"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." H.P. Lovecraft.

The ponies snapped their focus to the commandos in a heart beat. It was the moment of revelation where they would finally see a human face in the flesh.

Hesitantly, Shadow reached for their black hoods. For the first time ever, they were going to reveal their faces to non high tier personnel.

Simultaneously, the hoods came off and revealed the hair of the counter terrorists. The ponies dropped their mouths. Their minds stuttered a bit from the sheer realistic detail of the human's manes.

X-ray had medium sized hair that was either black or the darkest shade of brown that existed. It suited his dark recon armor perfectly. Rarity was no expert on human hair, but she could tell X-ray certainly kept his 'mane' in well condition.

Scorch meanwhile had pale blond hair that contrasted with his apparel. His hair was thick and curly. Twilight could have sworn that soldiers had to cut their hair short. Scorch didn't seem to get hair cuts often.

Scarecrow's hair was a darker shade of blond that was flat, but not short by any means. He evidently didn't wash his hair frequently considering it was slightly greasy.

Finally Overwatch had his chestnut brown hair cut short. It wasn't a buzz cut, but it was thin.

The Equestrians took in a moment to sink in the image of the human's hair. They realized just how detailed it looked as opposed to straight and simple manes. Twilight even noted how dull their hair colors were as opposed to the rainbow of pony manes.

The members of Shadow allowed the ponies to adjust to their appearances before reaching for their shades and bandannas. The counter terrorists took off the two items that made up their masks slowly.

And once the faces of the humans were revealed, it was as if a concussion grenade was set off.

The ponies were blinded by the sheer alien design of the human's faces. The realism and xeno nature of Shadow's facial features caused the ponies' vision to blur.

Just when Twilight's was finally clearing up, she heard a series of voices call out.

"Come on! We're not that ugly."

"They're not covering their faces because we look like trash dumb ass. It's because our faces are too foreign for them to handle."

"Should we put our masks back on?"

"They'll adjust."

At nearly the same time the ponies finally were able to take a good look at the revealed faces of Shadow. Each pony paid attention to the similar facial features all the humans had.

Alien look aside, each human had a lack of a muzzle. as their faces were relatively ovular and flat. Their noses were a small bulge and their eyes were comically small, but more detailed none the less. They each had a pair of light red lips Being males, none of them had any noticeable eye lashes and their ears were place across their heads instead of on top. Furthermore, their ears weren't triangular like the ones that belonged to equines. In addition, there seemed to be no fur on them what so ever. Just flesh. In short, one could describe humans as hairless apes.

Scarecrow had milky white skin and a slightly larger head than the rest of Shadow. His eye color was an electric blue. If pony expressions matched human ones, the commander was grinning. He had a thin beard and shaved mustache.

X-ray had a brighter smile than the rest of Shadow. His skin color was a light olive. Not deep, but still noticeable. His eye color matched his hair, either black or an extremely dark shade of brown. He had a thin beard and a shaved mustache as well. He had a smaller and thinner head than the rest of Shadow to match his scrawny structure.

Scorch by far looked the youngest, although it only seemed to be a few months difference. He had a natural tan and smaller lips than the rest of Shadow. His smile revealed a set of large front teeth. He had a set of fiery amber eyes.

Overwatch definitely appeared to be the oldest, although this wasn't saying much considering the members of Shadow were born within months of each other. He had Caucasian skin with a few noticeable freckle marks. He had a brown beard and mustache around his chiseled chin. His hazel eyes had a serious expression. Overwatch had a neutral face.

Truthfully, the equines expected different looks under Shadow's masks. Judging their faces alone, you couldn't tell they belong to the military. The equines didn't know want counted for average, but it felt like Shadow's members were just average boys wearing a costume.

After staring at the formerly faceless humans for a while, Pinkie Pie had the courage to speak.

"Sh-shadow? Is that you?"

"In the flesh." nodded Scarecrow. There was something different about his voice. It was clearer, more distinct and no longer was mechanical.

"I told you we were organic." added Scorch. His Canadian accent now showed.

"You look so weird. So alien." whispered Fluttershy.

"Oh we're the one who looks weird? Not the yellow animated pegasus with a pink mane." X-ray spoke with an Armenian accent that often clashed with his fluent english.

"I thought you weren't allowed to take off your masks." beamed Rainbow Dash.

"Well, we did a scan of the planet's atmosphere. Turns out every disease on this planet can't affect humans, or we're already immune to it." laughed Scorch. The ponies tried o get used to his new voice.

"And the Feds gave an all clear." added Scarecrow.

"Your voices." said Celestia. "They sound so much purer."

"What do you expect? We're not speaking through a microphone." glared Overwatch. The sniper's voice was low and monotonous. Not too different from speaking through a radio.

"But shouldn't you have your masks on for the government to be able to see what you're doing?" questioned Luna.

"They can still hear us, and our HUDs are still pointed at the dining room." assured X-ray.

"You're facial expressions are so pony like." awed Cadance.

"You're facial expressions are so human like." countered Scarecrow.

"Touche." whistled Rarity.

"So tell me." began Scorch. "Do you any of you feel less afraid?"

"A bit." replied Applejack. "Y'all still look kinda weird. To us at least."

"Consider yourself lucky that you can see our face." chuckled Scarecrow. "Had we been in a different situation, we would have likely shot you dead."

"And now the fear is back." muttered Cadance. Shining Armor nuzzled his wife.

Twilight realized something important. "I find it strange that you're soldiers and you have no signs of scars on you."

"Human medicine is awfully strong." trivialized Scorch.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "To be fair you don't look that threatening without your masks on."

X-ray gave off a laugh. "The most powerful fear is fear of the unknown. Now that you know what we look like, we've relieved some of your tension."

"I believe what Miss Dash is trying to point is how normal the 4 of you look." deciphered Luna. "You're indistinguishable from a civilian. Although we could be completely wrong on that part."

