Guardianby ZombieBrony22ChaptersBeginningOrganizationTrainingFirst OpBeginningHere is something you, the reader, should know. If you want a cute, spice-of-life, sunshine-and-rainbows story, this isn't for you. This is... kinda in between. There's an apocalypse, guns, blood, and to top it all off, humans and ponies hooking up. That isn't your thing? Go read something else, Percy Jackson, maybe? The world was covered in either dust or fire. People were running in nearly every direction but one. Where I was. I've been having this particular dream for the past few days, now. As far as I saw, it was showing Changlings flooding in via a portal. Twilight galloped next to me. "Now what?" She asked. "I have no idea." I said as I loaded a Glock 17. Changlings were starting to destroy cars as explosions were seen in the backround. I took my aim at a Changling hissing and ready to pounce at me. BAM! Green ooze poured out as it fell to the ground with a round in its head. Another came near us. BAM! 2 more were coming. BAM! BAM! More kept coming until I ran out of bullets. I tapped Twilight's back and we started to run. Nearly 50 Changlings were behind us now. "GO! Just keep running!" Twilight said as she got swarmed. "TWI!" I screamed as I took a spear and started fighting them off. I took at least 20, but I was swarmed, and bitten profusively. This was always the worst part of the dream. Dying. My eyes jolted open and I almost jumped off of the bed. I was woken up by my alarm, as usual. No matter how many minutes I set it back for, the dream always ends in the same place. I shut off the alarm and got dressed for school. "Hey, James." My dad said. "Hey, dad." I said. Yep, James Lake, that was my full name. I live in Pennsylvania, and I go to Abington Heights Middle School. I'll be "Graduating" in a few months, now. "You excited for another day?" Dad asked sarcastically. Before you say anything, although it's, well, school... I actually kinda like it at AH. It's better that Trail was, that's for sure. I pulled my phone/alarm out and saw that it was 6:30. The bus came at 6:45, so I have some time wo whip up someting to eat. "Um, James..." Dad started. "Yeah?" I asked. "When you get home, I think there're some things we need to talk about. A lot of things, actually." Dad said. "Okay, what about?" I asked. "Well, about your mother." Those words turned me dead pale. My mother died as soon as I was born. I never got to see her, and my father barely ever saw her. "What about her?" I asked. "Well... you'll see." Dad said. I noticed that it was 6:40. I immediately sprang up and got my backpack and binder. I put on my coat and prepped myself for the bitter cold of -1 degrees. The bitter cold hit me and the door was blown shut. I went to the end of the driveway and waited for my bus driver to turn the corner. I had some time to reflect on the dream I've been having. I have Brony dreams before, fun ones, goofy ones, and, um... embarassing ones... but this one has been a strange one. Instead of either just them, or just me, it was both. Plus it wasn't in Equestria like the previous ones, it was on Earth, AND all hell was breaking loose. I never understood that dream, and I doubt I'll ever will. Now, as much as I would love to go into my school day in whole, let me just skip to the good part. Gym. The place everything changed. I was doing a game of badmitton with another one of my friends. We went up against Nana Okumara, one of the most popular girls in class, and with that title comes the oh-so-clichè sterotype that they put themselves before others, and they're evil. This was exactly the case with Nana. Only add that with being good at sports, and you have Nana fully. We were about 5 rounds in when our gym coach blew the whistle. I was about to go to the boy's locker room when Nana tapped my shoulder. "Yeah?" I asked as I turned around. Before I could make a move, I saw that Nana... wasn't Nana. She was a Changeling. I quickly jolted back. "Nana, are you alright?" I asked, struggling to stay calm at the horror in front of me. She let out an extended giggle. "Don't pretend you don't know what I am, James." Nana said creeping closer. My first instinct was to run, and so I did. I bolted for the gym. How I would lose her, I had no idea. But I'm going to try, damn it. Only I did one thing wrong. The gym teacher, Coach Ron, immediately rose up and... teloported in front of Nana. "Damn it, 207, I told you! He was going to have a talk with his father first! Also, I told you, NO changing on school grounds! What were you thinking?!" Coach Ron demanded. "You told me to tell him. I figured it'd be better to show him first. How would he have beleived us otherwise?" Nana asked. "Okay, what the HELL is going on here?!" I asked. "James... I hoped we'd have this conversation at a better time, but I'm afraid it's too late for that." Coach Ron said, glaring back at Nana. Nana simply hissed at Coach Ron and changed back into plain old Nana. "James, I suppose your father hasn't told you yet." Coach Ron said. You see, Ron was an old family friend, so I could expect him to know these things. "Told... told me what?" I asked as I slowly took a step back from the pair. "We should get your father. Do you know where he works?" Ron asked. "Yeah, he works at the airport a few miles from here. Why?" I asked. "Oh, thank Celestia. He's close, and with old friends of ours." Ron said. Wait... Celestia? "What's going on here?" I asked again. "We'll have to explain later. I'll notify Mr. Douglas about your absense for the rest of the day." Ron said. Mr. Douglas was the principal of AH, but what does he have to do with this? And what is "This"? We arrived in the airport, with me riding shotgun [I didn't want to say this, but Nana really freaked me out back at the gym, of course I'm not sitting in the back with her!]