Call of Duty: Black Ops - Walk the Line

Chapters

Prologue - Dancing with the Devil, Part One
Chapter 1 - Dancing with the Devil, Part Two
Chapter 2 - Silence and Strife
Chapter 3 - Making an Entrance, Part One
Chapter 4 - Making an Entrance, Part Two
Chapter 5 - Crack of Dawn
Chapter 6 - Unexpected Complications

Prologue - Dancing with the Devil, Part One

Realm of Equestria, City of Canterlot

Canterlot Palace, Royal Chambers

Though the sun had set and Day Court had ended hours earlier, Princess Twilight Sparkle remained awake. She had been invited to Canterlot at the request of Princess Luna, something that had surprised the newly-coronated Princess.

Luna had long presided over the Night Court on her own, but since her return, and Tirek's recent defeat, she had admitted to Twilight that she needed help with her duties.

As such, Twilight now sat beside Princess Luna, each on their own throne, listening to the courtiers relay requests, favors, or disputes for the two of them to unravel. Of which, there were fewer than Twilight expected.

Luna had told Twilight before the Court began that the Day Court presided over more public issues such as commerce, established laws and municipal legal matters, issues for larger cities, and personal disputes. The Night Court, on the other side of the spectrum, dealt with more internally sensitive issues, such as criminal matters, national defense, and issues from Equestria's more outlying towns and settlements.

Many of these "national defense" cases were mostly requests for a platoon of Guards to be stationed at a specific town, building permits for new forts and defensive stations, and blacksmiths seeking royal approval to sell weapons such as swords, as used by the various Guard corps. Despite the title of "national defense", Luna had also said, they rarely became seen on the national scale.

Luna would have to rescind that feeling, she would later admit as a dark-green coated unicorn stallion burst into the court chamber, out of breath. The Lunar Guards were going to intervene, when Luna raised a hoof, signalling them to step back.

"Princesses, I beg for your audience!" he breathed raggedly.

"Please, calm yourself." Luna said, as she and Twilight walked over. "What is the matter so dire it has made such a display necessary?"

The pony nodded, and sat down, breathing heavily for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"My name is Gray Root. I'm the mayor of the colony of Thorne's Glade, near the north-western edge of the Everfree Forest." he said once he composed himself. "About five weeks ago, the townsponies began to notice several odd events around town."

"Such as?" Twilight asked.

"Well, some of our harvest, like clockwork every time we reaped the wheat fields, would go missing. It varied from time to time how much was taken. And we all chalked it up to wildlife from the forest going at it while our backs were turned."

"But then the fruit harvest was gotten into as well. Eventually, we decided enough was enough, and a couple of the lumberyard workers decided they would find out who was behind it."

"So they set out a fresh bushel of wheat as bait, and waited till dark. Later that night, we heard several loud cracking sounds, a strangled scream, and then...nothing. In the morning, we found those workers. They'd all been...killed."

There was a volley of whispers of disbelief and horror. Root composed himself and continued.

"Those poor folks had holes blown right into their chests, and one got one in the throat. Our doctor, Healing Salve, pulled these...things out of them once we retrieved the bodies, after we got our courage back."

"That was three days ago. We gave those workers a proper burial, and we held a town meeting to decide what to do going forward. I volunteered to come here and tell you all about this myself, and...well, here we are."

Twilight, whose face had gone pale, looked to Princess Luna, who came forward and was handed a small cloth bag. Inside were three small, conical objects, though all three were warped and cracked.

"Thank you for this report, Mayor Root." Luna said. "You may rest assured that Princess Twilight and I will investigate this matter personally and bring these cutthroats to justice. You have our word."

"Thank you kindly." Root replied. "If there's anything else you need from me, I'll be at the Fairway Hotel here in Canterlot."

As the remainder of Night Court passed without any further incident, Princess Luna brought Twilight aside to a smaller meeting room.

"This is quite unheard of in Equestria." she said quietly. "Whoever killed those three workers must be dealt with, and with haste."

"I agree." Twilight replied. "But those objects don't belong to any kind of weapon known in Equestria. I mean, we have bows and arrows, but these objects are not arrowheads, that's clear enough."

"And whoever possesses this unknown weaponry is ruthless enough to murder three ponies over a bushel of wheat." Luna continued, standing up and heading for the door. "We must tread lightly and quickly. Will you stay here in Canterlot for the rest of the evening? We'll head to Thorne's Glade in the morning with Mayor Root, along with as many Guards as we can take."

"Alright." Twilight nodded. "But my only concern is that we're diving right into this with little preparation to go around."

"That is a good point." Luna sighed, sitting back down. "How about this...we'll do some combined research on what these objects might be", she said while holding up one of the conical objects to her eyes. "And what purpose they are used for. Hopefully we can find some kind of countermeasure to whatever weapon produced them."

Twilight nodded, and as the two Alicorns headed for the Canterlot Archives, Twilight felt a small shiver run down her back.

====
North-western Equestria

In the Mountains south of Thorne's Glade

At the entrance to a large cave, near a mountain pass and on the edge of the forest, several ponies of different kinds were hard at work, moving crates into the cave. Some of the crates bore the sigil of a hammer and sickle, others a flag of stars and stripes, and some others bore the image of a broken red crown.

The ponies worked quickly and quietly as a nearby supervisor, a unicorn carrying a clipboard and a cargo manifest, catalogued each crate and its contents before motioning them forward and into the cave.

"Quartermaster, status."

The unicorn turned to see a bipedal being wearing black and green, with its face hooded approach and cross its arms in question. The modified AK47 assault rifle on his back and a Diamatti pistol at his waist completed the image of a human Soviet soldier, specifically a Spetsnaz operative.

"Everything is accounted for, so far." the quartermaster replied. "We've got seven crates from both sources, packed each with a multitude of weapons and ammunition, along with the tools to service, and guides for training."

"Not only that, our benefactor sent over a large shipment of grenades, and we'll start training to use them once they are unpacked."

