Chapter 21

"Nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing!" Twilight emitted a loud groan of frustration, and slammed the book in front of her shut before sliding it across the table, and into a pile of other books pulled from the shelves of the cities vast library. "Nothing about Sombra: nothing about how he's back, and nothing about how to beat him!"

She sighed and plopped her face down on the table.

"Hey, Twilight," called a boyish and altogether too cheery voice. "Making good progress?"

Twilight raised her head just enough to cast an angry glare at Lieutenant Marshall, who's smile faded into an uncomfortable expression.

"Uh… that's a no, then?" Marshall asked, glancing around for something that might divert her attention away from him.

Twilight sighed and straightened up. "There's nothing helpful in any of these books, Marshall." She cast a hoof towards the pile. "How are we going to stop Sombra without any information about him?"

"Well… I don't know," he admitted. "But you've only been looking through these books for a few hours, right? I'm sure there's plenty more to try, and it sounds like Sombra can't even get into the city as long as the Crystal thing—"

"Crystal Heart," Twilight corrected.

"Right, that. As long as it holds, we're in good shape."

"But, Lieutenant, it'll only protect us from Sombra as long as the Crystal Ponies can power it. After that, we're defenseless."

Marshall raised his eyebrows. "I take it you've got some reservations about our own defensive strategies?"

Twilight gulped, and then hesitated. Truthfully, she didn't know quite what to make of the American plans. It couldn't hurt to try, she supposed, but she was skeptical about its effectiveness.

"Well, let's think of it this way, Twilight. The Crystal Heart is powered by love, or goodwill, or some campy crap like that, right?"

Twilight nodded.

"Well, then don't you think that the Crystal Ponies will be reassured by our presence, and that'll…"—he paused and waved his hands—"do some magic stuff with the heart?"

It made sense enough, Twilight thought. "I guess you're right, Lieutenant." She glanced down and muttered. "I hope."

Opal Prism paced slowly down one of the Crystal Empire's many streets, accompanied by her friend, Red Diamond. They were life-long residents of the city, and had witnessed Sombra's reign, his downfall, and his return. And now, it seemed he was back at it again.

The pair rounder a corner, and stopped—they had encountered an American roadblock, and a red sign warned them not to proceed further. A small group of soldiers milled about a Stryker APC, which idled in the middle of the street, maybe fifty meters from Opal Prism and Red Diamond. Behind the infantryman and the armored vehicle stood a rectangular, green object angled towards the sky: a surface-to-air missile battery.

Neither of the Ponies knew it by its correct name, of course, but they were familiar with the sound it made. It had fired missiles intermittently throughout the night, and had kept Red Diamond's filly awake.

"Dear Celestia—look at it, Opal!" Red Diamond exclaimed, her eyes transfixed on the weapon. "Do you think they're on our side? Do you really think so?"

"That's what the Princess says," Opal Prism replied, a hint of skepticism evident in her voice.

"But what if they're being forced to say that?!" Red Diamond countered, and Opal Prism had no answer. With these sorts of weapons, who knew what the Humans were capable of? They had heard stories of how the Humans had helped Equestria, but the Crystal Ponies themselves had never witnessed it. The stories could easily be fabrications.

Just to the left of the two friends, a single young colt, who was apparently unconcerned by, or didn't believe the warning sign, ventured towards the cluster of American troops.

"Hey—stop him!" Red Diamond heard someone call. A second later the colt yelped in pain, turned tail and retreated away from the roadblock.

Peering around the Stryker, Lieutenant Forman watched him go with a slightly irritated look on his face. "Damn kids," the lieutenant muttered, shaking his head.

"Lieutenant, exactly what just happened?" Applejack asked, having witnessed the colt repelled with seemingly no actions by the Humans.

Lieutenant Forman grinned and gestured towards the APC with his head. "Stryker's outfitted with an ADW: Active Denial Weapon—nonlethal anti-crowd weapon."

