Chapters It was night, near eleven o'clock, in the Crystal Empire. Cadance looked at Armor, already asleep, tuckered out from his work. Cadance smiled, and turned back to her desk. The census papers had come in, and next to her sat a few empty coffee cups. As her eyes started to close, she yawned, and picked up her pen. After the destruction of Tirek and being freed from Tartarus, she had been throwing herself into her work as ruler of the Empire. Armor was concerned about her, but often she would reassure him that she was fine.
"Princess?"
Cadance looked up, and a guard was standing in the doorway.
"What is it?" Armor said groggily, getting up.
"We're reading fluctuations in the Mirror Portal. Energy is rapidly surging through it at an abnormal rate. We thought you'd like to know." the guard replied.
"Alright. Cady, you get some rest. We can handle those census papers in the morning." Armor said, getting up.
"I'll deal with it. You get some rest. You've had a long day." Cadance said, getting up.
"Alright. You should probably get some rest when this is over." Armor said, falling back into the bed. "You really need it."
Cadance smiled at her husband, and followed the guard to the Spire. As they approached the mirror, she could see what the guard meant. Green bolts of lightning were coursing through the Mirror's surface. As they neared, Cadance got a sudden onslaught of a headache. As she clutched her head, she saw random images. A skull, perched on the hilt of a winged sword, emblazoned with a one-four-one. A Mask with a skull painted on it. As the images flashed through her mind, she grew even more confused. The, suddenly, the headache was gone. As she stood up shakily, she noticed Armor helping her up.
"What happened?" he said, panicked.
"I don't know. I got a huge headache, then I saw a bunch of images. Like a mask with a skull and some sort of logo. But before I could make anything out of it, it was gone."
"Okay. Let's get you to the hospital..."
"SIR! The portal is acting up! Something is coming out!" A Guard yelled, and as the guards readied themselves, the portal burst open in a flash of energy, and a strange, bipedal being tumbled out, along with two long, metal objects. Cadance saw it was wearing what looked like a suit, fur-lined coat, and dress pants, except the pants had at least four pockets. He was also wearing some sort of vest and gloves. It had a worn, but kind, face, with brown hair. She couldn't see the rest of his face, as it fell face down clutching its chest. Cadance gasped and raised her hoof to her mouth. Armor motioned towards it, and the guards lowered their spears. Until they heard a faint voice, coming from the creature, speaking fluent Equestrian.
"Fuck...you...Makarov..."
Cadance lowered her hoof, and she walked carefully towards the creature. She saw a glimpse of brown eyes, and a small scar, but before she could walk back, it touched her leg. Cadance turned back and saw it roll over onto its side. She immediately gasped. A small hole in his torso was bleeding profusely. It managed to gasp out, before passing out from blood loss.
"Get it to the hospital!" Cadance yelled, and the guards called for a medic. Armor rushed towards the creature and began to use healing magic on it, only to stop.
"What's wrong?" Cadance asked.
"It's not working." Armor replied.
"Not working?"
"The Healing magic. It's not affecting the wound. He's immune!" Armor replied.
"Immune? How can he be immune to healing magic! It makes no sense!" Cadance replied.
"I don't know. We should get him to the hospital."
After a few more minutes, in which Cadance had tried to seal the wound, with no avail, the doctors arrived, and after a quick teleportation, arrived at the hospital. Rushing the being to the emergency room, Cadance watched as they operated on the being, removing his clothing, revealing a well built body, with a few flecks of color on his chest, which Cadance assumed was the remains of a tattoo. After around thirty minutes, the doctors reported the wound was closed, and they were moving him to a private room. Cadance and Armor followed the gurney to a room on the third floor. As they set the being down using magic, a doctor pulled the two of them aside.
"Princess, Prince, I'm Doctor Tender." he said.
"Thanks Doc. What do we know?" Cadance asked.
"We managed to determine, thanks to his body structure, that it's a male."
"Okay. Anything on him we can use to identify his name or where he's from?"
"No. There's no tags on his clothing or anything like that. The two objects that came with him.." Tender pointed to them, as they were set on a table, "...there's no engravings or anything like that. The strange thing was what we pulled out of the wound."
Tender held up a bag. Inside was a small, conical object. It was dull gray, with flecks of brown, and it had grooves and marks running down the length of it.
"What is that?" Armor asked.
"We don't know. We think it's some sort of projectile, like an arrow or crossbow bolt, but we don't know what propels it. The black scorch marks were definitely generated by heat or by an explosion, so we have a starting point there. But the strange thing is his magic immunity. We took a blood sample, and found this."
Tender held up a photo of a white, disc-like object.
"These things are everywhere in his blood and they're the source of his immunity. We know that they're linked to his body's natural healing function in some way, but we don't know how they generate a magical immunity. As for the other things in his blood, standard red and white blood cells, used for carrying oxygen and fighting disease."
"Okay. Anything else?" Cadance replied.
"One last thing. We know it's intelligent, judging by the fact that he spoke fluent Equestrian when he came out. He also made reference to something or some other of his species named "Makarov." We don't know what that means, but it must be crucial to him."
"Thanks doctor. We'll check back on him tomorrow." Armor said, and as they walked out of the room, Cadance looked at her husband.
"What's wrong?"
"I think that he came here for a reason." Cadance replied.
"Why?"
"You know those images I saw when I got that headache? A few minutes after I see them, he comes out of the mirror portal. It only opens every thirty moons, and now that I think of it, today is the day it's supposed to open. Why...did he come here..."
"Princess!"
They turned and saw Doctor Tender running towards them.
"What's going on?"
"The being. He's awake."
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Allen woke up to a stabbing pain in his side. As he looked around, even with his clouded vision, he noticed he was in some kind of hospital. An IV bag and needle rested in his arm, and he was clad in his cargo pants and hospital scrubs. His vision was still cloudy. As he sat up, ignoring the pain, he noticed the door opening. Allen promptly swore under his breath. Two unicorns, and some sort of Pegasus-Unicorn hybrid entered the room. The first unicorn, Allen guessed, was a doctor. The second unicorn was white, with a blue mane. He had a curious look on his face, and on his flank was a shield. The Pegasus-Unicorn hybrid had a pink coat, with a pink, yellow, and purple mane. A blue heart with gold designs rested on her flank. She had a worried look on her face as she sat down next to him. Then it spoke to him, in fluent English.
