> Pony Gear Solid: Daisy Eater
>  by AstroTrain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: A Hero Without Virtue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of the Luna’s banishment, the world was split into two. 
East, and West.
This marked the beginning of the era called the Colt War. 

---

        The lavender clouds, set against the starry skies of Equestria, were pushed aside as a powerful force shot through them, splitting them apart. Wind turbines circulated the moist air, and large fans kept the machine aloft. The sky ship raced through the clouds, pushing itself through them like a boat in the ocean waves. A small light began to peer over the horizon, rising slowly and illuminating the ship. The wooden craft was purple with a gold metal trim around the corners and displayed no logo or insignia on it’s sides. 
        Inside the ship, the hum of steam engines crackled along the scent of herbs and spices. The scent led away from the machinery, into a slanted room in the back of the craft. In the room, a purple unicorn wearing green fatigues sat beside a small table, contently sipping a warm cup of tea. Her mane and tail were both a dark purple with a pink streak, and her lavender eyes showcased her relaxation. She looked around the room after setting her cup down, and again saw another figure standing in the corner. 
        “Are you sure you don’t want some? It’s really quite delicious, and you don’t look exactly relaxed.” she beckoned. The other pony, decked out in goggles and a pilot's helmet, waved his hoof down at her. She returned to her drink as he left the room. The pilot then traveled up a long series of wooden stairs, leading up to the command room for the ship. In it were several ponies, some gazing out of a skylight positioned at the center floor of the room, others talking quietly with each other. The stallion ran over to one of them, a tall slender alicorn with a majestically flowing mane that looked like it was made of tiny stars. Her black crown displayed her royalty, and her dark blue coat contrasted against the floor of clouds, which were slowly beginning to turn a vivid white. 
        “Not to er--question your logic Princess Luna, but are you sure she knows what she’s doing?” he asked. 
        “Believe me soldier, she’s the one. I hoof-picked her for this mission myself. She’s one of the most powerful and intelligent unicorns we have, and she’s also one of Celestia’s.” she replied. He blushed in questioning, and turned away to focus on something else. Princess Luna stared down at the beautiful sky below her, and smiled. 
        “Alright, you ready to go?” she said, but no one around her reacted or responded. 
        “Yes. It looks like cloud cover and visibility won’t be an issue this time.” the purple unicorn’s voice responded inside Luna’s head. “It’s weird not having the pegasi dictate the weather, but I’ll have to get used to it. We’re not exactly in Equestria anymore, are we?”
        “Not at all. We’re going to be nearing the drop-off point soon, so you might want to prepare yourself.” Luna projected back. 
        “Roger.”

---

        “Twilight, I have some very important news for you. My sister and I have finally decided to approve the Virtuous Mission together. The future of Equestria depend on it. If we succeed, harmony and peace will reign for generations to come.” 
        “And if we don’t?”
        “We may be a step closer to unleashing armageddon.”
        “Sounds great. When’s my welcoming party going to take place?”
        “Don’t get cocky Twilight. Things have changed a lot since you’ve been here.”
        “...”
        “Right. Well, two years ago... a certain scientist came to us requesting asylum is Equestria. His name is Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov. He was a part of the Griffon Kingdom’s Weapons and Power Source Design Bereau, and the East’s foremost expert on weapons development.”
        “I know him. He’s the most famous experimenter in rocket powered vehicles. Ponies all over say he’s going to change the way we look at flying.”
        “They are right. Five months before he contacted us, the Griffon Kingdom was able to almost send one of their own out of the atmosphere before a fatal crash killed their pilot.”
        “Out of the atmosphere? That would mean that he’s close to achieving actual space flight, something only you’ve done.” 
        “Exactly. That’s why he’s so important.”
        “So why is he coming to us?”
        “It seems he’s become afraid of his own creations.”
        “Elaborate.”
        “A crisis of conscience, if you will.”
        “And for that, he left his family and friends behind and came over here?”
        “Not exactly. One of his conditions was that his family be moved out first before he came over. Soon after, we got him out. I was the one who organized the entire operation.”
        “Good for him. How does that effect us now?”
        “You know why. The Hoofington Air Crisis.”
        “...”
        “On one peaceful morning, griffon air ships were moved dangerously close to Equestrian borders in the Hoofington Bay. My sister immediately had her royal guards patrol the waters, to make sure that no attacks were made on the nearby city, and contacted the Griffon Kingdom’s president. He only agreed to let his forces dissipate after Celestia signed an official peace treaty between the two countries. So she did.”
        “And that was the end of it?”
        “No. What he was really after was Sokolov. We reluctantly gave him back to them to avoid an international incident.”
        “So where is he now?”
        “Being forced to operate under the Kingdom’s demands. They’re having him work on a top secret weapon involving his rocket technology.”
        “So what do you want me to do?”
        “We need you to infiltrate the facility he is being held in, secure him, and bring him back over to us. Whoever is in possession of his rocket technology will decide the future of both our nations. Will you do it?”
        “I---I’ll think about it.”

---

        Twilight Sparkle’s mane flew past her face in the open wind. The slanted part of the room she was in now was open, showing many glorious clouds sputtering past the ship. A voice came into her head as she looked upon the land below her.
        “You’ll be falling at about 180 miles per hour, so try not to get frost-bitten from the wind chill.” Luna jokingly suggested.
        Twilight gave one last gaze before she let herself go. Her body took the full force of the wind as she rapidly descended, briefly knocking the breath out of her. She soon returned to her full composure, and let the air currents direct her body. The moisture in her eyes and tongue chilled while she feel further and further, her mane flowing in many different directions at once. As the ground gradually approached her, she saw the many bright green trees and rock formations. Twilight surveyed the landscape below, and spotted a open cliff side with lush foliage. She grimaced, and focused all her energy into her horn, causing it to glow a vivid purple. It sparked, and suddenly Twilight was surrounded by a purple bubble, drastically halting her descent. The bubble twirled around the air above the trees until she directed it in the direction of a small green plateau. It popped immediately upon landing, and Twilight rolled along the grass until she came to a complete stop in momentum. She stood up, and glanced at the luscious forest around her. She crouched behind a tree overlooking the side of the plateau and pressed a button on her jacket, attached by a long cord made of different metals leading up to her ear.. A buzzing sounded. Princess Luna’s voice came through. 
        “Can you hear me? Good. I’m glad this thing can actually work for long distances. This thing is a fairly recent invention, and we a hard time procuring it. I’ll sure to thank whoever made it when you get back. Anyway, you are in enemy territory now, and they could be listening to our conversations at any moment. So, we will use code-names to identify ourselves and to secure the secrecy of the mission. You are not to mention your real name to anyone. I will now refer to you as ‘Snake’.”
        “...Snake?” Twilight shakily said. 
        “What’s the matter? You don’t like snakes?”
        “It--it’s fine. What am I to call you?”
        “Hrm... I haven’t actually thought of it yet. Let’s go with.... Major Zero.”
        “Sounds important.”
        “Perfect for me then. It’s from this play I saw a couple of nights ago.” Luna said. Twilight gave a little giggle. “What? There’s nothing wrong about that. Anyway, this will be a sneaking mission. You are to leave no trace of your presence, no way for the enemy to track you back to the Equestrian government. Stealth should be your primary concern at all times. Do not let the enemy see you. You are already in violation of several codes and treaties between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. If you are captured, there will be no one to come save you. The mission rests entirely in your hooves.”
        “Got it.”
        “However, do not let that fool you into thinking you are alone. You have me and a support team to help you out in any way we can. Firstly, let me introduce Para-Medic.”
        A spry and energetic voice was projected from the ear-piece.
        “Hey Twi! I’m so glad I could help you out with this!”
        “Lyra?” Twilight said with shock.
        “Para-Medic, meet Snake.” Luna reminded her in frustration.
        “Yeah We got to use code-names and stuff while you’re out there. Isn’t it cool? It’s like we’re in a secret society...” Lyra vigorously explained. Luna sighed.
        “Para-Medic, can you please try to act with a little more composure? This is a serious mission.”
        “All righty then! Anyway Twi, I’m here to help if you ever get grievously hurt or perhaps even maimed! I’ll be like a medic who comes in by parachute, except not. Let’s hope I don’t have to ever do that, right?”
        “Um, Major, why exactly did you choose Ly--err--Para-Medic to provide medical assistance? She’s only a nurse at Ponyville hospital.” Twilight questioned. 
        “Don’t worry, she has most of the Canterlot medical staff with her. It was decided by my sister and I that you would need a friendly voice like hers when dealing with pain or injury. Speaking of her... she’s on this mission too.”
        “...what?” Twilight Sparkle shyly whispered. Suddenly, a soothing and authoritative voice came on. 
        “Hello, Snake.” she said. 
        “Princess Celestia?” Twilight shouted. Luna went to speak, but she was cut off by her elder sibling.
        “Yes my student, it’s me.”
        “...”
        “Talk to me, please. How many years has it been?”
        “...five years, 72 days, and 18 hours.”
        “You counted.” she said warmly. “Where have you been?”
        “Learning.” Twilight simplified. 
        “I see. It is good to hear your voice again, my pupil.”
        “...”
        “You didn’t need me anymore.”
        “No! Of course I needed you! I still had so much to learn!” she wistfully said. 
        “I taught you everything that I knew. It is only natural that you would seek out more. It is nothing to be ashamed of. The rest you needed to learn on your own.”
        “But--”
        “Listen to me Snake. You need to understand that what was and what is right now isn’t always what will be. Allegiances, loyalties, even relationships are not fixed things. The techniques I taught you are nothing compared to the spirit you have inside. Without the spirit to guide your motives and will, a pony is nothing more than a tool. Tell me, have you grown in spirit since we’ve last met?”
        “...”
        “No, you haven’t. You’ve diminished.”
        “I’ve grown stronger!” Twilight yelled, small tears welling up in her eyes.
        “In body, but not in spirit.... the times we live in now. A pony’s values change over time, and so do leaders they follow. Nothing is in absolutes. As long as we are loyal to one thing and one thing only, we are out-dated. Obsolete. If there is only blind faith, what is the point of believing?”
        “...”
        “You will know when the time comes. For now Snake, we must focus all our attention on the important task at hand. My code name for this mission will be ‘The Boss’. If you need to reach me, I will be available at any time with the others. Good luck.”
        “Wait,” Twilight hesitantly said.
        “What is it?” Celestia asked.
        “It’s... it’s good to hear your voice again too, Princess.”
        
