Oct 31st, 2022
Wallburg Palace, United Kingdom of Equestria
1730 Hours

It had been little over a year since the end of the war, the Soviet surrender, and the German withdrawal. (Minus a few high ranking officers, a fleet of German space-battleships, and the German 9th Panzer army) Since then, Marshal Silver Shield (Who got promoted to Marshal of Equestria) and King Shining Armor had been tireless in their attempts to rebuild the nation, even going so far as to recruit free-market economists from earth, plus fulfilling the promises to all the soldiers who stayed in Equestria and got married. And as things were starting to look-up for the country at large, they had heard much concerning a certain Princess Twilight Sparkle. (The King's younger sister)Their citizens (As well as Shining himself) imploring them to find her and the elements of harmony, and bring them home. So there they both sat, trying to figure out what happened to them. Unfortunately, it had been a fruitless effort so far, and they couldn't find anyone or anypony who knew where they were for that matter, but unbeknownst to Marshal Shield, he had the key all along, sitting in his new palace. (Wallberg Palace) For it was a similar device to the one he used to get to Equestria, the portal disguised as a simple mirror, which two soldiers so-happened to be guarding, one a young pegasus, the other, an older earth-pony, in the basement of the palace, where it should have been extremely difficult for anypony or anyone to get inside and use.

"Ugh, is our shift over?" Asked the young pegasus impatiently, as he stood at attention outside a small room, with his colleague on the opposite side.

"No," answered the other, older guardspony in a slight Ukrainian accent.

"Why not? I wanna go home." He stated.

"Because we signed up for this." He answered annoyedly.

"And why are we standing guard over this empty room?" Asked the younger guard again.

"What's your name and rank?" He asked, turning to face him for the first time.

"Pvt. Saber Storm, and yours?" Pvt. Storm asked in return.

"Sgt. Sava Zayika, Pvt. Storm." Sgt. Zayika answered in slight annoyance.

"Oh, you must be one of those foreign ponies." He deadpanned.

"And what's wrong with that?" He asked with a glare.

"Uh, nothing!" He said in a worried tone as he looked at the ground and his ears folded down.

"That's what I thought." Said Sgt. Zayika with a huff, as he turned back to face the wall.

"So," Started Pvt. Storm awkwardly, as he did the same. "What are we guarding again?"

"Ugh, we're guarding the portal to my world." He stated bluntly.

"We're guarding a portal!?" Asked the Private, with excitement clear in his tone, and his former posture returning.

"Yes, so be quiet about it." Answered the Sargeant. "With how loud you're being, anypony could hear you from down here." He said sarcastically.

"Can we go through it?" Asked Pvt. Storm.

"No," He said.

Then Pvt. Storm walked a little closer. "Please?" He asked in his most innocent voice.

"No!" Yelled the Sargeant angrily as he turned to face him. "I will not permit you to go through, am I understood!?"

"Please?" He asked again, as he recoiled from the order.

"No!" Answered the Sargeant.

"Yes!" Said Pvt. Storm.

"NO!" Bellowed Sgt. Zayika.

"YES!" He yelled in response to the ever-growing volume.

"НІ!" (NO!) Yelled Sgt. Zayika in Ukrainian.

"YES!"

"HI!"

"YES!"

"HI!"

"NI!" Yelled Pvt. Storm as he learned the word, 'ni' (no) in Ukrainian.

"ТАК!" (YES!) Yelled Sgt. Zayika, as he fell for the old trick of saying one thing repeatedly, then switching to the opposite.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Said Pvt. Storm as he flew into the room.

"ЗАЧАКАЙТЕ, Я НЕ СКАЗУВАНО, ЩО ВИ МОЖАЛИ ЙДЕ!" (WAIT, I DON'T SAY YOU COULD GO!) Yelled Sgt. Zayika, as he chased after him. When he got inside, he saw that the room was quite decorative, as it contained two twin mirrors that were placed directly across from one another, that and Pvt. Storm appeared to be looking for the portal. "Do you even know what it is?" He asked.

"Yes, maybe," He took a deep breath. "No." He huffed in defeat.

"Well, then you can't go through if you can't even figure out what it is." Stated the Sargeant smugly.

"Oh yeah? You sure about that?" He said as a devious grin crept onto his face, and he started to look around. Then the young private's eyes landed on the mirror to his left. "Try me?" He asked as he pointed to the mirror.

"Fine, that's the portal." He smirked, knowing it was the one on the other side.

"Alright, here I go!" He said as he jumped straight through it, creating a wave effect as if it was liquid.

"ЩО!?" (WHAT!?) Screamed Sgt. Zayika, as he stared on in disbelief and his jaw fell. "T-T-That's not possible. Is it?" He asked himself in Ukrainian. "Well, only one way to find out." Then he jumped through as well. 'Wait, why did I do this? I'm supposed to be the one with common sense!' He thought as he was tossed around, pulled, and stretched inside the vortex.

