I'm gonna say something now: contrary to some pics' treatment of Equestria's military capacity, the Equestrian Armed Forces of my 'verse have weapons tech on par with modern Earth's in most fields (including infantry weapons); their frequent armed conflicts with the gryphons, as well as with other threats like dangerous beasts, cultists, and recently the Hooviets, have necessitated weapons tech's advancement, especially as a result of frequent Arms Races with the gryphons.
Also: sorry for the wait. Big chapter, playthroughs of Dead Space 2 (in preparation for DS3's upcoming release) and Pokémon Black (because hey, why not?), and writer's block.
PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Project Corona Headquarters – Just Outside Canterlot
11 Years Ago
The 21-year-old young mare named Golden Tiara relaxed on one of the couches in the lounge of the base. In the two years since she and her brother were inducted into Project Corona, they'd participated in six major missions (four against gryphon pirates and two against Nightmare Cultists) and a handful of "lesser" ones, spending most of the rest of their time training. One of the biggest benefits Golden Tiara was reaping from her time with Corona was that she received training on how to better access and control her mysterious power.
Golden Tiara reached a hoof out toward a comic book halfway across the room. Her body was wreathed in a faint green energy that was concentrated around the hoof, her eyes glowing green. She moved her limb, and the book was 'pulled' to her. She dispelled her power and started reading.
From what Celestia could tell and had thus told her, her & Indigo Ember's mother had been exposed to some sort of substance while pregnant with the two of them. Indigo had been unaffected, but Golden had been altered by the substance, as it merged with her body, forming 'nodules' spread throughout her body, linked to her nervous system. There were, strangely, no adverse effects (well, besides that using her odd power made her rather hungry), and it somehow allowed her to manipulate gravity and mass in certain ways. It had come in handy a few times growing up; after being inducted into Corona and properly trained, helped to better control it, it had become invaluable.
"Goldie?"
She turned her head away from Spider-Stallion's fight against The Buzzard, finding her twin standing there, grinning.
"Better finish up, sis" Indigo Ember said. "The Bosses want us for a mission debriefing in 15 minutes. We're going out."
-SCENE BREAK-
Project Corona Deployment/Extraction VTOL Aircraft #2, Designate Echo-589
Catacomb Mountain (35 minutes' flight from Capital Mountain)
Same Day – Sunset
Tiara felt what she could only describe as "relaxed excitement" as the dropship neared their objective. A team consisting of her and a few other Agents were to infiltrate the caverns inside the aptly-named Catacomb Mountain. Recent events had confirmed it to be the sight of a Shadow Slasher nest. Shadow Slashers were vicious creatures of Darkness, created by some dark mage hundreds of years ago and continuing long after his death. They preyed upon the mana and life-force of living things, and also fed on the ambient magic near planetary magical nexuses. They were self-replicating to some degree; Celestia had made many attempts to wipe them out over the centuries, to no avail, and cullings of their numbers were somewhat frequent, especially when they nested near populated areas.
Golden Tiara looked down at herself, clad head to tail in her powered armor – a pinkish-purple color, with deep-green bits here & there, a green visor providing a HUD to her eyes, and on the armor's flanks was a large, bright-green "Γ". She was Agent Gamma, and she was second-in-command for this op. She looked out at her squadmates. Her brother Indigo sat next to her, the unicorn clad in dark-purple armor with deep-blue portions, and a big blue "X" on his armor's flanks – Agent Chi. Across from them sat one of Golden's closest friends: the pegasus named Azure Feather. She had light-blue fur and a white mane & tail with a single black streak. She was wearing aqua-colored armor with off-white bits, and on her armor's flanks was a big white "O" – Agent Omicron. "Azzy" was fun-loving, a little tomboyish, loved to party, and she & Golden were as close as sisters.
Next was Sandtail, an Earth Pony mare with tan fur and dull-brown mane & tail; she was wearing light-brown armor with black bits, and on her armor's flanks was a big charcoal-colored "Θ" – Agent Theta. Sandtail, or "Sandy", was a bit stuffy, and tended to ramble on about boring stuff, but she had a good heart, and contrary to what some thought, she did have a (rather dry) sense of humor. Then came Cooled Sunbeam, a unicorn stallion with dull-green fur and dull-orange mane & tail, presently clad in red-orange armor with yellow bits, a large green "Ψ" on his armor's flanks – Agent Psi. Sunbeam was another of Golden Tiara's "precious ponies" – they were very close, and there were the stirrings of what could be more than friendship between them.
Last was Steely Stare, a rather large and muscled Earth Pony stallion, with dull-grey fur and lighter-grey mane & tail; he was wearing white armor with orange bits, and his armor's flanks bore a big black "Σ" – Agent Sigma. Stare was a very quiet pony; he hardly ever spoke, and when he did it was short and to-the-point. Golden could swear she'd heard him say maybe eight or ten words since she first met him. His rarely-heard voice was deep and gruff, almost growling, which added to his intimidating appearance. He was very strong and durable, even for an Earth Pony, and he could get rather… brutal in a fight. Nonetheless, he was also fiercely loyal to those who'd earned his trust, and would stop at nothing to see a mission through.
