Vincent strutted down the halls of the ship Fair Weather Friend, a civilian ship that had been converted into a light troop transport during the course of the war. He had seen the modifications, if you could call it such a strong term, as he had been transferred from the Vigilance. Mainly, Earth Coalition engineers had gutted the ship, leaving only the propulsion systems and bridge mostly intact. For everything they took out, the shipyard had crammed rows and rows of bunks for the three-hundred or so Marines packed into the ship. Along with the inner changes, some extra armor had been welded onto the boxy frame of the ship, with a couple missile pods stuck to the sides so the boat could return fire at whatever shot it down. He distinctly recalled a fellow soldier stating that it was a funeral waiting to happen.

There was one advantage to this ship compared to others its size he had to admit as an airlock cycled open before him into a large observation deck. The wide windows were covered over with thick, specially designed plates that were meant to absorb all the radiation generated by faster-than-light speeds, but Vincent had never been so sure. He had heard rumors of people being driven sterile, or kids being born with all sorts of horrible defects if their mothers took even one trans-light flight. But still, this would be worth the risk. He'd get to see it soon.

The loud ring of several heavy boots on metal rang out behind him, closing quickly. He didn't even have time to turn before a low-moving blur had shot past him. It wasn't hard to guess who it had to be, and her enthusiasm brought a smile to his face. The blur stopped moving just before the covered viewing window, and he was able to see the quadruped clearly. Most of her lavender form was covered by the same olive armored plates that he was wearing, modified to fit her four-legged frame. Her long, violet mane with its one pink stripe hung down one side of her neck, parting around the horn jutting from her forehead. Her already large eyes were wide with wonder, and she seemed breathless. Whether from her mad dash, or excitement, he couldn't tell.

“Oh my gosh ohmygoshohmygosh!” crowed the unicorn, “I'm going to be the first pony to ever see another planet up close! And I get to walk on it!”

Vincent shook his head, trying and failing to force down a smile, “This is hardly a pleasure cruise Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight let out a short, surprised scream as she turned around. “Wh-when did you get here, Mister Mendoaz?”

“Uh... I've been here. Got here first actually.” He crossed the large room to stand beside the mare, ruffling her mane with a hand. “And call me Vincent, Sparkle. 'Mister Mendoaz' is way too important sounding.”

“I... Uh... Right.” Twilight muttered as her face bloomed in pink splotches.

“And, can you at least try not to get too excited?” added the tall human, “We're here to wrench this planet back from those Cye bastards, not sight-see.”

The pony's gaze flicked to his hand at his side, and it was only then that he could feel his nails digging into the flesh of his palm. He had to force his fingers to relax, but he couldn't stop his hand from shaking. He took a deep breath, and continued, “You're a soldier, and this is gonna be a brutal fight. Gotta remember that, because I'd hate to have to drag your stow-away carcass back to your home fulla holes. Jaze'd have my hide, not to mention those damned Guard ponies that seem to be watching over you all the damned time.”

“Is... are you okay Mis... Er, Vincent?” asked Twilight, a worried beaming from her wide eyes.

“'Course he ain't.” called a female voice from the door behind them.

He didn't even have to turn to know who it was, and her presence immediately made his hands steady. A tight smirk fell into place on his lips as he spun around to see a tall, well muscled woman. Her thick, black hair had been freshly trimmed, falling just below her ears and framing an attractive, but mischievous face. She too was clad in the StarSide Marines armor, the thick plates mostly concealing the full form beneath. Shockingly blue eyes tracked between the pair standing near the window, her gaze focused and sharp.

“Hey Shelby, what brings you to this little slice of heaven?” asked Vincent, his grin broadening.

Shelby didn't share in his smile, but she was still easily the most beautiful woman he had seen. A small grunt sounded deep in her throat, and she responded heatedly, “Figured ya'd be here, wanted to make sure your dumb butt was okay.”

“What's wrong?” Twilight asked again as Shelby crossed the room to stand with them.

“Simple, Earth is where Vincent's from.” answered the dark-haired woman, “He's worried about his family. Lotsa people are, he ain't so special.”

“Thanks Shelby.” Vincent remarked dryly, “That makes me feel so much better.”

A flicker of a smile played across her features, “Aw c'mon babe, ya know you're special to me.”

“Uh-huh, yeah. Sure looks like it.”

Shelby slipped her arms around his waist, pulling herself close against him. Her voice became syrupy-sweet, and she looked to him with a pleading stare, “Don't be like that sweetie. Ya know I didn't mean it like that. Pweeeeeeeeease don' be mad?”

He laughed, and scooped her up in the crook of his arm into a tight hug, “You know, that's not fair to pull on someone. Might break their heart if you're not careful.”

“And you'll break my spine if you don't let go.” groaned the woman.

Setting her back down, Vincent turned back toward the window. His smile fell from his face, and added, “But Shelby's right. Ma and Pa were still on Earth last I know. And if I know my pa, he wouldn't leave his farmland 'cept in pieces. And they'd have to drag each piece off one at a time.”

Twilight glanced toward the window before looking back to him with brimming eyes, “I'm sure that...”

“Don't even tell me they're alright.” Vincent growled, drawing a slight squeaking squeal from the mare. “Hear that one a thousand times, it just starts making you feel worse. I'm going in under the assumption that they've been dead for awhile.”

“O-oh.” murmured the pony. Her gaze fell to the steel deck, and her head hung down.

“Don't worry Twig, Vinny there always likes to be ready for the worst.” She winked, and added, “Even when he knows he's wrong.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Vincent grunted. “But still, it'll prolly be awhile before I get to find out.”

He fixed his gaze back on the still-covered viewport, not able to speak anymore. A roiling ball of worry settled into his stomach, making him feel sick. He could count on one hand how many times that he had returned to Earth since the Cye had first attacked. Of those, only one had been to see his family. That had been more than a year ago, and so much had changed. He felt Shelby shift at his side, and immediately he pictured introducing her to Ma and Pa, wondering what his parents would think of his new fiancé.

A small, grunting laugh escaped him before he could stop it. Here they could possibly not be alive, and he was worried they wouldn't like his future wife. It was beyond foolish, but he couldn't help but worry. They had to be alive, so he could get their approval. And somehow, deep in his heart, he knew that they were. He couldn't point to how he knew, but somewhere, they were. And he just wouldn't stop until he had found them.

A crackle of static overhead sounded, and a strong woman's voice hollered over a hidden speaker system in the ceiling, “This is Captain Mirada speaking, we're only five to warp-out people. Repeat, five 'til it hits the fan. All you Marines might wanna get ready, gon' be a hot drop. An' I do mean hot. All combat ready troops ought report to the departure bay for orders. Mirada, out.”

Twilight's face paled as the announcement ended, her voice quaking as she asked, “This is my first time, what do we do?”

Shelby's face light up, though she remained silent as Vincent glared at her. Returning his cold gaze to the shivering mare, he whispered, “I'll tell you what's going to happen. We're going to be assigned an area to land and hold to establish a base of operations planetside, prolly starting near pre-established bases so we can find out if there's still any soldiers down there.”

“From there,” Shelby jumped in excitedly, “We're gonna marshal our forces to take back all the major cities, and then push on to the smaller towns.”

A familiar voice called from the door, “Wiping out every, single, metallic bastard as we go.”

Vincent slowly turned, and instantly felt his disgust rise. A sandy-haired young man smiled at him, apparently oblivious to the force of hate leveled his way. Dmitri Sands had been brought into the remnant of Angel squad by one of Vincent's closest friends to act as a replacement after another friend was killed in action. Though the youth was certainly skilled, it rankled Vincent that he was forced to work with a with one of them. The kid had a robotic prosthetic arm and, much worse, a computer line running down his spine. The arm wasn't much of a choice, but to choose to live in a computerized world...

“You guys got room for one more?” asked Sands, never losing his smile, “It's been far too long since I saw Earth.”

Twilight smiled broadly, and waved the young man over, “Of course! The more friends, the better. Right everypony?”

Shelby nodded, looking up to Vincent.“Aye, she's got a point.”

“It's not like the observation deck is private, whatever floats your boat kid.” growled the tall soldier, looking back out the window.

As the kid sauntered up to stand next to the excited unicorn mare waiting for the doors to open, Vincent had to wonder what Jaze had been thinking. They had been doing more than fine as a team with only the three of them. Why'd he need to replace Evelynn with some upstart, spoiled brat? And then to leave them for a safe, cushy job, to stay close to his pony love while they went out to fight. If he didn't know better, he would think that his friend had gone soft in his long stay on the ponies' homeworld of Gaia.

Vincent let a short huff of air out through his nose as he shook his head; that was hardly fair. Jaze had fought hard, and done so much. The younger man had shouldered a huge responsibility, and seen both Vincent and his love through some rough times. It was only fitting that he be allowed a chance to rest. Besides, there was the small matter of helping those ponies get their lives back in order.

The voice of Captain Mirada broke into his thoughts as it boomed over the sound system, “To all those with a winder available on the port side of the ship, please get ready fer an amazing view. We return to non-FTL flight in five... four... three... two... one...”

As the Captain's voice fell silent, the armor plating covering the windows slid back. Vincent's breath caught in his throat as he stared out at his home for the first time in what felt like a few lifetimes. It's vast, deep blue oceans and great expanses of green shone out from the field of stars. His heart pounded in his chest, hard enough he was sure that Shelby could feel it. It didn't seem to have changed. A feeling of peace stole over him, letting a smile grow on his lips. He was home. For the first time in months, he could see it again.

They were still a ways out from the planet, just passing its moon. The ship, joined by hundreds of others, slowly burned toward the world. Vincent began to pick out the shapes of the other starcraft that were hidden in the blackness of space, lit by the whitish-blue glow of their engines. The purpose of his visit rushed back into his mind as the battle-group powered forward, and the smile slowly slid from his face. Earth was still too far away to see how many ships the Cye had orbiting the planet, but at least for now he could pretend.

“Oh my goodness, it's amazing!” whispered a far away voice, drawing Vincent's attention back to where he was. Twilight practically had her nose to the cold glass, staring in wide-eyed excitement.

Standing next to her, wearing a similar expression was Dmitri. Without looking away, the youth replied, “Sure is. I doubt I've ever seen anything so beautiful. Except, maybe...” His face colored, and he fell silent.

“Oooooo~” Shelby giggled, “You got a girl stashed somewhere there kiddo? A little lover? A sweetheart? A special someone of your very one?”

“I uh... Yes? No? Maybe?” Sands swallowed hard as he turned around to face his questioner. “I don't really know. Not like we discussed... Heck, she may not even like me.”

“Well, who is it?” asked Shelby, grinning broadly. “Do we know her maybe?”

“I don't know, but you might've met her.” the young soldier muttered in return. He turned back to face the window again, the tips of his ears a touch pink.

Shelby merely rolled her eyes. “Oh fine, if you're not gonna be fun about it.” The short-haired woman turned her attention to the unicorn, who still had her thrilled face stuck to the the observation window. Shelby saddled up behind the equine, and asked, “So, any idea what unit you're supposed to be in?”

Twilight jumped and spun around again, nearly tripping on her own hooves as she did. Vincent couldn't help but roll his eyes. The mare managed to recover just enough for her brows to close in confusion, and she replied, “I uh... I hadn't thought about that to be honest. I wasn't given any specific orders.”

“You are going to be with us.” Vincent ordered. “Jaze would rip me a new one if you got hurt, after you stowed away. He's prolly already in fits.”

Twilight let her gaze drop to the floor, though she managed to keep her head up as she mumbled, “I su-suppose that it would be nice to be with somepony I know.”

“Yeah, and Vincent here can show us a few things about Earth!” Sands added, a bright grin spreading on his youthful features.

The inexperienced unicorn's face brightened, and she turned to face the young man. “That sounds wonderful!”

“I've heard that Earth is absolutely gorgeous!” Sands remarked breathlessly. His eyes stared off into space, no longer focused on the planet as he continued. “Everything is always in bloom. Hundreds of pretty flowers everywhere all the time. And the air is so crisp and clean, you almost feel like you can break it.”

“Sounds a lot like Equestria!” cried Twilight excitedly. She returned her gaze to the beautiful, foreign world, “I can't wait to see it!”

“We're not here to sightsee, remember?” growled Vincent. The pair of excited youths jumped and turned around, each flushing bright pink under Vincent's stern gaze. Neither could keep their eyes from the floor, looking for all the world like chastised children.

He rolled his eyes, and continued, “You seem to forget that we'll be up to our nose in gunfire until the second we hit dirt. Put those stupid ideas of getting to look around out of your head, because I'm not draggin' your corpse back to base.” He pointed at Twilight, his glare making her mouth slam close even before it could open, “You will keep your damned head down and try not to get it taken off.”

He spun to Dmitri, fixing his finger squarely at the young soldier's chest. “And just remember, you're still only part of this team because Jaze wanted you. With him not here, I'm in charge. You'll listen to me, and I want no problems outta you. Clear?”

Dmitri's hand flew to his forehead in a salute, “Yessir. Crystal.”

“Good.” Vincent glanced to the saluting soldier's injured leg, unable to keep a softer tone from creeping into his voice. “How's the leg? You gonna be able to fight?”

The kid reached down and rubbed along the middle of his thigh, wincing slightly. “It's a little sore yet, but no worries. I won't slow you down.”

“Good to hear. Then why don't we all just head down to the shuttle bay for...”

The heavy, hollow racket of hooves against the bare metal floor interrupted him, followed by a new, authoritive female voice. “Wait just a moment. Nopony is going anywhere until I am sure Miss Sparkle will not be involved any of the crass brutality sure to ensue on that odd little world below.”

Vincent's teeth ground together; he shouldn't have been surprised. He turned to face the newcomer, and was faced with a pure white pegasus mare with a short-cropped blue mane. Her steel-gray gaze regarded him with haughty disdain, somehow managing to look down at him from less than half his height. Her build was only just smaller than that of her earth-pony cousins, with well-honed muscles standing out across every uncovered patch of her body.

The gilded armor she wore was spotless, free of the slightest blemish, and not a single strand of mane was out of place. Even her hooves had a gleam to them, perfectly polished to an almost mirror surface. He knew, however, it wasn't from hiding while other soldiers did the grunt work. Vincent had seen this very pony leading several, daring aerial raids on the Cye during the fighting on Equestria, dropping rocks and anything that might crush an android. Her countenance never wavered as he leveled a glare at the winged-pony; he at least had to give her some credit for spine. But the thinly-veiled disgust in her voice still managed to grab his one-and-only nerve in a stranglehold.

The mare stepped forward, hardly sparing Vincent another glance as she faced Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, my team and I were originally sent by the infallible Princess Celestia herself as a sign of goodwill toward the humans, but she never mentioned that you would accompanying the humans as well. As such, I am left to assume that our Princess was unaware of your intention to leave the safety of Equestria for a world filled with more of those unspeakable monsters.

“Further, I trust that the fair Princess would not desire her pupil, and dare I say dearest friend, to risk being hurt on account of somepony else’s problems. As such, I am ordering you, under the authority vested in me as a Lieutenant of the Royal Guards, to stay aboard the ship until arrangements can be made to return you to your rightful place.”

Twilight held her head high, though Vincent caught her taking a quick, fortifying breath.“I'm sorry Lieutenant Discipline, but I can't do that.”

The pegasus mare frowned, and her eyes narrowed as she growled, “And why's that, Miss Sparkle?”

“First, the proper title is Private Sparkle, as I am currently enlisted in the human military force known as the StarSide Marine Corps. Second, as such, I have been ordered to assist in the retaking of Earth from Cye forces, along with every other Marine not currently engaged in any other operation. And pursuant to the Code of Service, Article Two, Sub-Section 5: 'The orders of your superiors are non-negotiable. Barring extenuating circumstances, no Marine is to refuse an order, or fail to carry out said directive to the best of his/her ability. Furthermore, any Marine found to have neglected an order, without a contradicting order from another officer, will be tried and, should the Marine be found guilty, executed by firing squad for treason, dereliction of duty, and the endangerment of those around them. Unity is paramount to success, and disharmony brings with it at best failure, and at worse, the death of your team, yourself, and those you've been charged to protect.' So if I don't follow the order given to me, the only outcome is that I'd be killed anyway.”

Discipline's brow slowly rose. “Pretty words, but nonetheless just words. The humans would hardly miss one soldier, and an inexperienced one at that, nor would they wish to anger their new allies by murdering one of their most well-known figures. Not to mention inciting the fury of Celestia herself.”

“But surely you, of all ponies, can understand the need for rules.” returned the unicorn mage, “If one of your team put their safety first, would you not punish them?”

“My team knows better.” replied Discipline curtly.

Twilight slapped her hoof to her muzzle, grumbling, “That's not quite what I meant, ma'am.”

“You aren't heading down to that planet, Private Sparkle.” the Lieutenant hissed the title, her lips twisted with distaste, “If I have to have you detained, I will.”

“But I have no choice.” screeched the lavender pony, “Even if there wasn't a rule against desertion, I couldn't just let my friends go out and get hurt. Maybe I can keep that from happening. And there's so many po... people that need somepony to help. It'd be wrong to stand back while there's somepony out there in danger.”

“How noble.” Discipline mocked with a sneer, “But that's not what being a soldier is.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh please. I'm no filly, and I've fought before. I was in Cloudsdale when it fell, if you remember.”

The Lieutenant's face darkened, her lips pulling back in a snarl as she took a step forward. “Yes, I was not there to defend my home from the horrible attack led by the enemies of these foul apes. I had sto hear how many of the ponies I knew were slaughtered, all thanks to your friends the humans. And all while I had to sit on my hooves like a chastised school-filly, waiting on an order. Thank you, Sparkle, for reminding me.”

“I...” Twilight let her gaze sink to the floor, tears suddenly welling in her eyes. “I didn't mean... I'm so...”

“Of course you're sorry.” hissed the pegasus, “But not half as sorry these loathsome monkeys should be.” Discipline let her gaze slide over the assembled humans, her eyes narrowing to hate-filled slits. “It's their fault so many ponies died. If they never showed up, those evil automatons would have had no reason to bring their war to us. We could have lived in peace. But that foolish human just had to crash its filthy craft here. And our wonderful Princess, with her love of all living things, allowed it to stay. We should have banished it, at the very least.”

“That's not fair!” Twilight returned hotly, “I highly doubt that Jaze meant to bring anything bad to Equestria.”

“Intent is nothing compared to the deed.” hissed the snowy mare. Her face turned into a scowl of pure loathing “If that monster hadn't shown its face, my home would still be there for me to return to. If he wasn't under the protection of his ape friends, I'd...

Vincent clenched his hands into a fist so tight he could feel the skin of his palm split beneath his nails. Stepping forward, he glared down at the pegasus pony, only just able to keep his voice from raising to a shout. “First, I'll have to ask you to leave. Twilight, stowaway though she is, is now part of my team. I'm her superior officer, and she's coming along with me. Second, Jaze is a good man. I'll not have you attacking him like that.”

He stood ramrod straight, glaring down at the mare. “Oh, and third. Private Sparkle has more than proven her strength and resolve, a dozen times over. I'd take one of her over ten of you any day.”

“Hmph.” grunted the mare. “I care little for your petty insults, human. And further, if you want to take Miss... rather, Private Sparkle with you, feel free. But know that my team and I will be protecting her. She may have foalish notions of friendship and honor holding her here, but she is still an Equestrian citizen. Thus, it is my job to make sure she makes it home safe and sound.”

Vincent rolled his eyes, “Oh please, she can more than take care of herself, Discipline.”

“Don't be so familiar with me.” snorted the pegasus, “If you feel you must address me, refer to me as either Lieutenant, or Lieutenant Rigid Discipline.”

With that, the Guardspony strutted from the room, her head held high.Taking a deep breath, Vincent tried to force the mare's words from memory. But his stomach churned, and he once again felt his fingernails digging into the palm of his hand. He turned away from the door, grinding his teeth, and muttered to no one in particular, “This is going to be an interesting deployment.”