>You were late
>Fortunately rushing didn’t take much effort here
>Late to your own office, that’s embarrassing
>You think other staff are saying hello but you’ve no time
>Marching into your office you throw yourself behind your desk
>click
>”Dr Anonymous, glad you could make it at last.”
>The screen displays a gruff man in his late 50’s
“Director, sorry, was held up a few minutes”
>”Yes, well, S.F. has already been briefed and Station Manager Edwards is currently on a ‘need to know’.”
“The status report mentioned a transfer, but I’ve not been told anything else. I’ve cleared everything requested.”
>”I’ll keep it brief, Anon, we captured two of those alpha creatures. Two more are known to be out there, would bet any money the Chinese are trying to get one.”
“Let me guess, the transfer in the report, you’re sending them here…”
>”One of them, yes. DoD has had both for a few days now but neither are saying a word. We know the smaller ones can speak but without more… persuasive measures, Rogers tells me it’s a dead end with the big ones.”
“So what, you’re going to use this facility as a glorified prison?”
>”Not me, way above my pay grade, military. The two creatures seem to have stellar symbolism adorning their bodies, one of the Sun, the other, the moon. While we can’t exactly fire one into the Sun, we can still send the other to you. See if being there makes a difference.”

“That’s a pretty big leap”
>”Yes, which is why I’ve put your department in charge of it.”
“Sorry John, Biology mostly handles plants, and a few rodents. We’re not exactly equipped to run a zoo”
>”Incase I wasn’t clear before, we don’t have a choice. Sending one of them up there is insurance if something cracks down here. Giordano Station is the only wholly owned American base we have, you think the Secretary would allow these assets go to IMB?”
“...I see, so you get no choice in the matter, we get no choice in the matter”
>”I’d apologise Anon, but we’re on the knife's edge down here, the whole world is”
>He seems genuinely worried, you were thinking of some snide remark but let the moment pass
>”Escort personnel liftoff tomorrow, they’re there to make sure nothing serious happens. The Alpha liftoff is the day after. You’ve no idea the strings getting pulled to rush this launch out and we’re not getting told anything else until they arrive, national security and all that.”
>John leans back in his chair, clearly not keen on having a research facility co-opted by a military operation.
>“You’ll be fine, get some info, any info, out of it and make the station proud, Doctor”
>He quickly hangs up the call and you’re left in your office starting to sweat
>You turn around in your chair to look out the thick window, which is barely an elongated porthole
>High above the rim of the crater
>Earth

>Goddammit, you came all the way out here to avoid crowds and great expectations
>A small, quiet, 9-5 job of project managing a lab far away from people with plenty of time to yourself
>Granted, there were about 2000 people in this station but they generally kept to their own departments
>Now Earth problems are trying to make their way here and stick you at the center of it
>Oh well, at least you’re just the zoo keeper, not like you’d have to do the interrogating
>Earth rises higher above the rim, you can almost imagine the world on fire…
>The Voidouts, the riots, little pockets of war across the globe
“I swear to god that shit better not follow you up here”
>Huffing to yourself
>At least most of your family lives away from population centers
>You haven’t paid too much attention to the news, why would you, when nothing down there affects you up here
>Still, you know how bad it is, and after all -
>”Dr Anonymous?”
“Hey Evalyn, did you knock?”
>”Uh, no, the door was open…”
>Well, that’s bad opsec
>”Anyway, we’re about to go over the Algae Reactors maintenance per the earlier report”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes


>Our shoulder was still screaming in pain but that wasn’t the worst of it
>The worst was the pain of watching them drag our sister away
>Helpless to do anything, helpless to fight back
>No, we should have done something, could have done something
>But we didn’t
>Now, we can’t recall the last time the sun graced our eyes
>Locked in a small box with no light but a faint shimmer of the cosmos in our mane
>Barely able to stand, barely able to lay down
>The feeling of large metal clasps around our hooves
>Moved around to places we could not see
>There had been stillness for a time, if not for the faint hissing sounds you could here
>What was that, the sound of a voice in the distance
>An almighty roar, deafening
>Violent shaking, and an invisible force pushing us to the floor
>What magic is this?
>It goes on, roaring for minutes and then, silence
>A loud clunk, and in the silence, another, much closer voice
>”Stage separation confirmed”
>”MVENC Ignition”
>A newer, closer, louder roar
>Our torment, how long will it continue?
>Not much longer apparently, and the box becomes once again, quiet and still
>And
>We are floating
>Was this a dream?
>More magic?
>So weak and tired are we, was there any point in questioning what was happening?


>People were starting to give you odd looks, from your own staff and those of different departments
>Not that they didn’t think you were already odd but you could only guess there must be some new rumors going about on account of the Delta 9 specialists arriving shortly
>”Dr Anonymous?”
“Please Evalyn, I’m in no mood to be reminding you, just Anon is fine”
>”Yeah, sorry, we just had a bunch of questions come at us from hospitality as if we’d know anything about who’s turning up”
“Can this wait until after I’ve eaten?”
“No, Dr Peters was adamant we have an answer for them”
>This girl, you’d still think she was a junior with how tightly she sticks to her training
>You make an audible sigh
“And the answer is the same, two flight crew, six servicemen. It doesn’t matter who they are, just that accommodations are made available for them. That’s all I’ve been told”
>She’s furiously typing away on her phone, you imagine your answer, why you couldn’t have been messaged yourself rather than being accosted you’re not sure
>A swoosh comes from her phone and she looks back up expectantly
>Of course, that’s why she’s in person
>Another sigh
“Would you like to join me for lun-”
>She swings to grab a MealPack tray from the buffet heater and sits down at a table
>”Sure doc”
>Well, you were going to eat in your office but you sit down anyway
>Here it comes, may as well get it over with
>”So, what are we going to be working with that requires army guys?”
”You know I can’t tell you until it arrives”
>”uuuuhhhuuhhhh”
>Before you could’ve just left her guessing, maybe a large animal or something for the commercial part of the station or another base, but since the announcement the new arrivals were Space Force it wasn’t hard to guess what’s up.
>”........ It’s a pony isn’t it”