"It's intentional." responded Scarecrow. "The members of the 23rd intentionally resemble civilians to make appear more anonymous and withdraw suspicion. Even our recon armor looks like winter clothing if you take off the padding."

"Shouldn't soldiers like you cut your hair to clear your vision?" pondered Shining Armor. "Scorch, your hair looks way out of line for example."

The demo man looked up at his crazy blond hair. "I doesn't really matter how your hair looks in the modern day as long as it can be stored in a helmet, or in our case hood. Our heads up display does all the sight seeing for us."

"By the way, are all of you humans furless or is it just you 4?" asked Pinkie Pie. "It must get super cold without fur to keep you warm, I remember this one time when-"

X-ray cut her off. "All humans are furless which means we need to be clothed all the time. We're just flesh underneath. Unlike you ponies, humans aren't very colorful. Our skin is just shades of brown from milky white to very dark African."

"What about your manes?" questioned Rarity. "I might be ignorant of manes in human biology, but your hair colors aren't particularly exciting. They're rather dull."

"Once more, human hair colors are pretty limited." informed Scarecrow. "Red heads are virtually extinct so the only human hair colors are brown, black and blonde. When you grow old, your hair starts graying."

"Same thin' happens ta ponies unless they were born with gray manes like ma granny." replied Applejack.

"Doesn't sound very exciting." moaned Pinkie Pie. "I would tired seeing the same colors over and over and over again."

Scorch placed a gloved finger on his lips. "Actually, in the year 2470 the planet Romero was infected by a plague that gave humans technicolor skin and hair. It also gave them big eyes and overly thin bodies."

Twilight's eyes shot open. "What happened?"

"The UTF panicked and blew up the planet without further notice." muttered Overwatch.

There was long silence in the room.

"I think we humans really fucked up on that one, but I wasn't alive back then. Although it was said the Democratic Socialists never got placed in power again." shrugged Scorch.

Celestia tried to change the subject. "We ponies have pegasai, alicorns, earth ponies and unicorns. Do you humans have sub races as well?"

"The only species of human, is human." answered X-ray. "We humans aren't particularly diverse when it comes to appearance as ponies.The only thing that truly divides us is our ethnicities, and while there may be a few subtle changes in appearances, that's about it. Despite what fascists want you to believe, race has nothing to do with capabilities."

"Speaking of race, you do look a lot like monkeys." noticed Fluttershy.

"That's right, human is a sub species of ape after all. We evolved from the same ancestor." informed Scarecrow.

Celestia knitted her eyebrows. "Evolved?"

"We'll get to that later." assured Shadow's leader.

"And to be clear, humans don't have the ability to use magic?" asked Twilight.

Shadow shook their heads no

"What about the ability to fly?" continued Rainbow Dash.

"Nope."

"How do you humans cope if you have nothing to help support the survival of your species?" inquired Luna.

"Simply, we have the gift of hands." gloated Scarecrow. He gave his gloved fingers a twirl.

"How did hands help you become a space faring race?" questioned Pinkie Pie.

"Simple." said Scorch. "Hands basically propelled us further than the other animals on Earth by allowing us to grasp objects and form tools."

"And when we developed tools, we filled in the gap that you ponies filled with your special abilities. We adapted and developed means of flight, agriculture and technology so advanced that you might as well call it magic." added X-ray.

"I didn't think a race would get too far without natural magic." moaned Twilight. "I mean the Griffins and Donkeys were way behind for a while in terms of production."

"Well we humans didn't have special abilities so we worked for them." smiled Scarecrow.

"Is there a chance we could utilize technology similar to yours?" asked Luna.

"Not likely." snorted Scorch. "All of our human technologies require hands to use one way or another." the demo man flexed his gloves fingers. "From triggers on guns, to holograms and to touch screens you need to have fingers that can performs specific motions for our technology to respond.

"Furthermore, our technology usually requires us to grasp something." noted Scarecrow. "You ponies don't really have a way of picking things up efficiently without the risk of stumbling over. Besides, we developed technology for bipeds, not quadrupeds. You wouldn't fit in any of our advanced vehicles."

"Wait, what about our ability to use magic? We could operate human technology with telekinesis." pointed Cadance.

"And what about those who couldn't use magic?" trivialized Scorch

The ponies glanced at each other for a moment, particularly the non unicorns and non alicorns.

"You'd only be dividing your race which isn't healthy." continued X-ray, trying to push out his Armenian accent all the while. "You ponies need to find a way to develop technologies the mass should be able to operate."

"But haven't we seen you humans work some of your technology without moving anything?" noticed Rainbow Dash.

X-ray nodded. "Some of our human technology uses neural controls. Thoughts, brainwaves, impulses, all that."

"So can't we use human technology operated by the mind?" said Shining Armor.

"Neural controls work on human minds. Not pony minds. Equine and primate DNA is pretty divergent." debunked Scarecrow.

"But if you humans could teach us on the relationships between neurology and technology, we could develop devices on your level." proposed Twilight.

"You could be taught on how to make such innovations, but you would have to develop it yourself without human aid." glared Scorch.

"What about generosity, why keep your human technology to yourself?" scolded Rarity.

Scarecrow rolled his eyes. "Well other than the fact that none of our technology is compatible with equines, it's not appropriate for one species to rely on the other to give them for free. Instead, you should be given the opportunity to accomplish. Relying on another race would make your species rather lazy. Let's not get started on the repercussions"

"Ah'd be darned if ah started relyin' on another pony for gifts." puffed Applejack.

"You know, you humans certainly have a problem regarding personality." implied Twilight.

X-ray raised an eyebrow. "I can understand your statement applying to our squad only, but the entire race?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "I mean this one moment you're all mean and act like a bully then your all calm and passive only to end up like merciless law enforcement followed by being a total nerd."

