Dominic awoke to the feeling of Maria and Luna hugging him, he was sandwiched between the two of them as morning light streamed in through a window on the side of the house. That was fine with him, he enjoyed being the subject of cooperative cuddles, but as it stood he was sure that he would be getting called in to work soon. The man sighed softly, deciding to take a bit of personal time. He could stay and snuggle the two snugglers a bit. With a faint smile Dominic nuzzled against Maria’s chest, he could hear her sigh happily as he did so.

The man closed his eyes as he felt Maria put a hand on his head that pulled him closer, he blushed as he realized the woman had pulled his face relatively close to her chest. The man put one of his arms around Maria’s waist, holding her softly and gently as they continued to snuggle in the morning hours. After a couple minutes Dominic opened his eyes, he heard a faint tapping noise on the door downstairs. With a slight sigh the man carefully removed himself from the tangle of arms and hooves, leaving Maria and Luna to cuddle on their own. Meanwhile Dominic pulled on his robe and walked down the steps to see who was at the door, with all likeliness it was someone from the War Room with another report.

His barefeet felt cold on the floor as Dominic approached the door, he quietly unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open. The sunlight blinded him for a couple seconds, causing him to cover his eyes before he could see who was at his door. Once his eyes adjusted he lowered his arm and looked at whoever had been knocking on his door, to his surprise it wasn’t a uniformed officer. Vladimir Putin stood there in a suit and tie, he held a briefcase in one hand while the other hand adjusted his tie.

“Mister President.” Putin said, Dominic stepped back to allow the man inside. Putin stepped in and Dominic closed the door behind him. “I apologize for interrupting your sleep, but there’s something we need to discuss. Something that has me quite concerned.”

“Right… Take a seat at the dining room table.” Dominic said groggily as he walked to the kitchen, Putin nodded and walked to the table where he set down the briefcase and began taking files from within. Dominic meanwhile took a moment to begin making a cup of coffee. “Coffee?” Dominic looked over his shoulder, Putin shook his head. “When Providentia gets me up in the morning, it can only mean something serious… Let’s not beat around the bush, Putin.” Dominic let the coffee begin to brew before he walked to the table and sat down across from Putin. The former Russian President, now head of Providentia, adjusted his tie nervously once more.

“We’ve lost track of the Equestrian airship fleet.” Putin said as he quietly slid a couple photographs over to Dominic, the president quickly picked them up and looked them over. One had been taken two days prior, the other had been taken one day prior. In the oldest picture the fleet was at anchor, the next morning they had all vanished. “What’s more, our agent in the Cloudsdale weather factory has noted something out of place.” Dominic remained quiet as a couple more pictures were slid his way, they were of the weather factory. Dark grey stormclouds were being churned out and pushed away with special safety gear.

“What are we looking at here?” Dominic asked quietly, setting the pictures down on the table and looking at Putin. The Russian nervously withdrew a file from the briefcase and slid it towards Dominic, the man picked it up and read the cover. “The effects of Equestrian Weather on Aircraft…?”

“The Equestrians don’t have the means to take our air force head on…” Putin said simply, Dominic quietly opened the file and looked over its contents. “However, if they can keep our planes from flying…”

“Are you trying to scare me, Mister Putin?” Dominic asked as he continued reading over the report, his palms became sweaty. “If so… It’s working.” Putin nodded quietly as Dominic set the report down on the table and ran a hand over his head. “Contact the Kirov and the Washington in Sector Four… I want Kirov to patrol sector’s one and two in tandem with the Reliant. Washington should take three and four with the Peregrine. See if you can expedite the refit on the Enterprise as well.”

“Not the battleships, sir?” Putin asked, Dominic shook his head quietly.

“Griffon Cruisers are faster and more maneuverable than battleships, and I want the Colossus and the Cyclops to stay above New Liberty. They have all their Anti-Air weapons online already, they can provide more air cover.” The commander explained, Putin nodded and stood up. He gathered his files and put them back into his briefcase. “I’ll be along shortly, just let me get dressed…” Putin nodded again and walked out, leaving Dominic to stand and pour himself a cup of coffee. He had taken to leaving his clothes for the next day on the couch downstairs, as it made it easier for him to get dressed without fear of waking Luna and Maria.

