The ride over to the Goblin Empire didn’t take long. Spitfire and I were silent the entire time, though our eyes did plenty of talking. She doesn’t like me, that much is clear. I was the threat that was going to bring her down from captain, so she took me out. And because of that, I can’t stand her. She’s a two timing bitch that needs to be put in her place, and I’m the one who’s going to do it. But not tonight. We can both understand that there is a job to do and that comes first. I know we both understand that, but I fear we’re still going to be at ends during this operation.

“Objective point met, waiting for mark.” The bot in the driver’s seat tells us, getting me to put my helmet on.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Spitfire says as she zips up, covering her face.

“What’s that?” I ask bitterly.

“Why you left Equestria,” she states as we stand beside the door, waiting for it to open. “You were a Wonderbolt, and a god damn bearer of the Elements! Why leave all of that to become some soldier?” I snort and roll my eyes as the doors slide open.

“Ask me after tonight, if you still need to.” I tell her before leaping out the door.

I turn over and glance over to see specks of blue in the sky over the dark horizon. We were hovering at seven thousand feet, so this fall shouldn’t take too long. Spitfire moves in position beside me and tucks her wings in, dropping a bit faster. I mirror her and move my focus towards our objective. The factories we’re targeting are well lite, making them easy targets.

My heads up display flashes a warning on the left, six thousand feet.

I give a few powerful flaps before tucking my wings back in. My armor is heavy, helping me gain speed quickly. I miss the aerodynamics of the Wonderbolt suits, but prefer the protection of my new, special made armor. Lightest ever made by Terradisia, special made to fit me perfectly. It’s not as protective as Miles’, but it beats most other armors while letting me fly somewhat comfortably. Luckily, even during maternity leave, I still train every day in it. So it’s like a second skin to me.

Second warning, five thousand feet.

With the added weight of my heavier armor, I have to open my wings up slightly to keep pace with Spitfire. In turn she gestures to the right, pointing out a spotlight sweeping towards us. I nod and open my wings, feeling the wind yank me back as we slow to a hover. It takes a few hundred feet, but when we come to a stop the light passes beneath us harmlessly. We nod to each other before returning to our dive.

Four thousand feet.

We turn slightly, looking for our target. The scanner in my helmet is going nuts, looking for any sign of magical activity. Dozens of weapons light up at first, easily being guards with weapons. A few more seconds of scanning and our target lights up. A large warehouse just off to the side of the main factory. Two rows or twenty figures show up below the building, as well as several guards patrolling the area above. I motion to Spitfire and angle myself towards the building, minding the other guards.

Three thousand feet.

As we near our target I start to motion to Spitfire where several troublesome guards are located. Four towers around the compound with three guards in each of them. Four guards within the building, two up top and two on bottom. Two more pairs of guards walk around the outside of the building. Twenty in total. We quickly agree to take the ones outside out first, starting with the ones on the ground. Then inside to secure the slaves, and once we finish off the towers we’ll flare out.

Two thousand feet.

I want to beat my wings to pick up speed, but I can’t risk alerting them to our presence. I can see Spitfire rustling her wings as well, wanting to get this started just as badly as I do. I’ve always hated waiting. Just a little bit longer, no need to rush into this.

One thousand feet.

We pass a few tall skyscrapers in our final descent, hopefully there’s nopony watching-

BANG

I feel something clang against my armor suddenly. I look back to see to goblins chasing us with some sort of wing suit armor. I pull back and flap hard, sending myself flying back towards them. They try to avoid me by diving, but I fly much faster than them. Once close enough, I grab his foot and yank him back into my kicking hind legs. He flails for a moment before trying to recover, failing a bit at it though. I grab him again and sling him towards the skyscraper, sending him through a window. I look back to see Spitfire wrestling her attacker towards the same building, crashing a few floors below.