. We went to my dad's plane he was fixing. He looked up and saw us enter. "James! What happened?!" He asked. "Ask 207..." Ron said. Dad's face quickly went pale. "She didn't..." He started. "No! Why would I even WANT to?! I told you this when I joined the Organization: I don't need love magic to survive! That's why I left Equestria!" Nana said. "Wait, what do you mean left Equestria? Dad, what are you not telling me?" I asked. "Well... I could tell you, but it's always fun to show the new recruits." Dad said. He took my hand and everything went bright. When everything settled, we were somewhere that seemed like a futeristic lab. "Wha... What is th..." I started, but my throat started straining. "Easy. Your suffering teloportation sickness. We got something for that." Dad said as he grabbed a glass of... something. "This is a form of advanced cough medicine. We used Equestrian magic to make it, but..." Dad held it out. I took it and took a gulp. A second later, my throat seemed as clear as ever. "Where are we...?" I asked. Ron stepped up. "Welcome to The Organization. This is the universal bridge between Earth and Equestria." Ron said. I was awestruck. Here was one of the most honest people I've ever met telling me that my fandom was real and very much alive. "Um... WHAT?! Is this some kind of JOKE?!" I asked. "Trust me, sometimes I wish it was... today isn't one of those days." Dad said. "Come on, we need to introduce you and the other recruits." Ron said. "To who?" I asked. "The founder of The Organization: Princess Luna." Ron said. Organization"...And to conclude, you all have been either chosen, volunteered, or brought in by luck. Welcome to The Organization." Princess Luna said. We were seated on what seemed like a futuristic steeple. I saw people stand and start to clap, being a follower, I did the same. I could hardly beleive my eyes or ears. Equestria is real, and it's taking in recruits. We were sent on our way when my dad stopped me. "Come on, I'll show you around." He said as he ruffled my hair. I followed him as he showed me around. We stopped at the center when Dad turned around. "Luna! Um... how has it been?" Dad stammered. "Quite fine. I see you finally involved your son..." Luna said. Resisting the urge to freak out, I turned around and saw a hoof near me. I took it and shook it. "Princess Luna, it's an honor..." I said. "Oh, please. I am not a princess in here. I'm simply a founder, I am not even the leader. Consider me your equal." Luna said. I was stunned as she walked away. My dad tapped my shoulder. "Come on. I still gotta show you my favorite place: The Armory." The what? We went into a large room where all kinds of spears, crossbows, and futuristic weapons hung up on walls. "Whoa..." I said. "Yeah, we build these weapons after the Changeling attack. We used these to prepare for another Changeling attack. I decided that they should attempt to make muskets. We did, and we incorperated the tech into the spears." Dad went up to grab one. "Here, have a feel of it." Dad handed it to me. I saw if there was any... ammo in it. "Don't worry, it only runs on magic." Dad said. I saw that it actually felt like a rifle. I held it like a spear, and then like a rifle. I felt good to use on the battlefield. "Seems nice. How is it when it's used?" I asked. "Pretty damn good. It doesn't have any kick to it, has practically unlimited ammunition, AND it also suits the Canterlot Royal Guard's primary weapon of choice, only it has some Earth on it." Dad said. "Nice..." I said as I placed the weapon where my dad grabbed it. "Don't get excited just yet. Now comes the most exciting part of the tour: Our base in Equestria." Equestria... The word echoed in my head and rang in my ears. Finally, I could see what the show left out. Trust me, it was a lot. For starters, you know that one lesbian shipping-- Bon Bon and Lyra? Well, turns out it's true! Bon Bon was an agent for us for the past few years, according to my father. "You know, things can be... confusing around here, it's not word-for-word after the show..." Dad told me. "Yeah, I see that." I said. The first thing I noticed was, although still quite horse-like, they do walk on 2 legs, wear clothes, and have fingers. So that's where the anthro stuff comes from... After we worked our way around town, we made it to where we were headed: The Friendship Castle. If I was alone and no-one was around me, I would've squealed. We went inside and we were able to see the base-- underneath the castle. "Please tell me you won't freak out..." Dad begged. "Look, I'll be fine... I hope." I said under my breath. We went inside and the first thing we saw was the Mane 6 with some of the representatives we saw back at The Organization. I recognized one of them, it was Coach Ron. "Hey, Doug's back!" Ron said. "Yeah, I figured I'd show my son around, first day and all." Dad said. "Always nice to see new recruits." Rainbow Dash said. Someone please don't pinch me. I don't wanna wake up... I was grateful that I wasn't alone, or I'd faint. We took our seats and we heard about the problem. Changling movement near the Everfree Forest. "I'm telling you, they were scouting us!" A representative said. "If they were, they'd be diguised. They could be in this room, right now..." Another representative said. "Ugh, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Nana hissed. "Yeah, what if she's one of them? I don't mean anything, I just wanted to throw an idea around." The second representative said. "Why don't we ask the new guy? You said he was a Brony, right?" Ron asked my dad. "Yep. Guess it paid off..." Dad said. "Alright, Mr..." "James. James Lake." I said. "Alright, what do you think, Mr. Lake?" The first representative asked. I was honestly not sure, but an idea struck me. "Maybe they weren't