"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."- Albert Einstein

The members of Shadow squad stood silently for a moment in the room. Nigeria's now headless body slumped to the floor. The gauss shot was loud enough to be heard by all ponies within the vicinity.

Scarecrow turned on the communications device on his wrist computer. "Command, have we successfully streamed every second of that interrogation?"

"Affirmative. Even the ugly parts." groaned the HOD.

"You authorized us to use Equestrian protocol." noted Overwatch.

"It still wasn't necessary to kill Nigeria you freaking psychopath." chastised the HOD.

"Well, now the ponies will realize the hard way that their laws and regulations for treating prisoners is inhumane and will make an effort to change to something their tone." countered Scorch.

"Has any of this media been leaked to the civilians?" asked X-ray.

"Not yet." radioed the HOD. "The fact that our ancestors may have been some sort of expansionist galactic empire in the past isn't some sort of information we can distribute nonchalantly."

"Do the civilians even know that it's the fucking 23rd that is making first contact?" questioned Scorch.

"Negative. The UTF might have a strict policy against the distortion of any sort of fact, but your 96 other comrades in the 23rd are still insistent that your unit be kept a secret." explained the HOD.

"They still don't know your even unit works for the government. Civilians are either convinced that you're either an urban legend or vigilante/law enforcement serial killers."

"Well that would make more sense than the technocratic UTF conscripting mentally abnormal individuals to do their private black ops missions." admitted X-ray.

"So what do the civilians know so far?" inquired Scarecrow.

"They know we've discovered a race of talking multi colored ponies and fictional creatures." started the HOD. "Although we've heavily edited the video for it to appear as if it's a normal group of UTF soldiers making first contact and are treating ponies better than a goody two shoes Olympian at tea party."

"I don't think Equestria would stand for that kind of distortion." shook Scorch.

"Oh please, the sooner they forget the 23rd exists. The better." debunked the HOD. "No offense."

"None taken. So what happens next? When can we expect back up? asked Scarecrow.

"This new information regarding our ancestors and the formation of an alliance has delayed the next course of action amongst the government. Even further if it was leaked to the population." radioed the HOD.

"How is everyone back on the colonies handling the situation anyway?" said X-ray.

"Surprisingly well." told the HOD. "As stated before, the civilians are basically content with the Equestrians. They've become a phenomenon. Our scholars and diplomats are looking forward to meeting them as well. We originally believed some problems would occur from the revelation of xeno life such as the formation of pro human cults and some sort of uprising, but none of this has occurred yet. I estimate a day before other humans start arriving."

"A day? That's far too long." pointed Scarecrow. "These Equestrians are in a situation that will likely result in their genocide. We need the UTF as soon as possible. Once we show this fucking alliance what the UTF really is, fear and self preservation will take over and they'll stand down."

"Shadow, we have a massive kinetic barrier that's surrounding this planet and you know how disastrous it would be for a fleet to space-time rip within a planet. Even if we were ready to arrive in Equestria, we couldn't until you get that barrier dropped." groaned the HOD.

"So what's the plan?" muttered Scorch.

"You know where you can find information regarding the ancient humans. We need you to get to the Crystal Empire, investigate any traces of ancient human civilization and decipher exactly what happened. With any luck, we'll find some major loophole to this messed up theological insanity and straighten things out with the other species. Besides, it would be a record of study in the field of history."

"What if the archives turn out to be blank?" questioned X-ray. "As far as we know, they've been unattended to for tens of thousands of years."

"In that case, we'll have to intimidate the alliance into submission." pondered the HOD. "To do so, you'll have to disable the kinetic barrier around the planet. The archives could have some sort of information or technology hub that would disable the force field however."

"And you'll sure it will have it?" checked Scarecrow.

"If our ancestors could create planets and use energy weapons as the primary source of engagement, I'm sure they're intelligent enough to figure out how to disable kinetic barriers that are EMP proof." assured the HOD.

"But what if we can't find that either? We're taking a gamble here!" exclaimed Scarecrow.

"We'll see. The president, the COC and the Commission of Defense are working out a plan. For now, focus on getting to the Crystal Empire. Out." instructed the HOD.

The radio transmission seized and the the room turned to silence.

Overwatch broke the silence. "I vouch we go somewhere where there isn't the corpse of a headless Zebra."

Scarecrow nodded and opened the door. The members of Shadow exited one by one. As they entered the hall, the found Celestia and Luna, still in a face of shock.

"How long have you been standing like that?" asked Scorch.

"......."

"Did you here the gauss shot?" muttered X-ray.

"......."

X-ray sighed and fired his rail pistol into the air. Sure enough the alicorns snapped out of their trans.

"You killed Nigeria! You bastards!" scolded Luna.

