Alternate Worlds: Humanity's Century of Oblivion

Act I: An Echo of Another World

Fire. That was one of the only things Private Johnson Manke, a newly recruited GEST soldier, could see.

It was everywhere in two forms. Flames licked the rocky and brown soil of the hill, burning some of the few bodies that were captured in the second set of fire. This second fire was the hailstorm of lasers flying through the sky. They struck down dozens of soldiers, human and machine alike. Men were dying, screaming for dear life as rockets plummeted right down on them. Machines of war trekked across the ground, stomping on fallen heads and blasting their shots into the smoky, deathly air. Huge rolling locomotives with plates and plates of metal unleashed their fiery and catastrophic shells into the hordes of soldiers. The battle was teeming with life, yet it was becoming a burden for death himself.

This was the Battle of Fort Frashniim.

Private Manke kept himself low in the debris, only firing whenever he thought it was necessary. He already had the blood of two men on his hands, and it felt unsettling. Still, he kept low and thought about the fight, not morality. His fellow comrades did the same and obeyed the orders given by their sergeant. As he spat his words through the air, more and more lasers dived for him and his squadron. Manke kept his head down and prayed to God that he would survive this fight.

"Colonel Vincent has thinned out the right side for us!" Shouted the sergeant through the explosions, gunfire, and shouts of valor and pain. "When I say so, get over to that ditch over there!"

The squadron ducked down as a rocket flew by them from the sunny, smoky sky and struck a GEST tank. The entire tank blasted apart into shrapnel that stabbed the other soldiers nearby. Hungry flames dug their way out of its tearing hull and into the smoky yet still oxygenated air. Several more streams of lasers tore through the smoke and into the ground, metal, or people in the battlefield. Another explosion dangerously close to the squadron erupted from the ground.

The sergeant darted his eyes around the field, gave his laser assault rifle a firm grip, and prepared his legs. "Now!"

The squadron sprinted through the field as fast as they could. More lasers and rockets zoomed by their ears and faces. One squaddie was shot in the head thrice and left for dead by the squadron. Another one lost their entire head by a sniper high up the hill. Even with the carnage and danger present in the field, the squad kept running.

They ran until they returned to cover right behind a broken down tank. They were close to Fort Frashniim now, and they could hear the whirring of the mechanical monsters stomping around the field. One of them caught sight of the squadron and blasted them with a barrage of lasers from its machine gun. The lasers ripped through the dead tank, begging to strike one of the soldiers. With another shout and a sound of pressurized steam, the squadron got out of cover and gunned down the machine. It fell to the ground with an electrical snap and explosion, alerting the other machines and humans nearby. Guns pointed at the squadron as they hugged the metal wall of the fort.

"James, put that explosive on the wall!" the sergeant ordered. "Everyone else, stand back!"

The squadron kept their distance from the explosive as James primed it for detonation. He mounted it onto the wall and pressed the blue button on its side. He then rushed away from the explosive and regrouped with the other soldiers.

The explosive cracked and crumbled the entire wall with a huge plume of fire. The squadron kept themselves safe from the flying debris as part of the fort collapsed around the explosive. With a way into the fort, the squadron once again sprinted deeper into enemy territory.

The squadron kept themselves behind cover and aimed their guns at the soldiers ahead. One of the soldiers spotted them and shouted at them in a different language. A few more soldiers marched next to him and fired right at the squadron. Lasers pelted the metal walls and dug holes into them. The GEST soldiers fired back, killing two of the soldiers and hitting another in the arm. Private Manke aimed for the other two soldiers and fired at their heads, destroying their grey matter with just two simple shots. The squadron then rushed through the hallway and into a big room wth two more GEST squadrons. A few machines broke into scrap, and a few more foreign soldiers screamed swears and curses in their native tongue.

More foreign soldiers stormed into the room and into a few patches of cover. One of the GEST soldiers tossed a grenade into one of the covers. When it detonated, five foreign soldiers' bodies splattered into bits of bone and gore from the red blast of energy. The squadrons picked off the other soldiers until the area was clear. All of the GEST soldiers ran into the next hallway and up a flight of stairs, splattering a few brains and hearts along the way. They eventually made it into a smaller enclosed room with more foreign soldiers and two machines of war.

The squadrons gunned down the soldiers and threw EMP grenades at the machines. The sergeants then hustled to the table and examined its contents. One of the sergeants snatched a small square of metal with a blue hologram in it and put it in one of their pockets. More gunfire and explosions were heard outside, but it was much less than before. A few more GEST soldiers marched into the room, swarming it with their presence.