scouting or hiding. Maybe they're set up in the Everfree. No-one's ever been completely inside of it, right?" I asked. "Sweet Celestia, he might be right! We never have been near the Everfree ever since the Organization was established. What if they do have a camp inside? Like a base or something?" Twilight asked. "And the animal mating cycle's coming up... oh, my Lord, they could be using that to survive!" Dad said. "Alright, we need to send a small team inside of the Forest, at least 10, with Spear Muskets at the ready in case of attackers." Ron said. "We could try the Barracks, but we're low on troopers." Ron said. I wish I could say that I was silent, but I had to use this opportunity. "I'll go." I said. Everyone turned to me and were clearly thinking. "Well, then. Ambitious. That kind of personality makes a great soldier. I should know, I was part of the local NGO before this. I've seen plenty of good troops, they all have a sort of look in their eyes. I look at you, and I see someone who wants to pull their weight. I like that. Douglas, if it's okay with you..." The first representative said. "How much time do we have?" Dad asked. "The mating cycle starts about 2 weeks from now. That seems like plenty of time for him to get basic training. He should be able to understand the terrain of the Everfree and learn how to use a Spear Musket by then." Ron said. "Alright, then. 1 down, 9 to go..." Dad said. Time for training. TrainingRainbow Dash blew her whistle. I started jogging towards the obstacle course again. I jumped over the bale of hay, climbed the ladder, and used my Spear Musket to blast my targets to oblivion while holding on to a tangled peice of rope. "Not bad. 1 minute, 7 seconds. You just might be a prodigy." Rainbow said. "Thanks." I said, panting for breath slightly. I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now. My dad told Abington that I had to move to another country and might not come back for a while, if at all. To be fair, this is as foreign as it gets. "Okay, I'd recommend imagining a battlefield. You got hardly any ammo, the enemy's closing in... bullets flying everywhere..." Rainbow said, placing her hands on my shoulders. I'd lie if I said that my face didn't feel hot. I nodded and I went out again, picturing a World War II fight. Troops hidden in trenches, Nazis closing from all sides. I vaulted the bale of hay, jumped up the ladder, shot the Spear Musket, and swung back down. "So... how did I do?" I asked, panting for breath. Rainbow was shell-shocked as she stopped the stopwatch. "50 seconds... that's a new record. The only person who could break it is... me." Rainbow said in awe. "Good to know." I said as I fell to the ground, still panting for breath. "James, that's no small deal. How did you do that?" Rainbow asked. "I have no idea. I just... did it." I said. "Well, when you're energy's back, you think you can 'just do it' again?" She asked. "I could try." I said as I felt some motivation. After training was done, I saw my name be put on top of Rainbow Dash as the quickest course-time. Man, I felt like a douche. "You okay?" I asked Rainbow, who seemed a little down. "I'm fine." She simply said. I took a seat next to her. "Look, it was probably beginner's luck. I'll be normal old James Lake tomorrow." I promised. "Maybe. Even if so, you did a good job. You should be proud." Rainbow said as she playfully punched my shoulder. I chuckled and did it back. We went our separate ways, and I decided to try whatever I did again. I stood at the course, and I imagined it again. I set a stopwatch up and started shooting again. When I finished, I checked the watch-- same time, to the millisecond. "That's weird..." I said as I lowered the watch. I started to walk out to see the others, when I hear one of the sounds I've gotten used to. Nana's hissing. "Yeah, Nana?" I asked. "Something's wrong. They've been talking about you and the record. How did you do that?" She asked. "I have no idea. I just did what Rainbow told me, and it worked. I just tried again, same time." I said. "Yeah, that's weird." Nana said. "I think something's up. With me." I said. "Maybe... no, there's no way that's the answer..." Nana started. "What?" I asked. "Nothing. Just me thinking about some story I heard." Nana said. "Alright." I said as I went to see the others. I knew better than to question Nana. She either never answered or hissed the question off. Man, I'd never get used to her being a Changeling... I decided to go visit Rainbow again and check on her, but my dad pulled me back first. "I heard about the record. No-one's beat Rainbow Dash in at least 4 years. The last guy who did it... he didn't make it in the battlefield. He got cocky from it." Dad warned. "Look, I'm not going to be cocky from it. I was just on my way to check on her." I said. "Oh? Alright, I won't stop you." Dad said. I went to her door and I knocked. "Yeah?" Rainbow asked as she opened the door. "Look, something's wrong." I said. "How's that?" Rainbow asked. "I tried the course again. I reached the time to the millisecond. I don't know what it is, but it's something. When I talked to Nana about it, she just zoned out." I said. "Why would she... wait, it couldn't be..." Rainbow started. "What is the big deal all of a sudden? So I beat a little training course, so what? It's not the real deal. If I go out there, live, and come back, that would be something." I said. "No, it's not that. It's... you should talk to Luna. I'll go vouch for you." Rainbow said. "Okay..." I said. We went to Luna's office, and Rainbow went to the door and knocked. "Princess Luna? I think James is, uh..." Rainbow got close to the door. "The One..." Rainbow whispered. Luna's door swung open and Luna pulled Rainbow inside and told me to come in. "Okay," Luna shut and locked the