I dart through the window and pull my spear out, looking for my attacker. I’m in some business room full of cubicles. I take a few steps forward before the goblin rolls out and shoots me again. The shot pings off my armor, but I feel my skin bruising beneath. He drops his pistol and reaches behind himself, but is too late to act any further. I spring forward and pierce the end of my spear through his face. A shot of electricity races through him and burns his flesh. I force him to the ground and hold him there until I feel I’ve melted enough of his brains to make him forget me.

With him dealt with, I jump back out the window and flutter into the room Spitfire fell into. She’s still wrestling with the goblin with a dagger out. I walk over and stab one of his hands down; making him howl in pain and giving Spitfire the edge she needed to stab him in the side of the head. The blade must have been enchanted, because he started to shake violently before his eyes burned out.

She glances back to me and nods her thanks. I nod back to her and turn to leave, but stop when I hear a humming. I look back and freeze as another goblin comes walking out with some sort of automated floor cleaner. He’s got some big, bulky ear muff like things on and hasn’t seemed to notice us yet. Spitfire was about to jump him when I grabbed her shoulder to stop her. He’s… dancing. Those ear muffs must be playing music somehow. I fight to hold back a snicker, because he’s not a very good dancer. Like, he might be worse than Twilight. After a very… enthusiastic booty shake I have to leave the room to laugh at him. That’s too much, that’s way too much!

“Done yet?” Spitfire asks in a hushed tone as she joins me outside the building.

“C’mon, that was hilarious!” I shoot back, gaining control of myself once more.

“We have a job-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Back to the seriousness. Let’s go already.” I wave her off before continuing towards the warehouse. I hear her groan in frustration but follow any way. When we near the warehouse I drop my smirk and get back into the moment. The guards below heard the gunshots and are on high alert. Spitfire joins me as we circle the building, looking for an opening to exploit.

“There.” Spitfire whispers, pointing towards the back of the building. I nod and tilt to the right, turning in quickly while dropping altitude.

We pause as a search light goes over the ground before landing. With the coast clear we head to the closest corner and wait for the patrol group to round the corner. They never stood a chance, only having a moment of shock before we each pierced their skulls with our weapons. Immediately after their deaths we frisk their bodies and take a ring of keys off of them. I glance back and note the light heading towards us. Without a second thought, I push Spitfire forward and rush towards the side doors.

“We’ve been compromised,” I mutter as I set my spear on my side and grab the flare given to me. “Calling in support.” Spitfire nods and starts to work on opening the door, trying key after key.

Just as the light stops over the dead goblins, I point my flare gun inland and fire it. The large red glowing ball races high into the air and before slowly dipping back towards the ground. Sirens start to go off as the lights immediately shine down on us. I glare back at the light as I holster the flare gun and reach for my assault rifle.

Automatic fire traces the ground as they bear down on us. I shoot forward and return fire, sending metal and arcane bolts back at the tower. I feel a few pings bruise my back from the first volley, but push on as they keep their focus on me. I hear a pained yell from one of the goblins as the light blows out from my fire. I use the distraction to gain a bit of air and return fire on the gatling gun. A few rounds in, and a large billow of smoke signifies the air canisters exploding.

VRRRRMMMMMMMMMM

I turn around to see our transport ship hovering above, providing suppressive fire on one of the towers. It gains the attention from the other towers, allowing me to rejoin Spitfire.

“Is it open yet?” I ask impatiently as I reload.

“Obviously not!” she snaps back at me, moving to the next key. After a few more failed attempts I finally lose my patience. I turn around and buck the door with all of my strength. It budges inward, but holds shut. So I try again, and again; I keep kicking the door until I feel it buckle beneath my hooves and finally pry open.

Spitfire and I run in and do a quick scan around. Dozens of guards stand around the scaffolding with their weapons aimed down on us. Where did they come from!? My scanners didn’t show more than four! I look around, trying to find an escape route of some sort. All around us are empty cages and a few stairwells that lead down below. The only escape was the door we busted open, but two goblins jumped down to block it off. I’m sure we could take them out, but not without getting every rifle to fire down on us. I might make it out of an attack like that, but Spitfire sure as hell wouldn’t.