"Are you okay?" she said in a kind, but worried voice.
"Where the hell am I?" Allen replied.
"In Equestria, in the Crystal Empire." she replied.
"Shit. Well, I guess I'm no longer on Earth anymore." Allen said with a sigh.
"Earth? That's the world you're from?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Why are you here?" the other unicorn, the white one, asked.
"I died." Allen said.
"But you're alive! How can you be dead then!" the pega-unicorn said, shocked.
"I guess I died on Earth, and then I got resurrected and I end up here." Allen said.
"Okay. I guess we should restart. I'm Princess Cadance. That's my husband, Shining Armor, and Doctor Tender."
"Nice to meet you all. PFC Joseph Allen, CIA."
"PFC? CIA?" Armor asked.
"PFC stands for Private, First Class. I was an Army Ranger, before I was inducted into my home nation, the United States of America's, intelligence department, the CIA. I was implanted in a Russian ultra-nationalist group."
"Russia? Ultra-nationalist?" Cadance asked, confused.
"Ultra-nationalism is where you love your country, and despise all others, often leading to...confrontations. Often, in my world, humans will do anything for their country. Even fight and die. As for Russia, it's another country on Earth, the largest to be exact. Russia and The United States aren't exactly on the best of terms. A recent attempted coup against the government led to a near-nuclear war, which was averted after a few close calls. I was implanted into a cell led by Vladimir Makarov, the leader of the Ultra-nationalist movement..."
"Makarov? You cursed him when you came out of the mirror portal!" Cadance said, surprised.
'Yes, I did. You have to know why. Makarov had planned to start a war between the United States and Russia, by faking a terrorist attack on a airport, where lots of people gather to travel. He was going to use American weapons and equipment to make it look like the United States had sanctioned the attack. I, under the identity of Alexei Borovin, was to gain his trust...by participating." Allen said with disgust.
"What's terrorism?" Armor asked.
"A terrorist uses fear to get what they want."
"Why?" Cadance asked.
"Our world...is...complicated. We're always at each others throats. Ever since our race began, we've been fighting to survive. That includes war. We have fought wars that were needed, like the Second World War, when the United States, plus a few other countries, including Russia, then known as the Soviet Union, toppled an alliance of dictators, led by a genocidal maniac. Long story. But the thing is, I was supposed to help him trigger the war. And I did, in a way."
"Why?"
"Makarov planned to massacre the civilians at the airport. And kill anyone who stood in his way. I had to...help him. When I thought I was in the clear, after fighting our way past Russian police, Makarov shot me. Somehow, he knew I was an American spy. He left my body, an American's body, at the feet of hundreds of dead Russians. That alone probably gave Makarov the war he wanted. It was my fault. I should have killed him when I had the chance. I failed my mission. And because I failed, the war's probably still going on, because of me." Allen said with a small tear coming out of his eye.
"You..killed...innocent...people?" Cadance said, abhorred.
"I didn't want to, I had to, Princess. I learned, as a Ranger, never to disobey orders. I even obeyed the order Makarov gave me to not speak any of the Russian language, which would have given him away. I had to obey him, or I would be found out. I guess none of that matters now, I guess. Shining?"
"Yeah?"
"I can guess you command the Crystal Empire's military, correct?"
"Yeah. Why..."
"Say you were in a high-risk mission. Where you had to sacrifice one to save ten. Would you do it?"
"It depends..."
"Or sacrifice ten to save one hundred? Or possibly one hundred to save thousands? Hundred thousands? Millions? Your entire Nation?" Allen spoke.
"I still don't get where you are going, Allen!" Shining said, angered slightly.
"My point is, sometimes sacrifices must be made. And to save my nation from war, I had to pay the price. The ultimate price. But I failed, and most likely, the United States and Russia are now at war. And now I wish it was a price I hadn't paid. I tried to save what I held most. I failed. The only thing left for me now is to receive my punishment. I guess I'll leave it to you to decide. Kill me, send me away, do what you want. It doesn't matter to me now." Allen said with a sigh.
"That's not necessary, Private Allen."
All eyes turned to the White alicorn standing in the doorway. Allen bowed his head, and she nodded in response.
"Celestia? What are you doing here?" Armor said, surprised.
"I had my own set of...let's say...visitors." she said with a smile, and in walked two more humans. One was tall, around the same age as Allen, with a worn face, but a pleasant expression. The other was a bit shorter, with a well-built body. His face was covered by a mask, with a skull printed on it. They were both wearing similar grey, brown, and black clothing, and they carried objects similar to that of Allen's. As they sat down, they waved to Allen, who smiled back.
"What happened?" Cadance asked her aunt.
"Well, I guess I should let them explain what happened." she said with a smile.
"Thanks, Princess. the first one said. I'm Gary Sanderson. This is Simon Riley. You can call me Roach. Simon's Ghost. Welcome back to the land of the living, Allen."
"You guys are in the One-Four-One." Allen said, noticing the patches on their arms. "How did you guys die?"
"Shepard. The bloody bastard betrayed us."
"Shepard? As in General Shepard, the man who recruited me into the One-four-one?"
"Yeah. Well, I guess I should fill you in. After your death, the Russians invaded the US in revenge. We were dispatched to find Makarov and kill him or bring him to justice. We were dispatched to Brazil to find the guy that sold Makarov the guns used in the massacre, which led us to a Russian gulag, containing a person named Prisoner 627. Turns out it was Captain MacTavish's old commander, John Price. After that, while the US was bleeding, we split up to cover more ground. Ghost and I raided one of Makarov's safehouses in the Georgian-Russian border. As we made our escape, Shepard met us. As we told him we had the DSM, he smiled, then he shot me dead. Ghost tried to kill him, but Shepard was faster. He then burned our bodies, and with that, the evidence that he betrayed us."
Allen had been growling throughout the whole story, but when Roach finished, he launched into a string of curses.
"Easy there, tiger." Ghost said with a smile. "We still have a job to do."
"Yeah." Allen replied. "Cadance?"
"Yes?" she replied.
"How often does that mirror portal that I came out of open, by the way?"
"Once every thirty moons, I believe." she replied.