door, "how do you think that James is The One?" Luna asked. "You heard of the record for the training course, right?" I asked. "Yes, I've heard that you beat Dash's record by a minute at least..." Luna recapped. "i tried again, and I got the exact time. I don't know who 'The One' is, but there might be a chance that I can help you find them." I said. "Well, The One is part of the prophecy we found edged into this place's entrance when we found it. It had... signs of an apocalypse, and The One would stop it." Luna said. "That's it?" I asked. "That's all we know. There may be more, but we don't have it. Your father did not talk to you about this?" Luna asked. "No, not a word." I said. "I'll go talk to him. Stay safe, you two." Luna said First OpToday was the day of the mission to the Everfree Forest. I can't lie if I say I wasn't excited; the Everfree was always a mystery to me. What was in there, why was everyone in the show so afraid of it, yet they always made it out alive? Time to find out. Rainbow, the leader of our squad, flew in front of us. "Alright! We all know what to do. We scout for any sign of danger from these Changelings, and report back to the Organization. You all ready for this? You know what we're doing?!" "YES, MA'AM!" We all called out. "WE ALL READY?!" Rainbow screamed. "YES, MA'AM!" We called again. "THEN LET'S DO THIS!" We started jogging to our armory. Some people grabbed normal spears or pistols, and I grabbed my Spear Musket. "Good choice, man. Heavy as hell, but effective as hell." One of the soldiers said. I read his dog tags-- Edward. "Thanks." I said. "Sure." Edward said. We then made our way to the portals that would transport us to the borders of Ponyville. We were finally inside the Everfree Forest, where Nana would meet us to report the Changeling camp's inner workings. "What makes you think that she's coming?" Another soldier asked. "She'll be here. Just hold on." I said. As if on que, we heard Nana's signature hissing, and we saw her come out in her human form. "Status?" Rainbow asked. "They won't know what hit them. It looks like a small Outpost, but in a matter of weeks, we might be dealing with a Hive worthy of Queen Bitch herself." Nana said. Chrysalis. "How do we stop that?" I asked. "They're only about 7 of them now, but you know Changelings. And with the breeding cycle coming up..." Nana said. "Then we split up, set up some fire circle. Take them out from there." Edward said. "No. We need to find a stealthy way to do it, make a few accidents or something. We take out the majority, and we head in for the rest." I said. "Look, not that I don't agree with James, but I think we should just barge in and shoot them up. I mean, 10 to 7? We'll win, no doubt." The soldier said. "Rainbow, it's your call." Edward said. Rainbow was clearly thinking about this decision. She started hovering slightly, and then she rose her head. "Franklin. You wanted to charge in? Do you want to die?" Rainbow cruelly asked. "Uh, um... no." He said. "Then think of another plan or shut it. Edward... your plan sounds good. A firing circle would be good, but we don't have any rifles. Most of us only have spears or pistols. James has his Spear-- Wait, you two gave me an idea. James, you're our sniper. Let me see your musket." Rainbow said. I handed it to her, and she grabbed what appeared to be a scope from her pack, pushed a button on it, and faint laser beamed out. It lined up with the musket, Rainbow let go, and the scope slammed down to my musket, locking it in place. "Can you climb any of the trees?" Rainbow asked. "Uh... no, not real-- whoa!" I was stopped by Rainbow grabbing my arms and carrying me to the highest, sturdiest branch in the area. "Can you see them from up here?" She asked me. All I could do was nod. "Good." Rainbow flew back down. "The rest of us will start to line up out the gates. James will take out the guards and attempt to create a few fatalities. Then we move in and take out the rest." Rainbow planned. After the orders were given and everyone fell into position, I took my aim. I saw one of the guards who was alone near the entrance. I waited until he was alone, turned my safety off, and took the shot. Green ooze excreted from the bullet wound, and the Changeling collapsed dead. "Nice shot." Rainbow said over comlink. I can't say I was frozen in shock of ending a life, but I was honestly in between. I accepted the fact that it was it or me, and I didn't really have a choice. But at the same time, it felt... wrong. I was stopped from all thoughts when I saw that a drone came to the corpse, and I acted quickly, I shot him dead in the eye. "You okay up there?" Rainbow asked. "Yeah, just a witness, that's all." I said. "I got it." Nana said. "Nana!" Rainbow called. Nana turned back into a changeling, scaled the rock walls, and tossed the bodies over. "Don't break-- Nice job, Nana." Rainbow said. "Thanks." Nana said as she changed back to human form. "Any more guards?" Rainbow asked me. "No, you're clear." I said. "Alright, we move in. James, hang on." Rainbow flew up, grabbed me, and flew me back to the ground. "Let me take the sniper scope off." Rainbow offered. I handed her my musket, saw her removed the scope, and hand it back to me. We started heading into the base, we noticed that it was nearly empty. Until we saw a bright green glow from the ground. "Eggs, tons by the looks of it." Nana said. "What now?" I asked. Rainbow grabbed what seemed like a match from her pack. "Nana, you is there anything flammable in the area?" She asked. "Yeah, I see some gas." Nana flew to a gas can and poured it into the hole. I was only able to watch as Rainbow lit the match, dropped it, and the green glow was replaced with a red, hot glow. "This is Rainbow, call us back in." She said into her com-link back to my dad. Everything went white. Mission completed...