X-ray laughed. "Well sorry, but humans aren't limited to one noticeable personality trait unlike you ponies."

Celestia knitted her eyebrows. "Excuse us?"

Scorch gave a 'seriously' face. "We humans think, laugh, love, insult, get angry, get happy and get sad. Part of the beauty of being a human is that we choose how to act however we feel like whenever we feel like."

"Are you saying we are not in control of our emotions?" scorned Luna.

"Look, you ponies are very friendly and not monotonous." assured Scarecrow. "However, no where on the colonies will you see a human that's the 'smart one' or the 'funny one'. I know Overwatch is obviously silent and anti social, but he's also the artistic one, the smart one, the voice of reason, the handy man, and I can go on."

The sniper almost smiled to that.

"So what you're saying is that we have to adopt new lifestyles if we are to gain the complexity of a human personality?" remarked Rarity.

"We're not saying that." defended X-ray. "It just seems there's only one trait that makes you distinct. True, you bring the aspects that makes each personality great, but it's still one personality trait. I mean, look at Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Don't get me wrong, they're very nice mares-"

The two ponies blushed.

"but they're still the cowpony and party pony at the end of the day. Even my job description is more than an assassin to scare our enemies into submission. I'm also quite political and a computer nerd."

"I don't think we need to change. I'm happy being the awesome pegasus that I am. I've been like this since I was a filly." gloated Rainbow Dash.

"On the other hand, we humans change our personalities since child hood and don't judge somebody when they outgrow their old ways." countered Scarecrow.

"Although, if you really are content, we can't really blame you." admitted Scorch much to the satisfaction of the equines. "Just don't think the rest of humanity is going to interact comfortably with a pony with one distinct trait that won't change based on the siutation."

Twilight placed a hoof on her chin. "Speaking of pony and human interactions, you never went into too much detail about ponies on Earth."

X-ray formed a bright smile. "Prepare to be flattered as horse is perhaps the most important animal in the history of humanity and the reason why we're so advanced."

The equestrians got excited. It was nice to hear something positive.

"Ever since we were simple people who lived in mud houses, we have used horses for many purposes." told Scarecrow.

Rarity's eyes shot open "Used?".

"Like we said before, ponies aren't exactly like the horses on Earth." reminded Scorch. "They're much taller and all of them generally have a similar body structure to Celestia."

The solar alicorn pondered the thought for a moment.

"Not to mention they're not animated, only come with brown, white and black manes and coats, aren't intelligent at all, can't speak, can't do magic, can't fly and aren't sapient. They're just creatures with even less intelligence than the non sapient animals on Epona."

"I find it hard to believe that there's a world with no intelligent equines." snorted Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, we're not bitching that primates aren't the smartest creatures on this planet." insulted Overwatch. The swear was enough to make Rainbow Dash withdraw.

Scarecrow cleared his throat. "As I was saying, horses had many uses for humanity. They were the earliest form of transportation and since they were larger, a primary way for carrying huge loads of baggage. Farmers also used them in helping herd animals."

"Ya were usin' them as slaves!" gritted Applejack.

"Oh shut up you cow exploiting red neck! At least horses aren't sapient." burst X-ray.

The room rang silent for a few seconds before Shadow's leader continued. "Another aspect you might controversial is that we used ponies for war."

"War!" whimpered Fluttershy. The other ponies made similar remarks.

"Back when our armies were primitive like yours, knights and other ancient warriors rode on cavalry with spears and swords to take down the enemy."

Overwatch broke the ice. "Until World War 1 where horses became useless because they got shot by gunfire too quickly. Since then, we've been using mechanical vehicles."

The ponies let out sighs of relief. Shadow was surprised they didn't even seem to notice Overwatch mentioning the first World War. First.

X-ray tried to keep the spirits up. "On a more positive note, horses also served as popular tools of entertainment, we used them for racing, jousting, polo and general horseback riding. Even today little girls still like playing with pony dolls and beg their parents to send them to Earth to ride horses. Get this, some cultures even worshiped the dumb animals."

The Equestrians gave out a small laugh. Shadow's unmasked appearance made positive emotions easier to express.

In the heart of the moment, a group of caterers crept into the room, ready to serve food. Luckily for Shadow, they had made a surplus of meals to accommodate non animated food containing half the value for a non animated human.

Celestia used her horn to emit a pulse of gravitational radiation to life the covers off of the quinine.

Shadow was about to help them selves until they realized that most of the food was grass, wheat and oat related. The ponies began feasting until they noticed Shadow wasn't touching their food.

"Is something wrong?" worried Celestia.

Scarecrow formed a sheepish grin. "Um, we can't eat any of this food or else we'll get really sick."

"No need to be nervous, it's quite alright to ask for something else if you can't eat." assured the solar alicorn.

"What do humans eat anyway?" asked Cadance.

"Ah know y'all eat apples." remembered Applejack.

"And cupcakes too!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

"Well we humans eat a lot of things." began X-ray. "We can eat bread, pasta, rice, fruits like cherries and strawberries, vegetables like tomato and potatoes, dairy products, cakes......meats."

The Equestrians gave a nervous gasp. Rarity fainted.

"You eat meat?" said Celestia slowly.

Scorch gave a nervous smile and pointed to his front teeth. The ponies started to back away after noticing the teeth of a predator. "We humans are omnivores. In addition to having teeth to crush plants, we also have sharp canines and incisors used to rip flesh."

"How could you eat innocent creatures?" cried Twilight.

"It's natural and biological. The same way lions prey on deer or the same way dragons feast on gems. Not to mention, the animals on the colonies are far less intelligent than they are here." defended X-ray.

"I thought a civilized race should be past eating others!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Biology comes first and we humans need protein." shrugged Scarecrow. "Although not all humans eat meat. Some of us are vegetarians like my sister."

"Are any of ya vegetarians?" asked Applejack.

The humans shook their heads no. The ponies started panicking all the while.

