There wasn’t much to do when stationed on an extremely small island, even less so when assigned to guard duty. It was for this reason that several minotaurs were huddled around a small table with cards out in front of them. The night air was soft and warm, prompting many of them to remove their armored chest pieces. They had one lantern amongst the three of them, it was currently illuminating their card game.

Twenty feet away there fourth comrade in arms was patrolling near a large grey building, he carried with him a simple spear whilst his armor had been exchanged for a more comfortable tunic. His hooves kicked up small clouds of dust as he walked along the side of the supply building, though he didn’t really pay attention. His thoughts were directed towards the battle that would inevitably take place, and how he was stuck on guard duty.

As he passed by the end of the long building, he thought he spotted something. A glint of metal where there should have been none. He gripped his spear tightly and began moving to the odd bit of metal. He knelt down and picked up, recognizing the metal as a Minotaur Dime. He looked around, noting several bushes that dotted the sandy landscape. Not seeing another minotaur, or anything for that matter, he picked up the dime. He moved to stand, but stopped as he felt something metal against the back of his head.

“Don’t. Move.” A voice said, the minotaur gulped. “Your arms, up.” He raised his hands, one still gripping the dime. Another hand quickly reached out and grabbed it. “Thanks, dummy.” The minotaur groaned and stood up, turning to see that one of his comrades had come with a spear. “Here to relieve you.”

“Well, at least it’s you and not-” He was cut off, in the distance there were two extremely quiet ‘zap’ noises. Two extremely dim bolts of red energy impacted him and his fellow minotaur, killing them and sending them to the ground in crumpled heaps.

The bushes seemed to come alive, as eight thestrals clad in black fatigues stepped out into the open. Their faces were hidden by black balaclavas, and their uniforms lacked any markings, but the leathery wings would have been enough of a hint to anyone standing around. They held spell-bows, painted black to match with the uniforms. Each of them had had its serial number filed off, any record of them every being built had been erased. On their backs were saddlebags, filled with explosive crystals and other destructive devices.

“Move up.” One of the thestrals, a mare, ordered. She and her team move towards the building, four of them breaking off to hide the bodies in the bushes. After only a few minutes all of them had regrouped at the side of the building. One of them peaked around the corner, noting that two minotaurs still sat at their table.

“Two tangos. Looks like they’re playing cards.” He announced in a hushed whisper.

“Hold position.” The mare ordered, she came up next to him and looked at the table. The minotaurs were looking around, most likely wondering where their comrades had gone. From her fatigue pocket she pulled a small, red tinted flashlight. She held it up and flashed it three times. Moments later, two flashes of red energy were spotted and the minotaurs had slumped forwards onto their table, dead. “Let’s go…”

The group of eight moved along the side of the building until they came upon a metal door, two of them quickly took up positions on either side of the doorway. The mare moved up and slowly inched the door open, then gestured for the rest of the thestrals to enter. Inside they found stacks of crates and boxes of every side, all with minotaur markings. They filled nearly every portion of the aircraft hangar sized building.

“Spread out, set the charges and meet at hilltop alpha…” The mare ordered, there were a few nods before the group of eight split up. Each of them began moving down the narrow isles that crisscrossed the warehouse, each taking an explosive crystal and setting them every ten feet. The crystals were accompanied by small jugs of kerosine.

The mare in charge of the group stopped as she heard voices, not her team’s voices, most likely warehouse workers. She finished placing her charges as she came the opposite end of the warehouse. She peeked around a corner and was glad to see that her fellow thestrals had also heard the voices and were holding their positions. They slinked into the shadows just as a pair of workers walked past.

“I tell you, the zebs won’t last a day. We’ve got enough stashed here to keep our guys fighting for a month if need be.” Said one of the minotaurs to his co worker. “Seventy Dracks says we don’t even here the fighting here. It’ll be that quick.”

“I’ll take that bet.” Replied the other worker, then stopped in front of a wall of crates that separated two isles. “Alright, they requisitioned fifty units of bandages, that’s isle F, right?”

“Right.” Replied the first minotaur, the two of them started down one of the isles. Imediately they noted the crystals. “What the…” The rest of the words trailed off as he spotted the spell bow that was trained on his chest, and the entirely black covered thestral that held it. His compatriot also noticed this, both of them raised their arms shakily. Neither of them wore armor, only tunics, and they didn’t feel like testing the power of their assailant’s weapon. A click from behind them signified they were surrounded.

“Shit…” They both muttered at the same time.

“Orders, ma’am?” Asked a voice from behind them, the thestral in front of them looked behind them. “We can’t take them with us…”

“No witnesses.” The mare said somewhat coldly before squeezing the trigger of her weapon, there was a second series of zaps before both of the minotaurs lay dead on the concrete floor. “Everyone squared up?”

“Yes, ma’am. Initiating charges set for three minutes, we should go.” One of the thestrals said, the mare nodded and the group quickly moved out the back door. The moon above them gave them some comfort as they stealthily moved through the bushes and sand and towards the hill that overlooked the building. As they got closer they heard a familiar click.