He sipped his coffee for a moment or two before moving to the living room, the man set his cup down on the coffee table before taking off his robe and starting to get dressed in his desert fatigues as he usually did. Outside the living room window he could see the city of New Liberty was already bustling with activity, giving him a sense that he was actually running late despite the fact that it was only just after the crack of dawn. As he began to pull on his gunbelt he heard the steps creaking, Maria came into view through the doorframe, dressed in her own fatigues. She had her hair tied up in a bun that made her look like some sort of assassin-librarian. Dominic would never say it aloud, but it was damn sexy.

“Hey…” Dominic said with a small smile as he clicked the gunbelt’s buckle into place, but despite his expression he felt a familiar turmoil rising in his stomach. “I’ve gotta go into the office for a bit, so I’ll probably be home late.”

“Okay, we’ll see you when you get back!” Maria replied cheerfully, though she could also tell that the man was far from okay. The two of them stood there quietly, both of them sizing up the other, as if trying to determine if they were up to the task of asking what was wrong. Finally Dominic broke off the silence by walking over to Maria and giving her the tightest hug he could, without another word he had walked out of the house, his head swimming with thoughts on what was happening. Maria watched him walk towards the garage with his hands tucked in his pockets, butterflies swirled around in her stomach.

For Dominic, it was more than a fear of war. It was the risk that came with a war, the great equalizer between rich and poor. He would have to fight, he wouldn’t be able to justify sending soldiers to die if he didn’t take the same risk they were taking. As he opened the garage he did his best not to think about what could happen to him if war broke out, but it was an exercise in futility. Many thought his greatest fear was losing someone else, and to an extent it was true. Deep down, however, was something he had never spoken to anyone about, something so terrifying that it could grip his heart and soul in its icy black hand and refuse to let go.

As Dominic got into his car, the Police Interceptor he had taken from Earth, he had a moment to think. Every time he closed his eyes, every time he fell asleep, practically every time he blinked he was faced with the terror. It hadn’t come to the surface before, but recent events had driven it out of its deep slumber. The man thought it made him weak, only children were afraid of the dark, and yet he had fallen for someone who loved the dark. Dominic knew it was a different kind of darkness, the darkness of the unknown.

He turned the key and started the engine, pausing to briefly close his eyes and try to force the fear out of his mind. The fear of not knowing what, if anything, was on the other side. Dominic shook his head firmly and put the car into gear, driving out of the garage a bit faster than he usually did as he finally was able to rein in the encroaching panic. The man took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, repeating that method for a couple minutes before he was able to get his thoughts in order. It was bound to be a long day.

[♠]

Eugene and Nova had settled into a new life beyond the portal to earth, the man had taken Nova in despite her former position as one of the EOL’s inner circle. She and his sister Elise had been at odds at first, but they had both learned to deal with one another relatively early on. It was Eugene’s hope that they would continue to get along in his absence, as it had turned out he had been assigned to the USS Kirov which had been anchored at Doolittle Aerodrome since its retrofitting had been completed a month before. Of course, that wouldn’t be for much longer, as the ship had been given orders to begin a patrol of two sectors of the American border.

The man adjusted his tan uniform as he moved through the airship, his boots clicking against the metal floor. The sound of the engines revving to life outside was telling him that soon the airship would take to the air, and as a Launch Security Officer it was his duty to ensure the ship was clear of any nonessential personnel like ground crew or stowaways looking to desert their posts. Thankfully so far he hadn’t come across anyone and his sidearm had remained stowed in its holster.

Eugene finally emerged onto the deck through a door that put him near the rear facing gun turret, the man closed the door behind him as he walked to the edge of the ship and peered over the edge at the ground below. Seeing that his patrol sector was clear, he quietly reached for a radio on his belt and brought it to his mouth.

