Firefly idly sneaked a glance out the porthole. Outside, endless sheets of white billowed down from an angry sky. The raging hellstorm had long since stripped the snow of its charm. Savage winds continuously battered the Vigilant-class ARC ship. It seemed the only things keeping it airborne were its advanced avionics and the sheer skill of its pilots. As if to drive home the point, the ship bucked again, nearly smashing Firefly’s muzzle into the porthole glass. She cursed under her breath.

The blizzard hid them from long-range radar and visual identification, but it would be a nightmare to fly through when they finally disembarked for the last leg of the journey. The mission timer on the radio operator’s console, however, had not yet finished its countdown to their final deployment point. Whenever they arrived, it would still be too soon for Firefly, but for now, she would remain safe and warm in the ARC ship’s cabin.

“At least the accommodations are cush,” she muttered to herself.

Indeed, the interior of Fortis was more spacious than the standard ARC ship, the lengthened superstructure of the Vigilant variant moving the weapon racks to a separate compartment where the stern exterior deck on the standard-issue Vantage would have been. The main cabin and the deployment compartment were separated by the remote station for the heavy repeater. A standing pony or griffon could control the gun via periscope from inside the ship. Boxes of heavy repeater linked ammo belts conspicuously occupied the racks closest to the gun station, with the feed system snaking around the interior components of the system. The hatch leading to the currently unused galley and sleeping quarters one deck down sat behind the gun station.

Firefly checked the clock embedded in the ARC ship’s radio console one more time before standing and trotting over to the table bolted into the deck in the rear compartment. All around the cabin, both squads hunched over in their seats as they weathered the battering from the storm. She rapped a hoof on the deck. Pony and dragon alike stood from their seats and gathered around the table, all eyes locked upon Firefly.

“All right, listen up. We’re nearing the drop point. I know you all got the dossier last night, but I’d rather keep it fresh before we launch.”

“I’m going to be frank,” she began, pacing around the table as she spoke. “I think everypony knows at this point that we have a rodent infestation on board ship. You were chosen for this operation because you were the only ones who could be trusted.

Quiet nods of assent propagated throughout the squads. “Cindermane thinks she’s struck a decisive blow against us. She will try to push her advantage, which means she won’t be watching her back. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s itching to twist a knife into it. I aim to put us where we can do exactly that. Rafale, if you would, the AO data, see voo plays.”

Rafale’s eyes briefly narrowed at Firefly’s butchering of Prench, but stood from her seat and stepped forward nonetheless, joining the circle. She fished a map out of her saddlebag and laid it out on the table. “Last night, we received a tip from a Talon defector known only as Hecate. They informed us that they would be delivering intel in the form of a dead drop in the abandoned city of Amore’s Rest.”

The agent’s hoof pointed to what appeared to be a circular glyph printed on the plain at the end of a serpentine length of canyon. Closer inspection revealed the “glyph” to be an arcane layout of streets, buildings, and dividing walls that made up a Crystal city. It was much smaller than Crystal Spire, but much denser in the urban area. According to the map scale, it would be difficult to even fly an ARC ship between some of the city streets near the center.

A dashed red circle denoted the perimeter of the shield dome that controlled weather inside the city. The extent of the city’s urban buildup was tangent to the south edge of the shield dome, right where the canyon mouth lay. That point was marked with a blue arrow indicating their insertion point.

“Amore’s Rest surfaced not long after Crystal Spire, but quickly became a victim in Cindermane’s conquest of the north. An attack on the city early in her campaign rendered it uninhabitable and its residents were quickly evacuated to Crystal Spire. With no forces to reclaim it and pirate presence thick in the Outer Rim, FleetCOM deemed it indefensible and elected not to mount any operations to retake the city. It has since fallen into disrepair.”

Rafale pointed to the center point of the urban buildup. “The center of Amore’s Rest is marked by the malfunctioning shield obelisk. Though it was heavily damaged during the initial attack, it retains just enough power to keep the hellstorm out -- but only just. Expect inconsistent weather and poor visibility within the dome.”

