After the start of the conversion war. A mysterious rainbow maned Pegasus mare shows up to give aid to humanity. However, no one knows why, but one man is determined to find out.
In the year 2027, Equestria appeared in the Pacific Ocean and established relations with the UN. They claimed they had been brought there by accident, and that Discord was responsible. However, relations quickly began to sour after a failed attempt by five of the six elements of harmony to push their values upon humanity. And, ended altogether when Celestia banned trade between Equestria and the rest of the world. Soon after, started the conversion war. Using her magical barrier she tried to wipe them off the face of the earth. But hope for humanity came in the form of many ponies and others who wished to join them. However, when the night came for them to link up, they found that the resistance had been destroyed before they could leave Equestrian waters. In the aftermath, humanity assumed that all was lost...until a mysterious rainbow-maned pegasus crashed and landed near Jerusalem claiming to be on the human side. However, the agent of the Aman (Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate) assigned to her quickly comes to question her motives.
Jul 29th, 2029 Mossad Headquarters, Tel Aviv, Isreal 0630
Captain Chabakuk Pereira sat quietly at the side of his bed as he stared blankly at the wall ahead of him. His dark green eyes were bloodshot and baggy after being forced to work overtime due to the increase in Equestrian POWs in the aftermath of a skirmish near St. Petersburg two weeks ago. But, to him, it was just another day as an interrogator in the Aman. "Looks like today's going to be another long day," He said with a sigh as he rubbed his hands through his dark curly hairbefore closing his eyes, offering a quick prayer. 'Now, all I can do is wait-' He was cut off by a forceful if brief knock at his door. "It's open," he said in English as he opened his eyes and stood up.
Then, a large man dressed in the green of the IDF and wearing a cap opened the door and gave him a sharp salute, a lieutenant by his insignia. "The prisoner is waiting for you, sir," he said as he gestured for Pereira to follow.
Cpt. Pereira nodded as he went into his closet and threw on his jacket. "Good, let's get this over with," he said as he followed the man into the hallway. "Were we able to get anything out of her?"
The Lieutenant shook his head before looking forward. "Negative, sir, she only said that she wanted to speak with the president and the UN," Cpt. Pereira snorted in response. Oh, we'll see about that.
As they continued, there was little more said between them, and the two only stopped when they made it to a long hallway of reinforced steel doors. These were guarded by two soldiers to whom the Captain and Lieutenant flashed their clearance cards as they entered. Then, Cpt. Pereira turned to look at the other man. "So, which door?" He asked as they passed the first set of doors.
"She's in room 215," the Lieutenant responded without looking back. And all was quiet until they reached door 215 and he drew his keycard and slid it through the panel to the left of the door, causing the door to emit an audible "click" as it opened automatically. "Ring the alarm if she causes any trouble. Good luck," he said as he gave a sharp salute and stood aside as Cpt. Pereira nodded and walked inside.
As he did, he heard the door lock behind him as he noted the plain grey concrete walls and the single table that stood in the center of the room. Two plastic chairs stood on either side of it, with the closest being empty. And the one behind, occupied by the rainbow-maned, cyan mystery mare that had gotten him recalled to Isreal. Her appearance seemed off compared to most ponies he had seen and for more than just her mane, tail, or the fact that she was bound. Speaking of her mane and tail, they were messy with stray hairs poking out, splotches of black on her tail, and showing little in terms of care, with her wings in a similar state under their bindings. Her rose, almost magenta eyes, on the other hand, unsettled him as they locked with his own. As, rather than being filled with fear, anger, or any other emotion as he was used to, they seemed to be cold and distant, hiding her thoughts. 'This might be more difficult than I thought. I never even knew a pony could be so...unexpressive.'
Then, once he thought he covered everything, he began walking forward. "So, you're the one that claims to support our cause," he said as he sat down.
"Yes, I am," she stated confidently with a deep raspy voice as she sat back, still keeping her eyes on him.
"Right..." He said as he followed suit. "Your name?"
"Rainbow Dash," she began with a blank tone. "And yours?"
"I am Cpt. Pereira. And I'm the one asking the questions here Miss Dash," he said forcefully as he slammed a fist on the table, though she seemed more amused than threatened. "So how did you get all the way here from the front?"
At this, she chuckled slightly. "I flew all the way from Cloudsdale," she said with a cocky tone as he nearly exploded with laughter.
"How do you expect me to believe that? I've seen and heard many things these past few months sprinkles, but never something like that. How long was the journey?"
She rolled her eyes and looked away in a mock thinking pose. "About...three days? Yeah, I'd say that's how long it took," She replied sarcastically as she looked back at him with her smirk still visible while his incredulous expression was present.
"Right...are you sure you didn't get teleported here?" He asked as he leaned into her until he was only a few inches from her muzzle.
"No, I didn't," as she answered, he locked with her eyes to make sure she wasn't lying. Once he was satisfied, he sat back in his seat.
