The Conversion Bureau: Not Alone
(This is a fanfic of a fanfic by ProudToBe. Original story by Starman Ghost)
Somewhere north-eastern of Cape Town. Two hours after the destruction of the bubble.
Stefan lies on his belly on some small hill in Africa, between trees and rocks. He and his comrade Klaus are KSK snipers, sent out forward before the main EU army to take observation points and scanning the area for any danger. Their all-terrain vehicle, ATV, are hidden behind the hill and covered with a camo net. It wasn’t easy to drive through all the water and mud. The trick was not to stop. They found that hill and Klaus thought it would be a good position, since the rest of the terrain was almost flat.
He watched through his scope while the heavy rain was already going through his clothes. Luckily, he was used to such weather conditions. But that doesn't mean that he was still pissed to be wet to the bones.
He looked over to Klaus. The old man, near the forty was scanning the place with the scope on his heavy G82 rifle, trying to find anything in that rain. He turned his head to Stefan like he could sense his stare.
“Did you saw something, Stabsunteroffizier ?”
Stefan shook his head and returned to his observer duty. “Nein, Herr Feldwebel.”
The man sighed and looked through his scope again. “Keep scanning. They are out there... and waiting.”
‘Just no pressure’ Stefan thought. He pushed a few buttons on the his scope which make then some mechanical noises as it adjusted the zoom lens. Stefan still couldn't see anything. He pushed another button and turned on the thermal mod. He swore and spitted into the mud as this wasn’t helping much either.
“...Herr Feldwebel?”
Klaus turned his head again to the young Stabsunteroffizier. “Yes?”
“Do you... think we do the right thing? I mean...”
“Don’t break your little head about that. I guess we all knew that it would have come to this after the speech of that Twilight.” He shook his head and sighed sad. “Trust me... I wish that this war comes as fast to an end as you do.”
Stefan peeked over to Klaus and said, “Yeah... thank you, Feldwebel.”
“Gut. Now keep scanning. The troops need the okay from us, or nothing moves forward.”
Stefan nod and looked through his scope again. But he thought about the reason for Celestia to come in this world anyway and why she only saw the dark side of mankind. Was humanity really that horrible to them? So alien like they are for him?
While he thought about he caught something with his eye. He could see some heat signatures, odd ones. Maybe because of the rain. And it was like just some parts showed out of some kind of cover. He quickly realised what that means.
“Contact. Probably Royal Guards from the look of the heat signature. ” He whispered to Klaus.
Klaus lifted his head a bit and turned his thermal optic on as well. “Mark the targets.” he returned.
Stefan used a IR pointer in the scope to mark the enemy for Klaus. He followed the beam with his rifle and found the two heat spots his partner noticed.
“Distance?” he asked Stefan.
“About... 892 meter.”
Klaus looked up at the ballistic computer mounted over the scope and compared his data with Stefan's. After he confirmed them, he activate his radio and switched to the command channel.
“This Jäger 1-1, Jägermeister kommen.” he began, and holding his rifle steady.
“This is Jägermeister, we hear you, Jäger 1-1. Kommen.”
“We have contact. Two Royal Guards...”
Stefan added, “Make that two Royal Guards Unicorns... do you see that long cone of heat which appears out of their head?”
Klaus looked through his scope again and saw what Stefan mean. “Yes, two unicorns from the Royal Guards. Kommen.”
There was a short pause before the command answered, “Understood. You are clear to engage the enemy. VIP targets are your primary. Be advised: That unicorns have magic powers we don’t fully understand by now. Proceed with extreme caution and try to get as much information as you can.”
“Verstanden, we engage the enemy. VIP targets first, verstanden. Out” With that he turned of his radio and pushed his weight against the gunstock of his rifle and steadied his breath. The hairline cross in the optic wanders over the head of one of the unicorns. “They will not know what just hit them...” Klaus whispered.
Stefan concentrate and gives Klaus any important info he need to make that shoot a hit. “No wind... still heavy rain. The bullet will drop faster. Aim a bit higher to compensate it.”
Klaus lifted the barrel a bit higher. Unnoticeable for the amateur but not even an half degree can make the different from a one shoot wonder and a total flop. His finger wrap around the trigger and he pulled it slowly down until he felt some resistance. “Ready to fire...”
Stefan saw that the unicorns walked slowly, making themselves easy targets. ‘That is almost to easy’ he thought. “... Feuer ... Feuer ...” Klaus hold his breath by the second signal and breath slowly out again. “ ... Feuer.”
He pulled the trigger through. The weapon spit a .50 cal anti-materiel bullet out and the rifle stock kicked against his shoulder. There was almost no noise because of the special muzzle brake which neutralizes the sound of the exploding propellant. But there was still the bullet which breaks through the sound barrier. And that would make anyone deaf who wasn’t wearing any ear protection.
Stefan and Klaus waited for not even three seconds. Then they saw through their scopes how the head of one of the unicorns disappeared. The other one jumped back and its head moved from side to side. Stefan could tell that this pony is in a state of panic now.