The sergeant that took the square opened up a communications link to Colonel Vincent. "We got the map and stormed the fort. Consider our mission done."

"Good work, soldier," replied Vincent through the link. "Report back to the beach for escort to Jaminino City. We got what we want now."

"Yes, sir." The sergeant cut the link and turned to his squaddies. "Onto the beach! Let's go!"

And so the GEST soldiers stormed the fort one more time, killing a few more foreign soldiers and machines as they returned to their homeland.

This was the battle of Fort Frashniim.

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General Solk paced inside his command station with worry dancing in his mind. He rubbed the stubble on his middle-aged chin and looked around the room a tenth time. The monitors were still running, and his employees were still alive. He then looked to the table, holograms, and sets of chairs on his right. He could feel how serious the war was becoming.

"Sandra," he started as he turned his bald head to a woman sitting at one of the monitors, "give me a report on Fort Frashniim stat."

"Our troops have successfully took intel from the fort and destroyed it," Sandra informed Solk. "Casualties for our troops when they were advancing up the hill are high, though. Expect about a sixteenth of what we put on the field coming back."

"That's the fourth time we took some heavy losses." Solk darted his eyes around the room again. He readjusted the emblem with a globe with five stars around it on his grey battle armor. "Any updates on that anomaly in the Pacific?"

"No, sir," Sandra replied. "Data involving the anomaly is still vague, and we have no idea what is there yet."

"Is the fleet flying there still airborne?"

"Yes, sir, they are still alive and unhurt. They should be at the anomaly in about five minutes."

"Good." Solk sat in a nearby chair and got back up as fast as he sat down. He fidgeted with his armor a little bit more and paced around the room again.

One of the male employees swiveled their chair around to face Solk. "You've been acting pretty tense, sir. What seems to be the problem?"

"The problem is the anomaly," Solk answered as he fixed the epaulets on his shoulders. "Every time we got an anomaly, it was some alien force trying to kill us. The skeletons, the Dark Army, the kavarians, and now, whatever this is. Do we have missiles primed for the anomaly yet?"

"Yes, sir," replied another male employee with a deeper voice. "Missiles will fire at your command, sir. Whenever you're ready, they'll head for the anomaly."

"Good." Solk sat down in his chair at one end of the table and tapped his fingers on the table. "Let's just hope this invasion is as easy as those last ones."

"Sir, we're getting a transmission from the HRM," Sandra stated to Solk. "Should I open the link?"

Solk nodded and calmed himself a little. "Go ahead."

A panel popped up from the table to right in front of Solk's face. He remembered the Roman nose, thick, black eyebrows, hazel eyes, and wrinkled bald head anywhere. "General Solk," the older man started with a deep, Russian, and clear voice, "I have noticed that you dispatched some air units to investigate the Pacific anomaly, yes?"

"I have," Solk spat. "Why are you so concerned about it?"

"Last time you investigated an anomaly, it resulted in war. I must command you to withdraw your units so that I can use my diplomacy."

"And what, spread lies about the GEST while you're at it? No."

The man's glare penetrated Solk's soul. "I am not playing any games with you, Solk. I believe that we can create an era of peace for humanity. As much as I want this war to end, it must continue if your ignorance and immature approaches to other life persists. Allow me to handle this before I have to start another unwanted bloodbath."

Solk narrowed his eyes at the man and spoke with a deep hatred. "No, Vance Nemsin. I need to know if this anomaly is a threat to mankind, and your diplomacy will only result in a possible war."

Vance grunted and glared at Solk again. "Typical of you, Solk. You are as stubborn as you were in World War III. Do you know that your introduction to them with warships and armored soldiers can be taken as an act of war? You are about to start a conflict none of us want. Please, for the betterment of mankind, withdraw them, now."

"Sir, the fleet has reached the anomaly," the first male employee blurted. "Do you want me to give you a view from Lieutenant Drake's perspective?"

Solk turned to the employee and nodded. "Yes. Please do that stat." Solk then turned back to Vance. "Too late now. My fleet is at the anomaly."

"You have no idea what you are doing," Vance grumbled irritably. "Your actions with this anomaly can spell death for mankind. You have learned nothing from the kavarians."

"What I've learned from them is that these aliens are pushovers. Now, get out of my sight." Solk cut the link and enlarged the panel showing Drake's perspective. "Now, what is happening over there?"