Scarecrow apathetically crossed his arms. "Oh. Now look who's swearing."

"Besides, didn't you order us to interrogate your prisoner with your laws?" reminded X-ray.

"We ordered you to question Nigeria! Not beat him." countered Celestia.

Scorch sighed and turned to his wrist computer. He lit up a hologram of Equestria's laws.

"As you can see here in fine print: Those who are accused of villainy shall be subjugated to an inquisition by any number of prosecutors who may use any method deemed appropriate in order to get the convicted to comply. They who shall commit treason or acts or attempts of murder are to face an equative retribution as a compensation for their crimes."

"In other words, the prosecutor can do whatever they want to the defendant." muttered Scarecrow.

The alicorn sisters trotted to the hologram and studied it close.

"Tia, why would we have a law like that?" asked Luna.

"I don't know." admitted Celestia. "This is truly the first time Equestria has had a prisoner of war."

"Well I think the better question is, 'Why the hell does Equestria have objects made for hands when you clearly have hooves?'." implied X-ray.

"That still did not give you any reason to kill him!" scolded Celestia.

"He was better off dead anyway." Scorch would have spat if he wasn't wearing a mask.

"Are you insane?" screamed Luna in the royal Canterlot voice. "Without Nigeria, how are we going to negotiate a peace treaty with the Zebras?"

"To answer your question." muttered Scarecrow. "First, to an extent. Second, Nigeria would have been a detriment to our situation regardless of the interrogation outcome."

"Why so?" glared Celestia.

"We butchered his entire guard last night!" pointed X-ray. "And now that the Zebras have lost their leader, they may feel compelled to back out of the alliance. And even if we convinced him to seize all hostilities regarding the past, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have wanted to get revenge nonetheless."

"Are you certain?" questioned Luna.

"We have been in situations almost entirely like this. Revenge and bloodlust is a fucking drug." growled Overwatch.

"Besides, we put the guy through hell just to get some information." said Scorch. "If we were to let him back out, all he'd be is a twisted, broken and disturbed Zebra. He was better off dead. Away from us as far as possible."

"We better not regret this!" exclaimed Luna. "At the rate we're going at, the entire population of the planet will be extinct by the end of the week."

"So what became of your interrogation?" asked Celestia.

"I think we better discuss this information with Twilight and the rest of the ponies." remarked X-ray.

------------

The Alicorns flew and landed in the entrance of Canterlot hospital. Right now, doctors were working full time to treat those who had been injured during Nigeria's assault.

The sisters walked inside the facility. As usual, their subjects bowed on the sight of their rulers.

Suddenly, the door swung open once again. The Eqeustrains inside the waiting room were perplexed as they had seen nopony enter.

Then Shadow squad uncloaked. Much to their expectance, everypony in the room immediately clenched their heads as they stumbled upon seeing their realistic figures.

Celestia and Luna approached the front desk while the unicorn receptionist started sweating in fear and confusion.

"Excuse me, I am looking for Twilight Sparkle." announced Celestia calmly.

The receptionist struggled to get a hold of herself. "Um, oh, yes. Of course your majesty! Her highness Twilight Sparkle is on the top floor in room 96. She is being treated with Ms. Zecora."

"Thank you. Is she ready for visitors?" questioned Luna.

"The doctors have given an all clear. You'll have to ask them however about what she can and can not do." said the unicorn. "Right now she's being visited by her 5 friends and dragon assistant."

"Alright then. Alert the staff we'll be on our way." nodded Celestia.

"Um, your majesty." croaked the receptionist. She tilted her head to the side to face the 4 masked humans. "Will these.....gentleman be visiting princess Twilight as well?"

"I'm afraid so." sighed Luna.

"The doctors said Twilight shouldn't be handling much stress the last time I heard about her condition." muttered the unicorn.

Shadow squad maintained neutral expressions under their masks. They didn't blame the receptionist for being so scared.

"It's all right. Twilight knows these 4." assured Celestia.

The alicorns and the commandos took off. Whenever the ponies saw the masked counter terrorists, they always took off in the opposite direction. After taking out a group of Zebra kill teams, nopony wanted to be in the same room as them.

Finally, the group arrived at the scene. Room 96.

"I believe it would be best if me and my sister enter first." proposed Luna.

"Go ahead." signaled Scarecrow.

Luna opened the door with telekinesis and she and Celestia walked in.

Shadow cloaked in order reduce panic and switched to magnetic vision to see what was going on behind the walls. They enhanced their radio skills to pick up the conversation.

Their were two beds in the room. One belonged to Zecora. The Zebra was fast asleep, her body covered with band aids and muzzle covered with a breathing device.