The dropship soared amongst the mountains, and soon arrived at its destination. A small (around 80 feet), relatively flat part of the mountain had a cave entrance. The VTOL aircraft slowed to a halt and swung around, so the rear hatch was about 10 feet directly above the natural platform of rock. The hatch opened, and the six-pony team easily made the jump.
"Away team, we'll set down on the next hill and keep our ears open for ya" the pilot reported via their helmet comms.
"Copy that, pilot" Agent Psi replied. "Be advised, though: once we get in deep, communications will probably drop."
"Understood. Good hunting."
As the dropship flew away, the assault team entered the cave. Each of them readied their forelimb-mounted weapons – Gamma and Omicron had submachine guns, Chi and Psi had marksman rifles, Theta had an assault rifle, and Sigma wielded a shotgun. They advanced through the presently-empty cavern, the light of the setting sun fading behind them; they activated their helmet's built-in flashlights. Sigma took the lead, while Theta covered the rear. Their footsteps echoed through the cave as they cautiously progressed deeper in.
A few minutes in, they heard a snarl, but were unable to tell where it came from. They readied themselves, looking all around. Suddenly, something dropped from the ceiling, landing amongst the group. It was around six feet tall, with long, thin arms that ended in huge claws, and its entire body was pure black except for its glowing red eyes. It hissed, revealing a mouth that was just one big, glowing-red maw rimmed by sharp triangular teeth. Before it could do anything, a blast from Steely Stare's shotgun took it down.
"Well, at least we know we're in the right place" Cooled Sunbeam said as he watched the Shadow Slasher's body disintegrate into particles of Darkness and fade away.
The team moved on, wary of further ambush attempts. They soon acquired a new source of light in the form of luminescent crystals growing from the floor, ceiling, and walls here & there, bathing everything in cool blue light. Agent Psi used a Scanning Spell on them, finding them to be filled with raw planetary mana.
"They could be using these crystals as a food source…" he muttered.
As the team reached a wider chamber, there was a screeching howl as a pack of eight Shadow Slashers suddenly ran in from the passage ahead. Golden Tiara lashed out with a tightly-focused shockwave of her power which knocked three of them backward, while Theta and Chi opened fire, destroying two more. Agent Sigma calmly walked toward them, firing his shotgun to kill one, and caught the punch of another; he then dealt his own forelimb strike that caved the dark creature's chest in and sent it flying back into the wall. Psi and Gamma then took down three more. The last one tried to retreat, only for Omicron to tackle it to the ground and unload a dozen rounds into the back of its head.
The next 40 minutes went much the same way: stalking through corridors and fending off occasional ambushes which were slowly growing in intensity. By the time they neared the deep heart of the caverns, they were under near-constant assault. Finally, though, they reached the deepest, very large central chamber of the mountain… and bit back gasps as they saw what was already there.
The cavern was full of those mana-laced crystals. And the walls and ceiling were crowded with dozens upon dozens of slumbering Shadow Slashers.
"There's enough of these things to wipe out half of Canterlot…" Sandtail breathed out.
"Look there" Indigo Ember gestured to a large black swirling thing on the bottom of the chamber. "That's a spawning pool. My guess it's built atop and tapped into a planetary mana nexus. …So as many as there are already, there's gonna be a lot more soon."
"They're building an army" Cooled Sunbeam said. "They've gotta be planning to attack the capital. …We need to warn Celestia; she's the only one with the magical firepower necessary to safely deal with these things before they wake up."
"Too late" Steely Stare murmured, pointing at a pack of around 20 awake Shadow Slashers coming from the side, hissing and snarling as they crawled across their sleeping fellows and towards the Corona team.
Golden Tiara lashed out, grabbing hold of one of the creatures with her powers, hoisting it into the air and then slamming it down with great force, killing it and releasing a short-range shockwave on impact that stunned three more of the creatures, allowing Indigo and Sunbeam to zap them with magic bursts. Stare dealt a few crushing blows to take down a few more Slashers, while Sandtail bucked another one hard enough to destroy it. However, she then looked at the way the team had come in.
"There's more coming behind us!" she shouted.
(MUSIC: Mass Effect 3 OST – "Aralakh Company" – 0:40 to 2:08)
The strike team now found themselves boxed in between two equally large groups of Shadow Slashers, all charging toward them.
"Weapons free!" Agent Psi shouted as he shot one between the eyes. "Gunfire won't wake a sleeping Shadow Slasher; only the call of a Slasher Alpha will!"
Agent Theta's assault rifle took down three of the Shadow Slashers charging in from the back, while Agent Sigma's shotgun tore the head off one coming from the front. Gamma used her powers to pull one through the air into a magic blast from Psi, and then another for Omicron to ventilate with her SMG. Sigma then bucked a charging Slasher so hard that it smacked into two behind it hard enough to destroy them with it. The sextet formed a circle, blasting away at any dark creatures that got within their sights.