"Good." the soldier said. "Proceed."

"If I may say, sir…" the Quartermaster continued. "Do you think that we took too much of a risk killing those three lumber workers? The locals already recovered the bodies. They could use the bullets and be led right to us."

"As you are well aware…" said a new voice, stopping the soldier from responding. A second human figure, wearing a back suit and crimson tie, came into the light. "Your kind has not developed firearms, and I doubt they will anytime in the near future. Their attempt to catch us was pitiful, and they paid the price. Keep working, and report to me once all the crates are in storage."

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." the Spetsnaz soldier and the Equestrian replied. As the suited man returned to the darkness, the human soldier helped bring the last crate in. As the area became cloaked in silence, the human in the suit smirked, a rare expression of emotion.

"The Equestrians thought they had seen the last of me...not anymore. Soon, I'll set this world and Earth ablaze, and turn this pitiful "cold war"...into a furnace. Just you wait and see, Celestia...just you wait."

Author's Note

Yeah, Black Ops - Cold war is here. I actually chalked up an hour of play earlier, and it is quite like my favorite COD, the original Black Ops. So, I finished this chapter as a result.

And yes, the man in the suit is the former King Sombra, but he's become far more deadly and powerful...and I'm not just talking about magic, if you get what I mean.

Next time - CIA Agent "Dragonfly" delivers a report to Hudson and Weaver, and the crew (Mason, Woods, Bell, Simms, Park, Adler, and the Requiem Strike Team) learn of their newest target, the arms dealer known as the Emissary.

Chapter 1 - Dancing with the Devil, Part Two

Langley, Virginia
CIA Headquarters

Requiem Command Center

Grigori Weaver spun his chair around in boredom, a brief alleviation from the countless reports of the recent Requiem operation in eastern Poland, the one called "Die Maschine". The one that demanded every single civilian or military operative that was involved be sworn to secrecy. Even the crew of the UH1 who flew in Major Carver and Weaver's team were subject to this.

Because if word got out about what it was that the Strike Team had to face during their operation, it would mean trouble on a world-class scale. Even Weaver found it hard to believe that Nazi Scientists under Project Endstation had managed to use a particle accelerator to rip a hole in space-time, enter the Dark Aether, and unleash an undead horde in the process of ther experiments...

Yeah, it would mean royal hell on several levels for the entire world. Not pleasant in the slightest.

The fact that the Soviets had managed to bury their discovery of the site and their attempt to reactivate the accelerator under the Omega Group for some time, until Weaver's contact, officially known as Endgame, sent Weaver the WWII era footage of the Soviets cleaning up the site, made things real tough for Weaver and the person who gave him the tip on the site in the first place.

Endgame, or CIA Agent Samantha Maxis, was still an enigma to Weaver even now. Her past was a complete black hole, and despite her claim she was descended from a German scientist named Ludwig Maxis…

...Any attempts to find a trace of a family tree ended in wild goose chases. Samantha had never disclosed to Weaver, or anyone for that matter, how she came to be in the employ of the CIA, where she grew up, how she got her experience and skills…

But Weaver did know one thing about Maxis.

She was a godsend when it came to acquiring intelligence, and very easy to work with. "That's what matters in the end", thought Weaver, brushing a finger over his eyepatch. "A team you can count on will see you through more often than bullets or diplomacy will."

He jumped slightly as the phone rang. Recognizing the number, he cleared his throat.

"Endgame, in motion. Line secure." said the voice on the other end.

"Motion received, secure confirmed." Weaver replied. "Sam, what's the matter?"

"I've got some intel for you." Maxis replied. "It's concerning, to say the least."

"Hit me with your best shot."

"There was a break-in at the HQ for the Omega Group inside the Kremlin, a massive theft." Maxis replied. "Two fully-loaded trucks carrying classified material and research from the Endstation facility were hijacked by unknown forces. Four Spetsnaz teams were assigned for protection detail, and four Spetsnaz teams were found KIA."

"How do you know this?" Weaver asked, furrowing his brow.

"An old friend, her name's Anya Belinski." Maxis replied. "I knew her grandfather, Nikolai. Anyway, she's an aide in the Kremlin, and she overheard enough to warrant contacting me, which leads us to now."

"What was stolen?"

"Blueprints and the necessary materials to rebuild the Endstation particle accelerator." Maxis replied. "Catch is, the version you could make with those schematics will have none of the flaws of the original."

"Flaws being the...zombie outbreak?" Weaver asked incredulously.

"Yes, and worse. I have reason to believe this was done by the Emissary."

"Who might that be?" Weaver asked.

"International power broker, arms dealer on the side. He's got enough money to hire and train black operations-level mercenaries out of his own pocket, and enough influence to have contacts in the Kremlin report to him on a daily basis."

"I confirmed that he ordered the shipment captured and taken to a militarized cargo ship off the coast of South Africa himself."

"What's his problem with the CIA?" Weaver asked.

"Because about six hours ago, he captured a CIA Agent embedded in South Africa, designation Dragonfly. Not sure how Dragonfly works into this, but you should be getting a call from Mr. Hudson about…"

A second phone rang in that moment, and Weaver hit the speakerphone option.

"Now." Samantha said with a bit of a smirk clear in her voice. Weaver rolled his eyes and spoke.

"Hey, Hudson."

"Weaver, get your ass to the Situation room." Jason Hudson replied. "We've got a…"

"Missing agent in South Africa? Connected to the Kremlin? International power broker in the works?" Weaver asked. "I'm already aware of it."

There was silence on the other end for several moments.

"I don't even want to know how you found out already." Hudson sighed.

"You really don't." Weaver sighed. "On my way. Sam, transfer to the situation room, same security parameters."

"Check." Maxis replied. "Be right with you."

"One more thing." Hudson said.

"I've got Park and Simms already here, but Mason and Woods should be a little late. They're picking up a pair of old friends."