"How did you make it here without getting caught by either our forces or your own then?"
"I flew as high and fast as I could go at night, and in the day, I rested," she said as he thought it over.
"How did you evade the combat air patrols? I'm sure you had to run across them at some point?"
She began chuckling, which soon erupted into manic laughter. But once she managed to calm down, she looked back at Cpt. Pereira. "Oh, you humans can be so dull sometimes. 'Cause I just flew past them until I found a good hiding spot,"
"Wait, you mean to tell me you can outfly a jet?" He asked as he tried to hold in a sarcastic chuckle. "How is that even a thing?"
In response, Dash merely smirked. "Well, I happen to be the fastest pegasus in the world,"
"Oh, I would like to see that," he said in a sarcastic tone as he crossed his arms.
"Well, maybe one day you will," she replied with a slight grin.
"Alright, with that out of the way, now we can move onto the more important questions," he began as he tried to think of the best way to phrase his question. "What's your reason for siding with us?"
The moment he said this, he felt a sudden chill run up his spine that he hadn't felt for some time. All the while, he kept his eyes on Dash, and he figured out why he had felt so...unsettled earlier. Her expression remained stoic, but her eyes held many strange (for a pony) emotions, ones he was familiar with seeing on a terrorist he had caught a while back. "Well, while I would rather not disclose that particular information. I have what you need to win this war,"
As much as his gut was telling him this pony was not to be trusted and that he should leave, he gave in to her and asked the question. "And what would that be?"
And, for the first time since he met her, she gave him the biggest grin to match her crazy eyes. "Well, I know lots of ponies who really hate Celestia. And all they would need is guns and training,"
"And how would they get here?" He asked as he gave her a cocked brow.
She circled her hoof in the air with a bored expression. "Oh, we pegasi have our ways...but I would like to get something official down first. So, when will my request be met?" she asked as she cocked her brow.
He pondered for a moment as he thought of the best response. 'Look, I know there's something wrong with this pony, but what choice do we have? We have nothing against that barrier. May God have mercy...' And so, at that moment, he made the decision that would seal the fate of Equestria and himself forever. "I will see that it is done. Goodbye, miss Dash," He said as he stood up and walked up to the door before knocking on it.
Once he did, the door slowly opened, and he walked out before it closed behind him. As it did, the Lieutenant who was waiting outside caught a glimpse of Dash smiling widely at him with pinprick eyes as the door shut. Causing the man to quickly scurry off after the Captain.
Jul 29th, 2029 Mossad Headquarters, Tel Aviv, Isreal 1600
Lieutenant Ahiram Cohen sat in a chemically sealed lab staring at the test tube filled with florescent blue liquid before him as he had for the past 10 hours. "What are you?" he asked himself as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said without looking.
Lt. Cohen heard the sound of the heavy door open and close and heavy footfalls on the concrete floor. "Sir, I was called to check on you," said the muffled masculine voice he recognized as Sargent Peretz as he turned and saw the man wearing a hazmat suit similar to the one he wore. "Have you made any progress?"
Lt. Cohen shook his head as he turned back to the test tube. "I'm afraid not," he began as he scrunched his eyes, even though Sgt. Peretz couldn't see his face. "As I've been up since this morning trying to find out what the heck this is," he stated with a sigh.
Sgt. Peretz then walked up to the desk until he was shoulder to shoulder with Lt. Cohen. "What even is this stuff?"
"As I just said, I don't know. What we do know, however, is that this Rainbow Dash had it on her when she was captured," he began as he started running through his previous tests in his mind. He had tried matching it to any known substance, even going so far as to use the dreaded ponification serum as a reference and even still, he was drawing a blank. For, while it held pony DNA, he couldn't decipher what it was or how it was used, though it was assumed drinkable as they had found four bottles with similar residue in her saddlebags and only one was filled. This being the one that was emptied for study. But, the only thing he knew was that it was nothing like anything he had seen in his 25 years in the IDF. 'I will find out what you are- Wait...what if- Yes, that's what I'll do!' Suddenly, he turned to the other man. "Sgt. Peretz?"
"Yes, Sir?" He responded, somewhat startled by how quickly Lt. Cohen had turned.
"Get me a guinea pig. I have a hypothesis to test," -
Jul 29th, 2029 Mossad Headquarters, Tel Aviv, Isreal 1630
After a full hour of setting up, four rats were placed in three glass tanks, one with two inside and the others placed individually. Each tank was equipped with a hamster wheel, a food bowl and a water dispenser, though the latter was absent. "I wonder what it will do to them?" Asked Sgt. Peretz as he was having a staring contest with a white rat.