Suddenly, Cooled Sunbeam cried out as a Shadow Slasher that had been clinging to / crawling along the ceiling dropped down on top of him, the long, sharp talons on its right hand piercing through a (relatively) weak spot on his torso armor, one of the claws sinking deep into his body, leaving a wound that began to bleed at a worrying rate. Steely Stare snarled as he blasted the offending creature with his shotgun, tearing its arm off. Its screech was cut off as he 'punched' it as hard as he could, sending it into the wall with a splat.
Golden Tiara gasped in horror at seeing her love interest wounded, and shock then turned into fury, her eyes growing bright green. She stood on her hind legs, forelimbs crossed over her chest, as her entire body glowed with power. After a few seconds, she let out a shout… and a shockwave that sent a dozen Shadow Slashers flying, killing eight of them. The others kept coming, however, and the team continued firing, but the dark creatures were now stunned and in fewer numbers, and were soon dealt with, the last falling to a shot from Psi's rifle. He then slumped to the ground, holding a hoof to his wound.
"This isn't good" Indigo Ember said. "He's gonna bleed out if we don't get him some help, and fast."
"I screwed up" Cooled Sunbeam groaned. "Shoulda been watching the ceiling."
"Keep it together, Sunny" Golden Tiara said, a slight waver in her voice. "W-We're gonna get out of here, zoom back to Canterlot, and warn Celestia about these things so she can take them out."
Azure Feather gasped as she saw something in the main chamber. "We might not get the chance" she said, pointing.
Everyone turned to look, and saw a unique-looking Shadow Slasher emerging in the center of the massive chamber. It was around eight feet tall, with a more heavily-muscled build than its counterparts, a pair of horns on its head, and spikes growing from its forearms and elbows. And it was looking right at the Corona team. It reared its head back, and let out a loud, echoing howl. In response, the hundreds of dormant Slashers began to stir.
"Run" Agent Psi said.
The group immediately turned tail and ran, Indigo supporting/half-carrying Sunbeam, with Azure and Golden providing suppressive fire to try and keep the Slashers' heads down. They retreated as fast as they could, fighting through Shadow Slashers that tried to ambush them as they gradually made their way up & out of the mountain. As they reached a large (though not as much as the central) chamber, however, Cooled Sunbeam collapsed, coughing and holding a hoof to his wound.
"W-We're not gonna make it at this rate" he gasped out.
"Don't you dare say that!" Golden Tiara said. "We can make it!"
Sunbeam shook his head, and reached up to remove his helmet. "I'm losing too much blood" he said. "And besides… even if we make it out… by the time we get the warning to the higher-ups, those things will have reached the capital by the time a response can be put together. We need to take them out here and now."
"We don't have anything that can do that" Azure Feather said. "There must be nearly 200 of those things in these caves!"
"There is one thing" Cooled Sunbeam said. "A mana bomb."
The others gasped lightly. The mana bomb was one of Equestria's most powerful weapons, yet also its most specialized. It was a unique magitech weapon that unleashed a massive wave of raw mana. It had little to no effect against most living beings, but was devastating against magical constructs, like Star-Beasts and Shadow Slashers. One could be set off to wipe out an entire horde of Shadow Slashers or heavily wound an Ursa Major while leaving the ponies being attacked by them unharmed.
"We don't have one with us, in case you haven't noticed, sir" Sandtail said.
"No we don't," he replied, "but I can duplicate the effects of one… if I trigger a Mana Core Transition Explosion – take my Mana Core, overload and release it, converting the energy of my body into a wave of mana."
(MUSIC: 2:09 to END)
Golden Tiara removed her helmet. "No… Sunbeam, if you do that you'll die!"
He coughed. "I'm already going to die, Goldie. I've lost too much blood. Besides, if I don't, those things will get loose and devastate Capitol Mountain."
"Boss, t-there's gotta be another way…" Indigo Ember said.
"There isn't, Indie. This is our only choice. …Remember that part of the oath we took: defend Equestria and its citizens no matter the cost."
Tiara ran up to him, tears building in her eyes. "I can't lose you!" she said. "Please… don't do this…"
Sunbeam closed his eyes as a calm smile formed on his face. "Goldie… I'm sorry. I have to do this, for your sake… for everyone's sake." A turquoise glow was visible from within the holes in his armor, coming from within his body, faint at first but slowly growing in brightness. "It's already done."
"No…" she whimpered.
He leaned forward and kissed her. She could taste his blood. "Go" he said. "Find somepony who'll make you happy. …I'm so proud to have served with you" He turned to the others. "With all of you…"
There was a howl from the tunnels behind, as the Shadow Slasher horde grew nearer.
"Go!" Sunbeam ordered. "I'll deal with them!"