---



        Twilight arranged her gear inside her saddlebags and pockets before setting out into the wilderness. She threw her backpack over onto her back before she received another contact.
        “Sokolov is being held in an abandoned factory north of your position. Avoid as much conflict with any Griffon soldiers in the area and you should be fine. Remember, this is a stealth mission. Good luck.” Princess Luna reassured. 
        The lavender unicorn levitated a grey bandanna from out of her bags to in front of her head, and slid it over her bangs, situating it just above her eyes. 
        “I’ve read that headbands like these are usful if you’re going to be doing any sweating, and in temperate weather like this, it’s sure to come in handy.” she explained to herself. Twilight then smiled confidently and said, “Commencing Virtuous Mission: Now!” The unicorn galloped further into the lush below the great green canopy. She gazed around the area as she trotted alongside a slightly worn dirt path that zig-zagged between the trees. The bright morning sun came out in rays out of the many branches. Insects of kinds she had never seen before crawled and flew among the bushes and long, untouched grass. A family of furry squirrels climbed atop a particularly large tree and into one of it’s many holes. 
        “Wow, what an amazing environment! If I wasn’t just visiting here, I would love to take catalog of all the many animals that live in this place.” she said before suddenly coming to a halt. She stared wide-eyed at two intimidating griffon guards, dressed in combat armor made of hard, cold steel. They were patrolling a long, rickety wooden bridge. The bridge sat between two opposing cliffs, and between them, a river lay at the bottom of a deep canyon. Twilight quietly hid behind one of the rocks jutting out of the earth. “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have been talking to myself loudly on a mission that emphasizes stealth and quietness. Darn it, I’m doing it again!” she realized before placing one of her hoofs over her mouth. She turned quickly to see the guards strutting about, spreading their wings in obvious boredom. Her gaze then moved upward, to see a low-hanging branch from one of the trees, with a buzzing bee-hive attached to it. “I’ve got it!” she whispered. The horn on her head glowed, and her magic stretched out silently from it. It reached the stem that the bee-hive was attached to, and swiped through it. The hive fell through the other branches below it before crashing on top of one of the griffon’s heads. The guard yelped as he stumbled around in a panic. His comrade moved to help him, but avoided direct contact out of fear. She used her wings, flapping them in an attempt to brush away the bees stinging him, but ended up only pushing him instead. He tripped over the edge of the cliff, plummeting down deeper into the canyon. The female griffon dived down after him, swatting away the bees left behind. Twilight wiped the sweat from her forehead, which was contained by her bandanna. “Hey, this thing really does work!” she stated triumphantly. 
        Twilight walked across the wooden bridge, barely keeping on top as the wind pushed it up and down. “I’m surprised this bridge could hold those two guards in the first place. It can barely support me alone!” Once she got on solid ground, she set off in a gallop along the path. The trees grew less condensed, spacing apart until Twilight found herself looking straight at her objective. A rusty red factory, obviously having seen much better days, sat inside a gated area. Several parts of the facility were missing entire walls, much less bricks. Papers, dirt, and brown barrels were strewn about the place. Twilight soon saw that there were several griffon sentries guarding the building, and promptly ducked from their view behind a nearby tree. She crouched down and pressed the contact button on her jacket, careful to keep her actions as quiet as possible. A buzzing soon followed. 
        “What’s the situation, Snake?” Luna answered. 
        “Major, I have about 4 sentries guarding the old factory. This place is in need of a good broom.” Twilight said with disdain in her voice. 
        “You’re here to rescue Sokolov, not to tell the griffons on how to properly maintain a residence. Now, according to what we know, he should be in the room situated to the north-east. Do you see it?” Twilight looked up from her position, and saw the only fully intact room in the facility was in that exact direction. Smoke was coming out of the chimney top, billowing into the sky above.
        “Yes, I see it. I’m beginning my approach now.” she finished. Twilight began to stand before another buzz sounded. “What is it?” she asked in surprise. 
        “Snake!” Lyra shouted. “That’s your code-name right? I forgot... okay, thanks Princess. That is your code-name. Well, I just called to tell you that you’re doing a great job so far! Taking out those two guards with the bee-hive was awesome!”
        “Wait, how did you know I did that?” Twilight said in confusion. 
        “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you keep a good state of mind in this mission. Positive feedback like I just gave you will help you do just that.  Physical healing and treatment isn’t the only thing a doctor should be good at. I think that healing starts with the mind. That’s the most important part, don’t you agree? You see, I imagine that being alone in a foreign forest, dealing with dangerous enemies, breaking international law, rescuing a VIP, and just generally surviving in a tough environment like that is kind of a tough thing to deal with. So if you ever need a buddy to talk to, I’m here to help!”
        “...thanks Para-Medic. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” Twilight exasperatedly replied. She then finally stood up, and looked around the bend of the tree. Two of the griffons were talking on the far side of the area, away from the room Sokolov was in. The other two were standing just outside of the door to the room, giving each other approving glances every few seconds and vigilantly surveying the space in front of them. “Alright, I don’t have to worry about the duo away from Sokolov. However, the two right in front of my target will definitely be a problem. If I take them out, the others are sure to come running after. Perhaps there is another way in...” Twilight Sparkle looked around the bottom of the building, seeing that there was a wooden ventilation gate broken off from it’s vent. “Ah ha! I think I can fit inside there if I crawl.” 
        Twilight tumbled over to one of the dilapidated brick piles and pressed her body against it. After seeing that none of them had noticed her, she advanced slowly to a crate beside the vent. She crouched into a crawling position, and entered through the vent. The dusty, filthy insides did not sit well with her, but she continued on despite it. The vent went through a few twists and turns before ending at a ventilation cover, blocked by a number of wooden planks. Twilight’s horn glowed and moved the planks away, allowing her to open the cover. 
        She immediately found herself within a small, if surprisingly comely room. A well-made bed was set in the corner, with a small desk lit by candle-light. The main source of light in the room came from the medium-sized fireplace, which was currently burning papers thrown in it by a very proper looking grey pony. His reflective monocle was in front of his right eye, and he was wearing a slightly dirtied suit and hat. Twilight had come in unnoticed by him through a vent in the floor.
        “Um, hello sir.” she whispered. The pony was startled by her. “You must be Sokolov.” she continued. 
        “Of course! You--you must be one of Thunderbolt’s soldiers. Well, you’ll never get it from me!” Sokolov said, throwing the rest of his papers into the flames. 
        “No no, I’m an Equestrian agent. I’ve been sent here to rescue you on behalf of the Princesses.” Sokolov’s face lit up.
        “Oh thank heavens! I thought I’d been left here to die. But, we have no time for this. Soon some of Thunderbolt’s goons will be here.” he worriedly said. 
        “Who is this ‘Thunderbolt” you’re so worried about?” she questioned. 
        “Thunderbolt is one of the top colonels in the Kingdom’s army. She’s after my work! You’ve got to get me out of here!”
        “Look, I need some information first. Why is she after you?”
        “Thunderbolt has been eying my operations ever since I joined the WPSDB. She’s head of a subsection of the Griffon army. After my close failure with the first rocket, she’s seen the potential my work has. She wants to use it to further her own political stance, and try to take control of the Griffon Kingdom. The current president is rapidly loosing support after his peculiar action lately, and she wants to take advantage of that. Those guards outside are a part of the national army, but a few spies have been tipped off to our location. Soon her and her soldiers will be here to take me away! Thunderbolt is a cruel and treacherous mare. She will stop at nothing to be above everypony else. We must leave immediately!”
        “I understand. Okay, there are guards outside this room, and I don’t think you’ll fit inside the vent, so I’m going to try to teleport us both out there. Are you okay with that?” Sokolov nodded nervously. “Alright, here we go...” she spoke as her horn crackled with magic. Sparks flew around her and Sokolov, growing steadily in pace until the two were blurs. Sokolov pulled his hat over his eyes, and Twilight gritted her teeth. Then, with a snap, they were gone.

