Standish and Twilight sat down at the Map Table , the human raising an eyebrow as Twilight levitated a notepad and pencil over. He blinked a few times to make sure he saw what he did, before speaking up.

"How'd you do that?" he asked.

"Magic." Twilight replied. "I forgot humans don't use magic of the Equestrian kind…"

"We don't, that's for sure." Standish said. "So, do you know these assholes?"

"I think I know who they are." Twilight said. "Traditionalists."

"What's that mean?" Standish asked. "They sound political."

"They are." she sighed. "Ever since I became a Princess about a year ago, I've been trying to pass reforms that would better Equestria. The Traditionalists opposed them in every way, mostly because it'd cost them a lot of political influence and power. They're nobles, every one of them."

"Bastards." Standish said. "So, they try to kill you in your sleep because of a bunch of laws you're trying to pass? Is that really it?"

"It also helps that I wasn't born into royalty." Twilight said. "I earned my wings and my status. They resented and despised me because of it. They saw me as a threat to their agendas."

"Well, that fucking figures." Standish sighed. "Is there anything else?"

"They've been using all their political connections to stall the reforms or discredit them, but I'd never thought they'd try to kill me." Twilight said, sniffing.

"Hey, it's okay now. You're safe." Standish said. "I guess it's our turn to explain things?"

Before Standish could speak, there was a bright flash of light. Standish and his team immediately drew their axes or raised the nearest gun they could reach, but they lowered them in an instant once their vision cleared.

An alabaster Alicorn, wearing golden Greek-style armor, stood with several other armored ponies. Her mane was rainbow-colored, and she immediately embraced Twilight protectively, her spear and shield falling away.

"I'm so glad you're safe." she murmured. "When I got Spike's message…"

"I'm okay." Twilight said. "All thanks to them."

Celestia turned to see Standish and his team approach.

"They saved my life." Twilight said. "Standish and company, this is Celestia, Princess of the Sun and a Ruler of Equestria."

Celestia nodded, and Standish's team saluted.

"You're soldiers, I presume?" she asked when their hands lowered.

"Of a kind." Standish said, sitting down. "We were just in the neighborhood when we noticed those eight sneaking in. We followed them, and I guess instinct kicked in. I wasn't going to see someone else die on our watch."

"Then, I thank you profoundly." Celestia said. "Corporal Glass?"

One of the armored ponies came forward and bowed.

"Check the eight assassins for wounds and treat them. I want to make sure they face justice."

"There's no need for that, ma'am." Lyle said. "Three of them are already dead."

"What?" Celestia asked with a tinge of anger, walking towards the Hunter. "You killed three of them in cold blood?"

"They attacked us." Lyle said. "We responded accordingly. And it wasn't cold blood. They were going to die anyway from how we roughed them up."

Celestia growled, and she further advanced on Lyle.

"That is not how we deal with criminals." she said, scowling. "We take them alive to face justice according to their deeds."

"With all due respect, Princess, fuck that." Lyle said. "Sometimes justice isn't blind at all."

Celestia was about to retort when Standish stepped in.

"Lyle, lock it down." he said. "Ma'am, I understand your anger. But they were going to kill her when she was defenseless and unprotected. That's more than enough reason to respond with deadly force in my book. Can you understand that?"

Celestia heard the Hunter's words, and knew that he spoke in the right.

"Fine, I understand." she said, sitting down. "Corporal, treat the wounded and move the dead away. I will stay here with Twilight and our guests."

"Yes, Princess." Glass replied. "Move out!"

As the Guards shackled the living assassins and picked up the three bodies on stretchers, Standish then remembered something.

"The attackers had these with them." he said, producing a dagger from the stash they had procured. "I figured you'd want to see them."

Celestia took the dagger, and growled as she looked it over in the pale light.

"Shaped Orichalum." she said with fury clear in her voice.

"The hell's that?" Paulson asked.

"Orichalum is an exceedingly rare metal." she said. "The only one that when shaped, can kill alicorns."

"So these bastards made these just to kill her?" Standish asked. "How does that even work?"

"From what we know…" Celestia said, eyeing the blade with contempt. "It forms deep underground and only in high pressure, and when unrefined, acts similar to arsenic when exposed to flesh. However, when it is shaped, and that is a monumental task itself, it produces a new toxin so potent, it drains the life force of whatever it touches. Even the life force of an alicorn."

"Then how'd they get their...hooves on it?" Lyle asked. "I take it that you can't get this metal very often.

"I think I know, but I'm not sure about it." Twilight said. "The Bluebloods visited the rock exhibition hosted by Pinkie's family a few months ago. The Pies also found an orichalum deposit around the same time before that."

"That's definitely not a coincidence." Standish said. "These guys must've gotten it there somehow. And no matter how, it doesn't look good to me."

"Most likely." Celestia said. "Twilight, I think it is time you received Personal Guards of your own."

"...You're right. I've put that off for too long." Twilight said. "Who are you thinking of?"

"I'm looking right at them." Celestia said, staring at the Hunters.

"What do you mean?" Standish asked.

"I am asking you to protect Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said. "I received a ledger from my sister, Princess Luna. It was a list of known Traditionalists and those sympathetic to them. A large number of my Guard and my sister's Guard is...at risk. I cannot...will not...allow this to happen again. Standish, I am begging you and your team, for lack of a better word, to protect her until this is all sorted out. If you wish to confer with your friends about my offer, you may do so."

"I'll take you up on that." Standish said. "One moment, please."