>You’re not one for drama but you almost choke on your food
>Got to play this off cool, assuming cover wasn’t blown
“Why would a pony be sent to space? We already did dogs and monkeys”
>You knew damn well she’s talking about these new creatures
>She knows you know she knows
>Many in the media and online had likened them to ponies from Earth.
>Don’t crack, you’re the senior here, if only by a couple years
>”You’re telling me a mysterious delivery to the biology department and the arrival of soldiers is just a pure coincidence?”
>She’s smirking
“That’s the story that keeps my job, so yeah”
>”Hmm, alright then”
>You continue eating together, but it’s clear she only wanted to pester you about the unknown arrival, the staff knows not to pester you out of work hours
>Efficiency during the day, relax during the night. You fought hard to get your team (and yourself) reasonable leisure time, regardless that it was taxpayer subsidised.
>Evalyn seems to wolf down her food and is already off
>”Later, doc!”
>This GIRL, you’re not even a medical doctor, just a business doctorate you coasted through
>But people up here like their titles I guess

>It isn’t until much later when the Delta 9 team arrives
>You’d sent the supplies they brought with them to the labs for Smith and Varish to go over and inventory
>”Dr Anonymous to Arrivals Lounge S12”
>Your watch was buzzing the same message, flicking a finger across to acknowledge 
>Their medical checks took less time than you thought
>When you enter the lounge, one man is stood at the head of the conference table, with five men shoulder to shoulder down one side
>He stands up, extending his arm and you shake
>”Dr Anonymous, I’m Colonel Connor, these are my men”
>You take a quick glance at them but don’t bother registering their names
“Glad to see you made it safely, and Anon is fine”
>”Very well, lieutenant	?”
>Connor turns briefly and the lieutenant produces a briefcase full of paper documents
>The idea that this is too sensitive to trust with digital communication is almost enough to make you start sweating again, just what are you getting into?
>THUNK
>Yep, there’s a lot of government stamps on there
>”We have some simple NDA’s here, guidelines, cargo history, management contracts, acknowledgement of War Powers Resolution 93-148 as this is a joint venture facility your Director has already signed but your team must sign as well, and next -”
>He keeps going on, there’s a ridiculous amount of paper here with countless little tabs poking out where it wants your name
>”- so there should be twentyfour signatures for your team, correct?”
>You snap back
“Uh, twentyfour are in our staff but I’ve only selected twelve to be cleared, myself included. I can’t imagine we’d need more than two to look after it if I’m honest.”
>”And what of your interrogation team?”
>WHAT?

>Goddammit, again
>Calm
“I’m sorry, I was under the impression we would just be looking after the creature while a separate team deals with… extracting the info DoD wants.”
>Connor looks mildly shocked and his men are glancing at each other
>”We’re the only team coming, and we’re just here to stop it if it gets loose”
>You’re stepping on rakes, just accept this is happening
“...Apologies, I’ll make sure my team is informed and the proper facilities are set up”
>”Good man”
>You take out your phone and send a PA Message for your chosen members to come to the lounge and sign
>”I can see this has been thrown at you here, sorry we can’t be of more help. My unit didn’t even hear about this until the day before launch.”
>Before you have a chance to respond, the doors slide open for Evalyn to join you, of course she’d be first
>Shortly followed by Drs Peters, Smith, Varish, Jesse and Johnson, Technicians Sammy, Speakman and Raul and two lab assistants Amelia and Jones
“Alright, documents, sign them and don’t ask questions”
>That gets a smirk from Connor
>”Yes Doctor” they say in unison
>Once everyone had signed and brief introductions had, you dismiss your team and have hospitality take Delta 9 to their quarters, taking the signed documents with them.
>Leaving you to carry the rest of the papers to your office to pour over them
>Words WILL be had with John

“This is absolute bullshit, half of the reference material is redacted!”
>”You’ve been given more info than I have, and I did tell you they were only there for support”
“I know, but when you said ‘get info’ I didn’t think it literally meant us doing it!”
>The Director is clearly agitated, whether at you or DoD isn’t clear
>Doesn’t matter, you’re pissed at both
“I don’t know how it’s being transported, how it’s contained, or how to deal with it if it gets loose with the only answer being ‘Oh, Delta’ll deal with it’! Oh yeah, how?”
>Another loud huff from you both
“I now have to set up an interrogation station, and have to figure out how to even interrogate something. The “Cargo” History is all redacted so I don’t even know anything about it to press it on. It’s been three days, please tell me you have something? I was told because it launched in an earlier window, it lands in -”
>You check your watch
“12 hours, and I need something to go on. What about those other ones, the ones that speak?”
>”The little ponies? I could try get info on them but I’m pretty certain each one that gets captured gets ‘disappeared’ by any government that catches it… I’ll try Rogers anyway…”
>Another long silence, looks like the term ‘Pony’ is sticking
“Is… Is it true they can shoot lightning?”
>”Some of them can, others can fly, some are just really really sturdy. You not been watching the news?”
“I’ve been preoccupied, and it’s depressing. But I suppose I’ll have to now.”
>”Aye, I’ll try getting you more, and have it less redacted this time”
“Alright, thanks John, later”
>“Later Anon”
>click
>Well, let’s at least go over again what isn’t covered in black marker
>Something about bright lights?
>Loud noises?
>That’s a start at least

>One great thing about this apartment was the South facing window
>That, and you had an apartment at all, and a pretty good one to boot
>Other senior staff like Peters has one as well but any lower on the food chain and you’re stuck in a shoebox
>Or worse
>BUNKING
>You don’t normally go for coffee but you’ve only just woken up and running on the fumes of a four hour sleep
>Besides, you had to be up for this, not just the arrival of the Alpha but -
>There it is, coming into land on the northern crater floor pad
>One of those old Starships
>Used to ferry people but now mostly used for large planet-to-planet cargo
>A lot slower than the SkyBirds carrying people around today, but a lot cheaper.
>You eat your breakfast in your room watching it land, vent and little robots secure it to the pad
>A cargo platform rolls out to the pad
>You have to grab some binoculars to see properly as the side of the ship opens up and out comes a large capsule that’s lowered down to the platform by the ships crane
>It gets secured to the bed by more robots and away it goes, up the road heading to the airlock far below you
>You down the rest of the coffee and grab your jacket
>There was work to be done