Lt. Cohen, meanwhile, was finishing pouring the liquid into their dispensers. "Well, soon we won't have to ask that question," he said as he carefully connected one to the same cage. "Shouldn't be long now,"
So, the two waited with bated breath as they watched the same rat give the dispenser a sniff. At first, it seemed to recoil, even going so far as to back away in fear. But then, it began to act...strange. Its eyes became seemingly mesmerized by the substance, and it began to advance towards it, only stopping when it was directly in front of the straw and began to suck on it. At first, it drank only a little, but soon, the rat drank faster and faster. As it did, however, they noted it began to vibrate violently, as though it had been electrified, and its eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks. Then, without warning, it launched itself from the straw. And, in the blink of an eye, it was running on its hamster wheel. As the rat ran, it began spinning faster and faster and faster until..."SPLAT!" It decelerated until it stopped, with nothing remaining of the rat apart from splatters of blood and meat that ran down from the wheel and the walls of the cage. Once he had finally recovered from the gruesome scene, Sgt. Peretz turned to face Lt. Cohen. "W-What in God's name is that stuff?" He asked in a shaken tone as he tried to keep from vomiting.
Lt. Cohen, on the other hand, felt he couldn't look away. "I have no idea, son, but, whatever it is, at least we now have a pretty good idea of what it does," He said as he stood up and began walking away. "Come on, Sargeant, let's get the cleaning crew,"
"C-coming..." He said as he turned to leave...only to find his eyes drawn to the other two water dispensers that were still on the desk. 'No, I am NOT doing that! I've seen what that stuff can do! But, maybe just a little couldn't hurt?' At that moment, he quickly snatched up one of the dispensers and tucked it in his suit before running to follow the Lieutenant.
After waiting five days for the government to respond to his request to have Rainbow Dash moved from the interrogation wing of Mossad HQ. Cpt. Pereira had been given the go-ahead to set her up in a remote private compound and placed under house arrest, and he had also been told that Rainbow's request to meet with the UN would be resolved the same day. So, at 0700 in the morning, they had quietly moved her into a bullet-proof van disguised as a civilian model.
So, here he currently sat with an anxious Sargeant from the medical branch who had requested to be at the wheel and a bored-looking Rainbow Dash in the back, with his eyes scanning the green hills around them, looking for any sign of danger. 'Sometimes I hate this job.' He continued to stare glumly at the empty road before him until he spotted a walled-off compound off to the right side of the road. "There, turn there," he said as he motioned for the driver to turn into it. As he did this, Rainbow seemed to perk up.
As the van pulled up to the closed gate, three armed men walked out from a small shack slightly forward of the wall. The lead man then walked up to the van and gestured for the Sargeant to lower the window, to which he complied. "Clearance?" Asked the large man, who could be identified as a Major by his rank.
"Here you go, Sir," Replied the Sargeant as he pulled out the necessary papers and handed them to the officer.
The Major spent about thirty seconds looking over their paperwork before handing it back to them. "Looks like everything checks out," He said as he turned to face the others. "Open the gate!"
At the Major's command, the gates swung open, and the van drove inside. Once they had passed the gate, the Sargeant was guided into a parking spot beside two large Anti-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) vehicles. Once he turned off the engine, he and Cpt. Pereira both got out of the van, and they, along with a few guards, opened the back door and let Rainbow outside. Her wings were still bound in light of the discovery of her possessing an unknown speed-increasing drug. "It's good to be out," said Rainbow as she arched her back, causing several satisfying "cracks" to echo out as she stretched her muscles. However, when she turned to the men around her, she was reminded why she was here. "Well, are you just gonna stand there?" She asked in an annoyed tone.
Cpt. Pereira nodded as he gestured for her and the Sargeant to follow him into one of the two single-floor buildings that made up the compound. "Alright, IDF command said they should call in a few hours. So, for now, we can just take a break," he said as he opened the door leading them into the house. The first hallway had only a few ceiling lights, a mat for shoes, and a small rug just after the entrance. After he and the Sargeant took their boots off, they led Rainbow into the first room on the left. "This is the living room," he said as he opened the door, allowing her to see that the interior had a few couches, a TV, a PS-6 gaming console, and a bookshelf. Then Cpt. Pereira closed the door before heading right. "This is the kitchen," he once again opened the door for the others, allowing them to see the small but compact kitchen, equipped with all manner of appliances and dining table. Before he moved back into the hallway and walked up to four more doors: Two of which were bathrooms, one was the master bedroom, and the last was a secondary bedroom. And then, they reached the final door. "Alright, this is the office," just like with all the other rooms, he opened the door and presented a small room with a single wooden desk, two office chairs, a computer with multiple monitors, and a lamp off to the side. He then turned to Rainbow. "Now, before tomorrow, I'm gonna need to teach you how to use a computer-" he stopped as she gave a loud chortle. "What's so funny?" he asked with a cocked brow.
Rainbow managed to stop herself. "Sorry, sorry, it's just...I already know how to use a computer," At this, both men raised their eyebrows.
"How can that be?" Asked Cpt. Pereira. "I thought Equestria didn't have computers,"
In response, Rainbow smirked. "They don't," she then proceeded to walk down the hall and into the master bedroom, leaving the two men dumbfounded.