“Danke fürs mitspielen... okay, next target.” Klaus said dry. Stefan fixed the remaining unicorn and gave Klaus the data. “Same conditions like before...” Klaus moved the hairline cross over the head of the second unicorn. But then something happened. The heat signature of the horn on the head of the unicorn became brighter and then it was like its eyes were on fire. And it looked directly at the IR beam and followed it.
And then it looked at them.
Stefan swore. “...that’s ...impossible!”
“Turn the IR beam off!” Klaus almost screamed.
Stefan looked on top of his scope and pushed the button. While he did that, he saw a flash of light in the distance and heard how Klaus swore. “SCHEISSE! I lost it! And the thermal sight turned off itself! Mist!” Stefan quickly moved behind the scope and looked through it, trying to find the unicorn again. But his thermal cam is offline as well. A safety device turns it off to keep the eyes of the user healthy. Otherwise, the bright white would blind him.
“Do you see anything?” asked Klaus. Stefan shook his head. “No way to see through all that rain...”
Klaus bite his teeth together “...maybe the other one teleported away...”
Stefan wanted to say something but he got stunned as the heavy G82 rifle got a life on its own, covered in a odd light. It hovered out of Klaus’s hands who looked at it with surprise and confuse. He saw how it twisted around and the bad end of the barrel pointed at Stefan. Klaus didn’t hesitate. He rolled on his side, his front turned at Stefan. Then he gathered all his strength in his legs and kick Stefan in the side. The young man felt how his air moved out of his lungs and his body rolled over and down the hill. “GET OUT OF HERE!” was the last thing he heard from Klaus before heard another familiar sound.
Stefan holds his ribs which ached from the kick. He twisted his head around and looked up. He knew what happened. But still, he hopes that Klaus is okay... somehow. But he saw with horror how the rifle flew over the hill, like a predator who was looking for it's prey. He stared even directly into the barrel... but nothing happened. ‘Looks like they need to see what they want to shoot... huh... not that different from us after all...’ he thought.
‘It’s now or never!‘ He went up on his feet, and walked quick to the ATV. It was difficult to move fast in all that mud, but he pushed himself and ignored the extra weight of the mud and water on his boots. He removed the cover of the ATV and saw his G28, a marksman version of the HK417. He looked over his shoulders to make sure no one is following him and untied it. He slung the carrying strap over his shoulder and checked the clip. Twenty rounds and one in the chamber.
Stefan turned around and moved toward the hill again. The G82 was still hovering over the hill but he didn’t saw the unicorn who controlled it. ‘Well... here goes nothing...’ he thought. He lifted the rifle and aimed at the clip of the G82. He pulled the trigger and the 7.62 match round hit the clip, blasting it out and the bullets flew everywhere. The magic aura around the gun vanished and it hit the ground hard.
‘Stupid unicorn doesn’t know that there is still a bullet left in the chamber.’
He almost ran around the hill, his rifle always ready to fire. He hoped that he can caught the unicorn in surprise, before his weapon will be turned against him.
He stopped half way and slide a bit on the wet ground as he saw the same kind of flash behind the hill, the same he saw earlier in the distance. Then he noticed a flash behind him...
...maybe the other one teleported away...
Stefan’s eyes are wide open as he repeated Klaus’s words in his head. He twisted as fast as he could around, eyeing the area behind him. And he found the unicorn. Its body is covered in golden armor, the head a bit lowered. At him. The horn glowing. He lifted his rifle and...
It was too late. The magical grip got his rifle and pulled it out of his hands. But he got pulled along with his rifle. The carrying strap was still around his body and he was going wherever his gun was going.
The unicorn seemed to be pissed because he saw how its horn glowed brighter and the pulling became more rough. The strap was burrowing deep into his shoulder and neck as the gun began to twist around to shake him off. It was a quiet hilarious sight. For those who didn’t had to fight for their survival.
Fighting against the seasickness, he reached out and got the grip of his rifle in his hand. He pulled the trigger several times, just to make the clip empty and making the rifle useless for the unicorn.
He don’t know how often he shoot but the unicorn seem to know what he tried to do. Thus the magical grip vanished around the rifle and Stefan, still twisting around, and fell hard in the mud. He caught hard and remembers the pain in the ribs. He rolled on his butt and wipe away the mud in his face and looked at the unicorn. Its horn glowed again already and he felt a sudden movement at his leg. He noticed soon how his secondary got out of the holster. He heard the pistol moving up and how the safety switched from save to fire.
He acted quick and rose his gun. He still couldn’t aim at anything because of the mud on the optics. No time to clean them and no time to check if there was still a bullet left, he had to fire from the hip. He aimed over the barrel and pulled the trigger. Two shoots were to hear. Two heavy objects hit the mud. And then was just the rain to hear.
