Alicorn Empire HERMeS Corps. By sutam1sailorshitosunfire
AU: I do not own any character related to My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, I only play in their universe. I do not gain any money with this, it is only a little mental scape valve.
First Contact (Again).
Princess Celestia was in a meeting with some of her Royal Guard when she felt a light pull toward her bedroom, dismissing her guard se trotted lightly there. The mirror near her bed was glowing a light green light. Approaching the mirror she say in a soft voice: "High Princess of Equestrians, authorization Alpha Mare Zero Two". After saying this words, the mirror turned to a black surface, and several signs and numbers started to scroll in the mirror. Finalizing this, an image appeared in the mirror. It was a graphic depiction of the solar system of equestrian, showing the anomalous orbit of equestrian as the third planet in the system. Several red dots where outside the system but they were approaching slowly but surely the trajectory showed they would crash with equestrian.
With a light scowl she powered off the video screen and this turned into a mirror again. She called a servant pony and asked him to send her sister to the catacombs of the Canterlot Palace to meet with her there. After the servant pony left, she released a small huff, and stared a photograph in the bedside. It was a picture of her parents with them, they were little fillies in it, but her parents where smiling. Celestia then said in a sorrow filled voice: "It´s time the Empire awakes here father?" After that she proceed to exit her bedroom and traveled to the catacombs.
Princess Luna was sleeping after a long night watching over the dreams of equestrian, she was having a very good dream about a pudding filled bathtub, when a light knocking awoke her. Scowling at the intrusion and sudden death of her dream, she opened her door with her magic. There a servant pony was waiting for her to acknowledge him. Sighing, she asked in a sleeping tone: "Yes, what do you want?" The servant pony said in clear and controlled voice: "Princess Luna, your sister High Princess Celestia requested your presence in the catacombs of the Canterlot Palace. She is waiting for you there."
Princess Luna lifted an eyebrow at that. Her sister never awoke her after a night of hard work for noting. With a quick movement she was out of the bed and asked the servant pony: "Did she say why?" The servant pony replied with a negative movement of his head, and after delivering the reply proceeded to depart leaving Princess Luna alone in her bedroom. Princess Luna quickly started to dress in a comfortable but durable pectoral protector with her royal crest in it, and after thinking for a several seconds she took a resistant horse shoes, thinking about the catacombs. After being dressed she proceeded to exit her bedroom and make way to the lower levels of the Canterlot Palace.
Princess Celestia was alone in the lower level of the catacombs waiting for her sister to arrive, when she stated to remember how she discovered the truth about equestrian. It was only a hundred years after her sister was send to the moon when she discovered their parent's journals. This discovery lead to the unlocking of all the training and programming left by them. After their deaths she was now the General Commander of the Seventh Colonization Force of the HERMeS Corps in the Alicorn Empire.
She started searching for the reason of this in the lower level of the Canterlot Castle, and she found a tunnel into the crystal mines beneath the royal grounds. After mapping the mines she discovered in the deeper shaft an imposing vault like door. It was made of a heavy metal that only alicorn magic could hope to move.
Princess Luna arrived near her sister and saw her in a remembering mode. Not waiting scare her, she made a little hum, noise. Princess Celestia hearing her sister started to trot in the direction of the tunnel, and caller her sister to follow her. Princess Luna was perplexed about this, she never knew about this part of the castle, and never saw her sister acting so harsh and distant. After traveling for a while, they stopped in front of the vault like door. Princess Luna shinning her magic to make a light in the mine was stumped, in front of her was a door so massive that it will take many ponies to move it a little, but what make her more puzzled was the huge coat of arms in the door. It was the Old Coat of arms of their family.
Princess Celestia proceeded near the vault door where besides it was a small indentation for a hoof, here she take off a front horse shoe and placed her right foreleg in the indentation. The small hole glowed first light red but it changed to light green. A hissing sound was made and Princes Celestia removed her leg from the indentation and put her horse shoe on again. Princess Luna was speechless, here was a vault of her family that she never knew about and was thinking what in the hay was happening.