Applejack inspected the Stryker. It had most of the features she had seen on others like it, but she did notice a green rectangular box, perhaps the size of a hale-bale, mounted on the rear, left corner.

Forman began to explain. "It uses electromagnetic waves to excite water and fat molecules—oh, well, never mind. The point is: we can protect this area without having to shoot anyone."

He paused for a moment. "Anyway, back to what I was saying earlier—we haven't had a single radar contact since zero-six-hundred local-time this morning. Looks like Sombra is a little less eager to show his face."

Applejack shook her head. "Lieutenant, I'm sure it ain't gonna' be that easy."

"Speak for yourself," Forman shrugged. "But if you ask me—oh what now?!" Forman peered over the Stryker, squinted his eyes at something, and heaved an exasperated sigh. Applejack became aware of the sound of angry boos and hisses, and when she peered around the armored vehicle, she saw a crowd of Ponies had collected at the end of the street, and were throwing angry glances towards the Americans.

"Are you serious? All this over one colt?!" Forman groaned as he climbed onto the roof of the vehicle. He peered into one of the open hatches and called to the occupants. "Hey—put a cork in this thing before it goes any further!"

Applejack saw the Active Denial Weapon—the green box—spring to life as it acquired its first target. The operator engaged the device, and panned its invisible beam across the crowd, which retreated one after the other. In a matter of seconds the angry crowd had been driven off, and the streets were quiet again.

"You're sure that things harmless, Lieutenant?" Applejack asked a bit uncomfortably as she watched the last of the retreating Ponies disappear around a corner.

"Completely harmless," Forman replied, and hopped off the top of the Stryker. "At any rate, they're a whole lot less harmful than our guns would be."

"Still seems to me you could've handled it better," Applejack said. "What if they come back?"

"Then Sergeant Jones'll zap 'em again," he replied with a nod towards a nearby soldier. "C'mon, let's get over to the library and check in on Twilight—By now, I'm sure she's got something."

"What do you mean she's got nothing?!" In the quiet of the library, Lieutenant Forman's question seemed to boom throughout the expansive room, and Lieutenant Marshall winced.

"Shh! Quiet, Jason!" He glanced back at Twilight, but she didn't seem to have taken notice—her eyes were still glued to the pages of the book levitating in front of her. Marshall let out a sigh of relief, and turned his attention back to Forman. "She's been working since we got here, but so far none of the books have been remotely helpful."

"Well…" Forman made an exasperated gesture with his hands. "How many books has she been through?!"

Marshall raised a hand and pointed toward a mountainous pile of books. Lieutenant Forman stared the pile over, blinked twice, and returned his gaze to Lieutenant Marshall.

"All that, and nothing?!"

Marshall nodded confirmation. "Nothing. It seems that King Sombra kept very quiet about the exact nature of his strengths and weaknesses, which makes sense. The last thing he'd want is people—and ponies—like us figuring out a way to beat him."

Forman let out a small sigh and glanced downward towards Applejack. "What do you think, Applejack?"

"If you're askin' me if she can do it, Lieutenant—I think we both know the answer to that."

Lieutenant Forman nodded. "Well, I guess now we wait—see what she comes up with."

"And shoot missiles at Sombra," Marshall added. "How's that going, by the way?"

"Dunno," Forman answered. "The SAM guys haven't seen anything since early this morning, but that doesn't mean Sombra isn't still out there. We really can't confirm a kill unless we find his dead body out in the snow somewhere."

"Dead bodies?! How repulsive!"

The three turned their heads and saw Rarity staring at them with her mouth agape. Captain Becker and the remaining Many Six were clustered around her.

Becker looked past his two subordinates, towards Twilight and observed all the discarded books piled around her. He then raised an eyebrow slightly and shifted his gaze back towards his men. "No luck, I take it?"

Forman shook his head. "No, sir."

"Well, have her take a break," Becker instructed. "Captain Thompson is out of the infirmary, and I don't think she'll want to miss this conversation."

