Eventually, I sat alone in my vault with only the light of the many displays to keep me company.  Celestia had thankfully opted to use the door when she left.  Through the multitude of cameras, I occasionally peered into the tearful reunion between the ponies.  There was too much to do before I could relax and I just hoped they hadn't kicked a hornet's nest.  When the hugging started, I tuned out before memories of my own came to mind.

Thankfully the sensors were fairly quick to come online as they largely networked with each other.  Each of the small units communicated through high frequency radio and line of sight lasers that were invisible to the naked eye.  In the end, it gave me  a spiderweb of interconnecting lines across the limited map before me.  Whenever something stepped within 10m of one of the sensors, it should show up as a triangulated red dot on the map.  The lasers worked similarly, except the units that lost communication would also flash.  In the end, it was a great system for me, and horrible for those that fought against me.  With just a few things left on my list to do before resting, I triggered the return to base command for the airborne units.  The support drones should be ready for them soon.  A few more taps on the screen linked the new network to my armor so I could get updates.  

After a moment, my fingers yet again started opening the panel on my inner thigh.  Don't get me wrong, I was thankful for the "food" if you could call it that, but getting strange concoctions pumped into my veins left a strange taste in my mouth.  I wish I could say I was joking, but really did leave almost a copper and lemons taste that just wouldn't fade.  Before too long, the canister was unscrewed and plating was replaced.  As my mind wandered, Seven popped in with a gritty synthesized voice from the speakers.  Still, it was better than trying to constantly keep up with his scrolling text of doom.

"Sergeant, Control and its escorts are on final approach and the support units are ready to refuel and rearm.  I would like to recommend keeping them secure in the caverns and use the Raven or Mockingbird drones for limited observation."

Really, it was what I had already planned on doing anyhow, so I just grunted my approval as I stepped toward the storage racks.  Hoping that one of the few weapons available was something I knew how to use fairly well.  Thankfully, the silhouettes on the rack looked somewhat close to mine, with a few glaring changes.  Even through the armor, I could tell this was a completely different style of weapon, yet so close to what I was familiar with.  It was vastly heavier, as if it carried the weight of all the ages I'd been asleep.  The collapsible stock was gone and replaced with a simple fixed stock.  What really drove it home was the massive suppressor built into the rifle, along with a small prismatic scope sitting atop it all.

"What the heck is this, Seven?"

After making sure the chamber was clear, I pulled the behemoth to my shoulder and checked the balance, how it felt to move with it, with me.  Other than being front heavy, it felt familiar, just as it should.

"That is a M18 mod 2 rifle, commonly called the Tomahawk.  The northern facilities started using it for controlling predator populations.  Along the line, someone figured it was similarly good against armored personnel.  They were beginning to issue them to special forces units prior to your interment.  The rifle works identically to your previous weapon with a few caveats.  It is suppressed and subsonic ammunition is available at this time.  For your scope, use the BDC on the left with subsonic.  The right for supersonic rounds.  Just remember this has significantly more recoil than your previous weapon and a greatly reduced round capacity."

I'll openly admit that something with more punch was probably going to be useful since I was going to be shooting mythological monsters in the face.  Fewer shots in each magazine was somewhat worrisome, but considering my limited choices, it was better than nothing.  Heavy magazines were pulled from the waiting rack and placed in my assorted pouches.  Some of the mags carried red markings to denote  subsonic, while green showed the much faster bullets.  Mentally, I kept track of what went where as I became weighed down.  Last out of the rack was my apparently cleaned and lubricated 1911.  Once it slid home in the holster, I was feeling much more comfortable. A soft tap the illuminated "close" button started the rack and trays into movement, before I turned toward the door.  Naturally, Seven picked the perfect time to be a smartass.

"Please be careful with that rifle.  We only have so many spare parts remaining."

Freaking AI.

It took a what seemed like minutes for the thick doors to cycle open and shut after I passed through the edifice.  Either way, the same dreary and shattered hall met my vision.  Thankfully, Seven had kept one of the support drones busy on a few side tasks that were useful.  A fair amount of the clutter and debris was cleared away, giving a smooth and unobstructed path.  It all only seemed to reinforce the fact that I had been occupied with the "rescue" for longer than I thought.  The jagged hole that was torn through an armored door hours ago was cut cleanly at the edges now, with little more than a smooth sided rectangle hole to show for my efforts.  Whatever scrap that had been created I assumed was hauled off or placed somewhere else as the tracked robot toiled endlessly.  Curiosity was killing me at this point, so voicing my thoughts seemed to be the simplest answer.

