Prologue

Bright, glittering pools of light shone through the sensory visors that surrounded the cockpit. Stars they were called, seemed vibrant, teeming with life as they passed by the small deep space mining cruiser. Even the intense glow of the ship's main engine couldn't drown out the true beauty of the glimmering glow of life that seemed to touch a special place in his heart.

As a child he always would spend warm, summer or autumn nights just lying on the ground and watching the stars from afar, but here now, he was able to see them up close. They were so much more than the glittering fireflies that he used to think they were during his youth, out here, in the far reaches of space, they were very much alive to him. Each one twinkled like a flame, imbuing life with unimaginable understanding and glory. This, this was home to him, and no matter what anybody said to him about it, this is where he has always belonged.

“You alright up here rookie?” A rough, deeply feminine voice asked from behind. Whirling around, he was glad to see the ship's navigator, a rare deep magenta colored dragoness named Kirila. She bore a soft smile as she strode up to him.

“Yes ma'am. Just admiring the stars.” He whirled back around to watch more stars pass by.

“That's good and all, but remember to keep your eyes on where we're going too. Skipper would be really mad if we ran into an asteroid.”

“Yes ma'am.” They shared a sort of laugh, unaware of the gryphon who was standing in the doorway behind them.

“What's so bleeding funny eh?” She said as she walked up behind the dragoness, pulling her into a hug with a quick kiss to her neck.

“Nothing Roxy.” The dragoness responded to her girlfriend. “Don't think the Skip 'll be too happy about us, semi alone in here together.”

“Why not? Damn bloke's never given a bullocks before.” They shared a smile while the young changeling continued to gaze out the ship's visor in wonder. “What's wrong with the changeling eh?”

“Nothing, he's one of those 'star lovers'.”

“Ah.” Together, they slipped out of the cockpit before the changeling even noticed they were gone.

For nearly three weeks they had been flying around the outer rim of planets trying to find some large asteroids, but nothing they came across was of any real value. Most were too small to even bother worth trying to mine, while others weren't quite ready. Some were even big busts, with nothing to show for all their hard work drilling into them.

While it was true that most mining ships were collecting bits and pieces of asteroids for sale back on Earth, what they were collecting was far more valuable. Inside of some fairly large asteroids, and even the smaller ones, was an ore that was so rich it could fuel their ships for eons to come. Unfortunately, the process of turning that ore into a viable fuel was lost on the pony folks of Earth, and their sister the Moon.

Years ago, while he was going through flight academy, he had come across a pony who was studying the ore from the asteroids and had actually developed a way to break it down into a very potent fuel that was neither dangerous, nor did it leave any lasting effects to the mineral, or the environment around it.

Thinking back, he almost missed his best friend, Hex Floral was her name. It bright a smile to his face just thinking about her. It pained him that he was so far away from her, but he knew that she would be alright. After all, they were expecting to be married soon.

Looking around to make sure that he was alone, with the door to the cockpit sealed, he lifted up a small panel on the console and set the autopilot. Twisting in the chair, he turned on the holo-vid display and watched as the blue connection bar ran across the screen. Taking a moment to brush back his mane and straighten his collar, he looked back to the screen to see his beloved Hex, looking extremely tired. Her fatigue melted away however when she noticed who she was talking to. “Korven.” Her voice was like a choir of angels singing to the high heavens, her golden yellow eyes bearing naught but love, and her disheveled amber mane cast astray across her face.

“Sorry to be calling so late Hex, I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“It's fine babe, it's just so good to hear from you. You haven't called me since your first night away. How is it by the way?”

“It's amazing up here, there's a real sense of fellowship among the crew. Tonight the Skipper even let me pilot the ship, though I'm supposed to wake him if I need anything before the morning.” A yawn escaped his maw before he wiped at his eyes. “Wish you were here.”

“I know.” She sat back in the chair, letting him see her slightly swollen belly. “We can't wait for you to get home honey.”

“I can't either baby. Speaking of which, it is a girl or boy?”

“How did you know I went to the doctor today?”

“Lucky guess?”

“Uh huh.” She gave him a wicked grin, “It's a ...”

“Korven! What are you doing!?”

The changeling felt his heart catch in his throat as he spun the seat around to look at a tall rough looking pony who could have easily one a strong-pony competition. His bulging arms strained against their constrictive sleeves as he stalked into the cockpit. Immediately, the changeling got to his feet and saluted. “Just calling home sir.”

The Skipper looked the changeling over, then softened his expression when he saw the pregnant pony on the display. He adopted a soft expression, “Alright, anything to report?”

“Nothing so far sir. Just set the autopilot for a few minutes, if that's alright sir?”

The pony walked over to the console to check all of the instruments. Seeing that everything was running nominal, he turned to the changeling. “So, is it a boy or a girl?”

All of the color seemed to drain from the changeling's face as he turned back to his pregnant fiance. “I'm so sorry baby. I have to go.”

Before he could end the call the Skipper stayed his hand with a firm grip, “There's no reason you can't talk to your fiance Korven. I am aware that you haven't had any time to contact her since we left. So long as you keep your eyes on where we are headed, you can have a few minutes.”

The changeling nodded before turning back to the pony on the display. She smiled softly at him, looking to the Skipper. “Thank you sir.” He returned her smile, raising his hand for her to see his wedding band.

“I have six children myself ma'am, I know how both of you feel. With this job, it never gets any easier, especially when the little ones start coming along. Many people think that I'm a tyrant, a cruel pony, but I respect only those who deserve it. Your boyfriend here is willing to sacrifice his time with you to do this job, and for that, he has my respect, as do you ma'am.” With a nod, the Skipper left the cockpit without so much as a backward glance.

Korven sighed as he retook his seat, waiting patiently for her to tell him the news. “So, what is it?”

She giggled, “Well, you won't be coming home to just one girl...” A knowing smile crept across his face, while a few tears of happiness escaped her golden eyes. “I know that you always talked about wanting a son...”

“It's alright baby. A girl,I'm just happy to know that we are having a baby, the gender never mattered to me.”

“Well, it's not just a girl...”

“Wait, you mean?” His eyes grew wide at what she was implying.

“Twins. Both girls.” If it was at all possible, his smile seemed to stretch his jaw and then some. “I love you Korven.”

I love you too Hex.”

Over the course of the next hour they talked about where they wanted to raise their children, their names, what they would be like, what they would teach them, what kind of parents they would be, and so forth. It was nearly halfway through his shift before Korven realized that he needed to get back to his post, lest the Skipper never let him fly again. “Baby, I have to get going, but I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you.”

“Love you too babe.” With that, the connection was terminated, just in time too. Not even a second later the Skipper came walking back in, a mug in either hand. The strong, bitter smell of coffee wafted towards his nose, letting him smell the dark brew.

“Thought you could use something to help stay awake without your fiance to keep you talking all night.” For the first time since they had left, he actually heard the Skipper laugh.

“Thank you sir.” Korven accepted the coffee without complaint as he went about turning off the autopilot to manually fly the ship as his Skipper had ordered early in the night.

“What's her name?” When the pony was given a quizzical look he sighed, “Your fiance?”

“Oh, Hex, Hex Floral. She's an engineer, The Engineer actually that developed our new fuel system as well as fuel. She's the reason we are out here.”

“That explains why you were all too eager to come out here with us.”

“Yes sir, that's part of it.”

“And your love for the stars of course.”

The changeling nearly choked on his coffee as he looked towards the Skipper, who was watching out the visor. “There's nothing, nor anybody who has secrets on this ship. I know and hear everything. It's my job, it is my ship after all. Besides, the girls just told me about it on my way in.” No sooner had he spoken that the couple walked back into the cockpit. “Couldn't sleep either?”

Neither one said anything as the dragoness took a seat in her chair, letting the gryphon sit on her lap as they both turned to the nava-computer. It was the dragoness who spoke first, “Really felt guilty about leaving the greenhorn all by himself Skip'. Didn't seem right to me, especially with his first voyage being such a bust.”

“Couldn't agree more Kirila.” He grumbled something to himself as he walked over to asteroid sensor to find that the scope was negative for at least a few dozen parsecs away. With another grumble he went over to look at the nava-computer with the couple, wondering why in the name of Celestia they weren't finding anything of value on this voyage.

Korven went from watching them discuss something in private about their course to the visor once more, seeing that they were still flying through a solar field. A solar field is a vast concentration of energy that is expelled through streams of dancing lights, creating waves, and sometimes rays that look as if pathways with stars woven inside of them. Some of the rays seemed to be closer to the ship than before, but he paid it no mind as he caught sight of something in the distance.

The changeling pressed a few buttons on the control console to pull up a magnified view of what he was seeing, and his heart nearly stopped. Just beyond the edge of the solar field was a rather moderately sized asteroid spinning slowly on its axis, but what caught his breath was the ruby red sheen that was seeming to glow from the very edge of the asteroid, looking smooth, like a masterly crafted jewel.

