Splinter Cell: Target Lost

Harper understood that he could teleport into a world of ponies, become not only their hero, but their savior, and above all that, make friends with them, but never, never had he considered using magic.  How on Earth did he gain this power?  Where exactly did it come from?

He and the others sat in the top of the tower pondering this.  Luckily, Twilight was testing this out right now.  She was running facts and figures about Harper with one hoof and designs for the teleporter with the other, juggling responsibilities like Harper had never seen.

"So, you went into the Magic-Lock Chamber -- combine the particle matrix with the FTL drive -- and you came out different, I think -- carry the three, then the seven -- because you were in there just so long, and nobody came to get you -- and then move this over here for ease of access -- and so you started absorbing the magic in the Chamber -- don't want to put the recombiner relay next to that -- but I don't know why!"

Harper found it hard to focus on what she was talking about with this multitasking going on.  "Wait, what?"

Applejack spoke up then. "Basically, ya got magic from that chamber thing somehow.  Any idea why that mighta happened?"

He thought for a moment and said, "Well, there is the possibility that some of the bacterial anti-cures in my system my have adapted to absorb magic, so whatever magical capabilities I have are probably from those things sucking up power.  That's only a theory, though.  I have no idea whether its plausible or not..."

"Bacterial what now?" Applejack asked.

"Who cares how you got 'em?" Rainbow asked. "The fact is you do have 'em, so why not put those to work takin' down Sombra and the queen?"

"You really shouldn't say things like that, Dashie." Pinkie Pie said. "Somepony out there might want to have an explanation for stuff like this, or ponies are going to get really, really mad!"

"As if!" the cyan pegasus replied. "Explanations are for suckers!"  Unfortunately, it seemed the wall of the tower didn't agree with her as she flew right into it without looking.

"That's whatcha get when you say something like that!  It's like the entire universe doesn't want you to say that!" Pinkie Pie said. "I'm telling you, higher powers are at work when it comes down to that stuff!"

"Sure, Pinkie.  Higher powers." Rainbow said sarcastically. "Whatever.  The point is, Harper's got some kick-flank powers, and it is awesome!"

"In any case, you should start practicing magic a bit before you start bragging that you have it." Rarity said.

"Who said anything about bragging?" Harper asked. "I'm only just starting to understand how I can control it.  For example..." he put his hands on his temples and looked at a nearby vase. The vase rose a little bit, then fell back into place. "Unless I really focus, I can't control it with my mind that easily.  Instead..." He pointed at the vase and raised his arm, raising the vase with relative ease. "I need some kind of somatic gesture to control my powers."

"But that's nothing like -- no, the power source goes here -- Equestrian magic!" Twilight shouted in frustration.

"It might not be used the same for the both of us, but you have to remember: You have a horn on your head.  I don't.  That means you probably have more control with your mind than I ever would." Harper suggested.

"Maybe, but I doubt -- move this here and then maybe I can -- you would have that much power with just your hands!"

"The evidence seems to point the other way, Twilight." Harper said.

Suddenly, she froze in place while working. "Well, if you're so good at magic, then let's see you block this!"

She shot a small burst of magical energy at him, just like she had done before.  Harper wasn't going to let this get through if it was the last thing he did.  He raised his hand up to meet the shot, and his hand caught the bolt in midair.  He swung it around and pitched it back towards Twilight, who then blocked the shot herself.

"Could you two try not fighting for five minutes?!" a Rarity shouted at them. "Honestly, you're acting like children!"

"Rarity's right.  If we could just tone it down a bit with the magic, that would make some ponies feel much, much safer being in this room." Fluttershy agreed.

The two shouted in disagreement at the same time:

"Well, if the Princess here had any faith in my abilities--!"

"Well, if Harper had any control of his abilities--!

The two looked at each other angrily for a moment before returning to what they were doing.  Twilight finished drawing up the schematics for the teleporter, walking off with them to construct the thing.  Harper picked up a nearby crystal, sat down, and started sharpening his knife with it.  Today was going to be a long day.

"God damn it..." Harper said, swearing to a deity he didn't believe in, "I can only imagine the hell the people on Earth are going through right now..."

***

Charlie and the rest of his control group were working hard when the news came on that day.  Alien invaders had landed on Earth and they were taking the world by storm... with their cuteness...?

"That's right , folks," the newscaster said, "Prepare for some strange weather, because it is raining ponies!  These cute little beings came out of the sky the other day, and ever since, they've been warming up to people everywhere.  They seem to have no malicious intent, eating only vegetables and certain fruits and even conversing with the general public! That's right, people!  Talking ponies!"

"Truly a great day for humankind and its discoveries," the female newscaster added. "They're just so cute!"

