...we're standing - we're standing

Really standing - standing like a rock

Some men drown in waters deep

Others just can't stand the heat around them

They fall to power in control

Bend to spirit and to soul destruction…

Music blasted from the speakers as Lieia piloted the aircraft through the valley, pulling off the occasional barrel roll or two, much to Celestia’s chagrin. She expected the Shryke to hit something any moment. But her concern was misplaced when Lieia set the small flier down a couple of minutes later. The thrum of the fans died down slowly as Celestia freed herself from the harness, opening the door. Lieia was already waiting for her.

“How’d ya enjoy the ride, Cel?”

“To be honest, I thought we’d crash a couple of times.” Lieia made a sour face at that.

“But I didn’t. Besides, the V-14 is fireproofed. Tyker Industries did a good job on this baby.”

“How does your war industry work, actually?”

“We have many companies, organizations, and rich, influential people, all of them putting in their two credits to the war effort. Some do more and get more tantalising contracts, ones that have high importance. They may join up with another company, like Eija Atio Foundries and Naeve Arms Research did when the Foundries received a request for a railgun sniper rifle. Both companies received a boost in popularity. It’s a bit complicated, but they get the work done. C’mon.” Celestia followed her, soon coming in sight of the Behemoth base. Celestia scrutinised the drab grey vehicle-turned-outpost. A couple of ponies and humans were outside, turning to face the two arrivals.

“Princess Celestia? Captain Grisova?” One of the ponies straightened out, saluting to them both.

“At ease, private. Where’s your CO?”

“Inside the Behemoth. Go on ahead, ma’am, Princess.” As soon as they were outside the pony’s earshot, Celestia whispered to Lieia.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Well, they are under my command; they take their orders from me, but are torn between their loyalties to you and me.” She stood aside, letting Celestia enter the stationary vehicle first.

“Princess! We didn’t know you were here!” Another pony called out, snapping to attention, as did everyone else in the vicinity, pony or not. Celestia observed them all for a moment.

“At ease, everypony. There’s nothing to be worried about.” The troops relaxed slightly, returning to their duties. She looked around, finding Lieia talking to the pony in charge. Though she didn’t hear what they were talking about, she saw Lieia’s worry and anger at something the pony told her.

“Lieia, is something wrong?” Celestia asked the woman once they’d finished the small tour of the ponderous vehicle.

“No. Don’t worry your head about it.” She tried to walk faster, but the alicorn cut her off, coming face to face with her.

“Lieia, please do not keep any secrets from me. You worry me already as it is.” She held Lieia’s gaze firmly for several tense seconds. Lieia gave in, then, having lost the battle of wills.

“Fine. The patrols have spotted Diamond Dog scouts skulking around. Though they always slink away before we can stop them, we can expect a confrontation with them soon. They have minotaurs, too. My guess is that they are hired mercenaries. Smart of the damn bastards.”

“You defeated them twice already; both times you were outgunned and outmanned. But the Diamond Dogs are famous for stubbornness and they are known to hold grudges.” She sighed somewhat disappointedly before continuing.

“I would say that the time for diplomacy with them has passed. We must confront them and teach them a lesson they shall never forget.”

“I will do that, Celestia. Your place is in the castle, safe and sound with your guards.”

“Denaros put you under my command, Lieia. I do not think I will take orders from you.”

“Celestia, as your girlfriend, I advise you to stay in Canterlot. It’s safer there. The Diamond Dogs are going to come in their hundreds this time.”

“And as your marefriend, Lieia, I am saying that I will join you in the battle. I am not weak or frail. I have armour and weapons. I know how to fight.”

“And when, pray tell, was the last time you fought or even practiced?”

“…A thousand years ago.”

“My point stands. You’re not going to fight this one.”

“Yes, I am! Lieia, I care about you. I always will. Do you think I’d be feeling any better, locked away in my room, not knowing whether you survive or not? I need to do this. I want to be at your side. I can cast powerful spells. Our enemies shall yet know the might of the sun. Please…” She looked at the solemn woman pleadingly.