>How many hours had it been?
>How many days?
>We are jostled from our numbed haze by the feeling of the box shifting around us and our chains taking us with them
>We had heard the occasional puff, the sound of metal moving but nothing could compare to the roar this limbo had begun with
>As if by request, a great boom could be heard again, and we are flung into the floor once more by that invisible hand
>Everything is shaking, but we shan’t give in to this torture if those creatures think this shall make us speak
>The roar starts to give way, first one voice quiets, then another and finally
>CLUNK
>We feel... still again
>Are we lighter than before? Or just forgetting what the pull of the earth felt like?
>Before we can dwell on these questions more sounds can be heard and we are shifted again
>A low rumble, we are moving, what more could be done to us
>Minutes pass as we hear hissing outside, metal moving along metal
>We slip back into a daze and all the intrusions from the outside world fade away
>Where was our Sister? Was she being subject to the same torment?
>We can feel our hooves shaking
>What of Twilight Sparkle and the other elements?
>Cadenza and the Crystal Empire?
>Our wings now twitching
>The other lands outside of Equestria?
>Images of burning countryside and far off lands flash through our mind
>Ponies and those creatures alike running scared
>And the screams
>Wait, there are no screams, everything is quiet
>No, there are muffled voices, footsteps coming closer
>”Open it”
>A clank rattles the box
>Blinding
>A bright light
>A harsh, unnatural light floods us from our side
>Slowly our eyes adjust as we face the direction it’s coming from
>There are still bars from bottom to top, but more than enough to see through
>One of those creatures is staring at us from a distance
>A hard, serious expression across its face
>Yet, it quickly drops to one of… Sadness?


>This is, well, not what you had been expecting
>Sure, those creatures were subjectively cute from the images you had seen, but for this?
>The ‘Alpha’ creature you were expecting? Some large hulking beast perhaps?
>No, this thing couldn’t be much larger than you
>Those large eyes, it… No, she?
>She, was utterly disheveled, a look of both anger and fear.
>Just how long was she in that box for? Ignoring the three day transit.
>You’re sure under all that dirt was a rich Royal Blue coat to match her eyes
>You can see why people compared them to ponies
>Both wings and a horn?
>Was her mane… moving?
>Under the mane lay large wraps of bandage covering her left shoulder
>Just what in the hell had she been through? This is what all the mystery, fear and red tape was about?
>Anon, you’re staring, not sure for how long
>Say something
>Can she understand us?
“I am Dr Anon Anonymous, the head of this operation. We’ve been tasked with looking after you here, tending to any medical needs, examining you and with a little co-operation we can help resolve what’s happening across the world”
>Of course she says nothing
>But her curious eyes dart sharply between you and a few of your staff members
>Evalyn to your right, Peters to your left
>You had asked Connor to keep the Guardians just outside the view of the box, don’t need to unnecessarily provoke her
“This is Dr Evalyn Paris and Dr Adam Peters, they will be assisting me in your care. Do you understand?”
>Still nothing, but she’s back to focusing on you now
>You take a slow step forwards
>She jerks her head down as if to charge but quickly winces in pain
>With a sharp grunt from her nose she collapses to the cage floor

>She slowly opens her eyes again, focusing back on you, pupils shrunk as far as they’ll go
“Damn, poor thing’s terrified”
>”Terrified?” Peters snorts “That things running on anger, look at it”
>You look back at the creature in the cage, it’s expression is back to that mix of anger and fear
“Of course it’s angry, it’s an animal trapped in a cage”
>Her face instantly contorts into that of bitter contempt
“Oh, so you do understand?”
>You chirp as you take a few more steps closer
>Yeah, don’t do anything stupid this time, pony
>You get down on one knee barely a couple meters from the bars
“So, if you can understand me, can you speak? Maybe tell me your name if you have one?
>She just huffs through her nose, tail flicking side to side
“No name or no telling?”
>You kneel there, almost like a staring contest
“Alright, if you aren’t going to tell me, I need something to write down in these reports…”
>Still nothing but a sour look
“OK, you got a picture of the moon on your butt-”
>”Flank” Evalyn chimes in
“Right, moon on your flank… Moon is kinda lame though, Crescent? Yeah, think I’ll call you Crescent”
>She just narrows her eyes at you. Oh you’re not enjoying this at all are you, pony
“... Alright, we’re done for the day, close it up”
>You stand up and back away as a soldier presses a button on the box’s control panel to lower the front of the box back down
>”Done? We haven’t gotten anything”
>Connor pipes up from the side of the room
“No, we haven’t, and we won’t for today. Crescent is tired and definitely needs food and water”
>”Doc, don’t go naming that thing like a pet. Besides, we have a job to do”
“We? I recall Space Force being tasked with containment, it’s my team that’s been assigned contact”
>Uh oh, was that flex too hard
>You can feel Evalyn and Peters’ eyes boring into the back of your skull
>No, stand your ground!
>”...Be that as it may… We still have people back home depending on us”
>Nice, got away with it
“I know, and I’m fully dedicated to helping them but nothing is gained by pushing too hard. Peters, where is the room up to?
>”We’ve chosen one of the junction cargo rooms down near the northern crater airlock, plenty of space to work with but the station will have to make do with only the other three Crater airlocks. Which, considering we want to reduce traffic near the Alpha as much as possible, is probably a good thing.”