“You will disembark five klicks south of Amore’s Rest. You will then follow the canyons north until you arrive at the Empress’ Crown, the amphitheater near the farming district. From there, you will infiltrate the village and push toward the city center.

Rafale pulled a photograph from her saddlebag, this one depicting a large statue of what appeared to be a unicorn crystal pony. She was tall and leggy, proportioned more like an alicorn princess than an ordinary equine. Her luxurious mane flowed over her neck and withers, terminating in perfect curls, the same stylings being reflected in her equally well-coiffed tail.

A crystalline crown rested upon her head, marking her as the sovereign of the land. Even in statue form, her likeness bore a strong air of both graceful elegance and imposing magnificence. Her front right hoof was lifted as if preparing to take a step off her pedestal and her piercing gaze was resolutely focused upon the horizon. Were she not certain it were cast in dead metal, Firefly would expect the mare to stride from her resting place and lead forth an army.

“Near the obelisk is the Hushed Empress, a memorial to the Crystal Empire’s greatest leader, Empress Amore. Hecate’s transmission indicated that the drop would be placed in the vicinity of Empress’ Square, the park surrounding it. Unfortunately, they were no more specific than that so you may have to search entire park for the drop.”

“Ten majesties until the drop!” The copilot shouted back into the cabin.

“Time to wrap this up,” Firefly said.

“My briefing was just concluded, Commander.” Rafale nodded, stepping out of the circle. “I yield the deck to you.”

“Thank you, Rafale. Remember that this is an off the books operation. Maven team will be providing AEW from this ARC ship -- callsign Fortis -- but we will not have access to artillery, CAS, MEDEVAC, or reinforcements. No one is coming for us so we have to do this right the first time. Got it?”

“Hoo-yah!”

“Good. Get in your final flight checks. With any luck this will be a quick in and out.”

“Hooo, you see that ass on the Empress? I bet Amore was real babe back in the day!” Sunburst laughed, jabbing Thunderlane with an elbow.

Firefly tugged on the buckles on her combat harness, ensuring that the weight of her gear sat properly upon her shoulders. Her standard kit of repeater and scattergun were mounted, one over each shoulder, in addition to ballistic lance strapped to her back where a heavy pack saddle would ordinarily go. Utility pouches in her harness held a light load: a single individual first aid kit, MRE, and the usual canteens. With any luck, even that would be overkill.

“Funny, that sounded like you were actually there to gawk at her,” Eastwind chimed in.

“If I were, you could bet I would!”

“You weren’t?”

“I’m trying to ignore that old sire joke,” Sunburst huffed, giving Eastwind a sidelong glance.

Firefly rolled her eyes as she double-checked the cables connecting her triggers to the fire control system and her throat mic and earpieces to the wireless set on her chest. Her ire, however, was merely superficial. Sunburst’s crass inanity was comforting in its familiarity. The squad continued their banter as each of them slotted weapons into combat harnesses and cinched them down over their winterized uniforms.

“Do that shit back in the day and she’d probably have you locked up, abuelo!” Thunderlane nickered.

“I wouldn’t mind it! Sometimes it’s fun to have a mare take charge for once!”

“Your asshattery knows no bounds, Sunshine,” Firefly snorted in mock disdain. “Guess you have to gawk at even a dead girl’s ass, eh?”

“Thank you, Commander Killjoy!”

“I aim to please,” she smirked. “Yo Thunderlane!”

“Que pasa, Jefa?”

“Comms are unplugged.” She tapped a hoof on the comms box mounted to Thunderlane’s harness, indicating the dangling cable with a nod of her muzzle.

“Ah, thanks.” He grinned sheepishly as he corrected the problem. As Eastwind and Sunburst continued to bicker, he met eyes with Firefly. “You okay?”

“Well, the little heart to heart earlier certainly helped.” For the first time in a long time, the smile was spontaneous. “Thanks, kid.”