“…Fine. My mind is screaming at me for being an idiot, though. Well, if you’re to accompany us, you’ll need better armour. Once we’re back at the base, we’ll get you something better than plain old plate armour.” The words made Celestia scoff, though she hugged Lieia.

“It is not plain! The most skilled of metallurgists crafted my armour and sword! The most accomplished of Equestrian mages enchanted it, and it was skilfully decorated by the most renowned of artisans!”

“But we have reports of the Dogs having guns and small mortars. Those can do some damage. You’ll need something tougher, being soft and squishy as you are.” She gave Celestia’s flank a soft squeeze, making the mare gasp.

“Lieia, you’re playing with fire here. You keep teasing me like that, you’ll need new clothes. That said, I do not mind you teasing me.” She bumped her hips against Lieia’s side.

“And I am not soft.” Celestia pouted, making Lieia chuckle. It was almost as if Celestia was asking to be touched. Her fingers rubbed across the flank again and she barely avoided Celestia’s wing as the alicorn whirled around.

“Ah! You asked for it, Lieia!” Celestia gasped, starting to chase the woman. Lieia ran, heading away from the overheating mare. She could hear her hoofsteps as she headed to the Shryke, hoping to find refuge in the flier’s cockpit. She nearly made it, but Celestia dragged her out with magic, pulling her inside the passenger compartment, locking it behind her.

“Damn it, Celestia, at least let me get my clothes off this time!” Celestia drew back, her eyes glazed and unfocused. Lieia could almost feel Celestia burning with desire. In future, she’d have to create a contingency plan for such situations like this one.

“Thousands of years old, my ass.” Lieia grumbled, putting her jacket on. Celestia chuckled softly, tidying her mane.

“I am not exactly sure how old I am, but I certainly am very old.”

“You certainly don’t behave like someone old.” Celestia grinned wryly.

“Perks of being immortal.”

“Seriously, if we’re going to have sex this often, you’re going to wear me out very soon, Cel. C’mon. Let’s go back to the base and kit you out.” She leapt inside the cockpit, as Celestia settled down in the seat again, looping the safety harness around her shoulders. A minute later, the nimble aircraft took off.

“Aaand we’re back.” Lieia sing-songed, cutting the engines and popping the canopy open, waiting for Celestia to join her. Together, they entered the base again, heading to the armoury.

“So, how does this work, Lieia?”

“Just step on the square here. The scanners will take measurements for the bodysuit that the armour plates are to be attached to.” Celestia did as instructed.

“Stretch out your wings. Good. Now stand still. The scanner’s spinning up right now.” A flurry of bright blue beams danced across the unmoving mare’s body.

“There! All done!” Lieia announced happily moments later. The elastic composite mesh that made the bodysuit up was spun in a machine that triple-reinforced the already resilient weave.

“Now what?”

“We wait. It only takes a couple of minutes for it to be done. You’ll have to choose the armour plates yourself, though.”

“Oh. I can customise my armour?”

“’xactly. Y’can paint it, too.”

A medium-sized package arrived through a hole in the wall some time later, which Lieia caught deftly, tearing the packaging away, revealing the black bodysuit.

“Well, put it on, Cel.”

“It’s rather tight.” Celestia squirmed uncomfortably.

"It’s just fine. It’s not skin tight just for show. Although you look really good like this.” Lieia let her eyes wander over the black-clad alicorn. The fabric clung to her tightly, showing off her curves.

“No, it really is a bit tight.”

“Yeah, your butt is showing.” Lieia was fighting to refrain from laughing. Celestia sighed resignedly.

“I figured as much. I should eat less cake.”

“Why? I wouldn’t mind having more of you to love.” Celestia shot her a wounded look.

“Stop tempting me!” They were interrupted as the armour plates for Celestia’s suit arrived, freshly trimmed, ready to be attached. Lieia latched the light but durable composite parts to the mare’s bodysuit.

Celestia slipped the helmet on her head, taking a look at the reflection in the mirror.

“Well? What do you think?”

“It’s so light! How do you create something like this?”

“Wonders of composite materials, Cel. I gotta say, you look ready to kick ass.” She smiled as Celestia unfurled her wings, inspecting the nanofibre that protected them. She flapped them harder, hovering mid-air for a moment.