Crash

Every eye turns as a massive black figure comes crashing through the roof, landing beside us with a massive crash. Raz, the massive orc trainee, emerges from the rubble; a massive club/mace in one hand, the Spartan Pen in the other, held up with a strap going over his shoulder. His armor makes him appear much thicker than he actually is and he towers over the rest of us at least two fold. He looks up, his face hidden beneath his helmet, before roaring out and firing on the goblins. Large tracers tear through the weak metals as he slowly spins his body to kill more targets. A loud pang of fire erupts from the scaffolds, all aimed at the orc that’s decimating their ranks. Raz simply roars again as he continues to spit lead back at them. I catch myself and aid in returning fire, taking out a goblin or two behind Raz. Those that remain drop their guns as they leap down from the scaffolding. I take another one of them out before the rest charge at us, drawing blades and pistols alike.

I have to jump back when they all lunge for me at once. A few pistol rounds ping on my chest, winding me slightly but not enough to stop me from returning fire. I keep my fire to single shots, or rather, triple burst thanks to the gem in my rifle. There are only three in front of me, each holding a melee weapon in their top arms as they reload with their bottom arms.

PEW BANG PEW

A trio of shots rips through the left most goblin, dropping him.

PEW BANG PEW

I move to the right and blast away at the goblin to his right. He falls back with a pained yell-

THUD

I recoil slightly when Raz lunges beside me, bringing his mace overhead to crush the last goblin. The sick sound of metal crushing and bones snapping under the mighty force fill my ears for a second before everything goes quiet. I glance around to find any remaining targets, only to see a small group cowering in the back corner.

“Pathetic.” Raz mumbles as he lumbers towards them. “Are you not warriors!? Fight and die with honor!”

“Raz,” I say slowly, setting my rifle on my side and trotting to him. “Not every pony can wipe out an entire squadron by themselves.” He chuckles at this, taking it as a compliment. Spitfire lands before me, seemingly unscathed.

“You know our orders, no witnesses-“

“NO!” One of the goblins yells in pure fear as he breaks from the group and bows before us. “Please! Spare me; I don’t want to become someone else! I like my life, please! I beg you!”

“SILENCE!” Raz yells in his booming voice. “You wish for me to spare the life of a slaver-“

“NO! Please, I’m not like them-“

“You dare call yourself equal when you build yourself up on the backs of others!” He yells, stepping towards the terrified goblin.

“Please! Have mer-AH!” He stops when Raz steps on one of his outstretched hands, making him whimper in pain.

“The only mercy I grant you is a quick death. Be grateful that I allow you that luxury.”

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BANG

The room falls silent once Raz releases the trigger, the only sound coming from the rattling of his casings on the cement floor. I sigh as I stare at the back of Raz. He didn’t need to get all riled up like this. But no, he always has to make his point clear.

“C’mon. Let’s get the ponies out of here.” I say finally, breaking the silence. “Raz, how much time do we have?”

“Twenty eight minutes.” He says as he goes around the room, crushing the heads of every goblin he comes across. I look over to Spitfire and nod to her, running to the closest set of stairs and taking them down.

“What a monster,” she mumbles as we make it to the door.

“Don’t be too harsh on him.” I tell her as I put my hoof on the nob. “He almost lost his family to slavers.”

“That doesn’t make him any less of a monster.” She retorts quickly.

“Maybe not, but… I dunno. He’s… whatever. Like I’d expect you to understand.” I shake my head and open the door.

Inside we find two rows of cages filled with unicorns. One the left side is twenty or so unicorn adults. They can’t be much older than me and are tattered and lanky. On the right side are the younger and older generations. Mostly foals, the few adults in there are mares that are either pregnant or tending to the young, with several cases of both. Though they aren’t as skinny as the ones on the left, they aren’t much better. After another second of looking over them, I realize that there are only four stallions here in total.