BeginningHere is something you, the reader, should know. If you want a cute, spice-of-life, sunshine-and-rainbows story, this isn't for you. This is... kinda in between. There's an apocalypse, guns, blood, and to top it all off, humans and ponies hooking up. That isn't your thing? Go read something else, Percy Jackson, maybe? The world was covered in either dust or fire. People were running in nearly every direction but one. Where I was. I've been having this particular dream for the past few days, now. As far as I saw, it was showing Changlings flooding in via a portal. Twilight galloped next to me. "Now what?" She asked. "I have no idea." I said as I loaded a Glock 17. Changlings were starting to destroy cars as explosions were seen in the backround. I took my aim at a Changling hissing and ready to pounce at me. BAM! Green ooze poured out as it fell to the ground with a round in its head. Another came near us. BAM! 2 more were coming. BAM! BAM! More kept coming until I ran out of bullets. I tapped Twilight's back and we started to run. Nearly 50 Changlings were behind us now. "GO! Just keep running!" Twilight said as she got swarmed. "TWI!" I screamed as I took a spear and started fighting them off. I took at least 20, but I was swarmed, and bitten profusively. This was always the worst part of the dream. Dying. My eyes jolted open and I almost jumped off of the bed. I was woken up by my alarm, as usual. No matter how many minutes I set it back for, the dream always ends in the same place. I shut off the alarm and got dressed for school. "Hey, James." My dad said. "Hey, dad." I said. Yep, James Lake, that was my full name. I live in Pennsylvania, and I go to Abington Heights Middle School. I'll be "Graduating" in a few months, now. "You excited for another day?" Dad asked sarcastically. Before you say anything, although it's, well, school... I actually kinda like it at AH. It's better that Trail was, that's for sure. I pulled my phone/alarm out and saw that it was 6:30. The bus came at 6:45, so I have some time wo whip up someting to eat. "Um, James..." Dad started. "Yeah?" I asked. "When you get home, I think there're some things we need to talk about. A lot of things, actually." Dad said. "Okay, what about?" I asked. "Well, about your mother." Those words turned me dead pale. My mother died as soon as I was born. I never got to see her, and my father barely ever saw her. "What about her?" I asked. "Well... you'll see." Dad said. I noticed that it was 6:40. I immediately sprang up and got my backpack and binder. I put on my coat and prepped myself for the bitter cold of -1 degrees. The bitter cold hit me and the door was blown shut. I went to the end of the driveway and waited for my bus driver to turn the corner. I had some time to reflect on the dream I've been having. I have Brony dreams before, fun ones, goofy ones, and, um... embarassing ones... but this one has been a strange one. Instead of either just them, or just me, it was both. Plus it wasn't in Equestria like the previous ones, it was on Earth, AND all hell was breaking loose. I never understood that dream, and I doubt I'll ever will. Now, as much as I would love to go into my school day in whole, let me just skip to the good part. Gym. The place everything changed. I was doing a game of badmitton with another one of my friends. We went up against Nana Okumara, one of the most popular girls in class, and with that title comes the oh-so-clichè sterotype that they put themselves before others, and they're evil. This was exactly the case with Nana. Only add that with being good at sports, and you have Nana fully. We were about 5 rounds in when our gym coach blew the whistle. I was about to go to the boy's locker room when Nana tapped my shoulder. "Yeah?" I asked as I turned around. Before I could make a move, I saw that Nana... wasn't Nana. She was a Changeling. I quickly jolted back. "Nana, are you alright?" I asked, struggling to stay calm at the horror in front of me. She let out an extended giggle. "Don't pretend you don't know what I am, James." Nana said creeping closer. My first instinct was to run, and so I did. I bolted for the gym. How I would lose her, I had no idea. But I'm going to try, damn it. Only I did one thing wrong. The gym teacher, Coach Ron, immediately rose up and... teloported in front of Nana. "Damn it, 207, I told you! He was going to have a talk with his father first! Also, I told you, NO changing on school grounds! What were you thinking?!" Coach Ron demanded. "You told me to tell him. I figured it'd be better to show him first. How would he have beleived us otherwise?" Nana asked. "Okay, what the HELL is going on here?!" I asked. "James... I hoped we'd have this conversation at a better time, but I'm afraid it's too late for that." Coach Ron said, glaring back at Nana. Nana simply hissed at Coach Ron and changed back into plain old Nana. "James, I suppose your father hasn't told you yet." Coach Ron said. You see, Ron was an old family friend, so I could expect him to know these things. "Told... told me what?" I asked as I slowly took a step back from the pair. "We should get your father. Do you know where he works?" Ron asked. "Yeah, he works at the airport a few miles from here. Why?" I asked. "Oh, thank Celestia. He's close, and with old friends of ours." Ron said. Wait... Celestia? "What's going on here?" I asked again. "We'll have to explain later. I'll notify Mr. Douglas about your absense for the rest of the day." Ron said. Mr. Douglas was the principal of AH, but what does he have to do with this? And what is "This"? We arrived in the airport, with me riding shotgun [I didn't want to say this, but Nana really freaked me out back at the gym, of course I'm not sitting in the back with her!]