"Damn. Well guys, I guess we're stuck here for the time being." Allen said,
"Yep. Hey, you guys got anything to eat? I'm bloody starved." Ghost said with a smile.
"We'll get you all some food. Just sit tight here." Armor said as the ponies walked out.
"Hey, Armor." Allen said.
"What?"
"You're a lucky stallion to get a girl like her." Allen said. "Don't let that go to waste."
"Thanks. I'll remember that." Shining said as they walked out.
After the ponies left the room, Allen looked over at Ghost and Roach, who were occupying themselves with a game of cards. Allen looked back over at the the heart monitor displayed above him, then he fell back into the bed and sighed.
"Ghost? Roach?"
"Yeah?" They both said in response.
"How do you think the war's going? I mean, we're dead, and we have some time to kill, so how are we gonna know?"
"I'm not sure. We'll go back to our world and finish the fight someday. Maybe not today, but someday." Roach said, dealing Ghost his hand. Allen looked at Ghost, who shrugged in response. At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Cadance came in, rolling a cart of food in with her magic.
"Got the food you guys wanted. Anything else?" she said.
"Got anything to read? I'm bored out of my skull." Allen said.
"I'll take a look around." Cadance said, and as she left, Allen pulled the tray over. He picked up a plate and served himself, with Ghost and Roach doing the same. As they ate, Allen asked who Captain MacTavish was.
"He's the One-Four-One's commander. MacTavish, with no understatement, is a badass. Apparently his old SAS nickname was "Soap" if you can believe it." Ghost said.
"Sounds like the name of a Muppet or something like that." Allen chuckled.
"Yeah, it does, really. But anyway, Soap, as we now get to call him, served under Price. And if you're wondering about Price, he's just as much, or even a bit more, of a badass than Soap." Roach said, and they all laughed.
"Yeah. Any word on how the United States is doing?"
"Last time I checked, they pushed the Russians out of the east coast, and they liberated DC with the help of a EMP missile that we launched to support them. But they are, still for the moment, fighting."
"And Makarov? Did you find him at the safehouse?"
"Nope. He wasn't there. We did download a ton of files off his laptop, which we downloaded to the DSM that Shepard stole from our bodies."
"Great. Don't think I've forgiven him for betraying you two like that. When we meet him, can I have dibs on the first shot?"
"I guess. Me next, then Ghost."
"Why am I last?" Ghost said indignantly.
"' 'Cause you died last, idiot!" Roach said, and as they all broke into laughter again, Cadance smiled as she heard them as she walked down the hall. As she walked with Armor and Celestia, she felt something was off.
"Celestia?"
"Yes, Cadance?"
"Do you know If Twilight and her friends got a human visitor? It would make a little bit of sense if they did."
"I do not know. Twilight's last letter to me was a few days ago, talking about the inner workings of her new home. I do believe she may receive one soon, though. But I have to ask you something, Cadance. What do you think about the humans? I want you to answer me with the truth." Celestia said, looking at her.
"I just don't know, Auntie. I mean, that one human, Allen, killed innocent travelers because he was told to. I know he did it to potentially stop a war between two of their worlds's biggest nations, but it doesn't make any sense when you look at it morally. I mean, now that they're together, they're laughing like a bunch of school-ponies and having a good time. Their kind, from what I've heard, has fought so many wars that it's hard to believe that there are millions, maybe even billions of them alive! It just doesn't figure out!"
"I know, Cadie." Armor said. "I mean, before I left, Allen gave me some advice. It's kind of embarrassing, but it really stuck to me. I can understand his military and political goals to what he did, but I also believe him when he says that he didn't want to do it. He's not that bad of a human. I can tell. I think he just needs some time to get used to Equestria, maybe then we can have a more serious talk about what happened."
"I agree. I looked into the memories of Roach and Ghost, I believe they called themselves, and they have killed their own kind, simply because they opposed their goals. But they aren't bad humans. They had reasons behind them, and a cause they believed in. That alone can make a pony do things they will later regret, Cadance." Celestia said, and at that moment, there was a flash, and a scroll popped up in front of Celestia's face. As she opened it, she first had an expression of shock, then thought. She smiled, summoned a quill pen, and wrote a response. Her horn then glowed brightly, and the scroll was gone.
"What was that about?" Cadance said. "Was that..."
"Twilight. Apparently she had her own visitor last night. A human by the name of John MacTavish."
"John MacTavish? You mean Soap?"
The ponies turned and saw Allen, Ghost, and Roach walking towards them. Cadance wasn't only surprised at their appearance, but the fact that Allen was walking now. As they walked up, Celestia smiled.
"Yes, I believe we are referring to the same human. My personal student, and the newest princess, Twilight Sparkle, found him in one of her friend's barns, passed out from exhaustion. They didn't know what to do with him, so they sent a letter to me after they moved him to safer quarters. I told her to bring Mr. MacTavish here, so he can rejoin the members of his kind that are already present. They should be arriving in around ten minutes or so by train." Celestia said.
"Great. If we could meet them when they arrive, that would be good. I think Soap would appreciate seeing members of his own kind first." Ghost said, echoing the thoughts of Roach and Allen, who nodded.
"That would be fine. The train station is actually just around the corner." Armor said, and as they walked out of the hallway and the hospital, Roach turned to Ghost.
"How did Soap get here?"
"I don't know. I'm just going with the flow here."
====================================================================================================
After around a seven minute walk, they arrived at the station. As Roach and Allen sat down, Ghost remained standing. Celestia looked at the masked soldier. As she closed her eyes to peer into his mind, she found only darkness, with only a few memories present. She tried digging deeper, but she found nothing. She shook her head and turned to watch the train roll into the station. As the door opened, Twilight rushed out and she immediately hugged Cadance and Armor, while the rest of her friends came out. One rainbow-colored pony stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Roach, Allen, and Ghost, and Twilight rolled her eyes and picked her up with her magic before she passed out. Before the humans could say anything, they heard footsteps, and out walked John "Soap" MacTavish. As Allen, Ghost, and Roach saluted him, the ponies turned to watch.
"Allen, Ghost, Roach, good to see you. How have you been?"
"Just fine, sir."
"Good. Let's get caught up."