Thunderlane sighed with relief and grinned, in turn keeping Firefly at ease, a bit giddy even. They’d been deployed for months and it felt like ages. Now they were back to where they should have been: a tidy, cohesive unit; friends that trusted each other.

“Eh, I’m not one to hold grudges. But I’m also not one to push somepony into forced apologies.” He tapped on his chest with a hoof. “It has to come from the heart, you know.”

“Aye. I’m just sorry I didn’t come around sooner.”

“I can’t blame you for that. I’ve never lost someone like you did.”

“Pray to whatever gods you pray to that you never do.”

“I was never one to pray. Not like mama and papa, anyway.”

Religion had never particularly appealed to Firefly. There weren’t many praying types in her neighborhood back home in Fillydelphia, and even those who did usually only payed lip-service to long-dead ancestral gods. To everyone else, it was merely epithet. Her family itself had only one exception.

“Sounds like my uncle,” she said.

“The spec ops one?”

Firefly shrugged. “He technically never said either way. But now that I look back on it, his survival skills and how he handled a knife always told me he was. I never actually asked him before he passed. Always figured that if he wanted to talk about it he’d tell me himself.”

Thunderlane looked down at the deck as if he’d done something wrong. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t be.” Firefly shook her head. “We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. We prepared well and had proper closure.”

Closure. It was a luxury that Firefly hadn’t had with Powder. It took this long to even begin to close the wounds because of it.

“I’m glad.” Thunderlane nodded, looking back up. “But like I said, I don’t really pray. I do have faith in my friends, though!”

Faith was something Firefly put little stock in. The gods never watched over her. She had watched over herself, over her squadron, over her fleet. Whether they gave or not, she guarded them. It was her duty, her calling. But now there were others that put their faith in her, willingly giving a part of themselves to her in trust. It was no longer mere duty, but a bond that she refused to break, even in death.

“Attaboy!” Sunburst butted in. “Ready for some black flags and body bags, son?”

“Locked and loaded, abuelo!”

“Two majesties!” The copilot shouted back into the cabin.

It was time. Firefly patted down her equipment, slung her goggles down over her face, and powered on her weapons and gunsights. The repeater hummed as its turbopumps spooled and green symbols flashed in her field of view from the reflector displays in her goggles.

“Final checks, everyone! Spectacles, genitals, weapons, wireless!” Firefly barked. “Timberwolves!”

“Hoo-yah!” Came the unison reply.

“Typhon!”

“Wake up, Zaan!” Grana said, poking the big dragon right in the muzzle. Zaan grunted, glaring at his squadmate before lifting a claw in a “thumbs up” gesture to Firefly. It was enough to draw a laugh from the collected squads.

Roshina smirked, giving the same gesture. “My team is ready, Commander.”

The teams piled into the deployment chamber behind the gun turret. Sunburst slammed the hatch shut and locked it down. With the hatch sealed, the chamber went dark, illuminated a moment later by the deep crimson of the alert lamps.

“Remember, radio silence and noise discipline are in force,” Firefly reminded them. “Follow the pony in front of you. Stay low and go slow if you have to. It’s more important that we stay quiet than move fast!”

“Ten seconds!” came the copilot’s voice over the intercom.

“Ave Celestia Invictus and all that!” Sunburst nickered sarcastically. Firefly could almost hear Eastwind rolling her eyes.

The deployment bay hatch slid open. Firefly winced at the sudden blast of vicious frost and chill wind that momentarily fogged her goggles before the temperatures within them equalized. A quick glance below revealed swirling bands of snow and an outline of the gaping gash of the canyons. Firefly’s mental countdown began, syncing with the ARC operator’s countdown.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The ready lamp by the exterior hatch flashed red, then changed to a solid green. “Light is green! Go! Go! Go!”

Firefly leaped. Wind borne snow swallowed her up in swirling white eddies. For a fleeting moment, she was suspended in a field of star-like flakes glittering in the faded morning light. Firefly closed her eyes to avoid being mesmerized by the display. Gravity took over once more and she fell through the raging hellstorm. Her pegasus senses alerted her to the change in the air as the ground rapidly approached.