. We went to my dad's plane he was fixing. He looked up and saw us enter. "James! What happened?!" He asked. "Ask 207..." Ron said. Dad's face quickly went pale. "She didn't..." He started. "No! Why would I even WANT to?! I told you this when I joined the Organization: I don't need love magic to survive! That's why I left Equestria!" Nana said. "Wait, what do you mean left Equestria? Dad, what are you not telling me?" I asked. "Well... I could tell you, but it's always fun to show the new recruits." Dad said. He took my hand and everything went bright. When everything settled, we were somewhere that seemed like a futeristic lab. "Wha... What is th..." I started, but my throat started straining. "Easy. Your suffering teloportation sickness. We got something for that." Dad said as he grabbed a glass of... something. "This is a form of advanced cough medicine. We used Equestrian magic to make it, but..." Dad held it out. I took it and took a gulp. A second later, my throat seemed as clear as ever. "Where are we...?" I asked. Ron stepped up. "Welcome to The Organization. This is the universal bridge between Earth and Equestria." Ron said. I was awestruck. Here was one of the most honest people I've ever met telling me that my fandom was real and very much alive. "Um... WHAT?! Is this some kind of JOKE?!" I asked. "Trust me, sometimes I wish it was... today isn't one of those days." Dad said. "Come on, we need to introduce you and the other recruits." Ron said. "To who?" I asked. "The founder of The Organization: Princess Luna." Ron said.
Organization"...And to conclude, you all have been either chosen, volunteered, or brought in by luck. Welcome to The Organization." Princess Luna said. We were seated on what seemed like a futuristic steeple. I saw people stand and start to clap, being a follower, I did the same. I could hardly beleive my eyes or ears. Equestria is real, and it's taking in recruits. We were sent on our way when my dad stopped me. "Come on, I'll show you around." He said as he ruffled my hair. I followed him as he showed me around. We stopped at the center when Dad turned around. "Luna! Um... how has it been?" Dad stammered. "Quite fine. I see you finally involved your son..." Luna said. Resisting the urge to freak out, I turned around and saw a hoof near me. I took it and shook it. "Princess Luna, it's an honor..." I said. "Oh, please. I am not a princess in here. I'm simply a founder, I am not even the leader. Consider me your equal." Luna said. I was stunned as she walked away. My dad tapped my shoulder. "Come on. I still gotta show you my favorite place: The Armory." The what? We went into a large room where all kinds of spears, crossbows, and futuristic weapons hung up on walls. "Whoa..." I said. "Yeah, we build these weapons after the Changeling attack. We used these to prepare for another Changeling attack. I decided that they should attempt to make muskets. We did, and we incorperated the tech into the spears." Dad went up to grab one. "Here, have a feel of it." Dad handed it to me. I saw if there was any... ammo in it. "Don't worry, it only runs on magic." Dad said. I saw that it actually felt like a rifle. I held it like a spear, and then like a rifle. I felt good to use on the battlefield. "Seems nice. How is it when it's used?" I asked. "Pretty damn good. It doesn't have any kick to it, has practically unlimited ammunition, AND it also suits the Canterlot Royal Guard's primary weapon of choice, only it has some Earth on it." Dad said. "Nice..." I said as I placed the weapon where my dad grabbed it. "Don't get excited just yet. Now comes the most exciting part of the tour: Our base in Equestria." Equestria... The word echoed in my head and rang in my ears. Finally, I could see what the show left out. Trust me, it was a lot. For starters, you know that one lesbian shipping-- Bon Bon and Lyra? Well, turns out it's true! Bon Bon was an agent for us for the past few years, according to my father. "You know, things can be... confusing around here, it's not word-for-word after the show..." Dad told me. "Yeah, I see that." I said. The first thing I noticed was, although still quite horse-like, they do walk on 2 legs, wear clothes, and have fingers. So that's where the anthro stuff comes from... After we worked our way around town, we made it to where we were headed: The Friendship Castle. If I was alone and no-one was around me, I would've squealed. We went inside and we were able to see the base-- underneath the castle. "Please tell me you won't freak out..." Dad begged. "Look, I'll be fine... I hope." I said under my breath. We went inside and the first thing we saw was the Mane 6 with some of the representatives we saw back at The Organization. I recognized one of them, it was Coach Ron. "Hey, Doug's back!" Ron said. "Yeah, I figured I'd show my son around, first day and all." Dad said. "Always nice to see new recruits." Rainbow Dash said. Someone please don't pinch me. I don't wanna wake up... I was grateful that I wasn't alone, or I'd faint. We took our seats and we heard about the problem. Changling movement near the Everfree Forest. "I'm telling you, they were scouting us!" A representative said. "If they were, they'd be diguised. They could be in this room, right now..." Another representative said. "Ugh, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Nana hissed. "Yeah, what if she's one of them? I don't mean anything, I just wanted to throw an idea around." The second representative said. "Why don't we ask the new guy? You said he was a Brony, right?" Ron asked my dad. "Yep. Guess it paid off..." Dad said. "Alright, Mr..." "James. James Lake." I said. "Alright, what do you think, Mr. Lake?" The first representative asked. I was honestly not sure, but an idea struck me. "Maybe they weren't scouting or hiding. Maybe they're