Spitfire jumps forward with the help of her wings and scares all of them. Young cling to their mothers whiles other run for the other end of their cages. They stare at us like we’re some sort of alien here to take them away… I guess that isn’t too far-fetched of an idea for them.

“Ponies! Do not fear us! We’re here to set you all free!” Spitfire yells out at them. A few of them mumble to each other, confused by what she said. She yanks out her sword and jams it between one of the doors, prying it open. She steps in towards the foals and they all run behind their mothers in fear. The mares inside there step in front of them and form a sort of barrier between us, their eyes wide in fear.

“Fire!” I bark at her, getting her attention. “Keep in mind that they don’t really know much about pegasi. They probably don’t even think we’re all ponies.”

“So-“

“Let me handle this.” I groan as I step forward, getting the crowd before me to scooch away. I stop and lay down on my hooves, removing my helmet to smile at them. “It’s okay; I’m not here to hurt any of you. My name is Rainbow Dash.” I say in my motherly tone. A few of them glance to one another, not knowing what to do.

“Dash-“

“Are my wings scaring you?” I ask, holding them out fully. They recoil slightly from the movement, giving me my answer. “I can put them away if you’d like.” I fold my wings back to my side and wait patiently. I glance between them, trying to find any brave enough to stare me in the eyes. After a bit of pushing, I find my target. A little white filly with hazel eyes and light green hair steps forward, making eye contact with me. She can’t be older than five, four more likely to the fact she doesn’t have her cutie mark yet. I smile to her and lower my head, trying to be as welcoming as possible.

She starts to walk out towards me but stops when one of the mares reaches out to her, barely out of her reach. They look to each other before the filly continues, stopping just out of hoofs reach of me. She looks me over in awe, like how Jet did when we went to the zoo. The thought amuses me slightly; I guess I’m her lion. She leans over slightly and starts to inspect my wings, curiously taking a few tentative steps my way.

I slowly unfurl my wing, getting her to step back slightly. I pause halfway, waiting for her to relax slightly before continuing. With my wing out completely, I start to reach out towards her slowly. I see her starting to breathe quickly, but stay still. Either out of complete awe or total fear. When she’s within reach I run a feather over her nose quickly. Her face scrunches up as she shakes her head slightly. I giggle slightly at that and tease her a few more times over her faces, stopping when she giggles as well.

“Th… they’re soft,” she comments happily, albeit quietly. I smile down to her and scoot closer, letting her work her muzzle against the rest of my wing. She rubs her head and wiggles against my feathers, feeling her way towards me with her eyes shut. Her eyes snap open when she bumps into me, stepping back slightly as if she had done something wrong.

“What’s your name sweetheart?” I ask her quietly, leaning towards her.

“Um… m-my name?” She asks timidly. I swear I feel like I’m talking to Fluttershy, her voice is so quiet. “I-I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have a name?” I ask, getting her to shake her head slightly. “Hmm… then why don’t we change that?” I say as I tap my hoof to my chin. “Let’s call you… Brave.”

“Brave?” She asks, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah, Brave. You’re easily the bravest pony I’ve ever met.” I tell her, making her smile. She thinks about it for a second before nodding.

“I-I’m Brave?”

FLASH

Everypony gasps when a quick flash appears. Brave looks around, trying to find the source but looks to me in confusion. I smile back to her and point to her flank. She tilts her head in confusion before looking back, seeing her new cutie mark of a lion’s head. The little filly gasps in surprise before bouncing up and down in pure joy.

“I got my mark! I got my mark! Momma look! I got my mark!” She yells before running to the side of the cage. She turns and tries to show a mare across the room her cutie mark, making me chuckle.