"What the hell does that mean?" asked the Sargeant as he turned to Cpt. Pereira.
"I don't know... What I do know, however, is I'm gonna check the computer," he said as he walked into the office and closed the door.
Once he was gone, the Sargeant quietly walked up to the bedroom door and knocked. However, he heard no reply, and he was getting nervous, yet he cleared his throat. "It's Sgt. Peretz, and...I wanted to talk to you," he said as he waited for a response...until the Sargeant decided he'd waited long enough and gently opened the door. As he did, he could hear a beautiful voice quietly humming an unfamiliar tune. As he tried to locate the source, his eyes fell on Rainbow's sleeping form. Well, that would explain- His thoughts were interrupted as she began to sing:
"An’ it’s on the job we go making weather for the land. An’ if we fail the world shall too and so we work on, damned."
As soon as what he assumed to be the first verse was over, he quietly made his exit. But, before he closed the door, he took one final glance at Rainbow. "She looks so..." he trailed off as, just for a moment, instead of a rainbow mane poking out from beneath the sheets, he saw long black hair attached to the face of a peacefully sleeping girl no older than seven or eight... Then he blinked, and she was gone. Not again! he thought as he desperately tried not to scream, and Sgt. Peretz could feel the cold beads of sweat dripping down from his forehead as he dashed for his room. Not again, dear God, not again! As soon as he reached the door, he swiftly opened it before closing and locking it. After a few moments of sitting behind the door, he took several deep breaths as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of a younger version of himself wearing traditional Arab clothing, standing beside a woman with the same little girl standing between. As he did, tears began to pour from his eyes as he held the picture close to his heart and fell to his knees. "Aisha, Amani, please forgive me," he whispered to himself as he quietly muttered a prayer.
Aug 3rd, 2029 Location: Classified 1300
Once she had gotten up from her nap, Rainbow, a slightly downtrodden Sgt. Peretz and Cpt. Pereira had spent the rest of the morning getting to know one another. Rainbow had turned out to be quite the talker once she got into a topic, going on about flying and her job as the CEO of the weather company in Cloudsdale, Sgt. Peretz perked up once he began talking about some of the wired and humorous experiences he had heard and seen throughout his service in the IDF, and Cpt. Pereira told them some of his less classified stories. They then ate a simple breakfast and proceeded to play Star Wars Squadrons: The Clone Wars on the PlayStation in the offline setting. After a quick lunch, they went back to gaming.
During the current match, Rainbow had her face scrunched up in concentration as she nimbly flew her Vulture Droid through a debris field in an attempt to flank the Republic Corvettes. Then suddenly, she started getting shot from behind, and she put full power on engines as she tried to jink and escape. But the other pilot stayed on her and fired until she lost control. "Gerr- come on!" She yelled out in frustration as she waited to respawn.
"Ha, I thought you said you were a good flyer, but it looks like you're not a good gamer either," said Cpt. Pereira, with a smug smirk as his V-wing, flew past where Rainbow's vulture droid exploded.
Sgt. Peretz broke out into laughter at his remark as Dash scowled. "Ha, good one, sir!"
"Ugh, I'll get better... But flying in a game is not the same," she grunted in frustration as both men raised their eyebrows.
"How so?" asked Cpt. Pereira as he paused the game.
She seemed to sigh before she took a breath. "I don't know how you humans feel about flight. But, for us... Flying is the difference between life and death..." she trailed as her expression darkened and her wings attempted to extend from under their bindings. "It is what makes a Pegasus. And if they can't, then they deserve nothing more then-" she cut herself off as her eyes grew wide at the alarmed stares the two men were giving her. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," she said as she scratched the back of her head with a forehoof before trying to fix her ruffled wings under the bindings, and her tail gave a nervous twitch.
Sgt. Peretz blinked once. "Uh...okay," he began as his mind continued to churn for a proper response. "I mean, I guessed flying was significant to a pegasus. But, I didn't know it meant that much to you,"
Cpt. Pereira, meanwhile, had put his hand to his chin in thought and only now became involved. "Well, think of it this way Sargeant. For a bird, if they cannot fly, how can they survive?"
At this, she gave a sheepish smile as she looked away. "Well, uh, yeah, that's...actually pretty-"
And, just as she was about to finish, they all heard Cpt. Pereira's ringtone and he scrambled to take his phone out of his pocket. "Hello?" he asked as he answered and put it to his ear. After a moment of standing and listening, he nodded to them. "Yes, sir," he responded as he quickly left the room.
"Where is he going?" asked Rainbow as she cocked her head.
"It sounds urgent...which means it's probably the call he mentioned earlier..." began Sgt. Peretz as he seemed to struggle for a moment with something on his mind.
Rainbow quickly picked up on this as she cocked her brow. "Is there something else you wanna say?"
Once she asked this, he made up his mind as he sighed and reached into his pocket. "Do you know what this is?" he asked in a nervous tone as he pulled a half-empty bottle of fluorescent blue liquid out of his pocket.