Reluctantly, the others stepped back, Azure pulling Golden away. Steely Stare depolarized his visor, meeting eyes with Sunbeam. He nodded and then saluted, and then turned and ran with the others. Cooled Sunbeam, Agent Psi, readied his rifle. The horde poured in, and he began firing, taking them down as quick as he could, but it seemed that for each one that fell three more took its place. A seemingly endless wave of the dark creatures rushed into the room from several directions, all focusing on the lone, defiant, dying pony that stood between them and freedom. The Slasher Alpha emerged, rushing at Sunbeam, who now had a plainly visible turquoise glow of energy from within his wounds and from his eyes.
As he felt his final seconds passing, saw his body slowly becoming transparent around an ever-brightening point of light, Cooled Sunbeam rushed at the Alpha, tackling it. Then, with a blinding flash of light, Cooled Sunbeam ceased to exist. His body and his Mana/Linker Core transformed into a huge, rapidly-expanding sphere of light that engulfed the Shadow Slashers, which were all utterly annihilated instantly. The wave raced out through the mountain, smashing through the breeding chamber and destroying the spawning pool and the Slashers still there. The fleeing team neared the cave exit, seeing moonlight and hearing Slashers pursuing them, when suddenly the wave passed over them, leaving them untouched while obliterating the dark creatures on their heels. Golden Tiara shed a tear as she felt Sunbeam's magical energy signature one last time.
The dropship was there in seconds, and soon the surviving team was on its way back to Canterlot.
"This is Dropship Echo-589 calling Castle Base" the pilot said over the comm.
"Roger, 589, this is Digamma" Celestia's voice replied.
"Mission accomplished. Returning home with five souls onboard."
"Five? Please clarify."
"Agent Psi is KIA, ma'am."
There was a long pause. "I… I see… I'll debrief the... rest of the team later. Bring them home for now. I will… prepare to inform Cooled Sunbeam's family."
"Copy that. 589 out."
-SCENE BREAK-
Six Years Ago (Five Years After Previous Record)
Golden Tiara Rich entered the armory at a leisurely pace, ready to arm up for the mission she'd just been assigned to. She walked over to her locker, opening it and smiling at the pictures on the inside of the door: her marrying Filthy Rich three years ago, her holding the newborn Diamond Tiara half a year after that, and a recent picture from her most recent four-month stay at home, with the now-three-year-old little filly happily sitting on her back as she and her husband posed for the camera.
There was also a picture of her and her husband chasing off that rude journalist who'd made a few inaccurate assumptions and said some rather insulting things because of them; Golden Tiara had only found out that Filthy Rich was, well, filthy rich after she'd already fallen in love with him. Filthy hadn't taken well the accusations that his wife was a greedy gold-digger.
"Hello, ma'am!" a cheery voice said from nearby.
Golden Tiara turned, and caught sight of the excitable young Earth Pony stallion: Bronze Blitz. He had bronze-colored fur and a dark-brown mane & tail, a Cutie Mark of a pair of camouflaged binoculars (his Special Talent was scouting, of all forms), and a spark in his blue eyes. He was 19 to her 26, and she had essentially taken him in as a mentor and big-sister figure, which he'd quickly grown comfortable with. He looked up to her, and was always trying to make her proud. He was a tad reckless and impatient, but he had a good head on his shoulders all the same. And damn, was he quick on his feet; his agility and running speed were superb. His locker, next to hers, bore a big, tan-colored "Φ" – Agent Phi.
"Hey, Blitz" she said. "Ready for our next op?"
"You bet, ma'am!" he said with an excited smile. "Extremist holdouts from the Fourth Gryphon War, right?"
"That's right" Indigo Ember said as he walked in. "A bunch of Blade-Wing's gryphon-extinction-wanting followers, along with a hefty dose of mercs and pirates as hired guns. They're planning a terrorist attack on the Armistice Day parade in the mainly-gryphon city of Wingcinatti. So you, me, Goldie here, and Agents Omicron, Sigma, Pi, and Upsilon are gonna go in and stop 'em."
"Our target, their leader, is this bastard right here" Golden Tiara said as she pulled out a file, opening it to reveal a picture of a pegasus stallion with dark-grey fur, white mane & tail, only one wing, and a face bearing the scars from a gryphon's talons. "This is Steel-Hoof, one of Blade-Wing's nephews. He's got a load of bad guys for us to fight under his command, and every one of them is as nuts as him, filled with hatred of gryphons and of Celestia and her supporters. Lethal force is authorized. Are you ready for that, kid?"
Bronze Blitz nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I'll do what's necessary to protect innocent lives, ma'am. That includes killing bad guys so they can't hurt civilians in the future."
Tiara nodded. "Arm up, Blitz. We leave in an hour."