Captain Thompson was waiting in the same room used during to meet with Major Proctor on the day of their arrival. As the Mane Six and Alternate Reality Group leaders made their way through the doorway, Thompson—with considerable effort—rose from his seat and stood.

"Captain," Becker greeted.

"Captain," Thompson replied, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

They all took their seats, and Becker continued. "We'll skip the formalities—if you would, Captain, explain to us exactly what happened when you were shot down."

Thompson leaned backwards and glanced up, recalling the events that had transpired. "Well, I was out on an evaluation flight with Lightning Dust; we've been using her to try and figure out how to coordinate Pegasi with our own aircraft. Anyway, the flight had been pretty much routine until I got something on my RWR—that's radar warning receiver for you ground-pounders." He paused for a second, running the events through his mind. "It reported radar from another aircraft, and then it said I was being shot at and after that… well, everything's kind of a blur."

"Can you tell us anything, Captain?" Twilight asked. "Anything at all?"

Thompson nodded. "I know that at one point, Lightning Dust and I got separated. I came around to find her and… there was this black cloud about to intercept her. I opened fire with my twenty-five millimeter, and the cloud veered off." He shrugged. "I don't know if I hurt it, or what. But I sure as hell didn't kill it."

Becker and Forman exchanged glances. If Thompson had indeed harmed Sombra, even insignificantly, it meant there was a chance their weaponry would be effective against him.

"I think that's about as much as I'm going to be able to tell you," Thomson said. "I had to eject shortly after that, and didn't see Sombra again until he attacked us when we were searching for Lightning Dust. Princess Cadence shot some sorta'… beam or something at him. Speaking of, how is she?"

"Uh… Princess Cadence?" Forman asked, confused. "She's fine, as far as we know."

Thompson gestured with his hand. "Not her; Lightning Dust!"

"Last I heard, she was still in the infirmary," Becker reported, and raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash, who had suddenly adopted a sour expression. "I don't think she's woken up yet."

"I'm sure she's fine, sir," Lieutenant Marshall reassured.

The door swung open, admitting Major Proctor and Princess Cadence. Proctor spoke before anyone had a chance to say anything, directing his words at Captain Thompson. "She's up—just came around."

Thompson leapt up from his chair and made his way to the door. Major Proctor stood aside to let him pass, and glanced at Becker as Thompson disappeared into the hallway. "The rest of you might want to come too," he suggested, and the rest of the room's occupants rose up and headed for the door. All, except Rainbow Dash.

"If it's cool with you guys," she said, "I'll just stay here."

Lieutenant Marshall frowned slightly, and addressed Becker. "I'll hang behind too."

Becker's eyebrows rose. "You're sure? This could be important."

Marshall shrugged. "Between you, Twilight, and Jason, I think you've got things pretty much under control. Besides, I never really cared for hospitals anyway."

Discussing the issue further would only waste precious time, so Captain Becker shrugged and followed Proctor into the hallway, along with the rest of the group. After the door was closed, Marshall waited a second or two and turned his body towards Rainbow Dash.

"So, Dash—what's up?"

She glanced at him and replied half-heartedly. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon Dash,"—Marshall walked around the table that separated them—"I saw that face you made as soon as you heard her name; you know her, and it's pretty obvious you don't like her."

Dash met Marshall's gaze for several seconds, and then relented. "Yeah, alright, I know her. We we're in the Wonderbolt's Academy together."

Marshall made a circular gesture with his fingers. "And?"

"And she was good," Dash admitted. "Good enough that Spitfire made her Lead Pony—she said she was willing to push herself more. But… Lightning Dust took all sorts of risks, all because she thought she was too good to fail."

Lieutenant Marshall shrugged. "Sounds like someone I know." He cast her a meaningful look.