As soon as she saw what he was holding, her eyes widened, only to narrow as her grin slowly widened. "Oh...have you had some?" In response, he slightly lowered his head. "And you want to know where to get more?" he nodded solemnly. "Well, I can help you with that. Heck, I help make the stuff. As for what it is, it's a little something called spectra," -
Aug 3rd, 2029 Location: Classified 1330
Cpt. Pereira sat at the desk chair in his room with his phone to his ear. As the General on the other end finished speaking. "Yes, Sir, I will tell her. Goodbye," he said as he hung up and put his phone back in his pocket and ran a hand through his hair. 'Well, guess I should tell them.' he thought as he stood up and went out into the hall. As he entered the living room, he saw Rainbow and Sgt. Peretz were sitting beside each other on one of the couches with their eyes fixed on him in expectant stares.
"Well? Don't just leave me hanging," said Rainbow in an excited tone as she sat back and crossed her hooves.
Sgt. Peretz did the same. "Yeah, what she said,"
Cpt. Pereira shook his head before sighing. "Well, Miss Dash, it would appear your meeting with the UN..." he trailed as Rainbow's excitement drained from her face. "Has been scheduled for 1700 tomorrow," the moment he said this, her face lit up once more.
"Yes, finally!" Rainbow yelled as she pumped her hoof in the air. "Now, let's get back to the game!" she then jumped down and grabbed the remote as she glared at Cpt. Pereira. "And you're going down!" she challenged as he smirked, and Sgt. Peretz began laughing.
"You're on sprinkles!" Cpt. Pereira yelled as he picked up his remote and sat down beside her. As she glared at him and then unpaused the game. -
Aug 3rd, 2029 Location: Classified 2200
Rainbow, Cpt. Pereira, and Sgt. Peretz continued playing round after round in an attempt to one-up each other for the rest of the afternoon. Then, before dinner, the trio had gone on a short walk around the compound to get some fresh air. However, they soon returned, as the summer heat made it impossible to stay out for long. After a short dinner, they decided to watch some TV, in the form of 90's action flicks, such as demolition man, starship troopers, and mission impossible. As the credits rolled on the latter, Rainbow yawned as she looked at the clock on the wall. "Alright, I think I'm gonna head off to bed. Night guys," she said as she hopped off the couch and headed to her room.
Cpt. Pereira stretched as he shut off the TV. "Yeah, big day tomorrow and all that," he began as he slowly stood up, trying not to wake the silently snoring Sgt. Peretz, who had seemingly fallen asleep sometime near the end. "Well, better rest up," and with that, he followed after her before turning to his room and heading inside, locking it behind him. -
Aug 3rd, 2029 Location: Classified 2230
Rainbow slowly opened one eye, then the other, as she checked the clock that sat on the wall. Then, she perked up her ear and, upon hearing nothing, slowly got up and stretched. 'Alright, go time.' She carefully made her way across the relatively empty room and put her ear to the door before quietly opening it and peeking out to make sure she wasn't being watched. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she quietly made her way to the office. She then closed the door and made her way to the computer, and turned it on. As it powered up, she ran a hoof through her mane, only stopping when she felt something hard and smooth, and she pulled out a small, orange USB stick. "Perfect, just where I left it," she whispered as she plugged it in. "Now time to see if this works. If it doesn't I’ll have to have a word with the Main Computer System... Speaking of that, we really need to come up with a better name,"
She quietly sat on the chair as the plug-in did its job, and she watched with narrowed eyes as a green loading bar appeared in the center, slowly filling up as the percentage of completion was displayed below. Once it reached 100%, the screen turned black. Then, quick as a flash, it turned back on, and in the center of the screen was a neon green outline of a pegasus mare sitting with its wings outstretched and holding a gear, inside which sat a cloud with three slanted, factory towers sticking out of it. Above it sat the letters CWC in bold in the same neon green. "Enter Voice Command," stated a feminine voice in a monotone. 'Yes, it worked!'
"Code Green," said Rainbow just loud enough so it could hear while also trying to hide her excitement.
"Access granted. Welcome, Rainbow Dash," -
Aug 3rd, 2029 Location: Classified 2235
Cpt. Pereira awoke with a start as he heard the quiet alarm play on his phone. He quickly picked it up, and what he saw caused him to smirk. 'Gotcha, good thing I bugged the computer,' Cpt. Pereira then pressed the warning sign on the screen, giving him access to the monitor in the office and a view of Rainbow's face through the camera in the same monitor. As he did, his satisfied smirk became replaced by a look of confusion. "Wait, what happened to the computer? In fact, how did she even gain access?" he whispered. 'Maybe she uploaded a different AI? But, that would be impossible-'
"Enter Voice Command," stated a robotic voice.
"Code Green," replied Rainbow.
