Somewhere else

A day before

The dropship roared as it weaved through the air, avoiding a flock of birds. Briggs cursed, steadying the ungainly flier, when Xrengri called her.

“Sergeant, I have discovered something of interest.”

“What’ve you got, then?”

“I have discovered a number of the equine indigents that seem to be kept imprisoned by what seem to be bipedal canines.”

“Guh?”

Driscoll interjected, fortunately, bringing much-needed clarification to the statement.

“There are pony things being kept captive by dogs.”

“Oh. So, what’re we supposed to do about it?”

“The logical option would be to rescue them. That way we can exchange them for Captain Grisova.”

“Well, what have we got to lose, eh?”

“Very little, in fact.”

“Okay, people! Let’s save us some ponies.”

Cheerilee cried out as she was kicked by the growling Diamond Dog guard. Hurriedly, she scurried in the cage, joining the rest of captives. No one knew where they’d be taken to. They squeezed together, trying to share the body heat in the cold night. Her stomach rumbled and she groaned miserably. It had been hours since she last ate. Her ears twitched at a sound that reminded of an angry bear roaring, and then sound was gone. She tried to lie down and catch some sleep, when the sound returned, much louder than before. Uneasily, she stood up, seeing flashes of light in the nearby forest. The roaring sound grew louder until the Diamond Dogs could no longer ignore it. A number of them had gathered, barking at each other, when a strange vehicle smashed its way through them. Cheerilee gasped as another one showed up, letting a number of creatures off, who proceeded to slaughter the dogs nearby. By now, the entire camp was in full alert, with more and more Diamond Dogs rushing towards the intruders.

“Dunbar, take Sticks and Sharp and get the prisoners out!” Briggs shouted over the gunfire, while Tal was busy with his machine gun, pouring lead into the Diamond Dogs, cackling loudly.

“And wrath shall pour from mouths of steel on these lowly dregs of the underworld!” He was doing a good work of keeping the aggressors at bay as Dunbar sprinted over to the cages, the two Ortalians standing guard over her. She blew the locks off, and tore the doors open. “Come on, quickly! There are more of those damn dogs showing up every second!” Of course, the ponies were hesitant to follow her, but Cheerilee took initiative, following Dunbar. Anywhere was better than being stuck in a cage. Soon, others followed her, roughly three dozen ponies in total.

Briggs slipped a new clip in her rifle, and keyed her comm-bead “Alright, Arcelia, this is your cue!”

“Understood, Sergeant. ETA seven minutes. Sit tight.”

She let off another burst from her weapon, bringing another dog down, just as Dunbar arrived, bringing the ponies with her, Sticks and Sharp acting as rearguard. Driscoll and Mordecai were a blur, engaging the enemies in hand-to-hand. Just as she could hear Arcelia’s engines, a single roar rose from the clamour, overpowering every other noise.

“Stop this now or she gets it!”

A brute of a dog was standing in front of his mob, holding a small light grey unicorn in his huge paw, shaking the other threateningly at the Marines.

“You will put your weapons down, or I break her neck!” Tal gritted his teeth, but complied. Reluctantly, others followed. Briggs raised her fingers in an imitation of a gun, pointing it at the leader, who snorted derisively.

“Alsivra, I do believe it’s your turn.” She whispered in her comm-bead.

Briggs clacked her tongue, twitching her thumb. Immediately, the dog’s head exploded in a mess of brain matter and blood. At this, the rest of the dogs howled in fear and despair, running away as fast as possible.

“Unseen, we move in the shadows.” The voice in her ear whispered and Briggs grinned.

“Nice one, you two! Alright, everyone, pack your stuff, we’re mobile in five!” A chorus of ‘yes ma’am’ reached her ears, but she was off already, picking her way through the corpses, finding the small unicorn. She was dirty and trembling from the coldness. She bent down to pick her up, only for the unicorn to yelp in fear.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you. You have my word on it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Now, come on, I’ll take you somewhere safe. You must be hungry. I got some food for all of you.” The small unicorn instantly perked up, leaping in her hands and Briggs laughed.

“Thought as much. Let’s go. You have a name, I presume?”