====

As a truck drove towards Langley at highway speed, escorted by MP-marked police squad cars, Alex Mason turned from the front passenger seat to the two men in the back. Both of them seemed very put out.

"You two are being awfully quiet. I think I get why, though." he smirked.

The person on the left, CIA Agent Reed Cameron, codename Bell, simply gave Mason raised middle finger in response. The person on the right, Russell Adler, simply chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"I still haven't heard a thank-you." he joked.

"You really think I would thank you?" Bell replied. "Let's go over what went down after the Solovetsky raid."

"You dragged me out to a beach in the middle of nowhere. We talk, then, you shoot me in the side. Then, I black out, waking up in a British hospital, and the next thing I see is you saying "Welcome back, Bell?". What'd you think would happen?"

"I thought you'd understand." Adler replied. "Not slam your first into my gut and pull out your loaded sidearm, requiring me to disarm you. If you'd let me explain properly back then, we wouldn't be here now."

"Shove it, asshole." Bell groaned.

"Both of you cut it out, right fucking now." Woods said bitterly as they pulled into the MP lot of the CIA HQ in Langley. "We're all on the same page here. Even if Adler did act like a total dick."

"Not you too, Woods." Adler sighed as they exited the truck, and headed past the checkpoint. An aide led them to a briefing room, and as they took their seats, Lawrence Simms and Helen Park greeted them.

"So, what's the op?" Mason asked. "And where's Hudson?"

"Hudson's not in charge this time, to his great annoyance." Weaver smiled, striding in with another man wearing a uniform and a few medals. "Everyone, this is Major MacKenzie Carver, commander of the Requiem Task Force."

Everyone nodded as Carver bade them to sit down, and once they were, began to speak.

"About seven hours ago, a CIA safehouse in South Africa went dark." Carver began. "We believe this to be the work of mercenaries hired by the Emissary, a power broker and international arms dealer. This fucker's got connections in both the Warsaw Pact and NATO, and smuggles weapons from both sides of the curtain across the globe on a daily basis."

"Our agent in Cape Town was deployed to monitor the situation and hopefully give us a lead on the identity of the Emissary. His last package before his disappearance contained this transcribed notice."

"November 17th, 1981."

"I have located the Emissary's main HQ, a militarized cargo vessel called the Pantheon. It's currently docked in South Africa, taking on whatever it is that the Emissary acquired in Moscow. What concerns me is that the Emissary mentioned a shipment going to somewhere called "Thorne's Glade, Equestria, Outpost 5" on the manifest I somehow snagged from the port workers."

"Problem is, there's nowhere on Earth called Thorne's Glade, Equestria. I am now stating my own opinion freely on this matter as of...now."

"This fucker must've done something with the particle accelerator the brass found in Poland. Rebuilt it, restored it, whatever. But they are sending weekly shipments of guns, ammo, and the latest tactical gear to this Equestria on a two to four-week basis."

"I'll try to get closer, but these guys, these mercs, they're everywhere at once. Get help here ASAP."

"Dragonfly out."

The CIA Agents looked at each other in shock, and disbelief. Mason was the first to speak.

"Are you sure this is legitimate?"

"I'm sure." Carver replied. "I know Dragonfly myself, he's solid and a good man. We need to act on this."

"As such, I have authorized a joint-op between you and the Requiem Strike Team. Your orders are to intercept the Pantheon, secure the weapons shipment, and find out more about this Equestria, whatever or wherever that might be."

"Understood?"

"Yessir." the agents replied.

"Good." Carver nodded. "The Strike Team is waiting outside. I've got choppers ready for the flight to the Carrier USS North Dakota, which'll be your support platform. Now get moving."

As the agents nodded, stood up, and departed, Weaver turned to the phone and spoke.

"You get all that, Sam?"

"Yes." Samantha replied. "I'll supply you with whatever intel I can get."

"Understood." Weaver nodded. "Keep us posted."

====

As Bell led the way to the vehicle bay, four soldiers wearing blue combat fatigues and black combat gear waved them over. Their leader, a modestly-built man wearing a baseball cap came forward and offered a hand.

"You're the spooks?" he asked. "Nice to meet you, my name's Thomas Crewe, leader of the Requiem strike team. You can call me Cougar. That's Laura Maddox, callsign Aspen, Andrew Holt, callsign Raider, and Isaiah Conway, callsign Dart."

Thomas was about Mason's height, with a stubble beard of brown and messy, curled hair. Laura was slightly shorter than Thomas, with tied-black blonde hair and a few freckles here and there. Andrew was the embodiment of a football quarterback, being well-built and stocky. His hair was done in a crew cut. Isaiah was tall, and his black hair contrasted with his clean shaven face and agile frame.

All four operatives wore Requiem patches on their shoulders, but they each wore different combat rigs. Crewe's kit was of a stereotypical rifleman, Maddox's was for close quarters, as evident by her mounted combat knife. Holt carried a bandolier of shotgun shells, and Conway had a pouch of sniper bullets for the Pellington 703 Sniper Rifle that lay nearby.

"So…" Woods said once everyone was acquainted. "What's the whole Requiem shtick for?"

"We deal with stuff even Black Ops personnel can't handle." Maddox replied, stowing her MP5 SMG in a weapons case. "Like Operation Die Maschine. That shit still gives me nightmares."

"Operation The Machine?" Simms asked. "Helluva weird name. What happened?"

"Let's just say things went FUBAR as soon as we landed." Holt shrugged. "All we can say without getting reamed by Carver."

"That's not bullshit, by the way." Conway said, noting several confused looks. "Everyone on that op was sworn to secrecy. You get the OK from Carver, we'll tell you, but that op pretty much broke my brain for a few hours afterward trying to process it all."

"Damn." Mason shrugged. "Sounds like you had your hands full."

"No shit." Crewe replied. "Let's move out. We've got a flight to catch, a fellow spook to rescue, and an arms dealer to put out of business."

"Not to mention this Equestria part."