His eyes opened and he bended over, coughing out mud and water. He shaked his head and noticed that it felt a bit lighter as before. He looked at his right and saw the pistol in the mud. A empty shell nearby. He looked over to the left and saw his helmet. He almost forgot that he was still wearing it. There was a deep dent in it where the bullet hit. Luckily for him, the 9mm bullet didn’t had the power to penetrate the bullet proof materials of the helmet.
‘Lucky me...’ he thought sad. He found the unicorn he shoot, not far away. He stood up and taking his pistol and rifle. Last one was always aimed at the motionless pony as he walked over to it.
No. Not it. Her. It was a unicorn mare. Stefan recognized it as he saw the slender frame and the much smaller face, compared with a stallion. Her fur was some kind of colour between white and grey and the mane had a yellow, almost golden colour. At least the parts of fur which wasn’t covered in mud and armor. But something was not right... and that was her horn. There was none. Not anymore. It is replaced by a bloody wound on her head where her horn was.
He looked around and found something shining. He walked to it, looking at the mare from time to time. He found a piece of armor in the mud. And not far away was a unicorn horn. He picked both up in his free hand and eyed the two objects. The helmet had a bad scar over the left hole where she can see through it. It seems like the bullet had taken enough material from the helmet with it to rip it from her head. And with it the horn. Stefan don’t even tries to imagine how much pain that could cause.
But he noticed something else... the bullet didn’t hit her in the right angle to penetrate the helmet and her head. Which means...
A caught makes him turning around and he saw how the unicorn blew dirt out of her nose and mouth. He got on his feet and walked to her, but keeping a safe distance.
The mare seem to swore something he couldn’t hear yet but she turned her head at him as she heard how the mud got shoved away by heavy boots. She looked up at the rifle and after a moment higher. She saw him directly in the eyes. And he saw into hers. They are blue. Dark blue and as deep as the ocean itself. And Stefan aimed right between them.
Both didn’t moved. Only the rain was to hear. And Stefan’s thoughts, which fought against each other. What shall he do?
To kill her would be easy. She did kill his comrade. And friend.
Or was that wrong? To kill the one who killed his friend, just because for revenge?
The mare was still looking at him. A bit in panic. Another bit in anger. She lifted her head, bite her teeth together and... nothing. She looked confused at him and then at his hand. Her expression switched quick to pain and disbelief. She touched the place on her head where it actually belongs and only felt a fresh wound.
She turned her head back at Stefan who hadn't moved the entire time. And back at the rifle. She relaxed a bit and breath out slowly. And closed her eyes with the face still turned at the gun.
‘Does she... expect that from me?’ He felt how his finger pushed down the trigger. Time was running slow for him and he looked straight into the pony face. He felt the point where he just had to pull a bit harder... it was so easy.
But he couldn’t. He lowered his rifle and breathed out heavy, making the mare staring at him with a confused look.
“Hau schon ab...” he said. The mare didn’t understood. She opened her mouth to say something but Stefan was faster.
“I said get lost!” he shouted at her. Her eyes shot open.
“...w-why?” she asked him. “Why don’t you kill me?”
He looked at her, emotionless. “There is no point in killing you. You are disarmed and not dangerous anymore. And I can’t keep you as prisoner either. That's all you need to know... now get on your hooves and run away. Before I change my mind...”
The mare was still perplexed. She really thought that his would be her end. She heard about the humans who killed their enemies without any mercy. That is what she had been told. And now here she was. In front of a human soldier... who let her life. Her world rotated. “Ich sagte VERPISS DICH ENDLICH!” she heard him scream. She got on her hooves and turned slowly away from him and to the direction of her home. She stopped after the first steps and looked back at Stefan. He wasn’t looking at her and kept his eyes towards the ground. She continued to walk, then quicker until she was running.
Stefan was walking up the hill again as she began to run and got aside of the dead body from Klaus on his knees. The .50 bullet did a nasty job. It blasted off his Klaus head and his blood was sinking into the ground. And there are other pieces of the head all over the tip of the hill. It was a messy view. Stefan shook his head a bit and searched the body for his dog tag. He found it in jacked. It was a German dog tag where he had to broke it into two pieces. He took one half for himself and placed the other one in his jacked. Then he took the radio and turned it on. He hesitated for a moment, thinking about what he shall say.
“...this is Jäger 1-1 an Jägermeister. Kommen.”
“This is Jägermeister... Jäger 2-1? Where is Jäger 1-1?”
He lowered his head and the next words were like lead he had to push out of his lungs. “...Jäger 1-1... is KIA. I request backup...” he paused for a moment before he added “... and the path is clear now... kommen.”
Another pause. “Understood. Good work. We send help as soon as possible. Hold your position until it arrived. Kommen.”
Stefan nod and answered “Okay... I hold the position. Jäger 2-1 Ende.” He sat down on a rock and looked towards Equestria. He wonders if the mare is able to be there before he or other troops catch her up... or will they met in battle again if she manage it? He stopped to think about that and relaxed. He will see it soon enough.
Right now, he had to get all that mud out of his underwear.