>You look back to the box, from the outside it does seem rather large for such a comparatively small creature
>Then Evalyn pipes up
>”Sammy and Speakman are already fitting the lights and alarms as you requested last night, Anon”
>”Speakers and alarms?” Connor asks with an eyebrow raised
“The report mentioned something about light and sound can be effective against ponies, you’ve seen those eyes and ears, they’re huge! So we’ve taken some spare airlock alarms and floodlights, rigged them up in front of where the box is going to sit.”
>”If Crescent tries anything, those floodlights are for outside the base, 300,000 lumen easy so even if the alarm doesn’t disorient enough, the light will stop it seeing anything”
>You smile, silently thanking Evalyn for backing you up on that stupid name
>Connor gives you a slight nod, appeased if not agreed, and wanders off with his two men.
>”Well, he didn’t enjoy that”
>Peters has quite the grin on his face
>”Hey Anon, I had a chance to go over the manual you sent me last night for the, uh, containment box. It’s pretty basic stuff except this one looks like it’s been modified but all of the functions are still there -”
>”Anything missing or added that could harm the specimen?”
>”Not really Doctor, the basics are there, food and water trays for sustenance accessible from outside, water jets and drain for discipline, washing and… um, waste… I made sure Raul knew to have maintenance run water and drain access to the cargo room, which is fine because it’s next to the Rover facility anyway. The only real changes are structural, they took away the lights, added conduits in the floor for the chains and added those bars”
“Hmm, alright, lets get some food and water in that tray and when the room is ready, have the box transferred. We still have plenty of work to do today!”
>”Yes Doctor!” They chant together

>Back in your office there’s still far too much to do
>There was, of course, still a lab to run and you weren’t being let off the hook just because of Crescent
>Organising paperwork and reviewing request materials is cake compared to arguing with people
>Which is why you weren’t looking forwards to dealing with the director
>The call request goes through and John quickly picks up
>”Anon, how’s our latest arrival?”
>He bears a cautious expression but with a smile on his lips
“Good, good. The delivery was smooth and we’re finishing off a space to put her in”
>He just laughs “Her? So you’ve already made some progress?”
“Uh, no, I just kind of assumed from the way she looks. I was expecting something far more… savage”
>You both frown
>”Hm, well, I never actually saw the beasts, but don’t get complacent. You haven’t seen what they can do”
“I assume you have something for me, then?”
>”I do, I’ve been cleared to forward some incident reports… Grim stuff, from wiping out entire tank brigades to levelling Redstone, and that’s just the two alphas”
“Jesus, well I don’t know what a Redstone is but I’m guessing it’s bad. If they’re so dangerous, how were they caught? Why isn’t the Alpha here wreaking havoc?”
>”I don’t know, that’s classified”
>What’s there to classify about catching an animal?
“Of course it is. God, the way they’re keeping this hush hush, not explaining anything, these creatures magic or something?”
>You laugh but the director stays quiet for a moment
“What? Fuck off, John, don’t tell me you believe that stuff”
>”Lighting, Anon, Lighting from their horns!”
“So they can store and discharge ener-“
>”Nightmares! The men who were fighting them all described vivid, similar nightmares at night and -”
“ShellShock”
>You cut him off before he can continue
“Sorry John, I thought this station was a Science and Autism fuelled venture”
>He sighs but still with a smile
>”And money, don’t forget the money”
“Of which I imagine we’re getting plenty for our super powered hostage here. Speaking of which, you’re going to have to tell Edwards something. He can’t manage a station if he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
>John starts typing something off screen
“I’ve managed to avoid him the last few days but now we’re taking a whole airlock out of commission he’s going to want something. He’s still technically my superior, despite how relaxed he is.”

>A moment passes as John finishes typing
>”All right, I’ve told him to contact me for further information, so you won’t have to worry about him interrupting your work”
“Great, one less thing to worry about... We’ll talk tomorrow, hopefully I’ll have something by then”
>You both knew this conversation was going nowhere
>”Speak soon, Anon”
>Click
>You turn around, leaning on the shelf in front of the window and look out into the crater
>In the distance you can see the Starship being transported to a hangar
>Is it staying as long as Crescent is?
>Looking up you can see Earth once again
>Staring into literal space, absentmindedly going through your thoughts
>Staying… Oh right, one of the conditions of your longer stays on the station is mandatory exercise, and you were too busy yesterday to go to the gym
>A quick stop at your apartment to change and you head to the Fitness Center
>Glancing around you see a few familiar faces, Sammy and Speakman, they must be done fitting the room
>Over there you can see Varish in swimwear walking with someone to Aquatics
>Perfect, no one around who usually bothers you
>EarPods in, shake from the vending machine
>Let’s go

>You’re trying to go over the inventory of what got sent here to support Crescent
>Trying
“Evalyn, I better have something sticking out of my skull for you to be staring at me like that”
You look at her with an eyebrow raised
>”Doct- um, Anon, no…”
>She’s fidgeting
>”I already went over the inventory, I was waiting for you to finish so I could bring up the… uh, instruments?”
>She was right, there was some pretty horrific stuff listed to one of those containers, various tools and items as well as some stacks of heavily redacted papers you’re certain are there to assist in ‘interrogation’
>Well, may as well be blunt about it
“The torture equipment?”
>She looks down, visibly ashamed
“Don’t worry, I don’t know what the sick fucks down there are thinking, but we aren’t touching the stuff”
>Evalyn immediately perks up, of course the girl dedicated to studying plant communication would be resentful to the idea of causing harm to an animal
>Even if that animal was intelligent, from another world and had killed people
“Besides, I think the idea is for that stuff to be last resort… or intimidation. I think we’ll get through to her soon enough”
>She quickly gets back to work and you finish reading the list
>Quietly slipping away before anyone else has a chance to take up your time
>It was already getting quite late when you return to your apartment
>A quick wash and you’re already climbing into bed
>Looking at the TV opposite your bed you really, really don’t want to 

>But you have to if you’ve any hope at talking to Crescent
>Knowing is half the battle and all that
>Click
>Quickly you find a news channel that isn’t horrendously grating 
>A reporter asking residents about groups of these ponies fleeing into the Rockies
>Click
>Footage of some kind of three way standoff on the Kashmir border between Indians, Chinese and Ponies
>The news seems to have labelled them “Equestrian Forces”
>Glad you’re not there
>Click
>Somewhere in Japan, people talking to the camera but you can’t understand what they’re saying
>Behind them appears to be a city, or what’s left of it
>The left of the screen shows a flattened, burned, wasteland in the shape of a rough circle
>At the edges are remains of buildings, skyscrapers and roads that look half swallowed
>Closer to the center are dotted ruins that look nothing like the surrounding architecture
>Strange...
>Yep, this is depressing and you don’t want to think about it, may as well try and get some sleep
>Click