“Sweetie Belle.”

“Nice t’meetcha, Sweetie Belle. I’m Nicole.” She strode up to the rest of ponies, just as Arcelia showed up. The crowd of ponies stared at the dropship as it landed just near them, its front ramp lowering.

“I’m here, Sergeant. Two point sixteen minutes since last communication.”

“Much obliged, Arcelia. Okay, everyone get aboard!” Though initially distrustful of the machine, they nevertheless got inside, followed Briggs and her squad. She set Sweetie Belle down by her side, ruffling her mane. “I think we’re good to go. Everyone here?” A chorus of replies reached her and she sighed relievedly. “Dunbar, see to it that everyone gets some food and water, turn the heater on as well. So, anyone here know where’s the capital? We need to get there ASAP.” One of the unicorns stepped forward, raising a hoof. “I can point you the right way, though you’ll need a map.”

“I got that covered. Come on.” She clambered up in the cockpit, the unicorn following her, gaping in wonder around him and he whistled in awe.

“Like the setup, huh? Okay, here’s what ORBINT managed to scan before the whole fleet pulled out. I just need you to find the capital, if you have one.”

“Hmm. Well-oh, there it is! Right there! Canterlot.”

“Many thanks, man. You can go now. Get some rest. Arcelia, you got the coordinates?”

“Yes, Sergeant. When shall we depart?”

“In a moment. Could you send Sweetie Belle up here? I want her to do the honour.”

“Will do, Sergeant.” The announcement sounded, and sure enough, the small unicorn clambered up the stairs moments later.

“Yes? Did you call me?”

“Indeed I did. I’d like you to tap that icon.” She showed at the glowing representation of Canterlot and Sweetie Belle complied.

“Autopilot coordinates set.” Arcelia chimed in.

“Good! Now, say ‘start engines.’”

“Start engines.” Immediately, the dropship started shaking and rumbling.

“Aaah! What’s happening?”

“That’s the engines firing up. Now, say ‘execute flight plan.’”

“Execute flight… plan?” In an instant, Arcelia fed more power to her engines, and in one smooth manoeuvre, the dropship took off, heading for the Canterlot Castle. Briggs ruffled Sweetie’s mane again, grinning widely.

“Nice work, kiddo. We’ll make a pilot out of you yet. Whaddaya say ‘bout getting some grub?”

“Yes please!”

“Sit tight, I’ll be back.” She stood up and left, rummaging through the storage lockers.

Sweetie Belle looked around her for a moment, but curiosity soon got to her and she leapt in the pilot’ seat, looking around her. She felt reasonably certain that it was midnight. She reached for the controls, when a disembodied voice stopped her dead in tracks.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Aah! Sorry! Won’t happen again! Why can’t I see you?” She glanced around frantically.

“Because you’re inside me. Gah, that sounds so wrong. What I mean, I’m this ship.”

“How’s that even possible?”

“For starters, I’m an artificial intelligence installed on this dropship’s computer system.”

“Uhhhhhh…”

“Never mind. I’ve locked the controls anyway, so if you’d like to have a crack at piloting, go nuts.” Without a moment’s pause, the small unicorn was all over the control panel, living the dream as she plied the seas in a mighty pirate vessel, and-

“Enjoying yourself?”

Sweetie Belle fell out of the seat and turned around, seeing the amused Nicole standing nearby and she grinned sheepishly.

“I trust Arcelia locked you out, right?”

“Yeah, she did, I guess.”

“Don’t worry none ‘bout it, kiddo. You still up for a meal?” She held up a cardboard box and passed it to Sweetie, who opened it eagerly, then frowned as she lifted a cylinder out of it.

“Uh, how am I supposed to eat this?”

“Just twist the top around once and wait.” She did as instructed and several seconds later, steam poured out of its cap and she almost dropped it.

“Now, take the cap off.” A curious smell now reached her nose as she inspected the broth inside the container.

“What is it?”

It’s, uh, whatchamacallit, rice soup with spice and dried bread. C’mon, tuck in before it gets cold.” Briggs watched curiously as Sweetie Belle levitated the container and took a sip from it. Her suspicious expression instantly changed and she drank it as fast as she could, sighing contendedly once she finished.