“Hey Brave.” I call out to her, getting her attention slightly. “Let’s go show your mom your cutie mark.” I say as I stand and walk to the open door, shooting a glance to Spitfire on the way. She looks at the open door for a moment before running to it and pausing. She looks at the ground for a second before looking up to me, seemingly asking for permission. I smile and nod, getting her to adorn a massive smile. She scurries to the other cages and find her mother waiting there, crying slightly at the sight.

“Look Mom! I didn’t get one for enchanting like the others! I got one for being brave! Do you like it?” She asks excitedly, her voice squeaking slightly.

“O-of course I like,” she replies weakly, fighting back tears. “It’s… it’s the greatest mark I’ve ever seen.”

“Really!? The greatest ever?” She asks eagerly, looking up to her mother with total joy.

SNAP

With a grunt of effort, I use my spear to pry the gate open to the adults. The mother glances at the opening, debating what to do, before galloping out. She scoops up Brave and squeezes her in a tight embrace, peppering her with kisses and mutterings of love. Brave returns the affection, tearing up with her mother.

Several of the other ponies begin to mutter to one another as they near the open gates. I look to Spitfire and motion for her to follow me to the font of the room. With us out of the way, they all run out of their cages to reunite themselves with their loved ones. The room fills with joy and sorrow as parents hold their foals, friends hug one another, and others simply rejoice in their freedom. I glance over to Spitfire and nudge her, getting her attention.

“This is why I joined the Spartans. This wouldn’t have happened without us. To keep your loyalty to one nation, one way of life… with the Spartans, I can be loyal to them all. Whether it’s freeing some ponies, feeding a starving griffin community, or simply negotiating between minotaurs and zebras; I can help them all.” She looks back to the group and keeps quiet, thinking deeply on what I said.

“Dash!” Raz yells from behind. “We need to go! We only have thirteen minutes left!”

“Got it! Everypony! I need you to follow me! We’re going to take you somewhere new! Somewhere where you’ll all be free to live your lives as you see fit! Follow me to Equestria!” I yell before I zip up the stairs. It takes them a few moments, but they eventually emerge from the stair well, still slightly scared of their surroundings. Spitfire and I hurry and usher them over to their waiting aircraft, taking far too long to coax them onboard. We strap everypony in and begin to leave when somepony grabs my tail.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Brave’s mother yells over the sound of the roaring jets.

“I have eight minutes to free another factory, I can’t.” I yell back.

“That’s not enough time! You’ll never make it!” I smirk at that, putting my helmet back on.

“Don’t forget this, my name is Rainbow Dash! And I’m the fastest flier on this planet! I’ll see you in Equestria.” I turn to leave but stop when she grabs me again.

“We’re not the only ones! A plant opened up recently, somewhere far away from here. I only heard the guards talking about it for a moment, but I know what I heard!”

“And what was that?”

“A new plant specializing in desert warfare!” I think about it, but can’t piece together what that means. I nod to her and leave the jet, joining Spitfire a few feet away. We wait till it lifts off before turning towards out last objective.

“Seven minutes, think you’ve got what it takes?” Spitfire asks as she takes her position. I smirk under my helmet and lower myself to a takeoff position.

“Just try and keep up.”

Going to sleep late was a terrible idea. I can't get comfortable, I can't stop thinking about the days meetings... or the ones to come. I've got projects to tinker over, gadgets to fiddle, and countless baubles to-

"YOUR EXCELLENCE!" Someone yells as they storm through my door. I groan and sit up, glaring at my assistant through my long grey hair as he kneels by my bed side. "Your excellence-"

"This better be good." I groan as I lay back, irritated by the sudden intrusion. Someone better be dead-

"Someone has entered your privet study-"

"WHAT!?" I yell, bolting back up. "Have them shot immediately-"

"We... u-uh... we tried sir He simply used his magic to ward off the attack. We're working on getting a few others here to assist but... the human-"

"Human!?" I yell, trying to piece all of this together. What human? What's a human!? How did it ward off all of our weapons!? I jump out of bed and open my dresser, finding it empty. I kneel down and reach under my mattress, but find nothing.