---

        Twilight awoke to have her face firmly implanted in tree bark. She repeatedly tried to pull her face back, but it gave no results. Finally, her horn glowed brightly and the bark peeled away by force. She shook her head to get rid of her dizziness, and then noticed where she was. The tree was planted right outside of the dilapidated factory. Sokolov was on the ground, eyes rolling in his head. 
        “Well, that could have gone a lot worse. Come on, we’ve got to--” she said before glancing around the area. The entire facility looked deserted. Mysteriously, the guards were not at their posts. “--hide?”
        “Perhaps Thunderbolt has already gotten to them!” he said in panic. 
        “No, look, we’ve got to get out of here. Follow me.” Twilight hurriedly said. She ran to the corner of the building and peaked around the bend. Sokolov scampered after her, trying to be stealthy but horribly failing. “The coast is clear. Let’s move on.” she told him. Her horn pointed forward, Twilight advanced to the middle of the facility, with Sokolov in hot pursuit. Suddenly, multiple griffon guards surrounded them. Twilight’s horn twitched with magic, but she held her ground near Sokolov. 
        “Freeze!” one of them yelled out of his beak. Twilight searched around for a possible hole in their perimeter, but to no avail. The griffons closed in on them slowly.
        A metal clinging sound echoed off the walls of the facility. The griffons looked wildly in every direction, until they saw the source of the sound. A lone unicorn stood in the entrance. Her light blue coat shined almost as much as her silvery-white mane, which was short but curled slightly. Her outfit consisted of black battle fatigues, a red beret on her head, and brown cowpony boots with glistening spurs on the backs. She looked over the griffons before focusing on Twilight and Sokolov. Her eye gave a little twitch as she approached them. 
        “Oh, she’s just a Ocelot soldier.” one of the griffons said. The others relaxed. 
        “Soldier?” she said with indignation. She pranced up and down the soldiers, giving them condescending looks. “That’s Major Ocelot to you. And don’t you forget it.” One of the griffons stood up to her. 
        “Sokolov is ours. Now get out of here.” she threatened. The pony smirked.
        “An ocelot never lets her prey escape.”
        “Wha--” was all the griffon could say before she flew backwards into the air, crashing into one of the others. She proceeded to blast one of the two remaining ones with her magic into a brick wall, making a large crunching sound. The last one charged at her, but instead of blasting him away, the unicorn smacked him in the face with her right hoof. He fell to the ground loudly as she walked over his unconscious body. She stared down Twilight Sparkle while Sokolov cowered behind. 
        “Sokolov, take cover!” Twilight shouted. Sokolov galloped away from the two in a hurry.
        “It’s you.” she said to Twilight. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment.”
        “Why Trixie? Why go with them?”
        “Why not? You were constantly on the move for five years. I waited for the day we met again, and in that time I improved my skills. As you can see, I am much more than a mere magician now.” Trixie explained.
        “It’s still all smoke and mirrors to me.” Twilight replied. A twinge of rage filled Trixie’s pupils, but her cool composure quickly returned. She chuckled to herself. 
        “Smoke and mirrors, huh? How about THIS?” she yelled furiously while shooting a magical blast at Twilight. Twilight jumped out of the way and retorted with a shot of her own. Trixie lifted one of the barrels nearby in front of her face with telekenisis to absorb the blow, and threw it at Twilight before she could retaliate. But Twilight wasn’t there. Trixie looked around the area quickly, but still could not find her. 
        “Hah! Run and hide, Sparkle! I’ll still find you anyway!” she shouted as she trotted among the waste and ruins. Trixie saw a bit of purple rush behind a wooden crate. She slowly approached the box, inch by inch, and threw it up it up via her telekinesis. Nothing was there. “Coward! Too scared to face me?” she said before something rammed into her, throwing her onto the ground and dirtying her clothes. Her hat, tossed off of her head, lay nearby. She quickly crawled over to it, and tried to grasp it with her hoof before it was stomped upon by a purple leg. Twilight rubbed it into the dirt before tossing it back in Trixie’s face. “You dare--” was all Trixie could manage to say before her hat was stuffed inside her mouth. She moved to get back up, but was restrained by several magical fields. Twilight levitated a long piece of rope out of her bags and tied it around all of Trixie’s legs. 
        “Something I learned from you.” she sarcastically said as she left the factory. Trixie said something but it was muffled by her beret. “Oh, I will say this: you did get a bit better.” Twilight finished.
        Twilight galloped to the tree outside of the facility before crouching behind it. She pressed the button on her fatigues. A buzzing soon followed. 
        “Major, do you read me?”
        “Yes Snake, what’s the situation?” 
        “I ran into a few snags. Nothing I couldn’t take care of though. Some other sect of the Kingdom’s army tried to take Sokolov. Run by somepony named Thunderbolt. Some sort of internal power struggle against the current president.”
        “Thunderbolt? Oh no. This could get out of hand extremely fast. Snake, is Sokolov with you?”
        “No, he’s run off. I’ll find him though. Leave it to me.”
        “We’re counting on you Snake.”
        
---

        Twilight galloped off towards the bridge overlooking the wide valley. Sokolov was shivering in front of it. He saw her and immediately looked more composed, but still frightened.
        “Come! We must make haste before--” he said, but his words were unable to be heard. A sound exploded through the area and overtook his words. Both of them looked to the direction it came from, but only saw a rock on the cliffs.
        “Wait...” Twilight pulled out her binoculars and peered through them at the rock. She discovered that it wasn’t a rock at all. A great steel golem, with drill-like arms, a dull head, and a turtle-like weight on it’s back appeared before her. On top of the weight was a colossal cannon, still smoking from firing. “What is that?” she asked. 
        “The Shagohod.” Sokolov grimly answered. “‘The Treading Behemoth’. A tank capable of launching rockets from any kind of terrain.”
        “Any terrain? That’s what they were making you build?”
        “Yes, but it’s far from finished. This is only Phase I. It won’t be completed until Phase 2; the weapons true form. If Thunderbolt gets her hooves on it by then, it will mean war.”
        “No! We can’t let that happen!” she yelled.
        “Then hurry! If we are quick enough, we may be able to destroy it before then!”
        “Alright. Let’s go.” Twilight backed Sokolov behind her as they carefully went across the bridge. The other end was surprisingly foggy. Sokolov glanced down below and yelped. The two made it across until Twilight stopped. She saw a tall figure in the fog, oddly familiar but still alien. Levitating next to each of it’s sides were two long boxes. Twilight looked harder into the fog, but as the figure stepped out, she could not believe what she saw.
        
---

        Princess Celestia casually walked onto the rickety bridge. The alicorn wore a grim expression on her face. Her white coat was almost blinding in the afternoon sun, as was her aurora-colored mane, flowing in the wind. She did not bear her usual royal attire. Twilight backed away slightly in her presence. 
        “P-p-princess?” she stuttered.
        “Good work Twilight.” she said. The two levitating cases suddenly dropped, swaying the bridge from side to side.
        “W-what are you doing here?”
        “Sokolov comes with me.” she solemnly stated. The wind picked up as a huge extension of magic enveloped Sokolov. Twilight tried to pull him back, but he was carried away from her by the levitating force. They pulled him onto a hot air balloon that had risen up from the valley, inside it carrying several passengers. Twilight gasped in horror as she saw who they were. Her old friends; Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stared at her without expressions. Something was wrong with them though. Their normally bright colors were faded grey, and their eyes held no compassion. Twilight shrunk from their soul-piercing gaze.
        “My subjects, I have waited long for this day.” Celestia said. 
        “We will serve you once more.” Pinkie responded. 
        “Welcome back.” spoke Rarity.
        “Ah’m honored to see you again.” said Applejack.
        Fluttershy did not say anything. Sokolov was kicking and screaming, but the four subdued him aboard the balloon. Another figure stepped out of the fog, but this one was smaller and more athletic. Twilight herself did not know what to feel when she saw the figure trot onto the bridge. 
        “Oolatoocs, Oolatoocs...” the dark but shrill voice said. Rainbow Dash walked into view, but it was not only by her voice that Twilight recognized her. Her rainbow mane, tail, wings and coat were still bright, but more ragged and coarse. The most distinguishing new feature of hers, however, was a scar that ran across her left cheek. Her cold eyes looked over the situation, and she turned to Celestia.
        “Thunderbolt.” Celestia stated. 
        “Welcome to this country... and to my unit!” Rainbow said, lifting her wings up. They were very large, almost the size of the Princess’s, but a lot more sharp and edged. She gave a chilling laugh. Twilight could not suppress her need for answers any longer. 
        “Princess Celestia, what is this?” she asked naively. 
        “I’m defecting to the Griffon Kingdom. Sokolov and these are a little gift for my new hosts.”
        Rainbow Dash picked up the two boxes and hoisted them onto her back. 
        “Newly-developed Equestrian portable rockets... these will make a fine gift.” she confidently told herself. She then looked to Twilight, and showed the slightest bit of recognition. “Heh... another one of your disciples?” she sarcastically said. 
        “That can’t be happening! What are you talking about?” Twilight Sparkle shouted at them. She defensively pointed her horn at the pair. Rainbow Dash scoffed, but Celestia advanced on her student.
        “Think you can actually do it?” she questioned. Twilight backed away, but was then violently shoved to the ground by Celestia’s magic prowess. Rainbow Dash laughed once more. “She’s seen too much here. We can’t let her live.” 
        “She’s my student. I’ll take care of it.” Celestia declared. Twilight held the side of her stomach, panting on the wooden planks. Celestia extended her hoof to the unicorn. Twilight looked at it for a second, and pulled herself up to touch it. As soon as she did, Celestia lifted her up with her magic. Twilight helplessly looked into her former-mentor’s eyes as she tumbled over the side of the bridge. One of Celestia’s eyes shed a tear, but she quickly wiped it away. 
        “Are we done here?” Rainbow asked in boredom. Celestia silently nodded. 
        “Drift away. My place is with them now.” she whispered into the canyon. 
        
---

        
        

> Chapter 2: Operation Daisy Eater
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight lay on the dirt riverbank, the lower half of her body still being washed by the torrential waters. Her clothes were drenched and slathered with dirt, but that was the least of her problems. All over her body were bruises, cuts and lacerations. She tried to work her face away from the ground, but fell on top of it in exhaustion. Twilight turned over to look at the brilliant orange evening sky. She smiled slightly but winced in pain again. Twilight then saw something out of the corner of her eye. A group of contrasting purple circles hovered across the clouds, each of them carrying the Shagohod via a complicated set up of ropes and pulleys. She raised her hoof, trying to touch it in her delusion. A buzzing sound emitted from her ear-piece, and she sighed while pushing it.
“Snake? Can you read me?” Luna said in a panic.
“....ugh.” was all Twilight could say.
“Snake, speak to me, please!”
“Yes Major, I can hear you.” she managed.
“Look Snake, we’re going to drop a recovery balloon near your position. Try not to move too much before then, or else your wounds might get worse.”
“Alright.” Twilight responded. Her eyes were still transfixed by the several hot air balloons wading through the sky.

---

On board one of the balloons, Trixie paced back and forth. With her was Rainbow Dash and a dab grey mare with a pure black mane. She muttered to herself and kicked the side of the balloon.
“It’s not right! I wanted to be the one to stop her! To show that I was better!” she yelled. Rainbow Dash scowled at her.
“Maybe if you were actually worthy of your position, you could have beaten her.”
“What do you mean?” Trixie said in shock.
“You know exactly what I mean.” she mumbled as she stood up. Rainbow walked over to the two boxes she now possessed and threw them open. She eyed them greedily, and began to assemble the rocket launcher.
“A great success, thanks to Celestia and her “crew”. I now have both Sokolov and the Shagohod.” she triumphantly said.
“What are we going to do with her?” Trixie asked, pointing to the grey mare. Rainbow stopped what she was doing and looked at the pony suspiciously.
“Who is she?”
“Apparently she’s Sokolov’s girlfriend.” Trixie answered. Rainbow Dash trotted over to her and smiled.
“We might be able to use her... and while we’re at it, we have no further use for Sokolov’s research facility, do we?”
“No.” Trixie said simply.  She looked over to Rainbow, who now had the rocket slung over her shoulder.
“I think it’s high time I gave this marvelous new toy a try.” Rainbow said, aiming the weapon. Trixie immediately got up and questioned her.
“Sir, this is griffon country! We’ll be labeled as traitors!” she pleaded.
“Ah, but it won’t be me that fired it. It will be our friend, the Equestrian defector.” she evilly answered.
“No! You can’t!” Trixie managed to say before Rainbow Dash fired the rocket. The force from the launch pushed the balloon several feet backwards, and tossed everyone around inside it. The projectile rapidly sped through the air until it reached the abandoned factory, to which it then promptly exploded on impact. The whole facility was enclosed in flames, and a large smoke cloud billowed through the air. Trixie and the grey pony both had a look of absolute horror on their faces, but Rainbow Dash looked disappointed.
“It’s no sonic rainboom, but I guess we’ll just have to work on that, won’t we?”