Pulling up a closer examination of the asteroid, he could see that there was something written within the sheen, but it was in a language that he had never heard of, nor seen. “Skipper, you may want to see this.”

The large pony looked towards the visor, then stood up straight, causing the couple to look over as well. They could all see the beautiful sheen that the asteroid was giving off, as well as the writing. While the couple, as well as the changeling began to think that maybe they struck gold, the Skipper started to get a bad feeling in his gut.

He picked up a comset and held it close for a second. Against his better judgment, he made the decision that he knew he was going to regret for the rest of his life. “All hands on deck, we've got some drilling to do crew.”

It took nearly two hours to reach the end of the solar field, by which time the asteroid has moved closer to them. Another four hours passed as the crew spent time drilling around what they had at first thought was a trove of rubies, but turned out to be a single jewel, with some writing across the center, which is what they had seen on the visor.

In all, it was six hours after first contact that they had fully revealed the jewel. It was as large as six of the Skipper's massive arms across and tall, with large, black glyphs across the center, seven in total. Korven had taken to writing them down while the rest of the crew marveled at the sight. The Skipper himself still felt something in his gut that told him to discard the jewel, but knew that his crew needed this big payday after their big bust this voyage. Every edge of the jewel was cut to clean perfection, with a slight shimmer seeming to radiate from its presence, as if it watching, as if it was breathing, as if it was alive.

Korven was left alone with the jewel to study the glyphs, taking some pictures before pulling up some information off of their internal database, which had a direct link to the feed of information back on Earth.

An eerie mist began to seep out of the jewel, pouring out from a tiny crack that they had made in the crystal from where they had drilled it out of the asteroid. It was invisible to the naked eye, but it was still a crack nonetheless. The mist wasn't white or gray like a natural mist, this was colored a deep, rich, forest green and seemed to glow with life. The jewel began to loose its color, turning from red to a translucent white, looking as though the mist was water flowing from a glass.

Steadily, the mist began to swirl around the changeling behind his back while it leaked out. His eyes widened as the symbols appeared on the screen. Just as he was about to reach for the comset beside of the computer his eyes glazed over and went black, his vision gone. He fell to the ground as the mist began to make its way into the ventilation system above him.

By the time that the Skipper walked into the room it was already gone, and Korven was lying on the floor moaning as he tried to crawl away from the screen. The Skipper paid the crystal no mind as he ran over to the changeling, throwing him over his shoulder and racing to the infirmary.

Korven felt his body being hoisted up and over a shoulder. He could hear the metallic clank of boots against the floor, and the heavy panting of someone running. He could hear them turning down a corridor and coming to a halt. A gut wrenching scream echoed down the corridor, followed by the sound of blood spurting across the wall.

He fell to the ground, his head hitting the wall and his dreams surfacing. All he could hear before he lost consciousness was the sound of a deep, menacing growl...

Author's Notes:

I'm baack!!!!

It's been a long time since I sat down and wrote anything, and this is an idea that I've had for a few months now, and I finally have the time to sit down and work on it. So far chapter I is nearly done, with chapter II over a quarter of the way done. A great author on here, as well as a great friend, TheVClaw, has been so generous to lend me his OCs for the telling of this dark tale. I hope to do him proud by sticking as close to his characters as possible, and if any of your are familiar with his work, you'll know that I have two really tough characters to nail pretty well.

I have planned out a lot of this story and will be releasing it in arcs, instead of what I normally do and try to write it all at once, or really don't plan anything out. It may be slow at first, but by the climax, you'll hopefully be holding on to your seats, craving to know what happens next.

To all of my readers, thank you for being so patient with me and sticking with my through many of my failed stories. I know that I usually start a story and never end up finishing it, but I truly think that this one will change all of that, and I may even go back and finish the other ones, except for Soaring Hawks, as that story is completely dead. For Where Dragons Soar, and Firefly, I might be rewriting a few things and then sending them on their way.

The Crew

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The Crew

Wind whistled past his ears, the force of it pressing his pristine emerald green scales tighter against his face. Adrenaline flowed freely through his veins, the intoxicating sense of weightlessness seeming to course through his body. It felt as though a field of butterflies were floating around inside of his stomach, giving him one of the greatest feelings in the world.

The bottoms of his pants flapped freely in the wind, brushing up against his bare feet. The scale tight jet black tank top that he wore seemed, if at all possible, to cling tighter against him. He took a deep breath of the free air as he pulled his wings in even tighter to his body, accelerating his decent from the high heavens above to the ground below.

Laughter was heard dancing upon the back of the wind, prompting his dark emerald green eyes to chance a glance to his right. Floating beside of him was the most beautiful creatures that he had ever had the chance to look upon. Her amber fur glistened in the air, merging with her sunshine yellow and fire red mane, making it seem as though an en-trail of fire was following her matching tail.

Emerald eyes meet cyan as they gazed upon each other with naught but love and trust being shared between them. His razor sharp ivory white teeth were put on display for her as he joined her in her joy, loving that he could share this feeling with her.

Up here in the sky was where he felt like he belonged more than anywhere, where he felt truly free, where the world didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was the beautiful mare beside him, his true love, his mate.

Looking back down to the ground, he grinned as he used his tail to move closer to her until their outstretched hands touched. It brought a familiar warmth to his body when their fingers curled around each other, feeling her complete trust in him as they continued to rapidly descend towards the ground. His eyes made their way back to her, seeing just the slightest fire in her cyan eyes, and knowing that she wanted to enjoy this experience with him as long as they could.

Through their joined hands he swore he could feel her heart beating in sync with his own, and just like him, she was calm and collected, having absolute faith that he would not let anything bad happen to her.

As the ground grew closer, so did they. Inch by inch they pulled themselves closer to each other until his chest was pressed firmly against her shoulder blades, his hands going around her slightly swollen stomach. He payed it no mind as he tightened his grip around her until he felt his fingers digging into her matching black skin tight tank top. The bottoms of her dark ash gray sweat pants brushed against his own feet, letting him know that they were in perfect alignment.

Time seemed to slow down as they closed their eyes, waiting together for just the right moment, the right break in the air, the right spot to spread out his wings and soar together above the land. He tightened his grip slightly as he felt the break, spreading his wings out like a majestic eagle before flight. There was a sharp tug against the thin, leathery membrane of his wings as the air rushed underneath of them to slow their decent.

After a few seconds, he began to flap his massive wings, steadily climbing back up into the sky so that they could soar over the vast grassy plains of Southern Equestria. Far below them, they could barely make out the blades of grass as they danced with the wind, moving as if enticed by some unforeseen song. It was open in all directions, showing that they were utterly alone.

Far off to the North was a collection of mountain ranges that twisted and curled like a snake with the land. To the South was a wide open lake that stretched across to the mouth of a river, where it went downstream to a forest, then out to sea. To the West was all open, stretching out to the Badlands, dragon territory a few miles away. To the East was the great city of Canterlot by some few hundred miles.

It was serene where they were, floating a few hundred feet above the land. A smile danced across her lips as she scanned all around them with her eyes, loving the wind as it brushed past her exposed fur, tossing her mane as though it was a piece of cloth. She felt a deep warmth in her heart as she glanced up at her chosen mate, seeing his emerald eye looking back down at her.

The sky was his domain, his land, his territory, and she felt honored that she could share it with him.

A sigh escaped his lips as he tore his gaze from her and angled them towards the North, heading to the mountains, whose peaks seamed to stretch up until they touched the sky.

Towards the base of the first mountain was a tall standing structure that, from their distance, only he could see clearly. Though he couldn't make out all of the shapes that were moving to and fro in front of it, he could still see the building itself as if he was standing before it.

Standing erect in the shadow of the mountain was the Cloudsdale Flight Academy, where creatures from all over came to train as pilots for the Equestrian Defense Force. It was there that they learned to pilot that massive star ships and cruisers that flew throughout space, traveling from planet to planet searching for minerals, life, and whatever else they could find. It was there that they were currently enrolled, where he was training to be a pilot, and she was training to be a navigator.

As they drew closer, he was able to catch sight of various ponies and gryphons running around, looking as though they were chickens missing their heads. He chuckled as he watched them, most being fresh recruits trying to make it to their final class on time. He sighed as he remembered those days, having to try and figure out where his classes were, making sure that he passed all of his tests. Now, all he had to do was make sure that he kept up his rep as one of the two best pilots to have ever come through the academy.

The mare brushed her furry foot against his scaled one, making him look down at her. Her eyes were watching to their left, where he glanced to see a rainbow streak making its way across the sky towards them. Good ol' Rainbow Dash. He thought as he focused back on their destination.