As Allen, Ghost, and Roach dropped their salutes, Soap walked up to the three of them and nodded.
"You three doing okay?"
"Doing well, Captain. Please don't tell me you..."
"Died. Yes, I did. Even the best can fall." He replied, while sitting down on a bench. All this time, Rainbow was spouting insults at the humans, until Twilight's horn glowed, and her mouth was dragged off-screen into the trash bin. Rainbow tried to speak, only to eventually stop and start glaring at the humans. Soap sighed and looked over at the soldiers of One-four-One.
"I guess you need to be caught up then, huh?" and the humans nodded.
"Fine. Let's begin. We got word of your deaths while we were in an airplane graveyard, fighting off Makarov's lackeys. After our escape, we called Makarov for help regarding intel on Shepard. He gave us Shepard's location, reluctantly, since we both wanted him dead. We raided his base and pursued him when he tried to evacuate. After a crash, I brawled with him, until he stabbed me in the chest, pinning me. Then, when Price tried to engage him, I pulled the knife out and threw it. Hit the bastard straight in the right eye. Nikolai picked us up and took us to India, where I got medical treatment, and Price recruited a Russian named Yuri, one of Nikolai's men. Yuri's the only man the world who hates Makarov more than Price."
"That's...impressive." Ghost quipped. "Price despises Makarov more than I can fathom."
"Yeah. Back in the united states, the US pushed the Russians out of their Eastern Seaboard. Three months later, Makarov kidnaps the Russian president and his daughter, who were on their way to a peace delegation in Hamburg. He also had a stockpile of chemical weapons, which he planted in every major NATO city. He crippled the whole of Europe, paving the way for an Russian invasion. While the US tried to stop them, we got info from Captain MacMillian, Price's old CO, about a man in Somalia who knew the man who made the bombs. We got the info out of him, through some...well...brutal means, and we got the ID. Volk. Head of Fregata industries. We sent his location to a US special forces team, who got him. Heard the Eiffel Tower collapsed in the escape. The Special Forces team known as Metal, same guys, sent Makarov's location to us. Prague, Czech Republic, deep in the Russian occupied zone. With the help of the Russian loyalists and Czech partisans, we attempted to bag the bastard once and for all. Except he knew. And he told me that he knew Yuri well. Then, he blew up the tower that we were occupying sniper positions in, and the impact of landing reopened my knife wound. I passed this on to Price before I died. I haven't the foggiest of what's happened since then. How have you been doing? Ponies here treating you well?"
"Really well. Gave Allen here some really good hospital care. We popped up in old Sun-butt's bedroom in the capital, if you can believe it..."
"SUN-BUTT?" Celestia said incredulously.
"Oh, shit." Allen said, and the humans braced themselves. To everyone's surprise, she immediately began to laugh her guts out, confusing every human and pony present.
"That's the best nickname for me you could come up with? I'm impressed!" She chortled, before wiping her tears and regaining her composure.
"Cadance, anything to ask?"
"One thing's been bothering me. Do you...enjoy killing your own kind?"
To her surprise, the humans shook their heads no.
"Why?"
"Being a soldier is a tough job, Princess. I killed because I knew what I was doing would help the world recover. If men like the ones I've done didn't realize that, it's their fault. To answer your question, I don't. I kill because there's no other way. Makarov was set in his goals. There was no way to change his mind. No conceivable way."
Cadance nodded, seeing the point. As they departed from the station, they saw a large crowd gathering at the city center, near the crystal heart. As the group approached, they could hear the voice of Flash Sentry. The humans saw three other humans, clad in grey and brown armor, wielding rifles, in a triangle formation around a crystal heart. They were in combat positions, and then Flash spoke up with a loudspeaker.
"CREATURES! STEP AWAY FROM THE HEART!"
"MAKE US, WHATEVER THE HELL YOU ARE!" That was the voice the leader. The group sped up and forced their way through the crowd. As Cadance and Armor approached Sentry, he saluted.
"We've got a problem. Those creatures have the heart surrounded. They're not moving, and they're not being peaceful."
"Just what I'd expect."
Soap, Ghost, Roach, and Allen stepped forward, and Flash gasped.
"Don't worry, they're with us." Armor said quickly, and Flash sighed.
"Maybe they can talk some sense into THEM." he said.
"Soap walked forward, making a large amount of Ponies gasp. He smiled, and then waved, catching the human's attention.
"Well, hello there. We just have to stop meeting like this, Sandman." Soap said, smiling.
Sandman smiled, and shouldered his rifle, along with Grinch and Truck. As they walked forward, they shook hands. Armor took the loudspeaker from Sentry and told the crowd to disperse. As they did so, Team Metal walked up.
"Thanks for saving our asses."
"No problem." Shining said. "You friends with Soap here?"
"Yeah. Name's Sandman. This is Truck and Grinch. Call sign-Team Metal"
"You guys die?" Soap said, and they nodded. "How?"
"After your death, we tried to rescue the Russian President's daughter, but the Russians got to her before us. We eventually, along with Price and Yuri, managed to infiltrate the diamond mine she and her father were being kept in. We got them out, along with our other team member Frost, but we lost our lives. Don't know what's happened since."
"Alright. Let's get moving." Soap said, motioning. "they loaned us a house here."
"Sweet."
"Hey, what are those metal things?" Shining said, curious. "You never told us."
"We call em' guns. Pretty much humanity's main weapon of choice in the modern world."
"Care to demonstrate?" Shining said.
"Not a problem." Metal said.
"We've got a testing ranger nearby." Cadance said.
"Let's go, then."
As the humans and ponies walked into the Guard barracks, Soap looked over at Armor,
"They're pretty well trained. You got any previous military experience?"
"I used to be the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard before I married Cadance and became one of the rulers of the Empire. Our wedding was, well, rather rudely interrupted."
"How So? Wedding crasher?" Allen said.
"The Changeling queen impersonated Cadance and hypnotized me, in order to feed off me. She had everyone fooled, except for Twilight here. She found out the truth just in time." Armor said, ruffling Twilight's mane. "I still owe her a big one."
"That's some nerve, on your special day. I'd like to kick her ass big-time." Roach said, and Cadance smiled.
"Yeah. I'd like to kick her flank a million times. She's not coming back anytime soon, though. They live a good distance away, and with all the safeguards we have, she won't dare attack us." Cadance said.