---

Twilight sat on a hospital bed, her face looking remarkably better, but her right front leg was still in a cast. Princess Luna stepped into the room, looking very relieved to see her.
“You have no idea how scared we were. Your friend was prancing up and down, waiting to see if you were okay.”
“Yes, I realized the extent of her concern. Actually, I think I realized it after the tenth time Lyra visited me. Doesn’t this hospital have visitor hours?” Twilight complained. Princess Luna laughed heartily.
“I apologize. But unfortunately, those are the least threatening of our problems at the moment.”
“I’ve heard. Aside from Lyra, the Canterlot politicians have been saying that I’m an accomplice in Celestia’s defection and a no-good traitor.”
“Correct. My sister’s political power base has crumbled in the years you’ve been away, most likely due to some slightly opposing views her and I have had on governing. We had no intentions of letting our disagreements out to the public, but you know how these things are. Several groups claiming that this new “democratic republic” instituted in the Griffon Kingdom should be brought over to here, and that I somehow share their views, when in fact, I do not at all. While my sister and I do not agree on everything, the fact is that we were rulers together, not apart. That government they have in the Griffon Kingdom would never work here. Have you seen their so called “representatives”? They do nothing but argue, and the same goes for the military. You witnessed first hoof how they are all willing to betray each other for the slightest bit of power. They never get anything done! I personally find it disgusting, but my sister tolerated them, and so do I.” she explained. “Unfortunately, those same politicians hold quite a bit of influence. They heard about my sister’s... resignation, and said that it justified their views. Her assault on the Griffon Kingdom with a top-secret developmental rocket weapon has put an enormous burden on them. Now they have called upon us to clear Equestria’s slate in the affair. If we don’t, Sokolov’s machine could threaten our entire country. Simply put, your mission has changed. You are now to secure Sokolov once more, destroy the Shagohod, and... eliminate Celestia.”
“What? That’s impossible! She’s... well, she’s immortal to start! And the only possible pony who has ever bested her was you! I can’t do that!” Twilight said in revolt. Luna walked over to her beside and placed a hoof on her bandaged shoulder.
“Listen Twilight Sparkle; I do not want to order you to do these things anymore than you would want to. But... we need to. I’m not telling you to do this. You deserve the right to choose more than anypony else. Please, just remember what is at stake here.” Luna turned away.
“... I’ll do it.” Twilight answered.

---


The purple airship once again whisked through the clouds, but instead of the morning sun rising along the horizon, it was a pitch-black night. The clouds, gloomy and grey, hung over the sky oppressively. At the back of the ship, a hatch opened to reveal Twilight, decked out in her olive-drab gear again, adjusting her bandanna. She looked down into the familiar forest below, but without the gleam of the moon, it was incredibly hard to see anything clearly.
“So, am I going to be receiving any help at all?” she spoke into her earpiece. Twilight leaped off of the side, fading into the dark green forest below.
“Yes. In your time in recovery, we’ve been able to secure a agent within Volgin’s ranks. She’ll be able to contact you via your receiver when you find her. She’ll be posing as Sokolov’s girlfriend. We’ve picked her because of Sokolov’s love of foreign music, so that she’d fit right in.” Luna explained. Twilight’s velocity increased rapidly, as did her closeness to the lush canopy below. Before she was anywhere near a collision, her horn pulsed with magic. A lavender bubble enclosed her body, and drifted slowly towards the ground. The bubble landed with a pop, and Twilight clumsily fell to the ground. Dusting herself off, she galloped to the nearest tree and hid behind it. After searching the area for anyone watching her, she resumed contact.
“Major, I’m at the target point.”
“Good work Snake. I’m happy to report that Para-Medic will again be providing support for this mission--”
“Hi Snake!” Lyra shouted.
“Uh, yes. Anyway, after the failure of the Virtuous Mission, we will not be reusing that title again. This mission will now be referred to as Operation Daisy Eater.”
“Daisy Eater?” Twilight replied.
“Yes. This mission will take a significantly larger amount of time for you to complete, perhaps even weeks. It’s not just a retrieval like the last one. If you cannot find any prepared food to eat, you’ll be eating all your meals in the jungle.” Twilight gagged slightly. “Oh don’t worry. Para-Medic has an entire handbook describing flora in that area at her disposal, so if you have any questions about anything you come across, be sure to ask her.”
“It says here that some mushrooms out there taste great, although I’ve never had one before. You’ll be like a guinea pig for me, Snake!” Lyra said. Luna gave a little chuckle.
“Our spy should be in the abandoned factory, the same one Sokolov was in.”
“Factory? But I thought it was destroyed.”
“Only partially. As I said before, that weapon was still in development. It wasn’t very powerful on it’s own, but now that Thunderbolt and his scientists have it, they can work out the problems with it and mass-produce them, probably for use on the Shagohod.”
“I see. How will I know that my informant is the real deal when I meet her?”
“Ask her ‘Who are the patriots?’. The answer is ‘La-Le-Lu-Li-Lo.’”
“Strange password.” Twilight said frankly.
“These are strange times we live in. Anyway Twilight, get a move on.”
“Right, but first I have a question...”
“Hrm?”
“Major, do you know why Celestia defected?” Luna sighed upon hearing her.
“Honestly Snake, that question has been rumbling around in my brain for weeks. It couldn’t be for personal gain, for she would be stepping down from her royal duties. She couldn’t be spying on them, otherwise she would have told me. I... I don’t know. Hopefully we’ll find some answers when this is over.”
“Okay. I’m off.”
“Wait Snake.”
“Huh”? A high-pitched beep sounded off from the ear-piece.
“I’ve made this conversation private for the moment.”
“What is it?”
“Snake, despite what all of Equestria is saying, I want you to bring back my sister. Bring her back to me so I can find out why. Please.”
“It’s my first priority.” Twilight said sincerely.
“Really? Well, um, of course. I completely understand why you would--”
“I want answers too. Don’t worry Major.”
“Thank you, Snake.”

Twilight rose from her hiding place behind the tree and advanced into the forest. She could only see a few feet ahead of herself, but that did not hinder her. She formed a circle of light around her horn, and lit up the forest around her. Several nocturnal animals scattered from the bushes and trees.
“I wouldn’t want to accidentally step on some of you guys, would I?” she said while grinning. Twilight continued on into the forest, and came upon a familiar area. “This is where those two guards were.” She suddenly remembered the situation that led to them falling off of the cliff. “That... that really was kind of mean, wasn’t it?” she openly pondered to herself. Twilight slowly walked onto the rickety bridge, but since there was no torrential winds this time, she was not in danger of falling off. Once she reached the other side, she was shocked to see Celestia waiting for her. She was wearing a black cloak that starking contrasted with her vivid mane. “Princess?” Twilight said, bracing herself.
“Does that leg still hurt?” she asked. Celestia sped over to Twilight, grabbing her in telekinesis and thrusting her onto a nearby rock. A loud crack split through the air. Twilight screamed in pain, and could not bear to open her eyes.
“Ugh... what are you doing here?” she was barely able to ask.
“Go home.” Celestia said. Twilight scrambled up in an attempt to strike back, but Celestia knocked her aside. “Go home! You haven’t a chance of finishing your mission.” Twilight stood up shakily, and shot a magical blast at her. Celestia deflected it with a shield instantly. “I’m not your mentor any longer. There is no need to prove that you are virtuous here. This isn’t Equestria.” Twilight began to charge at Celestia, running at full speed with her horn ablaze. Celestia put up another shield, and Twilight crashed into it, sending her flying backwards into a patch of mud.
“W-w-why d-did you leave?” Twilight sputtered out.
“I didn’t. I’m loyal to the end. To my purpose. What about you, Twilight? What is it going to be? Loyalty to your country, or to your old mentor? Your mission, or your beliefs? Your duty to your leaders? Or your personal feelings?” Twilight did not answer, and began to crawl out of the mud drearily. “You don’t know the truth yet. But sooner or later, you’ll have to choose. I don’t expect you to forgive me.” She dragged her way towards Celestia, but she was lifted off of the ground and thrown back again. “But you can’t beat me either. You know yourself too well. If you can’t put the past behind you, you won’t survive long.” Celestia began to walk away from her former student, but stopped. “If we meet again, I’ll kill you.” she coldly said, and teleported away. Twilight pounded the ground in frustration. She hoisted herself up, but winced in pain. The side of her torso was bleeding. She placed her hoof over it and tried standing again. Twilight limped to a rock and sat against it, her breathing clearly hindered. A buzzing sound came through the receiver.
“Snake! Are you alright?” Lyra asked, panic-stricken.
“How did you... you know what, I’m not even going to ask. No, I’m not okay. The Princess... I think she broke one of my ribs.”
“Oh no! Alright, first, apply some bandages to stop the bleeding, and wrap some splint around the effected area.” She bandaged the cut, and then took out some splint from her bags and wrapped it carefully around her torso, covering the wound entirely. “That should make the broken rib mended and the wound closed up. Try not to exert that part of your body too much, or it could disturb the healing.” Lyra told her.
“Thanks Para-Medic.” Twilight replied.
“No problem. Listen Snake, I know that what you have to do on this mission isn’t exactly your idea of a Tuesday afternoon, but we all have your back on this! Don’t get discouraged!”
“... right.” she finished. Luna’s voice suddenly blared through the ear-piece.
“Snake, are you healed up?”
“Yes, thanks to Para-Medic here.”
“Good. Like she said, don’t lose sight of your goal. The factory is only a short while away.”
“Right. Making my way there now.” she said. Twilight Sparkle got back up, and despite being visibly hurt, trotted towards the facility.”