"Yes, reports by the public say that they are also incredibly adorable, and some have already taken them into their homes and started caring for them.  Businesses have already started collecting the ponies to be sold at pet stores to the general public.  They hope to open their businesses in a few days' time.  And now, a personal interview with the first person on the scene.  Handing it off to you, Barbara."

"Thank you, John.  Now, Mr. Race..."  Charlie stopped listening there.  Apparently, the energy spike from the planet was a test of the teleportation system that supposed to take Harper home, and a mishap took out the satellite.  Or so the ponies say.  Charlie found it to be believable: if the satellite was taken out in the process of transportation, they must've been using it as a medium to get to Earth.  The problem was, nobody had sent in a report saying they found Harper, nor Byron.

And this is what made Sam keep his eye on the news all day, hoping that his lost man would come back with the criminal both intact and in cuffs.  Or a stranglehold.  Either one would do.  Preferably, he'd want the latter.

Charlie went to his office and knocked the door.  Fischer didn't even look to see who it was before waving him in.

"Sir, you've been here all day.  Aren't you going to do anything about the ponies that are landing on the planet?"

"Those ponies are none of my concern." Sam said. "And even if they were, it seems like it's under control."

"But, sir..." Charlie started.

"But nothing, Charlie.  Don't you have some files to decrypt or something?"

"Well, that's just it.  I don't.  Normally I would, but the Enhancers haven't made a single move since those ponies got here."

"The Enhancers are distracted. Let's keep it that way."

Charlie couldn't believe this. "Sir, you don't understand!  You are the distracted one!  You have to stop this whole waiting-on-Harper bullshit when you can go out on the field and get things done yourself!"

It looked like Sam almost considered getting out of his chair for that one.  Almost.  It could've been a trick of the light.  In any case, he didn't reply.

"Sir, if you want to sit on your ass all day waiting on somebody who, for all we know, is dead, then by all means, do so.  Really setting the bar for standards here at Fourth Echelon there.  The rest of us want to find out where these terrorists are, and we want them gone."

Sam still didn't move or speak.

"Sir, if you keep this up, I'll have to call Grim in the middle of her vacation and tell her to get over here and force you out of that chair.  Are you hearing me?!"

He turned the chair around to see that there was nothing but a puppet with an audio recording on its lap and a string attached to its arm.  Charlie stepped back in surprise, surprised that Sam had left the plane without a sound.  Talk about one sneaky spy, but where did he go?

If he was investigating those ponies, he could be anywhere: the initial drop site, the companies buying them off... or perhaps...

Charlie went back to his computer, tapped a few buttons, and found that Sam had left his tracking device with the puppet.  Charlie checked the cameras of the ship within the last eight hours, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.  He realized none of the suits were missing either.  If that was the case, what on earth was Sam planning, going out in casual clothes and investigating?  Was he missing something here?

***

Sam had forgotten what it was like to walk in regular clothes.  He was cooped up in Fourth Echelon for days now, and he hardly had any time to collect himself and recompose what was Sam Fischer.

A tiny blip came from the phone in his pocket.  He checked it to see that Charlie had searched up his whereabouts, and moreover, had starting searching for him because of his absence.  It wasn’t too much of a concern for him.  He deserved this fresh air, this fine day that lay before him.  However, this was far more than selfish relaxation.

After the news came out telling of ponies practically falling down to Earth in droves, he went out to see the situation.  There were a few reasons behind all this.  The most prominent of those reasons was his search for his missing operative.  It was every leader’s obligation to make absolutely sure that their followers are safe and secure in any format.  Sam understood the extreme precaution one must take to ensure this, yet the fate of Harper decided to slip through his fingers all the same.

Second, the ponies intrigued him in some way.  They seemed unreal, almost cartoonish in a way.  He felt something was off about them, but at the same time, he was mildly curious about them.  Why is it that so many of them arrived here all at the same time?  Is it true that they were all teleported here by accident?  Also, why are they allowing themselves to be sold?  This leads into his next reason.

The third reason was the investigation of the companies who swiped up the ponies.  Only a few of the major ones did, but the one that stuck out seemed to be Hasbro, the same company that paid off NASA for the satellite intelligence.  Why did they want these ponies so badly?  How were they the first on the scene when it came to this business?  Had they really seen it coming, or was it just a stroke of luck?

He wondered this as he heard his phone rumbling in his pocket.  He took it out and looked to see who was calling.  There was no number and no name.  He immediately picked it up.

“Who is this?” he asked in his gruff voice.

The voice on the other end of the line sounded like it was talking to someone else before addressing him.  “Is this on?  Is it working?  Okay, good, it is—Hello!  I don’t think we’ve met, but are you Sam Fischer?”

“How did you get this number?” Sam asked.