Pinkie started nibbling on a tissue. "Do you have to eat meat now? Like, have, have, have to?"

Fluttershy had enough. "I can't believe how insensitive you're being!" The yellow pegasus did not lash out at the humans but rather at the equines.

Cadance was appalled. "Fluttershy, surly you of all ponies would condemn the slaughter of innocent animals?"

The yellow pegasus rolled her eyes. "I work with animals that eat other animals like bears and I've fed fish to otters."

"Why would you do that! What about kindness to all living things?" exclaimed Twilight.

"It's the circle of life." explained Fluttershy. "Some animals eat plants, some animals eat others. It's completely natural. I wouldn't be a kind pegasus if I denied carnivores their food. Rarity, I think the reason Opal hates you is because you aren't feeding her properly."

The white mare's eyes shot open. "Opal despises me?"

"Look, Shadow can be real mean." pointed Fluttershy. "But at least they don't blame us for things that are beyond our control. We might fight eating others taboo, but this is nature."

The 4 members of Shadow applauded the pegasus.

Scorch raised an eyebrow. "To be fair we don't have to eat meat right now, but we humans need to keep a balanced diet. We'll have to eat flesh eventually. Then again, we could probably find a substitute for protein in beans and nuts."

Celestia couldn't keep the secret any longer. "Listen, whenever Diamond Dog or Griffin ambassadors visit, we have a secret supply of meats in order to appease them."

"So that's why we have a Diamond Dog chef and no wonder I'm not allowed in the kitchen." realized Shining Armor.

The solar alicorn sighed. "What meat do you humans consume? No need to hold back."

"You asked for it." warned X-ray. "We eat cow, pork, chicken, shrimp, fish and....." The rifleman blushed.

"No need to be shy." insisted Luna.

"....horse."

And that's when Fluttershy became afraid as well.

"You eat horse!" shrieked Twilight. "How could you?"

Scarecrow tried to keep the spirits up. "Like we said, biology."

The 4 humans discreetly turned off their lie detectors. "Besides, it's not like we eat horses all time."

It was a lie. Big time. Ever since goats and sheep were taken out of the human diet, horse became a popular substitution. Horse burgers, horse steaks and horse chops were just as popular as a McChicken burger or McRib from McFederation.

"But relax, we're not going to eat you." assured Scarecrow.

"Are you sure about that. How do we know that you're not preying on us now?" questioned Luna.

"Even though we're omnivores we can still control dietary habits. We didn't start consuming you ponies the moment we got hungry right?" reminded X-ray.

The ponies looked at Fluttershy. The timid pegasus collected her thoughts.

"Like they said, it's in their biology and horses on Earth aren't sapient. The humans didn't expect to meet intelligent ponies right?"

"Besides you horses taste terrible." lied Overwatch. In reality horses when prepared right were astounding.

"How do you know that?" muttered Twilight.

"We may have eaten horse once before." fibbed Scarecrow. "Don't worry though, we know better than to eat intelligent creatures." Scarecrow suddenly made a cut throat motion.

Scorch, who was busy all the while pouring spices all over the oblivious Celestia, sighed and returned to his seat.

Scarecrow glared at the demo man and spoke in French. "Tu ne peux pas manger les chevals."

"Je sais, mais ils sont vraiment savoureux." complained the demo man.

X-ray turned to the equines. "Relax, we won't eat meat now, some pasta, eggs and a cheese quiche would do."

The squad seconded that.

Celestia nodded and ordered the waiter to bring a surplus of the desired meals.

"While your main course arrives, I think we'd all like to know about you 4." stated Twilight.

The members of Shadow laughed.

"Are you kidding? Shouldn't it be clear that our lives are classified information?" laughed Scorch.

Suddenly, the ring tones signaling a call played from Shadow's wrist computers.

Scarecrow answered the call. "Command, this is Shadow actual."

The ponies observed with awe.

"Is he talking to himself?" inquired Rarity.

"No, he's answering a call from command." corrected X-ray. "Let's just say it's like talking to someone really far away. Our transmissions are so strong in energy that they can rip time space and allow communication instantaneously."

The HOD of the commission of colonial affairs radioed Scarecrow. "We're well aware that 23rd protocol requires you to be silent regarding your past, but in order for these equines to trust us, you will will have to mention some parts of your life. Just don't go into too much details like names and such. Besides, what are these Equines possibly capable of doing to you if they know about your history?"

"Understood. Scarecrow out." Shadow's commander cut the feed.

Scarecrow looked at the equines. "Alright, it's fine if we can shed some light on ourselves."

"Yipee!" cheered Pinkie. "I have so many questions."

The squad sighed at the same time.

"I think we can save ourselves the trouble by allowing me to have a quick look in your memories." proposed Luna.

"You can perform an inception organically?" asked X-ray.

The princess of the night nodded.

"That is so cool." remarked X-ray. ".....IF YOU LOOK INTO OUR MEMORIES WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION, I WILL RIP OFF YOUR WINGS WITH MY BARE HANDS AND FEED THEM TO YOU!"

The statement killed Luna's chances of hostility. The Feds observing the event were similarly relieved that Luna wouldn't be tapping into a highly confidential mind.

"Do any of you have a special somepony, er somebody in your life?" asked Cadance.

"Well Overwatch can't have a girlfriend because he's asexual." replied Scarecrow.

"Asexual?" said the ponies at once.

"I can't feel love nor do I have a sex drive." dryly answered the sniper.

"Oh my how awful!" weeped Cadance. "No wonder that explains your aggression. What happened to you for you to be unable to feel love?"

The marksman opened his mouth. "I was born this way you ignorant asshole! Just because you're the alicorn of love doesn't mean it's your job to judge the sex lives of others. I know plenty of non asexual people who couldn't give to shits about life."

The mane of the pink alicorn split. Her technique could no longer calm her.