As the Agents piled into a pair of SUVs, they drove off towards a nearby airbase for the flight to the carrier. While they drove, Bell closed his eyes, and gave a sigh.

"Already back in the saddle." he thought. "Guess it was only a matter of time."

Author's Note

Update.

I am appreciative for the positive support you've given the story. I also expected a few more dislikes than what is currently there. Which is good.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.

Next time - The Strike Team hits the Pantheon, and discovers the portal to Equestria in the process. As they enter to investigate, Princess Luna and Princess Twilight move on the town to look into the mysterious murders...

Chapter 2 - Silence and Strife

Near the Coast of Cape Town, South Africa
10 Days after Departure from Roanoke, United States

11:07 PM, Local Time

As a trio of rubber go-fast boats tore through the waters off the coast, Bell slowly looked over the side of the watercraft and motioned for the others to slow, as their objective was in sight.

Outside the main harbor in Cape Town, the cargo ship Pantheon, their target, lay silently, though the many lights on deck and across the hull indicated plenty of activity. As the boats hit the beach and came up onto the sand, Park retrieved the several waterproof duffel bags that carried the team's weapons of choice, several lethal and tactical grenades of various types, ballistic armor, and other pieces of essential tech.

Such as the prototype AN/PVS7 Night Vision goggles that each team member had attached to their tac-rig or belt. Though mainly meant for aviation, these goggles were modified to be worn on the head, and be worn alongside gas masks.

Which was good, as the team had no idea what nasty surprises could be waiting aboard the Pantheon.

"Are we good?" Mason asked as the last go-fast boat docked, and the Requiem team disembarked, with Crewe at the front. He merely nodded and readied his customized XM4, and motioned to a nearby access road.

As the team stacked up, Bell tightened his grip on the Krig 6 assault rifle he had chosen for his primary. The Belgian rifle was fresh from the armory, and Bell could still feel the undamaged grip tape on his palm.

Then, Crewe held up a fist and motioned to take cover, as a Soviet-made truck rolled down the road, with a trailer bearing several crates attached. The truck stopped nearby at the entrance to the shipyard, and three men disembarked, one carrying an AK47. The leader of the three spoke into an intercom, and the doors opened slowly, and two men in black, also equipped with assault rifles, the French FFAR in this case, approached.

The three Russians showed the two unknowns the trailer, and they were waved through. As the truck left and the road settled into silence once more, one of the men in black stepped aside to light a cigarette.

However, during this interaction, the CIA Team had been moving through the brush towards the left wall, and Crewe, remaining unseen by the man, unholstered an extendable baton. A few quick strikes sounded out, and Crewe wrestled the merc over to the intercom.

"Tu es Français, non?" he asked in French.
The man gave a nod, then tried to go for his knife, only Crewe was two steps ahead. The blade was soon knocked away, and the CIA Agent tightened his grip.

"Oeuvre la porte, maintenant." Crewe said. The man slowly pulled out a keycard, and swiped it. The door opened, and Crewe knocked the man out before searching him further.

"You never told me you spoke French." Maddox said quietly.

"I had to, one time." Crewe nodded. "Long story. Let's get a move on, team."

As the Agents entered the complex, with those carrying rifles attaching suppressors, and those carrying shotguns pulling out their already-suppressed pistols, such as Woods, Holt, and Simms, they soon noticed a security station guarded by two riflemen.

Crewe and Bell dropped them both with headshots, and then turned off their radios once they reached the bodies to avoid any chance of the deceased being called over their comms. Once everyone was past the door and out of sight, Crewe locked it and shuttered the windows.

"Alright, let's see if we can find a map of this place, or any good intel." Mason said as he and Woods searched through a filing cabinet. "Bell, check those cameras. See if you can find our guy."

"Roger that." Bell said, hopping onto a nearby terminal. As he sat down, he noticed a sticky-note on the left side, near the keyboard, with text written in pencil on it. Bell rolled his eyes upon realizing what the note was meant for, scoffing that nearly all the bad guys they'd gone up against had a hard time keeping their computer passwords out of sight.

Such as the Soviet training site where Bell had first learned of Operation Greenlight and Perseus's infiltration.

Bell swept through the cameras until he located a feed of a man in a suit shirt and jeans lying in a cell.

"I've got eyes on Dragonfly." Bell said quietly. "He's in a holding cell near the gangway to the ship. We can pick him up and take out the ship in one move."

"Good work." Crewe replied. "Mason, Woods, get anything?"

"Shipping manifest." Woods said, handing the clipboard and the paper packet it held to Maddox. She raised her eyebrows upon reading the contents.

"This Emissary guy does have connections. That trailer we saw earlier was carrying a Soviet-made arms shipment. AKs, Grozas, even a few KS23 shotguns. And it gets worse."

"How?" Conway asked.

"Those three guys we saw being let in are Spetsnaz training instructors." she noted. "The Emissary isn't just packing serious weaponry, he's also got the guys to teach whoever he wants how to use them."

"He's building up an army." Holt said. "Where's he sending those guns?"

"Says here they're going to Site Bravo, Northwest Equestria." Maddox said. "That Equestria term again...I'm starting to think that Dragonfly was onto something in his journal."

"Then let's get a move on." Adler said. "I've got a plan."

"Mason, take Bell, Woods, Park, and Simms,, and go rescue Dragonfly and find out what he knows. Crewe, you and your team are with me, as we're going to find the destination of that shipment."

"Use stealth techniques and keep radios clear for necessary comms." he continued. "Once we have both objectives, we can call in the cavalry and go loud if we have to."

"Check." Crewe replied as he unlocked the door. As Adler and the Requiem strike team headed out, Mason motioned for Bell to take point as they snuck out of the security station.

====

Bell felt back in his element as he led the team through the dockyard, occasionally bypassing or killing and then concealing a guard or two. Judging from the guard's customized weaponry and full loadouts on their tac-rigs, they were well-equipped.

Almost too well equipped for Bell's taste. Whoever was behind this knew how to outfit troops effectively.