In response, Cpt. Pereira's eyes widened in realization. 'Looks like she did...' "Access granted. Welcome, Rainbow Dash," said the voice as he shifted to a more comfortable position. 'Alright, Rainbow, your move...'
"Access Granted. Welcome, Rainbow Dash," replied the voice as an options menu appeared on the side of the screen. Rainbow then scrolled down until she came upon the "Connect to Main Computer" option and clicked on it. Once she did, "Connection in Progress..." appeared on the screen. Then, after a minute of waiting, the screen switched to a room with grey concrete walls lit by dim industrial panel lights that hung from a short roof. It was sparsely decorated, save for what appeared to be the top of a metal desk, a vending machine of all things, and a few chairs, tables, and a wooden door, above which sat a clock. At noting the vending machine, Rainbow shook her head. 'Of course, he had to put one in the Admin Staff Room while I was away.' She chuckled lightly to herself as she waited.
A few moments passed until a very pregnant orange mare with a dishevelled purple mane sticking out from under a black visor cap and wearing a white lab coat burst through the door at breakneck speed and flew over to the screen as quickly as she could. After narrowly avoiding a face-first collision, the mare took a few quick breaths before sticking her right hoof in the air while using the other to hold her up. "HAIL THE FLO-" she yelled out, only to be interrupted by Rainbow facehoofing while trying to hold back a chortle...and failing.
"Squirt, what did I tell you about saying that outside the factory?" Rainbow chuckled as she asked rhetorically, causing the other mare to go back to trying to catch her breath. Then, Rainbow glanced down to the mare's tummy. "Besides, I don't think that you rushing around is good for the little guy,"
"S-Sorry, Dash. I was, on the third floor, when you called," she answered as she tried to suck in as much air as she could between phrases, her wings ruffling with each breath.
Rainbow shook her head before looking back at her Lavender eyes. "It's alright. But you need to take better care of my nephew," she said as the orange mare's ears fell. "But, I have missed you, Scootaloo,"
At this, Scootaloo's ears perked up again as a slight smile appeared. "I missed you too, Dash," she began as she glanced to Rainbow's sides. "So, anyway, considering your wings are tied, I'm gonna guess you made it?"
Rainbow smirked. "Of course I did," she began in a cocky tone as she smirked before switching to a neutral expression. "How is everything on your end?"
It was Scootaloo's turn to smirk. "Well, since you left, general production is up 120%," she began as Rainbow's mouth hung open in disbelief, and she continued before Rainbow could interrupt. "As for the portal device, it's coming along slightly behind schedule and should be finished in a few days,"
Rainbow, by this point, had recovered her composure. "Well, I'm glad to hear my Husband has been looking after the corporation. Speaking of that, how is Operation Hummingbird coming along? Has he spoken with our friends in the ESS?"
Scootaloo's eye twitched in response. "W-well, now that you m-mention it, he's speaking with them now," she said as her eye twitched again, her voice stammered, and she seemed to gaze off into space as a disturbing grin found its way onto her lips. "B-By the way, Dash, I-I can not wait to help..."
Rainbow cleared her throat, causing Scootaloo to regain focus. "Hey, Scoots, how are Orion and the kids doing?" she began as she put a hoof to her chin. "Also...I think I need to get you back into therapy. Your twitching is getting worse,"
Scootaloo gave a short chortle in response. "Oh come on, Dash, it's not that bad," she began as she shifted to a thoughtful expression. "As for him... Ever since his promotion, I haven't seen him much at all. I get that it's for the good of the Flock, but it still doesn't change the fact that I miss him," she then sighed as a slight smile graced her muzzle. "The kids are doing well. Though I wish I had more time with them. But, I am sorta thankful for the nursery and school, since I'm not sure the main factory complex is for them to experience...yet," she finished with a dark snicker as she looked down and rubbed her tummy. "Isn't that right little guy?"
Rainbow shook her head as she held in a chuckle of her own. "Yes, it is Scoots, yes it is," she said in an encouraging tone. "Since we're on the subject... How are my offspring doing?"
Scootaloo waved her hoof as she smiled. "They're doing fine, Rainbow. In fact, I heard that Highflyer and Stormy just tied in first for the big summer race,"
At this, Rainbow facehooved. "Damn it, I forgot that was coming up," she said while trying not to yell. "Oh well... I'll congratulate them when I get back," she said as she put a hoof to her chin. "Hey, is Thunder still up?"