set up in the Everfree. No-one's ever been completely inside of it, right?" I asked. "Sweet Celestia, he might be right! We never have been near the Everfree ever since the Organization was established. What if they do have a camp inside? Like a base or something?" Twilight asked. "And the animal mating cycle's coming up... oh, my Lord, they could be using that to survive!" Dad said. "Alright, we need to send a small team inside of the Forest, at least 10, with Spear Muskets at the ready in case of attackers." Ron said. "We could try the Barracks, but we're low on troopers." Ron said. I wish I could say that I was silent, but I had to use this opportunity. "I'll go." I said. Everyone turned to me and were clearly thinking. "Well, then. Ambitious. That kind of personality makes a great soldier. I should know, I was part of the local NGO before this. I've seen plenty of good troops, they all have a sort of look in their eyes. I look at you, and I see someone who wants to pull their weight. I like that. Douglas, if it's okay with you..." The first representative said. "How much time do we have?" Dad asked. "The mating cycle starts about 2 weeks from now. That seems like plenty of time for him to get basic training. He should be able to understand the terrain of the Everfree and learn how to use a Spear Musket by then." Ron said. "Alright, then. 1 down, 9 to go..." Dad said. Time for training.
TrainingRainbow Dash blew her whistle. I started jogging towards the obstacle course again. I jumped over the bale of hay, climbed the ladder, and used my Spear Musket to blast my targets to oblivion while holding on to a tangled peice of rope. "Not bad. 1 minute, 7 seconds. You just might be a prodigy." Rainbow said. "Thanks." I said, panting for breath slightly. I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now. My dad told Abington that I had to move to another country and might not come back for a while, if at all. To be fair, this is as foreign as it gets. "Okay, I'd recommend imagining a battlefield. You got hardly any ammo, the enemy's closing in... bullets flying everywhere..." Rainbow said, placing her hands on my shoulders. I'd lie if I said that my face didn't feel hot. I nodded and I went out again, picturing a World War II fight. Troops hidden in trenches, Nazis closing from all sides. I vaulted the bale of hay, jumped up the ladder, shot the Spear Musket, and swung back down. "So... how did I do?" I asked, panting for breath. Rainbow was shell-shocked as she stopped the stopwatch. "50 seconds... that's a new record. The only person who could break it is... me." Rainbow said in awe. "Good to know." I said as I fell to the ground, still panting for breath. "James, that's no small deal. How did you do that?" Rainbow asked. "I have no idea. I just... did it." I said. "Well, when you're energy's back, you think you can 'just do it' again?" She asked. "I could try." I said as I felt some motivation. After training was done, I saw my name be put on top of Rainbow Dash as the quickest course-time. Man, I felt like a douche. "You okay?" I asked Rainbow, who seemed a little down. "I'm fine." She simply said. I took a seat next to her. "Look, it was probably beginner's luck. I'll be normal old James Lake tomorrow." I promised. "Maybe. Even if so, you did a good job. You should be proud." Rainbow said as she playfully punched my shoulder. I chuckled and did it back. We went our separate ways, and I decided to try whatever I did again. I stood at the course, and I imagined it again. I set a stopwatch up and started shooting again. When I finished, I checked the watch-- same time, to the millisecond. "That's weird..." I said as I lowered the watch. I started to walk out to see the others, when I hear one of the sounds I've gotten used to. Nana's hissing. "Yeah, Nana?" I asked. "Something's wrong. They've been talking about you and the record. How did you do that?" She asked. "I have no idea. I just did what Rainbow told me, and it worked. I just tried again, same time." I said. "Yeah, that's weird." Nana said. "I think something's up. With me." I said. "Maybe... no, there's no way that's the answer..." Nana started. "What?" I asked. "Nothing. Just me thinking about some story I heard." Nana said. "Alright." I said as I went to see the others. I knew better than to question Nana. She either never answered or hissed the question off. Man, I'd never get used to her being a Changeling... I decided to go visit Rainbow again and check on her, but my dad pulled me back first. "I heard about the record. No-one's beat Rainbow Dash in at least 4 years. The last guy who did it... he didn't make it in the battlefield. He got cocky from it." Dad warned. "Look, I'm not going to be cocky from it. I was just on my way to check on her." I said. "Oh? Alright, I won't stop you." Dad said. I went to her door and I knocked. "Yeah?" Rainbow asked as she opened the door. "Look, something's wrong." I said. "How's that?" Rainbow asked. "I tried the course again. I reached the time to the millisecond. I don't know what it is, but it's something. When I talked to Nana about it, she just zoned out." I said. "Why would she... wait, it couldn't be..." Rainbow started. "What is the big deal all of a sudden? So I beat a little training course, so what? It's not the real deal. If I go out there, live, and come back, that would be something." I said. "No, it's not that. It's... you should talk to Luna. I'll go vouch for you." Rainbow said. "Okay..." I said. We went to Luna's office, and Rainbow went to the door and knocked. "Princess Luna? I think James is, uh..." Rainbow got close to the door. "The One..." Rainbow whispered. Luna's door swung open and Luna pulled Rainbow inside and told me to come in. "Okay," Luna shut and locked the door, "how do you think that James is The One?" Luna asked. "You heard of the record for the training course, right?" I asked. "Yes, I've heard that you beat Dash's record by a minute at least..." Luna recapped. "i tried again, and I got the exact time. I don't know who 'The One' is, but there might be a chance that I can help you find them." I said. "Well, The One is part of the prophecy we found edged into this place's entrance when we found it. It had... signs of an apocalypse, and The One would stop it." Luna said. "That's it?" I asked. "That's all we know. There may be more, but we don't have it. Your father did not talk to you about this?" Luna asked. "No, not a word." I said. "I'll go talk to him. Stay safe, you two." Luna said