Lieutenant Drake was sitting inside his drop ship with his squaddies. He looked over to the pilot and co-pilot to see the still bright sky and sun. The drop ship itself made a slow descent onto land. Drake could hear the pilot and co-pilot mumble something about the landscape as they lowered to ground level. Once the drop ship landed, the ramp door on the back of the drop ship lowered. The rush of air into the drop ship startled the soldiers for a second. For some inexplicable reason, their skin felt tingly despite the full body suits and helmets they wore.

The seven other drop ships landed close to Drake's drop ship. He and his squaddies got out of the drop ship and scanned the landscape. For some reason, it was bright, way too bright. The colors of the landscape hurt their eyes from the strain it induced. The weird, unusual clouds that look like spirals that could fit better in the animated Hercules movie than here. In the distance was a small town that could considered even lower in technology and population than Jaminino Island's most backwater and raided towns. However, one building, which was strikingly larger than the rest, was what looked like a castle made out of an amalgamation of jewels and gems.

"What the hell?" one of the squaddies exclaimed. "What am I looking at, what it feels like to be an old world European?"

"Hey, it does feel like that," admitted another squaddie. "Let's not do the whole killing them thing though. Maybe these aliens are nice."

"Well, whatever they are, we need to be careful," warned Drake with a partially Australian accent. "We're in what looks like another world, so anything can happen. Stay sharp, comrades."

"I'm feeling a little weary," one of the other squaddies proclaimed. "I think I need to lie down for a little while."

"You stay on your feet, soldier," Drake snapped. "No one's sleeping on an anomaly investigation."

The soldier shook his head and slapped his helmet. "You're right, sir! There's no reason to rest here!"

The four squadrons kept walking until they reached the outskirts of the town. Drake gave a baffled frown to the buildings. "Where are the people? I thought this was a town. Is it deserted?"

"Well, there are those alien horselike creatures roaming about," a squaddie noticed as he pointed to a group of four of the creatures. "Maybe those are pets and the people are inside?"

"That could be right." Drake thought about the idea for a little while. "Let's see the supposed mayor or head of the town and see what's going on here."

The GEST soldiers walked into the low budget streets and took a closer look at the architecture and designs. A few of the creatures stared at the soldiers, some walking away from them, and some others just eyeing them carefully. Either way, the creatures had some sort of confusion or wary reaction to the soldiers. The soldiers quickly noticed how small they were. They were only about a little higher than the soldiers' waists, and they had a few differing features. Some had wings, some had horns, and all of them had different colors for their hair and bodies. They also had odd insignias on the top section of their hind legs.

One of the squaddies was fuming from the stares. He hated stares ever since his childhood. "Oi, what're you lot looking at?" he snapped a a band of five of the creatures with a thick British accent. The creatures staggered back a little and quivered a little bit.

"Um, you're just strange looking, that's all," one of the creatures answered with a feminine voice.

Right at that moment, the British GEST soldier jumped back and cocked his gun. "Bloody hell! These buggers talk!"

Several more soldiers jumped and readied their guns. One of them slowly walked up to the group of five. "Alright, before we do anything crazy here, I'd like to know what the hell you things are and what this place is."

"Well, that's simple," another one of the strange creatures noted. "You're in Ponyville, one of the many towns of Equestria?"

"So, we're apparently in a new world or country, huh?" assumed Lieutenant Drake. "And its inhabitants are, ponies. I don't know whether to be worried or confused."

"We might as well call off the investigation now," one of the squaddies proposed. "They're harmless. We can just go home if they're all th–"

"Hold it, soldier," Drake interrupted. "Just because something looks safe doesn't mean it is safe. Nature has a funny way of telling you that bright colors means death."

"Oh, we wouldn't cause any harm to all of you," a male pony commented. "We don't really have any real reason to do it."

"Okay then. Does any of you know where we can find a political figure here? I would like to conduct some diplomacy."

"You can talk to Mayor Mare or Princess Twilight Sparkle," one of the female ponies answered. Three GEST soldiers kept themselves from laughing. "They might be who you're looking for."

"And where can I find them?" Drake asked. He and his soldiers glanced their eyes around the section of the town.

"Twilight is in the big castle over there, and Mayor Mare is down the road to your right. You'll see a tall building. You can't miss it."

Drake turned to his soldiers and pointed to the castle. "Alright, soldiers. We're going to the princess first. I bet a figure with that name a higher tier than the mayor."