---

As Twilight entered the area, she paused to examine the environment around her. The western part of the building was demolished, but the other half was still fairly intact. Another voice emerged from there.
“Are you the agent they sent?” the voice asked. She then emerged from hiding. She was a grey earth pony with a charcoal mane. Her purple eyes were sharp and focused. On her flank was a cutie mark of a musical symbol that Twilight was not familiar with. “Hm?”
“Who are the patriots?” Twilight questioned.
“La-Le-Lu-Li-Lo.” the mare said.
Twilight extended her hoof outwards. “Nice to meet you.” The grey pony did not respond, nor did she accept the gesture. “Octavia, I presume?”
“You presume correct. What may I call you?” Octavia asked. Twilight was slightly irritated by not being recognized, but she continued on anyway.
“Twilight Sparkle, but my code name for this mission is Snake.”
“Snake, hrm? What a nasty codename. You can call me EVA.” Twilight eyed her suspiciously. “Come with me inside.” she beckoned, and Twilight slowly followed her into the room Sokolov was once held in. There she had a suitcase and some clothes organized together on the bed. “Take these.” she said while tossing them to Twilight.
“What are these for?”
“Sokolov is being forced to continue his work on the Shagohod at a laboratory not too far from here. There they have many scientists working with him. You’ll need a disguise if you want to get inside.” Twilight noticed that a lab-coat was among the clothes she had packed. “The safest way inside is through the rear. First, head north through the jungle. You’ll come to a supply depot. Pass through it and there should be a large crevice nearby. Descend into it and you’ll reach a cave. Move through the cave, and you’ll reach a swamp. After the swamp, you’ll see a warehouse. Go past that and you’ll be just south of the lab.”
“Not too far? That sounds like at least a couple of--” Twilight said before Octavia put her hoof over her mouth.
“Don’t complain. I hate whiners.” she said in agitation. Twilight took the clothes and put them inside her bags.
“Alright, let’s go.” she said.
“Yes, let’s see how well you fare with that broken rib of yours out in the jungle in the middle of the night. Sit down.” Octavia told her, pushing her onto the bed. “Get some rest. I’ll keep watch until dawn.” Twilight looked at her in disbelief, but then felt slightly sleepy as her receiver buzzed. Lyra’s voice came through.
“She’s right Snake. You should get some sleep. Although in your condition, I’d say you should be back here. Just do yourself a favor and take a nap. Doctor’s orders, okay?”
“But you’re a nurse.” Twilight said while yawning.
“Not a whole lot of choice you have, right?” Lyra said, giggling. Twilight laid down on the cushion, and was carried off into her dreams.


> Chapter 3: Coming to Terms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight awoke next morning to being jolted by Octavia out of her slumber. She groggily opened her eyes to see Octavia’s normally controlled face very worried. Octavia pressed her ear against the door, and then started to grab all her things.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight curiously asked. Octavia shot a disapproving look at her.
“It’s the Ocelot Unit. There’s about 4 of them outside the room. We’ve got to go. Got your gear?” Twilight nodded. “Good. Here, give me a hoof.” she said while pointing to the bed. Twilight got off and helped Octavia move the bed off of the trap door into the dusty ventilation shaft. “I’ve got to get back before they spot me. See you.” she said before crawling deeper into the shaft. Twilight desperately searched around for another exit, but only the door was an option. She could hear foot-steps outside the door. “Okay. I guess I’ll have to keep them busy.”
The Ocelot Unit members, several ponies dressed in black fatigues with crimson berets, advanced onto the factory. They closed in on the one intact room, and set up a position around it. They all looked at each other and nodded. The one in front bucked open the door with his hind legs as the rest of the scrambled inside. Nopony was there. They checked all around the room, under the bed, inside the cabinets and up in the ceiling.
“Where are they? Come on, we’ve got to find them before they escape!” one of them ordered.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we already have.” Twilight said. The Ocelots looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Twilight Sparkle standing in the open doorway. They charged at her, but her horn glowed before she teleported above the group. She landed on one of them, knocking the wind out of their lungs, before blasting another pony against the brick wall. One of the Ocelots tried to strike her from behind, but Twilight kicked her in the face, sending him to the floor. The two other remaining Ocelots flanked her, but she was able to muster up a large magical blast that hit them both, knocking them out.
“Sorry guys, but I have a mission to accomplish.” she said before she trotted out the door. Twilight ran out of the factory before she heard a shout behind her.
“I’ve been waiting for you!” Trixie yelled at her. Twilight turned and saw Trixie charging toward her, horn crackling with magic. Trixie rammed into Twilight, forcing them both onto the ground. Trixie tried to punch her, but Twilight knocked her off before she could.
“You’ve had nothing else better to do that wait for me? You wouldn’t have lost if you hadn’t been showing off.” Twilight said. Trixie got up and smiled.
“Exactly. There’ll be no accidents this time.”
“You’re forgetting one very basic thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t have what it takes to beat me.”
Trixie was enraged. She jumped at Twilight but crashed into her magic shield. Twilight grabbed her mane and threw her about. Trixie shot a magical bolt at her, but Twilight deflected it. She then dropped her against the ground with a crack. Trixie slowly rose, holding up her head, and blasted her again. Twilight barely dodged it, but some of the blast streaked past her cheek, drawing a thin cut.
“Ugh! This isn’t over yet!” Trixie said before she ran off, holding her bruised head in her hoof. Twilight touched her cheek and shuddered at the blood dripping from it. Twilight got up onto her hooves and galloped off into the deeper recesses of the jungle.

---

Twilight Sparkle continued on into the forest, but suddenly the trees opened up into a wide clearing. A large swamp lay before her, with many insects and fish swarming about and within it. Twilight let out a groan of disappointment.
“I have to swim across this? Great.” she said. She started to step into the murky waters, but soon she screamed out in terror. A crocodile, it’s scaly grey hide melding into the dirt below the water, lifted its head and turned towards the unicorn. Twilight muffled her voice quickly, but it was too late. Several other of its brothers and sisters focused on her, and some began to slowly move towards her. Twilight started to sweat profusely. She could not muster up the will to move. One of the lizards crawled up behind her and opened it’s mouth. Twilight saw it just in time to avoid a strong bite, jumping out of her petrified state and running towards the nearest skinny tree. The group advanced on her position, but in a instant, she teleported herself up onto the top of the tree. The crocodiles stared at her, unflinching and unwavering. Twilight’s teeth stopped chattering only to accommodate another feeling, one caused by cold hard logic. The tree began to buckle under her weight, falling in the direction of the swamp.
“Oh no. No nonono! What do I do?” she asked herself. Twilight saw that a group of intertwined vines were connected to two other trees on opposite sides of the swamp. The top part of the descending tree suddenly snapped, and before she could fall off, Twilight leaped in the direction of the vines. She could almost grasp them, but instead she fell below the vines. There was no splash. Twilight did not feel like the surface she fell on top of was water, and she reached out to touch it. A hard, scaly texture greeted her, and Twilight gasped. One of the crocodiles was carrying her above the murky swamp, its back barely skimming the surface. Twilight stood up on it, and looked back. The other crocodiles saw her and dived into the water instantly. Strangely, the reptile she was on top of did not seem to notice her at all.
“Perhaps I can use this to my advantage...” she said, and began to formulate a plan. The crocodile she rode upon was slowly travelling to the opposite side of the swamp, the way she needed to go. “By the time this slowpoke gets over there, the others will have gotten to me. Come on Sparkle. Think of something!” Twilight’s face lit up, and so did her horn. A magical beam extended from it to the head of the crocodile, and the lizard’s eyes changed from a milky white to a bright violet. It started to paddle much faster than it was previously, but it was too late. One of the other crocodiles jumped out of the water, its mouth open wide, trying to grasp her. Twilight ducked under it before it splashed back into the waters. Another one swung at her with its heavy tail, but it only whisked through her tail. Twilight saw the shoreline rapidly approaching, and leaped off of her ride before any of the rest could attack. She stumbled into a patch of mud, but freed herself and galloped far away from the crocodiles. She hid behind a small bush, her heart beating furiously and her bandaged side aching. She saw that the reptiles had lost sight of her as they all descended back into the water. Her receiver rang, and she heard Octavia’s controlled voice through it.
“Snake? Are you there?” she asked before being quickly validated by Twilight’s heavy breathing. “Ugh. What happened? Did you get yourself hurt?”
“No--I just--ran into--some complications.” she sputtered out. “So--did you make it back?”
“Yes. They never noticed a thing.”
“EVA, is the Princess there?”
“Celestia? Of course.”
“...”
“That wound on your side. You got it from her, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Figures. Maybe next time you’ll have better luck.”
“Next time? Who says that there will be a next time?” Twilight asked.
“Well, a part of your mission is to eliminate her, yes?”
“...yeah.”
“Then it’s certain. Either you will beat her, or she will beat you.”
“How do you know I’ll make it that far?”
“Trust me. There will be a next time.”
“...”
“Anyway, continue on the path I told you. That supply depot should be up ahead. Sneak through there and make it to the crevice. If you need to contact me, I’ll be here.”
Twilight got up and trotted along the dirtied path that led out of the swamp. She entered a huge clearing, which housed two enclosed buildings surrounded by several crates, and a large landing space for any aircraft. A familiar blimp was perched upon it, deflated and empty. About 12 griffon guards were vigorously patrolling the grounds. Twilight could see that the entire facility was separated from her position by a extended chain-link fence. She also observed that the only exit was past the depot’s perimeters.
“Let’s see. Going in directly isn’t an option. It’s too far to teleport, and I can’t let those sentries spot me.” she whispered to herself. Twilight pressed the button on her receiver, and Princess Luna came through. She explained the situation to her and asked what was the best possible course of action.
“Well, since it appears that you cannot get inside, is there a path that leads around the fence and to the crevice?” she said regally. Twilight Sparkle pulled out her bionoculars and gazed around. She saw that all around the sides of the depot were lengths of tall grass that could feasibly conceal her from view.
“Thanks Major. I believe I found a way.” she confidently said.
“Good. Like EVA said, make your way to the crevice and you’ll be halfway there.” Luna assured.
“Major, I need to ask you something.” she asked.
“What is it?”
“Can you tell me more about EVA?”
“Um, of course. She was one of Canterlot’s finest practitioners of the cello, despite being a earth pony. She went on many tours all over Equestria, especially to Ponyville in recent years. On one of her musical tours to the Griffon Kingdom, apparently she fell in love with Sokolov. She contacted us prior to the Virtuous Mission, and she offered her services as a spy to us. She had some very impressive credentials, which surprised me. We turned her down, seeing as that mission was just a simple search-and-rescue, but we quickly accepted her for this one. As you’ve probably seen, she’s quite good.”
“That’s.... odd.” Twilight frankly said.
“What?”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that a musician would offer to keep tabs on her own boyfriend for us, let alone be a spy in the first place?”
“Yes, I did. However, she was the only pony we could possibly turn to, so we couldn’t refuse her help a second time.”
“I saw her multiple times in Ponyville when I used to live there. I always thought there was something... odd about her.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was extremely observant of Ponyville. She held concerts there monthly after I moved.”
“So?”
“Do you trust her?”
“Yes. It’s not often I say this, but you should lighten up. She’s there to help you, not to sabotage or kill you. Out in a area like that, you should feel lucky to have somepony looking out for you.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m making my way to the crevice now.” she finished.
“Good luck.”
Twilight Sparkle made herself prone on the ground and began to cautiously crawl in the tall grass. She periodically paused to see if any of the guards saw her, but none of them were that particularly observant. She was able to crawl all the way over to the back exit without being spotted. Twilight stood up and looked at the plain-blue sky. A couple of clouds were floating in the air. She smiled at their playful looking shapes, and continued onwards.