"We're here." Armor said, opening the door to a small firing range. Crossbows lay neatly on several weapon racks, alongside quivers of bolts. Spears, swords, and longbows were perfectly sorted. Several firing lines were present, and Soap was impressed.
"Well, let's get started. The gun was developed in the late middle ages. It's currently 2015. The late middle ages were in the 14-1500s, so we've had them for a while. The early designs were crude. We eventually refined them into the weapons you see now. We first used them as heavy cannons, until we developed the matchlock, wheel-lock, and Flintlock ignition systems, then the percussion cap system, which is still used today. The gun works by using a metal firing pin, linked to a trigger mechanism. When the trigger is pulled, the pin hits the cartridge bottom, which sets off a chain reaction of a small amount of explosive. The explosion, contained within the cartridge base, generates hot gas which propels the bullet out of the case and down the barrel. The bullet spins as it travels down the barrel, due to rifling, or grooves, that spin the round. The crack you hear from firing the gun is the bullet breaking the sound barrier. The mechanism then ejects the cartridge and loads another automatically. We call it a "Full-auto" mechanism. They also come standard with a safety mechanism to prevent accidents. But always, Safety first." Allen said, field stripping his M4A1 for visual reference while laughing at his little joke.
"How big can the bullets get?" Armor said.
"That depends on the size you want it to be. It can be small, like a pistol round, medium, like an assault rifle here, or big, like a sniper's rifle or machine-gun round. The biggest we use for standard military use is a half-inch diameter round in Sniper rifles." Roach said. "Like the Barret .50 Cal sniper. That round can punch through steel and most medium cover."
"What's the difference between a rifle and machine gun?" Rarity said. "They sound the same."
"But they are different." Ghost said. "MGs usually use a bi-pod or tripod for support. Assault rifles don't. Assault rifles usually have small magazines for ammo. MGs have ammo belts or boxes for a continuous stream of ammo. Rifles don't have a mechanism to cool the barrel. They use a gas system to expel excess gas when the round is fired through the ejection port. MG's have cooling mechanisms due to their rapid fire rates, meaning the barrels heat up due to the gas and the friction. Assault rifles and small machine guns can usually be carried by a single solider. Medium and heavy MGs are mounted most of the time."
"Interesting. Can you show us?" Celestia asked.
Soap nodded to Allen, who smiled and mounted his M240B on the table. He got his sights ready, loaded the rifle, and fired a few bursts at a mannequin down the range. The loud cracks and flashes surprised the ponies, who were covering their ears. Allen fired one last burst, then he put the safety on, and shouldered the weapon. Twillight uncovered her ears and smiled.
"That was...rather loud. Why didn't you humans flinch?"
"We're used to it. Often, our helmets have ear protection, so it doesn't matter much. But anyway, anything else?"
"One question, Soap. Why;d you have to die on me, you bloody bastard?" A voice said.
All eyes turned to the humans standing in the doorway. One was older, in his 40's, with a full beard and mustache streaked with gray, wearing a jungle hat. The other was tall, with a crew cut and a friendly expression. The older one shouldered his AK47 and walked over to Soap, who smiled. The other one smiled and walked with him, also holstering a pistol and AK47.
"Good to see you again, Captain Price. You too, Yuri." Soap said.
"Same, Soap. Ghost, Roach, Metal. Nice to see you all." Price said.
"Wait, Captain Price?" Allen said.
"What, PFC Allen?" Price replied. "Something up?"
"Did you...finish the job?" Allen asked.
"I did. Makarov. Is. Dead. I hung him with a steel cable. Long story, but the bastard, the insane bastard is finally dead." Price said, taking out a flask ad sipping from it.
This took a little time to sink in, but eventually the humans started cheering and patting each other on the back. The ponies were mystified at the celebration.
"Why are you celebrating?" Twilight said, confused.
"Makarov is dead. You know the guy that masterminded the airport massacre? The guy that killed me? The guy who caused the death of Soap? The radical ultra-nationalist terrorist I told you about? HE'S DEAD. HE'S FINALLY DEAD!" Allen said, giving Soap a high-five.
"Wow. That's a relief." Cadance said. "I'm not sure I can say this, but I'm relieved to hear of his passing."
"Well, now our job back home is done. I think it's time we establish a new life here." Allen said, with nods and confirmation coming from the other humans.
"That sounds fine with me. Hey, since the only real thing you guys can do is fight, maybe you can be advisors for the guard here. We could use the help." Armor said, and Price nodded.
"Sounds fine to me. What do you think?"
There were no objections.
"Good. Consider us accepting your offer." Price said, shaking Armor's hoof.
"The next training session isn't for a few days, so rest up. I have a few announcements to make."
Armor walked out, along with Twilight and her friends, who needed to head back to Ponyville. Celestia and Luna were gone in a flash, leaving the humans with Cadance.
"I actually have some census work to do. Here's the address of the house. It's a bit big, but I think It will fit." Cadance said, pulling out a scrap of paper and a pencil. Writing down the address, she handed it to Price.
"Thanks." Price said, and the humans walked out. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a bright blue house, with two stories. They opened the door, and dust greeted them.
"Doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while."
"Yeah." Ghost said, setting his ACR in a alcove.
"Let's get set up. Once we get some currency, we can get some furniture ordered."
"Sounds good."
After around an hour of cleaning, the house was finally presentable. They stocked their combat gear in the basement and stripped down to T-shirts, pants, and socks. Ghost retained his mask, however, along with his jacket. Then, they scavenged whatever food they could find. In the middle of eating, the doorbell rang. Ghost answered it, and in walked Armor, along with a notepad, pencil, and bag full to bursting.
"Hey guys. If you need anything, write it on this notepad. I'll pick it up each morning and get it. I got some bits for you from the treasury."
"Thanks. And you call this SOME?" Roach said, eyeing the massive bag of coins.
"We get a lot of trade here, so we get a lot of tariff and tax money. It really adds up. I've already made the arrangements for your Guard positions, so don't worry about that."
"No problem."
As Allen finished writing the things they needed down on the list, he handed it to Armor.
"I'll get you what I can get. But oil?"