“That was soooo tasty.”

“Glad you liked it. You up for some more? Those MRE packs have chocolate as well, some nutritious bars as well. Everything the common frontline soldier needs.” She chuckled as the unicorn rummaged through the box, plucking a bar of chocolate out. She inspected the wrapping quizzically, before ripping it off and devouring the treat. She finished the rest of her meal minutes later, stretching sleepily.

“Do you know where I could get some sleep?”

“Sorry, Sweetie, but the bunks are all taken. Don’t worry ‘bout it, though.” She reclined the pilot’s seat and lay down, and the unicorn leapt in her lap. Briggs smiled as she fell asleep and Arcelia carried them towards Canterlot.

Hours later

Ponyville

Lieia looked around, trying to pinpoint the sound, when she saw the dropship go howling across the town, heading right for Canterlot. A startled Rarity bounded outside her shop, and she turned to Lieia.

“What is that noise?”

“My dropship. It’s headed towards the castle. Hoo, boy, we better get there as soon as possible.”

Celestia was interrupted from her lunch by a pegasus guard who dashed through the door. Thinking the worst, she stood up.

“Has Lieia done something already?”

“No, it’s something else! A patrol spotted a strange vehicle heading towards the castle, Your Highness. It’s nothing like our own chariots. We believe that it belongs to the human.”

“Let’s go and meet it then. Lead the way.” Together, they galloped out, just in time to see the crowd of guards and castle servants gape at a quickly approaching transport. Moments later, it slowed to a stop just in front of the castle gates, kicking up a cloud of dust as its vectored-thrust engines swivelled and seconds later, it settled on the pavement below it, the dull roar of its engines cutting off.

Briggs rechecked her rifle again, ensuring safety lock was on, and then turned to her squadmates.

“Remember, we’re not here to start a war with this planet, so stay on your best behaviour.” She slipped the weapon in the holster on her back and pressed a couple of key on the wall. With a hiss the ramp slowly opened, and everyone fell silent as light poured in Arcelia’s hold.

Well, no backing out of this now, Briggs thought grimly. “Fall in, squad. Let’s get this over with.” The mix of troopers descended the ramp, coming face to face with Celestia.

“I welcome you to the Canterlot Castle, strangers. I am Princess Celestia. May I know your name and purpose here?”

Briggs straightened out, saluting her.

“Nicole Briggs, Staff Sergeant, Reaver Squad, Trader-Asli Coalition Marine Corps Service Number 1346-563-578-2306. We’re here for Captain Grisova, ma’am.”

“Oh! Lieia’s in Ponyville at the moment, but I guess she’ll be here shortly. A lot of my ponies saw your approach.”

Briggs grinned. “Yeah, Arcelia here ain’t exactly a quiet one. Anyways, let’s get down to business. Sticks, bring our guests out here.” Celestia peered over her shoulder, and was surprised by the sight. A crowd of ragged ponies were exiting the dropship. The onlookers gasped in surprise, a couple of them rushed forwards, meeting their friends or family members. Celestia looked back at Briggs, stunned.

“How did you manage to free them? I have been trying to get the Diamond Dogs to free them for weeks!”

“They were a problem. And problems are meant to be solved, whatever way you deem necessary. So we went in guns blazing.” Celestia was shocked, to say the least. “This is terrible! Do you have any idea how precarious our relations are with them? They’re sure to seek revenge for this!”

Briggs took several steps towards Celestia, her eyes growing colder with every step. As she stood inches away from the alicorn monarch, she could see the growing fear in her eyes.

“What those bastards were doing is slavery. And I won’t stand for that. And if any of those dogs show up, they’ve got beef with us, not you. After all, you didn’t even try to free them.” Her usually calm voice had an edge of steel to it, making Celestia shiver. How could she resolve the situation before it got any worse?

“Briggs! What’re you doing here?”

The marine turned around, surprised to see Lieia striding across the pavement, a big grin on her face.

“Captain? You’re alright!” Lieia grasped Briggs’ outstretched palm, slapping her on the shoulder twice.