---

The crevice was a medium sized gap in the ground, but it was the least noticeable part of the area. Large gusts of winds burst through the trees and was constantly blowing the grass in one direction. Twilight had to tighten her bandanna the avoid it flying off her head in a particularly strong gust. On the other side of the crevice was a oddly large tree that stood against the raging winds with it’s resilient bark. Twilight ears perked up as she noticed a particular clicking noise coming out from behind the tree. Trixie walked out in front of Twilight, the back of her head covered in bandages. Twilight looked at her and felt the cut on her cheek, which was encased in a small scab. The two eyed each other obsessively, and Trixie’s left eye twitched.
“Ah. You are here at least. You’re boss tipped me off that you would be coming here.” Trixie said. Her horn started to glow a pale blue once more. “Twice you’ve denied me my vengeance. Once you took advantage of my overconfidence. The second, you used my unit to distract me. This time, you’re mine.”
“Trixie, what vengeance could you possibly exact from me?” Twilight demanded.
“What vengeance? You ruined me! I was doing fine until you destroyed my home, and more importantly, my reputation. I had nowhere to go! All I could do was bide my time until you came back, until I was stronger. Now, there’s no escape!” she said, and shot a magic blast before ducking behind the large tree. Twilight tumbled behind the shot as it dissipated harmlessly over the ground, and hid by a nearby rock. Trixie popped her head from behind the tree. “I really must thank you though.” she said while deflecting a shot from Twilight. “I would have never improved if it wasn’t for you.” Trixie retaliated with another blast, but this time, she shot the rock itself, breaking apart the stone and flinging pieces of it at Twilight. Twilight’s shield withstood all of them except for a small one that hit her in the bandaged side. She winced in pain, but ducked out of the way to avoid further assault. “I mean, parlor tricks are nice for the general moronic masses, but it is truly something impressive you pulled off that night. Too bad you are about to be--” she managed to speak before she was hit with a small piece of the rock she blasted. “Oh, come on! Now you are copying me? Um, not that what I did--” Trixie dipped behind the tree as a large fragment crashed into it. “--wasn’t impressive!” Twilight had enough of the prolonged battle. She emerged from cover and prepared herself to jump. She exhaled through her snout, and ran full speed to leap over the crevice and onto the other side. However, before she could make it, she stumbled over the side of the ravine, falling straight into the darkness inside.

“NO!” Trixie shouted, but it was too late. Twilight fell deeper and deeper, until the darkness enveloped her completely.

---

Twilight Sparkle could not see anything inside the excessively damp cave. She rose from the squishy ground to find that she was not very hurt at all from the fall. A patch of moss had slowed her fall. She gazed upward to see a small white hole above, where she fell from. Twilight pressed her transceiver, and Princess Luna answered.
“What’s the situation Snake?”
“I’m inside the crevice.”
“Great! How did you gain access to it?”
“Um, I took a drop. I’m fine though. It’s extremely dark and damp in here.”
“Ah, well you can take care of that darkness with a simple light spell. As for the dampness, well, you’ll just have to live with it. The cave is fairly linear, so the way out shouldn’t be too far.”
“Good. Is Para-Medic there?” she asked.
“Yes. Here she--”
“Hi Snake!” Lyra answered.
“Para-Medic, I’m feeling kind of--” Twilight’s stomach rumbled “--hungry. Do you know about what kinds of edible plant life I could find in this cave?”
“Well, there are these glowy things that--”
“That’s not poisonous?” Twilight added. Luna quietly laughed.
“Ohhhhhh, no poison, got ya. It says here in the book that the brown mushrooms in there should be okay to consume. Eat those.” Lyra said.
“Okay. Thanks.”
Twilight Sparkle lit up her horn, and the ensuing light blinded her momentarily. As her eyes came to focus, a shiver ran down her spine. Many crabs were creeping around the passage she was inside, their pincers clamping in unison.
“Eh, crabs huh? That means there should be running water somewhere in here. And since this cave leads downward, that means the water will flow that way too.” she thought out loud. Twilight walked further along the cave walls, keeping careful watch of the crabs so that she did not come into contact with one. Her ears picked up the quiet sound of a flowing waterfall, and she ran in that direction. Soon, she came across the source. A loud steam of water was cascading down the rock floors in miniature waterfalls. Twilight hopped down each level with a splash that scattered the creatures inside the descending river. She then found that the stream led to a small pool. The light from her horn illuminated the pool below, and revealed a small part of it that led somewhere else. Twilight took a deep breath and dived into the pool. She swam inside the small hole and followed it as it twisted and turned, before it funneled out into another part of the cave. Twilight fell into the new pool and immediately felt warmth surge through her body. Light peeked inside through the ceiling and gave the room much needed warmth. Two rocks jutted out from above the water, and Twilight saw the most peculiar thing on the large one. A orange earth pony stood on top of it, with her cowgirl hat perched upon her bright blond mane. Except, it wasn’t so bright. Everything about Applejack was muted, from her colors to her cutie mark to her expression. As Twilight hoisted herself upon the smaller rock, Applejack stared her down.
“Applejack? What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Ahm here to judge your progress. The Princess wants to make sure you are ready.” AJ answered.
“Ready? Applejack, why would you defect with her? I thought that once I came back that we could do things like we used to!”
“Like we used to? Sugar, there ain’t no going back to the way things were. You’ve changed things forever.” she said, and unexpectedly tackled Twilight. The two wrestled positions until Twilight was able to force her off.
“What do you mean? I was only gone for...”
“Five years. You left behind me, the others, and everything you held dear. Ah must ask you, why? Was it because of Spike?” Twilight’s face burned red with anger.
“DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HIM!” she yelled, and blasted Applejack with a powerful magic bolt.
“Hit a nerve, didn’t we?” AJ responded, and got up once more. She dodged the several blasts Twilight threw at her, and delievered a powerful kick to her face with her hind legs. Twilight was knocked into the water, but she quickly swam upwards to gasp for breath. “You don’t wanna face it, do ya? Ah can understand. But ya’ll should know that you can’t beat her until you let go.” Applejack told her.
“I’m fine with it! It wasn’t my fault!” Twilight shouted. She crawled on the edge of the rock, but Applejack stepped on her hooves. Twilight yelped in pain.
“But it was. You left to avoid taking the truth, and in doin’ so, rejected all the trust we had in you.” Applejack pressed harder on Twilight’s hooves, and she could barely stand the pain. “What really happened to Spike, Twi? What did you do?” she asked. Twilight blinked while trying to resist the pressure, but something happened. When she opened her eyes again, they were glowing white, as was her horn. Applejack was shocked as if by lightning off of her, and Twilight levitated up onto the surface of the rock. She gripped Applejack with a magical field and dragged her across the rocky ground towards her. Her words were quiet, but spoken with fury.
“He was taken from me by the Princess, after a letter I sent to her about his most recent growth spurt. She said that it was time for him to live amongst his own kind, but I disagreed. He... he was like a little brother... no... a son to me. And she TOOK HIM AWAY!” Twilight began to grip harder around Applejack’s neck. “I... I knew that he would eventually outlive me, but... I just wanted a little more time.” Tears ran down Twilight’s cheeks. “I... I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye...” Applejack smiled.
“Twi--I can’t blame you for bein’ sad---but--leavin’ couldn’t solve your problems.” she managed to say. Twilight’s glowing eyes faded, and her pupils returned. She let go of Applejack’s neck, and knelt on the floor. She sobbed frantically, but Applejack trotted over to her and placed a hoof over her neck.
“Ya got to be honest with yourself sugar. That’s the only way you can do this.” she reassured her. Twilight hesitantly stopped crying. “Don’t be afraid of the truth. Embrace it.” Applejack said. Twilight wiped her tears and hugged Applejack.
“Oh AJ, thank you. I... I’m so scared.”
“You’ll get through it sugarcube. Ah know it.” she said. Twilight felt relieved, and hugged Applejack for what seemed like an eternity. Twilight let go to pick herself up off the ground.
“AJ, are you---” she said while looking at the cave wall. “AJ?” she beckoned, but nopony answered. She searched around the cave for her friend, but she was nowhere to be found. 
> Chapter 4: Rise and Shine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle looked over the side of the rock, into her own reflection in the water. She saw the purple unicorn stare back into her eyes. Twilight tapped her head slightly with one of her hooves. She thought she saw her reflection change, but upon closer examination, it was the same as it was a couple of seconds ago. She then looked at her hooves, which felt fine as if they weren’t even hurt.
“I... I need it to get it together.” she said to herself. Twilight spotted a rocky tunnel leading out of the cave, and she teleported herself over to it. She also saw some mushrooms along the side of the walls, and promptly picked them. Her transceiver buzzed, and she answered it.
“Snake, what’s the situation?” Luna asked.
“Nothing. I think I’ve found the exit to the cave.”
“Good. Get moving.”
“SNAKE!” Lyra shouted, and Twilight recoiled from the loud noise.
“What?” Twilight said angrily.
“Oh... sorry! Too loud?”
“Yes...”
“I’ll try not to do that again. Anyway Snake, you sure you’re okay?” she asked. Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. Why would you ask?”
“I don’t know... your voice sounds a bit... off.”
“I’m fine, Para-Medic.”
“Well, okay. Call if you need to ask anything.”
“Right.”
Twilight walked further into the tunnel, and saw the rocky roof begin to give away to a brilliant orange sky. She smiled as she gazed into the beautiful clouds and the colors they displayed before she was interrupted. Two griffons, wings outspread in the wind, flew over her head and circled the area. Twilight tip-toed through the rest of the rocky area, but came to a stop at a river that flowed from the stone below. Twilight looked at her sides quickly, and then up above. She dived into the river, but soon discovered that it was extremely shallow. She could barely fit her entire body under the water. Twilight swam slowly down the river, stopping periodically to breath in more air. On one of her oxygen stops, she saw that the griffons paroling the river had vanished. Twilight rose from the water, dripping wet and soaked. She walked forward, but soon found her body slipping into the deeper waters, until she was up to her head. She paddled over to a nearby rock formation, and lifted herself up on it. Shaking the water off, Twilight slipped around the jagged rocks and found herself in a tiny alcove. On one side was a stone structure that jutted out of the cliff side. On the bottom of the building was a small wooden dock, with several boats and rafts tethered to it. Twilight saw some figures on the dock, and took out her binoculars. Through them she saw Sokolov being pushed around by a griffon soldier, and Trixie was watching them both. She was walking back and forth along the pier with a anxious look on her face. Out of the entrance to the building came Rainbow Dash, closely followed by Octavia. Sokolov kicked the griffon in his shoulder, and the griffon snarled at him. Rainbow Dash called him off with a wave of her hoof. Sokolov looked to her angrily.
“I’m not going anywhere!” he said, trying to sound brave. Rainbow Dash laughed.
“Really now? How many times must I tell you?” she rhetorically asked. Rainbow raised her hoof, and struck Octavia with it, sending her careening into the concrete. Sokolov gasped in horror. “Each time you resist, your lover will suffer the consequences! Is that clear?” Sokolov made a move to help Octavia, but was pushed back by the guard.
“I.... curse you!” he responded desperately. Trixie ran over to him and pushed Sokolov down.
“You should be careful who you speak to like that, traitor. I’m not as generous as Thunderbolt.” she said importantly. Sokolov silently mouthed her off. “What did you say?” Trixie asked, before going silent. Celestia entered the group through the entrance, walking into the fray confidently. Trixie backed away and turned her head to the ground.
“What is this?” Celestia asked. Trixie mumbled to herself. “Speak up.”
“Nothing.” Trixie quietly responded. Celestia nodded.
“You better stay in line from now on. They will take care of this.” she reassured.
“How do you know? She’s strong.” Trixie said. Rainbow Dash walked up to Celestia.
“Has she been disposed of yet?” Rainbow asked. Celestia lowered her head.
“Applejack is gone.” she solemnly said. Rainbow Dash at first was shocked, but the shock turned into rage.
“What?” she said in anger, and turned toward the concrete wall. She punched it several times, cracking it in the process. Her breathing was more rapid that usual. “I didn’t think she would have that much strength.” Rainbow said, but then proceeded to control her breathing once again. “I fear Luna has a hoof in this. We have to hurry. There’s no time to lose. You have to get rid of her before the final test.” she told Celestia.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be able to handle it.” Celestia casually said. Trixie gave a doubting look. “I’m leaving it to Rarity. She should be able to handle things. Trixie, get Sokolov and come with me. Thunderbolt?”
Rainbow Dash lifted Octavia off of the ground hastily. “I’ll take care of this one, and the Shagohod.” Celestia, Trixie and Sokolov left on one of the boats, floating down the river in the evening sun, while Rainbow Dash took Octavia into the concrete building. Twilight Sparkle put away her binoculars, and pressed the button on her receiver. Octavia’s calm, but slightly shaken voice came through clear.
“Where are you?”
“I’m outside of this concrete building. Are you alright?”
“You saw that, huh? ...this place is a warehouse. Go past here, and you’ll be close to the lab. I’m with her at the moment, but she’s setting up an air balloon. I’ve got to go soon.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“Be safe.” Octavia finished.