“Star.” A voice called out.

“Night.” The mare replied, two thestrals stood up from the under brush. Their fatigues were different, having several pieces of fake foliage attached to them. An innovation provided by the president himself. “Chipped, Rolling, excellent shooting.” The mare complimented as the group got closer.

“Thank you,.ma’am.” Replied the thestrals, slinging their own spell bows over their shoulders.

“We set?” Asked Rolling thunder, the mare nodded and the group turned to look down at the building. “Spade two flashed that they’d set theres seven minutes ago, we should be seeing it soon.”

“They’ll be seeing ours as well.” The mare replied, watching the building.

“Thirty seconds to detonation.” Said one of the thestrals, the group got down on the ground and made sure to leave their mouths open. They weren’t sure how powerful the shockwave would be, but they figured it would be better safe than sorry. “Fifteen seconds.”

In the distance, a brilliant flash of light filled the sky. A thunderous boom followed, and they could see that something was burning brightly.

“There’s Spade two…” The mare commented.

“Five… Four… Three…” The thestrals all watched the building closest to them with rapt attention. “Two… ONE! Detonate!”

It was as if a wave of flame had spawned within the building, the nearly deafening explosions spread through the warehouse as if they were demons from the deepest pits of hell. The thestrals watched in silent awe as the heavy metal doors were tossed aside like toys. The shockwave kicked up massive amounts of dust. Pieces of tin roofing rained down on the surrounding area, as well as flaming remnants of crates and boxes. Among some of the debris were playing cards, Rolling Thunder picked one out of the air and looked at it. An ace of spades was emblazoned on the slightly charred card.

“That was… Beautiful…” One of the thestrals murmured. A few of them chuckled, mainly at the insane amount of fire that seemed to be pouring out of the roof. Thick black smoke blocked out the night sky, a testament to a job well done. Rolling thunder took the card and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Alright, that’s enough gawking.” The mare ordered, she gestured to the south. “We’ve got to move if we want to make the extraction on time.” With those words, the team quietly moved off the hill and towards the southern shore of the island.

[♦]

Dominic enjoyed being able to live back in Canterlot, mainly because he liked the view that his room afforded him. It was also his official office, as of a week ago, when it had been deemed safe for him to return. He sat by his new, extremely large mahogany desk, slightly uncomfortable in his suit and tie. Still, he was an American politician now, Luna said he had to look the part. He had several desk toys that he fiddled with as he sat there, and his knife had been doubling as a letter opener, much to his annoyance.

The man leaned forwards on his desk, he put his head in his hands and sighed. He’d been losing sleep again, doubt about his decision was running rampant through his mind. It was as if a massive sword now dangled over him by nothing more than a piece of twine. Thoughts about how the United States would be different, how it would be the same, and what to do for it, all jumbled together and mixed with the memories of home.

He’d refounded the United States, ordered an attack on another country, been given an office and all in under a week. It must have been some sort of record. He turned away from his desk with another groan of anxiety and looked towards the window.

The sun outside was warm, but he was more concerned about the moon shining over Twin Island. He would no doubt be receiving a telegram about how the operation had fared, and depending on how it went, possibly an extremely irate minotaur. The man adjusted his tie and leaned back in his seat, his thumb tapping idly against the grip of his revolver that sat on his desk. He nearly bolted out of his seat when he heard the knock on his door.

“Enter.” He said, recomposing himself. The door opened and one of his aids stepped in, this aid happened to be one of the unknown few who had taken the oath without warning Luna that they were taking it. A thestral mare, she was one of the chariot pilots that had remained behind. She wore a uniform, similar to that of an American Army Officer, and held a sheet of paper in her hooves.

“Mister President.” She saluted, Dominic motioned for her to relax. “Message from the Equestrian Ship ‘Speeding Wind’.” He gestured for her to read it aloud. “All targets destroyed, mission accomplished. Second team took enemy fire and suffered minor injury. End of message.” Dominic leaned back in his seat, a stoic expression crossing his features.

“Could you send for Princess Luna?” Dominic asked, the mare nodded. He turned in his chair and looked out the window. “Please send her in when she arrives. Dismissed.” He didn’t watch her leave, he just heard the door close. His eyes looked over the city below, filled with ponies that most likely hated him. Dominic closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair once again, his thoughts going where they had been going for the past few days.

Had he made the correct choice? Was going this route the proper way to bring America back from the brink, was there another way? He quietly clenched and relaxed his fists on the armrests of the chair. There was no changing what had been done, but he knew for certain that he’d rushed into things. Still, he had a responsibility that he intended to uphold. Dominic’s musings were stopped once more as he heard the door to his office open.

“Sir, Princess Luna is here.” The mare’s voice called out, Dominic raised a hand and gestured for her to see the Princess in. His thoughts turned to Luna, he couldn’t help but feel as if she’d used him somehow. She had used his patriotism and his love for his country against him, though he suspected she didn’t know just to what extent he loved his country. He opened his eyes when he heard Luna’s metal shoes clicking against the marble floor, and he only turned his chair when he heard the door close once again.