"Me and Scorch got laid, does that count?" called out X-ray.

"Yeah, how come I'm the only one who hasn't had sex in this squad?" beamed Scarecrow.

"Cause you're a fat ass!" exclaimed Scorch.

"Fuck off, this is muscle. We humans cured obesity in 2200." snorted Scarecrow.

"Your stomach says otherwise dipshit." laughed X-ray.

"At least I'm not a nerdy toothpick like you X-Gay. You're a fucking chick repellent."

The ponies were in total shock form the vulgar nature of Shadow's conversation.

"In all due seriousness, what girl could love a man with more than 300 thousand confirmed kills." glumly stated Scorch.

"Don't say that." encouraged Cadance. "There's a special somepony for everypony so there should be a special somebody for everybody right?"

The members of Shadow tried to smile. They knew they're love lives were totally screwed forever.

"How about we focus on when you 4 first met?" insisted Twilight.
"Well, other than Scorch, the 3 of us grew up on the colonies." began X-ray. "I was born to Armenian parents on Auraxis, my parents moved to Requiem when I was 6."

"I'm of Belgian descent and was born on the moon Titan." said Overwatch slowly. "We moved to Requiem around the same time X-ray's family did."

"As for me." remarked Scarecrow. "My parents left Pandora due to a crime streak enacted within rural areas. We moved to Requiem when I was 7 to escape martial law."

"I was born in Vancouver and my folks didn't immigrate to Requiem until I was 8." told Scorch.

Scarecrow continued the story. "Other than Overwatch, none of us went to South Pewter Elementary School until 3rd grade. X-ray had gone to the same school as me, but we didn't meet each other until we both transferred to South Pewter."

"I on the other hand was the new kid in the 3rd grade." remembered Scorch.

"We were all in Ms. Rutte's class, little did we know, destiny had something in store for us." remembered X-ray.

"None of us were popular students. The Dutch natives to Requiem were really friendly, but then there were those total jerk asses who kept giving us a hard time." shook Scarecrow. "I was kinda fat as a kid, got bullied for it."

"On the other hand, I was beaten up for being so scrawny. I might have towered my bullies, but they still packed a punch. Universe knows what would have happened had I not called for teachers." chocked X-ray.

The ponies couldn't help but feel remorse for the humans. As merciless in battle as they were, no one deserved to get humiliated as a child.

"Overwatch wasn't picked on as so much as people avoided him." teased Scorch. "Had we not met him, he'd probably not have any friends."

"Why would you reject someone's friendship?" awed Twilight.

"Meh." shrugged the glacial sniper. Scorch continued on.

"I was pretty popular in sports, but my interest in typically nerdy things took over me."

"Around a month into the school year, we finally met." said Scarecrow. "Our school had a welcome party. A delayed one if you ask me, and none of us were excited."

"While the kids danced in the gym to their techno music from the 25th century, we just wanted to leave." laughed X-ray.

Pinkie Pie gave a sigh of defeat. Looks like there was no convincing Shadow to take part in festivities.

"I had enough of all the socializing so I just walked out the gym while no one was looking." chuckled Scarecrow. "I tried to make a run for it until I saw Overwatch sitting by himself."

"We didn't say much until the other guys showed up." muttered the marksman.

"I wanted to the game on my laptop which we weren't allowed to bring." added Scorch. "I ran into my future friends and they promised not to tell if they got a turn."

"A moment later I came along." smiled X-ray as he twisted a knife on the table. "I tried to force myself to party, but I couldn't get into to the mood. So I joined these 3 assholes."

"As we gamed, we found out we he had a lot in common other than being the tallest boys in elementary school." contemplated Scarecrow. "We played the same games, listened to the same music, had a fascination with early 21st century memorabilia, watched the same movies and had the same social views."

"Sounds like a great way to start off a friendship if you ask me." agreed Rainbow Dash.

"You know, I've never sensed such a strong companionship amongst individuals...since Twilight and her friends." complimented Celestia.

"I don't know about you ponies, but we humans base our friendships around interests." sneered X-ray.

"Was that an insult darling?" inquired Rarity.

"Of course not." responded X-ray. "What's important is that your friends will always be there for you and that's true amongst the ponies in this room. Truthfully though, I can't see any of you discussing your interest with each other without putting the other to sleep."

"Puttin' each other ta sleep?" echoed Applejack.

Scorch flexed a finger at the Mane 6. "No offense, but the 6 of you are all opposites. Smart Twilight and brash Rainbow Dash, fancy Rarity and rural Applejack, hyper Pinkie Pie and timid Fluttershy. No human group of friends is like that in the modern day. If you were lesbians, it would result in the worst romantic relationships ever."

"We on the other hand can talk to each other about anything and rely on each other for support. As demonstrated by our abnormal success rate." gloated X-ray.

"Come on, there are lots of things we can talk to each other about." slammed Twilight.

"To be fair Twilight, Shadow has point." shook Luna. "While it is important that you can accompany anypony you want, your personalities are too polar for any one on one discussion regarding interests."

"And while this is mostly due to the fact that you're female, one light joke at your expense will set you off and break up your friendship. We can insult each other all we want and we'll still be buds." laughed Scorch. Scarecrow proceeded to punch him the face for his sexist remark.

Scorch proceeded to slam his commander's face on the table.

As Scarecrow recovered. "And as you can see, I think no less of him."

X-ray continued on with the story. "After we met, I'll tell you we had a lot of crazy run ins as kids. Scarecrow was our leader and always got us stuck in odd situations, I was the voice of reason only to get insulted because of my ethnicity, Scorch was the everyman who just went along with what we did and Overwatch was the silent mob who we pretty much forced to do everything we were lazy to do."

"I thought you said Human life was pretty monotonous." accused Twilight.

