Splinter Cell: Target Lost

Byron O'Malley was at peace with the world.  He had all he needed: food, water, shelter; he had all he wanted: ponies, luxuries, time...

He contemplated these things as he munched down the salad he had been served.  Something in that list was missing, but he couldn't recall what.

"I take it you enjoy our finest dish?" the server asked.  Byron hadn't even paid attention to what he was eating, but now he noticed he had finished the meal.

"It was wonderful, ma'am," he replied.

"Shall I get the check for you?"

"Of course..."

What had he forgotten?  There was clearly something missing from that list...

The server returned. "Here you are.  That comes out to 45 bits."

Bits?  What were those?  He took a second to respond.  Money.  He had forgotten money.

"I, uh--"

"I'll cover it."

Twilight had cut in just in time.  She handed over a bag of coins (he could tell by the sound it made when it moved) and the server bowed, returning to the front desk to handle the reservations for tonight.

"You sure do like to eat, By-Run."

"I just can't get enough," he replied, hunger sated by the numerous vegetables he had consumed.

"Now that you've obtained sustenance, why don't you repay me with some information?"

"Seems fair," Byron replied.

"Okay... let's start with where you humans came from," she started, taking a seat across from him.

"Far away from here, I presume.  I actually don't know where I am now, and I'm sure the names for places you have are far different from those I know."

"That's probably true... can you at least tell me what your home is like?"

"It's a vast world, filled with all different kinds of people.  Tall, short, big, small, fat, thin, smart, dumb, good, evil... it's a diverse place.  Many back at home feel the need to obtain three things in life.  One, stable living conditions.  Two, wealth and power. Three, knowledge and understanding.  Everybody is unique, but that's what makes them the same."

"Sounds like your home and my home are the same in quality, human," Twilight remarked.

"We've a history that defies the tests of time, reaching back thousands of years.  We've built empires, and we've watched them fall.  We've created works of legends, only now they are worn down and misused.  We have big cities and small towns, each different from the next.  There are many kinds of climates, and different seasons to match each.  We have a sun and a moon, and we constantly wonder if there is any other intelligent life out beyond the stars.  Now we know."

"Our worlds seem very similar, human."

"Is that so?  Then I will give an example for why it is not the same.  We have wars going, even to this day, and arguments from years back that have never been settled.  We fight each other to be better than one another, to prove our worth.  Yet, we see violence as a terrible thing, even when it happens every day, caused by us.  We are the bane of our own existence."

"That would be different.  We've had wars before, but never to the extent that they still go on today.  We've resolved our differences with other nations and empires."

"I thought so," Byron said, getting up from his seat. "Walk with me."

They began a slow-paced stroll down the streets of town.

"Where I come from, we have governments, people who are elected into positions to maintain control and balance in each nation.  That is, if they are not complete tyrants, like in the place I come from."

"We have a something like that," Twilight added. "Princess Celestia keeps this world in balance."

Byron laughed for a moment, and many stopped to give him a strange look.  "A princess, you say?  You have no queen, no king?"

"The only queens and kings that have existed were evil.  We do not take on their titles," Twilight explained.

"I see," Byron replied, nodding his head.

"We also have a mayor of the town.  The capital building is right over there."

Byron noticed the dome-topped building form afar.  So this was the capital?  What a small building it was!

"A mayor and a princess?  I'm afraid we have nothing like that back where I come from.  In fact, I don't even know how that would work," Byron explained, scratching his head at the thought.

"Well, I'm not sure where to start with that one, since I didn't do a whole lot of study into politics.  Honestly, I should be doing that."

"No time like the present," Byron replied simply.

"Of course!  That is, if we still had the library..."

Byron raised an eyebrow. "'If we still had the library'? What happened?  Did the other humans destroy it when they escaped?"

"No, nothing like that.  It was something else entirely!  But hold on a second... how did you know that there was an escape planned by the other humans?"

"Simple.  They kept talking about how they had 'a close call back there' and 'quite the distraction planned' when they put that wretched explosive on me.  I could only assume that they were talking about an escape, and so I did.  It's only a coincidence that my arrow hit its mark, so to speak."

Twilight was skeptical.  This human didn't sound like he was telling the whole truth, but yet his story seemed fairly in-line with the humans' actions.  She decided to believe his story... for the moment, at least.

"All right then.  You know, it's like there's something that bothering me about you... but I can't put my hoof on what it is."

The human said nothing to this.  He simply stopped to admire the statue of a pony, apparently a mare that helped in the founding of Ponyville.  He looked over the statue, inch by inch.

"By-Run, what are you doing?" Twilight asked, confused by his behavior.  It was a childlike curiosity that she saw as he inspected the statue.

"I'm looking for something," he said.  His eyes searched all angles of the statue.

"What are you looking for, exactly?"

"Signs of aging.  How long has this statue been around?"

"About fifty years..." Twilight responded.