Then there was Twilight. The alicorn was being covered by her 5 friends who crowded on her bed. Nopony saw or even heard the solar and lunar princesses come in.

Spike was crying his scales off. His head was buried in Twilights coat. The purple mare hugged the dragon back with a warm smile.

"T-Twilight." sobbed Spike. "I'm s-so sorry."

"Spike, it's okay." smiled Twilight.

"No it's not!" yelled the purple dragon. "While you were in a dangerous situation, I was fast asleep in the castle! should have been there with you. I didn't even get to hear anything the humans had to say."

"Don't worry." comforted Twilight. "I'm glad you didn't see any of it. It was way to dark for someone your age to handle."

"But I'm your assistant!" wept Spike. "Shouldn't I be by your side all the time?"

"I'm your sister." corrected Twilight. "I don't want you to be a part of such horrible things."

"Spike, you're here now. That's all that matters." squeaked Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy is right." called out Celestia's voice. "You mustn't be too hard on yourself."

Suddenly, the 6 mares and the dragon turned around to face Celestia and Luna.

"Princess!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

"I knew you'd come." smirked Rainbow Dash.

"Come now. It surely isn't a surprise." laughed Luna.

"How is my star pupil feeling?" asked Celestia.

"I'm great! Thanks." nodded Twilight. "Especially now that all my friends are here to visit me."

"We've been with Twilight the entire time." told Rarity. "We had to sleep in the wretched waiting room, but we weren't about to give up on our friend."

"A true character of friendship indeed." complimented Luna.

Applejack was the only one not smiling. "Is Shadow here?"

Celestia stopped grinning. "Yes, I believe they're right outside."

"I don't see them." muttered Rainbow Dash. "They're probably cloaked."

Luna raised her voice. "The 4 of you may come in."

The door opened slowly. Since Shadow squad wasn't visible, it looked like the door opened by itself.

Shadow uncloaked and stared at the purple alicorn for a moment. Then, X-ray immediately used neural controls to analyze Twilight's body. The readings were displayed on his HUD.

"You're vitals look good. Didn't expect you to be in this condition after you got stabbed."

Twilight flexed her head. "We'll, you did save me there. Thank you."

"Oh fucking please. If we hadn't shown up in the first place, none of you would be in this situation." shook Scorch.

"You bothered about something?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh no." said Scarecrow sarcastically. "We just ended up putting an entire species in jeopardy for banal reasons. Everything is totally fine."

"Looks like someone is beginning to learn a little remorse." pointed Rarity.

"Trust me, we don't regret a thing we've done." defended Scarecrow. "We're just pissed of the situation had to turn out like this. I know it's beyond our control, but I wished things played out differently."

Shadow's motion trackers read an unidentified pony entering the room.

All of a sudden, a unicorn doctor with a red coat and yellow mane entered the room. The stallion was too busy checking his notepad to notice that a group of humans had entered.

"Good news your highness." remarked the doctor, eyes still glued to the notepad. "You're-"

The stallion was immediately cut off upon getting a full glimpse of Shadow squad who stared right back with their vacant and expressionless masks.

"Uhhhh." muttered the doctor. "Ms. Sparkle shouldn't be handling too much stress and-"

"Relax, I know these guys. They're fine unless they get provoked." assured Twilight from her hospital bed.

"What's Twilight's situation?" asked X-ray.

The doctor rubbed his head as he tried to comprehend Shadow's alien appearance. "Her majesty is actually in quite an exemplary position. I don't know what you did to her, but had she not been stabilized, she would have certainly perished."

Pinkie Pie clutched Twilight's hooves out of worry. Twilight kindly signaled the pink mare to let go.

"And I thought ponies didn't have the medical technology to treat Twilight this well." added Scorch. "I have to admit, the fact that she's talking is a surprise to us as well."

"Well, we didn't always have this certain medical procedure." muttered the unicorn. "These practices have only been implemented since last night."

"So how did you all advance so quickly in medicine?" asked Scarecrow.

The doctor formed a fake grin. "When we heard that alien life was visiting Equestria, we considered that they would have the medical knowledge that surpassed ours. In order not to feel to outclassed, we kind of pulled an all nighter on medical research. Good timing too. We wouldn't have had the ability to treat all our patients without it."

Shadow squad form a small smirk under their masks.

"Nice to see you're evolving in terms of medical technology." complimented X-ray. The skinny commando turned to the hospitalized zebra. "How's Zecora holding up?"

"She's more than fine, but not as good as Twilight." groaned the doctor. "She had been injured far longer than Twilight. Rather than having a major injury in one area, she had minor, but multiple, wounds in other areas."

"When can Twilight be cleared for movement?" inquired Scarecrow.

"Why would I need to get moving?" called out Twilight.