-Mini-Break-
(MUSIC: Red vs. Blue Season 9 OST – "Pelican Cruise / Infiltration")
The two chariots, pulled by disguised Equestrian Air Force personnel, soared over the streets of Wingcinatti, flying between the tall buildings that the gryphons tended to favor – multi-story offices and apartment complexes, mostly. The city was home to a good-sized pony population alongside the gryphon majority, so earth ponies and pegasi could be seen out & about. Gamma, Chi, and Sigma rode in one chariot. Gamma looked over at the other one. Phi, his bronze armor shining in the evening sun, was riding with two other ponies; the first was a unicorn mare wearing white armor with blue bits, and had a big blue "Π" on the side – Agent Pi, Crystal Shard. The other was an Earth Pony stallion in gray armor with purple bits, a big purple "Y" on the armor's flanks – Agent Upsilon, Silent Stride. Lastly, Agent Omicron, being the only pegasus of the team, flew alongside the chariot carrying Gamma, Chi, and Sigma.
"Here's the plan" Gamma said over the team comm. channel. "We need to infiltrate their main facility, a 25-floor building. We've determined that Steel-Hoof is holed up somewhere between the 15th and 23rd floors. Team 1 – that's me and my group – will be inserted on the 13th, while Team 2 is placed on the roof. We'll work our way towards each other, combing each floor; if you find him, send the word. Let's try to remain undetected for as long as we can, but if our cover's blown that doesn't necessarily mean the mission's a bust. Priority number one is Steel-Hoof's assassination; whether or not he sees it coming is irrelevant so long as that goal is accomplished."
The target structure was soon in sight, an innocuous-looking office building. Team 2's chariot went up to the roof, landing so the three aboard could disembark. Team 1's flew down to beside the 13th floor, making it up close undetected, hovering beside a large window of an empty hallway. Indigo Ember carefully cut the glass with magic, making a hole big enough for the four to hop through, and then gently telekinetically set the circular piece of glass back where it was, applying a clear adhesive substance to keep it in place. There was no-one else in the hall, and Team 1 moved on.
Meanwhile, Team 2 had clandestinely entered the building, Upsilon quietly neutralizing the lone guard at the bottom of the stairs (and hiding the body) as they arrived on Floor 25. They skulked through corridors and rooms, hiding in closets or behind furniture whenever someone came along. They quickly made a sweep of the 25th floor, finding no signs of Steel-Hoof or any hints of his exact whereabouts, and made their way down to the 24th floor. Meanwhile, Team 1 had swept the 13th and 14th floors and was entering the 15th.
Team 2 reached the 23rd floor, exiting the stairwell and entering an office… and finding three hired mercenaries waiting for them. The mercs were surprised, but quickly moved to draw their weapons. The Corona agents didn't give them the chance; Phi fired a burst from his silenced SMG, taking one of them down, while Upsilon's silenced pistol took out another with two quick shots, and Pi hit the third with a Stunning Spell that left him wide open to a coup de grace from Phi. They policed the bodies, but found nothing useful.
"Team 1, this is Team 2" Agent Gamma said over the comm. "Anything yet?"
"Negative, ma'am" Agent Pi replied. "Nothing so far. How's it going on your end?"
"We found their armory. Sigma's got a new gun. And we had to deal with some nut with a flamethrower."
"Yeah, that guy was a dick" Agent Chi chimed in.
"We're making our way up to the 17th floor now."
"We're on the 23rd, gonna start our sweep."
"Roger that. Good luck."
The two teams continued to make their way towards each other. The 23rd, 22nd, 21st, 20th, 17th, and 18th floors provided no luck, with the 18th being full of hostiles, leaving Team 1 having to move slowly to avoid detection. Finally, they met up in the stairwell at the 19th floor. Upsilon eyed Sigma's new weapon: a grenade launcher with a double-bayonet slung underneath.
"That's a good look" he said to the large, silent pony.
"This is it" Golden said. "If he's not on this floor, he's not in this building."
The seven spec-ops soldiers moved out, avoiding detection thanks in part to a curious shortage of hostiles on this floor. They soon came together near the last unchecked door, Omicron and Upsilon quietly neutralizing the two guards stationed outside it. They stacked up, and on three they breached the door, weapons raised… and came face to face with an active explosive charge which, tripped by the door opening, began a four-second countdown.
"Did you really think I didn't know you were coming?" an audio recording of Steel-Hoof's voice said.
Golden Tiara, thinking fast, used her powers to conjure a Barrier, just in time for the bomb to go off, devastating the room and shattering the windows. The blast knocked everyone for a loop, but the shield held off enough of the blast to protect them from serious harm. Seconds later, the next door opened, and the one-winged pegasus took off running.
(CHASE/BATTLE MUSIC: Mass Effect 3 OST – "A Cerberus Agent" – 0:00 to 1:06)
"There he goes!" Crystal Shard shouted.
Bronze Blitz took off running in hot pursuit, shooting down two enemy soldiers who got in his way. The other six got to their feet as quickly as they could, but a fair number of hostiles were closing in, aimed to slow their pace. Steely Stare growled as he brought his new grenade launcher to bear, firing two high-velocity explosives that took out three enemies. Golden Tiara focused her power and created a green-tinged black sphere hovering in midair, and five enemies found themselves hoisted up by its gravity, flailing helplessly in the air. Three more shots from Sigma's grenade launcher took them all out.
Agent Phi continued chasing Steel-Hoof, never losing sight of his target for more than half a second. Any hostiles that got in his way, he stunned or killed without breaking stride. He could faintly hear the carnage behind him as the other six fought to catch up, but he couldn't slow down to wait for them, lest Steel-Hoof make his getaway. He ran up stairs after his target, gunning down anyone who tried to get in his way.
Steel-Hoof reached the roof, and made a sprint for a waiting chariot, two of his fittest men ready & waiting to pull it – and him – to safety at top speed. Suddenly, however, a few well-aimed SMG shots took them both down. Steel-Hoof skidded to a stop and spun around, finding Bronze Blitz standing there, SMG in hoof. He snarled and charged at the agent with surprising speed, using his lone wing to provide course corrections to dodge Blitz's shots. He quickly closed in, knocking Agent Phi's gun away and lashing out with a blow to the head, which Blitz blocked. Blitz then went for a hindleg kick to Steel-Hoof's left kneecap, but the old soldier dodged.
The fight continued, Steel-Hoof's strength and experience versus Bronze Blitz's speed, agility, and natural skill. The two combatants seemed evenly matched, neither able to gain an upper hand over the other. Agent Phi's visor was cracked by a blow from Steel-Hoof, and his counterattack broke something on Steel-Hoof's wing. A double-kick from Steel-Hoof cracked Phi's torso armor and two of his ribs, and a one-two blow from Blitz injured Steel-Hoof's back. Both dealt and took blows, and neither gave in.
"I'm not letting you get away!" Blitz shouted as he tackled Steel-Hoof, the two rolling along the roof while punching each other. They broke apart and rolled to a stop, panting.
"You're certainly impressive, boy" Steel-Hoof said. "But things end here."
"The only one ending here is you!" Blitz shouted as he charged.
The door to below could be heard opening, but the other six Corona operatives were helpless to stop what happened next. Steel-Hoof smirked, dodging Blitz's attack… and picking up Blitz's discarded SMG, which he'd landed beside after the rolling tussle a minute earlier. Blitz barely had time for his eyes to widen before the weapon was fired point-blank, several rounds penetrating his damaged armor and tearing through his body. Steel-Hoof followed up with a leg-sweep that knocked Blitz onto his back, and then a two-hoof stomp down onto his torso.
There was a wordless cry of fury, and Steel-Hoof suddenly felt himself enveloped in ever-tightening pressure, a green glow grabbing his body. He saw the purple-armored Corona agent, her hooves glowing green and a green glow coming from behind her visor. Golden Tiara hoisted Steel-Hoof high, and then slammed him down onto the roof hard enough to crack the concrete. She then slammed him into a wall with bone-crushing force, and then slammed him down again head-first, cracking his skull like an egg and killing him instantly. She left the body where it lay and ran over to Blitz's side, finding him letting out ragged gasps for breath, blood pooling beneath him.
(MUSIC: 1:07 to END)
"This is Agent Gamma to Dropship Echo-589!" she shouted into the comm. "Target is terminated, but we have an Agent down! We need immediate extraction and medical attention!"
"Solid copy, Gamma. Echo-589 inbound."
"Ma'am…" Bronze Blitz rasped out.
"Don't talk, Blitz" she said. "Stay awake! You're gonna be alright, the ship's coming. Just stay with us, alright?"
There was a bang as Steely Stare used his grenade launcher to take out a pair of Steel-Hoof's men who came up the stairs. Upsilon and Chi joined him in covering the door. Soon, Echo-589 soared in, VTOL jets firing as it swung around and touched down on the roof. Pi and Gamma carried Chi aboard, with the other agents following. The hatch closed, and the aircraft took off, engines at full throttle.
-Mini-Break-
(MUSIC: Mass Effect 3 OST – "I'm Proud of You")
The dark passenger compartment of the dropship, lit up by faint blue lights, was a flurry of activity, as the agents frantically tried to keep their wounded member alive. Bronze Blitz' armor had been removed, and his blood now stained the fold-out table he'd been placed on. They were doing everything they could. But it was a losing battle.
"Ms. Tiara…" he rasped out.
"I'm right here, Bronze" she replied, holding his forehoof. "Stay awake, kid. Come on."
"Did… Did we get him?"
She forced a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, we got him. You held him off long enough for us to catch up and take him out."
He smiled. "So I did do some good. Are you… proud of me now…?"
"Yeah" she nodded, choking up. "We're all proud of you, Blitz. We succeeded, thanks to you. You've done us all proud."
His smile got a bit bigger, as his eyes started to close. "That's good" he whispered. "T-Thank you… ma'am…"
"Blitz… H-Hey, c'mon Blitz, stay awake!"
"Thank… y…"
"C-Come on, Blitz! Stay with me! Stay…"
She stopped as she saw his eyes close, felt his hoof go limp, heard him let out his last breath. She stared for several seconds, unmoving, silent, unwilling to accept it. Then, her tears began to fall. She slowly rested her forehead on his hoof, weeping softly, barely aware of Azure Feather's wing going around her, holding her close.
The mission had been accomplished, but at a price that none of them felt was worth it.
-SCENE BREAK-
4 Years Ago (Two Years After Previous Record)
Golden Tiara, Agent Gamma, kept her eyes peeled as she walked down the path. She, Chi, Omicron, Sigma, and Theta were presently serving as armed escort for a dignitary from Neighpon. He was accompanied by a long hand-picked bodyguard: an unassuming unicorn stallion with grey fur and black mane & tail, who the dignitary introduced as Kurosuke. Golden Tiara could tell that this 'Kurosuke' was, in fact, much more formidable and skilled than appearance suggested; he was just as alert as the Corona agents, though he hid it, his grey eyes darting to & fro as they moved, and she could faintly make out concealed weapons in the clothing he wore. It was likely that he was one of Neighpon's elite "Shinobi" special-ops soldiers.
For the entirety of the dignitary's presence within the country's borders, he and his bodyguard were escorted by four or five Corona agents. Tiara's group was in charge of bringing him from Trottingham to just outside Ponyville, where Agents Alpha, Beta, Epsilon, and Omega would bring them to Canterlot and to the castle. Right now, they were traveling around the edge of Everfree Forest, about 25 minutes from Ponyville. Things had been quiet so far, the setting sun casting everything in an orange glow.
"Less than half an hour to go before we hit the next exchange point, sir" Agent Gamma said.
"Good" the old dignitary said as he walked along, surprisingly keeping pace with the younger ponies. "Very good. I am thankful that this visit has not been too exciting."
"Yet" Agent Chi added. "Best not jinx us, sir."
The old dignitary chuckled. "Of course."
Suddenly, a figure leapt down from the nearby trees, landing in the group's path in the middle of the old dirt trail. It looked to be an Earth Pony stallion, his body hidden in a black robe, with a hood over his head; there was a faint trace of dull orange underneath the hood, and the group quickly realized he was wearing a mask. Everyone went on guard, readying themselves.
"Identify yourself!" Gamma ordered.
"Impressive discipline, all of you" the masked stallion said. "I feel that killing my target will be more difficult than I had anticipated."
"Who sent you?" Theta asked.
"I work alone. Or rather, I am the leader of the organization I belong to."
"Whatever your deal is, we won't let you kill the dignitary!" Omicron shouted.
The masked stallion chuckled. "Did I ever say that the old man was the one I'm after?"
He then disappeared, and the Corona agents' heads turned as they caught sight of the figure with a kunai in his hoofs, locking blades with Kurosuke.
"Impressive" the masked man said. "How long have you been in this transformed state to become so comfortable and fast in it?"
"Who are you?" the shinobi stallion asked. "What quarrel do you have with me?"
"I'm forming a… collection of sorts. It took a while to track you down to this realm. You have something that I want… Uchiha Kurosuke."
The gray stallion's eyes widened. 'How does he know me?' he thought. Then he gasped as he caught sight of what was visible behind the single eye-hole of his attacker's mask. 'Who is he?-!'
The masked stallion suddenly leapt away, barely dodging a high-speed aerial tackle from Azure Feather. He stood his ground as Steely Stare lashed out with a running kick… and phased right through the masked figure like he wasn't there. Milliseconds after Stare cleared the mysterious foe, the masked figure lashed out with a kick to the departing stallion, sending him rocketing into a tree.
"Yes…" the masked stallion said as he looked into Kurosuke's now-red eyes. "Those eyes of yours shall join those of our clansmen in my collection."
Kurosuke's expression hardened. "So you're a rogue member of the clan…"
Before either of them could do or say anything more, a pulse of green energy knocked the masked stallion over. Agent Gamma then hoisted him up with her power, and slammed him against a tree, the wood splintering. She then launched him into the forest as hard as she could. She stood there, panting lightly, looking out at where she'd thrown him… and a blur of motion was the only warning she got before a kick shattered her helmet's visor. She was stunned, though as she opened her eyes she realized they were unharmed. However, she was not face to face with the masked stallion, and the lone eye visible through his mask was closed.
"Don't get in my way" he said.
His eye snapped open, and a flash of red was the last thing Golden Tiara remembered.
(CUT TO: A picture of a brain. The picture abruptly shatters into multiple pieces)
As they saw Golden Tiara drop to the ground like a strings-cut puppet, the other Corona agents opened fire with their weapons, only for the bullets to phase through the mysterious enemy. He then rushed at Kurosuke, landing a hit that sent him flying into the forest, the masked stallion leaping in after him. Soon, the sounds of combat could be heard.
"Goldie!"
Indigo Ember rushed to his sister's side, finding her alive but unconscious and unresponsive. What was worse, this close he could sense her brain chemistry being terribly out of whack. Whatever that masked figure had done to her had damaged her mind.
"Omicron! Fly to the castle, best speed! Theta, stay with the dignitary! Sigma, you… Sigma?"