Dash inhaled sharply, preparing to defend herself, until she realized Marshall hadn't insulted her, he had simply been stating an observation—the same observation that Ponies had made about her dozens of times. Regardless, there was one significant difference between her, and Lightning Dust. "Maybe you're right, Marshall. But I never put my friends in danger. Lightning Dust did."

"Danger?"

Dash nodded. "My friends were coming to visit me in Twilight's balloon, and Lightning Dust created a tornado that nearly knocked them out of the sky."

Lieutenant Marshall was silent for several seconds, before he finally nodded and spoke. "Yes… I can see how that might put some strain on a relationship." He hesitated. "Still though, Dash—Lightning Dust is right here with us in the fight against Sombra. You might not like her, but we're all on the same side."

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. "Look, Marshall. I get what you're trying to do, but you're wasting your time. I don't trust her—I can't trust her!"

Marshall paused. "Well, Dash," he began, "that's your decision to make. But sometime soon, you might be forced into a situation where you have to work with her, and I need to know if that's going to be a problem."

Dash's eyes locked with his, which were unusually somber. "I'll be fine, Marshall."

Lieutenant Marshall nodded. "Alright then, I believe you. Anyway, I'm going to head down to the infirmary and see what Forman and the others are getting out of Lightning Dust. You coming?"

She thought it over briefly. "Yeah, alright. I guess I've got nothing else to do."

"Lightning Dust, hello?"

"You said she was awake; what's going on?"

"She was up earlier, sir—maybe she still needs to rest."

"Dammit! Lightning Dust, wake up!"

Lightning Dust's eyes slowly cracked open. At first, all she could see was painfully bright light and her eyelids were forced into a squint. But once the world around her came into focus, she made out a large group clustered around her bed—a blur of faces which would take more mental effort than she was willing to exert to identify individuals.

"Uh… ugh—wha?" She managed, sitting up a little further in bed.

A Crystal Pony doctor stepped in close and examined her. After several seconds of close inspection, he stepped back and nodded to his colleague—an Air Force doctor wearing a white lab-coat over his ABU.

"She checks out, sir," the Human doctor reported to the man nearest her; Major Proctor.

"That's good to hear," Proctor replied. "You alright, Dust? You took a nasty fall there."

"How—'' she was interrupted by a fit of coughing. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been a few days," Proctor said. "We've got someone here you might want to see." He motioned with one hand, and one member of the crowd around her departed from the foot of her bed and make their way to her. Proctor stepped back to make room, and although it took her a second to focus on the features of the face, identification was almost instant—Captain Aaron Thompson.

"Aaron!" Lightning Dust sat up with a start, but a stabbing pain shot through her body. She winced and abandoned the attempt, falling back onto her bed.

"Easy!" Thompson exclaimed, placing a restraining hand on her chest. Lightning Dust let out a sigh as her body relaxed, and Thompson withdrew his arm. "Do you remember what happened?"

Her face scrunched up as the recalled the details. "We were flying," she began. She remember that much at least. "Something attacked us. There was an explosion… you went down, and after that…" she trailed off, then remembered something else. Lightning Dust locked eyes with Captain Thompson. "I got lost… and you came back for me."

Thompson shrugged it off. "It was nothing. But do you remember anything else? Anything after Sombra brought me down?"

"No… wait! Did you say Sombra? As in King Sombra?!"

Thompson nodded. "That's right."

"King Sombra's back, apparently," Major Proctor said. "All of us here have been trying to stop him."

This prompted Lightning Dust to look at those others surrounding her bed. In addition to Major Proctor and Captain Thompson, there were two other Humans who she did not recognize. Princess Cadence was near the head of the bed, opposite Thompson. And there at the foot of the bed was Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony, minus Rainbow Dash.

"This is Captain Becker and Lieutenant Forman," Proctor continued, introducing the two Humans. "They were some of the first men through the rift into Equestria. The rest, well, I'm sure you're familiar with them."