As they approached a small warehouse, Bell slid the door open and took out a flip lighter, faintly illuminating the area. Bell motioned everyone inside, and they soon found a locked prison door.

"How do you want to play this?" Woods asked, covering the entrance with his pistol, though his Hauer 77 Shotgun was also ready should they need to go loud. Bell took out a tomahawk, and noticing the rusty, unmaintained hinges, pried them off easily.

As he entered the cell, a figure moved in the corner.

"You're Dragonfly?" Bell asked. "CIA?"

"Yeah." the man replied, groaning slightly. "Mind giving me a hand?"

Bell picked the lock on his restraints, and helped him to his feet. Mason offered the agent his sidearm, and Dragonfly thanked him before taking it.

"You can hold your own, right?" Woods asked.

"Yeah, I can. Studied up at Langley before heading here." Dragonfly replied. "What's the plan? I thought the CIA would send more guys."

"They're securing intel on the shipment's destination." Mason said. "What can you tell us?"

"I can tell you for sure that the Emissary keeps mentioning this Equestria place and often, "returning home" along with it." Dragonfly replied. "He's already got a full company of mercs from all over Europe and the Soviet Union over there, along with a good amount of guns and tech. All trained by former Spetsnaz he somehow recruited."

"Plus, he also mentioned three sites where he's storing his gear. Alpha, Bravo, and Omega. Not sure what's at each one individually, though all three have a considerable amount of weapons stashed there."

"That's fucking bad news." Simms growled.

"It gets worse. Apparently, wherever this Equestria is, he's got connections there, too. He's mentioned somewhere called Ponyville and Canterlot a few times, though a place called Thorne's Glade seems to be his favorite. Whatever he's up to, it's not good."

"Then we'll stop it." Bell nodded. "Adler, you get all that?"

"Yep." Adler replied over the radio. "We're heading to the Pantheon now. Link up with us ASAP."

"Roger that." Mason said. "Let's go."

The others nodded, and Dragonfly soon retrieved a ballistic vest and a suppressed FFAR rifle from a nearby weapons crate. As they snuck through the facility, Bell asked Dragonfly why there weren't as many guards as expected.

"Most of them are on the ship for most of the day." Dragonfly replied. "The only time they usually get off is to open the gate for people or to head to Cape Town to grab stuff like food and fuel." Dragonfly replied. "Would've been my saving grace."

"Then how'd you get caught?" Woods asked.

"Apparently the Emissary needed someone to do his finances." Dragonfly replied. "He took my cover story, and I was working here about three nights a week, balancing his books."

"I must've dug too deep, because one night after I left for the safehouse, I got jumped and dragged back here. They kicked the shit out of me, locked me up, and that was that until you showed up."

"Hold." Bell said as the agents soon took cover behind a shipping crate. A man wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase and a duffel bag, accompanied by several heavily-equipped men, stood in a clearing, looking over a series of crates. The man handed his clipboard and bag to a nearby soldier, and plucked an AK47 out of one of the crates.

He inspected the weapon for flaws or damage, and then placed it back as neatly as it had been stored. Seemingly satisfied, he wiped his hands and retrieved his bag and clipboard.

"Is everything in order, sir?" a soldier asked.

"Yes, all appears to be just so." the man replied. "Have this shipment loaded and sent though the portal as soon as possible. It appears our presence in Equestria has not gone unnoticed. Apparently someone, or somepony should I say, went all the way to Canterlot to report on us. I guess our disposal of those three lumberworkers was seen after all."

"What are your orders, sir?" another soldier, the leader by the looks of him, asked. The man placed a hand to his chin in thought, and then spoke.

"Have our colleagues at Site Bravo ready up for potential intruders, human, pony or both. And if the Equestrians respond how I believe they will...tell them to capture any Equestrian alive with both a horn and wings, as I want to deal with any of those...personally. They should be the most noticeable."

"Kill whoever else accompanies them."

As the men left, the Agents looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, with Mason mouthing "What the fuck" to Woods.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bell asked.

"Don't know." Adler said as his team approached. "But we need to stop that shipment and get to this Equestria, by any means necessary."

"Call the cavalry." Mason said. "We'll need a diversion to get onto that ship. Likely a loud, explosive one in this case."

"Roger that." Bell said. "Dakota Actual, this is Bell. Send the cavalry, I repeat, send the cavalry. Grid 0125, targeted location is a large cargo ship near our position. Hit 'em hard and fast."

"Copy." said the Naval Coordinator on the other end. "Air Cav flight en route, lead helo's callsign is Viking 1-1. Three Hueys, two Cobras. Requesting confirmation."

"Check, confirm." Bell replied. "Viking 1-1, this is Bell. Copy?"

"Copy." the pilot replied. "Awaiting your mark to open fire, Time to target is two minutes."

"Roger that. Standby."

As the CIA team moved towards the gangway, Bell and the others took cover and lined up their weapons at the mercs patrolling the upper deck. Bell knew they had the element of surprise on their side, along with their inbound reinforcements.

He just hoped it would be enough to stop whatever was to come.

Bell took in and released a breath, removed his Krig 6's suppressor...and opened fire.

Author's Note

Yeah, the shooting starts next chapter as the CIA moves to take the ship and eventually winds up in Equestria. Also, expect a follow-up chapter shortly.

Next time - The CIA moves into to secure the ship, and soon deploy into the unknown world of Equestria in pursuit of the Emissary. At the same time, Princesses Luna and Twilight arrive in Thorne's Glade on their own mission...

Chapter 3 - Making an Entrance, Part One

In the exact moment that Bell opened fire and brought down one of the guards with a headshot, all hell broke loose. The man with the suitcase was shepherded up the gangway by two other guards, and their team leader quickly opened fire with his AK47. The incoming rounds prevented Bell from getting a clean shot, and he fell back into cover.

