“Is it a bizarre job? Yeah. It is. I’m fighting pastel ponies with a gun older than my grandfather, and carrying an old patlik shotgun that looks kinda unfinished and lumpy thanks to the metal used. But without us, well…. the islands would be fucked. The Stampede Fleet can’t be everywhere, after all - it’s up to us to keep the islands safe till help can arrive.”
Aeone Marcos, Filipino PHL-allied Partisan

“I froze up one day in London. My dad was Guard, my mother was in Parliament, and they’d pushed me into the college’s PER, and to some extent… I guess I agreed. I thought ponification could help the humans, I just wanted them to survive, but… I saw the riots in Britain, and I just couldn’t take it. The newfoals had just… they’d shoved the potion down this poor woman’s throat, she was knocked unconscious as the potion broke everything about her and made her into a pony. Her hands fused together into hooves, her bones cracked sickeningly, her eyes looked like they would explode from her skull. Her nose was bleeding, I saw her skin break and reform over her skull several times, growing fur… then the mare she turned into looked like me. Same fur, same eyes, same mane, everything. It was like Celestia was trying to replace me, replace all of us, with something terrible, and it was like looking into a funhouse mirror… it wasn’t me, but it was so close to being me that it was all wrong. And she looked dead. She looked like she couldn’t do anything but smile. And I knew what Equestria was doing. Replacing everyone with newfoals, or turning us all into something so much like them that I can’t tell the difference. And, if Earth falls, in twenty years time, no-one will be able to. No-one will want to or want to be able to, either. They wouldn’t stop with that woman, or anyone else… so I found them, and beat the shit out of them."

“I’m not just fighting for humanity. I’m fighting because there's no future for anyone if Celestia wins.”
Black Cherry, Marshall Islands Earth Pony partisan.

South China Sea, near Thailand…

One of her fondest childhood memories was of that family vacation to the beach. Mom was unloading the picnic basket, Dad was playing with her baby brother, and she was collecting little crabs, digging holes into the sand to find them. At that time, there was also a local summer matsuri going on, drawing locals and foreign tourists alike to partake in the festivities. Grilled octopus dumplings, sushi, edamame and watermelon made up the meal they indulged in, before the night rolled around and there were firecrackers and fireworks going off in the air.

Now was not really the time to reflect on that though, as Rebecca focused on counting how many sit-ups she was doing. She had been increasingly stressed, and working out was always a good outlet for that.

And really, she had good reasons to be stressed. Alongside weekly island hoppings, personally disposing of the PER, and keeping a rowdy group of soldiers and ponies in line, there was news from the Battle of Boston. Only the best soldiers and top personnel of the Conversion War (and those who had been in Boston and simply seen too much for a simple gag order to suffice) were privy to the most classified intel.

Nobody, not even the most hidebound old relic from an earlier time, wouldn’t have classified her as either.

And she had to admit, keeping a secret this big wasn’t very easy. It was big, bigger than any PHL military secret. World-shaking. Universe-shaking, even. It changed the story, the battleground, the… well. There were way too many words she could use to describe it. It was unbelievable revelation after unbelievable revelation - Princess Luna and Discord are alive, attacking Boston?! And she said Marcus was alive?! No, he’s not a pony, but he’s in Equestria. Yes, it turns out that some kind of ancient evil from thousands of millennia ago infected Celestia, and Colonel Renee went to an Equestria that wasn’t infected by that evil? And he’s bringing the Elements of Harmony to purify Celestia, and… no, I’m not high! He’s really going to break the Barrier down, and we’ll destroy Canterlot! Yeah, it turns out magical fields aren’t harmful to humans. Why y’all lookin at me that way? This really happened, I swear!

That had been more or less how Rebecca’s videoconference had gone. Other reactions all over the world had ranged from incredulous laughter, anger, downing entire flasks of some variety of alcohol, silences that seemed to last almost an eternity, curious mixtures of melancholy and relief, and enthused joy that humanity might finally have chance.

She could have written a book on how bizarre it all was. The question was: What was she going to do about it?

"Can you believe it?" Thunderwing asked for the umpteenth time as he trotted in, carrying a bottle of some questionable moonshine in his mouth. "Maybe I'll finally be able to come home."

"Won't quite be home," Rebecca said, mid-sit-up.

"I know, I know," Thunderwing sighed. "There's still another me that doesn't want me taking over his life, but.... Just imagine it. An Equestria that isn't a fascist hellhole. An Equestria that practices what it preaches... I think I'd like to see it."

"You're sure you'd like to?" Rebecca asked. "It'd probably bring up... Lots of bad memories," she shivered, remembering some of the stories from his sister and that mare Coal Embers, both of whom had been funneled through by the Bridle Path, a Chinese group dedicated to helping refugees (particularly scientists, academics, and those with useful skills) through the HLF and PER infested war zones of rural China and Mongolia, either to safe living in America (well, as safe as America could be now that the Barrier finally touched it) or to PHL installations where they could contribute to the war effort.

He shrugged, lifting some weights. “I’ll be honest… I don’t know. You have that saying… you can never go back home again, right?”

Rebecca lie down, wiping sweat off her brow as she breathed out, “Yeah. Nostalgia versus the now. Plus… well, don’t take this the wrong way babe, but it’s not really your home either. You weren’t born there, lived there.”

“That is true,” Thunderwing sighed. “But seeing that… really makes you wonder. When, where, how did things go wrong?”

“We could spend ages arguing over that, going over stuff people already know,” Rebecca said to him. The ship alarm then began going off and they immediately put their things down and stopped. “Shit. Better go check this out.”

The Stampede Fleet of the Pacific.

The bane of the PER and Tyrant Forces on this side of the world. The so-called ‘Last resort.’

On land and in the air they might overwhelm defenders, but on the high seas they found themselves reeling against the mighty oceanic warships of humanity.

Every ship was a city unto themselves, there was no easy targets on a warship because every person on board was a trained warrior. Everyone was armed and ready to fight. The ship was their home on the deep seas and they knew their home backwards and forwards. Cramped quarters, narrow halls, heavy steel doors that could lock from either side.

A nightmare for new foals that used their numbers to overwhelm defenders. Inside any warship was a death trap for them, as a human with a decent shotgun could make mincemeat of them.

There were tales of ships from around the world fending off new foals with ease until more experienced fighters used their magic to try to turn the tide. Fleets of various nations banded to fend off new foals and their flying ships.

The Stampede Fleet was one of those fleets that everyone knew about. The most experienced in fighting the Tyrant horde and her madness.

And the ones that received the countermeasure for the Tyrant's magic, Runes.

Lose of lives dropped and victories skyrocketed after the applications were placed on the ships once they were drydock for repairs and upgrades at Hawaii.

Originally composed of the United States Seventh Fleet Task Force 70, made up of several destroyers and cruisers along with a single aircraft carrier, it has long since swelled to numbers that haven't been seen since World War 2. Forty-seven ships of various nations composed within the impressive fleet, closer to an armada than an actual fleet.

Directly within the center of the massive fleet was four carriers and a replenisher ship; USS Enterprise, JDS Izumo, HMAS Success (which was the heart of the entire fleet), ROCS Liaoning, and the USS Lexington.

All but one were highly modified with the latest technology at the start of the war, the USS Lexington being the odd girl out.

She was ancient by everyone's standard, she wasn't alone as she was joined with the Missouri, both of which were a class of their own within the fleet. They had the be brought back into service and updated with the latest technology, the Lexington able to field several of the newer jets, her defensive weapons re-armed and improved along with several Phalanx CIWS installed onboard.

The same has been done to the Missouri, while she still retained all nine of her 16-inch guns, twelve 5-inch portside and starboard guns, a full complement of Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles, and a new addition of dozen Phalanx CIWS.

Both elder ships had been upgraded with Runic magic, making them far more dangerous than before and putting them both on par with the ships in the fleet.

The Stampede Fleet was the strongest fleet to ever be created or formed.

And she would show her might once more this day.

Rebecca quickly donned her gear, running up to the main deck, bypassing dozens of marines arming themselves for an upcoming fight.

“Captain has the Conn!” Lieutenant Presley called out, Rebecca giving him a small nod.

“I have the Conn, what’s going on, Presley?” Rebecca asked as she stood behind the communications area.

The head communications officer replied, “Well Captain, getting some pretty intense stuff from Crossley’s units up north. Check it out, ma’am.”

Rebecca stared at the screen, her jaw dropping at seeing a large amount of blips on screen. “What… what is that?”

“Radar is a little off due to a spell, but I say that is an invasion force,” Presley answered, “It appears they came from the city of Hai Pong.”

“From Vietnam?” Rebecca grimaced at the thought, “Shit, the Tyrant’s forces have been pushing through the region. Where are they heading? Hong Kong? Tokyo? Australia mainland?”

“Judging by their direction and the winds their pegasi are making, they’re headed towards… Hawaii.”

“Why there?” Rebecca asked no one in particular... before she realized the significance of the island and whispered, “Aw crap.”

Hawaii was not only a huge base of military operations in the Pacific (one where the Stampede Fleet refueled and resupplied regularly), but it was also the single largest target of the entire Pacific.

“Full speed, get us in their sights, relay orders to every ship to prepare for battle!” Rebecca ordered.

“Aye Aye, Ma’am. Full speed.”

“ETA is one hour, enemy ship count is ranging up fifty,” another communications officer said, giving Rebecca a long look. “Ma’am, this will be a slug-fest.”

“Then we better be ready for a knock out,” Rebecca growled.