“Indeed I am, soldier! So, how ‘bout y’tell me what’ve you been up to all this time?”

Briggs shrugged “Not much. Saved some ponies from slavery, but Princess what’s-her-face isn’t too happy about that.” She made a face.

“I presume you gunned the slavers down.”

“Oh, indeed we did.” Lieia nodded grimly at that.

“They didn’t deserve any better. So, how did it go?”

“Perfect, I’d say. Freed everyone on site, no casualties or injuries whatsoever. Oh, and I also made a friend.”

“Do tell.” Lieia leaned in closer.

She looped her arm around Lieia’s shoulders, guiding her towards the crowd of ponies.

“Well, we was just ‘bout to haul ass from the place, when this big, ugly, bastard stands up and shouts, waving a kid around in his grasp, demanding that we scoot off. Well, what he didn’t know was that there was a certain Asli sharpshooter waiting for my command to pop his head like a grape. After that, I picked the kid up, took her back to Arcelia. You know the rest. Yo, Sweetie Belle, come here for a moment! I want you t’meet someone!” A small, white unicorn bounced through the milling crowd, smiling broadly. Briggs knelt down, and Sweetie Belle tackled her to ground at once.

“Sweetie Belle? Oh, Celestia be praised, you’re alright!” Lieia saw Rarity gallop up to the two, relief clearly visible on her face as she scooped her up and hugged her tightly.

“Oof, watch it, sis! I can’t breathe!” Sweetie Belle managed to extricate herself from her sister’s grip, smiling sheepishly.

“Oh, do forgive me, but I’m so happy to see you well and unharmed!” She squee’d with joy, and then turned to Briggs, who was chuckling amusedly.

“I understand I have you to thank for saving my dear little sister.”

“Aw, ‘twas nothin’. I serve to protect others.”

“Come on, that was awesome, Nicole. You just pointed your hoof at that dog and BAM! He was done for! How did you do that?”

“It wasn’t me, kiddo. Alsivra is the one who chalked him up. I just gave the order.” Rarity simply brushed her words away.

“I simply must reward you! I know! Mayhaps the Princess will invite you to the Gala as well! I will make you all simply magnificent suits and dresses!” Sweetie Belle chuckled mischievously. “Oh, she’s got you now, Nicole. She won’t take no for an answer, now.” A short distance away, several court ponies were trying to wrap their heads around the idea of a race of sentient machines as Xrengri diligently tried to explain the topic at hand. Celestia was engaged in a heated conversation with Lieia, while Twilight and the rest of her friends wondered at Arcelia, inspecting the Titanium-Armargolian alloy hull plating as the AI-controlled dropship in question chuckled giddily. The whole place had descended in chaos, until Xrengri released a shrill burst of noise, bringing a semblance of order to the congregation.

“Thank you, Xree. Now, listen up, Reavers! I talked to the good princess over here and we’ve decided we’ll get to know these people, er-ponies, better. So we all are invited to their annual party, which will take place in two days time. I hope that the good fashionista would help us out with that.” Rarity was simply overjoyed to hear that.

“You will not regret this decision, my darling! I will be able to wade into unmarked territories of fashion! What more could I ask for? If you’d drop by my shop, I’ll take the measurements for the clothes and I’ll get to making them immediately.”

“Alright, then. Y’need a lift back? We can go to your place directly.”

“I admit I’m quite curious to see how this contraption of yours works, although it looks simply ghastly.”

“That was uncalled for, Rarity. She’s saved our bacon more times than I care to remember. She’s as reliable as any marine I’ve ever known.”

“If I had a face, I’d be blushing furiously, Captain. But I don’t have one, so I’ll make do with wise-cracking.” Rarity scowled a bit, but said nothing. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was excited at the prospect.

“Well, then. Everyone who’s going to Ponyville, get aboard!” The excited ponies followed the humans onboard, and Lieia bade her farewells to Celestia, promising to keep her soldiers in check. She settled in the pilot’s seat, and the castle residents were once more treated to the fiery roar of Arcelia’s engines as she disappeared in the distance. Celestia shook her head slightly, wondering how this all would end.

Next Chapter: Chapter 8 Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 50 Minutes