So, what was your first mission like?" Vinyl asked. "Uhmmm......I'd rather not say." Twilight said nervously. "Aw, come on! It can't be that bad? Right?" Vinyl said while smiling. "All right, I'll explain it in the most sensible way possible." At the end of all of that, Vinyl was laughing. "Man, I haven't heard such a hilarious mission take place like that!" "It's not funny! Ponies could have died out there!" Twilight shouted angrily. "All right, whatever you say." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 2nd, 3024 "Contact!" A loud burst of gunfire rang in Twilight's ears. She was going to have to get used to that. With a burst of confidence, she peeked and shot the opposing pony in the head. A fine, clear trail of red liquid flew in the air. "Move, we don't have time!" This was her first field assignment. She didn't want to do, but did she have a choice? Probably not. In fact, she didn't get to question anything, her commander, who's name was Classified, controlled everything she did. If she didn't follow those orders, she would most likely perish to the hands of the mercenaries. The Elite Crew is rich. They have enough money to support their entire group, and hire mercenaries. Twilight and the rest of her team were to take out these opponents. There were only nine of them, but those nine were professionals. "Status!" "I got shot in the arm, Zane over here is healing up, but we got one down." Strange names, Twilight thought to herself, but said nothing. "Sparkle, check for remaining targets, tell us if you spot any. If you do, throw a flash crystal and open fire! We cannot let any of them get away. You got one, but it's just only one." Twilight gave herself a burst of confidence, and peeked around with her Sunset (Steyr Scout), and spotted two targets, one with a rocket launcher, the other with some sort of...sword? She shook her head, and carried on with the plan. Taking the cap of the crystal, she threw it, and plugged her ears with her hoofs for the incoming sharp blast of sound, looking away. "2 targets, watch out, 1 of them has a explosive weapon.", she called out softly, as to hopefully not alert the intruders of her still being there. "Go, go, go!" More gunfire was heard, and a faint explosion near her. "Zane is down, requesting assistance!" Twilight quickly scoped in on the pony with the helmet and rocket launcher and scored a headshot. "Nice work Sparkle, but we still have 5 more to go.", said Wolf. "What happened to the 4th target?", she was unsure, as she only counted 3. "The others re-grouped in an alternate route, and by mistake, killed one wearing a suit, although we can't confirm his death." She took this information in, and said these words that she would regret later on. "I'm going in alone." "What, that's crazy! You'll never be able to take them on!" "I'll be fine." She was not fine. After a long sprint, her firing back at her opponents, she took one down with her Night Hawk, repeatedly firing back at the enemy. What was scarier, was that the enemy was chasing her with fire. She could feel the fire's heat on her skin, but she kept running. She could swear that she even got part of her skin burnt off. Nevertheless, she got out alive, but she had word that another one of her teammates were down, being stabbed before he could shoot his assailant. Cursing, she ran to her remaining teammates, which were herself, Wolf and from what she could remember, Ivan. She had been briefed on it, but forgot from the "heat" of battle. Pun intended. "Alright, I'm not one to take charge, but at this point, we're out of idea." Twilight sighed as she told her teammates "Well what can we do Sparkle? It's 3 versus 6, we can't win." said Ivan. "The only thing we can do." Twilight picked up an AK47 from the ground and told them, "On my mark, throw every single crystal you have, flash, incendiary, frag, what ever you got. Then, we rush in." "But Twilight, that's suicide!" whispered Wolf, hoping to not alert the enemies. "Well...may Celestia be with us." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "1, 2, 3!" The high pitching sounds, blinding light and burst of pain along the mercenaries alerted them. By unlucky mistake, one of the mercs dropped down dead. A healer, it looked like, with a cross on his shoulder. Twilight gazed at the body for a split seconds before turning around and shooting a pony in the face. Bursts of red splattered down onto her uniform. The pony with the tie. How on earth was he still alive? Well, he was done. Only 4 left to go. Suddenly, Ivan dropped to the ground, a sharp pain in his stomach. Twilight gasped as she peeked the corner and saw a pony that looked like to be a sniper aiming at her face. She quickly hid back behind the wall as the bullet whizzed past her face. "We need medical attention!" she shouted over to Wolf. Here goes nothing, she said to her self. Aiming her rifle at the sniper's face, it took one bullet to finish him. 3 down, 2 left to go. Then she heard the phrase she didn't want to hear. "I'm sorry Sparkle, there's nothing I can do. He's going to die." "No! I was hoping that nopony else would die! Come on, is there nothing we can do?" "I'm sorry to bring you down, but both of us weren't trained in medical practice or magic, there's nothing we can do." Twilight sniffed. "That won't bring us down. We will fight for him!" "That's the spirit, let's get them Sparkle!" For the last time, they rushed the remaining enemies, and killed them all. Both mercenaries, both heavily defended by an automated turret. That was quickly taken down by Wolf's AWP. The one with the bandolier and minigun was also eliminated as Twilight spray bullets at the pony's face. The body crumpled down in a heap. The last one that looked like a construction worker had no emotion displayed as everything was destroyed. He just smiled and sprinted at them with his wrench. He hit Wolf in the face, but Twilight stabbed him. He died with a smile. "Well, we did it", Twilight said to Wolf's unconscious body. Just then, a voice was heard in her headset. A distinct voice that was calm but still had an accent. "Good work Sparkle, report back to the extraction point. Oh, and bring Wolf with you." Twilight smiled to herself. The mission was complete. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wow, your first field mission was that brutal?" Vinyl Scratch was shocked. Not even her's was that bad. "Yea, I've learned from that. I'm not cold-hearted, but I don't express myself either." Twilight was unsure of the choice of wording she used, but thought nothing of it. "Well General, I hope we get another occasion like this to talk. Now, we have a mission. Let's go." Vinyl ran back to the control room. Twilight smirked. Maybe this will work out after all, she thought as she ran after Vinyl. > Mothership > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, Sparkle, we've been testing out something new." "Mhm? Twilight wasn't paying much attention to the pony in-front of her. Of course she knew who the pony was, but at this point, she was tired of hearing rubbish ideas that ponies thought were good, even though they were terrible. Then again, it wasn't her fault that she had to do this almost 24/7. Celestia gave her the position of weapons tester and usage, and she did have the most advanced weapon systems available to her. But, she might as well just be commanding her units to go attack something that needed to be attacked, not sit in a chair and listen to some boring ideas. "So, what is your idea?" Twilight asked the pony upfront, not rude, but not nice either. She just sounded bored and emotionless. "Well, me and my research team have tested our concept out in a simulation.." "Let me stop you right there." "What?..." "You're saying, that not only is it run on a simulation, but you don't HAVE, a working prototype? What are you still doing here? Unless you have footage of it actually in use, it doesn't help. Get out, there are other ponies that could do better, and I'm still doubting it." "But you didn't let me finish..." "Get. Out. That is an order, not a request. Good Day." The pony walked out, dejectedly with her head in her hooves. Pfft, like I haven't seen that before, Twilight thought. "Next?" Looking up, she saw a well-dressed stallion, with a bag full of, and she hoped, actual evidence of something she could use, not most of the crap given to her. In fact, 9/9.10 of the submissions handed in were turned down, with no consent. "So, what do you have for me? More junk that doesn't do much, or something actually worth my time? Because I'm getting tired." Twilight said, not caring much. "Well, first off, I wouldn't expect a high-ranking pony in the military to be this rude, and secondly, the things I've brought in will be worth your time, I guarantee it." The stallion laid out digital display with buttons on it, some blueprints, and what seemed to be a prototype of a weapon. Twilight took a closer look at them and they had a extraterrestrial sort of feeling to them, not coming from Equestria, but rather another planet in space. "Do any of these use magic? I can't seem to trace any forms of it." Twilight was confused. She only knew of weapons nowadays powered by magic, even dashboards were magic powered. "I assure you Ms. Sparkle, these items do not use magic, they were all created with technology and...science. Yes, that's the word. The weapon laid out before is what a call, a sub-atomic machine gun. It fires sub-atomic particles at a high rate of fire. The display is the footage we have of test firing, but that's not the point of this. The main item here are the blueprints." The stallion seemed like he knew what he was doing. Twilight swore she knew him, but took no notice. "This looks like..a ship? How will the military ever build something like this, not to mention that space travel isn't as updated as we thought it was! We can't possibly do this!" Twilight was hyperventilating. She got through hundreds of ponies a day. Finally, a good suggestion and it had space in it. Twilight knew why this job was terrible anyway, she had to go through it. "Here's the plan General. Get this into space, profit. You'll have a major advantage, not to mention satellite scanners and orbital missile strikes." The stallion was not going to give up on this. Him and as team worked on this project for their entire lives. "You're telling me that you want a multi-million dollar space headquarters, that will most likely take at least 5 year to build, and you're hoping to get something our of this?" The stallion gulped. "Yes." "I accept." "What?" "You heard me. I want this in now. This is by FAR, the best idea we've had in the U.E.A. Within months, we'll have simulations and weapon tests up, not to mention a wide range of air support. I propose that this goes through. It will need a name though. What are you suggesting?" Twilight was eager to put this through. She could do anything, even if it costed her lives of soldiers for the countless test and the millions of bit that will be used, it would be worth it. "Hopefully the Princesses will support this, and you'll be meeting up with someone you likely know. I won't lie, this is going to be hard to produce, and ponies will die. But I will agree that this is the right choice." "I'll need a name of the project, and the name of your group, you've mentioned it." "The team's Freejam, Project: Robocraft."