Princess Celestia stated to move the vault door to open, and asked her sister: "Can you help me to open it a little so we can pass?" Princess Luna was abruptly made aware of the situation and nodded her head. Both sisters started to pull the vault door, after it was open enough to pass Princess Celestia tell her to stop. Inside the vault was pitch dark, but Princes Celestia trotted inside, and asked her sister: "Are you coming or not?" Princess Luna trotted inside the vault with her sister at her side when the vault door started to close, Princess Luna was startled by this and made a move to stall the door when Princess Celestia toll her to stop. Princess Luna stopped mid spell and arched a brow to her sister, and waited for an answer. Princes Celestia sighed and called her to her side, after Princess Luna was beside her, she asked her: "Do you know about the origins of our family dear sister?" and the vault door closed behind them.
Princess Luna cannot see a thing, she was about to light her horn when the vault light came on. A monotonous mare voice started to tell them:" Starting DeCon cycle, please wait a minute to finalizing the cycle, Thanks." Princess Luna was speechless where was the mare who was talking to them, and what was a DeCon cycle, was it like a bicycle? After that some light purple glow was in all the vault and Princess Luna closed her eyes a little and the voice stated again: "DeCon cycle finished thanks for your wait. ID life form detection engaged please wait a moment. Genetic Keys detecting Alpha Mare Zero Two and Alpha Mare Zero Three, please proceed to the elevator shaft. Thanks and have a good day."
After the voice toll them that, a small door opened in the side of the vault, Princes Celestia stated to trot in a sedated pace to the opened doors, when Princess Luna asked in a small voice; "Tia, what is happening, who was that, where are we, what was that cycle thing?" Princess Celestia sighed and told her: "Please Luna, enter the elevator, I will try to tell you what it's happening, but we need to move where we need to be now."
Princess Luna looked at her sister and saw a little sense of hurry en her stand. Moving to her side, she sat beside her and waiter for her response, Princes Celestia asked to the unknown mare to move the lift to the Ark. The doors closed in front of the princess and Princes Luna felt the telltale of movement, but she cannot see what was moving the little room they were in. Princess Celestia started to tell her sister about their duties and what the Ark was.
She told her that the place they were in was not a vault, it was a space vessel, made by alicorn, unicorns, pegasi and ponies all under the rule of the Alicorn Empress. It was made as a colonization vessel to expand the territory of the empire. The ponies where not original from equestrian, they found the planet and saw it had an erratically made orbit, so they dragged a little moon to stabilize the planet and made the orbit a little stable by pulling every day the planet toward the sun.
The Ark was the name of the place all the ponies where when they traveled in the space. Here the ponies where sleeping in long glass tubes floating in a green colored liquid with a little bundle of cords in the tummy. The first generation of ponies, unicorns and pegasi where in here at one time, now it only had empty tubes filled with green liquid. After a little walk shortly after exiting the lift, the two princess arrived near a door who had a coat of arms of a red shield trimmed with a yellow line with one big white star in the center of the shield. Princess Luna saw the same indentation like the one in the entrance door, and asked her sister about it, Princess Celestia told her about the technological level of the empire. They were an outer colony, and they did not had the space and power to move high technology to the colony, so they started with the minimum technology. But here in the Ark the technology was at least two centuries ahead of the normal life in equestrian and probably a few decades behind the empire.
Princess Celestia showed her about the hoof scanner, it was a way to protect the Ark, and it will only open to the authorized pony, and needed to be alicorn or a unicorn the one to put the hoof in, because it needed magic to work. After opening the door, Princess Celestia informed Princess Luna about their parent's journals, and the truth about the lack of alicorn in the equestrian planet. When the vessel arrived to the new planet, it crashed against a mountain and was buried under the rubble. This crash caused several malfunctions one of them was the failure of the releasing mechanism for the alicorns sleeping in the Ark.
The crash only waked the commander of the vessel and his family, because they were in a separated zone from the rest of the alicorns only they were awoken, the commander was their father. He and their mother started the slow process of waking all the sleeping settlers. The first settlers made the mine to extract raw materials for the reparations, and to make an exit from the mountain. After several years the settles repaired their ship as best they could, but the alicorn where still sleeping. The Alicorns where the protector of the pony kind, they were the rulers and military power in the top of the social scale.