"Gun cleaning. Also, I don't think the lanterns are gonna light themselves." Allen said automatically.
"I see."
Armor walked out with the list, leaving the bag in a cabinet. By now, the sun was setting, and the group was getting tired. Scavenging a few blankets and sleeping bags, they drifted off to sleep, not knowing the winds of fate had already begun to blow.
One week later
============
Soap and Price watched as the humans sparred with the guards, who were having their asses kicked by the 141 soldiers. Price chuckled liberally.
"Never been having this much fun watching people fight."
"Eh, at least we don't have to worry about Makarov." Soap replied.
As they both chuckled, they watched Allen spar with Flash Sentry. Sentry tried to sweep out Allen's legs, but Allen jumped and landed a punch to his face. Flash laughed slightly, and got back up. As they continued to exchange blows, Soap heard footsteps from behind him.
"Mornin', Princess."
Cadance laughed slightly and walked up.
"Morning. May I have everypony's attention, please?"
Everyone stopped sparring and looked at her. She sighed and began to speak.
"At around midnight last night, the Embassy to the Griffon empire in Canterlot was attacked by unknown forces. Canterlot's still on lockdown, so we can presume the attackers are still inside the city. However, they were expertly trained in combat skills, and had formidable weaponry."
"Guns?" Allen ask, and Cadance sighed.
"Rudimentary, but yes. They overpowered the Embassy Staff and killed three of them before the Royal Guard intervened. Then, they left somehow, in a flash of light that stunned the guards."
"Flashbangs." Soap said.
"Flashbangs?" everypony asked.
"Human tech. It's an explosive that doesn't kill, but stuns with a 170+ plus decibel blast and a massive sound wave. Used for nonlethal takedowns." Allen informed.
"I see. That would explain it. As of right now, My husband and I are taking a small squad of Guards to assist in the investigation. Price, will you and your men accompany us?"
"Count on it." Price said.
"Good. We leave immediately." Cadance said. "Stack gear."
As the Guards placed their sparring equipment on the racks, Allen pulled Price aside.
"How did these unknown attackers get their hands on human tech? So far the only way we ended up here was dying."
"I don't know either. But we had better get going."
================================
As the train arrived, none other than Twilight and her friends were waiting for them. After Cadance and Twilight did their greeting, and Armor greeted his sister, The soldiers of the 141 were escorted to the Embassy, which was now a bullet-pocked heap.
"The Opfour did a number on that place." Allen said.
"Opfour?" Cadance asked.
"Opposition force. It's the term we use for an unknown, hostile combatant force." Soap said. As they approached, the Guards on site almost raised their spears, but a glare from two princesses kept them from doing so. As they explored the ruined embassy, Soap brought up the scorch marks on the walls.
"The Embassy staff, both Equestrian and Griffon, were attempted to repulse the invades by use of several spells, sir. Some of them, due to magic stress, backfired."
"Backfired?" Sandman asked.
"When as spell is cast under extreme conditions, sometimes it will backfire, causing a small explosion. It's rare, but its chance of happening increases with each spell cast under said conditions." Twilight said.
"Noted." Grinch said.
"Where's the surviving embassy staff?" Price asked.
"In the common room. Down the hall, to the left." A guard said.
"Thanks."
Allen and Soap went to check out the survivors, while the rest of the 141 searched around. Allen, while looking through the main office, saw one of the floor siding boards was loose. He pried it off with his knife, and revealed a white parcel. Cutting it open, it revealed a human USB Flash drive, a Laptop, and a second parcel. He opened the second one, revealing a small note. Upon it was written
MAKE SURE SHE DIES-R
"Found something!" Allen called, and the rest of the group filed in.
"Shit." Truck said, upon seeing the note.
"Who's the female in question, is the question." Ghost said.
"Sage advice!" Pinkie chimed in.
Ghost scoffed and powered up the laptop. Hacking his way into the computer, he received the USB and plugged it in. There was a single file on it. A text document.
MEET YOUR CONTACT AT MIDNIGHT AT THE EMBASSY. USE YOUR COVER TO THE FULLEST. LEAVE NO TRACES. YOU KNOW THE HIDING SPOT.
ROBESPIERRE
"Who's that?" Twilight asked.
"A human, lived during the French Revolution. Governed during the aptly-named "Reign of Terror." Sent thousands to their deaths. Not a nice guy." Allen said. "Thanks, College history class."
"So, a revolutionary?" Armor asked.
"More like a tyrant. He saw his actions as for the good of France. He was later executed." Allen continued.
"That leaves one question..." Price said, and everyone looked at him.
"How the hell did Ponies from Equestria...get in contact with humans on Earth?"
"By the way," Allen asked. "Can we use that laptop to send a radio signal?"
"Why?" Ghost asked.
"You'll see." Allen replied mysteriously.
Then, a guard rushed into the room.
"Princess! We've got Griffons everywhere! We're under attack...ah!'
The guard collapsed in a spray of blood as a bullet tore through his heart. Cadance and every pony else gasped, while the soldiers sprinted outside. True to the late guard's word, Griffon soldiers armed with rudimentary copies of the Kalashnikov Assault rifle were attacking en masse. Price growled.
"141! Let's go!"
Classified location, Appalachian Mountains
==============================
Sgt. Derek "Frost" Westbrook walked through the hallways of the compound slowly, his mind abuzz. The US President and President Vorshevsky had arranged a secret meeting, and Frost was invited.
"Damn it." Frost said, still thinking about his dead comrades, Sandman, Truck, and Grinch. As he approached the conference room, he was met by a British man, who identified himself as "Captain McMillan."
"Sgt. Frost?" he asked.
"That's me." Frost replied.
"Come on in." McMillan said, opening the door to the room. Inside, he saw quite a few high-ranking generals, and both the US and Russian Presidents, along with Alena Vorshevsky.
"Will everyone take a seat, please?" McMillan asked, and everyone sat down.
"I suppose you all want an explanation. At 0300 hours last night, we received an anonymous radio signal, apparently originating from nowhere. We traced it, and found it originates from this mountain forest in Massachusetts."
The map displayed on the wall focused on the area. Frost shifted in his seat.
"So this is why you called us here?" Frost asked.
"Nope. This is why."
McMillan hit the spacebar on a laptop, and a voice began to speak.