Scootaloo looked away for a moment, presumably at the clock, before looking back. "Well, his shift would have just ended, so he should still be up. You want to talk to him?" Rainbow nodded, and Scootaloo jumped off the chair and made her way out. -
Aug 4th, 2029 Location: Classified 0001
[Cpt. Pereira quietly read over the notes he had jotted down as he waited for this Scootaloo to get whoever Thunder was. 'What does she mean by all these things? What is this portal device...Ugh, this keeps giving me more questions than answers,' he then scratched his chin in thought as a pony walked up to the screen. 'You know what? I'll play her little game. After all, confronting her will only get her to not trust us. So keep talking Rainbow, just keep talking,' -
Aug 4th, 2029 Location: Classified 0005
Rainbow smiled as she saw a grey pony with a blue mane sticking out the back of a similar visor cap to the one Scootaloo was wearing. On his barrel, he wore a brown undershirt and black tie. Over which he sported a black jacket with white trim and a blue band on his left foreleg. He gave her a tired smile back as he jumped into the chair. "Hey, Mom," he said in a deep raspy voice. "Auntie said you wanted to see me?"
Rainbow looked him up and down before giving him a motherly grin. "Aw, you got all dressed up for me?" she asked in a sarcastic tone as he grimaced.
"Oh, come on, Mom. Besides, keeping this up is work all itself," he said as Rainbow pointed to his chest while stifling a giggle, and he looked down to see his tie was a little off to the side, causing Rainbow to let loose. "You love doing that, don't you?"
Rainbow quickly recovered before smiling again. "Well, as your mother, it's my job to help you. Though it was kinda funny waiting for you to see it," she said as he quickly fixed it.
He then snorted before looking back at her. "Now, is there anything else you would like to critique about my uniform?"
Rainbow shook her head. "No, I just wanna find out how my big colt is doing?"
He put a hoof to his chin. "Well...I've been pretty busy helping Dad with planning Operation Hummingbird. Not to mention helping Highflyer, Hailfire, Prism, and Stormy with their homework when my day shift is over," he began as he gave a slight groan. "And that's not even mentioning putting Gust, Specter, and Velvet to bed after the night shift," he shook his head before giving her a sarcastic scowl. "Seriously, Mom, I think you should stop having foals," he said in a sarcastic tone.
In response, Rainbow put a hoof to her barrel as she feigned a hurt expression. "You suggest preventing myself from raising the greatest generation of pegasi? How dare you," she said as he broke out into a chuckle as Rainbow snickered.
Once he recovered, he looked back to her. "So, Mom, how are you doing? Is everything going to plan?" he asked in a curious tone as she grinned.
"Yep, you can tell your father that we should soon have the support of the UN. Once we do, we can begin the offensive against Celestia,"
Thunder then beamed in excitement at the revelation. "I can't wait to tell him! Then we can give those sun worshippers what they deserve-" he said as ringing sounded, and he pulled up his foreleg and quickly frowned. "Sorry to cut this short...but the little ones need to be put to bed," he turned back to her and raised his right foreleg. "Hail the Flock!" he then pressed something on the computer, and the screen returned back to the previous menu screen.
Rainbow yawned as she hopped off the chair. "Well, I guess it's time to get some shut-eye," she said with a tired smile as she quickly retrieved the USB stick and shut off the computer and monitor. Once she was finished, she quietly made her way back to her room before locking the door and going to sleep. -
Aug 4th, 2029 Location: Classified 0035
Cpt. Pereira could only sigh as the meeting ended. 'That was it? Well, looks like I've got a lot of unpacking to do,' With that, he began attempting to figure out what everything meant, seeing if he could find any connections. 'Wait, what does that symbol remind me of?' he asked himself as he pulled up screenshots of the symbols that had appeared on the uniform, visor caps, and the main menu. 'Wait, that symbol looks a lot like...' his eyes nearly exploded in realization. 'It can't be... can it?' he shook his head as he wiped the cold sweat that had started to pour from his brow. 'No, no...I-I need to get some sleep,' with this thought, he put his phone down and lay in his bed. As he did, he unbuttoned his jacket, and he pulled out a small, faded black and white picture of an old man wearing a suit and tie, behind which was a gate. This, he hugged close to his chest as a feeling of determination filled his entire being. 'I must find out what she is doing, and if it's what I think it is...I will stop her the moment this war comes to an end!'
When morning came, Cpt. Pereira used all his mental training to keep to himself when Rainbow had strolled confidently into the living room to find him and Sgt. Peretz playing cards. "Good morning," she said in a cheerful tone as the two men turned to look at her.
"Good morning," they replied nearly simultaneously. Sgt. Peretz in a similar tone, while Cpt. Pereira was more stoic.
Rainbow walked over to the small folding table they had pulled out for their game. "Whatcha playing?"
"We were just finishing up a game of crazy eights," said Cpt. Pereira as he played two cards and finished his hand, causing Sgt. Peretz to shake his head. "Well, it was nice playing, but I have something I need to do," he said as he stood up and walked out of the room. Once Cpt. Pereira did. He made his way to his room and pulled out his phone. He then pressed the General's number and waited until the beeping stopped. "General, are you there?"
"Yes, what is it?" replied the man on the other end.
"Last night, I caught Rainbow on the computer. She had somehow hacked into it and-" he was interrupted as laughter erupted from the General.
"I am sorry, but did you just tell me that a pony hacked into and used a computer?"he asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Yes! Did you not hear me!?" replied Cpt. Pereira, frustrated at not being believed.