"If you know who Sombra is, I'm sure you're well aware of how important it is that we stop him," Captain Becker said. "You just had a pretty close run-in with him, so is there's anything else you can tell us…"

"I'm sorry, I—I've told you everything I can remember!"

"Well, let us know if there's anything—'' He stopped speaking and touched finger to his earpiece as his radio received a transmission.

"What is it?" asked Major Proctor, who lacked a radio.

"Sounds like trouble," Becker replied. "Right outside the castle."

"Trouble? Sombra?" Proctor demanded, as they left Lightning Dust's bedside and headed into the hall.

"Doesn't sound like it, sir," Becker said. "I could be wrong, but it sounds like it's the Crystal Ponies."

The Mane Six exchanged glances, but kept moving forward to keep up with the Americans—minus Captain Thompson, who elected to remain in the infirmary. They made their way through the castles passages and stairwells, into the entrance hall, and out into the open air where they found a huge mob of Crystal Ponies clustered around one side of the palace, kept at bay by five Strykers.

"Is that…"

"Looks like an angry mob, sir," said Becker.

Proctor glowered at the crowd, disbelieving. "What the hell are they pissed off at us for?! We're trying to help them!"

Just then, Lieutenant Marshall and Rainbow Dash came rushing out, and skidded to a halt next to Proctor and Becker.

"What's going on?" Marshall asked, directing his question toward anyone who would answer.

"Angry mob, Lieutenant," Proctor replied. "I'm about to take care of it." He set off towards the Strykers, each of which was outfitted with an ADW.

"Lieutenant Forman." Applejack trotted several paces closer to the lieutenant. "You don't think this might have somethin' to do with earlier this mornin', do ya'?"

Forman considered the question. "Damn. You know, it just might."

"Earlier this morning?" Becker asked. "What's she talking about?"

"Applejack and I were out checking on a SAM site, and some Colt wanted to get a closer look—closer than they're allowed to go. We turned him back with the ADW, and then some of the Ponies who saw came and protested, so we got them too."

Captain Becker looked thoughtful. "Well, if that's true, then…" He trailed off, detecting a peculiar flickering in the sky. For just a faint few seconds, the clear blue sky above the Crystal Empire disappeared, revealing a barren, dead-white landscape. It was as though the shield protecting the crystal empire was failing. The shield provided by the Crystal Heart, which drew its strength from the Crystal Ponies, who were at that exact moment angrily protesting.

Becker's head snapped towards the APCs, where their Active Denial Weapons were lurching to life. "Sir, wait!"

He was too late, though. On Proctor's command, the ADWs were engaged, sending the Crystal Ponies into a panic as they attempted to retreat from the blistering heat they felt. Some escaped, some fell and were trampled, and some Ponies had been in such dense clusters that they had no way of falling back and were repeatedly exposed to the riot-control device's beams. Ultimately though, the soldiers did succeed in removing the Ponies from the area without inflicting any lasting harm.

And then, the shield shattered.

Icy gales of wind jetted through the city, over rooftops and through the streets. The Mane Six and ALTREALCOM troops were struck suddenly and were forced to shield their eyes from the cold, stinging air.

"What's happening?!" Proctor shouted over the wind.

"The shield fell!" Becker roared back. "The Crystal Ponies aren't powering the heart any longer!"

Suddenly, the howling wind stopped, replaced by an eerie, unsettling calm.

"Now what's happening?" Lieutenant Marshall asked, unsure of why exactly he was whispering. "Twilight? Any ideas?"

She met his gaze, looking nothing short of terrified.

Just then, a deep booming laugh echoed throughout the city—the same laugh that Major Proctor heard when they were out rescuing Lightning Dust.

A nearby soldier raised his rifle and remarked to his friend, "That is so not good."

"King Sombra." Twilight's voice was little more than a harsh whisper. "King Sombra's in the city."

Authors note: Active Denial Weapons are, in fact, existing assets. Presently though, they more closely resemble a large radar-dish than the box described in this chapter.