"We said human life, not our life." corrected Scarecrow. "Our childhood was awesome. There was this one time where I made up an Armenian genocide monster to piss of X-ray, this one time Overwatch created a super hero identity and how Scorch's father totally messed up zone ball through sarcasm."

"I guess everypony's life really is a unique story of it's own." laughed Rainbow Dash.

"And what did you gain from your escapades?" questioned Celestia.

"Nothing." shrugged Shadow at once.

"How did you end up with your current careers?" asked Rarity after she mustered the courage to do so.

The members of Shadow looked at each other hesitantly. They weren't allowed to go public about the 23rd, but it seemed times were changing. The Feds listening ordered them to speak.

"Joining the 23rd was not something we ever expected to do. We didn't even think the division existed." admitted Scorch.

"I don't follow." stated Celestia.

"The 23rd is not an orthodox military unit by any means. Most conventional divisions just assault the enemy, we haunt and scare them into submission without leaving a trace. That one reason why our units are named after horror icons especially ghosts. Not just because we can cloak." trivialized Scarecrow.

The Equestrians felt more and more hesitant to continue questioning Shadow.

"What does it take to join the 23rd?" asked Shining Armor.

"The 23rd isn't interested in choosing units based on strength and discipline." began X-ray. "There is a very and we mean very specific criteria for choosing members. Commandos of the 23rd for starters have to be of the upmost intelligence. Not one of us scored below a 90 out of 100 on our colonial exams."

"I thought humans didn't have tests." pointed Applejack.

"It's not a test based on memory, math problems and spelling." replied Scarecrow. "It's based on reasoning, creativity and forming judgements. It's not a test you're meant to score high on."

"Most humans score a 70." informed Overwatch.

"Looks like we're in the presence of intellectuals as well as counter terrorists as well." snorted Luna.

"It does explain how you were able to uncover the talents of the Cutie Mark Crusaders so easily." nodded Rarity.

"Or how they can point out mistake we've made in our lives without even being there." added Twilight.

"I don't get it, what does being an egghead have to do with the military?" laughed Rainbow Dash.

"You need help." mocked Scarecrow. "If you think logic and reasoning are unnecessary to being a human soldier, you're going to have a bad time. The fact that all naval admirals who crushed massive fleets with physics as a primary weapon speaks for itself. Armies are useless when they don't know what they're doing the same way a Kill SAT is useless if you can't figure out the mechanics to operate one."

"Scarecrow's right Rainbow." agreed Twilight. "A lot of times you and the rest of the gang just heads into a problem without thinking it through only to get your flank kicked. Even I'm guilty of that sometimes."

"Insurrectionists with a haughty attitude like yours are always the first to fall." warned Scorch. This was enough to silence the cyan pegasus.

"Regardless, physical fitness is still a necessity to 23rd members." insisted Scarecrow.

Scorch continued. "One of the reasons why we don't look so ripped on the outside is to be able to blend in with civilians, our strength comes from the inside. Literally."

"And what do you mean by that?" asked Cadance.

Scarecrow smirked. "We taught you that a shield is stronger when you net it in a hexagonal pattern right?"

The ponies nodded.

"Guess what they did to our muscles."

The equestrians gasped.

"Humans are willing to experiment on bodies for war?" exhaled Celestia.

"Relax, the doctors made us unconscious. We didn't feel anything." laughed X-ray. "The study of musculus geometria is so complex that only a few scientists can perform it without messing up. The Federation reserves knowledge like that for its commandos and super soldiers."

"Hey, Scarecrow destroyed my talent enhancer because he said augmentations were cheating." growled Twilight.

"You attempted to use that enhancer for everyday use, not to defend a race for the greater good." countered Scarecrow. "Besides, these augmentations are so safeguarded that nobody outside the highest branches of the UTF can get their hands on them. Finally, they wear off after 12 years so nothing permanent."

"When our muscles were shaped to a new form, it allowed us to absorb blows and apply power easier because the strength of the shape helped reinforce our body." explained Scorch. "However, the stronger you muscles are from the beginning, the harder it becomes to net them in a stronger geometric shape. X-ray, who had weak muscles was able to get a octagonal structure rather then a hexagonal structure to keep up with us."

"We also had nanites injected into our nervous system to help implement a neural control system in our brains." mentioned Scarecrow.

"What did they train y'all in? asked Applejack.

"Gymnastics, a lot of emphasis on parkour, weight training, some lessons in boxing, karate, and jujitsu." informed X-ray.

"Sounds pretty standard." shrugged Shining Armor.

"At 125% Earth's gravity." finalized the rifleman. "Earth itself has a significantly higher gravitational pull than this planet."

"Oh dear, wouldn't you get pulverized?" empathized Fluttershy.

"It was rather crushing the first time." remembered Scarecrow. "But because we were augmented, we stood. In addition to physical fitness, we trained in firearms, demolitions, tactics and stealth. I got additional training in leadership, X-ray in diplomacy, Scorch in explosives and Overwatch in reconnaissance. After two years of augmented training, we adapted and were ready for combat."

"But what made you 4 stand out from the rest of humanity?" asked Pinkie Pie.

The 4 humans, even Overwatch gave a small laugh.

X-ray calmed down. "On a lighter note, friendship."

Celestia smiled. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"The power of friendship is an important aspect of human life as well." insisted the rifleman. "When the Feds were looking over our dossiers, they noticed that our success rate in anything was solid if the 4 of us cooperated." The squads in the 23rd are amongst the closest people you'll ever meet to a point where they don't even need to communicate to know what the other is thinking. Teamwork was essential to our success the same way it was important to Twilight."

"Truthfully, when I'm in combat, I don't really care much for assaulting the enemy as much as I care about getting the 4 of us out alive." admitted Scorch.

"Hey X-ray." called out Scarecrow. "I know I can be a total asshole to you and former Soviet people, but know this. If you died, it would be me, Scorch and Overwatch. And that would suck."