The doctor checked his notes. "I was actually about to inform her that she was ready to leave her hospital bed in an hour. Although the last thing she needs is more trauma in her midsection."

"Doctor, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, we need to have a word with these ponies." requested Scorch.

The stallion turned to face the princesses. "Will this be alright?"

"Of course." assured Luna.

The doctor trotted off while trying to shake off the image of Shadow squad from his mind.

"So what did we miss?" asked Applejack as she closed the door.

"Just be glad you weren't there. Things got real messy with Nigeria." trivialized Scarecrow.

"Oh my, what happened?" whimpered Fluttershy.

"We, did some real ugly things to Nigeria." muttered Overwatch. "You can probably guess who it ended."

The ponies were starting to get used to hearing about situations involving death. They all knew life would no longer be the same, regardless of the outcome of the struggle.

Everybody and everypony looked at the cationic Zecroa. They wondered how she would react to the death of her leader.

"Anyway, we were able to gain a large quantity of intel from Nigeria." announced Scarecrow. "I really hope you can handle it however."

"Come on! Share with the class!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

X-ray took a deep breath. "For starters, we have every reason to believe that the alliance may be entirely valid in their claims for attack."

"What is that supposed to mean?" questioned Celestia.

"For starters, I think we should explain the origins of the Zebras." decided Scorch. "The Zebras say, or at least claim, that they simply appeared on the planet tens of thousands of years ago. We can't exactly pinpoint an accurate timing."

"They claim they just appeared out of nowhere?" muttered Twilight out of disbelief.

"Well, they believe they were created by elders of some sort." corrected the demo man.

"Elders? That's silly!" laughed Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, and a large mutant horse creating a world filled with even more mutated horses isn't?" countered Scarecrow.

The ponies shot the humans dirty looks.

"But now the whole idea of talking, animated, intelligent life just appearing on the Earth seems to be the final truth." pointed X-ray. "It does seem that the planet was created artificially after all, but by whom remains a question considering the next part."

"Next part?" repeated Rarity.

"After being created by the elders, Nigeria said that the Zebras literally found traces of primitive resources that mirrored those of ancient African tribes." explained Scarecrow.

"You ponies said that the earliest appliances and commodities were provided to you by your deity. Correct?" checked Scorch.

"That's what the books say." answered Twilight.

"Well, we have reason to believe that statement was a lie." informed X-ray. "Perhaps your goddess simply found these items and gave them to you. Why would an otherwise perfect deity create tools not meant for hooves?"

"So how do you suppose we all ended up copying humanity?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"We don't know." muttered Scorch. "We suggested that this planet was created by humans, but apparently, we never set foot on this planet until 100 years after its creation."

"Continuing on." voiced Scarecrow. "According to Nigeria, the Zebras continued to live a peaceful life and soon began to develop technologies and a culture that strayed away from the original. Things looked bright for their people, until we arrived a hundred years after."

"But no piece of information even implies that aliens visited our world until this month!" exclaimed Celestia.

"That's not what the alliance claims." shook Scarecrow. "According to Nigeria, humans weren't even a collective of neolithic civilizations in the past."

"Ah don't follow." shook Applejack.

"Based on Nigeria's statements, when humans visited Epona a century after its creation, we arrived in star ships." clarified X-ray.

"And from the sound of it, whatever starships our ancestors had were a far cry from what we have now. They make ours sound like hot air balloons." added Scarecrow.

"So what did the ancient humans exactly do when they visited?" inquired Luna.

"Nigeria told us that when the humans visited, they were boasting some sense of pride." told Overwatch.

"Pride? Why would they be feeling that?" said Twilight.

"I guess they were feeling haughty considering the humans who visited the Zebras were Africans themselves." theorized X-ray. "I believe they were simply ecstatic that they found an animal from their native land."

"Moving on, it seemed that when the humans found the Zebras, things were going to look well." added Scorch. "Until it all went to hell. Remember how the alliance claims the humans brought devastation to their lands thousands of years ago, well it turns out they might be telling the truth."

The ponies in the room were silenced for a solid minute.

"So humans led a genocide on this world a long time ago?" gasped Fluttershy.

"We're just as pissed off about it as you are." assured X-ray.

"But why would they do such a thing?" gulped Applejack. "What set them off?"

"That's a mystery to all parties involved in the conflict." stated Scarecrow. "From what Nigeria told us, when the ancient humans took a full glimpse of Zebra society, they just fell into a state of madness."

"Just like that?" inquired an unconvinced Celestia.

"Afraid so." nodded Scorch. "Apparently the Zebras were somehow traitors to their culture and race. Whatever that means."