Oct 31st, 2022
Canterlot Highschool, City of Canterlot, Equestria
1828 hours

There was a bright flash of light, as Pvt. Storm flew out of the statue, and landed flat on his face. "Ow," he said as he reached up with his hoof to get up. Except, somehow, it felt strange and uncomfortable to be standing the way he was when he felt a massive force bowl him over, and a great "OOF!" escaped his lips. When he stopped rolling, he turned around to see a colourful man standing over him in a Soviet Uniform. "AHH, SOVIET!" Screamed Pvt. Storm as he instinctively grabbed his AK-74 from off his back, but when he saw his forehooves- "W-what!? I-I have HANDS!?" He yelled in horror as he put down his rifle to get a better look at his new hands that were the same dark red as his fur used to be.

"Let me help you up." Said the older man in a slight Ukrainian accent, chuckling as he extended a hand.

He took it and, as he stood up, he started to see more detail in the man's face and colour. He saw that he had split coloured hair, one half light blue, the other, an acidic yellow, he also had light blue skin and bright golden eyes. That's when he started to connect the dots. "Sargeant?" He asked as he stood up, not knowing how to walk in his new body.

"Yes, it's me, now come on, we have a job to do." Said Sgt. Zayika as he started walking the way they came.

"Uh, Sargeant, I don't know how to walk with these." He said as he tried lifting his boot only to lose his balance and fall over.

"Then let me help you. After all, I was a human before I was a pony." He laughed as he helped him up again and dusted him off.

"Thanks, I guess." He said sheepishly, as he grabbed his AK-74 off the ground where he dropped it and slung it over his shoulder.

"Well, to start, walking is pretty easy, it's just one foot in front of the other." He stated in a matter-of-factly tone as he walked back and forth.

"I see now," Said Pvt. Storm as he tried to repeat the movements.

"Good, that should keep you on your feet." Laughed the Sargeant, as he could still see a slight wobble in Pvt. Storm's step. "But enough of that, we have a job to do."

"To find the princess?" He asked.

"No, guard duty, we have to get back." Said Sgt. Zayika, as he gestured with his thumb. 'I miss being able to do this.' He thought to himself as a smirk crept onto his features.

"Do we have to? I mean, maybe we can find the Princess here?" He asked.

Then it dawned on him. 'Wait, what if the princess is here? That could get me a promotion? I mean, we didn't even know that this place existed. So, maybe we should give it a shot.' Then he looked back to face Pvt. Storm. "Fine, but we'll need to have a short look, lest Sn Lt. Crasher gives us trouble." He said as he heard cameras flashing. "Oh, what in the-" He looked and saw a large group of teenagers, probably no older than 17 years old all dressed up in Halloween costumes. "Uh, what?" 'Wait, did we seriously end up in front of a school?'

"Hey, Nice costumes!" Yelled a boy in a tuxedo with fangs as he walked up to them and had a better look.

"I think they look quite handsome." Said a girl in a dreamy tone wearing a zombie costume, as she clasped her hands to the side of her face.

"Thanks, I think it looks nice as well!" Said Pvt. Storm as a slight blush appeared on his face, and he looked away.

"Alright P-"Saber, I think we've been here long enough." Stated the Sargeant. 'Okay, no ranks. The last thing I need is to raise suspicion.' He thought as he took a deep breath.

"Hey, nice soldier impressions, it's always good to see a father and son dressed up together." One woman said with a wink to Sgt. Zayika, who was clearly, (Judging by her appearance) the mother of one of the students.

"Wait, no-" Said Sgt. Zayika while being interrupted by yet another teenager. 'Will this end already!? I also hope my wife doesn't find out about this, or I'll never hear the end of it!' He thought to himself.

"Yeah, come on guys, you'll miss the party." Said another boy, (this time wearing a pumpkin costume) then the crowd moved into, what they assumed was a school.

Then Pvt. Storm moved closer to the Sargeant. "Could we stay? Please?" He asked while attempting to use puppy dog eyes on Sgt. Zayika.

Then the Sargeant looked away and sighed in defeat. "Ugh, fine, we can stay, but we need to at least pretend that we're from here, that and hide our rifles." He sighed again, as they placed their rifles under a bush and entered the school. 'This had better work.'
____________________________________________

1900 hours
Inside the School

As Pvt. Storm and Sgt. Zayika had entered the school and had hidden their weapons outside. They felt it was time to finally get some answers. So after talking to some students, they found that the princess went to this school while she was here until she graduated. Now they were on their way to the principal's office to get more information.

"Are we almost there?" Asked Pvt. Storm. "I want to party."

"Yes, but first we need to check with the principal. Just to ensure that the information we have is accurate, so we're going to ask them for her student files." Said Sgt. Zayika over his shoulder.