After several failed tries, it was decided that a new military force will be needed, because the lack of alicorns, it was made from all the ponies who volunteer. As he only alicorns awake the commander and his family where made the de facto leaders of the pony kind in the new colony planet of equestrian. It was with tears and blood that a new kingdom was born, they encountered new friends and new foes in this planet, but noting was technologically developed as them, even in the fact that they only had the bare minimum technology.
After several years the castle and town of Canterlot was born above the entrance of the mines to the Ark. And the first generation of settles gave pass to the next generation, and the next and so on. An almost all the records and stories about the Ark where lost. It was in a betrayal that their father was killed by the Griffins. The griffin always where blood thirsty, but the last king was the worst. They were hunting the zebra kind, the zebras could not maintain the griffin outside their home nation so they asked to the ponies for help to make a treaty. But this was a rouse, the griffins already have butchered the zebra royal family and where waiting in the shadows to strike at the ponies. Their father went to the meeting believing in the greater good, and returned mortally wounded but not in defeat but in triumph because he was carrying the severed head of the griffin king.
Their mother was killed by the last remnants of the griffin army in a battle that lasted two full days, se decimated three fourths of the griffin army by herself but it was not enough. The ponies mourned their fallen but they had hope in the children of their rulers.
Princes Celestia, continued telling her sister about the time she was in the moon sealed, that she found the Ark, and the History Banks. The Ark had an area dedicated to the knowledge and history of their kind, so she started to study, and two centuries later she had mastered all that. She started to repair some things and move some technology to her bedroom. It was this that enabled her to have access to the surveillance satellites left in the system of equestrian. It was with great pain the hearth that she discovered the warnings in the satellite grid. The enemy of every pony was incoming to the planet, the enemy of the Alicorn Empire, the great oppressor, the destroyer of worlds, the father of the pony kind, the betrayer and the life giver.
Princess Luna was scarred, her sister was telling her about something so terrifying, about an enemy in other level, but she needed to know, and asked:" Who is this enemy, which even the Alicorn Empire are afraid of?" Princess Celestia lifting one eyebrow tell her in an even voice: "Mankind".
Princess Luna was clueless: "Mankind? What are they?" Princess Celestia started to manipulate several levers in the room they were in, some light started to blink and some others stayed lit. With some whirling noise the light came on in the room, and then some light stated to light one after another in sequence in the room, revealing a gigantic warehouse with crystal blue tubes, inside them where alicorns, lots of alicorns. All of them where white coated alicorns, and all add the same coat of arms as the door, a red shield with some variants.
Princess Luna was lest speechless, here where the lost alicorns, but how can…, why where they…., then a light shone in Princess Luna eyes, and she told her sister: "You found a way to wake them! But why did you waited! They are our people, why did you left them here!" Princess Celestia, with a frown marred in her face asked her sister: "Will you have wake an entire army of all powerful alicorn in here, in equestrian, you know how hard our parents and all those generation of ponies fought for it? Will you dump all that hard won peace be dumped as toilet paper? Ok, I wake them and what? What will they do? They are soldiers! They need war! We are soldiers Luna, we are the commanders of this force. Have you ever wondered why our parents drilled all those phrases and conducts in our filly years? Do you have the power to stop ten warriors? How about twenty? How about one hundred and fifty alicorns? Now Luna can you stop one alicorn in power armor? If our mother decimated the griffin army WITHOUT her power armor, could you do the same!?"
Princess Luna was afraid, she eyed her sister and she saw pain in her eyes, she saw terror. She could maybe stop one alicorn, may be two, but one hundred and fifty, that was much, and now her sister told her that they could do it without armor, now a trained warrior in armor could do much more damage and she was terrified. But she was more terrified because her sister was here with her in this place filled with sleeping warriors and that made her ask: "Tia, you are awakening them! Is this Mankind that bad that you need to awake this soldiers!?"