First OpToday was the day of the mission to the Everfree Forest. I can't lie if I say I wasn't excited; the Everfree was always a mystery to me. What was in there, why was everyone in the show so afraid of it, yet they always made it out alive? Time to find out. Rainbow, the leader of our squad, flew in front of us. "Alright! We all know what to do. We scout for any sign of danger from these Changelings, and report back to the Organization. You all ready for this? You know what we're doing?!" "YES, MA'AM!" We all called out. "WE ALL READY?!" Rainbow screamed. "YES, MA'AM!" We called again. "THEN LET'S DO THIS!" We started jogging to our armory. Some people grabbed normal spears or pistols, and I grabbed my Spear Musket. "Good choice, man. Heavy as hell, but effective as hell." One of the soldiers said. I read his dog tags-- Edward. "Thanks." I said. "Sure." Edward said. We then made our way to the portals that would transport us to the borders of Ponyville. We were finally inside the Everfree Forest, where Nana would meet us to report the Changeling camp's inner workings. "What makes you think that she's coming?" Another soldier asked. "She'll be here. Just hold on." I said. As if on que, we heard Nana's signature hissing, and we saw her come out in her human form. "Status?" Rainbow asked. "They won't know what hit them. It looks like a small Outpost, but in a matter of weeks, we might be dealing with a Hive worthy of Queen Bitch herself." Nana said. Chrysalis. "How do we stop that?" I asked. "They're only about 7 of them now, but you know Changelings. And with the breeding cycle coming up..." Nana said. "Then we split up, set up some fire circle. Take them out from there." Edward said. "No. We need to find a stealthy way to do it, make a few accidents or something. We take out the majority, and we head in for the rest." I said. "Look, not that I don't agree with James, but I think we should just barge in and shoot them up. I mean, 10 to 7? We'll win, no doubt." The soldier said. "Rainbow, it's your call." Edward said. Rainbow was clearly thinking about this decision. She started hovering slightly, and then she rose her head. "Franklin. You wanted to charge in? Do you want to die?" Rainbow cruelly asked. "Uh, um... no." He said. "Then think of another plan or shut it. Edward... your plan sounds good. A firing circle would be good, but we don't have any rifles. Most of us only have spears or pistols. James has his Spear-- Wait, you two gave me an idea. James, you're our sniper. Let me see your musket." Rainbow said. I handed it to her, and she grabbed what appeared to be a scope from her pack, pushed a button on it, and faint laser beamed out. It lined up with the musket, Rainbow let go, and the scope slammed down to my musket, locking it in place. "Can you climb any of the trees?" Rainbow asked. "Uh... no, not real-- whoa!" I was stopped by Rainbow grabbing my arms and carrying me to the highest, sturdiest branch in the area. "Can you see them from up here?" She asked me. All I could do was nod. "Good." Rainbow flew back down. "The rest of us will start to line up out the gates. James will take out the guards and attempt to create a few fatalities. Then we move in and take out the rest." Rainbow planned. After the orders were given and everyone fell into position, I took my aim. I saw one of the guards who was alone near the entrance. I waited until he was alone, turned my safety off, and took the shot. Green ooze excreted from the bullet wound, and the Changeling collapsed dead. "Nice shot." Rainbow said over comlink. I can't say I was frozen in shock of ending a life, but I was honestly in between. I accepted the fact that it was it or me, and I didn't really have a choice. But at the same time, it felt... wrong. I was stopped from all thoughts when I saw that a drone came to the corpse, and I acted quickly, I shot him dead in the eye. "You okay up there?" Rainbow asked. "Yeah, just a witness, that's all." I said. "I got it." Nana said. "Nana!" Rainbow called. Nana turned back into a changeling, scaled the rock walls, and tossed the bodies over. "Don't break-- Nice job, Nana." Rainbow said. "Thanks." Nana said as she changed back to human form. "Any more guards?" Rainbow asked me. "No, you're clear." I said. "Alright, we move in. James, hang on." Rainbow flew up, grabbed me, and flew me back to the ground. "Let me take the sniper scope off." Rainbow offered. I handed her my musket, saw her removed the scope, and hand it back to me. We started heading into the base, we noticed that it was nearly empty. Until we saw a bright green glow from the ground. "Eggs, tons by the looks of it." Nana said. "What now?" I asked. Rainbow grabbed what seemed like a match from her pack. "Nana, you is there anything flammable in the area?" She asked. "Yeah, I see some gas." Nana flew to a gas can and poured it into the hole. I was only able to watch as Rainbow lit the match, dropped it, and the green glow was replaced with a red, hot glow. "This is Rainbow, call us back in." She said into her com-link back to my dad. Everything went white. Mission completed...