“Sector Seven is clear, ready to cast off.” He reported dutifully as other crew members moved about the deck, a pair of griffons were removing the caps from the ends of the four eighty five millimeter cannons mounted in the turret. The engine closest to him sputtered for a moment, then began to spin steadily as it came online.

”Engines are reporting green! All hands, prepare for gasbag deflation!” A voice announced over the ship loudspeakers, Eugene turned his attention to the gasbag floating over the ship and watched as it began to vent a purple fog. It was an Equestrian invention that had originally been used to rapidly inflate party balloons, the Griffons had seen the military potential however. Considering it’s magical properties, it could rapidly inflate the gasbag in case of an emergency, provided the vessel was high enough in the sky.

Eugene watched the fog be carried away in the wind as the gasbag folded in on itself and was stowed in a large pipe that resembled a smokestack. There were three similar pipes to make it harder for the enemy to target the one that held the ship’s only means over surviving a fall. The vessel was officially floating on its own power now, and it was holding up nicely. Eugene began walking towards the front of the ship as the engines began to angle themselves forward to pull the airship through the air.

On the ground the man could see the ground crews and pilots waving them off as they began to head away from the airbase, their sister ship Washington had already departed for their patrol. Unlike the Washington, however, the Kirov was moving further away to sector one and two. Some of the crew had expressed annoyance that they would be ‘away from any action’, but Eugene could see why they had been sent there. He knew that the Equestrians could easily be trying to bait the American military into thinking an invasion would start in sector three or four.

As Eugene reached the front of the ship the crew had settled into their normal routine of duties, and since his job was essentially that of an MP, his schedule looked rather light for the day. He was assigned to one of the forward batteries if the ship entered combat, but as it stood it was shaping up to be a leisure cruise. The Airship’s angle changed as it began rising in altitude, it passed through a layer of thin clouds before leveling off. The air had become considerably colder, but they were still at an altitude safe enough for humans to breathe at without need for oxygen masks.

Laid out in front of Eugene was an entirely new and alien world, one that he had dreamed of since he had been a small boy watching movies like ‘Treasure Planet’ and ‘Atlantis’. He smiled faintly and began walking towards the bridge of the ship, that was his normal post for the day and he looked forwards to a quiet shift. The man ascended the steps, passing a couple griffons on the way before he entered the warmer interior of the ship’s bridge. The grey metal paint that covered most of the ship was right where it was, the bridge officers were all at their stations, and the captain was in her chair.

Her name was Petra, an older female griffon with a background in airships. Her feathers were done up in a military fashion, flecks of grey could be seen in her fur and her black primaries, and her uniform had more than a few decorations on it. The American military allowed medals awarded in other militaries to be worn on uniforms, something that made many of the decorated officers and soldiers coming from other countries feel good to know. Equestria would’ve forced them to only wear Equestrian decorations, while the NUS acknowledged accolades in all their forms. Petra’s beak had a slight crack in it, and a jagged scar ran down the side of her face that was nearly identical to the one on Eugene’s face.

“Ah! My twin, he has arrived!” She said with a chuckle as she spotted the man, Eugene snapped into a respectful salute before moving to take up his position near the captain’s chair. “It’s good that we’ve been given the order to patrol, I was getting impatient waiting for something to happen.”

“Certainly gives us a chance to put the new engines through their paces, ma’am.” Eugene replied respectfully, Petra smiled and adjusted her position in her seat, her talons tapping against the armrest as she watched her helmsmare keep the ship straight and steady.

“Hopefully not the weapons systems.” Petra said with a bit more of a subdued expression. “It’s different commanding a warship than it is a merchant ship, you know?” Eugene quietly paused, as he had no experience whatsoever when it came to commanding airships. “Anyway, enough chit chat. Mister Chitatelya, what is the approximate time to our first scheduled navigational turn?”