The Hunters moved into an adjacent room, silent as could be.

====

"What do you think of this, guys?" Paulson said.

"It'll be a way to support ourselves until we get back home." Standish said. "Plus, we play our cards right, me might gain a chance to get home."

"But, you have to remember that we're aliens here." Lyle said. "Heavily armed and trained, and packing enough heat to take on a small battalion. How's that going to look to everyone else in this world?"

"We'll worry about the pros and cons later." Jacobs said. "I'm in all the way, Standish."

"Me too." Paulson said. "Lyle?"

"Might as well. Never been a bodyguard before." Lyle said.

"Alright, so we're doing this." Standish smiled. "However, no matter what, we're getting home in one piece. Am I clear?"

"You got it." the other Hunters said with courage in their voices.

====

Celestia and Twilight turned to see Standish and the Hunters appear again, their masks off.

"We accept your offer." Standish said. "We can work out the details later, but we're all in."

"I thank you most dearly." Celestia said. "I would like to know where you are from, what those metal objects are, and how you came here."

"Then we'll tell you. This won't be pleasant, though." Lyle said.

====

The Hunters then gave Celestia a rough history of their world and humanity, then telling of the Manhattan outbreak and the Strategic Homeland Division, or SHD.

"How exactly do you know of this "SHD?" Celestia asked.

"We used to work for it." Standish said. "Until one day, when we learned we were on the wrong side. During the Dark Zone evacuation about five months ago, we were posted at the DZ Checkpoint at Bryant Park. Our mission was to supervise civilian evacuations to Times Square and relative safety. Problem was, we'd received word earlier that the Rikers were moving in, en masse, towards our location."

"Who are the Rikers?" Twilight asked.

"They're state and federal prisoners." Lyle said. "Rikers Island, NY, was a Federal Prison that was overrun during the outbreak. The inmates rioted and took the place over. Then, they moved into Manhattan, ready for revenge and out for blood. They'd been pushing north, and we were right in their path. The Rikers had numbers and motivation, we had superior firepower and training, and a better position. However, we still lost the battle."

"Why?" Celestia asked. "What advantage did these Rikers have that you did not?"

"The Rikers brought more ammo." Standish said. "We were a civilian center, there were only ten JTF soldiers along with us. We barely had enough ammunition to take on a platoon, let alone the entire group of Rikers poised to strike. We had our SHD Tech and some defensive turrets, but that would only last so long."

"What did you do?" Twilight asked.

"We decided the JTF needed to get the Civilians out of there ASAP, while we held the line with whatever ammo we had." Paulson said. "We sent the trucks loaded with civies and the JTF on their way, before we dug in for the attack. And the Rikers came hard and fast."

"These Rikers were motivated, and that's a good thing to have with you in battle." Lyle said. "Before long, we were nearly overrun and completely out of ammo. We radioed the Division commander, and guess what his orders were."

"What were they?" Celestia asked.

"His orders were to stay put and not to abandon the site. Simply put, we had to hold our ground" Standish spat.

"That's insane!" Twilight said. "You were in trouble!"

"You're telling us." Standish added. "We were nearly out of ammo, and overrun. So, we did the one thing that seemed right to us. We disobeyed orders and abandoned the site. That meant one thing in the eyes of the Division command...treason."

"We were declared Rogue Agents." Lyle said. "Now we were marked for death by every Division Agent in Manhattan. We were on our own with no allies to speak of, and in hostile territory.

"So we decided to hole up and wait for the storm to pass." Standish said. "We knew there was an unoccupied Division Command Bunker near Park Avenue in DZ North. There, we would wait for the moment to strike back."

"Soon after, the JTF pulled out of the Manhattan DZ, and a Second Wave of Agents was deployed. These Second Wave agents got right to work, and they basically took back the city on their own. We figured that was the time." Lyle added.

"A storm was coming in." Standish said. "A massive blizzard the size of Manhattan and Brooklyn combined. That was also the same time that experimental Antiviral samples were located in the DZ by the Second Wave Agents."

"I take it you had something to do with that?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." Lyle said. "We tipped off the JTF to their location, and just as we planned, they sent four Agents into the storm to retrieve them. We set up positions around Bryant Park, and we waited. We thought those Agents were dead meat once their helicopter crashed. But those agents managed to survive the cold and the hostiles outside, arm themselves with SHD Tech, and get the protective gear they needed to enter the DZ. They survived and found the Antivirals."

"Right on schedule, they finished their mission and attempted to extract them at Bryant Park." Standish said. "We engaged them shortly after that. We were killed by those four Agents, and they extracted via helicopter."

"Did you just say you were killed?" Celestia asked, curious but also inquisitive.

"Yes, ma'am. We were all KIA." Paulson said. "I got shot in the head by a sniper."

"Gunned down at close range." Lyle said. "Same for Jacobs."

"I was the last one. The agent's squad leader emptied his gun into my left side." Standish finished. "So yes, we're all supposed to be dead according to us."

Celestia was silent for several moments, before she sighed.

"I suppose I'll buy that for now." she said. "Let's get back to business. Those assassins and the Traditionalists must be dealt with with haste."

"You're right." Standish said as they stood up. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to Canterlot." Celestia said. "There, we will conduct further negotiations and deal with the prisoners."

"Fine." Standish said, holstering his First Wave X45 and motioning for his team to ready up. "Lead the way, Princess. We'll be right behind you."

Author's Notes:

Yep, another update.

Next time-The visit to Canterlot, and a new threat rises...

Remastered notes - More details and more clarity.