“You’ll be able to fly, albeit at the expense of some agility. The armour has a kinetic gel layer that helps absorb nearby explosions and minor falls. The ceramic layer helps disperse intense heat from energy weapons. There’s more to it than I care to remember. Suffice to say, it’ll keep you safe.” Celestia finished her inspection of the dark grey armour suit, turning to Lieia.

“Now, we’ll need to get you a gun or two.”

Celestia grasped the assault rifle with her magic, spinning it around, scrutinising it.

“How does this work?”

“Pretty much like those flintlocks, but a lot more sophisticated. The barrel is rifled, spinning the bullets around their axis, improving the accuracy and range. The clip holds forty rounds. You interested?”

“Hmmm… No. I’d like to see what else you have available for me.”

“A tough customer, eh?” Lieia flashed a grin, tapping a few buttons on the weapons rack. It cycled, delivering a different weapon. Lieia grabbed it, handling it expertly.

“Rakatt X-84 SMG. Silenced, laser sights, sixty round clip. Select-fire is also available.”

“SMG? What does that mean?”

“Sub-machine gun. Like the Rath T-91, but smaller, for close-quarters fighting. Want it?”

“Hmm… No.” Lieia replaced the SMG in its cradle, bringing up another weapon.

“Salker Corporations Q-50 chaingun. Will bowl over most asshats in your way. You likey?” She let Celestia inspect the bulky weapon.

“Why does it have three barrels?”

“To keep it from overheating. Well, you taking it or not?” The armoured mare nodded, satisfied.

“This one will do.”

“Neat! Let me attach it to your armour.” Lieia grabbed a couple of tools from a nearby table, manoeuvring the weapon closer to Celestia’s left shoulder, coupling it with the socket that had been designed specially for pony armour and weaponry. Seeing as they couldn’t stand on two legs for extended periods, the research lab had devised a laser-guided targeting system. Where the pony looked, the gun followed, held stable by gyros and powered by motors. The IFF tags prevented from friendly fire occurring.

Lieia finished mating the lockbolts together, letting Celestia become familiar with the chaingun’s weight.

“Ooh. That rather unbalances me.” Celestia staggered slightly

“Well, the ammo pack goes on the other shoulder, because the Q-50 is belt-fed. Hang on, be right back.” Lieia returned a couple of minutes later, lugging a cube-shaped container with her.

“Don’t worry; it’s not as heavy as it looks.” She secured the clinking pack to the mare’s right side, feeding the ammo belt in the chaingun’s receiver.

“Aand now for the power pack. It’ll feed the systems of your armour and the gun.” Lieia opened a panel on Celestia’s back, pressing a couple of buttons. With a quiet whirr, the drooping chaingun twitched. Celestia could see a grid of light-blue lines cross her vision, before the HUD lit up properly. She saw the two-dimensional map, her vitals, time, and weapon status. That last one was blinking red. The red blip disappeared, turning a calm blue after a moment.

“That’s that.” Celestia saw a thin, red beam light up from her helmet, and sensed the chaingun follow. She looked to her left, noticing Lieia duck out of the gun’s way as it swung left, too.

“Careful!”

“Oops! Sorry. It’s a bit strange, is all.” Celestia smiled sheepishly.

“Want to give it a try at the shooting range?”

“Why not?”

Celestia gritted her teeth, bracing herself as the weapon at her side chattered. She saw the ammo counter flicker, counting down the remaining bullets. A target flittered across the ceiling and she raked it with bullets.

“Good shot, Cel!” The last of the ammo belt clattered through the receiver and Celestia heard the whirr of the chaingun’s barrel assembly.

“Well, that’s it. You’re now ready to rock their socks off.” She helped Celestia remove her armament, storing it on a rack, and then turned to the mare, hearing her low voice.

“Well, what shall we do now, my dear?” Lieia sighed.

“Don’t tell me. You’re going to pounce on me, aren’t you?”

The only answer she got was a sultry smile from Celestia.

“Damn it.” Next Chapter: Omake - Milk - NSFW - Read if you want, but have some sulphuric acid ready Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 46 Minutes