Coming out from the front gates of the academy was a dirt road, which forked a few feet out and split off, one road towards the West, another to the East. The first road led around the side of the mountain to some more buildings that were erected further up the mountain, the freshman dorms. Unlike them, he never had to stay there.

The second road led away from the mountain and towards a forest, which stretched back through an opening in the mountains like a deep cut valley. It was within the forest that the dorms resided for the various crews that had been selected, cadets who were in their final two years of the academy. His crew was in their final few weeks, having one test left to pass, and then the final simulation. Once they passed that, they were ready to be given their own ship.

Dust skirted up around them as he alighted their feat with the ground, dropping down softly in the grass beside the dirt road at the first thicket of trees. Looking down, he could see the road continuing until it reach a tall oak tree, then swirling around deeper into the interior of the forest.

His gaze was brought back to the mare in his arms as she spun around to face him, her arms going around his neck as she pulled him into a kiss. Sparks danced across their lips as they held their embrace, warmth seeping into their chests as they held each other. He was in utter bliss as her soft lips caressed his own, feeling as though she was putting her heart on display for him.

“I love you Sunset Shimmer.” He whispered when they broke apart. His voice was course like gravel, yet it was filled with love and warmth like honey.

“I love you too Rain.” Her voice sounded as though it was serene like a brook, though it still was a little rough like sandpaper. Whatever she was going to say next was cut short as she pressed a hand to the betrothal necklace that was around her throat, feeling the elegantly made carving that dangled from the golden yellow and black silk. His eyes were drawn to it, seeing the emerald that had been cut away and designed to look like a dragon wrapped around a pony, the design having been touched with sapphire to enhance the design so that it was more easily seen.

They pressed their heads together for a brief moment before they started walking down the dirt laid road, their destination being at the end in a clearing.

Bright golden yellow scales reflected the setting sun, casting beautiful sparkles across the trees as the dragoness stood there staring at the massive structure before her. She was garbed in a pair of dark brimstone black pants with an equally dark shirt, over which she wore a loose running jacket. Slung across her back was her pack, everything that she owned. There wasn't much.

Through an archway of trees she came to see a massive building that was to be her new home. It was beautiful in every sense of the word. The first thing that she saw was the concrete stairs that lead up to the front door, two oak doors that were decorated with wonderful carvings. The first was of a dragon, coiled around an every present sun, acting as though it was a guard. Beneath of it was a gryphon flying above the peaks of a mountain range, looking as though it was hunting. To the left was a changeling, standing tall and regal with its wings stretched out, casting its glance over a legion of soldiers. Above it was the final carving, the royal pony sisters with their backs pressed together, sitting atop their thrones looking out past Canterlot to the lands beyond, looking as mighty protectors.

On the wall beside of the doors were various windows, each one housing a different array of flowers, hanging from the window sills. Beneath of the bottom ones on either side was an expansive garden, where she could see all kinds of fruits and vegetables being grown, some looking as though they were ready to be picked.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Beside of the dragoness was a mare with cyan blue fur, her rainbow colored mane and tail thrown out behind her haphazardly. She was dressed in a pair of low cut red track pants, sporting a loose fitting muscle shirt that dropped past her waist. Her wings were folded loosely across her back as she put her arms behind her head, leaning back until with an audible 'pop', her back cracked. “Come on, I'll show you around.”

There was a sense of enthusiasm in her voice, though it was masked slightly by her course boyish voice. There was no doubt in her mind that this cyan mare was a tomboy. “I guess so.” The dragoness replied shyly.

With the mare leading her, she went through the elegant oak doors to the foyer beyond. It was a sight to behold for sure. The floor had a dark raven blue carpet, twin lines of black making their way beyond to the hallway. To either side were a set of stairs that spiraled in a crescent shape up towards the second floor, where she saw that the snow white painted railing connected above the hallway to a balcony that overlooked the foyer. Beside either stair case was a single wooden table, sitting atop was a flower pot with lilies.

The dragoness let her golden eyes take in the sight, feeling slightly put off by all of the elegance of the home, and she was just in the foyer. There was no telling how big the home actually was on the inside. A little voice in her mind told her to flee, that she didn't belong here, but there was a louder voice that told her this is what she signed up for.

“So, this is what egghead calls the 'foyer'.” She used her first two fingers on either hand as air quotes. It made her laugh. “This isn't even the good part of the house. This is just soo boring.” She almost whined the last part as she hunched over like she was going to be sick.

It didn't last long and she immediately straightened up, pointing towards the hallway ahead. “Just like all of the other dorms, this house has all of the fun stuff downstairs, all of the rooms are upstairs. We'll head up there after I show you around down here.” The dragoness merely nodded her head.

“Alright, moving on.” The cyan mare led the dragoness down the hall to the first door on the left. “Obviously this is a supply closet.” She opened the door to illustrate her point.

They moved on down to the second door. “Another supply closet?” There was a ghost of a smile as she eyed the door, waiting for the mare to make some smart remark.

“No actually. This is the study.” She led the way inside. To say that it was a library was an understatement. Against the back wall was a tall bookcase, stretching up all the way to the ceiling, then it wrapped around the entire room, forming a rotunda. Towards the left was a massive window, with a giant curtain pulled back, letting in what remained of the sunlight.

Before her was a wooden table, various books strewn about. There were four black leather chairs around the table, two of which were occupied. Sitting with her back to her was a mare with bright yellow fur, having her pink mane in a braid with flowers stuck in at various places. Across from her was a lavender alicorn, a golden crown nestled into her indigo colored mane, having one streak of pink and another of royal purple. She was garbed in a flowing dark amethyst purple dress, an open book in her lap.

It took a moment for the dragoness to realize who the mare was, her eyes going wide when she did. Almost immediately she dropped to her knees and bowed, unaware that the cyan mare was rolling her eyes and the lavender mare had yet to look up from her book. “Yo, egghead.” The dragoness shot a glare at the cyan mare, but otherwise remained where she was.

“What Rainbow?” There was a pause as the mare motioned to the dragoness on the floor, feeling herself blush when she saw her. “Please don't do that.” The dragoness chanced a glance up, seeing that she had motioned for her to stand up.

“Meet Princess Twilight Sparkle, or egghead for short.” The cyan mare started to laugh at the joke, but neither the dragoness nor Twilight shared in her merriment.

“Pleased to meet you your highness.” The dragoness spoke in a dignified manner, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

“Please don't do that either. I'm not here to be a princess. Here I am just a student like you. Speaking of, who is this Rainbow?”

“Glitter.... something. Forgot her last name.”

“Glitter Summerwinds your high... Twilight.”

“Better. Are you my new pilot?”

“Yes ma'am.” Twilight set aside her book to walk over to the dragoness.

“You can go Rainbow, I want to talk to her for a minute.”

“Gotcha eggy.” Rainbow Dash started to laugh again as she left the study, closing the door as she did so.

“Please, have a seat.” Twilight led Glitter to an empty chair, finding that the yellow mare was looking at her. “This is Fluttershy, she is one of our doctors. She's spent a lot of time with animals as a vet, as well as a trainer. Just like the rest of us, she had skills that help us outside of our fields.” As she spoke, the lavender mare took her own seat, noticing that the dragoness had looked at Fluttershy, but still refused to meet her gaze. “You don't have to be formal around me while we are here Glitter. You are a friend.”

Finally, she managed to raise her eyes to the princess, seeing that there was a smile spread across the mare's face. “Sorry, I'm not used to being around royalty.”

“That's alright, to be honest, I never really wanted it myself.”

Glitter looked back at the yellow mare, seeing that she had pulled her mane around so that she could hide her face from the dragoness. Twilight noticed this as well. “Fluttershy is really shy around new people, just give her some time, she'll warm up to you.” The dragoness just nodded. “So Glitter, tell me a little about yourself.”

“You want to know about me?”

“Well yes, I am the Commander of the crew, seeing as how it will be my ship, I want to know my crew. I consider all of you my friends.”

“I'd rather not talk too much about my past is that's alright.” Twilight nodded her head to show her understanding. “I am an excellent pilot, fifth best in the school. Not really a starfighter pilot like Rainbow Dash, but more of like a dropship pilot.”

“Okay, that means I can spare my other pilots as often as I need to. What about any other skills?”

“Well I was ranked as top shot with a blaster, specifically a long range rifle. I managed to hit a five meter target from almost two thousand meters away.” She noticed that the lavender's eyes went wide for a second.

“That will come in handy. What about any other positions or special skills, for example, I am fluent in almost every spoken language in Equestria, Fluttershy can tame any animal, Rainbow Dash is a fast runner, the fastest I have ever seen actually, as well as the fastest flier in all of Equestria. She can actually pull off a Sonic Rainboom.”

“Well I can't do anything like that. All I can really do outside of fly and fight is track really well, hunt. I've been able to track nearly everything in Equestria.”