"And the next thing everyone on Epona knew, the ancient starships started to rain hell over all the races." added X-ray. "Using energy weapons, our ancestors mercilessly attacked every race that lived here from orbit."

"Then wouldn't have we been wiped out?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"You should have." shrugged Scarecrow. "Unless, our ancestors were completely inept in handling the star ships they created, this planet should be smoldering."

"But then why can't we ponies recall such a tragedy from occurring?" asked Luna. "We have recorded all history since our creation, there is no way we could have missed a genocide of epic proportions."

"And we humans have been recording all history since 50 thousand BCE." replied X-ray. "How our ancestors achieved space flight in the past and leaving no trace behind is uncanny."

"But what if we weren't attacked?" realized Twilight.

"Impossible." debunked Scarecrow. "If all races were being devastated indiscriminately by energy weapons, then ponies should not be exempt nor not caught in the collateral damage."

"Twilight might be on to something." spoke up Rarity. "Our population might be rather petite compared to humanity, but when compared to others, we outnumber them significantly. And Equestria doesn't exactly have a high birth rate."

"You still should have been able to see gleaming starships orbiting the planet." countered Overwatch.

"But what would have the humans done if they did succeed in destroying all life on the world?" questioned Celestia.

"Simple. They would have taken it for themselves." informed X-ray. "In the midst of the attack, the ancient humans started to build their own city made up of conquered territories."

"Well, there's no ancient human city here." told Twilight. "We've explored all sorts of ruins around the planet."

"What if we told you that it might not even be in ruins and continues to function today?" challenged Scarecrow.

"Quit be cryptic and spell it out already!" yelled Pinkie Pie.

"Our ancestors were building an empire on this world, a Crystal Empire." trivialized X-ray.

"The Crystal Empire is a human settlement?" remarked Celestia with a hint of doubt. "That sounds unlikely."

"I know everything about the Crystal Empire, and it's been proven that it's been a pony settlement for the entirety of its existence." debunked Twilight.

"Yeah, but did ponies actually build it?" quizzed Scorch.

"I would assume so, considering that it isn't well, animated." flexed Twilight.

"Then again, I do not remember any texts regarding the actual creation of the empire." revealed Luna. "It seems that the earliest records of pony interaction with the city implies that ponies have always been in charge of the city."

"I'm willing to bet that humans built the city and you ponies simply found it and claimed it as your own." theorized X-ray. "I wonder how Cadance would react to such a news about her names."

"There's one thing I still don't get!" stated Rainbow Dash. "If the humans were so capable of destroying everything in their path, why didn't they?"

"Good question." nodded Scarecrow. "According to Nigeria, the humans simply disappeared. Literally. Following that, the attacked races were left in a state of ruin, forcing them to build off primitive resources rather than developing entirely new ones."

"But how do we know he's tellin' da truth?" questioned Applejack.

"Well, our lie detectors didn't go off during the interrogation." responded Scorch. "Hell, I don't think a prisoner would even dare lie when they know their life was at stake."

"You still killed him!" scolded Celestia.

"So if Nigeria was telling the truth, that means the whole alliance is justified in their actions!" exclaimed Rarity. "They aren't attacking for nothing after all."

"They're not justified for doing shit." denied X-ray. "The only reason why they hate us humans is because we threatened to blow up their world the next time we came."

"But then that means they're only trying to defend their people." squeaked Fluttershy.

"Well they're doing a shitty job at it." insulted Scorch. "They should have got the message that we had no intention of repeating the past the first time. But no, they're really fucking insistent that we're going to do it anyway."

"I still believe that you should offer some sort of reparation for nearly destroying everything in the past." suggested Rarity.

"We would, although the only reparation they'll accept is blood." groaned Scarecrow. "Even if we were ultra pacifistic and the total opposite of our ancestors, the alliance would still would want us dead."

"Sound like they're after revenge if you ask me." spoke up Spike after a long period of silence.

"Exactly. And what's worse is that they've failed to comprehend that we're not the ones who nearly destroyed their civilizations." shook X-ray.

"They refuse to accept that we've moved on from our ancestors, developed new ideals, want nothing to do with them and don't even remember that we were a group of space fascist a long time ago." added Scarecrow. "But because some fucking book told them to, they're convinced we're still out to get them."

"That isn't fair at all!" burst Rainbow Dash.

"Exactly. Had they listened, they probably would have realized we had no intention of starting war. All they've done is fulfill their own prophecy." agreed Overwatch.

"Not to mention they've decided to take all their anger out on you as well." gritted Scorch. "The alliance knows it can't win against humanity, so all they want to do is wipe the 4 of us out. Can't say the same about you though."

Pinkie Pie shed a tear. "But can't we solve this problem without violence?"