"Understood Sargeant," Replied Pvt. Storm, as he spotted a door with 'principal's office' written on it. "Hey Sarge, I think I found it." He said while pointing to it.

"Good, let's knock," He said as he walked over and knocked on the door.

Then they heard footsteps from inside the door. "Come in." They heard the feminine voice reply.

So, shrugging, the Sargeant opened the door, and they both entered. But when they saw who was sitting at the desk-"Your highness!?" Yelled Pvt. Storm in shock as he tried to bow, but was elbowed in the chest by Sgt. Zayika.

"Now what can I do for you two gentlemen?" Asked the white-skinned woman with multicolored hair sitting behind the desk.

"Well, principal-" He cut himself off, realizing he hadn't asked her name. "I'm sorry I don't believe I got your name." Said Sgt. Zayika.

"That's quite alright, it's Celestia." She said with a slight chuckle. "Now from the look of those clothes, I'm going to guess your not from around here, are you?"

"You would be correct to assume that." Answered Sgt. Zayika. "We are here to inquire about a certain, Princess Twilight Sparkle?" He asked. 'Here we go...'

"Well, she did go to school here, at least while she was here." She said thoughtfully.

"So she did come here?" Asked Pvt. Storm.

"Yes, she did." Answered the Principal.

"Well do you know where she is now? We have orders to find her at once, and return her to Equestria." Said Sgt. Zayika.

She sat and pondered this for a moment before she looked back at the two soldiers. "I do believe her files should be here. But I have to ask, why are you looking for her?" She asked inquisitively, as she cocked an eyebrow at them.

"I'm sorry we haven't introduced ourselves, I am Sgt. Zayika." He said as he pointed to himself, then he gestured to Pvt. Storm. "And this is Pvt. Storm. We are soldiers of the United Kingdom of Equestria. And we have been ordered by Marshal Silver Shield and King Shining Armor, to bring her and the other elements home." Answered the Sargeant.

"I see. Well just wait for one-moment while I retrieve some documents." Said Principal Celestia, as she left into a storage room.

When she came out a few minutes later, she was holding two folders. "Here you are." She said as she handed them over. "These should help you in your search."

"Thank you ever so much, Principal Celestia, how could we repay you?" Asked Pvt. Storm.

"It's alright, no need to thank me. It's just that when she came to me, she told me that Equestria was invaded by the Soviet Union. And that she was powerless to stop them-" She said, as Sgt. Zayika raised his hand. "Yes?" She asked as her patience was waning.

"I'm sorry, but I just realized, why are there two folders?" Asked Sgt. Zayika.

"Yes, there are, you see, we had two students from Equestria. The other being Sunset Shimmer." Answered Celestia.

"Well, I was wondering, could you call them, to let them know we're looking for her and her friends?" Asked Sgt. Zayika.

"I could have that arranged, but I'll need those files back." She said as she extended a hand.

"Understoo-"Yes, of course," Said Sgt. Zayika as he handed her back the files. 'I really need to stop using military answers to casual questions.' He thought to himself.

"Thank you," She said as she took them in her hands, and went to the phone, then opened the folders, and checked for their mobile phone numbers. Then she entered Twilight's on her phone before she sat back down on her desk.

"Hello?" Came the feminine voice.

"Hello, this is Principal Celestia from Canterlot Highschool. May I ask who this is?" She asked.

"Principal Celestia!?" She shouted in surprise. "How are you!? Why are you calling me!? Is there another Equestrian Magic problem!?" She asked.

Then she chuckled. "Good to know I called the right number, how are you Twilight?" Asked Principal Celestia.

"I'm doing great, but you still didn't answer my question." Said Twilight impatiently.

"Right, well, how do I put this? You remember how you and your friends came to me two and a half years ago?" She asked.

"Because we got invaded by the Soviet Union? And we were forced to live here? How could I forget?" She asked sarcastically with anger showing through when she mentioned the Soviet Union.

"Well, according to these two men." She said as she gestured to the two soldiers. "You're brother defeated them."

"WHAT!?" Shouted Twilight. "How!? When!?"

"Alright, calm down Twilight, just bring your friends to the school." She said. "After all," She looked over at the men sitting across from her. "I'm sure they would be happy to answer any questions you have."

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour," Said Twilight excitement clear in her tone. "I will go get the others! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye Twilight, I will see you when you get here." Said Principal Celestia as she got off the phone. Then she turned to face the soldiers. "Well, they will be here in one hour." She said.

"Thank you so much, Principal Celestia! I'm sure the ponies of Equestria will be only too happy to have their Princess back." Said Sgt. Zayika, as he shook her hand, got up, and called for Pvt. Storm to follow him back to the party.

Author's Note

I would like to apologize for not uploading for a while. But anyway, here it is! And I'd suggest you stay tuned for the next chapter of The Gears Begin to turn, and see how Twilight and her friends react?