"What's the plan, Adler?" Bell called out, sliding a stray FFAR rifle to Dragonfly, who nodded and chambered a fresh magazine. Adler tossed a flashbang grenade into the open, and used hand signals to indicate a wave of suppressing fire.

Bell and Maddox swung their weapons up and opened fire, dropping the first Guard and a few others who were undoubtedly alerted by the gunfire, and had come to investigate. Bell turned to see the lights in the ship's windows and bridge were coming on, one by one.

"That ship's getting ready to bolt!" Crewe growled, dropping two hostiles with his XM4. "We need backup, now!"

"Viking 1-1, this is Bell, where the hell are you?" Bell spoke over the radio.

"We're on station, strike time. Transport Hueys landing now, can you mark targets?"

"Affirmative!" Bell replied. "Primary target is the cargo ship at point 1-7-7. Hit the engines, make sure it doesn't get out of the harbor!"

"We copy, Bell. Engaging."

As the two Cobras flew overhead, Woods swung over the crate he had been using as cover, and motioned for the team to advance. As the team opened fire as one, pushing towards the gangway, Bell noticed something rotating towards their positions on the upper deck.

"DUAL MG! Take cover!" Bell cried as the turret opened up, shredding the position the team had occupied, and sending scraps of wood and metal into the air.

"We can't get onto the gangway with that turret up!" Holt growled, ducking behind a shipping container as the turret swung around to engage the two CIA gunships.

"Conway, you got eyes on that gunner?" Crewe called over the radio.

"Affirmative. Taking the shot." Conway replied, and a gunshot from a Pellington 703 echoed from a nearby balcony. The turret's gunner fell backwards, and the gun went silent.

"Go now!" Conway replied, rechambering a round and dropping a second hostile equipped with an RPD. "I'll thin the herd as you go!"

"Check, push up!" Crewe yelled. As the three Huey helicopters, each bearing a team of US Marines, hovered over the courtyard, the marines rappelled down, and soon dove to cover. A Marine Sergeant rushed towards Crewe, and handed him an IR designator. Crewe nodded and activated the device, marking the ship's midsection.

"Viking 1-1, target marked! Engage!" Crewe yelled.

"We've got a target lock, firing now." one the Cobra pilots replied, and a volley of machine-gun fire tore through the deck, destroying not only the turret, but it also eliminated the stacked-up hostiles that were entrenched on the deck.

"Deck is clear, move up!" Crewe said as they sprinted up the gangway and onto the Pantheon. As some of the Marines secured the deck and others headed for the bridge, Adler motioned for Bell and Mason to hit the lower decks.

"We're going after the fucker with the briefcase?" Bell asked.

"Yep, and see if you can get him alive. The more we know, the better." Adler said. "We'll handle things up top. Get moving."

Mason nodded and quickly exchanged his M16 for Woods's Hauer 77 shotgun, knowing the rifle would not perform well in close quarters operations, such as sweeping the lower decks of a cargo ship.

Bell loaded a fresh magazine into his Krig 6, and Mason led the way down the stairs, the attached flashlight on the Hauer providing light for the two of them. After ten minutes of searching, the two of them had cleared every room except for one.

"Where'd that guy head off to?" Mason growled as they approached the bulkhead. "We've checked the dorms, mess, mail room, hell, even the goddamn latrines, and nothing."

"If he's still here somehow, we'll find him." Bell nodded, opening the door. The two of them looked over a maintenance room full of tools, machine parts, a broken computer, and other mechanical accoutrements.

"Someone's been busy here." Bell shrugged, looking over the computer. Apart from scorch marks on the case and a small crack in the screen, it seemed like it could be repaired if one had the parts and skills to do so.

"Busy doing what, is what I wonder." Mason scoffed, looking through a filing cabinet laden with technical manuals in various languages, such as English, German, French, and Russian. "These guys are building something techy, that's for sure."

Bell then noticed a nearby bookcase laying slightly ajar. Beckoning Mason over, the two of them pulled it back to reveal another bulkhead door.

"You sweep, I'll clear." Bell said to Mason. Mason chambered a fresh shell into the Hauer, and Bell prepped a stun grenade.

"3...2...1…now." Mason called as Bell owned the door and tossed in the grenade. After it detonated, the two men burst through..only to find themselves bewildered at what they saw before them.

Inside the room, which had clearly been an auxiliary storage area, a metal square platform, crisscrossed with cables and electrical wiring, rested in the center. A trio of computer terminals lay nearby, each of them were also connected to a server bank. A generator, most likely hooked up to the ship's power plant, hummed quietly in front of the square platform.

And scattered around in several neat blocks were crates of firearms of all shapes and sizes, extra parts and attachments, cases of lethal and tactical grenades, and other necessary materials such as batteries, maps, pads of paper and ballpoint pens...if something was needed to train, arm, or sustain a military force, it was there to be found.

But what stood out the most out of all that could have, was the object in the center of the platform, anchored to the ground by metal staples. An old-looking, elegant mirror made from blue crystal, intricately carved and designed.

"What the fuck is this supposed to be? We came all this way for a mirror?" Mason scoffed incredulously. "Come on, let's go find that fucker with the suitcase. He's got to be here somewhere."

"I don't think so." Bell replied, heading over to a computer terminal and motioning for Mason to look over his shoulder. "We've swept everywhere else. This is it. Lemme see if I can get into this terminal."

Bell powered up the main computer, and to his surprise, no password was required for entry. As he browsed through the files, he noticed a document labelled "Transport log". Opening the document, Bell checked his watch for the time, and scanned the log.

"According to this, our guy with the suitcase "transported" seven minutes before we got on the ship, if I'm right." Bell mused. "But what transported him, and where did he go in the process?"

"Good question." Mason said. "The only thing that really stands out here is that mirror. Why have all this tech just lying around an old mirror like that?"

"Unless…" he said. "No fucking way."

"What?" Bell asked.

"I'd bet that mirror's the transporter, or whatever it is that we're looking for here." Mason said. "Just think about it. All this tech must be some kind of a facade to throw us off our game."