---

Twilight slid across the rocky interior wall of the alcove, inch by inch. She paused to look around the dock, but there was nopony there. She got onto the concrete floor of the path leading to the building, and sneaked over to the singular exit. As she opened the door gradually, light by the torches placed inside filled the room with an orange glow. She advanced down a linear hallway, her steps echoing down its illuminated corridor. The walls of the hallway held multiple doors, some red, others blue, but Twilight stopped momentarily as she glanced at a door that was a slightly off color. She shook her head and continued onward. The hallways eventually led into a door, but it was open, revealing a lush night time forest on the other side.
“I guess I’m not the only one here.” she said to herself. Twilight stepped out into the forest, but despite the darkness that surrounded her, she had a child-like grin on her face. On the ground were several different varieties of flowers, and all of them painted the serene forest a vivid rainbow. Twilight picked one of the flowers, a white one with ovular petals, and placed it behind her ear, inside the warm cloth of her bandanna. “You remind me of some flowers from a bush I had when I was just a filly. I planted that bush myself, and my teacher taught me how to nurture it with magic. She said that as long as I cared for it, the bush would never cease to bloom. I wonder... did you need to have anything care for you to produce these flowers?” she asked. There was no answer. “Oh geeze, I’m talking to myself again. Got to stop that.” Twilight said, and continued on under the moonlight that showed through the thick canopy.

---

“Princess, what do you mean? I don’t get it.” a young filly asked. Celestia chuckled.
“You will someday, Twilight. Magic is just funny like that.” Celestia answered. Twilight shook her head and continued to stare at the bush.
“But what about that one forest we studied? Where the weather can’t be controlled, where those really odd plants are?”
“Yes, that place is quite an oddity, isn’t it?”
“How do the plants grow there if nopony is there to plant them?” Twilight naively asked.
“Good question, my student. I’m not quite sure I have the answer, but I will try. You see how each pony is different from one another, even if they are twins?”
“Yes.”
“That is not only because their parents are different, but their lives are too. Each pony has their own destiny, their own life to live. Just like how you got your cutie mark. What were the chances of that happening?”
“Not a whole lot.”
“But it did nonetheless, didn’t it?”
“...”
“Listen Twilight. We will all have a day where we will no longer be here to enjoy the buzzing of a bee, or the crisp taste of water. Until that day, however, we must do what we can to leave a mark, to act, to live. That’s what the plants in the Everfree Forest do. Despite the fact that we cannot dictate nature in those woods, the plants find a way to grow, to prosper, and to become different from one another. Aren’t those the same things we all try to do?”
“I-I guess, but...” Twilight shyly said, and Celestia smiled.
“What is it, my student?”
“I heard that you can live forever. Does that mean you can grow more than other ponies?” Celestia suddenly frowned. She placed her hoof over her head, but then moved to speak.
“No. I fact, it means the exact opposite.”
“Huh?” Twilight gasped, but Celestia returned to a warm smile.
“But it is not important. Come, let us resume class.”