"I can't tell you of the outcome of this conflict, but it certainly won't be a peaceful one." shook X-ray. "We're really sorry we put you in a situation like this."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "I thought y'all couldn' apologize."

"We can't apologize for intended actions." defended Scorch. "This is something completely beyond our control."

"So this means negotiations are out of the question?" checked Celestia.

"We're afraid so. The only way to put down this alliance is through force." apologized Scarecrow.

"You mean the Federation is going to wipe everyone out?" gasped Fluttershy.

"Not necessarily." defended X-ray. "If we did that, all we'd be doing is proving the alliance right. If we can put its leaders in a state of panic, self preservation will take over and the alliance will surrender. And since the UTF sees no good out of revenge, all this useless antagonism will seize."

"Are you sure they will surrender darling?" questioned Rarity. "The four of you are one of the most horrific individuals I know of and not even you were successful in getting Nigeria to stand down."

"If that's the case, than I'm afraid history will sadly have to repeat itself after all." shrugged Overwatch.

"What kind of evil entity would go to war based on in an irrelevant statement in an outdated book?" said Luna quietly to herself.

Shadow surprised the blue alicorn by answering her question.

"Say what you want about the alliance, but they're not evil, they're just horribly misinformed." debunked Scorch.

"They won't stop until ever pony is killed for simply tolerating you!" yelled Twilight. "How is that not evil?"

"While their acts certainly aren't evil, the alliance isn't acting out of pure wickedness." admitted Scarecrow.

"Then how do you classify them?" questioned Celestia.

"They're a Taliban." flatly stated X-ray.

"A what?" blurted all the ponies in the room.

"A Taliban." repeated X-ray. "Religion and traditions, especially in a classical society such as this hold an upmost priority and influence. Then there are those who take it to extreme levels and follow blindly. They would follow everything, even the unjust aspects of their beliefs and commit horrible acts all in the name of theology."

"Come on! I'm sure they can turn a corner once we talk sense into them." pleaded Pinkie Pie.

Scarecrow held up the pink pony and pressed his mask on her face.

"Don't you get it? We can't talk sense into them. They are utterly convinced that what they are doing is right and in the name of the deities they worship. Any attempt to reason with them will only be seen as some sort of theological attack and will thus motivate the alliance further to commit attacks."

The masked commando started panting. "Right now, they are convinced that we are eldritch abominations of some sort that have returned from the cosmos and will seek to finish what we started by destroying all life on the world with our incomprehensible technology. And because of their willful ignorance, they are going to put us all in a situation where death is inevitable. All we can hope for is for the alliance themselves to see the error in their ways and seize hostilities willingly. Unfortunately none of the races have encountered any sort of secular movement so the hopes of them surrendering are futile. FUTILE I SAY!"

"Please put me down." smiled Pinkie Pie.

Scarecrow stopped breathing heavily. "Oh. My bad."

"What information have you find about this alliance?" interrogated Celestia.

"For starters, almost every sapient race is involved in this conflict." began X-ray. "I have reason to believe that we have no allies in this situation."

"What about its leaders?" added Luna.

"Nigeria was one of the chief commanders." answered Scorch. "Now that he's dead there's a good chance they'l be some sort of power surge amongst the ranks of the Zebras. Hopefully that will buy us some time."

"The other leaders are emperor Talonclaw of the Griffins, duke Jackson of the Donkeys, Chrysalis of the Changelings-"

"Chrysalis!" yelled Twilight. "Why would she be working with the other races? And why would they agree to work with such a villain?"

"Common beliefs and enemies can be a unifying ground for even the most antagonistic of forces." explained X-ray. "The final leader of this alliance is master Elvarg of the dragons."

"Dragons!" yelled Spike. "My kind is after you too?"

"Afraid." so sighed Scarecrow. "Don't worry though, just because you're a dragon doesn't mean we're going to mark you a threat."

"But you don't understand!" exclaimed Spike. "If the dragons are in it, you're all doomed. Oh man, they've probably labeled me a traitor as well."

"Dragons might be tough, but they're no match for a fleet of space ships." assured Scorch. "And also, Nigeria keeps mentioning an ally of some sort."

"I've noticed, any news on who this ally is?" asked Celestia.

"Negative." revealed Overwatch. "According to Nigeria, the 'ally', is someone, likely male, who hold the deepest grudge against humanity. Apparently he's the only one they're confident in for brining the 4 of us down at once."

"Furthermore, this guy is what's keeping the barrier in position and once the alliance kills off the alicorns, this ally will take the place of Celestia and Luna in turning the sun and moon." added Scarecrow.

"What?" spat Luna. "There is no one I know that is capable of such a feat, unless...."

"Who do you have in mind?" interrogated X-ray.