"Seven, what exactly are you doing down here?  I know I had mentioned cleaning up and fortifying the position down here, but don't we have higher priorities?"

***Please wait.  Attempting to allocate processing power to address your inquiry.

***You are user 2 of 4.  Your estimated wait time is between 2 and 5 minutes.

***Your requests are important to us.  Please continue to hold.  An AI will be with you shortly.

"...I...the fuck?!  Freaking AI is broken or something.  Figures.  Might as well wait and see what happens."

Trying to remain calm, I took in my new surroundings as I walked toward the cavern.  Whatever Seven was up to seemed to be keeping everything busy down here.  The one support unit in the tunnels had managed to install several steel brackets into the concrete wall every few yards, along with running a long armored power cable against the wall.  This was going to be interesting if my thoughts were right.  Junctions and armored doors passed until I neared where everything could have gone so wrong.  The dark tunnel to the caverns still gaped like the jagged mouth of a demonic entity that yearned for souls.  The solid light green dots depicting active drones always had a calming effect on me.  Especially when the dots were moving toward me and I knew what they were carrying.  

From the black came three of the largest support drones.  Their weapons lay flat against armored surfaces as mechanical arms cradled locking lugs imbedded in the bellies of Control and the other airborne drones.  Many of my...former...coworkers and soldiers thought the streamlined delta wing shape of the Command and Control unit was strange.  Personally, I enjoyed the shape.  It was just as artful as it was deadly.  Housed within the nearly seven foot long body was as close to an AI core as could be found outside a full server suite.  Below the nose of the craft sat what looked like a large round ball surrounded by matte black glass panels.  That was a huge mistake for anyone in combat to mistake.  Behind the panels lay a massive array of cameras that tracked everything in front and below the unit.  Similar clusters were at several other locations across the armored unit.  

The armored ball was the impressive bit though.  During regular flight operations, the true contents of the unit never showed.  In combat, the ball rotated down from the belly of the craft to limber a weapon far too large for a drone of this class.  Control drones were armed with the best weapons the NAF could create and cram into a weapons platform.  In this case, it was a M229 Kali pulse cannon.  Control was able to destroy damn near anything with that cannon.  The only reason they weren't widely used was the cost to build them.  Across the body of the unit there were also four small, empty shackle points for an assortment of weapons or gear.  In this case, I figured it was safe to assume the missing units were the DIME charges that Seven used earlier today.  

It took me a moment to shake myself out of a reverie.  Memories had threatened to overwhelm me, swimming before my eyes from my years of service, years of constant combat.  Shaking my head softly, I trailed a hand down the leading edge of Control's wing as it passed with the soft whirring of hydraulics on the way to be rearmed.  There were bigger fish to fry if I was ever going to get some rest today.  The armor could keep me running longer if needed, but meds never did equal real sleep.  With that in mind, I set down the dark tunnel to meet our newest members, specifically the one they called "Shining Armor."

An obscene mixture of sobbing and cheering met my ears as the dark walls of the tunnel passed.  The closer I got to the glimmering crystals and the camp within, the louder it got.  Considering the Minotaurs knew exactly where the ponies were camped, its not like there was any stealth to be lost after all.  Careful to mind the meters in the corner of my vision, I stepped toward the large cluster of ponies at the heart of the camp.  The flickering torches and "magical" crystals for light had all been done away with.  Instead, the entire cavern was lit with the golden glow of what appeared to be a miniature sun floating at the far upper reaches of the area.  Considering the sun was openly emblazoned on her behind, it was safe to assume that was Celestia's doing.

Strange.  That really is the only way to put it when you are walking through a crowd of miniature horses who nod greetings or shy away from you.  The vast majority of them only came up to my stomach or mid chest at best even with their armor, so at least I was afforded a good view across the group.  The only interruptions were the occasional cluster of tents or pegasi zipping around where the royals were clustered.  That is when a thought occurred to me, a very important thought.  