"Sir... the human has requested an audience with you." I sigh and sit back against my bed, moving a hand to my face to brush back my hair. If he really wanted to, he could have killed me in my sleep. Slit my throat, blow my brains out with my own pistols! He obviously doesn't wish to kill me, not now at least.

"Well then, let's not keep him waiting then." I push myself up and fix my tunic and tie my hair back. I may be in my sleep wear, but I'm still an emperor. I walk eagerly down the long hallway to my study, finding the door open slightly. I peer inside and see the being toying with one of my experiments, eyeing the mechanism closely. I take a deep breath before pushing the doors open and marching right towards the human.

"Starke-"

"You have infiltrated my palace, stolen my personal weapons, and are currently holding top secret devices! Why, in the wide, wide world, should I not have you killed on the spot!?" I demand from him, stopping just before him. He chuckles lightly and sets the weapon down, smirking smugly about something.

"Well, according to the Summit meeting, I'm allowed access to anything that could possibly be of value to wards my investigation-"

"An investigation that's been going on for nearly six years now!" I bark at him, wishing I was a bit taller. He nods to that and pulls over one of my clip boards, glance at the front page casually. "Respond Miles!"

"We've been having difficulty finding anything," he starts out slowly, keeping his eyes on the clip board. "Most leads were dead ends, and whenever we did find anything it usually lead us to an entirely new maze of secrets.That is, until we found some goblin weaponry in bear country."

"... so that's it? You find some weapons and it obviously must be the answer." I ask, crossing my upper arms and putting my lower fists on my hips. "Is it illegal to sell weapons to outsiders?"

"Hmm, so you are selling them weapons-"

"Hardly." I scoff and turn around, heading towards the other end of my shop. I flip a few switches to turn the lights on before moving to the large map of the Goblin empire. "You don't know the first thing about us, do you?"

"Culturally? No," he admits openly, moving to my side. "All I do know is that you have the second most advanced technology in the world-"

"First! We are the most advanced-"

"When you get past simply pistons and gears, then you can say you're advanced. Electo-magnetics and nuclear fission, that'll be a good start towards boasting. But you're outmatched by us Starke. But, I'm not here to lecture you on technology. All I want to know is why you're aiding the Griffins for war?" I groan at that statement. Too many see with their hearts, not their brains.

"You claim that I'm the one aiding them for war, yet aren't you in the same boat?" I ask, getting a silent response. "I don't give them anything. We've worked out a lend-lease deal with Ulfric. He buys the weapons and uses them for whatever he sees fit. You, on the other hand, give them food-"

"Humanitarian aid-"

"You give them the strength to fight. I haven't picked a side of this effort. They came, they paid, they left-"

"But not with the weapons." Miles points out, setting the clipboard down. "I'm not here because you're selling weapons. I'm here because you're moving weapons through Bear country.They made it very clear that you aren't allowed to move through their air space. In doing so, they are claiming it as an act of an alliance."

"That's preposterous, it's simply business." That buffoon Boarus really thinks he can slander my name, my country. "SERVANT!"

"Yes my liege!" My servant yells, scrambling to my feet.

"I want you to bring me every ledger from every corporation dealing with Ulfric and his kind. I have nothing to fear Miles Eremita. No military personal of the Goblin Empire has ever set foot withing Bear territory. We have no responsibility for the actions of privet contractors-"

"M-my liege! This will take some time to gather-"

"Do as I say!" I yell, kicking the servant. He grovels at my feet before I kick him again, getting him to run to his task. With him out of the room I look back to Miles, my temper still running high. "We will not be slandered into a war that isn't ours, nor will we idly sit back as empty threats are thrown our way. We have nothing to hide, Spartan. Thus, we have nothing to fear." He chuckles at that, walking around the table staring at the map below. I glance down at the table as well and notice one of the corners poking up. I bite my lip in hopes that he didn't look beneath the map. In hopes to hide it, lean forward and rest my hands on the table, pressing down on the corner to hide it better.