---

Twilight Sparkle focused on her objective while she continued into the forest, careful to not trip on any rocks or wayward twigs while galloping. The forest continued into the darkness, until a tiny light appeared through it. Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she pushed herself harder. The light grew and grew, and the darkness shrank away from it, as Twilight saw it’s source. A huge brick wall was erected around a medium-sized building, which glowed brightly against the pitch-black forest surrounding it. Twilight shrank into a nearby bush, and crawled along the dark floor. As she approached the exterior wall, she noticed that there was a small hole that led through it. She crawled into the hole, and saw the interior building more clearly. It was very oppressive and square, sticking out from the ground at a perfect geometric angle. At one of the entrances were two gruff-looking griffon guards, standing and looking impatient.
“This must be the lab where Sokolov is being held. Time to put on that disguise.” she whispered to herself, and pulled out the scientist’s outfit from her bags. After ditching her usual fatigues, Twilight situated a pair of glasses on the bridge of her muzzle. She walked nonchalantly up to the guards and looked at both of them. The two examined her, and leaned away from the door to let her inside. Twilight gave a small grin to both of them and proceeded inside the facility. The insides of it were a polished marble floor and walls, shining because of the odd lights positioned throughout the building. They were a flame of some sort, but did not flicker nor give off any scent. “I wish I had a chance to take one of these with me. Such fascinating technology...” she thought out loud. Twilight walked quickly past the other scientists and griffon officers within the building, and looked around. “Where could Sokolov be?” She ran up a small flight of stairs, coming out on the top floor of the building. On this floor, there was only one room. “Ah. Must be.” she said. Twilight opened the door to the room, and found several scientists writing papers and drawing diagrams on the chalkboard at the end of the room. Twilight began to sweat a little as some of the ponies began to look at her suspiciously, so she casually walked into the room next door. She shut the door behind her, locking it tightly and wiping the sweat off of her head. Unexpectedly, there was another being inside the room.
“If you’re looking for Sokolov, he’s not here.” the voice said. “He’s packed his bags and left.” Twilight turned and saw a old-looking earth pony, with a faded yellow mane and a ruby-red coat, sitting on a dusty old brown chair. Twilight’s horn began to crackle, but the pony waved her down. “Put that thing away. You’ll spoil my drink.” He then took a swig from a wine bottle place upon his desk. Twilight took notice of all the trophies, pictures, papers, diagrams, models, and the preposterous amount of shelves that the room had. “So, you’re the agent everypony has been talking about. Typical monarchist dog. No manners.” he said while taking another deep drink from the wine bottle.
“Who are you?” Twilight curiously questioned.
“You mean you’ve never heard of me? Heh, some agent. Fine. My name is Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin. A stallion of some importance if I do say so myself. I am the foremost weapons designer in the entire Griffon Kingdom. I have been given honors that most ponies could not dream of. They were all awarded to me for my brilliant contributions to society. It was I who coughed up the basic designs for the portable missile that brought you here in the first place.” Granin explained.
“Are you drunk?” she blatantly asked. Granin gave a hiccup.
“I am merely drowning my sorrows. Because of him, I’ve got nothing to do but sit here and drink this garbage.”
“Him?”
“Sokolov! He’s the one you’re looking for, right? It’s because of him, that I am nothing! Because of him, that I have no authority! Look!” he said while handing Twilight a paper from his desk. She picked it up. On it was a metal creature with chicken-like legs. It’s large, gaping maw jutted out from the main body, which had no arms or legs. Instead, it had a odd circular dome on one end, and a long cannon on the other for appendages. Twilight eyed it skeptically, but Granin took it as a compliment. “Do you know what this is? It will revolutionize everything! A bipedal, missile-equipped tank!” Twilight gave it back to him, and thought it over.
“A bipedal tank?” she said.
“Yes, a walking tank... a robot even! Are you familiar with how different species of apes have missing links to each other? Think of this as the missing link between infantry and artillery. A branch between two cogs in the military machine, a metal gear if you will. This magnificent invention will be a huge step forward for the weapons, and peace.”
“Peace?” Twilight said sarcastically.
“Yes, although it sounds ludicrous, I’m sure it will be. After all, when you have a weapon this powerful, who would dare strike against it? It deters any counterattack! But that is beside the point... it won’t be able to enter production now. Thunderbolt and her crew have ceased production of it in favor of Sokolov’s project. Which is why I'm sending my designs to my colleague, in your country. He will carry on my work, even when I am gone.” Granin said while taking a deep drink from his bottle. “Pfft. Sokolov’s pathetic Shagohod pales in comparison to my work. Do you know what they added in Phase II? A rocket engine. A rocket engine! What are you going to do with a rocket engine at the end of a tank? A tank does not need a rocket! It needs these!” he continued, pointing at his hind legs. “Legs! Legs allow us to go anywhere! Of course, a four-legged design is too heavy on it’s own, so I came up with the concept for a balanced two-legged one. Wouldn’t you agree THAT’S the real revolution in weaponry?” he asked Twilight. She reluctantly nodded.
“Where is Sokolov?”
“In the fortress of Groznyj Grad. The Philosopher’s Legacy has been handed down to him.”
“Legacy? What are you talking about?”
“The Philosopher’s Legacy? You haven’t heard of it? Thunderbolt has inherited their immense legacy. Well, at least the Equestrian portion of it. But it’s still incredible that they are able to fund both Sokolov’s--well, just Sokolov’s project, with the massive amount of power and time they would need for it. Soon, they will be conducting the final test.” Granin took a small sip of wine. “Heh, here Sokolov is getting ready to make his final preparations, and I’m here harboring an enemy spy and drinking myself into a stupor.” Twilight tilted her head.
“Why exactly are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you seem like a pretty trustworthy mare to me. And, you can do me a favor.”
“What?”
“I want you to get that idiot out of there, and destroy the Shagohod. There is a underground entrance to the base in the mountains. To get to the mountains, head through one of the doors in that warehouse nearby, and past a jungle. Here,” Granin said, and gave Twilight a small metal key. “use that to open the door. It’s a oddly colored one, so it shouldn’t be too hard to spot.”
“Thank you.” Twilight sincerely said, and began to leave. Before she could, Granin started to speak again.
“Unlike Sokolov, the thought of defecting has never once crossed my mind. I love... my country. I love this land. It is a place of great opportunity and freedom. I cannot even imagine living anywhere else. I wish to remain a hero... of the great democracy we have here. I cannot bear the thought of being hounded into a corner and left to waste away. It is already dawn.” Granin looked out the room’s window, and saw a creeping ray of sunlight. “You must hurry. I will remain here and nurse my troubles for a little longer.” Twilight opened the door, but Granin said one last thing. “To monarchy, my friend!” he chuckled, and took a great swig of alcohol.

---

As Twilight exited the facility, she took a slow step into the long forest once again. The sky was bright with sunlight and below it, the green of the forest overtook her eyes for quite a long time. As the lovely sight was reflected in her eyes, a silent figure leaped from tree to tree. It was barely visible, and moved with determination and focus. Twilight did not know what to expect when she was stuck in her bandaged stomach again, causing her to emit a ear-piercing scream that bounced off of the many trees. As soon as the figure struck her, it slithered back into the shadows of the trees. Twilight groggily got up on her hooves, but was slammed against the dirt.
“Show yourself!” she yelled into the forest, but as she finished that sentence, the figure made itself visible. A pure-white unicorn with a beautiful purple mane stood before her, displaying a grim expression on her face. “Rarity?” she said in shock.
“Glad to see me, dear?” Rarity said almost sarcastically. “I wouldn’t expect you to. After all, why would you need friends?” Rarity ran and kicked Twilight in her left hind leg, sending her back down to the ground. “Galloping off to Celestia knows where, not giving a care about who you left behind, or whose feelings you hurt...” she continued, and stomped on Twilight’s stomach again. “Perhaps you were justified, but that doesn’t change the fact that you didn’t care!” she yelled into Twilight’s ear. Twilight shakily got up and swung at Rarity, but the white unicorn dodged it and struck back. Twilight flew into a tree and slumped against it, her mind going blank for a second. When she looked up, Rarity had pinned her up against the bark, holding her with a magical field.
“Why--are you guys--trying to--kill me?” Twilight managed to ask. Rarity laughed.
“Why? I should be asking you that! Isn’t this the same thing you tried to do with Applejack? Dear, let’s be honest with ourselves. You aren’t afraid of me...” Rarity dragged Twilight along the ground, splashing dirt in her face and in her mouth. “...you are afraid of yourself, and your own abilities. You’re afraid that you can be dangerous, that you can hurt others, that you can be selfish and spiteful. And you’re Celestia’s prized student?” Rarity lifted Twilight up and slammed her into the ground. “Hah!” Twilight Sparkles horn glowed, and she burst out of Rarity’s grasp. She rested upon the dirt, exhausted and angry. Rarity walked over to her and placed her hoof in front of Twilight’s face. “Do it! Admit that you were wrong!” she yelled. Twilight grumbled and tried to rise again, but Rarity violently kicked her back down. “Say it!” Twilight swung her head from side to side. Rarity promptly stomped on her stomach once more. “SAY IT!” Twilight exhaled, and looked up at Rarity meaningfully.
“I-I’m sorry, I wrong! I should have been there, but I was scared! I... I didn’t want to see you guys again, I didn’t want to explain...” she sputtered out. Rarity nuzzled Twilight’s face and smiled.
“Twilight, I appreciate that. I’m glad that you could owe up to your fears, and admit that you were indulgent. Are you ready to go now?” Rarity said, tears streaming down her face. She lifted Twilight up with levitation and looked at her eyes.
“I-I’m ready...” Twilight hesitantly said, and wiped the tears from Rarity’s eyes. Twilight turned away from Rarity and ran full speed into the forest ahead, not caring where she was going, or where things led. 
> Intermission 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next chapter is in the works as I type this, but as we are at the first quarter of our story already, I thought that I would do a bit of an intermission to tell you guys some things and answer questions that I have received over the course of writing. First, Q&A:

1. Why did you get rid of [insert Metal Gear character here]?

Some of the characters from the games have very little to do with the plot and just provide background information via the radio/codec. I couldn't find a pony with a somewhat developed personality for people like Signit. Not that I don't like the guy, but I just felt the addition of him to the story would just clutter things up and not improve the story at all. However, I will be including ponies for every major character, and even a few minor ones will be in there. Keep an eye out for the CMCs in the future. 

2. Are you going to be doing the other games?

Yes! I will be doing them chronologically, so Snake Eater is first. Unfortunately, since Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake feature very little in terms of dialogue, invested characters and overarching plot, I will be skipping over them. However, I will be referencing events that took place during those games, so they will still have happened. The next one, Peace Walker, will also incorporate elements from Portable Ops within it, since I have decided that it is better to do them as one collective rather than two short pieces. 

3. How do you write the story, from the game script, or from the game itself?

Both. I have a PDF of the script to get the dialogue from cutscenes and codec calls, but I also use the game itself to get a clear idea of what kind of environment and expressions I should add, as well as an excuse to play Snake Eater again. :P

4. Hey! [insert event or character] wasn't there in the original game!

I want to make it clear that I am only using the Metal Gear games as a frame for the story to go by, not a dictating guideline. If I did that, Twilight would be slicing throats and breaking bones, which isn't what I want this story to be. I still want to keep the clean spirit of the show intact so it feels like the same universe. And if I add something that wasn't there, it will not ruin the overall storyline, just a small addition. 

5. I noticed that there is no '3' in the title. Are you going to be using the regular numbering of the series? 

No. I would like the sequels to be clearly distinguished from one another, so I will be doing the order like this:

Pony Gear Solid: Daisy Eater
Pony Gear Solid 2: Piece Walker
Pony Gear Solid 3: The Twin Snakes
Pony Gear Solid 4: Daughters of Liberty
Pony Gear Solid 5: Arms of The Patriots 

Yes, I know the titles suck. 

/endQ&A

Also, if any of you are talented artists or fancy yourself a talented artist, and would be interested in doing images for the upcoming stories, message me!

Secondly, I currently do not own MGS4 at the moment, but I will try to acquire it before I do that portion of the story. I am aware of everything that happens during it, and if I cannot find it or a PS3, I'll fine a way to continue on anyway. 

Thanks for all the support, and I look forward to providing content for you guys to enjoy in the future. :) As a closing message, I will leave you with the image that inspired me to start writing this in the first place: