Twilight, now wearing a dark green jumpsuit with several pockets, one with a patch replica of XCOM's logo right above her right breast, a heavy belt around her waist with a curiously shaped harness Tygan had called a holster, and heavy black boots instead of her school uniform, followed Tygan down the small halls of the Avenger into one of the back rooms.

Getting into the uniform had been a struggle, and it had taken Sunset a long time the previous night to train Twilight on dressing and undressing herself in this new body. But it had paid off, and she had been ready in the morning by the time her immediate superior had shown up to guide her.

While walking behind him, Twilight couldn't help but notice an obvious, painful-looking scar on the back of his head, but chose not to mention anything to him. Maybe she could ask Sunset later.

"And here we are, miss Sparkle," Tygan said. "I expect you took note on the way to get here, as I will be unable to provide guidance here in future occasions."

"No problem, Doctor! I got it!"

"Excellent, I wish you luck, Twilight, and after your training, please join me in the lab, we have a generalized test for you to take."

"Oh! A test!" Twilight grinned. "I can't wait! Well... wait, is this going to count towards my score? Because if that's the case, then I—" she stopped when Tygan raised a hand.

"Don't worry, it is a general knowledge test. It will simply help me ascertain your level of knowledge about other fields beyond…" he looked around. "Your area of expertise."

"Right, right," Twilight chuckled. "Sorry."

"No problem, miss Sparkle."

Twilight watched Dr. Tygan walk away before turning to face the door and taking a deep breath. She then pressed the pad that made the hydraulic doors open, and stepped inside.

It resembled a small classroom, down to the desks. Right across from the door was a larger desk, presumably for the instructor, and against the wall behind that desk, was a large screen. There were other people there already: all human, four males and two females. That left three open seats, so Twilight smiled nervously at the calculating looks the others were giving her and sat down at the front.

"...so anyway," one of the women spoke up, as the group relaxed, "...that's how I got here."

The others chuckled, and she turned to face Twilight. "Sorry about that reception, we thought you might've been the instructor. We were told there were only six recruits. Name's Monique Berger, from France, the other gal here is Alejandra Acevedo, from Mexico; guy behind you is Albert Ndlovu from South Africa, and to Alejandra's right, that's Michael Cruz, from Texas, right?"

When she got a nod, she continued. "The guy next to me is Kevin…"

"Just Kevin."

"Right. Just Kevin. From Canada, I think." Monique rolled her eyes. "Dude behind him is Josh Rosenbrook, from the USA as well, and the last one is Gabriel Santos from Brazil."

"Um, hello everyp...one!" Twilight smiled nervously. "Um, I'm Twilight, I come from… New Haven," she said, following Sunset's story. It didn't feel right lying to them but…

"And hello all of you, I am Robert Bree," a voice said from the front and all of them turned, startled, to look at the man sitting behind the desk, legs up on it and grinning at them. "Code name Galahad, and it is my pleasure to welcome you all to my class."

"How—"

"Ah, ah, Miss Berger, secrets of the trade."

Robert let the students take that in before sitting upright. "Now that we have gotten the introductions out of the way in a most effective manner, it falls to me to give you the basic information you will need to be part of XCOM.

"Now, most of you were recruited due to your splendid work in local guerillas and were therefore recommended for our organization. The first thing I will say, given previous experience, is to forget all you know about how you are supposed to fight aliens."

"But sir, with all due respect, our skills—"

"Just Kevin, was it?" Robert leaned forward. "I get it mate, you have killed aliens before. Most people here have. But our tactics are not guerilla tactics, as much as dark ops missions. We're just going to cover a few things today, starting with history, current affairs and ending with a video."

He leaned back again. "But first, let's review a couple of things. How much do you know about XCOM? Yes Miss Acevedo, I see your hand. Go ahead."

"XCOM was established to fight the aliens at the beginning of the century, you fought a good fight but were eventually defe—"

"Bzzt!" Robert said, pretending to be a buzzer. "Incorrect for the most part, miss Acevedo. Anyone else?"

When no one raised their hand, he nodded, pressing a button and starting a presentation on the screen behind him. "Alright duckies, pay attention because I'm only going to explain all of this once.

"XCOM dates back to the 1960s, when none other than US President Kennedy himself, started the program under a different name: The United States Bureau of Strategic Emergency Command, or USSECOM. Either way it was a mouthful. Even back then, there were some alien incursions, and it's been established that the Elders' interest in Earth goes back even further than that."

"If there was already a threat before, why did they wait until then to create something like that?"

"A good question, Mr. Ndlovu. The answer is there were probably others, but they are unrelated to our history. I'm fairly certain the Chinese, Russians and Germans had their own teams handling this as well. However, it was the USSECOM that evolved, survived the Cold War, and in the 90s became XCOM.

"Most countries around the world sat down at levels of security that escape modern comprehension, and drafted a plan; pooling all their knowledge of prior alien encounters, to create an organization to fight a possible alien invasion.

"Needless to say," Robert sighed. "It happened. That's when we came in. The aliens officially started their attack in the year 2012, and that's where I and the other surviving members of XCOM came in."

The screen changed and a picture of four people appeared, one of them, Twilight recognized as Bradford, although much younger looking and wearing a light green sweater. He was standing next to two people, a tall, fair skinned woman with blond hair tied in a bun, and an elderly, balding man. Both of them wore lab coats. The last person was Chrysalis herself, looking a bit younger, and wearing a formal-looking uniform.

"The man in the middle is Bradford, you can address him as Central. He was set to be the Second in Command for the whole operation, directly under the lady with the dark green hair, who is the legendary Commander of XCOM. And she is a legend, don't ever doubt that. By the time she was assigned command of XCOM, she had done many, many missions, involving fighting the alien activity, as well as reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander before taking over. She is no laughing matter. The last two were the heads of the Science and Engineering teams back in the day: Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen.

"Now, I know what a lot of people say in different factions out there… that we were defeated, or that we gave up…" Robert looked at everyone in the room with a steady, cold glare. "We were not. The commander had pushed us to the brink of success: we destroyed a giant spaceship. We discovered psionics; in fact, the Commander's best friend was one of the first ones and she—"

Robert caught himself and settled back. "I'm sorry, it is a sore spot for a lot of us old timers. Word of advice, don't ask any of the original team what happened on the Temple Ship." He took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, blowing the Elders' castle wasn't enough, as through alien-aligned entities like EXALT and others, the aliens managed to convince the world's governments to surrender… and to betray us. The Commander was captured, and the ones of us who survived were spread all over the world."

Robert was silent for a moment, then flipped through the pictures, showing old cities being destroyed and replaced with the ADVENT ones. "The aliens slowly destroyed our cultures, and built cities to replace our own on top of the ashes of the old ones. As most of you know, those that were not content to remain under alien rule left to live in the wilds, joining settlements.

Another picture, this one showing an ADVENT vehicle dropping off supplies to the colonies. Everything on the picture was perfect: smiling faces, sunny day, adults and children alike flocking to the ADVENT troopers handing out food, clothes and even a flower from one officer to a little girl.

"The Elders sold their message to the masses. In the cities, things are controlled, and disappearances are blamed on dissident groups. They pretend to be tolerant of those who want to live outside their government, giving the image of peace-keepers and champions of justice not only to us humans, but also feeding that to their own troops, according to what the Skirmishers have informed us… but the reality…"

The picture changed, and Twilight fought back a gasp. ADVENT troops were shooting down unarmed people, burning their homes and piling bodies. "They did the exact opposite. And they blamed it all on us freedom fighters.

"It took almost twenty years for XCOM to resurface," Robert continued, changing the pictures of death and destruction to an outside picture of the Avenger. "Dr. Shen, Dr. Vahlen and others worked tirelessly to find this ship, and then to transform it into what it is today. Dr. Vahlen assisted Shen in finding it and went underground… we didn't hear of her for a few years until recently, and Dr. Shen passed away shortly after the Avenger went operational. His legacy was taken over by our new Dr. Shen, who is his daughter, which brings me to…"

He switched the picture. "The current state of affairs. So that's that for history, now we get to the current affairs and a list of people you don't want to piss off. Remember the chain of command and whatever you do, do not skip it." Another picture, this one of Bradford, talking to Dr. Tygan.

"The Commander looks pretty much the same, so you shouldn't need a refresher… now, believe it or not, Central eventually got over his sweater fixation and became the grizzled badass you see in this picture. His role remains the same, after he and a few others rescued the Commander from ADVENT. The man you see next to him is Dr. Tygan. Take notes, duckies, because this is important: unless your last name is Sparkle, you do not talk to Dr. Tygan, are we understood? Good."

A hand went up.

"Yes, Just Kevin?"

Kevin frowned, but spoke up. "Why don't we speak to him? He's just a scientist. And what happened to his head?"

Robert nodded. "I guess the first is a good question. The second is an incorrect statement, and the third thing will kind of draw the point in." Robert said.

"The reason you don't bother him is that he's the head of research for XCOM. He will either not have the time for you, or worse, you'll be drafted to become part of an experiment. He might look like a stiff to you, but the man's more than smart.

"Dr. Tygan used to work in an ADVENT Gene-Clinic. One of the first, in fact. He was hired for his genius and his absolute knowledge in several medical fields." Robert made a dismissive movement with his hand. "Which of course you can't see the point of, but let me continue.

"When he saw more and more things happen, he started getting suspicious. We don't know what tipped him off, but one night, he downloaded all the information he had on ADVENT and went AWOL… after operating on himself blind to remove the chip ADVENT had installed in his brain."

All of the rookies in the room shifted uncomfortably.

"If that doesn't make him a badass to some degree in your book, Just Kevin, you're reading the wrong kind of books. Anyway, continuing, this tattooed lady is no other than our current Dr. Shen. She is the daughter of the previous head of Engineering, and if people are to be believed, she might be even smarter than her father. Unlike Dr. Tygan, she's generally more approachable, although no less busy. You'll have more contact with her as time goes by, since she works on new technologies that we use in the field."

The picture changed to three individuals, each under a different logo. "Now, these three are special cases. You won't see them using a lot of XCOM gear, since they are soldiers sent over by three factions powerful enough to make ADVENT take them seriously. The guy is Pratal Mox, he used to be an ADVENT Captain or General, I forget which, he's here as a representative of the Skirmishers. We'll talk about them and the other groups in the next class." Robert said, pointing at the next person.

"This lady is Elena Dragunova. She eats aliens. Literally. She was sent over by the Reapers, of which some of you might have heard. She's a specialist in sneak attacks. And the last lady is Laetitia Deciere, she's a powerful Psychic on loan from the Templars. She's currently… injured.

"The reason I bring them up is that cooperation with these factions is instrumental to our success and antagonizing them is not going to be looked at favourably by anyone here." Robert took a deep breath. "All three of them serve on the same team; Menace, which used to be Bradford's team, and now is under his heir apparent, Sergeant Shimmer." A picture of Sunset, Jane and the three faction members appeared. "You might hear Shimmer referred to as "the commander", but since that causes some disruption, she's going by the nickname 'Bloody'."

"Um, why is she called 'Bloody'?" Michael asked.

"Because there's no mission where she doesn't end up covered in blood." Robert shrugged. "But, we all earn our nicknames somehow. Anyway, Menace is one of five solid teams we have: Dragon, Viper, Eagle, Wolf, and Menace. This is bound to change as we get more recruits up to par."

"Can we join any of those teams?" Monique asked.

"Good question. You can, if a spot opens, which only happens if someone dies or retires. Most of the teams specialize on something, however, so if your skills fit… that is possible, otherwise, if you all survive, a new team could be formed."

"Heh, I would love to be in Menace," Michael said, smiling. "Those three ladies are lookers."

His statement was met with groans and shakes of the head, but Robert smiled. "If you're good enough, you might end there, but bear in mind, Menace is on the hit list of powerful aliens, and mad scientists."

The picture slide ended and Robert stretched. "Well, that was a lot of information, but there is one last thing you guys must watch before class tomorrow, which I promise will not be so preachy." He looked more serious, his smile fading. "This is XCOM. And after this video, you are all free to go think about what this means to you."

Robert turned off the lights in the room, and hit a button.

The camera was moving and jerking from side to side as trees and rocks went past it, all of a sudden, it went down and leaves covered most of the screen, although past them, moving figures and red lights could be seen.

It took Twilight a moment to figure out why the camera moved so much; it was attached to a person. The display was interesting too, as several names were listed on the side, including Sunset's, and colored thin lines spiked up and down constantly.

"Shen, do you read me? I have the X-rays in sight."

Twilight started. "That's… Bradford?"

"No talking, Miss Sparkle."

"I can read you, Central. If what the readings indicate is true, the Elerium we need for the Avenger's generator should be in that truck."

"Excellent," Bradford responded. "Sunset, Kelly, where are you?"

"In position, Central," Kelly replied.

Twilight noticed that when someone spoke up, the edge of their picture lit up, which made it easy to identify the voices, although the next one that replied she knew well.

"Same here," Sunset spoke up. "I'm behind the boulder, closest to the Captain. Still a solid few feet before the checkpoint."

"I see your location. Lee, Devron. Confirm location.

"I'm on the ledge, I have a clear shot at the guards," Devron replied.

"I'm just downhill from you, Central, you should be able to see me."

"I see you, Lee. Keep your eyes on that truck, we need to take the contents the moment we eliminate the guards. We won't have much time before ADVENT reinforcements arrive, stay alert, people."

"Roger that."

The phrase was echoed several times before Bradford spoke again.

"On my signal... "

Bradford shifted to get a better look, granting his audience also a clearer view of the scene below. He was positioned among the bushes of a small hill overlooking a road, where a large, reinforced, black truck had stopped due to its tires getting damaged.

Three ADVENT troopers and a captain had taken positions to overlook the area around the truck and were on high alert.

Twilight and the others leaned forward, waiting anxiously for Bradford's command. It came a few seconds later.

"Now!"

Immediately one of the troopers shook from a shot straight into his chest. But he didn't fall.

"Crap! The armor held!"

"They know we're here!" Bradford shouted. "Take them down!"

The group had a first person view as Bradford shot out from the woods, weapon ready, and took cover on the ledge formed by the edge of a creek. He leaned out and shot the trooper, splattering orange blood on the side of the truck.

Close to him, Lee ran out of cover, but his charge was interrupted by a plasma bolt to the leg. He shouted in pain, but managed to finish his dash into cover.

Twilight could see the lines under each of their names spiking and moving faster.

"Central! You don't have time! ADVENT's reinforcements are almost there!"

Shen's voice was worried, and even Bradford's biometrics skipped a little with that bit of info.

"I've got this one!" Jane shouted, emerging right behind another trooper, and emptying her magazine on it, killing it.

"Shen, that's not good enough! What happened with our local resistance friends?"

"They've left, Bradford, many of them were killed and the rest hightailed it out of there."

"Not good enough! Don't they know—"

Twilight and the others jumped when Bradford dropped on his stomach. Green, boiling energy shot past him, tearing chunks of grass and mud.

"Dammit! Dammit!"

Twilight recognized Sunset's voice, and glanced at the biometrics. Her fellow pony's pulse was too fast.

"Calm the hell down, Shimmer!"

Jane Kelly's voice seemed to shake Sunset, who leaned over and took a shot at the Captain, missing him or her entirely.

"Crap!"

"You've done this before, Sunset!"

Bradford's shout was accompanied by him rolling and taking a running charge towards the ADVENT Captain, who was currently occupied returning fire. He didn't even have time to turn before Bradford's shotgun emptied its full load into the Captain's stomach.

"Get it now!"

Just as Lee moved out of cover, they could hear a loud noise overhead. A large, humanoid, white robot landed next to the running soldier, who stopped in shock as another captain and another trooper also landed next to him.

Twilight closed her eyes, but she could clearly hear Lee's dying scream when the robot shot him at point blank, almost splitting his body in half.

His biometrics went flat.

"Take cover!" Sunset shouted, shooting at the new arrivals as they moved to cover themselves. "Crap! Come on! I'm not dying here!"

A shot echoed in the air, and the robot rocked forward a little. Then it turned around, and produced a mechanized, whirring sound before shooting several missiles.

Bradford's camera didn't show what happened, as he was busy diving and rolling under the truck, but several explosions were heard and Devron's biometrics went flat too.

"Oh dammit! Celestia… I'm sorry…"

Bradford leaned over his cover, shouting:

"Shoot my mark!"

His order seemed to work, as both Jane and Sunset took shots one after the other at the robot, which shook in place with each impact, electricity and smoke emanating from it before it exploded right next to the trooper.

It didn't take a second for Jane to take advantage and shoot him, nor for Sunset to shift her aim to the last ADVENT Captain, shooting him in the head and making it explode just as Bradford's shot to the back dropped it like a ragdoll.

"Central, we don't detect any more nearby reinforcements. More are on the way, but we have more than enough time to take the Elerium.

The video faded and Robert turned on the lights, making all the rookies recoil. "As I said, duckies, this is XCOM. Shit goes sideways all the time, even for experienced soldiers like Bradford. That was one of the earliest missions after we recovered the Avenger. Compared to what Menace deals with now, it was an easy one."

He paced in front of the room, taking in the looks of all of them. "I expect… some of you might not be here tomorrow. There is no shame in that. If you don't have what it takes, you will only get your teammates killed. So your homework tonight is… think about what you saw, what this means… and decide if you want to stay."

He punched the pad on the door, opening it for them. "Dismissed."