Drake and the soldiers made their way through the town and up to the strange castle. Drake walked up to the wooden door and knocked on it thrice in a row with a firm fist. A faint voice on the other side could be heard, and a few even fainter footsteps were audible. The door then swung open to reveal another small mare, yet slightly taller and with both wings and a horn. It had a purple coat, a darker purple mane and tail with a streak of dark pink in each. It also had several stars with six points each—one being purple and the biggest—on its flanks.

The pony jumped and shrieked from what she thought was a dozen or more mechanized monsters. She shut the door with one slam.

"Ehh, maybe we shouldn't have suited up, sir," a squaddie thought out loud.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Drake noted. "Did you want to be stabbed several times?"

"Uh, not rea–"

"Then shut it."

The door opened again, much more slowly this time. The pony poked its head through the opening and glared at Lieutenant Drake, the one soldier she thought looked the scariest with its big shoulder pads and dark grey armor. It didn't help that all of the soldiers had helmets that covered all of their heads. "Hello? Who are you?"

Drake pointed a thumb at himself. "I'm Lieutenant Drake, a representative of the Global Extraterrestrial Security Troop. I'm here to gather some information about this world. My commander wishes to make this world non-hostile towards us."

The pony opened the door a little more. "What exactly are you?"

"I'm a human, and so are the rest of my soldiers. We mean no harm, Princess Twilight Sparkle, yes?"

The pony nodded and opened the door to about halfway open. "Yes, that's me. If you're here for information about Equestria, I can help you. However, I highly suggest you talk to Princess Celestia in Canterlot afterwards."

"Good to know." Drake stepped a foot forward. "May we come in for this discussion?"

"Sure." Twilight opened the door all the way and welcomed the soldiers inside the castle. "Follow me. I have a good room for meetings like this."

Twilight and the soldiers behind her walked through the castle's halls. She eventually guided them into a large room with the roots of a tree on the ceiling and several lines of gems hanging from the roots. There was also a large, circular table with seven seats surrounding it. Six of them had different insignias on them. One of them was the exact same insignia as what was on Twilight. She sat down in that chair and looked over at the soldiers.

"This is the best meeting room I have," Twilight explained with a constant smile on her face. "It's used for something else, but I think this can work for now."

The sergeants and Lieutenant Drake sat in the other five seats. The last one was too small for any of them to sit in.

Twilight looked around the table and noticed the emblems on their armor. Four of them had three chevrons in front of a globe for their emblems, and Lieutenant Drake had what looked like a metal capital I in front of a globe. "So, what do you five want to know first?"

"I think we should deal with the obvious questions first," Drake proposed. "What exactly are you ponies, and what do you do?"

"Oh, that's pretty easy to answer. There are four types of ponies in Equestria. There are Earth ponies that are usually hardy and strong, pegasi that control the weather and sky, unicorns that can conjure different types of spells, and alicorns like me that can be considered powerful rulers or stronger variants of unicorns. There are only five alicorns in existence right now, me being included. The other three types are common throughout all of Equestria. You probably saw a few of them in Ponyville."

Drake nodded his head as the other sergeants murmured to themselves. "Interesting. How advanced technologically do you think you ponies are? Hopefully, you know more to architecture and life than cottages and unpaved roads."

"If you're looking for technology, you came to the wrong town. Manehattan or other big cities with lots of ponyfolk have much more technology than what you see here. Ponyville is more of a rural town, not a metropolis."

"What types of technology do they have there? Are there at least structures with steel frames and concrete?"

Twilight nodded. "They have those. I think they have phones if I am correct as well."

Drake folded his hands as passively as possible. "Well, it sounds like your species is not too backward in tech. Now, back to these alicorns. How powerful are they?"

"Well, it kind of depends on their magic and importance. Princess Celestia needs to raise the sun, so she has the magic to do that. Princess Luna can travel between dreams and raises the moon. Cadence has magic involving love, and I have magic involving friendship."

At this point, the three GEST soldiers from earlier couldn't handle the ridiculousness. They howled with laughter and slapped their knees with some disbelief and some humor out of friendship and love. Two other soldiers felt ill and tired, but they kept the conditions to themselves.

One of the sergeants turned to the laughing soldiers. "Control yourselves at once! This is not the time for unprofessionalism!"

The soldiers stopped their laughing and acted as professional as they could. Drake nodded at the sergeant. "Thank you. Now, I thought that you said there were five alicorns. Did one die?"

Twilight shook here head. "Oh, not at all. One of them is just a baby right now."

"Hmm, now, I'm a little curious. Could you tell a little about your role in Ponyville? What you do on a daily basis, I mean."

Twilight's face grew a wider smile. "Oh, boy, I've got a lot to tell you..."