The rifleman almost shed a tear. "We're 23rd material for a reason. I'll always be here for guys whether it's video games, sports, not getting our heads blown off by gauss rounds or trying to comfort you when your imaginary girlfriends break up with you."

"And now here we are, making first contact. As pals." added Overwatch.

The 4 members of Shadow unexpectedly got up form their seats and gave a bro fist to each other. The Equestrians couldn't help but feel happy for them. At least they didn't need lessons on friendship.

Scarecrow formed a more serious look. "Truthfully, the purest reason why we're in the 23rd is because its members all suffer from a rare mental disease. Minus Obnixi."

Twilight placed a hoof on her chin. "That's old speak for being unable to flinch."

"Have you ever wondered why we're so quick to pull the trigger or don't suffer depression after a murder?" trivialized X-ray. "Because we don't produce any negative emotions from injury or death."

"We're not sadists, but can't feel negatively towards misfortune either." remarked Scorch.

"How is that possible?" exploded Luna.

"Genetics. Like the way I write with my left hand." answered X-ray.

Celestia was distraught. "Do you realize how dangerous such a condition could be?"

"We did. And so did the Federation." responded Scarecrow.

"You still haven't gone into any detail as to how you joined the 23rd." pointed Twilight.

Scarecrow exhaled. "When we were on summer break after graduating high school, we visited the planet of Elysium since it is a great vacation place and Overwatch was supposed to go to college there. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that there was going to be an insurrection attack."

Fluttershy blocked her ears. Pinkie started chewing on tissue.

"The terrorists were merciless. They started with a minor bombing run of a city and killed a few dozen people." remembered Scorch. "Our first clue we that were immune to the effects of death was when we stared at the burned corpses and felt nothing."

"How?" shouted Applejack.

"After the air assault was quenched, enemy infantry started rolling in." continued Scarecrow. The ponies were lucky they couldn't imagine the scenes properly. "Me and the guys hid in an apartment. Sadly, the homes on Elysium aren't too big."

X-ray braced himself. "Two soldiers attempted to cover us by shooting at the mercs from the window. However, a few bullet shot one unconscious and killed the other, leaving us and the other civvies in the diner defenseless. A moment after, two mercs walked with the intent to kill us."

The ponies didn't know why they continued listening.

"Right when they were about to shoot the unconscious soldier dead......I sprinted towards a dropped rail revolver and shot a merc dead. Scorch then grabbed the merc's pulse shotgun and killed the other."

Twilight was breathing heavily. "How did you react?"

The humans looked at each other.

"With less emotion than Overwatch." answered Scorch. "After the encounter, we were signaled that the terrorists had been repelled."

"As per protocol, the 4 of us were sent to receive a mental test to check for trauma." told Scarecrow.

"They found not the slightest clue of damage." said the sniper. "And that's when they realized death couldn't mean shit to us genetically."

"A week later, we were approached by the Feds." continued Scarecrow. "We were informed of our mental condition and were told how lethal it could be. That made us perfect for the role."

"How does having a disorder make you useful to an army?" questioned Rainbow Dash.

X-ray folded his arms "Despite what you might think, humans aren't heartless. Others still react to death and injury appropriately. Those rare few with minus obnixi don't."

"Even a hardened UTF soldier will have second thoughts about killing a man and would quit after it got to his head. Not if you're in the 23rd. The fact its members don't hold back and are willing to do anything to enforce the law make us the ultimate tool for war." sighed Scorch.

"So you're the Federation's private psychopaths?" accused Rainbow Dash.

"We're not proud of this disability, but it was either become a law enforcement psychopath or a renegade one." muttered Scarecrow.

"This isn't the only disorder the Feds exploit." revealed X-ray. "I'm easily angered which makes me perfect for direct engagements, Overwatch's near mute tendencies make him a stealth expert, Scorch's pyromania makes him the best demo man around and Scarecrow's controlling nature allows him to convince officers to stand down when they get in our way for the greater good. Part of our condition also means we tend to lash out randomly which explains why we keep insulting you discolored, mutated horses."

"So the Federation takes advantage of your conditions for their selfish needs?" puffed Rarity.

"We're not part of the 23rd to serve the needs of politicians, but to protect our race from irredeemable raiders." countered Overwatch. "Their number grows every day and you're going to need soldiers who won't hold back to take them out and keep citizens in line."

"I still don't see the need to send relentless aggressors after wrong doers." remarked Celestia.

"You don't get it do you?" shook Scarecrow. "Our enemies aren't camp bad guys from a kids stories. They are willing to destroy civilization and kill to accomplish their goals. Only the most insane sons of bitches are what's going to extinguish their numbers and not hesitate to do so again."

"But why send the 23rd to explore uncharted planets if they specialize in counter terrorism?" asked Cadance.

"Because only the 23rd can fend off huge armies and give an intelligence report at the same time. Furthermore, 23rd units are meant to be recon teams for planets, not first contact teams." corrected X-ray.

"So where are the other humans?" demanded Celestia.

"Right now, there is a minor war going on in 3 star systems. The UTF is too busy and any other human with a hair weaker in the mind than us would be overwhelmed by the anomalies of this planet." explained Scorch.

"How exactly are you accomplishing the goals of the Federation right now? If I was them, you'd be arrested for lashing out at another race for no reason." warned Rainbow Dash.

---------

The congressmen observing the events smirked. "They really haven't figured it out have they?"

--------

"I don't think your unit has a positive reputation on the colonies." shook Pinkie Pie.

"The public doesn't even know we exist." sighed Overwatch.

"What da ya mean? People like y'all should be infamous." insisted Applejack.

"Let's correct ourselves. They don't know we're party of the military or even human." trivialized Scorch.

"In 2390, the uprisings by Crynet and Vanu corporations resulted in the increased need for a black ops unit that would not hesitate to commit morally questionable acts to prevent civilians from joining the enemy and take down the corporations." began X-ray.