Princess Celestia was afraid, she often presented an imperturbable front to their ponies, but now, after reading all the databanks, and knowing the feats of mankind, she has blown out her masked self. With a pained heart and a hoof in a big red button, surrounded with a square trimmed in black and yellow stripes she told her sister:" Yes Luna, we are in danger, our ponies are in danger, all of equestrian are in danger. I prefer to face a little of unrest in equestrian because the alicorns that a full blow war with mankind, a war we will lose. After all Luna we are the daughters of Hermes, he was our father, he was our mother, he created our kind, so we will fight in his name, and we will protect our ponies" And with that Princess Celestia pressed the button.
Red lights stated to drop from the ceiling, and a loud alarm started to sound. The same monotonous mare voice told: "Emergency protocol activated. Long range sensors activated. Unknown vessels detected in proximity with this vessel. Scanning. Emergency protocol Alpha activating. Arise sons and daughters of Hermes, the enemy is at the gates. Be the shield that protect, be the sword that defends."
With that, several tubes started to crack instead of being drained of the fluids within. Princes Luna was shivering with fear. Princess Celestia was manipulation several buttons and levers in the console she was in. With each movement was followed with a loud crack, several panels opened beneath the tubes and allowed to the liquid to be drained away. After that, a new panel opened in front of each tube and a powerful armor rise from the floor. They were colored in red and yellow motifs, and all have the same profile. Princess Luna watched in awe as this armors started to open in the back, clearly to allow a pony to enter it.
The armor had a clear visor for the eyes, and had an air filter at each side of the muzzle. In the neck was a chest plate that seemed that could take a boulder and don't have a scratch. The vest and the cape were made to look like a single piece to protect the body from all sides, and be capable of moving without being a hinder. The wing covers had a solid frame for the front of them, and almost see thought material at the wings side. The forelegs and hind legs had a big geared look, which could be used to reinforce a buck. In the center of the vest was a belt with an enormous gem colored in green witch was flashing in a sedated pace.
With an enormous thunder the first tube broke down, from it a powerful mare awake, mind numbed from the many years sleeping, but body following muscular memories ingrained since birth. After hearing the alarm, the mind awoke with a jolt. Dropping her hoof to the feeding belt and releasing the lock, the mare opened her eyes and saw the red lights and the armor open in front of her, processing the inputs, and after years of training she jumped inside the armor, this starting the systems and locking the armor in place. She was the taxiarhos of the corps, only one level below the strategos of the corps. She needed to be up before any pony and be down after any pony. Name, name, what was her name, she was running in autopilot, starting system after system, testing the forelegs, the hind legs, the wing covers, air filters. Name is… name is Sun Fire, yes that was her name she was Sun Fire of the Imperial Army. First in her class in the Academy, never defeated in combat. Now why was she here? Where was here? A vessel, yes a vessel, she was inside the Seventh Colonization Force of the HERMeS Corps in the Alicorn Empire. She was the shield and the sword, she was the protector and defense. A voice entered her ears, a monotonous mare voices telling her: "Welcome to the Hazardous Environments Recon Mechanized Suit. This suit is one hundred percent operational. Network testing in progress. Downloading status. Warning an Alpha protocol is enable. This suit will begin Alpha protocol pre-programed tasks. Injecting stimulant chemicals. Injecting adrenaline. Combat status ninety percent ready. Combat status inside normal parameters. Have a nice day."
Now with a cleared mind, Taxiarhos Sun Fire started to bark orders: "Attention! Any pony not ready in two will face a military court! Some pony shut that alarm off!" Not five seconds after she barked that order the alarm was shut off, and Princess Celestia was telling in the P.A. system: "Sorry about the delay but we have a situation. So, please come here to the control room Taxiarhos" lifting an eyebrow Sun Fire mentally asked herself who was the owner of that voice because the last time she was awake, they were under the command of a male alicorn, not finishing this line of thought she received her answer "I am Princess Celestia of the Equestrian and my Genetic Key is Alpha Mare Zero Two".