A simple command later, I was inching my way toward the crystal walls and the safe darkness beyond while the Raven drone descended from above.  The realization of how Celestia reacted came to mind when I wondered how to introduce myself.  No need to court extra injuries and all that.  Surrounded by the inky blackness of the blasted tunnel, the small panels embedded in my armor came to life once more and I faded from mortal sight.  It took a moment for me to sit down from all the armor wrapped around me, but it also protected me from the rocky surfaces below.  A simple mental trigger pulled up the audio and video from the Raven to lay over my vision in a ghostly way.

I did the smart thing and watched from a distance as the flamboyant Alicorn hugged a very weary and abused looking unicorn.  Bruises mottled what I assumed at some point was supposed to be white fur.  It really was hard to ascertain for certain through all the dust, blood, and general abuse he had suffered.  Thankfully it didn't look like anything medical that would need any special intervention.  Don't get me wrong, it was useful to have an insane amount of information at my beck and call from the other networked individuals, but it was also a massive pain in the ass.  That did remind me to check the panel that I assigned to system messages.  From the corner of my vision, I saw the exact same thing as before.

***Please wait.  Attempting to allocate processing power to address your inquiry.

***You are user 2 of 4.  Your estimated wait time is between 2 and 5 minutes.

***Your requests are important to us.  Please continue to hold.  An AI will be with you shortly.

The damn AI better not be broken.  In the dark and the gloom, that was my last thought for a while as my eyes closed and darkness took me.

Groaning softly, I stretched my legs and enjoyed the respite from combat.  The damn Chinese hadn't stopped the shelling for hours.  The utter black of the storm drain I took cover in met my eyes, rough hewn rock and more rough rock.  That was a strange dream.  Fucking magic ponies.  Really should see a doc after I get back to base.  Everything seemed to creak and pop as I stood up and took in my position.  What the hell was up with my display?

***Please wait.  Attempting to allocate processing power to address your inquiry.

***You are user 2 of 4.  Your estimated wait time is between 2 and 5 minutes.

***Your requests are important to us.  Please continue to hold.  An AI will be with you shortly.

"Oh fucking shit!"

That brought everything back real damn fast.  Fuck.  FUCK!  The memories of the past day and a half were pouring back into my mind as sore spots and aches came to the forefront before my mind screamed one word, one name.  Kara.

"Oh jesus... oh fuck...fuck..."

The past, my hopes, my dreams haunted me while my feet idly shuffled me in some direction.  Her face.  Her soft lips.  How she felt pressed against me in the night.  Our plans for after waking up.  Waking up...  Why couldn't she have come with me?  Why did I have to be the only one in this insane hell?  Step by step I traveled while in my own personal hell.  Her last words taunted my mind, knowing I couldn't follow her yet.  Knowing she was just out of reach.

"I'm coming soon love, I promise."

A soft beeping was pulsing through the speakers in my helmet as I trudged onward.  Thankfully the further I walked, the quieter it became until I heard nothing more than the scrape of boots on rock and my soft breathing through many filters.  Kara was so close, I could see her just at the top of the rise before me.  Blond hair twisting in the soft breeze as she looked up at the night sky with a smile on her face.  I was safe here, safe with her.  As my hands worked, the displays in my helmet flickered and died when they were unplugged.  Two small latches came next, their soft clicks were barely audible, my mind too intent on what was before me.  A jerking motion and a soft hiss crossed my consciousness for a moment before the helmet slipped away.  

The darkened sky met my bare eyes as I tried to find Orion.  Surely the Guardian of Hunters could show guidance or comfort in the twinkling half light.  Kara and I had watched his journey across they sky so many times before, so long ago.  Cloyingly sweet scents mixed with earthy tones from the blood soaked earth, the first thing I had smelled besides metal and oil in far too long.  The fact that I was standing in a patch of tainted land never once occurred to me.  That is, until the soft slap of my helmet tore me from my reverie.  My haunting memories fled in terror and horror as I looked around.  Truly looked around, and saw that I was standing outside the cavern and well within the killing fields from earlier today.  With the sparkling stars watching from above, only one thing came to mind as I grasped the now gore encrusted helmet.

"Oh fuck."