Her wings snapped open to arrest her freefall. The snow thinned dramatically past the canyon lip and the humid air from the river surface wafted up to meet her. Her altitude stabilized a few tens of meters above river level. Visibility improved slightly as the snow faded into a light drizzle from the heat. Firefly glanced behind her waved a hoof. A flash of running lights from behind indicated that her squads were in tow.

The canyon was geologically active like much of the Crystal Empire's territory. Not a single floe of ice sat upon its surface; in fact there was steam rising from it. Hot springs from the canyon walls poured into the river, their plunge pools ringed by strange orange and red flora. The faint smell of sulfur told Firefly that the water would likely be toxic to any greenery that found itself unfortunate enough to be caught out here.

Twists and turns in the canyon forced myriad course corrections. The path became erratic. Strange pillars of black stone jutted out of the middle of the river in places and out of the canyon walls in others. The crystal glinted strangely in the dim light and passing near them elicited shivers from the sudden cold, even in the midst of the geothermal heat from the river’s surface. But just as suddenly as they had begun, they stopped, becoming deep browns and greys. Noticeably absent, however, was the smell of sulfur.

Finally, the canyon opened up into what appeared to be an inland river delta. A grey haze hung low over the river, tapering off to snow and ice as the water cooled enough to allow accumulation. Cutting across the delta was an abrupt line of demarcation. The shield dome. Firefly thought. She banked around the last bend in the canyon and descended to a few meters above ground level.

Even from a distance, it was easy to see the dome was not fully functional. The shimmering layer flickered on and off like a candle in the wind. At times, the dome even became fully opaque, its milky white surface masking all that lay beneath. In spite of its malfunctions, however, the hellstorm still failed to penetrate it. Firefly’s eyes narrowed as the flights neared the boundary.

Suddenly, Firefly pulled up, frantically motioning with her hoof for the others to do the same. She barely cleared the wall of compressed foliage that had piled up against the shield dome. Looking back, she could see exactly what had happened. The city lay abandoned, its farmlands left to grow unchecked. The vines and shrubbery had overgrown their bounds and pushed through the shield dome, only to be frozen and killed by the vicious cold outside. Through cycles of growth, death, and regrowth, a massive unpruned hedgerow had grown in the boundary between the magically fertile river delta and the frozen wasteland on the far side of the terminator.

Firefly was immediately blasted with warm air inside the dome upon crossing its shimmering surface. While the river surface in the canyon was akin to early spring, the city proper was swathed in high summer, complete with humidity that hugged the skin and seeped into her coat and mane. Black rain fell from the shimmering sky, a sickly admixture of hellstorm snow liquefied by the flickering shield dome and the ashy dust of urban decay wafting about on wild winds unchecked by pegasi or the obelisk. Firefly grumbled to herself about the malfunctioning weather and resisted the urge to do so over wireless as well.

Ahead loomed their objective. The Empress’ Crown Amphitheater rose out of the verdant carpet of overgrown farmland. Elegant arches of stone and concrete stacked one atop another formed walls that surrounded a central pit. Firefly banked into a spiraling descent that took her over the walls, the tiered seating, and finally allowed her to touch down in the center. From the inside, the amphitheater appeared even more colossal, its walls towering above ground level and casting long shadows upon the dilapidated pitch.

The others quickly fluttered in for a landing. They touched down in a circle around Firefly with guns and claws pointed outward. Wind whipped through the coliseum arches and rustled orchard trees and shrubbery to the south, but the city itself remained eerily silent. Obtaining a quick headcount, Firefly checked her chronometer and spoke.

“We’re on schedule. The Hushed Empress isn’t far, but we’ll have to stick to the streets to avoid detection. Follow me, keep quiet, and we’re all coming home tonight.”

Author's Notes:

This chapter has been split to make it more manageable. A second split may occur depending on mapping of the next section.

Music
AC: Assault Horizon - White Devil