A few minutes later, the masked figure stood before his now-deceased opponent. Kurosuke Uchiha's in-depth transformation technique faded, returning his corpse to its natural, human form. Seconds later, it vanished, sucked up into the pocket dimension of Kamui.
"I'd best take my leave now" the figure murmured to himself.
He started walking, heading for that old castle built atop a planetary mana nexus, where he could use his translocation technique to return to his realm. However, as he entered a clearing, he found someone waiting for him: a large, white-armored pony, who let out a low snarl.
"Do you honestly believe you'll fare better than your comrade?" the masked stallion asked.
Agent Sigma said nothing, only glaring at him through the one-way visor. He drew his grenade launcher, the twin bayonets glimmering in the setting sun's light. The masked figure chuckled, and then rushed forward, drawing a chain and holding it behind him in his forehooves as he ran on his hind limbs. Rounds from Sigma's weapon phased through him, exploding against the ground behind him. As he got in close, he phased straight through Sigma… and solidified a split-second later, allowing his now-solid chain to catch Sigma in the upper chest, knocking him over and actually denting the armor.
"Too easy" the figure said as he began to walk away… only to instinctively dodge out of the way of a blow that was powerful enough that it would've not only snapped his neck, but taken his head off if it had connected. Slightly surprised, he saw as Steely Stare got back on his feet, growling. Another kick, and the masked figure leapt back, landing a few meters away. He then readied his chains and charged again. Sigma stood his ground, not firing his grenade launcher, taking an odd position. As the masked figure got close, he phased through Sigma's punch… and the perfectly-positioned backward swing of the launcher's bayonets cleaved his now-solid right arm off at the elbow, his chain flying off.
The masked stallion growled with pain and anger as his limb fell to the ground, something that was definitely not blood leaking from the severed appendage and from what remained of his arm.
"You have to solidify to attack" Sigma said in his deep, rough voice. "That's your moment of weakness."
"Hmph… You're smarter than I gave you credit for."
"Heard that before" Sigma replied as he readied his weapon.
The masked stallion stood his ground… and then the air around him began to ripple, visibly distorting in a spiral pattern. Sigma, acting fast, fired his grenade launcher, only for the rounds to phase through as the enemy's body seemed to disappear into his right eye. A minute later, he reappeared in the old castle, a good ways away from the angry Agent. He was home free… for now.
-SCENE BREAK-
Celestia determined that Golden Tiara's mind had been badly damaged by the mysterious enemy's attack. She was admitted to Ponyville's Mental Health Facility, so she could be near her family. However, a pony's mind is made of tough stuff. Celestia knew that, though it may take years, Golden's mind would manage to repair itself eventually, and she eagerly awaited that day…
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: back to the present
-PROJECT CORONA OPERATIVES (PRESENT DAY)-
Alpha (A): Eternal Sunrise (Pegasus, female) (Omega's twin sister) (age 50)
Beta (B): Drifting Leaf (Pegasus, male) (age 40)
Gamma (Γ): Golden Tiara (Earth Pony, female) (Chi's twin sister) (age 32) (incapacitated)
Delta (Δ): Steel-Walker (Earth Pony, male) (age 51)
Epsilon (E): Forest Gazer (Unicorn, male) (age 42)
Zeta (Z): Sparkfoot (Unicorn, male) (age 38)
Eta (H): Lucky Clover (Earth Pony, female) (age 21)
Theta (Θ): Sandtail (Earth Pony, female) (age 31)
Iota (I): Dancing Leaf (Pegasus, female) (age 25)
Kappa (K): Ocean Breeze (Pegasus, female) (age 26)
Lambda (Λ): Snowbank (Unicorn, female) (age 27)
Mu (M): Midnight Star (Pegasus, female) (23)
Nu (N): Iron Wing (Pegasus, male) (K.I.A. 19 years ago, age 45) (1 year until replacement)
Xi (Ξ): Shooting Star (Unicorn, female) (K.I.A. 22 years ago, age 29) (Search for replacement still in-progress)
Omicron (O): Azure Feather (Pegasus, female) (age 29)
Pi (Π): Crystal Shard (Unicorn, female) (age 24)
Rho (P): Stoneshard (Earth Pony, female) (age 47)
Sigma (Σ): Steely Stare (Earth Pony, male) (age 37)
Tau (T): Drifting Wing (Pegasus, male) (age 27)
Upsilon (Y): Silent Stride (Earth Pony, male) (age 34)
Phi (Φ): Bronze Blitz (Earth Pony, male) (K.I.A. 6 years ago, age 19) (14 years until replacement)
Chi (X): Indigo Ember (Unicorn, male) (Gamma's twin brother) (age 32)
Psi (Ψ): Cooled Sunbeam (Unicorn, male) (K.I.A. 11 years ago, age 20) (9 years until replacement)
Omega (Ω): Endless Sunset (Unicorn, male) (Alpha's twin brother) (age 50)
LEADERSHIP:
Digamma (Ϝ): Celestia
Koppa (Ϙ): Luna
San (M): Cadence