"Funny, it looks as if it was made yesterday..." Byron replied. "There's no signs of erosion from wind or water, no signs of animal excretions on it... heck, this thing looks new, if you ask me."

"Why does that matter?" Twilight asked.  Byron leaned in and peered at it a few seconds, but then leaned back and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," he said.  This was a lie, but it was very much different from his other ones.  Something about that statue was bothering him, but he didn't know what.  Was it the appearance?  The smell?  He couldn't put his finger on it.

Then it snapped in him.  He knew exactly what was wrong with the statue, and it scared the hell out of him.

"Wait a minute... is that statue breathing?!"

***

"Holy mother of god..."

The three Fourth Echelon agents stared at the marvel before them.  A giant dome had been placed over the entire town, acting as a barrier.  It simply wouldn't let anything foreign pass through it.  The three had been trying to get through it as soon as it appeared, using many tactics and ideas, but nothing seemed to work.

"What is this thing even made of?" Kestrel asked, trying to break the wall with his own two fists.  He had gotten angry, and that anger had pushed him to doing the irrational.

"Dunno," a voice said into each of their ears at once.

Harper sighed. "How long have you been sitting there listening to us, Charlie?"

The computer expert simply laughed. "I've been listening the whole time!  Hell, I got in so early, I learned that you snore, Harper!"

"Yeah, yeah, you creep," Harper said, shaking his head. "How 'bout you start with your explanation as to what this wall is, since you're so damn smart, hm?"

"Calm down, I was only joking.  That thing you've been smashing multiple other things against would be called a neutral field."

"A neutral field?" Archer asked.

"Yeah.  Basically, what it does it stop all kinetic energy from existing between two spaces and immediately turns it into potential energy.  That way, nothing can move through it."

"So you can't break it, then?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, sort of... you can break it,but it would take a little bit for effort and materials than you guys have at the moment."

"Great," Harper replied, "So we're locked out."

"For the moment, yes.  However, you could try to break it even without the required materials."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, technically speaking, if you found a way to to force kinetic energy onto the barrier from... let's say hundreds of different angles at once, you could get through it.  The barrier would be overloaded by the amount of energy it would have to take in, thus giving way and breaking.  I doubt you could do it, though, given the amount of people and resources.  Think of it like shooting concentrated fire at one target while surrounding it, above and below, for two days straight.  It's not possible.  Why do you want to get in, anyway?"

"Well, Harper here said he heard an explosion near the town.  Thought O'Malley was up to something.  When we got to the place he was talkin' about, it was already sealed off.  If O'Malley's in there, then we can't go home.  Speakin' of which, have you even taken a look at the design for the teleporter?"

"Well, uh... yeah, but I can't make sense of them... unless O'Malley had some kinda data, this will take a while."

Archer thought for a moment. "Didn't he have an accomplice?  Some kind of crime buddy?"

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?" asked Kestrel in agreement.

"Let's see... does a certain 'Mr. Masters' ring a bell?" Charlie asked.

"That's the guy who was with O'Malley when we got teleported here!  Maybe he has something on the teleporter!" Harper proclaimed.

"But what about the barrier?" asked Charlie. "I mean, you still need to get through that."

"Even if we could get through now, then what?  We'll have to hold onto O'Malley for days before we found our way back to Earth, and I don't want any escape plans being hatched before then," Kestrel explained.

"All right, you make a fair point.  Masters, Masters... I guess he forgot to cover up his signal, because he's reading loud and clear.  Deceased... not far from you."

"Which way?"

"I'll set a marker for you.  You can see the map I made for you on your OPSAT.  Good luck on finding him, you guys."

Once again, the TACCOM went silent.  The three stepped off into the woods.

***

"Sister, please!  This is the one opportunity that we get to finally learn something about intelligent life beyond the cosmos!  We're not the only ones in this universe!"

"No!  The humans must not be here!  If we even try to connect with them, I assure you they will begin to take over this peaceful land!"

The two immortals argued and bickered like this for hours, fighting since they had learned about the human's arrival.

"The ones I met mean no harm!"

"Well, that's hardly what I read about them in the letter sent from Ponyville.  They attacked the place!  They have an insatiable  bloodlust; they want to hunt and kill ponies!  I will not allow such beasts in my lands!"

"You've got it all wrong!  These humans are trying to stop violence!  It is only the contradictory way they go about it that separates us from them!  Besides, you let plenty of feral beasts linger in these lands, ones far more dangerous than the humans!"

The two paused in their heated battle and then yelled out their final arguments at the same time.

"Sister, you know not of what you speak of!  These destructive beings could bring about the very end of ponykind!"

"Sister, these beings are nothing but lost and scared!  Give them a chance to prove themselves!

They stared at each other angrily, never facing away from each other.

The guard nearby shivered in his armor to see the two most powerful beings in Equestria argue like this.

"Um, Your Highnesses?"