Twilight put a hand to her chin as she thought, “I'm sure that there is more than you can do, we just have to find out what it is.” The lavender mare looked back towards Fluttershy. “Why don't I introduce you to everybody?” Glitter only managed a nod, not really wishing to meet everyone right away, but figured that she might as well get it out of the way now.

“Great, follow me.”

Twilight led the dragoness back out into the hallway and down a few doors. Like the study, there was no label on the door, leading her to believe that they must have lost their way numerous times before they remembered where everything was. “This is our exercise room.”

It was a small room to be sure, but it was filled with equipment. Against the far wall was a rack that housed dumb bells of varying size and weight. Along the adjacent wall were four benches with a bar stretched across, while on the opposite wall was a vast mirror, in front of which were several pull-up bars. In the center of the room was a collection of four large blue mats, on which two figures were wrestling.

The first was a dragon with topaz orange scales, having a single black strips that ran from the tip of his muzzle to the end of his tail, sporting matching lines on both of his arms from the shoulder to the back of the hand, and she could only assume that the same went for his legs. He was bare chested, showing off his toned chest, while he wore only a pair of light forest green sports shorts. When she finally managed to catch a glimpse of his topaz colored eyes, she could see both a hint of playfulness, and a fierce determination to win.

Atop the dragon was a mare with a dirty coat of sunset orange fur, garbed in only a black sports bra and wearing a pair of blue jean shorts. She had put her long blonde mane and tail into a tight ponytail, using a pair of red bands at both the tip and end to keep its shape. It took only a moment for the two to turn over, giving her a glance at the forest green eyes that held within them an ocean of stubbornness, but also of a friendly nature.

“Mm.” Twilight mused as she watched her friends wrestle. Upon seeing no end to their competition in sight, she cleared her throat, forcing the two to look over at her. Their laughter echoed off the walls as they say their guests, keeping their smiles when they managed to disentangle themselves from each other. “This is Glitter.” Twilight motioned to the dragoness as she spoke.

“I'm Ryder.” The topaz dragon said as he shook hands with the dragoness. “I'm the better mechanic.” There was still a playful glint in his eyes as he spoke. “Also very skilled at fixing almost anything that has an engine or motor. Ask her highness, she knows.” Twilight shook her head at his playful nature, knowing that they were going to be there for a while.

“Ah'm Applejack.” The sunset mare came to shake her hand, though she felt it odd that the mare had such a strong grip. “Ship's weapons specialist, and farmer. Ah can grow nearly anythin' under Celestia's sun, if the land is fertile for growin'.”

“Glitter is going to be a pilot for us, mostly flying the drop ships.” Both Ryder and Applejack had ignored her to get back on the mat, taking merely seconds to resume their battle. “Alright, moving on.”

Twilight led the dragoness further down to the end of the hallway. To her left it broke open into a nearly breathtaking room. There was a giant window that looked out upon a deep cut valley further from the home, a body of water nearly kissing the edge of a cliff. Inside of the window was an indoor pool, though it was barely three feet deep, but that was because pressed against the window was a small bar, where she could see various drinks on the shelves. Past the bar were stools that were sitting in the water, while to either side was a small opening, just large enough for someone to use the water running our as a slide to the pool outside. A smile crept across her lips as she saw Rainbow Dash lazily floating in the water outside.

“This was here before we were given the home, otherwise I would have objected against the bar being built. None of us actually drink, except for Rarity, but she drinks wine with her boyfriend. They usually drink it with dinner, and on a special occasion.” Glitter was at a loss of words, having always loved the water, and she had never seen it both inside and outside of a home.

“This way.” She was led inside a room that she hadn't seen when they came in. It opened up to the kitchen, past that was the dinning hall.

The kitchen was fairly simple compared to how elegant the home was. A stove, two ovens set into the wall, and a dual sink with dishwasher. There was an island counter, but that was covered with flour and sugar at present. A bright hot pink mare rose from behind the counter, a bowl of spilled eggs in her hands. If it was at all possible, the dragoness would have sworn that her mane and tail were made from cotton candy, and that there was nothing natural about it. She was wearing a pair of dark ocean blue shorts with a flamingo pink shirt, a white apron covering most of it, though it didn't stop all of the flour and sugar from covering it.

“Glitter, this is....”

“Pinkie Pie! Hi!” The pink mare had somehow managed to place the bowl on the counter and envelop her in a hug in the fraction of a second. “Oh... This means we need to throw a party!” Before she could object, the pink mare was out of the room, headed to Celestia knows where.

“Don't ask, just go with it. Pinkie is something else.”

Continuing on, they came to the dinning room, where there was an open window against the far wall, a large oak table spread out from there to nearly where she was standing. It could easily fit a total of eighteen students, but at present, it had only two.

Sitting at the head of the table was a silvery-white mare with a long violet mane, seemingly curled to perfection. She had donned a light gray tube top, sporting a similarly colored skirt. Beside her was an amethyst purple dragon, his nearly lime green spines coursing down his back. Like the topaz dragon, he was shirtless, displaying his defined muscles for anybody to see, while he wore a pair of black pants, the bottoms wrapping around the boots he was wearing.

From their distance, she could see that he was holding the mare's hand, and they were lost in their conversation, oblivious to the two of them. “The mare is Rarity, she's our other doctor, even though she doesn't like to get dirty if she can help it.” Glitter gave her a quizzical look. “I've given up trying to figure everyone out. She's also good at making anything feel like home, and surprisingly, one of the best at setting up defenses when we make camp.”

“Mmm.” The golden dragoness mused as she watched the dragon lean in to kiss the mare.

“The drake is her boyfriend Spike, our other mechanic. He is the adopted son of Princess Celestia, therefore by extension his time with her has made him a great, shall we saw, emotion reader. If there is one thing that he is good at it's interrogation. He can always tell when someone is telling the truth, and when they are lying.”

“If you'll follow me, there are three crew members that you still need to meet.”

Sweat dripped from his brow, his breath coming in raged, shallow gasps as he lied there staring at the ceiling. Lying beside of him was his mate, her mane all strewn about, her fur clinging to her naked body in certain places. Her head was resting on his chest, listening contently to his beating heart, while her arms were around his torso. A leg was placed over his, their tails have yet to become untangled. Despite their previous activities.

His fingers danced along her spine as they lie their together, neither one wanting to leave their state of constant bliss. She had taken to placing kisses on his bare chest until she had reached his throat, where she gently nibbled on his scaly flesh. Happiness was all that either of them felt as they let silence fall between them, occasionally glancing at each other before kissing. In here they were away from the world, away from everything else. This was their second home, the sky always being their first.

“I love you Rain.”

“I love you too Sunset.” Another bought of silence passed between them, the only sound was their slowing heartbeats.

“Rain, there is something that I need to tell you.” She raised herself up so that she could look into his emerald pools of love, knowing that there was nowhere else he would rather look than at her. “A week ago I was feeling really sick.”

“I remember, you were having a hard time keeping food down.”

“Ya, and we thought that I had a stomach bug. A few days ago when I went, I...” She trailed off as she looked down to her stomach, feeling the slight bulge that he had failed to notice rubbing against his side. “I had an idea as to what was causing it, so, I had the doctor run another test, asking her to keep it a secret. So far, I have only told Princess Celestia about it.”

She could see the look of hurt in his eyes. He was upset that she had talked to Princess Celestia about it before him. “Sunset, you know that you can trust me with anything.”

“I know, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” His hurt vanished in an instant, and she could see that he was starting to piece together what she was about to tell him. She swore that tears had started to form in the corners of his eyes. “It came back positive.” Without saying anything more, she brought his hand down to her stomach.

“Sunny...” Tears started to flow from his eyes as he pulled her into a deep kiss, breaking apart when she tried to push him away. “I love you so much...”

“Well, I hope you have enough love for more than one. Daddy.”

“I have more than enough love for you, and how ever many children we have.” Sunset felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had prepared herself for him being upset that it wouldn't be just them anymore, that he would have to quit the academy to be with her, that he would never get to go up into space, but he was happy. She knew that she had nothing to fear, but the lingering sense was still there.

“How far along...”

“Three weeks. I had them check that out two. Princess Celestia has offered to assist in any way that she can.” She could see that although he was happy at the thought of being a father, he was still trying to work out the rest of their lives in his head. “Princess Celestia has said that we can still go into space, that our jobs will not harm me or our children in any way. Although, this has never happened before, so there are some tests that they want to run every few weeks to check and see if the baby or babies are healthy.”

Rain wanted to say more, but he was cut off from a soft knock at their door. “Bro, its me.” The voice was rough, slightly deep even, but it was still soft, and it sounded as though the speaker was upset, crying maybe. Without a word, the couple pulled away from each other to put clothes on before he opened the door, catching a cobalt blue dragoness standing there. She was garbed in a dark crimson red sports bra and dark indigo sleeping pants. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she entered the room, embracing the drake.