"Mayday, mayday. This is PFC Joseph Allen, CIA. Accompanied by Task Force 141 operatives Soap, Ghost, Roach, Price, and Yuri, along with Delta Force Team Metal. We are not dead. I repeat, we are not dead. We are under heavy attack by hostile forces. Requesting immediate aid. Anyone who receives this signal, please respond!"
"Did I just hear…" Frost said.
"You just did. We matched the voices. That is the real Private First Class Joseph Allen." McMillan replied.
"So what should we do?" The US president asked.
"We're sending a squad of soldiers to the site in Massachusetts to investigate and see what's going on here. Frost, you've been picked to lead the team. Get to the site, find out what's going on, and report back."
"Yessir." Frost said, walking out. President Vorshevsky turned to the US president.
"What do we do now?"
The US president smiled.
"We wait."
=============================================================
Frost found the squad in the hangar bay, sitting on a series of crates. Frost walked over, and he was greeted by an Army Ranger.
"You're Sgt Frost?" he asked.
"Yeah." Frost replied.
"I'm Srg. Foley. That's Corporal James Ramirez, Corporal Dunn, PFC Lyle, PRC Tory, and PFC Cross." Foley said.
"Nice to meet all of you. Have you been briefed?" Frost asked.
"Yeah. We're ready to go, sir." Ramirez said.
"Mount up. Let's go."
As they boarded the Blackhawk, the moon appeared for a brief second, then it disappeared behind a cloud.
==================================================
As the Blackhawk set itself down, Frost readied his M4 Carbine and stepped out, followed by the rest of the squad. As they advanced into the forest, Dunn shivered.
"This place feels really eerie."
"I hear that." Lyle replied.
"Cut the chatter. We've got something up ahead."
As the team set themselves into cover, Frost pulled on his Night Vision Goggles. Scanning the area, he saw what seemed to be a large supply depot near a group of trees.
"Move up." Frost whispered, and as the squad advanced, Frost radioed command.
"Command, this is Frost."
"We copy. What's your status?"
"Some kind of supply depot is at the site. Request permission to investigate."
"Confirmed."
"Copy. Frost out."
Frost advanced to the rest of the team's position, and then, several figures came out of a trailer. Three were human, the rest were more quadruped and bird-like.
"What the hell?" Cross asked.
"NVG's. Now." Frost commanded. As the team pulled them on, Frost activated his camera feed.
"Command, Frost. We've got unknown entities at the site. Request permission to engage."
"Confirmed."
"Get ready to engage." Frost said. As the team loaded their weapons, Frost zoomed in with his Night Vision Camera. The image of four bird-like quadrupeds greeted them.
"What the hell are we looking at?" Tory said.
"I can't say." Dunn replied.
"Get ready to engage." Frost said. As the team aimed their weapons, Frost made sure the unknown beings were still talking.
"Engage!"
The sound of gunshots echoed through the stillness, and one of the beings went down. The other beings responded by shooting back, and the other humans bolted.
"Runners!" Ramirez said, attempting to shoot at them.
"Take 'em out! Non-lethal shots!" Frost said. As Ramirez fired another burst, the humans ducked behind some trees. As the shooting then ceased, Frost stood up.
"Check the bodies." Frost said, and Dunn rushed over.
"Boss! You're gonna want to see this!" He barked, and Frost rushed over. As they turned over the body, both of them gasped. A Griffon, clad in a modified Ballistic vest, armed with a rudimentary AK47, greeted them. Two bullet holes were poked in his chest.
"Command, you seeing this?" Frost said.
"We are. We're sending a squad to help. Lock down the site."
"Confirmed."
Frost stood up to see Lyle and Cross breaching the trailer. As they opened it, they gasped.
"Get over here!" Lyle yelled. Frost and Dunn rushed over, and they gasped. A ring like device, as tall as Frost, greeted them. It was swirling with green energy.
"What the hell am I looking at?' Dunn asked, dumbfounded.
"You seeing this, command?"
"Sure as hell. We're rerouting additional squads. This is now top priority!"
"Confirmed!" Frost said. As the squad split up, Frost sat down on a crate and sighed. Soon, the convoy of Humvees arrived, and soldiers streamed out. Frost and his team watched from the sidelines as the soldiers surveyed the area. A team of people in HAZMAT suits put the deceased griffon in a body bag, then they secured it in a second bag marked "TOP SECRET". Frost then heard his radio crackled.
"Command?" Frost asked.
"This is McMillan. Got an order from the President, Frost."
"What is it?"
"Go through the portal and see what's on the other side."
"Confirmed."
Frost told his team, and as they entered, the portal turned slightly white, then back to green.
================================================================
Frost awoke to the sound of gunfire. He bolted up and saw his squad camped out near a broken street. From what Frost could tell, he was in some kind of city, right in the middle of a warzone. Frost rushed over to Dunn's position and began firing.
"Who are we up against?" Frost yelled.
"The bird-things that we found at the site! They've got us pinned down!" Dunn replied, shooting down a Griffon soldier.
"Copy that! We need to move!" Frost yelled. Ramirez shot another Griffon, then a second rushed him. Frost shot the encroaching Griffon, and rushed over.
"You okay?"
Ramirez nodded and reloaded his M4. After a few minutes, the Griffons retreated.
"Check!" Frost said. As the squad readied themselves, Frost nodded.
"Let's go!'
As the squad ran through the broken streets, they then saw flashes of gunfire coming from a large building up ahead.
"Let's go! Double time!" Foley said. As they advanced, they say horses, or what they assumed to be horses, battling the birds. As they took cover behind a pile of rubble, Frost checked the area.
"No way we're getting past them. Take the right."
As the squad advanced down the alley, Frost rounded the corner only to be greeted by a punch to the face. As he fell to the ground, the other squad members raised their weapons. Frost recovered his vision to see nine other humans pointing their own weapons at his team. Then, Frost's assailant spoke up.
"Frost, that you?"
Frost gasped.
"Sandman?"
Sandman pushed his way through the crowd and pulled him up.
"Good to see you, Frost." Sandman said.
"Where's Grinch and Truck?"
"Right here." Truck said, coming out with Grinch.
"You know this guy?" Allen said.
"We do, Private Allen. He's one of our squadmates." Sandman replied.