"Starke, can I ask you a serious question," he asks suddenly, sounding much less confident.

"You can ask anything. It's always the matter of the answer you'll receive." I tell him, watching him move closely.

"It is obvious that Ulfric is getting ready to strike. He has forces along the Soviet border and has been arming for several years now. I don't doubt that you've been selling them weapons, but do you really think he'll do it? Attack another nation openly. Is the world really that divided?" He seems almost... sad, to say that. But, hearing him say this puts me at ease now, it telling me that he didn't look beneath the map.

"Those that are different will always fight one another. It's the nature of being. Bears and Griffins have always fought, just as Apes and Goblins have always fought, Minotaurs and Zebras, Equestrians with... Equestrians. War is very much a part of this world Spartan, don't let Celestia fool you."

"I am not fooled by her words of peace. I simply wish to avoid a conflict that will tear this world apart. That's what the Four Horsemen want. That's what Death wants-"

"Don't delude yourself with their obscure words. They're a cult of honeyed words and false promises. I've been around long enough to know their kind-"

"You've never fought them-"

"For a good reason. They're cowards. They scheme and plot but don't have the resolve to attack head on. You'll see, when the gloves are off and the light shines on them, they'll crumble. They always do. The Deadwoods, crushed. Followers of Discord, nothing but whispers in the wind. The Darkness.. they'll join their rightful place in history. Fabled tales of failure and defeat!" I slam my fist down to drive the point across.Miles scoffs at me, shaking his head slightly.

"You really believe that? Trust me what I say this, they're different. They're not just some terrorist organization. They have a plan and are enacting it as we speak-"

"Miles," I say, shaking my head slightly. "Terrorist want to instill terror. I know they can be dangerous. But I will not bend to their will so easily. I remain convinced that we will eradicate them, because I have too. If my people saw fear in me, they would lose hope. When the people lose hope, that's when they win. Death... he isn't to be feared. He's to be dealt with." He looks down and ponders what I've said. Only now do I realize how preachy I must have sounded.

"I've marked your world map with my base of operations, as well as a path you could use to avoid Bear territory. Thank you for your words Starke, I must be off-"

"What of the slaves?" I ask, not forgetting our little talk earlier. "Aren't you going to-"

"I was going to, but then I found out I didn't need to. A friend of mine assured me that they would take care of everything-"

"A friend... you mean Celestia." I assume, glaring at the being before me. He chuckles to himself again, walking to a nearby window.

"Do you really Celestia could muster this kind of act? No, not Celestia. I haven't gotten his name yet, oddly enough. But, he was adamant about freeing his ponies." I nod to that. Celestia isn't know for-

"Wait... his ponies? Who do you speak of?" I demand shortly, cursing myself for the lack of restraint.

"Hmm, you haven't heard? There's a new world leader in the world. He simply goes by, King. Dunno where he came from or what he wants, well... other than freeing those ponies. Said he'd do it by himself too. I thought you'd like to know that, don't forget those ledgers Starke, I expect them within a month.Apologies for the intrusion, I'll let myself out now." He goes to the window and opens it, letting in a gust of wind that tosses papers into the air.

"Human." I call out, getting him to pause from climbing out. "We're not the only ones profiteering from this. If you're looking into our affairs, I'd suggest looking to Long Horn's affairs as well." He looks out the window for a moment, thinking to himself quietly. "Spartan-"

"Heh, yes... Spartan." I look him over cautiously as he chuckles to himself, inching my way over to a nearby compass. It has a sharp end on it, so it beats trying to take him on bare handed. He looks back to me with a wide smile and blackened eyes, making me freeze for a moment. He stares at me for a moment before he starts to climb out the window, still chuckling to himself.

"You can use the front door you know." I tell him, stepping closer to the odd being.