>We had been left in the darkness again
>The insolence of that creature, mocking us to our face
>’Care for us’?
>Does it think we are some filly, incapable of looking after oneself?
>Although, our shoulder does still burn, when we think of it the pain only increases
>Just like when we attempted to give that creature a fright
>What powers could be keeping down even Alicorn magic?
>CLUNK
>We push ourselves against a wall in surprise as we hear the tray sliding open
>There’s a smell
>Almost like roasted vegetables
>We inch closer to the smell
>It had been days since food had been delivered to us
>Using our muzzle we explore the darkness, trying to find
>Oh, here resides the water
>And next to it… Ugh
>Humiliating
>Are these pellets?
>They mean to insult us further? Treating us like some pet?
>No, we shan’t debase ourselves like this
>Our silent protest is interrupted by another, a very improper growl of our stomach
>Very well, a meal won’t stop us from ignoring the creatures
>Not long into eating is it interrupted by a great jolt
>Losing our balance in the dark we fall to the floor and are followed quickly by the remaining food and water
>Gah, it’s in our mane...
>Are we being moved again?
>We find our thoughts drifting again, were any of our subjects here?
>What of our sweet sister?
>Those creatures from before weren’t wearing the same uniforms as the ones who had attacked us
>Utterly exhausted and we haven’t even done anything
>When did we stop moving?
>Curling around ourselves, we attempt to sleep but damp fur and a wet mane make it difficult


>The morning comes quicker than you’d hoped
>Or, you’re just up early
>May as well make the most of it; gym, wash, breakfast, labwork
>Peters looks surprised to see you in early considering your usually strict work hours policy
>These last few days, however, had been anything but usual
>You have a horrible feeling it’ll never go back to normal
>”Getting a head start on the day, Anon?”
“Yeah, made good headway on a bunch of these equipment time requests and tabled out our afternoon with the Alpha later on, we’ll be going in after lunch”
>”Great”
>He’s already wandering over to his mouse habitat, microgravity atrophy drug research
“I don’t know how to deal with the stuff in the incubators but that’s on the table for today”
>”That’s Lin’s, we talked about it yesterday”
>Quickly, Peters moves between habitats with a pipette of blue liquid
>He can be pretty efficient with his conversation when there’s work to be done
>Others start walking in to begin their work and so you get back to yours

>Although you’d gone to lunch with a few of your colleagues, it had been a rather quiet affair
>Everyone’s probably just being cautious and trying not to talk about your ‘side project’ in the more public spaces
>Evalyn once again rushes her food and leaves
>Patiently you wait for everyone to finish and you all make your way to one of the service lifts
>Evalyn reappears with a waist high equipment case she’s dragging behind her 
“So, what you got there?”
>”Hah, this here is a Litos CZ80 X3!”
>Jones looks over with clear interest but you have no idea what she’s talking about
>With a ping the lift starts to descend
“Uh huh?”
>”It’s basically a fancy camera, stacked sensors for short, medium and long wave radiation. I’m gonna point it at Crescent and see if anything shows up, besides the obvious visible and infrared.”
“Ok, cool… Where’d you get it?”
>”Geology, they usually have this baby staring at rocks”
>A few chuckles as you all exit the lift and make your way towards the cargo junction
>The lower levels were nothing like the common areas, with sleek designs of white, silvers and blues sculpted from composites and glass
>Down here was all a dull grey with the occasional browny-orange accents painted over the metals, and of course there is the faint lingering smell of oil
>Moving through the service corridor you come to the cargo junction
>It’s a large room, a bit bigger than the gyms basketball court with a tall mansard ceiling
>The two short and one long walls have large roller shutter doors for the cargo transports
>The remaining side of the room has a raised platform you walked in on, a large glass and metal observation room in the middle flanked by access doors
>Looking up at the wall surrounding the observation room you see it covered in the spare flood lights
>Below the platform are a number of alarm horns all pointing to the middle of the room
>Sat there alone, but for a few cables and hoses running to it, is the box

>You make your way to the front of the box while Evalyn, Sammy and Jones set up the camera off-centre on the platform behind you
>Peters and Varish are also standing on the platform, Tablets in hand
>The less crowding the box the better
>That leaves two of Connors men flanking the back of the box and two in the observation room although noticeably less kitted out
>You look around to see if everyone’s ready
“Alright, open it up”
>A press on the side of the box and the front wall opens up
>Ah, another depressing sight
“Did… Did someone move the box after giving her food?”
>You sternly accuse everyone in the room
>Only met with shakes of the head or the odd “No”
>Looking briefly back at the box you just see Crescent scowling
>Sammy catches your eye
>”It was one of the maintenance staff who brought the box in yesterday while Alex and I were working, probably didn’t know”
>You can only sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose
“OK, unless it wasn’t clear before, the ONLY people to interact with this box and its contents are those cleared. Meaning it should’ve been Raul driving the forklift, not someone from maintenance.”
>Everyone's nodding, including the two soldiers
“Alright, now you…”
>Turning back to the ragged pony, still sat with sour look on her face
>And bits of food in her mane
“You’re in need of a wash”

>Her eyes seem to grow wide with worry, are ponies scared of water?
“Give her a shower”
>One of the soldiers moves to the box’s control panel again, pressing a button
>A violent torrent of water which sounds like a power washer floods the box
>The noise only broken by a sharp gasping inhale from inside the box
“WOAH, WOAH! TURN IT OFF!”
>He quickly presses it again and steps back
>There was no way that puny drain in the box was catching that water and you can only watch as it spills out through the bars
>Some of the splashing landed on your clothes and it was
>Freezing
>Looking back to the coughing mare pressed against the back of the box
>She’s shaking
>Goddammit
>At least she’s kind of clean
>You move you way to the control panel
>OK, water settings?
>Another sigh
>’WATER: ON/OFF’
>”Right, do we have any space heaters on this station?”
>Sammy looks unsure
>”Maybe, I’ll go take a look”
>And she’s off
>You move back to the front, nearly touching the bars and get down on one knee
>A now soggy knee
“I’m sorry about that. That, uh, wasn’t how I wanted to start the day.”
>Crescent moves a little from the back, now her sharp glare softens
>Instead, it’s like she’s looking at an idiot