“Shh. It's alright sis. Your big brother's here.” Using his tail to close the door, he led the dragoness over to the bed, sitting down with her as she cried into his bare chest. Sunset came to sit beside of the dragoness, letting her soft furred hands brush her scaled shoulders.

“I-It still hurts....” A few weeks ago the love of her life, Sweetie Belle had broken up with her, not wanting to pursue a long distance relationship while she was setting off on her singing career. Rain was still upset with the mare for doing that, but he wasn't nearly as upset as Rarity had been when she found out. It was a long week for all of them afterword, with the dragoness missing classes and refusing to eat. It was a daunting task trying to get her to open up, but she only ever talked to her brother about it.

“I know it does Cobalt, but it will pass in time. It's going to take time, but you'll find someone else, someone who is not afraid to commit. Someone who loves you as much as you love them.”

“Sweetie B-Belle was the closest to her.” She managed between sobs. He knew she was referring to the dragoness that she had been engaged to, Glitter Summerwinds. It was a long time ago, but by the time that the two had decided to get married they had to flee for their lives. Their city was under attack and they thought that the dragoness had been killed during the fight. It took her nearly a year to finally come out of her shell then.

Cobalt was a tough dragoness, ever since they were children she's had to be strong. She was a punching bag shortly after their parents had died, especially when the other dragon children found out that she was into the same sex. It was a rough time for her, and she had to develop a strong exterior, to the point where she never opened up or displayed any emotion other than anger to anyone besides her brother. Glitter was the first that she had, and they had fallen in love over the course of their friendship until the point that they had started dating.

After the attack, Rain thought that she was going to remain in her shell for the rest of her life, but it changed when she became friends with Sweetie Belle, and before long, she had fallen in love again. He had thought that the mare had felt the same way, but a couple of weeks ago he was mistaken.

“Just let it out sis.” The drake held his younger sister close as she balled up her hands into fists and cried into his chest, letting out all of her hurt. Even though Sunset was there, she didn't care. She was being held by her brother, and Sunset was his chosen mate and wife, thus she was her sister in every sense of the word.

Sunset managed to pull one of her hands away and slip her hand inside, their fingers tightening around each other as she felt the mare hug her from behind. With them she felt safe, she felt like nothing could hurt her anymore. Though she was still tormented by the memories of both Glitter and by Sweetie Belle, she took solace in her brother's words, knowing that he was right. He had told her after Glitter that she would find someone else, and she had, she had found Sweetie Belle. It was going to still hurt, but she knew deep down that he was right.

“Thank you, both of you.” She said when she pulled away, wiping away the remaining tears. “I love you both so much.” They embraced in a family hug, Cobalt feeling their love vibrating through their very arms into her heart.

When they finally broke apart, she could see that Sunset and Rain were eyeing each other, smirks on their faces. “What?” She was wondering what they were up to when Sunset nodded, nothing being spoken between them, but the mare seemingly knew something that she didn't.

“Sis, we've got something to tell you.”

“Okay?”

“It's nothing bad, in fact, I think it will even brighten up your day.” Cobalt was still confused, but just waited for her brother to continue. “There is something special that we need you to do for us, well for Sunset more, but also for me.” She could see that the amber mare was giddy with excitement about something, and the longer that he dragged out what he was going to tell her the more that she became a little frustrated.

“Oh for Celestia's sake, just tell her.”

“Alright, sorry. Just wanted to build the suspense.” They shared a smile before they both turned to look at Cobalt. She eyed them both carefully, her cobalt blue eyes trying to dig past the surface and find out what they were hiding. Rain's eyes went towards Sunset, or so she thought, until she saw that his gaze was drawn to her midsection, or more specifically, her stomach.That's when Cobalt could see that the mare's stomach was just barely pass the rim of her sleeping pants. A million thoughts went through her head as to what was going on with her, but the one that stuck out the most was concluded when she still saw the giddy grin that she refused to get rid off.

“That's right Cobalt, you're an aunt.” The dragoness just pulled her brother in for another hug, Sunset soon joining in. Their moment was short, but both parents could feel her happiness. “Sunset is going to need help when I'm not around out there. If she needs anything and I'm not there, can you help her out?”

“Of course. I'll protect her as if she was my wife.” Their laughter filled the room at her joke. Rain knew that his sister would protect her and help her in any way that she could, this was her sister and her nieces or nephews, and she was going to die before anything bad happened to her or them.

“Thank you sis.”

Cobalt flashed a toothy grin to her brother as she tried to hide her face.

From beneath the door to the room came a scent that made both Cobalt and Rain's eyes widen slightly. It was an old scent, but it was familiar to both of them, more so to the dragoness than her brother. Crushed juniper berries with the faint touch of freshly fallen pine needles. A few tears came to her eyes as her nose took in the welcoming scent, bringing back happy memories, as well as painful ones.

Rain rested a hand on his sister's shoulder for comfort. She turned back towards him, trying to will away the pain that the scent brought with it.

Sunset looked from the siblings to the door as it swung open, revealing a beautiful golden yellow dragoness. A single tear was in her eyes as she looked from the mare to the dragon siblings, or more importantly, to the dragoness. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, a burning love in her eyes, and strangely, a flicker of fullness.

The emerald drake cast his glance over to the dragoness, feeling his breath catch in his throat. In a near silent whisper, he said, "Glitter?"

Cobalt's head jerked around from her brother to the dragoness, her heart leaping into her own throat, her voice failing her as more tears came to her eyes. For the first time in a long time, the dragoness felt weightless, like a field of butterflies was fluttering around in her stomach. Gradually, she slipped away from the bed to stand, eyeing the golden dragoness as though she was a lost trinket.

Glitter swallowed the lump in her throat and finally found her voice, ignoring Rain and Sunset as she steadily crossed the room towards the cobalt dragoness. "Cobalt?" Her voice was a faint whisper, but to Cobalt, it was more beautiful than a perfectly performed sonnet.

The golden dragoness felt tears in her own eyes as she finally found the strength to throw her arms around the cobalt dragoness, pulling her in close. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly as they held each other. Neither one felt as though it was anything but a dream, but the contact felt real.

Cobalt pulled away from the dragoness so that she could look into her shimmering pools of gold, seeing all of the pain that she had gone through since they were apart. She could see the endless flames of love that burned brightly, the overwhelming joy at seeing her again. She knew that the same things could be seen in her own eyes, among other emotions.

As if acting on instinct, their heads began to grow closer, their eyes falling shut, as their lips brushed against each other. A burst of sparks flew between them, their arms going tightly around each other as they held onto one another for dear life. Neither one had ever felt happier in their life, and neither one wanted it to end.

Rain scooted back on his bed, watching his sister with her first and only ever real love. He felt happy for her, but at the same time, he felt worried. Where had Glitter been all of this time? What drove her to attend Cloudsdale Flight Academy? What bothered him the most, was how she was still alive?

An amber hand rested upon his shoulder, making him turn to look at his beloved mare. "Everything is going to be alright." She promised, planting a kiss on his cheek.

The emerald drake turned back towards his sister, who was now leading Glitter by the hand out of his room and into the hallway. He watched as they brushed past a confused Rainbow Dash, who just looked back at him and asked, "What was that all about?"

He still felt worry gnawing at his bones, but he brushed it aside as he rose from the bed. He sighed as he saw that Rainbow Dash was now in his doorway, awaiting an answer. "Technically, that was her dead fiance...."

Silence

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Silence

Sweat dripped from his brow, nearly out of breath as he took a few sips from his waterskin. The normally well groomed silver feathers of his upper torso were ruffled, as were the ones on his neck and head. The lower half of his body was covered by the dark blue camo pants that he wore, the bottoms tucked into his black boots.

He took in a deep breath through his beak, running a hand down his left arm to feel the twin scars that ran from his shoulder to mid forearm, grinning when he remembered how he got them. Being a gryphon gave him some tough arms and hands, but his feet were more flesh and covered in ash gray fur, just like his lower body was.

His eyes were drawn to his hands, seeing the black leather finger less gloves that he wore. More than that though, he thought about how many creatures had died by his very own hands, whether it was in hand-to-hand combat or by pulling the trigger of a rifle.

It was always a battle with him, wondering how he could do what he did. He knew what he was signing up for when he joined, but that didn't make killing any easier on him. Sometimes he wondered if his husband would recognize him anymore. He always seemed to have a vacant stare, feeling like he was someplace else. When he slept at night, he saw the faces of everyone that he had ever killed, and it made him want to scream out in utter pain. Recently, he had found that he could block them out when it came to his husband. It was the only time he ever felt at peace.

A hand went down to his right leg, feeling the durable holster that was strapped to his leg, with his trusty pistol inside. On his left leg was his combat knife, nestled on his belt. A tired sigh escaped him as he rose to walk over to his locker, opening it to look at the picture of him and his husband. It was taken at their wedding day, both wearing their dashing suits and sharing a kiss.