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?" He asks, looking back to me with a crooked smile. "Have a chaotic night." And, just like that, he jumps out the window. I run over and watch him fall onto a black form hovering below. He stands up and glances around, seemingly confused, before the machine takes off.

"A... chaotic night?" I turn back to the map on the table and rip it off, sighing in relief when I see the world map untouched. I glance over to one of the other maps I have up and see the marking he spoke of. So, he operates in Equestria. That would explain the close connection to Celestia he's formed.

"Sir..." My assistant starts, but stops when he sees the map I'm looking at.

"Do not fear, our plans are still unknown to him. If he had seen this, he would have surely killed me." I assure my assistant, getting an uneasy look from him. "Let me know when you have those ledgers ready. I wish to see this Terradisia for myself."

I sigh in relief when we make it back to Equestria. That... was one hell of a mission. The gun battles, the race to finish on time, the birth of that foal on the way here... amazing. That little colt was adorably, albeit gross with all of the birthing stuff. I can't believe how sad she was when it came out a earth pony though. I can't believe those monster would just kill them off so easily. But, that's over for them. Mission was successful, everyone reported back with nothing more than bruises and scratches, and no one is reporting being spotted. Job well down.

"Mind if I take a seat with you?" I glance over to Spitfire and nod to her, letting her join me under the tree. "*sigh* I love Canterlot at night. It's so peaceful, and the look below is breath taking." I hum in response, looking at the luminescent city below.

"I'm just glad we were able to retrieve most of the ponies from there."

"Most?" I nod to her, frowning slightly.

"I asked around. A pony named U40 was executed as an example to the others." I tell her, getting her to frown as well. "Don't beat yourself up though. She was dead the second we decided to act."

"... that doesn't make me feel any better," she grumbles. I nod, agreeing with her silently. I wanted to bring her here and show her a life of peace and friendship, but... that's not the case. "Hey Dash, about earlier-"

"Don't sweat it. I know what you're-"

"I'm not apologizing." She cuts me off, getting me to look back at her. "I still don't agree with you leaving the Wonderbolts. I only did what I did to knock you down a peg. You still have that arrogance about you that's going to get ponies hurt. But... I will admit you've done some growing. I guess, what I'm trying to say is, you did good back there. I look forward to working with the Spartans in the future." She holds her hoof out, and I can't help but smile as I shake it with my own. I may have lost out on the dream of being a Wonderbolt, but I still have the respect of one of my role models. That's good enough.

"So, when are you going to accept our challenge?" I ask, getting her to raise an eyebrow at me. "Didn't Soarin ever ask?"

"Ask what?" Soarin... I'm going to smack you upside the head when I get home.

"*sigh* I sent out an invitation for a friendly competition between the Spartan Jumpers and the Wonderbolts. Just a little friendly competition with our allies." She chuckles slightly, turning back to the view on the city.

"Rainbow Dash, always looking for another race to win."

"Would you have it any other way?" I ask, getting her to smile and shake her head.

"I'll get back to you on that, for now, let's just sit back and relax after a job well done." She says, laying back against the tree behind us.

"Copy that." I reply, mimicking her movement.

"Dash!" I let out a groan as I hear several people walking up to me. I glance over to see Hunter, the zebra, in front. He gives a quick salute before asking, "We're heading back, you coming?"

"Nah, I'll kick it here tonight. Besides, I'm sure Twilight would like the surprise visit, right Storm?" He chuckles and leaves the group, heading towards the castle. "Report in and get some rest, you've earned it." They all salute and head off, murmuring to one another quietly.

"Oddest outfit I've ever seen." Spitfire mumbles as I lay back down.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't trade any of them away... beside maybe Johnathan. The bookworm gives me headaches sometimes."

"Hmm, speaking of bookworms-"

"Twilight?"

"Yep." I chuckle at that, getting her to laugh as well. I'm glad to see she's at least treating me as an equal, even if she still thinks I'm green.

Return of the Tallest!

Brony on!