>Maybe you are
>If you planned better and read those box modifications you wouldn’t have risked losing a day of progress
>Still, you push your luck anyway
“I take it there’s no chance of proper introductions today either, then?”
>You sit there with a sheepish smile
>Crescent just replies with a loud, dismissive, huff
>You half expected her to shake herself dry like a dog
“OK, no introductions then… Maybe a more interesting topic?”
>Her expression just moves to one of boredom 
>Well, you like to be blunt, so
>You harden your face into something more serious
“Why did you come to Earth?”
>Of course you didn’t expect a verbal response, but you watch her closely
>The was a brief flash of sadness across her face, looking down
>Quickly enough though she’s back up, settling in to just frown at you 
“You’re their leader, right? These smaller creatures, one of their leaders at least?”
>Nothing
“A lot of people are getting hurt because of what you started, both yours and ours”
>Anger perhaps? She quickly settles down again though
“What about you? That bandage, you get that here or your homeworld?”
>You point to the bandage over her shoulder, which she responds by scowling again
>She slowly brings her wing forwards to cover the bandage
“So you got it here then… Has it been treated or redressed since you got it?”
>Rather telling that she looks away
>You just sigh again
“D’you mind if I take -”
>Crescent just lowers her horn to point at you and backs away a little
“Look, you’re my responsibility alright. Which means I have to keep you alive and well, regardless of what either of us wants”

>Crescent raises her head but her expression doesn’t change
“You can either let me... or I’m having you restrained”
>She understands, but only hardens her expression to combat your own
>As you’re about to push her, Sammy returns with a small fan heater
>She rushes over to set it down near the bars and turns it on
“Thanks, Sammy… Last chance, Crescent?”
>Her eyes briefly flick to her shoulder, sad and full of worry, but quickly back up to scowl at you
“Alright”
>You stand up
“Restrain her, I’m going in”
>”Anon, wait”
>Evalyn calls out as the soldier by the panel presses a button
>The chain around Crescent’s mid section starts to pull her down
>The shackles around her hooves pull them to the front and back until she’s forced into a prone position
>”Damn, dude”
>”Jakesh, you crazy!”
>”Dunno, that’s pretty ballsy”
>”Not going in there”
>”Yeah, I’m not fishing him out either”
>You take your jacket off and sling it up to the platform railing and start rolling up your shirt sleeves
>Meanwhile, Crescent is staring daggers into you

“The bars”
>Another button press and the bars slowly swing up, just missing the heater
>Slowly approaching where the bars had just been, you crouch down low
“I’m just going to look at your bandage”
>Not that you’d know how to do anything else
>You inch closer but Crescent swings her head at you. Only a warning, so not even close but you can’t let it slide
“Hey, I promise I’m not here to hurt you, I swear… But if you swing that thing at me again, I’ll have your head restrained!”
>She doesn’t need you pointing at her horn to get it, something behind you catches her attention anyway
>You glance back just to see Evalyn next to the camera chewing her nails and shaking
>Sammy moved to stand next to her and everyone else looks like they’re holding their breath
>Turning your attention back to Crescent you slowly move to her side and rest on your knees
>She’s keeping her eyes on you now, not blinking
>A very clear ‘I won’t do anything if you don’t’
>Looking at her from a distance was one thing
>Seeing her up close though, the feathers of her wings, the texture of her fur and the depths of her eyes
>Her mane, it wasn’t a mistake before, it’s definitely mysterious. You can see sparkling constellations and faint comets, yet there’s a definitive hair texture to it
>Incredible
>You’d pet her but you also want to live
>She’s still defensively holding her wing up
“May I?”
>Crescent looks away for a moment then back at you, a strong yet softened gaze
>The wing comes down
>You run your left hand along the top edge of the bandage, feeling her fur with your fingers
>It’s soft and thick, and without the dampness still clinging on, it’d be undoubtedly fluffy
>You find the knot at the top, just under her mane
>Bringing the other hand up the help untie the bandage, Crescent just eyes you cautiously
>No doubt she’s still thinking of taking a swing at you should you misstep
>Got it, you pull back a ring of gauze, then another, and another until
“Oh god!”
>”What?”
“She’s been shot…”

>At once the room fills with murmurs
>”Oh no!”
>”Good, creature deserved it”
>”Is it bad?”
>”Is she OK?
>Only Peters cuts through the reactive voices
>”Is there an exit wound?”
>You look back to Crescent, who hasn’t shifted at all but still has her eyes locked on you
>She shifts and gestures slowly to her back with her nose
>You hands move up to brush her mane out of the way
“Uh, yeah, one hole in the front of her shoulder, the other on top. Doesn’t look too deep but also doesn’t look like it’s healed much either… Then again, what do I know?”
>That gets a raised eyebrow from Crescent as you stand up and move out of the cage
>”Alright, I’ll probably have to take a look”
>Peters pauses a moment in thought as you hear a loud huff from behind you
>”I’ll go get my kit”
>Another loud huff and a jingle of chains from Crescent as Peters leaves
“What? I kept my promise didn’t I? Thought you’d want that shoulder looking at. You’re the one making this difficult what with your little silent treatment”
>She just turns her head away from you with an indignant frown
>”Anon, can you come check this out?”
>You head up to Evalyn, who then whispers in your ear
>”Some interesting stuff going on here, I was going to leave the review until after, but looking at her shoulder -”
>As Evalyn starts moving around the menus on the camera you notice Crescent is still turned away, but has an ear pointing towards you
>Hopefully her hearing isn’t that good
>”Yeah, here!”
>The footage itself is fascinating
>There’s the usual visible light layer but overlayed is a false-colour representation of various radiation
>Crescent is faintly glowing, like an Aurora pouring from within
>You on the other hand, are completely bland, oh well
“Wow, that’s incredible!”
>”I know!” She chirps
>”But look what happens when I isolate this band”
>She turns off a bunch of layers and sure enough, everything disappears apart from Crescent’s glow
>Except there’s something missing, a few things missing
>Her horn, wings and most of her left shoulder show as black, blending in with the background
>And from that black shoulder, faint vein-like tendrils spread out like an infection
“Ah, I can see what you mean”
>”Yeah, sadly the resolution isn’t good enough to resolve the little details, but I’m sure we can make a reasonable connection here”