“Number?  Is that how this works?  Well, I’ve got a lot to learn, then.” The voice said genuinely.

Sam didn’t believe a second of it. “Don’t play games with me.”

Suddenly, he heard another voice speak up. “Give me that!  Ugh, friggin’… ponies…  Sam?  You there?  It’s Harper, code number 550768.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Harper?  How are you contacting me?”

“Well, seems I’ve got a little portal here that is connecting me up to two different worlds and things, so… yeah.  I was testing to see if we got a good connection for a teleport.  Anyway, since we do, I’m coming back to Fourth Echelon ASAP.”

“’We’?” Sam asked, implying the question as to there being more.

“Ah, yes, these ponies—No, he doesn’t want to talk about his favorite cake, Pinkie—and I are coming to Earth.”

“About that…” Sam asked. “Perhaps you’d like to explain why its raining ponies here?”

“What?  Raining ponies?  Sam, what are you—Oh, no.  Sam, wherever you are, get moving.  Get out of sight.  Whatever you do, don’t let anybody too close to them!”

“A little late on that.” Sam said. “What else can I do?”

“Hold on, thinking… Charlie, is that you in the call?”

“Oh, shit—“ a quick blip from the phone sounded.  Well, Charlie had found him.  Again.  Not that it was that hard to find his voice in the call with the equipment back on the plane, but still, that was quick.

“Anyway, just try to keep as many people as you can away from the ponies.  Section them off from each other, and for Pete’s sake, don’t let those ponies tempt them into breaking the lines.”

“Harper, these ponies have been here for some time now today.  It might not be possible to round them up and herd them away from humans.”

“Fine, but do what you can.  I’ll be back soon.  Also, I've somehow got these-- DUCK!”

Sam heard the loud, shrill interruption just in time, and ducked down low.  Just then, a pony flew over him, narrowly missed him as he lowered his head.

“RUN!  GO!” Harper shouted.  Sam hung up the call and threw one foot in front of the other as he dashed away from whatever pursuer he had.  He took a quick glance behind him to see some kind of weird, bug-looking pony with insect wings flying after him.

"Just when I was beginning to think this day couldn't get weirder, I have to deal with these little shits." he growled to himself. "Well, beats hanging around the office all day, I suppose."  Ahead of him, he could see barrels and boxs of the metal variety, as well as an opportunity if he was smart about it.

He leaped forward over the first barrel he saw, then proceeded to kick it behind him.  One of the beasts that had flown lower than the others got smacked by it and was left in the dust.  Sam jumped up the boxes, and at the top of them, he spun around and took out his gun.  However, the beasts were fast, and the pistol was knocked out of his hands, falling to the ground behind the boxes.  Sam didn't let up.  He quickly switched over to his knife, dodging the next attack but the flying beast and riposted by clipping its wings, causing it to fall to the ground.  The next one rushed him and pushed him off the boxes, causing him to fall down next to where his gun was.  The same beast tried dive-bombing him, but Sam re-equipped his pistol and squeezed the trigger three times.  Two shots hit the thing's wings and the third hit it on its right side, diverting the attack and causing the beast to smack into the concrete next to Sam, leaving a green splatter where it landed.

Then, it was quiet.  Sam took his time assessing the situation and examining the body.  Three of these bug-winged, fanged ponies had ambushed him out of nowhere, and somehow they weren't nearly as strong as he imagined.  The one that had hit the concrete seemed to be either dead or passed out, but either way it wasn't going to fly again after what he did to it.  Sam called Harper.

"Sam!  Shit, are you all right?" Harper asked.

Sam realized he did hurt his back a bit after that fall, but he passed it off as nothing more than the aches of his age. "I'm fine.  What were those things?"

"Changelings.  Those things are shape-shifters that can look exactly like the ponies of the planet I was on." Harper replied. "It's a good thing Pinkie sensed them before they attacked you, otherwise you might've been completely blindsided when they attacked you."

"'Pinkie'?" Sam asked.

"One of the ponies sir.  They've got some... peculiar names." Harper replied.

"All right, small talk over.  Report to me on your situation and condition." Sam said.

"Yes, sir!" Harper said.  He told him about what happened back on Equis with the tower and Byron, as well as mentioning his brother, Wilhelm.

"I don't believe it.  Byron had a brother?" Sam asked. "That explains a lot."

"Yeah, it does." Harper replied.

Sam let the silence sit for a bit. "So... I take it these 'changelings' weren't brought here by some mistake with a teleporter?"

"No, why would you think that was the case?" Harper asked.

"Some, uh... 'recon' brought in that information after the ponies started dropping from the sky.  So, if that's not the case, how did they get here?"

"I don't really know, sir.  Last I saw, those things were brought to their knees and trembling, at least figuratively, if not literally."