Alpha Mare Zero Two, that was the code given to the filly from Alpha Colt Zero One and Alpha Mare Zero One, but that voice was not from a filly, she know that much. Something was wrong, how much time where they sleeping, but that can be asked later, now she needed to be in the control room. Willing to move the power armor, Sun Fire was on her way to meet this Celestia Mare. In less than a minute she was inside the control room and was greeted with a strange sight. Here was a powerful mare, with a white coat marking her as an Alpha Mare, her mane was like blue, green and pink. Next to her was a dark blue coated mare marking her as a secondary Alpha Mare, some pony called them a backup mare, because they were born from Alphas but were born after the first filly? Shelving this line of thought, she presented herself: "Taxiarhos Sun Fire, present and awaiting orders!"
Princess Celestia was eyeing the mare in front of her, she was almost as tall as her, but had a bigger and toned frame, her horn was almost three quarters of hers, and she had penetrating green eyes. Her mane and tail where lines of red and yellow without mixing. Inside her armor she was a frightening sight. But she knew that the control of the situation was in the command line, so she needed to confirm with her that she was in fact the General Commander for the Ark, or like her father and mother told her she was now the Strategos. "I Princess Celestia of the Equestrian present to you the command codes for change of command in the case of death of the previous commander or command line, as the case of the fall of both commander and sub-commander and as the only alicorn of age available, I was selected as the General Commander of the Seventh Colonization Force." After this display of protocol, Princess Celestia started to say a sequence of numbers and letters. After finalizing her sequence, she waited for the response, Taxiarhos Sun Fire was render speechless, but years of training forced her to respond with her own codes, to with Celestia responded with the final phase:" Arise sons and daughters of Hermes, the enemy is at the gates. Be the shield that protect, be the sword that defends."
After this exchange of codes, Taxiarhos Sun Fire responded: "I Taxiarhos Sun Fire acknowledge your codes, and recognize you as the Strategos of the Seventh Colonization Force of the HERMeS Corps, what is the situation for the Alpha protocol, Sir!" Princess Celestia released a low sight as she was tense from the exchange, after all the codes where from nearly two millennia ago in the equestrian time, but she stated:" Taxiarhos, because the long time you and your men were sleeping" at this Sun Fire raised both eyebrows " at almost two plus millennia in the equestrian time, I will address you as Brigadier Sun Fire, and you and your men will address me as General o High Princess Celestia, later you will be debriefed in the troubles behind your long sleep, right now we have bigger problem. After two plus millennia, the colonization of equestrian was successful, but as an outer colony, you know the rules about technological development and with you and your men sleeping, only the commander and sub-commander where here to oversee and protect the colony. They fell in battle against some natives, but they decimated their forces enough that even after one and half millennia later they are still recuperating. The colony is oversee by my sister Princess Luna in the night time, and by me in the day time. The reason for your awakening is this, the oppressor is in his way to the colony. We have at most fifteen equestrian days to fortify and secure the colony and their satellite cities. We have political ties with at least twelve different races in this planet, so we need to warn them and possible aid them against the oppressor."
After hearing this the new renamed Brigadier Sun Fire responded: "Acknowledge, what is the status of the Ark?" Princess Celestia responded with another sigh: "The Ark is buried under a mountain, with only one point of access under the city of Canterlot at the center of the colony, the armed security forces in the colony only can provide enough pony power to protect and oversee the colonist, the actual battle and defense will be only your men, the birth rate for alicorn is two ever thousand years, so you will not have reinforcements. All the Ark will be at your disposition, if you need any help to move or fabricate anything tell me and how many numbers you need, we have a high population of ponies, unicorns and pegasi."
With those numbers, and hearing the status of the ark, Brigadier Sun Fire could only wince, after all they were against the oppressor, so it will be a bloody massacre if the oppressor found the colonists. And with only one hundred and fifty able hands it will be a logistic nightmare. Princess Celestia was watching with critical eyes at the new Brigadier, she knew the almost impossible task for her, but decided to help her a little, "Brigadier, because the unique situation in the orbit of equestrian, I can provide you with long day light, as I control the time the planet can have sun light, and my sister could help you in case you need some nigh time cover without moon light, because she controls the satellite orbit." Earing this Brigadier Sun Fire could only nod, after all the imperium will have not sent the Alpha Colt and Alpha Mare if they were weak.