>Shortly Peters returns with a case on a trolley and you move back down next to Crescent
“Look, you need that shoulder looking at and I need you to be calm about it”
>She looks over to Peters, laying a few instruments out on the medical trolley, then back to you with a flat expression
>Not a ringing endorsement but also not hostile, good enough for you
>Peters pulls up the trolley and thrusts a small metal bowl into your hand
>”I’m not exactly fond of jumping into the deep end, so if anything happens, I’m holding you liable”
“Yeah, that’s fair”
>”... Alright then”
>He puts on a mask and gloves then kneels down beside her, a pair of forceps and tweezers in hand
>”I’m only going to be checking the wound and assessing it, I’m not stitching you up or anything”
>Crescent looks at him, then to you and then looks straight ahead as if to say ‘get on with it’
>He starts probing around the exterior of the wound and her face contorts in pain, but doesn’t say a word
“Can’t we give her something for the pain? Like anesthetics or whatever?”
>Peters doesn’t respond but but Evalyn pipes up from the platforms
>”Sorry, anesthetics are complex. We can’t go giving her drugs without knowing how she’d react, could kill her”
>Varish answers with similar sentiments but adds
>”Once we’ve studied more of their kind, sure, but for now we’ll have to do it the old fashioned way. After MAICA has sequenced them, there’ll be drugs in no time”
>A sharp breath from Crescent as tweezers are shallowly moved into the wound
>”Bowl!”
>You hold the bowl next to the wound and Peters drops in a chip of Purplish-black glass
>Strange
>Followed shortly by a greyish-white metallic shard
>A few more chips and shards later, Peters removes the tools and moves away
>”I daren’t go any further, not with these tools and not in this environment, we need proper medical staff for this sort of thing”
>You stand to join him
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do. What about the wound itself?”
>”I’m concerned it hasn’t healed, it must’ve been what, a week at least? The lack of blood flow in the wound could either be a good or bad thing, depending on their physiology. Varish is right, we need actual studies on them”
>You can see Crescent give him a deadly glare
“Can you work with this?”
>You gesture to the drops of blood in the bowl and on his tools
>”Not really, there’s not much there”
“Oh come on, I’ve seen you work with your mice, drops the size of pinheads”
>”That’s different, I know what I’m looking for there… But -”
>He turns to Crescent
>”I suppose you won’t let me take any, even if I asked”
>She just replies with a dismissive huff
>”so I suppose I’ll take this as a challenge”
“Great, once you’ve cleaned those shards I’ll take them for analysis”
>”And you can patch her up”
>You hand him the bowl and he heads off with Varish

>You take the pads and gauze from the trolley
>You may not be a medic but every member of staff has to have extensive first aid training,  among other courses, before even leaving Earth
“I’m sorry about all this, but I can’t have you dying on me”
>You kneel back down beside Crescent and place the pads over her wounds
“Not when I still have so many questions to ask”
>she looks at you out of the corner of her eye as you start wrapping the gauze 
“And to think, we’re not even getting a word of thanks”
>You joke and she just rolls her eyes
“No? Alright… Maybe you’re more inclined to small talk then”
>The gauze is tightened up in a knot
“So the weather… We don’t really have weather here. Although, sometimes when they’re swapping out the scrubbers on the air conditioning units it can get quite humid in the more popular areas!”
>Not even a huff, she’s just looking bored
“Current events? Well, I currently need a certain Crescent to start talking. Also currently, a certain Crescent isn’t going to be getting out of her box without giving me something to go on”
>Once again, nothing. So you stand up and move out of the box for what comes next
“OK, how about politics then?”
>Hah, now that’s quite the poker face she’s got there
>You reach over and press the buttons on the box lowering the bars and slaking her chains
>You drop your jovial tone and put on a more serious face
“For over a hundred years, there’s been a standoff between two superpowers over a rather pitiable plot of land in the middle of nowhere”
>You crouch in front of her with a safe distance despite the bars
“And then you show up, decimating farmlands and destroying cities across the globe with your arrival. So clearly these two countries would be severely pissed off already. Now imagine how they reacted when a group of you appears right in the middle of their little cold war”
>Crescent’s poker face is starting to slip, and her brow furrows
“Well, things turned hot pretty quick, and I didn’t feel like watching the outcome”
>She looks away, visibly distressed
>You soften your voice a touch
“This is happening all over the world, Crescent. I need you to talk to me, so we can stop more horrors like that from happening. Why you’re here, what you want, why you’re attacking us…”
>She looks back at you with an angry, accusatory gaze briefly before turning to face the back of the box

>That’s probably all the conversation Crescent is up for today
“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then”
>You stand back and gesture for the soldier to close the box
>As the panel comes down you see Crescent glance back at you before the wall obscures your view
>”Hey, I thought that went rather well”
>A round of nodding
“Of course you did Eve, you just sat there watching a screen the whole time”
>You watch as Evalyn, Sammy and Jones finish taking notes on their tablets
>The later two head off as Evalyn starts packing the camera up
“Need a hand?”
>”No need, Doc. Sadly I gotta hand this back but was wondering if you’d be able to get me one for the lab?”
“Can definitely put a request in, how much are they”
>”HAH! This baby is a cool four mill”
>Your eyes go wide with surprise
>”Hey, but... but, we could get the better CZ90 X3 for five…”
>You can only laugh
“And why can’t we keep using this, it’s not like it’s gonna be looking at anything more interesting than her in its lifetime”
>”While I agree, I did tell them I only wanted to record some leaves under different UV light… Yeah, and sadly to a geologist, pointing this camera at rocks is more interesting to them”
“Haha, ok ok I’ll put the request in, say it’s integral to getting info out of her or something, but it could be a while before it arrives”