"Great." Sam said.  He made a mental note to check that out before remembering one last thing on his list. "Look, I've got to check something out.  It might be vital to our situation here.  I'll call back after I'm done.  I know you don't like taking orders, but for Christ's sake, when you get to headquarters, stay there until I give you further orders.  Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'll sit and stay like a good dog, Sam.  Though I have to know... what are you going to do?"

"Good question." Sam replied. "I'm going to infiltrate Hasbro."

"Okay, that sounds-- wait, what?!" Harper shouted.

"Talk to you later." Sam said.

"No, wait, Sam--!" Sam shut off his phone.  If Hasbro had something to do with the changelings, he wanted to know about it immediately.  Sam heard the familiar sound of the Fourth Echelon chopper descending over his head.  He saw it land next to him and Charlie jumped out.

"Sam, what were you thinking?  You could've been killed by those things!"

"Charlie, you and your hindsight can go somewhere else.  Let's just head back to base and meet up with Harper, alright?  We'll send some white coats to clean up this mess."

Charlie nodded hesitantly and waved him aboard.

***

Byron stared outside the bars of his prison.  Discord had locked them away in a place the ponies called "Tartarus".  He had tried escaping, but the bars were unbreakable, and his brother had no intention on leaving.

"Why is it that no matter what anybody does, tyrants always win?" Byron asked Wilhelm.

"Because tyrants are powerful." Wilhelm said. "And magic is powerful, too."

"I hate magic.  It is what keeps us caged up in this place." Byron said.

"Magic..." Wilhelm said. "Who needs magic?"

He rustled through his coat pockets and pulled out two tiny syringes.

"Byron, I was hoping that we wouldn't have to use these..." Wilhelm started.

"What are they?" Byron asked.

"These are the special anti-cures procured by Masters.  These are viral anti-cures."

"Viral?" Byron asked. "What's the difference between a viral anti-cure and a bacterial one, other than their structure?  I'm not seeing the difference here."

Wilhelm laughed. "Oh, you'll see soon, Byron.  Come, join me."

He extended his open hand, holding out Byron's salvation loosely.  Byron carefully lifted the needle.

"Well... cheers, brother." Wilhelm said, clinking his glass syringe against Byron's.  Then, he injected it just below his sternum, making sure not to nick the coronary artery.  Byron followed suit.

"Well, my brother..." Byron said, removing the needle after injecting its contents. "What now?"

"Now... we take revenge on Harper, Fourth Echelon, and all those sons of bitches that have wronged us!"

Wilhelm walked over to the bars, and, with no effort at all, he ripped the cage door off its magically locked hinges.

He laughed at his own power. "Now this is power, my friend!  No mere magic will stop us!" He heard the growling of the three-headed dog, Cerberus, at the bottom of the stairs outside of their prison.

"How about you and I test out these powers against a real foe?" Wilhelm asked.

"Gladly." Byron said with a smile.  They heard the beast bounding up the stairs, ready to pounce them.  It jumped into view, its maw wide open, ready to eat these small morsels.  It was ready to gnash his teeth on the first one, Wilhelm, when it was suddenly stopped.  Wilhelm laughed as he held the jaws of the beast's center head open.

"Byron!  Show this overgrown puppy what we can do!" Wilhelm shouted.  Byron ran up and pounded on the head on the left, beating it to a bloody pulp with only a few hits.  Cerberus roared in anger and pain, jumping back and away from the two.  Wilhelm rushed up and jumped higher than physically possible, flying down with a grand kick that cracked the skull of the right head.  Cerberus knew when he was beat.  He ran off from this prison cell, hoping that this distraction had not allowed any other prisoners to escape.

Byron prepared to chase after it, but Wilhelm held him back with his arm. "Let it run.  That beast is not our quarry.  We must keep our focus if we are to defeat Fourth Echelon."

Byron stood straight and nodded. "So, how do you propose we escape this place?"

Suddenly, a portal opened up.  On the other side stood Chrysalis, and next to her, Sombra.

"Well, it's about time." Wilhelm said. "I almost started thinking you'd leave us to die."  The two stepped through the portal and it closed behind them.

"Please, human, releasing you from your prison is a formality at this point.  My changelings are feeding off so much of these human's emotions that there was enough excess magic for me to bring you back and still take over this planet." Chrysalis explained.

"And they will continue to bring you power," Byron said, "for we have a plan, don't we, brother?"

"Yes, we do." Wilhelm replied with a smile. "We're gonna fight Fourth Echelon... operatives are gonna die left and right..."  Then, he broke out in loud, crazed laughter, letting his voice echo around him. "I can't wait!"

He laughed harder, madder, and louder, right until the author became bored trying to make this chapter go anywhere else, and cut it off here.