Captain Flair Winds of the skyliner Coming Dawn stared out into the open ocean, a smoking pipe in his mouth. He smiled as the newfoals worked at top efficiency as they made sure as every inch of his ship was in order. And it had not been easy to do so - they’d been forced to use those filthy, disgusting, blasphemous… oh, the simple suggestion made his skin crawl… human materials. They were temporary repairs, of course, field-improvisation by some of the newfoals created from the most recent batch of potion, but in the end, it had all worked. They’d kept it hidden in a long-forsaken forest valley through a combination of old-fashioned camouflage and various magic spells such as inverted ‘Want-It Need-It’ or any of the new spells devised to fool cameras.

He'd protested the additions to his ship, but it was necessary. This was one of the very, very few remaining skyliners,and by Celestia, they were going to use it sparingly.

They received orders to bypass the Asian front and head towards Hawaii, both to cut off one of the resupply lines and have a stronghold on the western front of North America. He couldn’t ask for a better order, this would cause the humans to scramble at being attacked on two sides! It would force the apes to chose between two sides, while his beautiful Queen would have more time to wipe them out.

“My lovely Queen is so smart,” Flair said as he felt the sea breeze. “The end of humanity and their plague of sin and evil is within our reach.”

And this was his last chance. Not… not that he had failed Her Solar Magnificence, but rather, it all came down to this moment. With the PER purges in North America, such as that unmitigated bucking disaster in Detroit, led by that horribly disgusting man Viktor Kraber killing those PER who saved his children and refused to be saved with them… it made his blood boil. That, and the hundreds of other purges all over human territories. The PER was on its last legs, and he knew it. If he didn’t create a stronghold, if he failed… the humans would win and rape and enslave so many innocent ponies for sure, just like they had to those poor brainwashed souls of the PHL! His Mighty Queen would have no insurgents, nopony to ensure humans would fall from within. Though, the Barrier would devour them eventually and there would be a unified front. They’d be able to live in relative comfort, perhaps even pause the Barrier once more, and casualties would be unacceptable.

And if they could buy that much time for themselves, who knew what they could create?

“Captain!” a newfoal cried out, pointing out starboard side. “Ships in the distance!”

“Ignore them, we have our orders,” Flair said, “We have a bigger target to save from sin.”

“Sir! It looks like an fleet of warships! It is chasing us!”

“What?” Flair blinked as he walked to the edge and pulled out a telescope. “Ah buck…”

“Sir?”

“It’s the Stampede Fleet,” Flair growled as he looked to see the large naval force chasing after them.

“What are our orders, sir?”

Flair sat back in though, a grin forming on his face. “Turn us around! All pegasi start working this sky to our advantage! Let’s show them what they will come to when face against us.”

“Yes sir! You hear him! Get the clouds and make them cry for vengeance for our true light!” his second roared out, Flair only smiled as he look back at the ships.

“Time for the so-called ‘Stampede’ to be stopped in its tracks.” He activated his ship’s intercom. “Ponies of Equestria… It is a tall order I bring you, but I promise you… It shall be worth every drop of sweat or blood. For our objective is to create a new age of Ponification for Earth’s Rebirth, and save the humans from themselves by creating a stronghold on the islands off the coast of North America.”

He paused.

“It shall not be easy. But it is necessary. Any obstacle, no matter how insurmountable it seems, pales in comparison to what we will face if we do not undertake this task. Be brave, soldiers of Equestria, of the Solar Empire! Be brave, for we are staring the enemy in the eyes… and if we break contact, we shall waste away, never to be seen again.”

Rebecca stared at the growing clouds, angry bolts of lighting dancing crossing the sky. “Well… looks like we are pulling another storm assault. Thank God we restocked on our 'special' armaments in Singapore.”

“So… you want me to save the day once more?” Thunderwing joked, only to get a small whack at the back of head from Rebecca, “Just asking.”

“Ma’am! I have the Captains of the USS John Paul Jones and USS Missouri on the horn.”

“Patch them through.”

“Captain Kleiner, this is Captain Gregory Brians of the USS John Paul Jones. I have a plan that you might like to hear.”

“Lay it on me, Brians.”

“Ma’am, allow my crew and the crew of the Missouri take the first shots, drag their sorry asses out of that cloud cover.”

“Missouri, do you want to proceed with this plan?”

“Yes, ma’am. Allow us to get the first shots in. We can do this.”

“Stand by for orders.” Rebecca said, before giving a tired sigh.

“Becca?” Thunderwing placed a hoof on her hip.

“I got nothing.” Rebecca gave a dry laugh. “Other than head into that storm and unleash hell, but we might lose a lot of ships if we do so. Lets not even talk about the fliers we have.”

“Do you trust them?” Thunderwing prodded, giving her a warm smile, gaining a small nod from her. “Then you can trust them to do the job.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” Rebecca gave him a warm smile before looking back at growing clouds. “Okay, Captain Brains, change of plans, I want to make some additions to this.”

“Ma’am?”

“Proceed as planned, but take several destroyers with you to get their notice. I will have Enterprise, Izumo, Liaoning, and the Lexington hang back. Let them focus on the main fleet while we prepare a surprise of our own.”

Five ships glided through the growing wave, two battleships and three destroyers for their own respective nations; JDS Chōkai, ROCS Ma Kong, HMAS Hobart, and the USS John Paul Jones and Missouri.

Captain Gregory Brians smiled as the he watched his men worked, looking out to see the Missouri plow through another wave. “Captain Ramirez, are you locked and loaded?”

“Don’t you worry about me, Brians, this old girl can dish out some pain!” the Missouri’s captain replied.

“The rest of you know the plan, so we should have no problems,” Brians said.

“Hai! Chokai has got her missiles loaded and ready.”

“Ma Kong will let loose her payloads on your orders.”

“Hobart is standing by, ready for mission fire.”

“Big Mo has the guns ready to cover the retreat. We’re ready.”

“Good.” Brians said with a dangerous smile, “Are we ready, Lieutenant?”

“Aye, sir, flak missiles locked and ready.”

“Stand by!” Brians barked out, the five ships growing ever closer the large storm brewing overhead, he turn to see the Missouri pulled ahead, her guns pointing starboard side. The thunder clouds rumbled menacingly, flights of thousands of pegasi swooping between the clouds and making their way towards them.

“Ready! Slow at half speed!”

“Aye aye, half speed!” Brians felt the ship slowed beneath his feet, the Missouri pulling ahead as she continued course.

“Fire!” Brians heard the roar of dozens, if not hundreds of missiles launching from the ships. And for a moment, they lit up the sky, only exhaust visible from the ships.

It would be impossible to dodge them.

There wouldn’t be much left of the pegasi above, and it was certainly overkill, but it would be a hell of a pain for them to contain even one newfoal with potion. Or worse, a pegasus with a cloud of the stuff.

The missiles destroyed the pegasi so thoroughly that no word seemed adequate to describe the carnage, their warheads bursting into miniature suns of burning hot pellets once within range of the pegasi. Large chunks of the pegasi simply vanished, vaporized by the force of the explosion, and limbs flew everywhere. The lucky pegasi were the ones that only popped like balloons upon contact; the unlucky ones, however, were conscious as they fell to the sea, unable to fly as blood trailed from the stumps of body parts. Some lost their wings, trailing blood as they careened down to the sea.

Blood and bits of viscera rained into the waves, staining them for miles around, and fishermen all over would often find themselves hooking bits of pegasi that had floated nearby.

It wasn’t over yet.

“They burst… a hole in our flock,” Flair Winds whispered, looking down at the carnage, the fire and shrieking, injured pegasi falling to the sea below to drown. In all likelihood, the human ships would leave them to die. “But there’s still more-”

They weren’t going to last long out there, no matter how much he told himself otherwise.

“FIRE!” Brians yelled again, and the process repeated, yet another salvo of missiles shooting into the air, aiming for the stragglers.

This time, even fewer pegasi survived. It was like a wall of fire, incinerating each pegasus that came even close to the Stampede Fleet. Fur and feathers burnt to a crisp, limbs and blood flying everywhere… yet another rain of blood on the ocean below. It was utter madness.

Flying just around the carnage, several Potioneer ships sped out of the of the clouds, rushing downwards to the sea and skimmed the ocean surface. Normally this would be seen as a boarding maneuver as most ships of the modern age lacked anything heavy for a defensive measures for such close quarters.

At least… modern ships lacked them.

The Missouri turned ahead of the group while they began their own slow turn, her guns up and ready, showing off her full starboard side full of guns. The Potioneer ships did not slow, only began to rise in the air to fly over her, but was far too late.

A perfect shot for Big Mo.

“Fire!”

All nine 16-inch 50-caliber Mark 7 Naval guns, six 5-inch 38-caliber guns, Tomahawk and Harpoons missiles, and scores of anti-air guns erupted from her side, causing the entire ship to lean from the force.

Every round was enhanced with unstable magic as it left the barrels, every missiles shining brightly with runic enhancements. All brimming with power of both old and new technology of war.

Shields cracked from one single broadside attack, large rounds ripped into enchanted wood and cloth like paper, ships fell apart and fell into the cold ocean grip, and Big Mo kept on firing for all she was worth.

Pegasi, wearing the finest enchanted shields the Coming Dawn’s workshop could make, threw themselves in the direction of the fleet, attempting to overwhelm the defenses and breach the interior.

Most, if not all, didn’t get anywhere within spitting distance of the fleet. They were torn to pieces by dozens of Phalanx CIWS that covered the ships, a gun that most naval commanders had grown to love as the war dragged on.

“Captain! I see an enemy Skyliner!” one officer cried out as the ship roared once more, taking out another ship.

Captain Ramirez’s eyes narrowed at that, most radar systems seem to blitz out once a skyliner was in the area, so it had to go. “Log location! Send to rest of the fleet as priority target, helmsmen, get us out of here!”

“Aye Aye!”

“Ma’am! Skyliner within the clouds!”

“Prepare for full fire effect! Knock that big bastard out of the sky!” Rebecca scowled as she heard the order being sent out. “On my mark!”

She looked out to see the five ships coming back around to them, their weapons firing as they took out their tails.

“Ma’am! All ships ready!”

“Fire!”

Flair paled as he saw the fleet seemingly explode as one, missiles trailing into the sky before making way to his own fleet… no…

To him!

“Protect the Coming Dawn!” Flair cried out in alarm, and the newfoals heeded his call. “Divert all nonessential power to shields! Redirect the missiles, I don’t care how! If we get taken out here, it’s all over for the PER!”

All the ships rushed forward before the skyliner, placing themselves in harm’s way to protect the ship. Flair couldn’t help but cower in fear as the large missiles flew through the air at incredible speeds, the roar of their engines nearly destroying his eardrums as they pushed past the speed of sound.

A potioneer ship flew forward, taking a hit head on, then another and another before shields finally failed, the next few slamming into and bursting the zeppelin apart like a balloon.

The missiles flew through the wall of ships, some hitting the shield of the Coming Dawn and causing the ship to list from the force.

Flair was barely able to stand on his hooves as he watched the many potioneer ships strain against the attack, many of them failing and bursting from the force.

"No..." he watched as several of the potioneer ships began to veer away from the wall, their decks in flames and the new foals being burned alive as they tried to do their duty, only for the ships to fall out of the sky as the magical clouds evaporated from the intense heat.

"No!" The remaining ships struggled back into formation, most barely held together through luck and magic. "You bucking apes!"

“Ma’am, enemy forces cut in half! The rest of them on their last legs!” Pressly called out, “Skyliner is still up though.”

“Good thing I didn’t plan on just using ship fire power to hog all the glory,” Rebecca said with a smile. “Tell our flyguys its time to clear the air.”

“Aye aye!”

Flair looked over the side, staring at the broken ships before his eyes. “Im-impossible..how? How could they…”

“Portside! Enemy jets sir!”

“What?!” Flair cried out, turning back around to see what could only amount to hundreds of jets flying right at him. “But how…they didn’t have time…”

Rebecca smiled as she thought about launching the jets early on, fly a long way around the group and strike them from behind while they were busy with the ships on the water. She didn’t want anyone to die on her watch, nor lose any ships, as losing even one ship meant losing hundreds of people and a ton of firepower.

“Bring them down. Fire another volley. Lets show them that they can’t push us around anymore.”

“No…” Flair whimpered as the jets drew closer, the surviving potioneer ships struggled to get on the other side of the Coming Dawn.

“Sir! Another volley from the fleet!”

Flair looked back numbly to see the ocean fleet erupt once more, scores of missiles flying into the sky, each of them magically enhanced with help from their traitorous kin. The jets lined up, and as one, released a missile, then another. “No… Please… Celestia save us!”

His pleas would go unanswered.

Flair found himself unable to cry out as the skyliner rocked, her shields flaring to stop the missile barrage. Flair couldn’t understand as he saw the fire and what could only be unstable magic blooming from the missiles. It suddenly made sense why the missiles had more power and able to pierce shields so easily. He looked to see the shields beginning to crack under the strain of force, he began to laugh madly.

In the early days of the war, the Coming Dawn had been able to shrug off all sorts of attacks from the filthy monkeys, all the guns and missiles in the world did nothing to her. Only a city-sized incendiary weapon had been able to damage her.

But add a little magic?

And suddenly she was an easy target. A big, slow, juicy target that the apes fast pace fighting found laughably easy to handle. So this was why humanity had given up on skyliners, Flair realized. Our tactics are awful when we’re on equal footing, aren’t they?

He looked to the side to see the jets shoot by at speeds only a few pegasi could ever attain. He stumbled back to his hooves, watching as the jets continued on without turning back to their massive ships. He crawled to the starboard side and looked over it to see the remaining potioneer ships had fallen to the ocean below.

The Coming Dawn was alone against an entire fleet.

It was then he took note of the whining sound of an engine from behind him. He slowly turned around to see a dozen of the jets floating portside, hovering in the air through sheer power about a hundred meters away.

He began to laugh once more as they continue to hover, their weapons primed and ready.

“Such a fool I am,” he said with a crazed laugh, ignoring the cries of the new foals that rushed to defend the ship. “To believe I can amount to anything worthy for my goddess. Go to Tartarus you sick beast-”

All 12 of the F-35 Lightning 2s, pilots hailing from the US, UK, Italy, and Australia, unleashed their own brand of hell on the large floating ship.

GAU-12 Equalizers roared to life, spitting out 25mm rounds at 4,200 rounds a minutes, tearing through the enchanted wood, metal, and bodies as if they were not even there. The short range missiles of the AIM-120 and AIM-132 missiles rushed out slammed into the side of the ship, ripping her sides apart like a balloon.

The Coming Dawn’s tie downs, connecting the ship to the enchanted balloon overhead snapped either by the force of the attack or the simple weight of the ship becoming too much for the rest of the ropes holding her.

And the Coming Dawn fell...

“There she goes!” Presley said, watching as half of the ship fell loose from the balloons, the other side holding on for a few seconds longer before they snapped and dropping the ship into the cold sea. Numerous pegasi, newfoal and natural born alike, carrying unicorns and earth ponies, scrambled and flew away from the destruction.

The crew cheered, high-fiving and fist (or hoof in the case of the ponies) bumping each other happily.

“Does anyone think that was too easy?” Rebecca asked, looking around the open ocean for another attack.

“Maybe...” Thunderwing admitted, watching as the destroyers and battleships returned back into formation. “Then again, we never faced against an invasion fleet head to head.”

“True…” she murmured, watching the former skyliner floated in ocean waters, tyrant forces struggling to swim and climb aboard the pieces of floating rubble. Not like it would help them, since the ship’s own weight would take it down to the cold depths. “We never have to worry about people in the way, usually we are early to defend or too late to do anything. Plus we have magic now in our weapons. Presley, what is our location?”

“North 19°12.778 by East 115°06.076, Ma’am!” Presley relayed, “Orders for survivors?”

Rebecca stared at the sunken airship, she can barely see survivors struggling on the floating remains. She stared at the fliers, a scowl on her face before she turn to Presley. “Get the Nathan James to clear the sky of fliers, leave the swimmers to the waters.”

“That’s cold,” Thunderwing half-joked. “There could be some natural born ponies out there. They could provide info too. I get the feeling there’s something missing here.”

Rebecca closed her eyes before opening, walking over to the horn. “Captain Ramirez, can you look for non-newfoals out in the water. Fish them from the drink?

“I don’t know about that, Ma’am. I can see a lot of bodies in the water and some of them are making a beeline for us,” Captain Ramirez said over the radio, “Doesn’t matter. Even if we wanted to help them, the newfoals would attack as soon as we get close. We will be too busy fighting them off while doing so.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes, “And given the amount of firepower we have, we could clear the waters easy enough.”

“So how about you take some of our best marksmen and take them out?” Thunderwing asked. Rebecca hummed before speaking.

“Ramirez, do a little a trip around them. Get on the speakers and tell them to stay put and that you will fish them out of the water. If they attack, they are newfoals and will be shot on sight.”

“Ah, yes I get it. Natural borns are much smarter about self-preservation.”

“Good, link up with the Nathan James and take John Paul Jones with you.” Rebecca looked to the map before speaking again. “Once you are done, head towards the port of Manila and link up with the rest of us.”

“Manila, Ma’am?”

“I have something important to tell the captains of this fleet. I want to be somewhere secured when I tell you. Manila is practically a fortress now and we can trade some extra weapons we have for fuel,” Rebecca reasoned.

“Aye aye, ma’am. Proceeding with operation. See you at Manila.”

Rebecca turned to the rest of the Conn, “Presley, inform the fleet of a change of course. We are heading to Manila port. Full speed.”

“Aye aye, ma’am. Full speed.” Presley repeated before relaying the change of course to the fleet. Rebecca looked around the Conn before speaking.

“I leave the Conn to you Lieutenant Presley.”

“Aye Ma’am, I have the Conn.”

Rebecca smiled as she turn and left the Conn, with Thunderwing trailing behind her as they made their way back to their quarters, admiring the view before finally speaking up. “You’re going to tell them about what happened.”

“Yes. They have to know what really went down in Boston. I can’t keep this a secret, not from the people who make this fleet work. It just worries me a lot, this info is big.”

“Yeah… you think and worry too much.” Thunderwing said, looking around before gently nipping her left butt cheek, causing an involuntary giggle to echo out. Her eyes widen as she felt him bury his face into her ass, looking down to see his snout peeking between her legs and took a deep sniff. “Sorry, Becca. But having such a fine looking rear just below eye level is rather hard.”

“T-thunder-” She stammered out before she giggled again, feeling him bite her right one.

“No one is on this level… at least for the next 30 seconds.” Thunderwing’s ears flicked once before he began to push. “Open the door already and take off these nasty pants. I don’t know why you cover such wonderful pair of legs and rear end. Its a crime!”

“Shut up.” She blushed brightly as she open the door before she felt Thunderwing squeeze between her legs and hefted her onto his back, causing her to laugh as he kicked the door closed and trotted around the room with her on his back, bouncing her up and down with each step. She gave him a mocking glare as she pulled off her overcoat, watching as his eyes zeroed in on her bouncing breasts. “Perv.”

“But I’m your perv!” he laughed as he bucked her off his back onto the bed before he leaned over her and began to work on her pants, but not before giving a small lick at her toned stomach. “And the perv has designs on you! Now! Off with the pants! They’re in the way of progress!”

Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh out at his words, hugging his head and pepper his face with kisses.

Rebecca pulled her head from the pillow with a start, feeling Thunderwing on top of her back and nuzzling her neck. She gave a warm smile as she gently ran her hand through his coat on his jaw, enjoying the warmth his body gave her. “Thunder… get off please.”

“No…” Thunderwing muttered, moving his hip and she felt something hard brush against her inner thigh.

“Naughty pony,” she whispered, before she heard her quarter’s phone ringing. “Get off… Someone is calling me.”

“Yeah, me and lil me.” Thunderwing lightly nibbled her shoulder, causing her to giggle a bit before she pushed him off, causing him to groan and watched she walked away. His eyes centered on her butt and he licked his lips. “Watching you walk away is just as good.”

“Perv.” She turned and gave him a small wink before answering. “Kleiner.”

“Ma’am, we got a call from Manila port. They are requesting our assistance for an underground PER movement.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rebecca growled.

“Sorry Ma’am. But it seems to be a purely human group of PER, so no idiots.”

“No obvious idiots in the cross hairs.” Rebecca sighed, before she looked at the clock. “How far out are we?”

“Two hours ma’am. Thirty-five minutes by Chinook.”

“Then get the Navy Seals ready, tell them to take some PLA Special Forces with them. They got annoyed with them last time, when they snatched up the last ‘Clean House’ operations. Seeing them trying to compete with each other gets annoying.” Rebecca shook her head, but gave Thunderwing a saucy smile, cocking her hip to the side and biting her lower lips.

“Aye, Ma’am. I will let them know.” She practically heard Presley hold back a laugh. She hung up, slowly running her hands over her body, watching as Thunderwings’ eyes slowly trailed after them.

“As for you…” She whispered seductively, watching as his own desire grow on such a cute face.

‘No wonder some males like mares a lot. That face is awfully cute… Plus it’s my own little pony! Let me run my hands through your mane!’

She crawled back on the bed, keeping her upper body low to the sheets while keeping her ‘assets’ in view. “We got a lot of time left on our hands.”

“Oh?” Thunderwings was staring at her ass, she knew it because he adored it. She leaned in and bit his neck, “OH!”

“Lots of time~!”

Crossley: “I feel like I’m... I don’t know, waging a guerrilla war of engineering. I would build it, someone would smash it.”

Interviewer: “Any... Anything specific you can recall?”

Crossley: “Too many... too many, though the collapse of the Vashi Bridge during the Battle of Mumbai hit hard. We’d just finished rebuilding part of it, and there was a train straight from the factories heading over it, right for Navi Mumbai. It was an old battleaxe stolen from the HLF, then armed and reinforced with PHL weaponry and defenses, then lined with claymores just to be safe. They called it the Dreadnought, and so did we.

Interviewer: “What happened then?”

Crossley: “Those PER sons of whores and pigs blew up the bridge. Some cars got across… but only just. Lost a lot of good people that day. (He stares at the ground for a second.)

Interviewer: “What would you say the biggest threat is, besides the Empire? PER, or HLF?”

Crossley: “Both. The HLF, though... the men all hate them. You wouldn’t find an HLF sympathizer anywhere in here, no matter how bad Imperial attacks got. And that’s because those HLF sons of bitches hate ponies beyond all reason. I’m not exaggerating. The motherfuckers will blow up bridges, set off avalanches, kill off servicemen and ponies that are helping people who don’t have anything left! All because I have ponies under my command. Pegasi can rescue humans that have fallen, earth ponies are crazy strong, unicorns have telekinesis and can serve as welders in a pinch... They’re so good, and they hate their homeland more than any of us. Admire them for that. Yet the HLF will never forgive them, just because they’re ponies. The sons of bitches. Defenders of humanity? Kiss my ass.”

Interview with John Crossley, U.S Army Corps Of Engineers tasked with evacuating India and the Himalayas

“Working with Kraber and Aegis on these things is like Christmas. No, he's not a bad boss - whenever he comes with us, newfoals and those PER cocksuckers die. Plus, they bring some kind of new PHL weapon for testing almost every time! Those... Those motherfuckers never know what hit them long as he keeps the gear flowing. And besides.... If anyone deserves bizarre and unusual weapons tested on them, it's the PER."

Kraber: (from off in the distance) "Think of it like pest control!"

"Yeah. It's kind of like that."

Interview with Johnny C, PHL soldier attached to "Kraber's Operations," a country-wide purge of PER elements.

Fort Hood, Texas

This wasn’t exactly what Porter had in mind when Cheerilee told him and his fellow ‘Dragons’ (he still had to stifle a chuckle at that name) that they were going to help in the final battle. The battle that would make or break all of this, that would decide the future of humanity.

And it would all be in a scant two weeks.

So he followed Yon-Soo’s advice and decided to take the plane to Fort Hood, where his family had taken up refuge, helping the PHL and official US military branches stationed there to contribute what they could to the war effort. It was an admirable sight - people of all different walks of life came together for a common goal. Of course, the people were all working to their fullest. Many analysts, engineers, doctors and nurses, and anyone else able to help perform an important function crucial to the war effort were in full swing.

But he wasn’t here to analyze; he was here for a reunion that was a long time coming.

At the western hangar, there were groups of people waiting for someone to come out of those planes. Family members, relatives and friends all stood there, hoping to see their loved ones come out of one of the planes alive. Some held signs, others just standing by. And the people Porter would meet didn’t need a sign; he recognized them immediately.

A stockily built man with greying dark blonde hair; a comely lady with a slightly plump build with greying brown hair, and a young man in his mid twenties with brown hair.

Dad, Mom and little bro.

“Porter!” his mother, Gail, cried out, relief and happiness clear on her features. She ran up to him, tackling him in a hug. His father, Richard, and little brother, Charlie, joined in, understandably excited to see he was home safely.

“Thank God and Jesus you’re here and alive!” she said happily, squeezing him tight. Porter smiled as he hugged the rest of his family back, happy they themselves, were alive and well too. For just a moment, everything felt right and normal with the world.

“Nice little setup you guys have here,” Porter noted, looking at his parent’s little quarters. It was little more than a single motel room with one bathroom, a bed in the middle, a single table with two chairs, and several boxes filled with clothes, books, and, from what Porter could tell, family heirlooms and even some important photographs. There was no TV in this room.

“It’s not a lot,” Gail admitted, “but your pop and I make it work. Charlie’s got his own little quarters that he shares with a few other medics.”

“It’s not easy, is it?” Porter asked. Admittedly, he’d slept in worse rooms, and they were lucky to have a bed. But it must have been quite the change for them, to go from their relatively nice home in the suburbs to… this.

“Come on, son, you aren’t giving us enough credit!” Richard said to him in a tone of mock pain. “I like to consider this the boot camp before your mother and I make ourselves a home in Alaska!”

“Wait, Alaska?!” Porter asked incredulously.

“Hey, fresh seafood, living off the land, away from the distractions of the hustle and bustle!” Gail exclaimed, “Once this war’s over, we can finally just retire out of all this.”

Charlie laughed and admitted, “Yeah, don’t worry about me though, I won’t be joining that adventure. I like my tech too much, and Jenna wouldn’t survive a day out there.”

“Jenna?” Porter asked, raising an eyebrow. “You actually got a girlfriend?”

“Why? Is that a surprise?” Charlie asked. “Come on, loving comics and collecting Lord of the Rings merch doesn’t make me undateable!”

“I’m kidding, little bro,” Porter laughed. “I’m really happy for you! Admittedly dating during a war doesn’t sound up my alley, but I’m glad you’ve found someone.” For a second, he seemed to stare at his brother intensely. “Just… keep her safe, alright?”

Everyone became solemn and quiet, a grim feeling overtaking them. Charlie replied softly, “I know, Ports. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and she wouldn’t let anything happen to me either.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Porter said.

“You want to meet her?” Charlie asked, trying to lighten the mood, just a little.

“Definitely,” Porter agreed. Anything to get out of the mood he’d put them all in.

They walked on out, and Porter took in the scenery once again. The surrounding area of the military base was oddly chaotic and orderly all at the same time. Everyone had something to do, something to contribute. No doubt they wouldn’t be here if they had nothing to contribute to the war effort and the safety of the base.

People and ponies, even a few zebras and a couple diamond dogs, walked through the streets, all with some clear goal. Nobody was milling around - to use that word would be a disservice to all the hard work that was being done. Engineers and repair crews were checking vehicles of all forms, and somewhere off in the distance, he heard the sound of an assault rifle on full auto. He’d later learn that today, they’d been testing the Khvostov 7G-02 thaumic modifications for assault rifles.

It was ironic, really. Equestria claimed to represent love and tolerance for ponies, but all the stories Aquamarine Glimmer kept hearing from recent refugees made it seem like the exact opposite. Most of the races of Equestria seemed to have vanished before the war, and those that remained lived in mortal fear of the Solar Empire. The majority of the survivors fled from there and joined humanity to avenge their fallen brethren and get their lives back.

Simply put, Equestria was what it hated.

“Hear that?” Richard asked. “That’s our top zebra helping out with the creation of enchanted guns! Got gems and crystals coming in from Africa. Amazing how De Beers was willing to help during the apocalypse...”

“What kind of things are they making?” Porter asked, curious. In the area where he’d been fighting, PHL tech was spoken with either reverential awe, superstitious fear and hatred, or a combination of both. Thankfully, no HLF members had destroyed its rare shipments out of fear - it was amazing how a few exploding newfoals could change one’s mind. On top of that, he and the fellow members of his unit (he still hesitated to use that silly name a few enthusiastic civilians had christened them with, but it was definitely recognizable) had looked forward to every shipment.

“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” Charlie joked. “Nah, I’m just kidding.”

“Remember the Battle of Boston?” Gail asked. When Porter nodded, she continued, “More or less the same stuff, and even some electrocution weapons! We need to get those newfoals put down as soon as possible, and the less bullets, the less time we waste trying to survive.”

“The tesla weapons were the idea of an ex-HLF guy,” Richard added. “He’d said flamethrowers seemed promising. If not for the fact that newfoals don’t really care about being on fire. But electrocution means their muscles contract involuntarily.”

“Sounds useful,” Porter said, intrigued. “I’m kinda curious to see them in action.”

“Well, there’s someone in Maine that has one right now,” Richard said. “It’s mounted under his LMG, and he’s had nothing but praise. And he said, and I quote ‘It’s like a scene from fokking District 9 in here!’ after using it.”

Porter let out a low whistle, impressed. He remembered the lightning gun from that movie. Charlie chuckled and then said, “Soooo… Dragons of the East, huh?”

Porter shot a glare at his little brother, grumbling, “Hey! I didn’t come up with that idiotic nickname.”

“Then why do you keep using it?” Charlie teased him.

“Cause… well, I don’t like it, but it’s recognizable,” he explained. “It came around in China, when we just razed this village run by this guy who fancied himself a warlord, as well as blew up a section of the Great Wall. The way we just destroyed everything in our path-like that time we set that city on fire-probably helped make us fearsome too. And suddenly, everybody starts saying ‘dragons of the east’. I don’t even get the hoops you have to jump through to decides that’s a fitting name, but even Command does it. We tried to keep them from using it, but that just made everyone use it as a joke, it just sort of snowballed from there… eventually, we just gave up.”

“...How do you get Dragons of the East from THAT?!” Gail asked.

“I don’t know,” Porter sighed, throwing up his hands. “I just don’t know.”

Which was a bald faced lie. Porter knew exactly why they were called Dragons of the East, and while they were very good at infiltration, it was the amount of destruction they left behind for almost every battle. Like a dragon came storming through the area and laid waste to everything.

They walked through a moderately sized building, where every room seemed to be teeming with all kinds of state-of-the-art tech. Scientists, designers and engineers that had careers in defense programs before the war were hard at work coming up with new and improved designs for weapons to use on the field. Assault arms that could be used easily by even less trained fighters if they ever found themselves in a bad spot. At least one room had a group of ponies trying on new assault saddles. Footage of a man firing a gun that looked like it was made by FN Herstal, shooting one target, turning 90 degrees to the side and firing full-auto, only for the bullets to visibly curve back to the target.

And then there was this one room his family brought him into, where every man and woman working here was equipped with a headset and at least two side-by-side computers. There were huge screens on the walls, keeping track of the barrier’s movements, of communications with any other bases on the front lines and helping any airplanes up in the sky. People were rapidly firing off piloting lingo, typing feverishly as they entered information and guzzling coffee and anything else with caffeine by the gallon.

Charlie approached one particular woman, whom Porter assumed was Jenna. She was certainly quite pretty, with sandy blond hair and brown eyes, and a skinny frame. She looked at Charlie, brightening up with a smile before she turned to a guy next to her to ask him to take over for her for a moment.

“Hey, babe,” Charlie beamed as he hugged her. He towered over her by at least a head, so she stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. “Doing alright so far?”

“So far, so good. But this is one of those days I wish I could have a green tea frappuccino. I can’t wait to go back to Starbucks after all this. I will never complain about bitchy customers ever again,” she replied with a half groan, half laugh to her voice.

“I know what you mean. Graveyard shifts for the late night hospital emergencies will be a walk in the park after all this.”

“...still won’t be easy getting back to a normal life after a war, I guarantee that,” someone added.

Porter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Great. You sound just like my friend Melnik. What a pessimist. He’s always saying the same things about doom and gloom, always thinking of ways it could be worse.” He paused. “Granted, he’s been right so far, but that just makes it worse.”

“Oh we will win,” another communications officer said. “The Queen seriously underestimates just how resourceful we can be. And we’ll recover; we’ve survived a lot of near apocalypses and there’s no way in hell we’d go down easily.”

“It sure would be great if the PHL can find a way to take the barrier down and then we can get rid of the Tyrant. I’d rather die than be a newfoal,” Jenna spat, shuddering with disgust. She then noticed Porter and turned to Charlie, asking, “Is that your brother?”

“Yep,” he replied. “Jenna, this is Porter. Ports, Jenna.”

Porter shook her hand, smiling. “Hi Jenna. It’s good to meet you.”

She shook his hand back, responding cheerfully, “Hi, Porter! Charlie told me a lot about you. It’s a real honor to meet one of the big heroes of this war.”

Porter blushed and said, “Come on, hero is a pretty big term to throw around here. I’m not like Colonel Renee or Major Bauer.”

Jenna smiled reassuringly. “But still, you and the other guys in your group have done really amazing things. You’re all better than you give yourselves credit for.”

“Well, thank you very much,” Porter modestly took the compliment. “You take care of my little brother, alright? I can see he loves you a lot, and I wish you both the best.”

“Of course. Thank you, Porter. I promise I wouldn’t let anything happen to Charlie. I know you two had been close growing up.”

She gave him a quick hug and a smile before walking off with Charlie so they could go to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. Porter noted the relaxed smiles on their faces, how close and loving they looked. And even from a distance, he could see Charlie tell Jenna that story about that pool incident from when they were kids, making her laugh.

Porter really was glad that his brother, one of his best friends through his life, had found someone special, especially in these trying times. He had to admit, he did feel a bit jealous, especially being reminded of his own major loss. But it wouldn’t be fair to resent Charlie for that. Jenna was clearly a nice girl who really did love Charlie, and Charlie clearly loved her too.

He genuinely hoped they could have a happy ending. They really did deserve that.

Porter had to admit, he was confused. Everything around him looked bigger, his parents looked younger. Everyone wearing black, clearly saddened by something. He was wearing a black suit too. It felt uncomfortable and stiff.

He remembered this house. And this day.

The day he and his family attended David Renee’s funeral.

He wasn’t really in control of his own actions; just reliving and watching everything going on. His father was just solemn, the haunted look on his face was of guilt. His mother clearly didn’t know what to feel; on one hand she was glad her husband was alive but on the other hand, she was also saddened that another man had to die for that.

At the front of the living room, Porter could see the picture of David, wearing his formal Marines uniform and smiling for the camera, surrounded by an arrangement of flowers. Marcus had inherited a lot of his father’s features, that was easy to tell.

He could also see Megan Renee, David’s widow, Marcus’ mother. She was just so heartbroken, her eyes red from her non-stop crying. Porter saw how his father, as well as his other squadmates tried to comfort her despite their own grief and guilt. She did not seem resentful, however, and did appear to really appreciate their efforts.

He walked up the stairs, where the other kids attending the funeral were at. He had already met a couple of them, including a girl named Julia Kleiner. He had to admit, he was curious to meet them; to a young boy, the grown ups were clearly in no mood for fun so maybe the other kids would be better company. As he walked through the hallway, he saw one bedroom door open, with two boys inside. One looked to be the same age as Porter himself, the other was a young toddler. The toddler, none the wiser for what was going on, was playing with his toy dinosaurs, but the older one understood everything and looked much more grief stricken.

Even as a kid, Porter understood that this boy was the one who lost his dad.

He decided to reach out to him, awkwardly saying, "Hi."

He looked up, his eyes red from crying while he held a medal with a purple ribbon in his hands. He sniffed as he looked back down, trying to ignore him.

"My name is Porter... What's yours?"

The boy swallowed before he mumbled quietly, too soft to be heard.

"Uh... not sure I can hear you like that?"

"My name is Marcus," the other boy looked up to him, his voice choked up somewhat. Porter looked to the boy next to him, giving him a smile.

"Your brother?" he asked, gaining a nod as Marcus picked him up and put him in his lap.

"His name is Jacob," he whispered, the toddler quickly trying to take the medal from his older brother. He tried to munch on it, but Marcus just put the medal off to the side, keeping his squirming brother from trying to reach for it again.

Porter wasn't sure what to say next. Marcus looked like he had been crying for hours and didn't want to talk to anyone. He was young but not stupid, and knew any word he said next could set off problems.

He looked back to the door to see his father talking with Marcus' mother, who came upstairs to check on her sons. It was jarring to see the man he saw as a hero, unafraid of anything, looking terrified to be in the woman's presence.

“Oh God, Megan, I’m so sorry,” Porter could hear his father say. “It’s all my fault… if I’d just… I shouldn’t have survived through that.”

“Oh Richard, don’t say that!” Megan told him firmly. She gave him a comforting hug, but it couldn’t keep him or herself from crying again. “It’s not your fault, or anyone else’s fault that he died. I don’t blame you for anything; David would’ve done it for anyone.”

Porter then looked over to Marcus again before he sat down next him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "My dad is alive thanks to your dad. Your dad is my dad's hero."

To anyone else, it was an extremely childish way of thanking someone. But to a child, it was a most profound experience. Marcus looked up, his eyes wide as he looked at Porter, then looking to his mother and seeing her hugging Porter’s father.

"My dad... saved yours?" Marcus seemed to be lost, and Porter was afraid that he got him angry. But then Marcus got up, wiped his tears away and handed Jacob to his mother, before turning to the man.

Porter watched as his father got down on one knee as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Porter walked closer to his family, listening to his dad.

"You are... Marcus, right?"

"Yes, sir..."

"Marcus... I'm sorry. I’m so so-" Marcus wrapped his arms around him and hugged him.

"My dad saved you..." Marcus choked out, "My dad saved you so you can be with your family. My dad... did what was right..."

"Oh... oh my God, I’m sorry... I’m sorry..." Richard began to cry, "His last words... his last words were about you and Jacob... how he was so proud of you both... he wanted to give you so much..."

“Come on,” Megan said as firmly as she could, “we should get going. The procession is about to start.”

Porter and Marcus followed the adults downstairs, out of the house and over to some cars. They drove to a local cemetery. Everyone stood up as tall and strong as they could so as to honor David’s memory. They listened to the priest talk through the eulogy, each squad member giving their own piece, Porter’s own father delivering one of his own. No one could hold back their sadness, their guilt. All they could do was try to get through this, and ultimately, live with it.

The casket was slowly lowered into the ground, all the while everyone began to sing Amazing Grace. One by one, everyone threw a single rose on top the lid. Porter went up too, throwing one in, silently thanking David for saving his dad’s life. He could see the other squad members’ kids do the same.

The rest of the day was a blur, mainly consisting of everyone trying to comfort each other. The other attendees had to leave; they had their own lives to go back to, living so far from this place. Porter and his parents were the only ones left; they wouldn’t have to leave until tomorrow. Porter and Marcus were playing with Jacob to pass the time while the grown ups were at the dinner table, drinking some tea.

“We should get going. Know any decent motels around here, Megan?” Porter’s father asked Marcus’ mother.

“You shouldn’t go through the trouble. You can stay here tonight,” Megan said to them.

Porter’s mother replied, “That’s very nice of you, Megan, but we don’t want to impose.”

“No, it’s no trouble at all,” she insisted. “The guest room just needs a little dusting off. My home is your home.”

Porter’s parents smiled, and his father replied, “Well, thank you very much, Megan. We really do appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

"It's no problem at all. Porter wouldn't mind sleeping next to Marcus, would he?”

“I don’t mind,” Porter replied to her, before he looked at Marcus, who shrugged and smiled slightly.

Later that night, Marcus and Porter laid down on the former’s bed, but neither could sleep. They both were reading a comic book to make themselves tired, but they weren't exactly invested in the story.

Marcus suddenly said, "Thanks, Porter. I was really sad before... I still am, but you helped me a lot."

"I did?" Porter asked, surprised.

"Yeah, you did."

Porter couldn’t help but smile at that, glad that he did help out. He replied, "You're welcome."

The next day, the Stanley family had to go back home. As the cab driver loaded their luggage into the trunk, everyone was saying their goodbyes.

Porter saw his parents saying farewell to Megan, trading hugs and bittersweet smiles.

"Thanks again for everything, Megan," Porter's mother said to her.

Megan shook her head and replied, "It was no trouble at all, Gail. I appreciate everything you both have done. Just promise me that you don't waste your lives, alright? Be there for your son, and cherish every moment."

"We will," Richard told her. "I promise to keep in touch. It is the least I can do, and I’ll be there for Marcus and Jacob too."

"That would be wonderful," Megan replied with a smile. She gave them one more hug and said, "Have a safe trip, and take care of yourselves, okay?"

"Of course," Porter's mother said, returning Megan's hug. “You take care of yourself too, Megan.”

Meanwhile, Porter and Marcus traded hugs, and farewells of their own.

“Thanks again, Porter. You helped out a lot,” Marcus said to him.

“You’re welcome, Marcus. I’m glad I could do that for you. Good luck to you,” Porter replied.

“Good luck to you too.” Marcus then noticed Jacob suddenly gave Porter a big hug and he said, “I guess Jake’s gonna miss you too.”

Porter hugged Jacob back before he turned to see his parents behind him, telling him it was time to go. “Goodbye guys.”

Jacob let Porter go, and went back to his big brother’s side. Porter then ran over to Megan and gave her a hug too. He said to her, “Thank you, Mrs. Renee. For everything.”

She smiled warmly and hugged Porter back, telling him, “You don’t have to be so formal. Just calling me Megan, or Aunt Megan is fine. And you’re welcome.”

“Okay, Aunt Megan. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Porter.”

And so Porter joined his parents and boarded the cab, taking one last look out the rear view window to see the family of just three waving goodbye to him and his parents. Porter waved a last goodbye as they drove off and Megan, Marcus and Jacob disappeared in the distance.

Porter awoke slowly, feeling a bit dazed. It was odd to be dreaming about that day at this time. It was still sometimes hard to believe, that Marcus was connected to this second Equestria, and how even he was connected to all of this due to having met and befriended Marcus in the past. Porter himself never really believed in the concept of destiny, but everything just seemed to be too lined up perfectly for it all to be a coincidence.

And in between his memories of Megan and Marcus, and his own stress and excitement over the big “final battle” that would commence in just a few days, he couldn’t bring himself to go back to sleep. He got up from his cot in the main barrack given to soldiers, and decided to take a little walk. It wasn’t lost on Porter that some of the beds were empty, looking as if their occupants had to get up for some air and clear their heads. He walked outside, taking a deep breath of the cool midnight air. Though the base wasn’t as busy at nighttime, there were still people working over the night. Guards and look-outs mainly, but he also saw planes coming in, with cargo crews sorting through shipments to make sure they were all safe. And judging from that, there were likely people in communications working at this hour.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Porter turned around to see his father, wearing his old military jacket from years ago. It still fit him well despite the fact his old man had packed on a few pounds due to old age.

“Couldn’t really. It was weird… I had this dream, more like a weird flashback, to the funeral. David Renee’s funeral,” Porter admitted.

Richard sighed and looked up at the sky with a reminiscing tone. “That’s odd indeed. Ever since hearing about Marcus’ affiliations with the PHL, and reading about the things he’s done with them, I just can’t help but be reminded of them both. David and Megan… it’s a real tragedy Megan and Jacob died so soon after the war began. It really felt like losing another member of the family.”

Porter remembered back to when he and Marcus met again at St. Petersburg over two years ago. Hearing about what happened to those two had hit very hard. In the few times he got to talk to Megan since the funeral, she had been nothing but warm and kind to him, regarding him like an honorary nephew. She also expressed a lot of excitement for Charlie’s birth a few years later, sending the family packages in the mail full of presents and signed cards from Marcus and Jacob congratulating them.

“It’s still odd for me too,” Richard admitted, “to think back on that day. I still do grieve for David, you know. But at the same time, I’m grateful too. You realize that if it hadn’t been for his sacrifice, your little brother wouldn’t even be here?”

Porter solemnly nodded and said, “Yeah, that’s true. I guess he kinda did save another life on that day, didn’t he?”

“You could say that,” Richard said. “I do sometimes wonder about the what-ifs, but there’s probably no point to it. I promised Megan that I would cherish every moment and not waste this life I’ve been given. Besides, David wouldn’t have wanted that either.”

“That’s probably true too,” Porter nodded with agreement. As he listened to his father, he couldn’t help but wonder too. “You know, I was still pretty young, so I don’t remember a lot about her, but what was… Aunt Megan like?”

Richard warmly smiled and replied, “She was one of the strongest and most resilient people I knew. A very kind soul, loved her family and friends more than anything. Saw the beauty in everything. The world feels like a less happier place with her gone, honestly.”

Porter thought back again on whatever memories he had of Megan. He couldn’t find any fault with his father’s description of her. And before he could stop himself, he quickly said, “Dad, there’s something very important I have to tell you. I don’t think it would be a good idea to tell Mom about this, because I think you can agree with me that she already worries enough about me, so promise you won’t freak out, okay?”

Richard’s eyebrows went up, surprised. He asked, “What is it, son?”

Porter sighed and said, “Well… about a week ago, Miss Cheerilee contacted me and my team. She has something big planned for all of us.. We… we’re helping out with the big final battle. It involves infiltrating Equestria itself, and getting rid of the barrier.”

Richard, to his credit, did not laugh or assume his son was joking. He did, however, stare blankly for a couple seconds, and then asked, “How exactly does that work?”

“Do you want me to tell you the classified parts?” Porter asked.

Richard answered, “Just what’s important. Keep it simple.”

“Well, thanks to some work from the PHL’s spies, they found out how the barrier operates. There’s a device, buried deep in the Queen’s castle in Canterlot, which maintains and expands the barrier. That’s why full-frontal assault on the barrier hasn’t worked,” Porter explained. “My team and I are to infiltrate the castle, and we’re going to get rid of that thing.”

“And what about the magic there? You’re not going to die just breathing the air in Equestria, right?”

“That was all a lie spread by the Tyrant,” Porter answered. “Magic itself isn’t harmful to humans unless it’s specifically made to be lethal. If I had to hazard a guess, she only made it look like that with her own power. We’re in no danger just from being in there.”

Richard’s shoulders slumped as he looked at his son for a silent moment. He simply put a hand on Porter’s shoulder and said, “Go then, Porter. You are more than strong enough to handle yourself, and I know your teammates can take care of you too. And I promise that I won’t tell your mother or your brother. I wouldn’t want them to worry about you more than they already do.”

Porter smiled. “Thanks Dad. It feels good to tell you this.”

Richard smiled back and suddenly hugged Porter, whispering in his ear, “I’m so proud of you, Porter. For everything. You’re a great man, a great soldier, and I can’t begin to tell you just how much I do love you, son.”

Porter couldn’t help but close his eyes, some happy tears leaking out as he returned the embrace. “Thanks, Dad. And I’m proud of you too. I couldn’t have asked for a better father than you. I love you too.”

Richard and Porter then let each other go, the older man sighing as he said, “Well, I should get back to bed. Your mother might wake up and notice I’m not there. She can get paranoid, especially with how everything’s been these last couple of years.”

“Yeah. I should get some rest too. Goodnight, Dad.”

“Good night, Porter.”

Neither of them slept well for the rest of the night. Richard knew Porter was strong enough to handle himself; the fact that he had survived his tours in the Middle East, as well as the Conversion War in general, and managed to survive the hellhole China had turned into were testaments to this. But that didn’t stop him from worrying about his eldest son, who had already suffered a loss early on in this. It was only natural for a parent to worry, especially considering the incomprehensible circumstances surrounding them.

Porter meanwhile couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had been going on over the past week, and what would inevitably and likely go down at the end of this week. Going to Equestria, at the center of the Solar Empire, was already mind-blowing enough, but the information he’d received was also just as insane. For one thing, there was the fact that everything happening right now was being orchestrated by an even worse, more evil threat than Queen Celestia herself, and then there was the news that an alternate Equestria out there coming to humanity’s aid.

He would have to just accept this though. Nothing should have to surprise him anymore, given all that was happening. And he really needed to try resting at least. He had to prepare himself for the final battle.

The next morning…

“Are you sure you can’t stay a little longer?” Gail asked, almost crying.

“I can’t,” Porter replied sadly. “I was contacted by Cheerilee herself to help out in the final assault. Colonel Renee even specifically requested our assistance. We’re all expected to pull our weight now more than ever.”

“Just promise me right now that you’ll come back to us, alive and human,” Charlie said. “And for that matter, promise us that you’ll get at least one blow on the Queen Bitch.”

“I promise.”

Richard put his hand on his son’s shoulder and added, “I know you’re strong, Porter. Winning this war and ending it once and for all is all that matters. Do what you have to do.”

“I will,” Porter promised, his eyes narrowed. “And you all take care of yourselves and each other, got it?”

“We will,” Gail said with determination, wiping the tears out of her eyes. She gave him one last hug and sent him off. Richard, Charlie and Jenna saluted Porter as he entered the plane. As he took one last look at them, he could have sworn that, out of the corner of his eye, he could see five other people standing beside them.

David and Megan Renee standing together and holding each other, Jacob had his arms wrapped around their shoulder, Ambassador Heartstrings standing next to Megan, and a pure white alicorn with a vibrant scarlet mane next to David, smiling at him.

He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and they were gone.

‘Fuck me, I’m losing my marbles,’ he thought to himself.

“Fuck running. Fuck the Queen Bitch. Fuck that cesspit calling itself my rightful home, and what they’ve forced us and our families into! Fuck losing everything and fuck giving up! Fuck that PER! Fuck being forced into slums because the alternative is being a glassy-eyed zombie with no will of its own! Fuck the barrier! Yesterday, I despaired, but today, I reject all that, I reject all that we have come to merely accept about this war! AND YOU KNOW WHY?! Because today… is a day unlike any other day! Today, Marcus Renee has returned! Today, New York stands against a barrage of zeps and HLF, besieged from all sides, unfaltering, as humans and ponies alike fight for their right to their own thoughts! Today, we fight and maybe, just maybe, we win and earn a victory beyond mere survival, taking back our lives and countless others! TODAY, WE MAY FINALLY WATCH THE SUNSET AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE TOMORROW WE FINALLY HAVE! TODAY, WE CANNOT AFFORD ANYTHING BUT TO PUSH FORWARD, GRINNING AND BEARING IT, RIFLES IN HAND OR MOUTH, AS WE SLAUGHTER THOSE NEWFOALS AND PROTECT OUR HOMES AND FAMILIES! TODAY, WE HOLD THE LINE AND FALL NO MORE! TODAY, IT’S TIME FOR THE PAYBACK, CAUSE I PROMISE THAT WE WILL NOT FALL… AND WE WILL GIVE THEM WOUNDS THEY’LL NEVER FORGET!”
PHL Sergeant Duststorm (pegasus stallion) at the Battle of Montreal, the day of the Atlantic Blitz

“We’re holding out, just barely! (sounds of rifle fire) There’s so goddamn many newfoals, we can’t let them get to this town! If I fall, if I become a newfoal, I just want you to know, Yekemi, my niece... I love you. I love all my family. I-”

There is a pause.

“What’s… what’s happening?! Listeners…. something is happening! The Barrier, which is eating the horizon, is…. It’s going brighter and brighter. The fighting has stopped as we all stare at its awesome, terrible glory, as it pulses and becomes brighter than the sun. Humans and natural-born ponies, zebras, even newfoals, we have ceased fire, as we stare at the Barrier. Some of the men are resisting the urge to shoot themselves, kept alive only by curiosity. Is the Barrier about to expand? Is it some new surprise from the Queen Bitch, ever so eager to damn us to a living hell? Is it…”

“I can’t believe this! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! YES! YES! MY EYES AND MIND ARE REBELLING AGAINST ME, BUT I KNOW WHAT I SEE! IT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE, BUT I CHECKED THE SATELLITES AND IT IS REAL! I HAVE NOT BEEN THIS HAPPY SINCE I FOUND OUT MY NIECE ISN’T A NEWFOAL! I HAVEN’T BEEN THIS HAPPY SINCE I… EVER! THE BARRIER IS GONE! CHECK A DAMN SATELLITE, BECAUSE THE BARRIER! IS! GONE! THE NEWFOALS THAT WERE ATTACKING NAMIBIA ARE IN UTTER CHAOS, AND-(there is the sound of heavy artillery going off, and screaming)-EASY TARGETS! THEY’RE MILLING AROUND, SCREAMING, THEY CAN’T EVEN SUICIDE CHARGE RIGHT, THEY’RE BUMPING INTO ONE ANOTHER, AND WE ARE JUST CUTTING THE BLIKSEMS DOWN! WE’RE KILLING THEM AND OBAYANA JUST KILLED ONE WITH HIS SHOTGUN! I AM SHOOTING THEM WITH MY BERETTA, AND THEY’RE JUST FALLING APART! THEY ARE RUNNING AT US AND WE ARE KILLING THEM AND ADVANCING! TODAY IS A DAY THAT ALL OUR LIVES HAVE NEW MEANING, AND NOT JUST CAUSE NEWFOALS EXPLODE! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE THIS! OH, IT IS MADNESS! WE’RE CRUSHING THEM, STOMPING THEM! WE ARE CHARGING AND THEY ARE RETREATING! OH! OHHHHHHHHHHH! FOR TODAY, HUMANITY IS FIGHTING AND WE! ARE! WINNING MORE THAN A FEW MORE HOURS OF SURVIVAL! TODAY, WE ARE CANCELING THE APOCALYPSE!

(Ten minutes later)

Wait...

Why did they....

They all stopped?

What's going on with them?

Oh my God, what is happening to them?! SHOOT THEM! KILL THEM BEFORE THEY-”

(Screaming and weapon fire until it cuts out)

Enitan Adebayo, broadcasting live from Namibia the day the Barrier fell.

“Kraber.”

Said man blinked awake, the skyline of New York appearing in his view from the Black Hawk. He’d been having such a nice dream, too.

Kraber groaned as he stretched, gently patting Heliotrope on her head as she snoozed on his lap, happy to have another successful mission under his belt. Glad to have everyone here and alive and not enslaved, so much better than his time with the HLF. Aegis nodded his head to the others, showing them stretching or simply looking out the window with a blank expression on their faces.

“Okay. Time to prep up and get ready for another trip after this.” Kraber popped his neck, running his hand through his beard. “Ek is siek en sat van al hierdie, kan ek nie gaan slaap?” he sighed.

Johnny smirked at that, rolling his eyes before looking out the window. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

“That.” Johnny pointed out, seeing a familiar cerise-colored Earth Pony on the helipad below. “Miss Cheerilee is waiting for us. Eeee crow, y’all hear that sound?”

“What, rotors?” Heliotrope muttered sleepily.

“No, the sound of some heavy shit coming our way,” Johnny said, “And she looks like she means business too.”

Kraber looked out to indeed see Cheerilee staring up at them, a frown on her face as she watched the Black Hawk land. He had to admit, for a being a homely schoolteacher, she could look quite intimidating even for being half his size.

Then again, having your boyfriend being a total badass that could rip you apart for just looking at her funny was just as good in keeping others in line.

Beating up the Queen Bitch with bare hooves also had helped a lot. You did not talk gara to the mare that managed to drib the Queen Bitch.

“Welp, let’s find out what kak we in now,” Kraber said as he open the door.

“No, we’re talking about the shit you’re in,” Johnny said.

“Agreed.” Yael said with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

“Maybe you did something to piss her off?” Heliotrope asked.

“Me existing pisses Marcus off.” Kraber deadpanned, “It’s why I was shunted off to Stephan’s crew instead of Marcus’s, Marcus just doesn’t have the time nor does he like me. Think she was concerned we’d kill each other by the time I got put in basic?” he asked Aegis.

“Yeah… kill each other… sure.” Johnny laughed out loud, gaining an annoyed look from Kraber. “More like he would kick your ass from here to Cali and back again, without the magical boost. And I heard it had something to do with you commenting on Cheerilee’s flank?”

“That too. Shame, too-I get on better with Americans, usually.”

“What about Vinyl’s flank? Or Astral Nectar’s eyes?” Aegis suggested. “Or Zecora’s-”

“...Probably that too.”

“Kraber!” Cheerilee yelled over the running blades, “Get over here, now!”

“Fok. I’m thinking I am in deep kak.” Kraber muttered. “All of you! Stand at attention!”

“I notice you’re not… gesuip?” Cheerilee asked, ignoring the others in favor in leveling a glare at him. Normally Kraber wouldn’t give two shits about what people thought, but given the fact that this mare literally held his fate in her hooves and gave him a chance to amend, well… you just didn’t disrespect that. “Is that the word you use?”

“It is,” Kraber nodded. “And maybe I can get drunk later, but there’s more important things than booze at the moment. So, what did I do now to cause your ire? I was sure I was held back on this mission.”

Heliotrope and Aegis looked up at him in shock, while Johnny hummed a funeral march. Cheerilee rolled her eyes, but waved her hoof to follow him. “The rest of you, take some down time. I will be back with your esteemed colleague in a couple minutes.”

“Hope she doesn’t kill him,” Johnny C said. “That bastard owes me a lot of pints. Aegis? You got his wallet?”

“Sure, yeah,” Aegis said, walking over to the stairs, while reaching into one of his saddlebags. “It’s right in-”

“Ah, Aegis? You miiiight not want to touch that one with your mouth,” Kraber called over. “That’s where I keep the unopened condoms.”

Aegis looked distinctly green for a moment. How the hell that worked, Kraber had no idea, but he’d long since learned not to question it.

“If it’s any consolation, that one’s empty,” Kraber said.

“Oh, that reminds me. Aegis? You might want to be around for this,” Cheerilee said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I didn’t have any part of it,” Aegis said before walking up to them with a downcast look on his face, Cheerilee rolled her eyes before looking to the others. They looked around for a moment before leaving to the chow hall.

“So, what kak have I done now?” Kraber asked. “By the way, for the love of God, I’m not the fokking werf eter! And that guy I kicked in the face totally deserved it-”

“I know that.”

“Is this about calling Enitan Adebayo? Cause I didn’t tell her what we were doing. She was real pissed bout that.”

“No…”

“Nearly revealing the existence of that… secret training camp?”

“No. Besides, you were surprisingly tactful that time.”

“The shotgun I took today? They said I could do it. You can ask them, and I needed that shotgun.”

“Not that…”

“Making too many references to Welcome To Night Vale?”

“Why would that even… no.”

“The thing with the-”

“Man, shut up,” Aegis whispered.

Cheerilee’s eye twitched. “...I’m not even going to ask. No, this time, you didn’t do anything.”

“Wait, seriously?” Aegis asked.

Kraber was silent for a moment, truly a sight to behold. His mouth flapped slightly, his beard fluttered in the breeze. Then, finally- “Izzit?!” Kraber asked. “So… I’m not getting shot by firing squad?”

“Why would we do that?” Cheerilee asked.

Kraber raised an eyebrow, waving his arm to himself once.

“Fair point,” Cheerilee said. “No, you and Aegis are needed for a secret mission.”

“Great. I finally stop volunteering for suicide missions, then this happens,” Kraber sighed.

"Don't worry." Cheerilee said, a smirk on her face. "I think it will be a mission you will like."

All Kraber could do was tilt his head in confusion as he followed her.

“You have free access to the armory, if that helps,” Cheerilee said. “Though considering the guns you have, I’m not sure you’ll need it.”

“Okay, now you’re speaking our language,” Aegis said, hoof-bumping Kraber.

“Yeah, color me intrigued… you got any .338 Norma Magnum HEIAP rounds?”

“Whatever you need, we’ll supply it,” Cheerilee said.

Kraber and Aegis shared a look. That…. what did that mean?

Johnny blinked as the doors opened to reveal Viktor Kraber and Aegis, both stunned and amazed. "So, she gave Kraber the boot and you have five minutes to leave."

"She gave you a hour head start before she beats you down." Yael said.

"She is shaving your beard." Heliotrope smirked as Kraber flinched.

“No,” Kraber said. “I... “ and suddenly, impossibly, incredibly, he smiled.

Johnny C took a step back, as did Yael and Heliotrope.

“No, we,” he said, running a hand over Aegis’ red bandanna, “Are going to do something… extraordinary.”

“Oh,” Aegis grinned, “You’re gonna be hearing about this shit in legends.”

“Well… what is it?” Yael asked, intrigued by his words.

“Oh, nothing special. Just me doing me, shootin’, stabbin’, stranglin’ ponies, going in skop, skiet, and donner…” Kraber paused, with what British acquaintances of his often called the ‘oh-bloody-hell-you’re-enjoying-this’ smile. “From within the belly of the beast itself. Canterlot. We are taking down the fokking barrier, and painting the city red with the blood of our enemies. Turn the castle into a wasteland, kill everything in sight...”

There was silence for a moment.

“You are shitting me,” Johnny C said. It wasn’t a question.

“He really isn’t, you know,” Aegis said.

“You’re going deep into the darkness, you know,” Heliotrope said.

“Eh, we’ll just light our path with burning newfoals,” Kraber shrugged. “I brought enchanted thermite grenades, and I have free armory access… and dimensional compartmenting ammo storage decks. Even the gods can die, motherfokker.”

Johnny, Heliotrope, and Yael looked at one another in shock at his words, staring at Aegis and Kraber talked to one another as they made their way to their rooms with smiles.

Yael stared at the door, unsure what to do. Kraber seemed to be excited about the prospect of invading Canterlot and trashing the Tyrant’s own home while she was away, kicking newfoals in the face. Knowing Kraber, he would bring down the entire city if given the chance.

And given what Kraber said to them before heading to his room, he wouldn’t be alone. The Dragons were going, along with Cheerilee, Doctor Whooves, and hired help.

It was practically a guarantee that something was going to be destroyed. Though this might be too much for even him… and she’d never properly gotten to thank him for saving her from ponification.

Yael shook her head, clearing the stray thoughts of a flaming city falling down a mountain as Kraber pointed and laughed maniacally, and knocked on the door.

“Yeah? Door is open, come on in!’ Kraber answered.

Yael entered the room.

“Yael?” Kraber asked, raising an eyebrow. “...Hey. Whatever’s up?”

“I’m just… here to say thank you,” Yael said. “You saved my life today, and...all those people. And I’m here to apologize.”

“...Who are you, and what have you done with the real Yael?” Kraber asked.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Of course, this being Kraber, he actually did know her name-it was just more of him being himself. She pushed it away. “I’ve said and heard bad things about you. No matter how you act, no matter what you might do… you’re still a good person.”

Kraber didn’t speak for a long time, then he looked up at her. “Thanks… thank you so much. That really means a lot to me.”

There was a large bed in there, likely taken from a furniture store somewhere. Only one, clearly big enough for Kraber and Aegis to share it. About three stuffed animals lay on one side, and posters lined the walls. A ten-gauge sawed-off four-barrel HLF shotgun hung on one wall. Every wall seemed to be lined with photos… they looked like they’d be a pain to pack. And evidently, Kraber and Aegis had been having some trouble, with one tub half-full of them. A medical bag lay off to one side.

“You, ah… sleep with stuffed animals?” Yael asked.

“Yeah,” Kraber said, not quite angry, not quite sad. “This one, Spitz?” he held up a stuffed wolf. “That’s mine. The others?” He put it down, then picked up another stuffed wolf, and a horse. “Ambassador Nikai the Second and Joanna? They belonged to my kids.”

“I… had no idea,” Yael said.

“Only Aegis, Marcus, and Cheerilee know,” Kraber said bitterly. “Had to sew the stuffed animals all back up myself after they got torn up cause the PHL thought I had bombs inside. Which would be kiff and all, but… fok, they were my kids.”

There was an awkward pause, and Kraber collapsed on the bed. Slowly, methodically, he stripped off his armor, placing the weaponry on tables and hanging the pistol holsters from coathooks.

“That’s… I don’t know what it is,” Yael nodded her head, “But it’s… that’s beautiful. That’s… you’re Kraber, that old raging badass! I wouldn’t have thought you’d be like this, and you keep tha-”

“Go,” Kraber said.

“What?” Yael asked.

“Just go. I thought you’d actually like me a bit, but turns out you’re like all the rest,” Kraber sighed, choking slightly. “I… I just, I try and try, but it’s never enough. It’s never gonna be, either. I’m one of the best surgeons on the base, I’ve saved people, I fokking shot Celestia… I like kids and dogs too,” he held up one stuffed wolf sadly, “But no. I was HLF, and a lot of people here actively just wish I’d die. A lot of people do like me, don’t get me wrong, but… there’s still people that’ll never forgive me.They think I’m the werf eter cause I like kids, all because I’m-”

“What’s werf eter mean?” Yael asked.

He looked up, bitterly, tears welling up in his eyes. “Pedophile. All because I was HLF, and that made me a monster, so they all assume the worst. And the worst part is, I understand them. If I were them, I’d be the same. I wish…”

“There’s a lot of us that have wishes,” Yael said, wiping a tear from his cheek.

“I wish someone would switch me off and… fix me,” Kraber choked through the tears that had not yet come.

Yael hugged him.

“Thanks. I… I need a hug,” he sighed.

“You’re welcome,” Yael said, drawing him in closer. “Viktor.”

For the first time in a long time, Kraber didn’t hear the silence of a wrecked home, but one of peace.

Before the war, even when he’d been overworked, overdosing on drugs, struggling to pay the bills, Kraber could find some reason to smile. In a sense, he still was a smiling man, but it usually meant he was looking forward to the slaughter.

For the first time in three years, not a single ounce of insanity or misery was to be seen on his face as he released the dark thoughts that plagued him.

Author's Notes:

Once again, I'm sorry for problems with the earlier update. And now you know why those previews won't happen-Kraber is now set to attack Canterlot Castle! THIS WILL BE AWESOME!
Once again, thanks to everyone. Stay tuned for the next project-The Light Despondent! Go on, guess who it focuses on.