"Never mind." shook Luna. "It couldn't be him. He's not the one for compromise."

"Moving on, how big is the alliance we're facing?" inquired Celestia.

"Their army is more than one million. We'll leave it at that." informed Scorch.

"One Million!" yelled Rainbow Dash at the top of her lungs.

"There's no way we can handle that!" gasped Fluttershy.

"I think he was jus trying to intimidate us." suggested Twilight. "I know for a fact that not even the Griffin army is that strong and the militaries of other races is hardly larger than ours."

"Like we said, religion can drive people to do stupid things, like joining the army against a threat they know they can't beat." replied Scarecrow.

"And there's the fact they've turned to the clone pool." muttered X-ray.

"Clone pool? You mean the thing I used to make a few dozen copies of me that wrecked havoc?" questioned Pinkie Pie.

"That one." answered Scorch. "They've used it to expand their ranks and make copies of their best fighters, which is really smart if you ask me."

"We're outnumbered and we're out skilled." cried Luna. "There is no possible way we can win!"

"We don't have to win. This war won't even have to touch Equestrian soil with the plan we got." smirked Scarecrow under his mask.

"I'm really surprised you're insistent to win a conflict that won't even affect your species." complimented Rainbow Dash.

"Because believe it or not, we do genuinely feel concerned about you and the last thing we want is for your race to be wiped out for something you didn't do!" remarked X-ray. "And there's the total fact that our lives are in jeopardy too."

"You guys sure have a funny way of showing it though." muttered Spike.

"Look, we're 23rd. We're far from what's perceived as normal." admitted Scorch. "And as aggressive as we may have been, please believe that we are not your enemies."

"Besides, we kind of caused this event to occur when we stepped foot on Epona." shook Overwatch. "Because chose to interact with you all, you've been caught in the crossfire of some fucked up crusade. We might not be able to feel remorse, but it's only lawful that we find the solution to the problem. No matter what."

The ponies couldn't help but feel moved by the statements.

"What do you have in mind? Not even you can face an army of millions of enraged zealots!" exclaimed Celestia.

"We won't have to face them!" insisted X-ray. "All we need to do is get them to surrender."

"But I thought you said they couldn't be reasoned with." reminded Twilight.

"Reasoning isn't an option. You're right." nodded Scorch. "But we can get them to surrender with the next best way. Through fear, the most powerful emotion known to every kind."

"I hate to break it to you." said Rainbow Dash. "But not even you four are scary enough to get an entire army to quit."

"Not us, but the entire might of the UTF can. Without even having to fire a kinetic round." replied Scarecrow. "The very sight of a UTF battle group alone will cause them to pussy out."

"They don't know what a UTF ship is capable of." glared Rarity.

"Exactly." snapped Scorch. "Like we said, fear of the unknown is the most powerful kind of fear there is. Once the alliance gets a little glimpse of our starships in orbit, they won't risk their lives of their brethren and fuck off."

"But what about the barrier over our planet?" whispered Fluttershy.

"Matter is not created nor destroyed at random." informed X-ray. "All we have to is find a way to shut off the barrier, and we'll be good."

"And how do y'all plan ta do dat?" asked Applejack.

"Easy, all we need to do is head to the Crystal Empire. I would move now if I were you." instructed Scorch.

"What would we exactly find in the Crystal Empire?" questioned Twilight. "I know it was a former human colony and all, but trust me, there is nothing you would find that would benefit us."

"Not necessarily. According to Nigeria, when the ancient humans were building the Crystal Empire, they created some sort of data chamber." explained X-ray.

"How would that information be useful now? Sure you'll find out some cool things, but now is not the time!" yelled Pinkie Pie.

"That data chamber is our only chance to find out how to stop this attack!" countered Scarecrow. "If our ancestors were as advanced as the stupid theology books say, than surely there must be some sort of mechanism that would override the kinetic barrier."

"You said it was a data bank. Not a technology hub." corrected Celestia.

"But with whatever information our ancestors could conjure up, I'm sure they could at least provide us the information to get the barrier down." shrugged Scorch. "If the UTF diverts all assets to this solution, the barrier could be down before the attack on the 23rd of June."

"And if that doesn't work?" inquired Applejack.

"Then we could at least look into the archives of our ancestors." proposed X-ray. "With the records that exactly detail what occurred with the incident tens of thousands of years ago, we could at least have an idea of what happened and use it to our advantage. Find a loophole or something."

"You don't sound so sure." piped up Fluttershy.

Scarecrow let out a loud breath. "Truth be told, we're ill prepared to deal with such a situation. However, this may be our only shot in repelling the fucking alliance. Let's not waste it."

"I still don't find it a thorough plan." shook Luna. "The Crystal Empire is thousands of years old, there is no way the archives could have survived."