"Stand down, team." Frost said. "What's the sitrep?"
Price shoved his way through.
"It's total bollocks, Frost. We've got Griffons on all sides. We're outnumbered and outgunned."
"We'll see about that." Frost said, turning on his radio.
"Command, this is Frost, do you copy?"
"We copy, Frost. Signal's four for five, but we copy. What's your status?"
"We've found Allen and the missing humans, that's the good news. That bad news is, the location where we are at is under attack. Requesting immediate support."
"On the way."
"Get Captain McMillan on the line." Price said, snatching the radio.
"Who is this?" McMillan said.
"Mac, it's John." Price said.
"Price?" McMillan replied. "That you?"
"Confirmed. Along with Soap and a squad of others. Ghost, Roach, Allen, and Yuri. Team Metal's here as well. We've made contact."
"Good to have you back, John."
"One more thing, Mac."
"What?"
"We can scratch Soap's name off the clock-tower." Price said.
McMillan gave a "huph."
"Sounds good, mate. See you when you get back."
Price handed the radio back to Frost, who put it away.
"Foley? That you?" Allen asked.
"Private Allen?" Foley said. "How've you been?"
"Fine." Allen replied. "You?"
"Fine. That's Dunn, Cross, Lyle, and Tory. Long story as to how we got here."
"Tell us later. We got reinforcements!" Soap yelled.
"Copy. All of you, on me!" Price said. As the humans walked out of the alley, they were greeted by more gunfire. Price pulled over a Royal Guard.
"What's the situation?" he asked.
"Sir, we're completely pinned down. They've got us flanked from all sides. The Castle is secure, but we'll need a miracle to pull out of this alive!"
"Copy that! Hold this position!" Ghost said. As the humans took up positions along the line, the Griffons kept advancing, slowly, but surely. Soon, a few guards were resorting to hand-to-hand combat.
"We've got to hold out!" Roach yelled.
Then, there was a large explosion near the Griffon lines, followed by dust plumes from bullets impacting the ground.
"What the hell?" Allen yelled.
Then, a Blackhawk flew into view, bullets spraying from its Minigun. As human soldiers rappelled down and began to engage, the radio crackled.
"Task Force 141, this is Battleaxe 2-1. Heard you needed some firepower. We've got additional units incoming."
"Copy that, just in time!" Frost yelled. Then, a large convoy of Humvees blasted out from a side street, miniguns ablaze. A soldier motioned, and the humans boarded.
"Royal Palace! Now!' Price yelled, and the driver gave a thumbs-up. As the humvees drove through the streets, Price looked over at his soldiers.
"Bloody good job. All of you." he whispered.
As the Humvees drove into the palace courtyard, the soldiers of the 141 were greeted by a shocking sight. Guards lay strewn about, many of them horribly wounded. Doctors were frantically moving about, treating wounds or placing shrouds over the dead. Cadance and Shining rushed up, covered in sweat.
"Price!" Shining said.
"Armor. What's the situation?"
"There's human forces all over the city, fighting the Griffons!"
"We know. We called for them. We got in contact with Earth." Frost said, walking up. "I'm Frost. That's Dunn, Foley, Cross, Lyle, and Tory."
"Nice to meet you all." Cadance said. "This way!"
As the humans followed, they say guards strewn throughout the corridors. The ballroom, from what Price could see, was completely filled with gurneys and hospital beds, and it was filled with the cries of the wounded.
"What the hell happened here?" Frost asked Sandman.
"The fucking Griffons lured us here so they could take out the Equestrian royalty. We played right into their hands."
"Wait, we found Griffons on Earth!" Dunn said.
"Wait, what? How did they…" Cadance asked.
"Hey built a portal in a remote part of Massachusetts. They had a large arms cache stockpiled. Two of the humans aiding them escaped. We think humans are working with the Griffons." Frost said.
"That would explain how they got their hands on guns and flashbangs." Soap said.
"Agreed." Cadance said. "And that Laptop-thingy."
"Yeah. Why exactly would the Griffons attack you guys?" Foley asked.
"Because Equestria and the Griffons haven't exactly been on the best of terms ever since several local rebellions against the Griffon king consolidated into the Bloodclaw Pact. They've been performing terror attacks across the Griffon lands, and they've made it clear once they control Griffonia, they'll march on Equestria next." Shining said. "We had to cut diplomatic ties when they started demanding Equestrian land and resources."
"Damn." Soap said. "This is bad as bad could get."
"Agreed. We'll need more human reinforcements." Frost said. "The last time I checked, signal was four for five, so we can still radio."
"Good. Where's Celestia and that sister of hers?" Price asked.
"Treating the wounded." Cadance said. "Even Blueblood, the insufferable idiot that he is, decided to help out and he's gotten his hooves bloody as well."
Price nodded and as they continued to walk, they were led to the main dining room. Celestia nod Luna were in the back, performing healing magic on several wounded guards. Bloody rags and crates marked with "Biohazard" peppered the room. Guards were placed wherever there was space, and nurses were rapidly moving about.
"Princess!" Price yelled.
"Price!" Celestia replied, walking over. "More comrades of yours?"
"Yeah, that's Frost, Dunn, Foley, Cross, Lyle, and Tory. What's going...GET DOWN!"
As everyone dove for cover, a Griffon airship appeared in the window, with cannons ready. Then, before anyone could react, several explosions hit the airship, sending it careening to the ground below. An MI-24 Hind appeared where the airship once was, then, a voice spoke on Frost's radio.
"Captain Price, is that you?"
Price grabbed the radio frantically
"Nikolai!"
"Da, my friend. I have orders from the Russian President. He's routing Spetsnaz squads to support the Americans. I'm ready to go on your word, Captain Price."
"I copy, Nikolai. What's the status over there?"
"The whole compound is abuzz, my friend. Everyone's getting combat ready."
"Good. Get anyone you can in here. Price out."
"Copy. Nikolai out."
"What was that?" Cadance asked.
"That, Princess, was an ally." Price said. "We've got additional human reinforcements incoming. It's time to push the attack."
"Confirmed." Celestia said. "I'll tell all guard units to advance."
"Where do you need us?" Frost asked Celestia.
"Do what you can." She replied. "Now GO!"