A sharp ringing protruded the silence, bouncing around the metallic walls of his quarters with its annoying sound. Another sigh escaped him as he walked over to his desk, pressing a green button on the holoscreen. In a matter of seconds a stallion with turquoise colored fur was staring back at him, a gentle smile gracing his features. His normally tight pony tail kept chestnut mane was let down around his shoulders. Like the gryphon, he sat at his desk bare chested.

“I was just thinking about you babe.” The gryphon couldn't hide his smile, nor his joy at seeing the stallion. He longed to reach through the screen and kiss him.

“Well, I was hoping to catch you before you had arrived.” His smile faded in favor of a grimace as he looked down at the desk, where the gryphon noticed that he was shuffling papers around. “Intel reports that the mining ship Grotel has not tried to make contact in little over a week. They're assuming that it was a band of Renegades, but I'm not so sure. The distress beacon is still transmitting, and trace puts it in the same location orbiting Velorum. Renegades usually steer clear of that area if they can help it, no ship there is worth their time.”

“You have a bad feeling about this one don't you?”

“I know that I have a bad feeling about most missions, but for some reason this one terrifies me. It's like what happened wasn't natural. The ship still in the same orbit, the distress beacon still on, no communication either the crew or the Renegades. Something isn't right about this one. I know that usually the intent is to hold fire and wait for the enemy to open first, but I'm authorizing a fire-at-will command. Unless it tries to make contact with you, kill it.”

“Yes sir.” The gryphon said, feeling goosebumps travel down his spine. The stallion had never in his life given that order, and for the first time since his first mission, the gryphon felt a sense of dread. “I love you Canvas Clawston.”

The stallion knew what he was saying, in case anything happened, he was trying to say goodbye. He could see right through it all to well. “I love you too Troius Clawston.” Canvas sighed as he switched his gaze from the papers to his husband, seeing the burning fire and the will to survive shining brightly in his eyes. “You're going to come back, all of you are, that's an order Commander.”

“Yes sir.” Troy couldn't bring himself to look away from the stallion. The sense of dread was running deep in his stomach. This mission, is going to be my last. He thought as he eyed the stallion with a burning passion. “I promise, I'll bring them all home babe.”

“I look forward to your return Commander.”

Troy was about to say more, but held his tongue as he saw the burning desire behind the stallions eyes. Like him, he too wished that there wasn't a vast distance between them. “All hands, prepare for assault. I repeat, all hands, prepare for assault.”

The gryphon was startled by the announcement over the ships PA system. Taking one last long look at his husband, he ended the call. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Goodbye Canvas.

Troy took a swig of water from his waterskin as he looked over the platoon of Marines that were standing before him. Each of them was garbed in the same uniform, a black jacket over a black t-shirt. Across their chests was a high polymer breastplate that covered the shoulders and torso. Down the shin of each leg was a similar material, and like the breastplate, it had a black camouflage pattern. Over the breastplate was a vest that carried their combat gear; ammo, canteens, grenades, glow sticks, and emergency flares.

Just like his soldiers, the gryphon had his sleeves rolled up to the elbow, seeing as how most of the time the mining ships were kept at a warmer temperature than the dropships. Motioning to the Marines, he watched as they followed his lead and placed on their wireless throat-mics, putting in the small ear-piece. Thumbs went up one by one as the soldiers turned on their coms.

The gryphon sucked in a sharp breath as he looked back out over the platoon, wondering just how many of them weren't going to be coming back. He still couldn't shake the feeling that once they stepped foot onto the Grotel, they weren't going to be coming back.

“Listen up marines!” Every soldier turned their head to watch the gryphon as he spoke in a loud and thunderous voice. “Our orders are to board the M.S. Grotel, locate and secure any survivors, download and return any data from their terminals, and demo the ship upon our disembark. Once inside, I want First Squad to take the Engine Room, Second Squad will take the Crew Quarters, and I'll take Third and Fourth Squad with me to the Bridge. I want updates every five minutes. Understood?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” They thundered back.

“Thirty seconds to umbilical attachment.” A voice echoed in the bay.

“You know what to do Marines. Lock and load!” There was a collection of charging handles being pulled back and released from the Marines as they hurried to follow their Commander's orders.

A whirring was heard from just outside the ramp, a rattling of metallic pipes as something moved. “Umbilical attachment complete in five seconds.” The voice rang out.

Troy swallowed what little saliva was in his mouth past the lump in his throat as he awaited the ramp to drop, just like the rest of his Marines. The gryphon could feel the sweat building up in the palms of his hands. The suspense was killing him, and again he couldn't help but think about their orders. Whatever had happened to this vessel, it was better that it remained a mystery.

“Umbilical attachment complete. Pressure is equalized.”

Gears could be heard grinding together as the ramp started to descent, opening up to a long narrow walkway. All around it were bright white lights, nestled into what looked like plastic shaped like a hexagon. Across the floor was a black strip that served as the actual walkway, window lining the wall. “Move out Marines!”

Steadily, the soldiers moved out by squads across the umbilical, coming to stack up against the outer hatch of the Grotel. One of the soldiers from First Squad, a dragoness, pulled out a small digital pad that she pressed against the door-lock. Faint beeping could be heard as she pressed a few of the buttons on the screen, and they waited.

This was what the gryphon always hated the most about boarding ships, the wait. With each passing second he could feel his heart beat quicken, his finger slipping closer to the trigger of his rifle.

Troy closed his eyes for a brief moment as a soldier flashed across his field of vision, merely moments before a fountain of crimson red blood flew from his throat. The burning stench of gunpowder buried itself in his nasal passage. Bone chilling screams from wounded and dying soldiers assaulted his ears, making him want to drop his rifle and roar.

It passed as her heard a hissing sound, followed by the quick whoosh of the door as it slid up. Two soldiers from First Squad raised their battle rifles, the flashlights beneath the barrels turning on as they entered through the hatch into the pitch black abyss beyond.

Several tense seconds passed before their was a sound. “All clear sir.” They spoke over the coms.

One by one the soldiers began to move into the ship, until only the gryphon was left. Troy took one last look back towards the Hellcat, then stepped on through the hatch to join his troops.

Metal grating lined the floor, beneath of which were various pipes that he knew to be the air, fuel, and life support. Past the grating on either side along the floor were more pipes and cables, the electricity, communication lines, and power. All around them was black, and two separate corridors leading away from the hatch. One was straight ahead, while the other was to the left. “Sergeant Florez, leave two ponies behind to keep the hatch secure.”

Troy nearly gagged from the repugnant stench of the ship. Sulfur was the strongest scent that he could make out, but there was also the underlying scent of blood. He felt cold with fear from the mixture.

The gryphon followed behind Second, Third, and Fourth Squads as they started down the left corridor. Little plumes of steam were wafting their way up towards the soldiers from the cables below. There was a faint dripping sound coming from all around them. With each step that he took, Troy could hear the boots pressing against the metal grating, the measured breathing of the soldiers, and the slight clutter of rifles turning a corner sharply, checking to make sure that it was clear.

Career Sergeant Adany paused when he came to the end of the corridor, first looking to his left, then to his right. His eyes searched past the muzzle of his rifle for any signs of movement, but all was still. Though he was thankful, he couldn't help but wonder where everyone was.

“Alpha-Leader to Falcon. Come in Falcon.”

“This is Falcon. Go ahead Alpha-Leader.”

“Falcon, clear down the corridor. Moving towards Engine Room now. Alpha-Leader out.”

Adany waved two soldiers ahead, turning to watch the adjacent corridor as they started to move. It was silent, save for the clattering of their boots against the metal grating. It made him nervous, but he brushed the feeling aside when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Nodding, he started down the corridor with the rest of the squad behind him.

Near the end of the corridor they came across a spiral staircase leading down into the bottom level of the ship. Adany took point as they went down the stairs, his eyes scanning both the darkness and where his light was for even the slightest hint of movement, or life. All that he could see however were pipes and grating, nothing else. There was no blood, even though he could smell heavily on the air, and there was no sound other than his squad. It was eerie, but he still held his resolve.

At the bottom of the stairs was another corridor, but when he shone the light down it he could see that it opened out into a room a few feet down. With his rifle raised, he proceeded to move forward, glancing back to make sure that his soldiers were still with him.

He lowered his stance into a crouch as he drew closer to the end of the corridor, seeing that it opened out into a massive Engine Room. Pipes were strewn about everywhere, and four massive engines were standing tall, nearly touching the ceiling. There was a staircase that led up to a second level, just above the tops of the engines.

Adany motioned for three soldiers to move up the stairs and check it out. Meanwhile, he took what was left of the squad and started to move about the room. Rifles were heard swinging around corners as they moved about, finding nothing once it was cleared. “Falcon, Alpha-Leader. Engine Room is clear. Nothing here, not even any bodies.”