So with this new input in the plans she begun making a sketch for the defense and fortification, the ponies could work more hours a day, but they needed to sleep well to rest for the next day and with the moonless night they will not have distractions, so yes they could make it work.
The Brigadier Sun Fire returned moved to the control console and begun transmitting the new orders, time tables and workload for every pony. Princess Luna only could stare at the fast paced movement of all the ponies in the place. She felt useless but knowing the high important job she had, she felt a little better. Princess Celestia asked to Brigadier Sun Fire: "Brigadier, I would like to move our assets to the city above the ark, and in case of last resort use the ark as a bunker." And after think a little she told her: "Also I will like for you to come with me now, so you could see in person the city and the possible place for emplacement of defenses, also I have some maps of the terrain. I will order the Royal Library to be moved to the Ark so we can save all our hard won knowledge, also dear Luna, the night guard will begin to mark and clear the path to and from the catacombs in the castle to the entrance for the Ark and make a clear road so we could move objects and people quickly."
After hearing this Princess Luna only could nod, and started to move with Princess Celestia and Brigadier Sun Fire towards the lift that got them here. She was absorbed in her thoughts when an idea popped up, and asked:"Tia, if our parents where the commanders, did they had an armor like the Brigadier? And if they had one we could have one also?" This stopped frozen Princes Celestia, and with an almost neck breaking speed she asked to the Brigadier: "Brigadier Sun Fire, is this possible?" The Brigadier stopped and begun thinking, as yes, the commanders had one armor, and if the armor was still in the usual place, that yes, they could modify it in the Ark workshop, so with a nod, the brigadier answer them: "Yes, they had a power armor, the most advanced of all of them at the moment, and if, if the armor is in the usual place, yes, we could modify the power armor for your needs, but you need to understand, one of them is for a stallion, so it will be clunky in comparison with the mare one."
With this new information, Princess Celestia ordered the refitting of their parent's armor for their needs. Brigadier Sun Fire barked some orders and soon the Ark begun to come to life again, all the damaged systems started to be repaired. With her orders followed, the brigadier proceeded to follow the Princess outside the ark. When they arrived at the catacombs in the Canterlot Palace, she uttered a small whistle. If the catacombs where like this, she couldn't wait to see the castle proper.
After arriving at the throne room, Princess Celestia proceeded to call the Royal Court. And as after thought she sent a letter to her student and candidate for alicorn, Twilight Sparkle, ordering her to recuperate all the books in Pony Ville and sent them to the Royal Library in the next train with Canterlot destination. She also order her to relocate to the Canterlot Palace with all the Elements of Harmony. With that out of the way, she ordered to the Royal Court that all the food in Equestrian Kingdom needed to be canned and sent here to Canterlot. This caused an uproar with the court, but it was quickly silenced by the sight of an armored alicorn emerging from the side door of the Royal Court.
The Royal Court never knew that there where another alicorn, and a battle alicorn at that. Even the Royal Guard was intimidated by both the size and imposing battle armor this alicorn was dressing in. With a clearer and a strong voice only found in a royal mare the alicorn addressed the court: "You will obey the orders of the High Princes Celestia without pause or doubt. You are only here because she deemed that you are needed. I don't think the same. So you will do your work, and do it will all your heart and strength. Because, if you don't do it, I will find other pony to do it for you." This caused a light shiver to travel up the backs of all the present ponies. After this, a brave unicorn arose and asked in an even voice, to avoid any conflicts: "May we know, who are you?"
At this the Brigadier turned to Princess Celestia and she gave a nod for her to present herself: "I am the Taxiarhos Sun Fire of the Seventh Colonization Force of the HERMeS Corps in the Alicorn Empire. Now because we are here you will refer to me as Brigadier Sun Fire, under the direct command of General Celestia." After this presentation all the present ponies had only one thought and that "When the in hay we got an army of alicorns and what is the Alicorn Empire?"