"WHAT?!" They yelled at him.  He backed off and hid in his armor the best he could.

"The advisors you asked for are waiting for you in the council room," he managed to say, quailing in fear of what the two would do.

The two dropped their angered looks. "Good.  We will need them, as we cannot seem to agree on the matter at hand.  Perhaps their words will give one of us a change of heart," Celestia thought aloud.

"I hope you mean yourself when you say that, sister, as I am not changing my mind so easily," Luna replied haughtily.

The two walked off to join the discussion.

The advisers were waiting both patiently and silently went the two princesses entered the room and took their seats at their respective thrones.

"As you all know by now, we have humans about, and they are causing trouble.  You obviously have your own ideas on how to deal with them or get rid of them.  I'll take your suggestions now, starting with you."

She Nodded to the Health Adviser, and she began to explain her take on things.

"Well, most of what we know about humans is quite clouded and unclear, but one thing is for certain: they are destroying the minds of these ponies, filling them with fear!  Should these mental attacks on ponies continue, we may not be able to control what happens to other ponies, and they could get hurt, or even killed!  We must keep ponies and humans separated at all costs!"

The next one, the Defense Adviser, nodded in agreement. "I agree with the Health Adviser with her terms, but the way she wants to go about it is clearly not enough. Because these humans are so dangerous, we should fortify our towns and cities to defend against them!  We cannot simply stand by while these beings terrorize the populace!  I say we station guard patrols around every major city and every rural town, just for good measure!"

The final adviser, the Adviser for Foreign Affairs, spoke up, "If I may, I believe what the other two have to say on the matter is completely wrong.  These humans just need to be reasoned with, and we should give them a chance to explain themselves.  We're working off of assumptions and rumors here.  We need concrete evidence that the humans are truly as dangerous as we've heard.  Now, if they are dangerous, you will decide their fate, Your Highness, as you naturally would.  However, if they are trying to be peaceful, I say we take a different approach to all of this.  What they've done may seem malicious in intent, but perhaps we're just looking at things the wrong way. We have to search for what is truly going on here, not just believe what we want to believe."

The other two advisers just stared.  What they heard was a foreign concept, with no pun intended.

The Defense Adviser was the first to speak.  "Are you out of your mind?!  They attacked Ponyville! Attacked it, I say!"

The AFA shook her head. "I assure you, that was no attack!  They simply felt threatened, and so like any normal living being they retaliated.  It's not out of the ordinary!"

"But the mental status of ponies that have met humans is deteriorating!  They could go insane through fear!" the Health Adviser argued.

"Then ponies should learn not to fear them!  They need the truth!  Give the humans a chance to explain themselves!"

The three clamored all at the same time.

"No!  We need to fight them!"

"No!  We need to avoid them!"

"No!  We need to understand them!"

"Eh-hem."

At the sound of the Princess clearing her throat, the three immediately fell silent.

"Note that I judge each of you with great respect for your opinions, but I have to agree that understanding these humans should be the logical first step to any foreign encounter.  Once we know their motives, then we can make an informed decision based off what we know, not just what we heard.  Any objections can be stated now."

The advisers said nothing, fearing that if they defied their princess, it would not end well.

"No objections, I see.  Preparations for negotiations with the humans shall commence  immediately.  Sharp Tack!"

The nearby guard saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Please escort the Adviser for Foreign Affairs to the train station.  Make sure she has what she needs before you two leave."

"Of course, Your Highness!"

"What?!  You're sending me?!" the adviser asked with much surprise in her voice.

"You have suggested the solution, and therefore you are the only one who knows exactly what should be done.  I see no reason why you should not be the one to negotiate with the humans."

The adviser's jaw dropped straight to the ground, and she found herself at a loss for words.  The Princesses began to walk back to the throne room, but left with one closing remark:

"Be sure to pack warm!  The Everfree forest is known to be quite cold at most times of the day!"

The two oversized doors closed, and the two other advisers left as well.  Butter Brittle, otherwise known as the Adviser for Foreign Affairs stood paralyzed in fear.  Now she knew what the Health Adviser was talking about.  She just signed herself up to go into one of the most dangerous forests in Equestria to talk to humans.  A lose-lose situation for her.

"Ma'am!"

The sound of the guard's voice made her jump out of her stupor. "Yes?"

"We're going to leave for Ponyville by train in one hour.  Bring only the bare necessities with you, and nothing that will weigh you down.  As soon as we step foot out of the defensive perimeter, I shall escort you to the last known location of the humans."

"Yes.  Of course." she replied, only half-listening to what Sharp had just said.  She didn't move an inch.

"That means you should go and pack.  Now, preferably."

Humans in the forest... there was more than one way this situation could go sour, and she didn't like to think of all the different ways how.  Absent-mindedly, Butter went off to go pack her things for the trip.  As much as she didn't want to do this, everypony had to know the truth behind the appearance of the humans.