Luna stood in her regalia, she looked around the room and gave a small smile to Dominic. The man, however, remained stoic. He saw that the mare had placed the message on his desk, he picked it up and looked it over.

“We assume this is not a social call?” Luna asked, Dominic nodded and gestured to a seat that was placed before his desk. The princess took the seat and adjusted herself until she became comfortable.

“The mission was a success, only a few minor injuries.” Dominic said, sliding the paper towards Luna in an almost emotionless state. Luna lifted the paper with her magic and looked it over as Dominic steepled his fingers. “Luna, you know I don’t like bullshit so I’ll cut to the chase. We need to talk.” Luna set the paper down and looked at him, her expression morphing into something between worried and alarmed. He’d never used such a serious tone with her, even when talking about the infected.

“What about?” Luna asked, Dominic quietly sighed.

“I understand your position as a princess, I understand that you needed my help.” Dominic began, he paused for a moment. “I just wish that you’d been straight with me.” Luna raised an eyebrow. Her heart was racing, she had never seen such a cold version of the man. Fears for her future with him sprouted up into a maelstrom of uncertainty. Still, she felt compelled to stand her ground.

“What doth thou mean, we were honest with thee.” Luna replied, straightening up and fighting down her own emotion.

“You showed up at the castle with a strike force ready to go, two generals with you, a plan already laid out.” Dominic said evenly. “You assumed my answer would be yes before you even arrived, and you used a promise to aid my country to persuade me.”

“We had to-”

“Bullshit.” Dominic cut her off, the sharpness of his response cut into her soul. “You could have come to me and said ‘Dominic, I really need your help, I need such and such from you.’ and I would have said ‘Okay!’.” The man took on an even scarier look, one that sent shivers down Luna’s spine. A look of disappointment. “Instead you call your strike force ‘The New American Army’, you offer to make America beautiful again…” His voice was now filled with hurt. “You used me.”

“Dominic, no!” Luna said loudly, the man shook his head. “We would never dream of doing such a thing! We said those things because we wanted to-”

“Out.” Again she was cut off.

“What?” She asked.

“Get. Out. Before I say something we’ll both regret.” Dominic looked at his desk, Luna practically felt her heart ripping in half. Silently she stood up, struggling to hold back tears, before making her way out of the office. When Dominic heard the door close he looked up, his own eyes watering. With a slight sniffle he stood up from his chair and walked across the room towards his liquor cabinet. He reached for the door, but stopped and instead rested his head on the top of the cabinet. He wiped his eyes and stood up tall, he straightened his tie before reaching into the cabinet and retrieving a bottle of scotch. The man poured himself a glass, then turned and raised it in a mock toast.

He downed the scotch and walked back to his office chair then reclined into it and turned to face the window. The man poured himself another glass and looked out over Canterlot, his expression a stoic mask. He watched the city in silence, contemplating what was to be done next.

He supposed that the first thing to do would be locating a place for his ‘citizen’s to live. That wouldn’t be too hard, Equestria owed him a favor after all. The man turned away from the window and set his glass on the desk next to his revolver. Dominic opened the lowest drawer in the desk and fished around, he pulled a map of Equestria from the bottom and laid it out on his desk. The man tapped his finger on his chin, thinking of possible ways to find a place that could house his people. He had lived in an abandoned town for years, it was the first thought that popped into his mind. Dominic opened his mouth and was about to call for the Thestral aid.

“Sonar, could you-” He began, however the door to the room opened and already the thestral was walking in with several different maps.

“Here are the map’s of Equestrian ghost towns, sir.” She said as she set them on the desk, Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“How did you do that?” He asked, she shrugged in response.

“I don’t know sir, sometimes I just know things before they happen.” She turned, Dominic opened his mouth to speak. “I’ll be sure to put a fresh pot of coffee on for you, sir.”

“Thank you, Sonar.” Dominic said as she closed the door, he unfolded one of the maps with ghost towns on it and laid it over the regular map with a hum. At first, none of the towns seemed to call out to him. Of the fifty or so ghost towns many were inland, or nigh inhospitable, he took a red pen from his drawer and put X’s over them. That left a number that was more manageable, fifteen. Of course, he would need to inspect the towns, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

Dominic let out a sigh as his mind wandered back to Luna, but he soldiered on and began circling the ghost towns to determine the order that he’d inspect them. It was surprisingly calming for him to lay out the map, and it helped take his mind off of his fight with his friend. It was in no way shape or form even close to the animosity he had towards Celestia, but Luna had shaken his trust somewhat. With another sigh he began drumming his fingers against his desk and humming ‘When Johnny comes marching home’, it was clear to him that today would be a difficult day. That was alright though, he’d had difficult days before.

Author's Notes:

Here's another one for you all, sorry if I don't update for a while after this. Some stuff has come up that may demand more of my attention, but I will continue to soldier on. Please remember to rate, comment, and favorite if you want.

Have a good one, see you next time.

P.S.: If you can guess who Sonar is based on, you get a cookie.