“Roger that Alpha-Leader. Keep the room secure until we finish a sweep of the ship.”

“Copy. Alpha Leader out.” He looked around the room once more, seeing a few soldiers watching the corridor in case anyone came in behind them that didn't have a flashlight.

“Sergeant, you had better come take a look at this.” Adany just sighed as he made his way up the staircase to the walkway, going down to the end. A gryphon was looking back at the Sergeant as he drew near. “Sarge.” He simply said as he motioned to something that was in front of him.

Adany cast his light over to see a few bones piled atop each other, some loose strands of veins and dried blood coating them. He had to push back the bile that threatened to come up as the awful stench of rotting flesh assailed his senses. “What the buck happened here?”

Sergeant Florez made her way down the corridor to another door, her rifle at the ready as it swooshed open. Just like the last seven rooms they had checked, there was nothing inside save for a wall locker. If this is the Crew Quarters, where the hell are the crew's beds? Letting out a sigh, she moved on down to the last door, waiting for one more soldier to stack up with her.

As soon as the door was open, she was into the room with her rifle at the ready, the Private with her doing the same as they each took a separate wall and moved about the room. “Clear!”

“Clear!” The Private echoed back.

“Bravo-Two, Bravo-Leader. Mess Hall is clear.” The Sergeant walked about the room, using the flashlight on her rifle to illuminate the room as best she could. Bleach was heavy in the air, but she could not pinpoint the source, no matter where she looked. All that she could see were the tables where the crew would eat their meals, though the benches were missing, as were all of the chairs. The counter where the food was served was void of anything, save for a few specs of dried up blood. “Come on Private, let's head to the Med-Bay.”

“Yes Sergeant.”

Together, the Sergeant and the Private made their way back into the corridor. With her rifle raised, Florez moved along the side of the corridor, the Private doing the same on the adjacent side. Their flashlights cut through the dark abyss in a bright beam as they moved forward.

After a few minutes they came across an intersection, another corridor moving down the left and dead ending at a door that has a white plaque with a red cross. A spray of blood covered the front of the door, but unlike the counter in the Mess Hall, this blood was still dripping.

She gulped as she started down the corridor, each footstep heavy as she felt like it was going to be her last. There was a stale scent of blood in the air, mixing with the overpowering stench of sulfur. She had to push back the bile that threatened to leave her throat as he drew closer to the door, the sulfur giving way to the coppery scent of blood. Shining the light to the bottom of the door, she could see the drying crimson liquid as it dripped from the grated floor to the pipes beneath.

A cold shudder coursed down her spine as she stood stacked up against the wall, noticing the pale look of the Private's face as he stood at the ready across from her. Taking a steady breath to calm her shaking nerves, she nodded her head towards him.

Unlike the rest of the doors on the ship, this door was slow to move up, a pool of blood leaking out to add to what was already on the metal. Neither one had any control as they both started to release their stomach's contents in the pool of blood. Florez dry heaved a few times before her she was confident that all of the bile was up and out, leaving nothing leaving her with a hollow feeling.

There is no way that Renegades did this. Something else is at work here. She thought as she entered the room, trying to breath through her mouth so that she couldn't smell the toxic mixture anymore.

Other than the pool of blood, the room was barren, no gurneys to be found, the tables bare and clean as if they had never been used before. There was a mist that clung low to the floor, unusual for a ship, even if a pipe had burst. Shaking off the unease, she pressed on until she rounded a corner and found a barricade. So that's where everything went.
All of the gurney's, benches, beds, and chairs from the rooms and Mess Hall were piled atop in a massive wall that stretched to the ceiling. “Looks like they were trying to keep something from getting out Sarge.”

“No Private, they were trying to keep something from getting in.”

Troy was on edge with each breath that he took, feeling his heart beating rapidly in his chest. IT didn't help that every so often a Corporal stopped to look behind them, a dragon with a long scar running down his left eye, colored a pure white. He was blind in the eye, an old war injury, but Troy knew him well. For the past several minutes he had been aiming down the corridor behind them, his flashlight off. Every so often he would grunt, then turn to see where the rest of the squad was.

It was as if the drake had seen something behind them, but was trying to see what it was before he opened fire. “What do you see Kavaren?” The gryphon looked back to try and see whatever it was that the drake was looking at, but all that he could see was a black swirling abyss.

“Ever since we've reached the upper level it felt like something was following us sir.” His voice was deep and grovel, his age and experience apparent with each word he spoke. Unlike his Commander, the drake was in perfect control of his nerves, calm and collected. “We are being hunted sir.”

“What!” Troy spoke in a hushed whisper. “Are you sure?”

“Yes sir. Behind us at thirty meters. Something is lurking in the shadows sir.”

That confirms that this wasn't Renegades. We'd have been in a firefight by now. I need to warn the others. “Alright Corporal, keep an eye on it.”

“Yes sir.”

“Falcon to all units. I repeat, Falcon to all units.”

“Alpha-Leader receiving Falcon.”

“Charlie-Leader here.”

“Bravo-Leader copy.”

“Delta-Leader standing by.”

“All units, code four, I repeat, code four. If you see anything moving, kill it. There is something trailing behind us thirty meters out. Falcon out.”

Troy gulped as he started to move forward with the rest of the soldiers, the drake trailing just behind him, watching the darkness with a trained eye. His rifle was at the ready, looking to kill whatever it was that was following them.

They proceeded around a corner leading to another corridor, which ended at the Command Bridge. “Delta-Leader to Falcon. Seven meters to target.”

“Copy that Delta-Leader, use caution. Falcon out.”

The gryphon was on edge more than he had ever felt before. With each passing second that they moved on he could feel the cold chill of death beckoning to him. I'm sorry Canvas. Looks like I won't be able to keep that promise. He thought as he paused in the hallways, hearing something creaking.

A fist quickly shot up in the air, all soldiers pausing where they were to look about the corridor for the source of the sound. “Sir, let me deal with whatever is behind us.” Kavaren said from beside the gryphon.

“Negative.” He said. “Sergeant Vorel, send back four Privates to clear out the corridor behind us.”

“Yes sir.”

“Bravo-Two, Bravo-Six. This is Falcon, come back.”

“Copy Falcon. The airlock is still secure.”

“Roger that Bravo-Six. Keep your head on a swivel.”

“Yes sir. Bravo-Six...” Kavaren's eyes went wide as he too listened to them, knowing that there hesitation was clear even through the mic. His eyes scanned the darkness once more, finding that whatever had been following them was gone.

“Sir! We need to get back to them now!” Kavaren didn't even wait as he took off down the corridor, his light shining off the wall as he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Vorel, take the rest of the troops and secure the bridge.”

“Yes sir.”

“Kavaren!” Troy took off in a mad dash to catch up with the drake, the four soldiers he had sent behind to clear the corridor moving with him as he rushed past. The clatter of their boots echoed down the dark corridor, their hearts nearly beating through their chests. “Kavaren!” The gryphon shouted again as he continued into the black abyss, checking his corners as he went with his rifle at the ready.

They had made their way back down the dark corridors to the staircase, taking the steps two at a time as they made their way down towards the outer hatch. “Bravo-Six. Come in Bravo-Six.” Troy was beyond worried when all he received was static, but it was short lived however as the sound of gunfire echoed in the dark expansion. The smell of sulfur was even more concentrated than it had ever been, and it nearly made him dizzy with its potency.

The gryphon gave no pause as he rounded the corner to see the dull sparks of bullets ricochets off of the walls, the bright flash from the muzzle of the rifle as it fired at something in the darkness. Troy raised his rifle to join the drake, his eyes taking in the sight of a shadow in the flash of light from the rifle, seeing that whatever it was could reach the ceiling of the corridor.

“Die mother bucker!” The drake screamed as he unloaded bullet after bullet into the shadowy form, not even bothering to stop when the rifle clicked. He just let it fall to his chest and pulled out his side arm, roaring loudly as he unloaded everything that he had into the vast abyss. Seconds felt like hours as they kept up their fire until the silhouette moved back down the corridor and away from the airlock door.

“Hold your fire! Hold your fire!” The muzzle flashes of the rifles stopped, the lights beneath the barrels turning on to look around in the darkness.

Troy wasted no time in rushing over to the two fallen soldiers that were lying on the floor, their backs pressed against the airlock. One of the soldiers, a pony, was missing his head, his arms torn down to the bone with loose strips of flesh and clothe hanging limply from what remained. His legs were in no better shape. Blood was in a massive pool beneath his body.