"Then we have our objective." Bell said, powering off the computer. "Radio Adler, tell him to get the rest of the team down here, now. And make sure Dragonfly is with them.'

"I'm on it."

====

"Goddamn." Woods said several minutes later, as the rest of the team looked around the room. "If this doesn't scream mad scientist, I don't know what would."

"Certainly seems that way." Simms said. "You got any ideas, Dragonfly?"

"Yeah, a few. My name's Troy Piers, by the way." the agent replied. "I think Mason's right, and that mirror's the transporter to Equestria, whatever that may be."

"You sure about that?" Adler raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, dead sure. What else could it be? There's nothing around here that screams "portal"." Piers said, gesturing to the expanse of the room.

"He's right." Bell said from the computer. "According to this, they found this mirror about a week before the first delivery went out, and since then, they've been sending more things through every so often. Going off that and your timeframe, Piers...that mirror's our best bet."

"Then let's find a way to move it to safety." Adler said. "We can't leave the ship unattended. We should scuttle it."

"Cargo elevator's our best bet to reach the deck." Woods said, finding the controls. "Viking 1-1, this is Woods. We've got some cargo we need to move over to the North Dakota. Got a cargo hook on you?"

"This is Huey Chariot 1-1, negative on the cargo hook." the lead Huey Pilot replied. "But if you can get it to the bow's helipad, we'll radio for a Chinook to pick you guys up."

"Roger that." Bell said, downloading every file he could from each computer and transferring them to spare hard disks. Once everything of value was secured, the team gathered on the lift. Crewe gave a thumbs-up, and Woods threw the cargo lift lever before hopping up.

As the doors to the deck opened, the CIA agents brought it towards the bow, and despite the crystalline construction, the mirror was rather easy to carry. After a cargo Chinook arrived several minutes later, and the mirror was secured, the CIA team and the Marines evacuated.

"Viking, we're clear, and all valuable intel is secure." Alder radioed. "Sink the ship, fire everything you have. Make sure there's nothing left to recover."

"Roger that." the Cobra pilot replied. "Firing."

As the choppers flew off towards the waiting North Dakota, the Cobras unloaded their ordnance. The ship, already full of fuel and munitions, detonated in a spectacular blast. The Cobras then followed the Hueys and Chinook back to base.

"So, what happens now?" Bell asked as he looked at Adler, who was eyeing the tightly-secured mirror.

"We get back on the hunt." Adler relied. "Once we get to this Equestria, we find The Emissary...and we put him six feet under."

Author's Note

Update!

Yeah, Equestria will come in next chapter. I needed a bit more setup than I had originally planned to make this chapter work.

Also, Troy Piers/Dragonfly will be joining the main team alongside Bell, Adler, Woods, and Mason.

Next time - The Equestrian side of things, and the CIA team transports through the Mirror in pursuit of the Emissary.

Chapter 4 - Making an Entrance, Part Two

"Well, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, welcome to the humble town of Thorne's Glade." Mayor Root said awkwardly as they stepped off a train, and onto the welcome platform. "I wish your visit was under better circumstances."

Twilight had to agree with the mayor on that thought. The trip to the remote town from Canterlot had taken the better part of a day, and though it was now nighttime, the lights in the plaza were still brightly lit.

And that light revealed the faces of the citizens, which showed a mixture of relief and fear. As the Lunar Guards spread out, Root brought Luna and Twilight to a longhouse covered in vines.

"This is Healing Salve's place." Root said. "Best doctor this side of Equestria. Knows every plant and animal in the forest like the back of his hoof. It's thanks to him we can actually get crops to grow in a dark forest."

As the three of them entered, Healing Salve, a unicorn with a rusty brown coat and a yellow-green mane greeted them. He wore a lab coat and surgeon's apron, though the multitude of stains on it indicated it hadn't been properly washed in some time, or it was just that frequently used.

"Princesses, welcome to my clinic." he said. "I've got the bodies preserved back here. Just know they don't look pretty, so if you lose your lunch...don't blame me."

He rolled a cart forward that bore the still forms of the slain lumberworkers, each covered in a cloth drapery. One by one, he removed the white sheets, revealing the extent of their injuries.

"How did they die?" Luna asked with distaste and anger clear in her voice.

"A multitude of puncture wounds from those conical arrows, for lack of a better term." Salve replied. "They may be small, but they were going so fast, they tore straight through the poor saps."

"What exactly happened before they were killed?" Twilight asked. "Was there any evidence of what produced those arrows?"

"Well, I found this a good distance away in the treeline." Salve nodded, producing a shell of some kind, a cylinder tapering to a point, hollow on the inside. A small circular dent lay on the bottom, and writing in a blocky language was engraved on the side, with the numbers 7.62x39 also visible.

"What does this have to do with the arrows?" Root asked.

"I tried placing one of the arrows back into this other shell, and it fit perfectly." Salve replied, showing them a combined shell/arrow on a desk nearby. "I think this shell holds the arrow, and when it's fired or whatever, the shell is cast away while the projectile goes forward. That's my guess, anyway."

"Here's the thing, though." Salve continued. "Those lumberworkers weren't as stupid as most ponies thought. They just wanted to find out who was going after the harvest, and look what happened."

"So, who do you think did this?" Twilight asked.

"That's what really scares me, and that's something I don't say lightly." Salve sighed. "I once snuck into a hydra nest to collect their scales once during their mating season. That wasn't as scary as what I saw at the scene of the murders that night."

"What do you mean?" Root asked, sounding quite surprised. "You saw somepony there? Who?"

"This wasn't a pony." Salve said, making everypony there go quiet. "It was tall, like a minotaur, only no crooked legs. It was a lot thinner in frame and stance. It was tough to see the details at night, but I know it was wearing clothing. It had a rounded head to boot, and no horns or wings to speak of."

"And this creature killed all three of them?" Luna asked.