"The UTF has ways of storing knowledge that can last for a hundred thousand years." informed Scorch. "I am sure our ancestors, who sound more advanced than the current generations have found ways of preserving data efficiently."

"But when we went to the Crystal Empire, how come we never saw anything referring to humans?" challenged Rarity.

"Knowing the nature of Equestria, I don't think ponies would focus on researching secrets throughly. Not that I'm trying to insult you." theorized X-ray.

"You're missing the point! Ponies have inhabited the Empire for thousands of years. If there was a glaring human archive in the middle of it, we would have noticed." insisted Twilight. "Nigeria could have tricked us."

"Our lie detectors didn't go off and Nigeria was pretty serious when he spoke." defended Scarecrow. "According to him, the archives were left closed the last time Zebras set foot in the land. As far as I'm concerned, it could still be there."

"Even if we did get to the Crystal Empire, what is to say Cadance and Shining Armor are just going to let you ransack the entire city for something that might not either be there?" pointed Rainbow Dash.

"They'll comply once they know what is going on." answered X-ray. "Otherwise, we'll loose our only option at defense."

"Besides, we're authorized to use force if none of you comply." muttered Scorch as he checked the messages on his wrist computer.

"I really hope you know what you're doing." sighed Celestia.

"We do." said Scarecrow, "The four of us will head to the Crystal Empire as soon as possible, uncover whatever information we need, and report back."

"Y'all are goin' alone?" gasped Applejack.

"Afraid so." shrugged X-ray.

"What! You can't go by yourself." pleaded Twilight.

"Well, we did want you to come, but now we kind of take it back seeing that you're still hospitalized." stated Scorch.

"I can still go. Honest!" insisted the purple alicorn. "I'll be good in an hour."

"Why do you all want to come anyway?" interrogated Scarecrow.

"None of you have been to the Crystal Empire before." groaned Rarity. "If you want to be efficient, you're going to need our guidance to show you around and explain the situation to the locals. Crystal ponies are rather jumpy."

"Acknowledged. I guess that settles it for the ride." remarked X-ray.

"Hey! What about me?" shot Spike.

"Spike, you might be a dragon, but you're still a child. I do not believe that you should accompany us." denied Scorch.

"Why not?" spat the purple dragon. "I've accompanied Twilight on all her adventures before."

"The adversaries you have faced are nothing compared to what is challenging us." warned Scarecrow. "The alliance as declared open war on Equestria and odds are they could send a kill team at any moment."

"And because you've interacted with us, they've declared you a heretic and you'll be marked for dead." added X-ray.

"By the way, we'd like to apologize for putting your life in danger." growled Overwatch.

Suddenly, the young dragon began trembling. "I can't stay! There's no way I can leave Twilight behind. Especially not after what happened last night."

Twilight shed a tear and scooped the young dragon in her fore hooves.

"Spike, it's okay. I'll be fine. Shadow won't let any harm come to me." assured the purple alicorn. "Besides, I want you to be safe as well."

"I, I, I can't stay." begged the dragon.

Celestia, placed a wing that stoked Spike's head. "It's okay. You'll be alright under our watch."

"You're staying?" deciphered X-ray.

Luna closed her eyes. "We are afraid so. Right now, we must salvage whatever political ties we have with the other races and at least hope to find a diplomatic solution."

"Alright then. Does anypony know the fastest way we can get to Crystal Empire?" asked Scarecrow.

"We could arrange a carriage to send the 10 of you rather quickly." proposed Luna.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to hire your guards to carry us. Not only are we rather heavy compared to a pony, but the guards probably hate us as well." declined Scorch.

"Oh! How about we go by train?" piped up Pinkie Pie.

"It takes a few hours to get to the empire however." reminded Rarity. "We would also have to reserve the tickets and what not."

"A train ride still sounds like the best idea to me." flexed X-ray.

"I can make the arrangements and get a ride for you all by the next hour." said Celestia.

"What about luggage and packing?" squeaked Fluttershy.

"It won't be a long operation." responded Scarecrow. "We get it, find all the intel we need, and report back."

"First things first." stated Twilight. "I think we should call the doctors to take off these band aids."

"Don't worry about that pal." smirked Rainbow Dash, who flew off to the halls.

"Just keep my little ponies safe." pleaded Celesita. She finally had finally rounded up the courage to say it. "At whatever cost you find necessary."

"Done." nodded Scorch.

Author's Notes:

Sorry if it was too dialogue heavy and felt like a repetition of the previous chapter. I think you all know what might be coming next, but it may have an unexpected twist.

Despite statements in the story, this is not attacking religion, this is attacking fundamentalism and using religion as a scapeg