“Sixty minutes, Ma’am!” A male griffon replied from a table with a map and compass set up on it, there was also a radio set up beside him with numerous dials, numbers, and a much more accurate compass. The radio was emitting a soft beeping noise that was only interspaced with occasional garbled interference. “We will turn fifty degrees to starboard and follow the navigation radio beacon at Fort Goliath in sector one.”

“Very good.” Petra said as she leaned back in her command chair, she looked over at Eugene. “Go ahead and take a walk, Ensign. If I have need of your security I’ll call.” The man nodded quietly and walked away from the chair, back to the steps that would lead him down to the deck. He found it rather odd that she had dismissed him so early, then again, this was the first mission they were going on where the guns were unmuzzled and ready for combat. Eugene quickly made his way around the deck to the large metal door that lead to the front turret, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The room was illuminated dimly by red lights, just enough light for Eugene to see where he was going. His eyes scanned the room for a couple seconds before he spotted what he had come for, a leather flight jacket that he’d forgotten to take back to his bunk. The man quickly walked over and pulled it on, zipping it up most of the way and pulling his balaclava from the internal pocket. With how cold the deck of the ship got there were more than a few crewmen who had similar face masks. With his warmer garments on Eugene turned and walked out of the gun turret, being sure to close the door firmly behind him.

He wandered to the front of the ship, the wind gusting around him as the ship cut through the sky at a decent speed of forty miles an hour. There was nothing for miles save for open sky and the sandy ground below. Eugene took a seat on a nearby bench that was situated near one of the two forward anti-air emplacements. As the ship continued on its course the sun began to inch across the sky, minutes became hours, and Eugene entertained himself by fiddling with nearby doodads. Most of the crew was done with their duties for the day anyway, but many of them were below deck where it was warmer.

Eugene looked up when he heard someone walking towards him, the man stood up at attention as he spotted a griffon lieutenant walking towards him. The griffon held a bag in their talons, one that Eugene recognized as a binocular case.

“Captain says she wants you to start scanning the horizon! Possible report of unauthorized Equestrian airships in the area.” The griffon said over the gusting wind, Eugene nodded quietly and reached out to take the binoculars. With the case hung from his neck the man raised the binoculars and began scanning over the skies in the distance. The griffon wandered back towards the bridge, leaving the human to his newest duty. The afternoon sun continued to shine brightly, giving Eugene a great field of visibility, but despite that he couldn’t find anything of note. Still, it gave him something to do.

[♠]

Maria quietly adjusted her tan headscarf as she walked through the sand dunes on the Equestrian-American border, her rifle slung over her shoulder while Melissa along behind her. It was part of their more private training exercises, she was hoping to get Melissa used to walking long distances. They had originally been dropped off by biplanes, but the hope was that in the future they would have helicopters. The woman’s clothes were already covered in sand and dust, but that was something she had grown used to over her numerous months working in such brutal conditions.

The usual training period for ground troops was seven weeks, but Maria was devoting months of her time to create one of the greatest snipers the world had ever seen. Loyal to their country and willing to do whatever it took to defend it, Maria had made that clear to Melissa early on. It was the same devotion that she brought to training the rest of her platoon. The challenge had been an unusual experience for the young woman, she had experience commanding small squads but she never thought she would be selected for such an important task as training the next generation of snipers. For the sake of border patrol Maria had set her Mosin Nagant aside for a much more modern weapon, the McMillan Tac-50.

It had about the same amount of kick as her Mosin, but it gave Maria a far greater reach on the battlefield. If it came to war, it would be the perfect weapon for taking out Equestrian officers from a long distance, and considering the Equestrians still relied on battle formations that aspect would be a top priority. That was another reason she had brought her troops to the border of Sector Four, as they approached a border marking post she unslung her backpack and opened it. From within she took a red strip of fabric, the woman quietly began tying it around the post. As expected, it began to flutter in the wind. She had been setting them every ten posts they came across, they gave her a much better idea of how the turbulent desert wind was blowing. There was a grand total of four fabric strips, equivalent to four miles. That number was now about to rise to five.