"Unfortunately, many soldiers, regardless of the commando training they received, could not find themselves capable of committing the acts the Federation ordered. The Federation needed people who could convince people to do the worst of acts to preserve order and justice and still ask for more."

"And that's when they started searching for people with Minus Obnixi I presume?" guessed Cadance.

"Correct." nodded Scarecrow. "The unit committed many ghastly acts that would've driven a normal human insane such as haunting, paranoia, stalking and relentless interrogation. A victim would snap the moment the phrase '23' was heard."

"However members of the 23rd could not sustain their augmentations after 30 or so years of age." explained Scorch. "They were relieved of duty as a result. Since the peak of human physical condition is around 18-20 years old, the Feds would search for humans with the disorder to request them to serve."

"Request?" repeated Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, we humans don't have draft laws." nodded Scarecrow.

"Why would you agree to joining a Black Ops unit?" cried Shining Armor.

Scorch frowned. "Because the 4 of us understand that if the going to prevent the human race from regression and fragmentation, some of us have to make a sacrifice to become merciless and inconsiderate commandos to destroy terrorist units and scare people from becoming traitors assholes to our left leaning government."

"What about your educations? You said this wasn't your true calling." reminded Twilight.

Scarecrow crossed his arms. "We were already ahead of our classes by a big time. The members of the 23rd are too good for college, although I wish that we could have still had a normal life once in a while."

"The public right now thinks we're working as freelance interns." added X-ray.

"Forgive me, but I can not hold a respectable view of your government if they resort to using glacial and apathetic soldiers to accomplish their tasks." insulted Celestia.

"Kindness won't keep humans from joining terrorists who haven no interest on peace. Like we said, fear is the most powerful emotion and we use fear to preserve order." gritted Scorch.

"Besides, it's not the government that keeps the 23rd a secret. It's the unit itself." said Scarecrow.

"But dat ain't honest!" scolded Applejack.

"There's a difference between honesty and refusing to speak the truth." defended X-ray. "The Marxian Capitalist Party that was in office during the 23rd creation intended to reveal the unit to scare off Crynet and Vanu. However, the first members of the 23rd had a different idea. When the MCP was about to leak the division, the members of the 23rd distorted the broadcast and launched a cyber virus that attacked every computer with ominous messages."

The ponies didn't know what a cyber virus was, but at this point it didn't matter.

"The MCP rapidly attempted to inform the public of the 23rd, but all messages were deleted and scrambled before the public could reach them. Fearing it's own unit, the politicians gave up. We continue the tradition today."

"But why censor ties to the government?" inquired Twilight.

"Because of the public found out that the government was creating a black ops unit to keep others in line, they would feel more and more compelled to riot and join raider groups." explained Scorch. "If people thought there was simply a group of serial killers that acted as judge, jury and executioner, self preservation instincts would kick in."

"But something tells me your actions can't possibly go unnoticed!" exclaimed Rarity.

"They do, the public is just ignorant we're acting on the interests of the Federation." chuckled X-ray. "They think we're literal ghosts due to our masks obscuring facial features, our ability to cloak, distort voices and the fact that technology scrambles whoever we're within its proximity."

"Yeah, there are thousands of 23rd creepypastas written on the internet. They're hilarious." laughed Scarecrow.

"What's the internet?" asked Pinkie Pie. Shadow ignored her.

"Humans might live very happy lives, but even the most optimistic of people fear our presence." pondered Scorch.

The equines were disgusted at Shadow's amusement of the public's fear of their unit. Perhaps it was all due to their condition. The ponies wouldn't be surprised if Shadow started talking about mutilation and not have the urge to vomit.

"Do you really have to scare and haunt people to preserve the law?" whimpered Fluttershy.

"Like we said, the most powerful emotion of all is fear, and the most powerful kind of fear is fear of the unknown. The less you know about something, the more frightened you get." reminded X-ray.

Pinkie took in a deep breath "How is fear of nothing a fear? Aren't you fearing nothing and how can you be afraid of nothing?"

Scorch raised an eyebrow. "Think about it, weren't you all scared when we had our masks on? You weren't able to tell what horrors could possibly be behind our scary bandanas and shades?"

The Equestrians silently agreed.

"Don't call me a fortune teller, but I can tell you ponies were more afraid thinking about what killed the Griffins rather than the killers themselves." predicted Overwatch. "And something tells me you right now fear ever lies beyond the planet knowing its very existence disturbs you."

"And we're all afraid of what you humans have in store for us if we go to war." cried Rainbow Dash.

"Sometimes, the less you know, the better." pitied Scorch. "Countless insurrectionists and traitors have gone insane after a little encounter with us."

"I've been going a little insane since I met you 4. What you humans know is just too much." shook Twilight.

"Just be glad we didn't mark you as our enemy." motivated Scarecrow. "When it comes to haunting various individuals, first we often hack into their devices and threaten or get them paranoid until they stand down. If not, we slowly break them down mentally and physically until we're forced to go into the kill."

"You're no better than the terrorists you face." accused Celestia.

"Are we really monsters for doing what is necessary to protect our race from chaos and discord? After all we're following orders." responded X-ray, his Armenian accent getting heavier.

"Would you harm a child if ordered to?" glared Cadance. Everypony couldn't believe how bitter she had just become.

"If it would save many more, then yes." said Scorch.

The tension in the room was getting higher.

"I don't understand how one can commit heinous acts to prevent heinous acts. That's a logical fallacy." gritted Twilight.

"By referring to the phrase can, we can commit heinous acts because our bodies are incapable of feeling remorse." hissed Scarecrow.

X-ray laughed. "Life's pretty black and white to you is it? Good guys and bad guys with no one asking about the Gray men in the middle."

Author's Notes:

So should I start a TV tropes page on this or no? Please answer.

I hope I did a good job developing Shadow.