>You left Evalyn to take the camera back 
>Walking back into Biology you can see Peters has already cleaned the shards and left them at your station
>You pick the bowl up and as you’re about to leave you get Speakmans attention
“Hey, you been brought up to date on what happened?”
>”Yeah, Sammy told me.”
“She mention the water?”
>He nods
“You think you’d be able to find some kind of in-line heater or something?”
>”Sure, I’ll think of something, maybe something to restrict flow as well”
“Great, thanks”
>You make your way out of Biology and get on a tram to Geology in the east wall of the crater
>Not many people here today, probably on break or out doing field research in person
>Sticking your head round a corner you spot who you’re looking for
“Hey, Dr Tezuka!”
>Looking up from his scopes, smiling
>”Dr Anonymous, always good to have you round, what can I do for you?”
>You make your way into his lab a bit
“Was wondering if anyones using your XFR machine, got some samples I need analyzing”
>”Oh no, you go right ahead, everyones out today. Ground Radar thinks it picked up a recent volcanic tube so they all ran off rather than leave it to the droids”
>You make your was across the lab with a chuckle
“I assume when you mean recent, you mean millions of years ago?”
>”Hah, well yes, but still recent!”
>You sit down at the scanner and load in a metallic shard first
>Close the panel, flick the ready switch and press go
>Click
>Beep
>The screen lights up done, with a spectrum graph below
>A rather flat line with a single large spike with an elemental symbol at the top
>Tungsten?
>You take it out and replace it with another metal shard
>Click
>Beep
>Tungsten
>If all those little shards were part of the bullet, you can only assume Crescent got shot with armour piercing rounds
>Didn’t she get captured in the States?
>Just who was she messing with to end up having AP used against her?
>No use thinking about that now, lets see what these glassy purple-black chips are made of

>Click
>Beep
>Oh god, there’s more stuff here
>Large peaks of Silicon, Calcium, Potassium and Oxygen with smaller quantities of Aluminium and Manganese, then even smaller impurities the scanner can’t pick up
>You have no idea
“Hey, Shuji, what do you make of this?”
>The older man pulls himself up off of his chair and makes his way over
>”Hmm”
>He looks at the screen and then through the window to the sample
>”Looks like some kind of glass or enamel, it’d have to be old though, probably medieval”
“Really? How’d you figure that?”
>”Look here, the potassium and calcium, you’d use that in a potash-lime glass. You’d find that kind of thing in northern Europe and east Asia. Royal ornaments, enameled trinkets or windows, that sort of thing”
>He looks back to you
>”Where’d you find this”
>You’d already thought of an excuse
“It was in some soil brought up here in the last batch, must not’ve been screened properly”
>”Ah… This last batch wouldn’t have anything to do with those Delta boys and that ‘mystery shipment’ would it?”
“Hey, you know I can’t tell you that”
>”Haha, yes I know, but also no harm in asking. Dr Paris gave me the same response when she came asking about a camera” 
“Yeah, don’t worry too much about it, I’m sure everyone will know at some point”
>Placing the sample from the scanner back into the bowl you stand up
“Thanks for your time, Shuji”
>”And you, the station always feels more alive when there’s cross-lab research going on”

>It’s been a long day, and you’re in no mood to be telling the director you got nothing from Crescent
>Well, nothing you want to tell him at least
>You take the samples back to the lab and go to blow off some steam in the gym
>Taking your food back to your apartment, you settle in to watch some TV
>Flicking once again through news broadcasts you still find nothing fun
>”It has been almost twelve days since the invasion-”
>Click
>”Equestrian forces in the French Al-”
>Click
>”Refugees from-”
>Click
>”Here in the detention camps-
>WAIT, you almost click off but this looks extra depressing
>”of the southern Yunnan province, groups of the so-called ‘Earth Ponies’ are being sent en masse, when captured across China. This plot of land which was nothing more than farmland a week ago -”
>A week? But, it’s massive.
>Concrete walls stretch far into the distance, boxing in fields of tents with what seems like real buildings being constructed at the edges
>”is being developed to hold more than half a million and will be expected to hold both unicorns and pegasi in the future”
>The camera pans to show the entrance, with trucks upon trucks unloading ponies shackled to each other being pushed through the multiple gates
>Some try to resist, but you cringe as you watch them get tazed with cattle prods
>”Both animal rights activists and humanitarian groups are calling the treatment barbaric, and that because they display ‘near-human’ intelligence, should be treated at least as prisoners of war.”
>You find yourself thinking of Crescent, you felt bad for those ponies but could you really talk with the condition you kept her in…
>No, these were invaders!
>You didn’t put Crescent in that box, and you made it clear, if she cooperates, you’d see what you can do about her accommodations
>You refocus on the TV
>Are… are those kids? 
>”But such calls are falling on deaf ears, as talks of other nations, namely the United States, UK, Germany and Russia rushing through approvals to build centers of their own. Other countries have proposed working with China to help them build out similar facilities which would be a great diplomatic boon in this time of great political tension across the globe.”
>Click
>You find a dull show to tune your brain out


>Another utterly shameful day
>We almost long for the weightless void of a few days prior
>That creature once again thinking he can command us to speak
>Did he know what he was doing, spraying us like that?
>He did seem to apologize… But still
>We shan’t put such things above him
>And then that beast dares touch us!
>Although, it is definitely a more gentle experience than when they captured us
>Those other creatures keeping a distance, they remind us of… Scholars
>Yes, little research ponies from our dear sister’s School Of Magic
>Celestia...
>We let out a quiet sob
>Where are you?
>What have they done to you?
>We feel tears roll down our cheeks
>No, these beings are nothing like our scholars from home
>They are, all of them, cruel
>A furious anger begins to boil
>Our Scholars would never treat another being to such conditions
>These creatures have taken everything from us
>And then when they give back some basic kindnesses, they expect us to treat them as our…
>Our SAVIOUR?
>THUD
>The impact rings loud in the enclosed space
>No doubt two large hoofprints had indented themselves on the rear wall
>And also no doubt they would punish us for this outburst as well