The second soldier was a changeling, her chest rising as she took in deep gasps of air. Blood was leaking from a slice along her throat, while her left leg was completely missing, the right arm torn in half with just the bone remaining of the upper forearm as it resided in a pool of blood on the metal grating below. She was going die, of that he had now doubt. There was nothing that they could do for her now. With a single tear rolling down his cheek, the drake drew his pistol and aimed it at her head, seeing the look of utter fear in her eyes as she tried not to accept her fate. I'm sorry.

Kavaren didn't even flinch as he watched her brains splatter across the back of the airlock, the chunks of brain and blood sliding down to the pipes below. The air was stale with copper, and of sulfur. “Alpha-Leader, Delta-Four. Be ready for a fight. Unknown hostile inbound to your position.”

“Copy that Delta-Four. We'll be ready for them.”

“Set up here Private, unless you see a glow stick moving down the corridor you waist anything that you see. Am I understood?”

“Yes Sarge.”

“Good.” Adany strode through the room with ease, his rifle slung across his chest as he placed the soldiers where he needed them. Two were left atop on the walkway to cover from the high ground, while four were spaced among the engines so that if anything got by the Private with the heavy weapon they could finish it off. That just left two, which he had placed along with the heavy weapon to cover the corridor.

The young Sergeant waited behind one of the engines with his soldiers, confident that if any hostiles were headed their way, they would annihilate them.

Silence fell across the Engine Room as the soldiers kept their eyes on the darkened corridor, their lights shining in the opening to the room, just waiting with their fingers brushing against the triggers of their rifles.

Adany could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck as he held his own rifle at the ready behind the rest of his troops. There was a warm breeze that grazed his neck where he waited, making his already warm body even hotter. His mouth felt dry and he could feel very lightheaded, the smell of sulfur strong in the humid air of the Engine Room.

“All units fall back to the airlock! All units fall back!” The gryphon's voice sounded over the coms.

A sizzling sound could be heard beside his left ear, making him glance of in the direction, only to find a Private on the ground, his eyes wide as he looked above the Sergeant. A burning sensation could be felt on his shoulder, but he brushed the pain aside as he looked up towards where the Private was looking. He gulped as a silhouette moved across the wall, before a string of liquid fell on his forehead. The burning sensation was extremely painful, burning past the scales and flesh underneath to his very bone, and even then it felt as though it kept boring through.

Every soldier turned towards where their Sergeant had been hiding upon hearing the scream of the Private as well as the scream of the Sergeant, both of which were cut short. “Open fire!”

Troy stood in the dark corridor leading to the Engine Room, Kavaren following closely behind him. After having sent out the call to the rest of the soldiers to fall back to the airlock, he had left the four Private's in charge of keeping their exit secure while he had taken the drake with him to see what happened to Alpha Squad. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that they were dead, but he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't search for any left alive.

A pocket of steam was billowing out in a thick plume of smoke from one of the pipes beneath the metal grating, blanketing the entry way into the Engine Room in shadow. Beyond the scope of their lights it was white. Sighing, the gryphon looked back to the drake. No words were spoken, but the feeling was mutual.

The drake took point as they entered the column of smoke, their vision clouded all around them. The air tasted like copper, their nose burning from the putrid stench of sulfur, a scent that had seemed to encompass the entire ship. There was a hissing sound, as though a pipe had blown, but it was slightly quieter. Something was ahead of them.

Dropping to a crouch, the duo carefully navigated their way through the smoke onto the other side. Neither was surprised at the sight of blood, between how they had seen the soldiers back at the airlock, and their time in battle, it was nothing new. The gryphon wasn't totally immune however, and he could taste bile in his throat as he saw the spray of the crimson liquid all over the floor, all over the engines.

Spent casings littered the floor, evidence of a firefight. Whatever it was that had been hunting them had managed to tear through the whole squad like they were filly scouts.

A faint dripping sound could be heard from behind them. Troy looked, but there was nothing there. He heard it again, this time managing to see a drop of blood fall from above. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he looked up to see a pair of bodies hanging from the overhead walkway.

One had its head hanging limply from what remained of the spine, the eyeballs torn from their sockets. The leg was mutilated beyond repair, the flesh tore from the bone, leaving only a few of the veins behind. The ribs were torn open, everything inside was missing from his body. That's when the gryphon looked back down to the grating in shock, there was his heart and liver resting in a bile, slowly being eaten by something beneath them. As he looked closely, he could see a faint trail of smoke leaving the organs.

The drake eyed the other body, nothing left but a few bones and the internal organs, the rest of the flesh missing. Blood was dripping in long, thick ropes from the walkway to the engine, coating it crimson. Even for the drake, this was something that he had never seen before.

“Sir, I think we should get out of here.” Troy had never once heard fear in the drake's voice, but when he turned to look at him, he could see it in his eye as well. “Sir.”

“Let's get back to the airlock Kavaren.”

As they made their way back through the smoke they could hear a deep growl coming from behind them. Heavy footsteps echoed in the cold corridor, the air becoming more fowl than it had before. They froze, fear gripping every part of their body and refusing to yield its control over them. It was the drake who made the first move.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he whipped his rifle around and opened fire, roaring profanities as he started to run. Troy was not far behind, pointing his rifle out behind him as he moved with swift feet, going back up the stairs three at a time. “Vorel, are the charges set?!”

“Yes sir. Getting ready to head to the airlock now.”

“Get your tail moving Sergeant! We need to leave now!”

“We're Oscar Mike.”

“Kavaren, hurry up!” Gunfire echoed in the corridor as they made their way back towards the airlock. Two soldiers had set up down the hall, covering them as they moved as fast as their legs would carry them.

The drake moved past the pair of soldiers down a few meters before he dropped to a knee, reloading his rifle as the gryphon did the same. “Withdraw, withdraw back to the airlock!”

“Yes sir!” The pair yelled as they darted back down the corridor. Troy and Kavaren were left alone in the dark, their rifles aimed down the way they had just come.

“Vorel, you back at the airlock yet.” His voice was raspy, his throat dry, his heart beating so fast in his heart that he thought he was going to have an anxiety attack.

“Nearly there sir.”

“You have two mikes.”

“Copy that sir.”

“Alright soldier, let's start heading back.” Troy led the way as they moved back down the corridor at a brisk pace until they came to the airlock, waiting there with Second and Third Squad. “Take the ponies across Kavaren. I'll follow as soon as Fourth Squad is clear.”

“Negative sir, I stick with you, remember.” Normally the gryphon cherished the drake's friendship and valued his skill in battle, but right now he needed him more to make sure that everyone got home safely.

“Corporal, take these ponies across. I'm not going to lose anyone else on this mission. As soon as Fourth Squad is clear, I'll make my way across and blow the ship.” The drake stared defiantly at the gryphon, but nodded his head.

“Open the hatch.” A Private nodded. Within seconds the door was open, and what remained of the soldiers rushed back over to the nearby Hellcat, watching from the ramp as their Commander stood guard alone at the airlock.

“Vorel, where are you?”

“Just turned towards the airlock now sir. Be there....” Static filled his ear.

“Vorel!? Vorel!?” A blood curtailing scream cut through the still silence like a knife through bread. His body felt cold as he turned to the source of the scream, only to see the lights of rifles starting to dwindle out one by one until only two were left. Shining his own light down, he was able to see both Florez and Vorel making their way down towards him.

The ground shook beneath him with the force of something large giving chase, a loud, terror inducing roar piercing the veil of unease that he already felt. Taking aim, he waited for the two to move to the left side. Gunfire once more consumed all other sounds as he let lose a volley of rounds down the corridor, his teeth grinding tightly together. “Move it soldiers!” He shouted over the sound, his finger never leaving the trigger for more than a second.

Florez raced past him and down the umbilical, not even waiting for him until she was safely within the Hellcat. Thus only Troy and Vorel were left, with something massive heading right towards them. “Move it!” He shouted once again when his rifle was empty. Finding that he had no more ammo, he pulled out his side arm and continued to fire. “Come on mother bucker!” He roared in rage.

Troy turned tail as soon as Vorel went past, heading straight for the umbilical. He didn't even see Vorel running across, instead he paused to look back when he was standing at the ramp of the Hellcat, seeing the airlock hatch closed. Blood splattered across the window not even a moment later, starting to drip down towards the floor. “No!”

Kavaren and the rest of the soldiers pulled Troy into the Hellcat, raising the ramp once he was clear. “Vorel! No! We have to go back!”

“Sir...” Her voice could faintly be heard coming through the coms. “B-Buck this ship.” Fire erupted from the Command Bridge, explosions starting to make their way down the ship. Bit by bit the ship was engulfed in flame, parts starting to break off from the force of the explosion.

In the silence that followed, the gryphon sat with his back to the ramp, smoke drifting out from the muzzle of his rifle as he looked down to his hands, seeing them covered in blood. A single tear snaked its way down his cheek, lost in his silver feathers. “Goodbye Vorel...”

Silver Moon's Cry

by Kavian Shadow

Prologue

The Crew

Silence