"Wait, you're serious?" Cpt. Pereira took a deep breath as he began to explain all that he had seen and heard.
After twenty minutes, he had finished. "I know it's a lot to take in. But I hope you understand the concerns I have," The General remained silent, as the whole room seemed to hold its breath. "Sir?"
He heard a cough. "Yes, well...I'll take this into account,"
"Sir, what do you-" he was cut off as the phone emitted a "beep," and he held it up to his face, only to see that the man had hung up. "What the hell?" -
Aug 4th, 2029 Location: Classified 1657
When Cpt. Pereira returned he had had a conflicted air about him, and, while both Rainbow and Sgt. Peretz had tried to ask him about it, he left and went to his room. The rest of the day had been spent getting ready for the meeting and playing more video games. But now, Rainbow could barely hold back her giddiness as she sat waiting for the meeting to begin. Behind her stood Cpt. Pereira, with the same neutral expression he had worn throughout the day, while Sgt. Peretz had been told to wait outside. At that moment, Cpt. Pereira's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he opened it to find the link to the ZOOM meeting. He quickly sent the link to the computer before helping Rainbow through the process. "Alright, we should be online...now," he pasted the link and pressed enter, as the screen became split between multiple individuals with their names and flags displayed in front of their desks.
"So, you're the one who's been causing up so much trouble," said the US representative as she nodded.
"Yes, I'm Rainbow Dash, Manager of the Cloudsdale Weather Company," she began with a neutral expression. "And on behalf of the CWC and the Pegasi of Cloudsdale. I would like to thank you for meeting with me on such short notice,"
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dash," began the French ambassador. "But, I believe it is time we move on to more important matters,"
"I agree. Let us get on with it," replied the Chinese official.
The Israeli representative then cleared his throat. "Captain, Sargent, would you please give us some privacy?" he asked as he gestured for Cpt. Pereira and Sgt. Peretz to leave. The two men looked at each other before nodding and leaving the room, with Pereira turning to give one last suspicious glance before he closed the door.
"So, what can we do for you?" asked the Russian ambassador.
Rainbow cracked a grin. "The question should be, what can I do for you?" she began as the gathered representatives sat back and waited for her to continue, with some raising their eyebrows while others steepled their hands. "You see, as a pony on the inside of the barrier with high-ranking ponies who support my cause. I have a lot of money and influence to throw around, but I lack weapons and training. This is why I need your help. If my plan to overthrow Celestia from the inside is going to have the necessary firepower,"
The German ambassador cleared his throat. "So, what you are saying is you need us to send advisors through the barrier?" he asked in a sarcastic tone as he shook his head. "I am sorry, Miss Dash, but this is impossible," the rest of them quickly realized the truth of his statement and nodded in agreement.
The British ambassador turned to her with false compassion. "I am sorry, but my German friend is right. There is no way possible to get our men through-" she paused as she noticed her grin had not faded. "Haven't we made it clear to you already? You're not getting our-"
she then broke out into a fit of laughter as the delegation looked on with shock or concern. "I am sorry, but you are wrong. There is a way to get humans through," all those present gave her looks of shock, curiosity, and intrigue. All except for the Israeli official.
"Wait, you mean to tell us we can actually go inside that death trap without...dying?" asked the US delegate as Rainbow nodded in response.
Then the Indian representative put a hand to his chin before gesturing to her. "How would that be possible?"
Rainbow smirked as she steepled her hooves. "We at the CWC have developed a machine capable of mimicking a unicorn's ability to teleport. Which would allow any human using it to teleport through the barrier. But, since it is still under construction, it should be ready within a few days," they all were silent as she finished, each clearly thinking over what she had said.
"Alright, Miss Dash, I will consider sending a few small-arms and several people to test this device of yours," replied the British representative as the others continued thinking.
"I propose we send one man from each of our countries as the first test," said the French ambassador, this time getting a nod of approval from the others.
The German ambassador cleared his throat. "Now that that is settled, what do you want in return?" he asked as Rainbow's smirk grew wider.
"Simple...I will repay all damages caused to your nations by Celestia and open up Equestria for global trade," she began as the others sat back and listened. "In exchange, I simply ask for UN recognition and that control of Equestria be hoofed over to the CWC and Cloudsdale. However, if either side refuses to hold up their end of the agreement...there is no deal," as she finished, their expressions remained largely neutral.
"Well, I can agree to these terms," said the Chinese delegate.
"I also believe this to be a fair deal," said the US representative as the rest followed suit.
"Good, now. Before you all leave, I would like to ask that you each call me again to write out the paperwork," said Rainbow as the Israeli representative put a hand to his chin.
"Actually, I have a better idea. Why not have all of us meet in Tel Aviv to sign in person?" he began as he turned to Rainbow. "Or pony, in your case," she and the others nodded before the meeting officially ended. 'That was easier than I thought,'