Melissa walked up beside her, watching the area around them carefully, they were practically a stone’s throw away from Fort Harmony. A thousand yards away loomed the Equestrian citadel, and it seemed that the two humans had gotten the attention of more than a few sentries. As she kept quiet guard over Maria, she found herself smiling faintly as she felt she would soon have a chance to prove that she was a loyal American. A war would be awful, but at the same time, it would give her a chance to redeem herself for her actions in the service of the EOL.

“Looks like they’re getting antsy.” Melissa noted as she saw more than a few of the Equestrian guards standing on the walls of their base. Maria only hummed quietly as she adjusted her headscarf after finishing with the fabric on the post, she slipped her backpack over her shoulder again and looked to Melissa. She was dressed almost identically, though she was armed with her Remington rifle. “Want to break for lunch?”

“Sure… Let’s do it here on the border so they don’t think we went off to hide in the dunes and watch them.” Maria replied as she unsling her rifle and set it gently on the ground, being sure to keep the muzzle away from the sand. The woman removed her backpack once again and sat down, Melissa joined her soon after with a soft sigh. “Things are getting tenser, you know? I wasn’t ordered to do this…”

“I heard they’re going to start putting the air bases on heightened alert, ready to scramble in fifteen minutes.” Melissa replied as she unslung her own backpack and opened it to begin looking through it for their rations, Maria was doing the same, though she knew there was bound to be something extra with her meal. Luna often times slipped a small treat in without Maria’s knowledge, but she chose to just eat the ration first. It was a simple matter of warming up the meal, ‘buffalo chicken’ was what the package said. Whoever produced the ration must’ve been into spicy food, because many people found that particular dish to be ‘Atomic’. Maria didn’t find it half bad.

“It’s been getting tenser on the homefront too. You know Luna’s able to telepathically talk with other alicorns, right?” Maria asked, occasionally glancing at the glint of a pair of binoculars on the wall of the Equestrian fort. She pulled down the scarf in front of her face in preparation to eat. Melissa nodded and began warming her own meal, ‘Spaghetti and Meatballs’, with the chemical heating bag. “Luna’s been trying to talk with Celestia, but she keeps telling me she can’t get through. It’s got me spooked.”

“The official line on all this is to keep people like us safe from protesters.” Melissa said as she quickly began to eat her meal, Maria joining her as she began eating the spicy chicken without much care for how it felt like it set her mouth on fire. She was building up a tolerance to heat, both externally and internally. “Yes, because we’re the ones that would need protection.” The two of them ate rather quickly, not really continuing their conversation beyond that point. They tucked their empty tins into their bags to eliminate any real trace they had stopped there.

Once they were back on their feet and had gathered their gear, Melissa pulled her scarf back up to hide her face from the harsh desert sun. Maria, on the other hand, decided to be a bit more cheeky. Knowing that the Equestrians were watching, she turned towards the fort and blew a kiss, chuckling to herself before she pulled the scarf back up and began walking again.

“You know I bet half of those guys read that silly comic about me?” Maria said as they began walking along the posts again. She giggled faintly as she thought about the comic that Luna had shown her, whomever the illustrator was had gotten her likeness down pretty well. However, she had found the storyline to be rather goofy. “I bet a bunch of them are fanboying.” The woman quieted down as she continued wandering, thinking about what she’d just said. “Whoa… That felt really…”

“Good?” Melissa asked.

“Arrogant.” Maria replied with a bit of a sigh. “I gotta keep an eye on that, I hate arrogant people.” Melissa shrugged as they continued walking, meanwhile Maria cast a brief look over her shoulder at the Equestrian fort. She desperately wished to say that things were going to be alright, but the increasing tension from Equestria was starting to take its toll on her. The woman slipped her hands into her pockets, her gaze locked on the sandy earth beneath her. They still had two more miles to cover before they called for their ride back to New Liberty.

D2

Author's Notes:

Here's another one for you lovely lovelies! And as always, your clip of the day isn't too far away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OXfAPPckQU