"Nope. There were more of them. At least five." Salve replied. "They were carrying strange objects in their limbs. And when those three jumped them, those objects started spitting fire and making some noise, and those workers fell dead. They took the bait and left after that, but they picked up more of those casings before they did."

There was stunned silence from both Princesses and the Mayor. Luna was the first to speak after several moments.

"If these creatures killed our citizens, they must be dealt with." she growled. "Have everypony head inside and lock their doors. We'll go after these creatures ourselves."

"Luna, stop." Twilight interrupted. "You're thinking too far ahead. We don't know where they are, or how many of them are there. We don't even know if they're going to come back. We need to be cautious and try to avoid any more bloodshed."

Luna paused, pondered Twilight's words, and sighed,

"You're right." she replied. "We'll alert the Guards of the threat, and see what we can do. In the meantime, Doctor Salve, Mayor Root, assemble everypony in one location and hide. We and we alone shall go after them."

"Yes, Princess." Mayor Root replied. "Any objections, Doc?"

"Nope." Salve nodded. "Good luck, Princesses. You'll need it."

As the two of them headed outside towards the waiting Lunar Guards, they didn't notice a series of flashes of azure light come from the nearby mountainside, not far from the town's eastern edge…

====

As each of the CIA agents appeared in a flash, they soon stumbled and fell over, their weapons falling to the side. It had been two hours since their raid in South Africa, and Dragonfly, before he was escorted to the medical wing for a checkup, had provided them with a dossier he had swiped before his capture.

Which had apparently contained the necessary computer script and a note on the means to activate the mirror, which was in fact a portal to another world as Dragonfly had initially suspected.

Though there was one major problem. As the script was in at least three different languages and exceedingly complicated in setup and execution, it would be a monumental task to get it all together and running properly.

The team had tried to use the hard disks that Bell had retrieved on the ship earlier, but they soon found to their frustration (and after nearly blowing up one of the terminals aboard the Carrier) that the disks were each single use, and rigged with a mechanism that overheated and killed the disk if used more than once.

Eventually, Bell, with a lot of help supplied over the phone from Samantha Maxis and Grigori Weaver, had succeeded in recreating the initial code from scratch in English, and then working the new code in tandem with the already established mechanism to activate the portal anew. Then, they saved the code to a new disk, after checking it thoroughly for any sign of sabotage.

After resupplying their ammo and equipment, and establishing communications to and from the USS North Dakota, using Bell as the involuntary guinea pig to go through first (Woods had kicked him in) the other members of the combined team had jumped through the portal themselves.

Which had deposited them in the middle of a rocky clearing on a mountainside, as dusk settled over the sky. As Bell waved sarcastically from a nearby ridge, the others dusted themselves off and retrieved their weapons.

"Well, it looks like this is Equestria." Crewe said, as he helped Conway to his feet, who promptly began scanning the horizon with binoculars. "Or at least, that's where I hope we are."

"I'd agree that we made it, Crewe." Adler replied as the rest of the team got their bearings and checked their weapons, and their replenished supply of gear and ammo. "The stars aren't in the same positions as Earth, and the moon kinda looks like a horse's face." Adler pointed out. "That's Scorpio, a summer constellation, but it's winter back on Earth."

"That's actually a pony's face, sir." Maddox corrected. "I grew up on a large farm, since my dad used to breed racehorses in his spare time. The muzzle's too short and rounded for that face to be a horse. I would know." she added, seeing as the others were staring at her curiously.

"Alright, let's get a move on." Bell said, has he readied his Krig 6 and attached a suppressor. "We don't know where we are, so let's find out."

"Looks like some kind of clearing in the forest near here, with a few buildings." Conway replied, looking through his binoculars. "And the locals are getting ready to go somewhere."

"Then let's move." Crewe said, cocking his XM4. "We don't have much time before nightfall, and I'd hate to be in this forest in the dark."

As the team slid down the mountainside and headed towards the clearing, each of the CIA agents activated a flashlight attached to their weapon, or a handheld one. Sweeping their lights from one corner to another, they were expecting and prepared for the worst as they reached a fenced wall near a field of wheat as the sun fully went down.

As they took cover on hearing footsteps coming their way, Crewe saw a pair of equines that roughly came up past his waist come forward. Though they both had a horn and wings, one was taller than the other, with a floating blue mane and tail and a dark coat.

The other was lavender with some pink and purple, with a more straight-cut mane and tail. The other equines wearing armor and carrying spears, swords, or bows that followed, though none had a horn and wings together, suggested they were in a position of authority.

What really startled the agents was the fact they were speaking in English. And from what the team could tell...they weren't the only humans here who were armed with guns.

"What's the play?" Woods asked. "We can't just walk up to them and say hi."

"Why not?" Adler replied. "We gotta start somewhere. Your call, Crewe."

"Weapons down." Crewe said, standing up a bit and sighing. "Here goes."

"Hey there." he called out, standing up and coming out of the wheatfield. "Something wrong?"

As expected, the armored Ponies soon had their weapons pointed directly at him, and the two horned and winged Equestrians came forward suspiciously.

"Who are you? Were you spying on us?" the lavender one asked suspiciously.

"Well, our team just got here, as a matter of fact." Crewe replied, motioning to the other agents as they also stood up with weapons ready. "But we did overhear a few things that concerned us. I apologize for eavesdropping, but we felt it was necessary to find out where we are. This world is Equestria, right?"

"Indeed it is." the other one said as she came forward. "I am Princess Luna, Alicorn of the moon and a ruler of Equestria, one of the Royal Sisters. This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and my Lunar Guards."

"Well met, Princesses." Crewe replied ."I'm Lieutenant Thomas Crewe, leader of the CIA Requiem Strike Team. That's Maddox, Holt, Conway, Adler, Woods, Mason, Bell, and Simms. We're pursuing a group of armed criminals from our world that came here. I suspect those are the ones who are responsible for that triple murder you were talking about. If you'll allow us, we can help you stop them."

Luna and Twilight looked at each other, asked for a few minutes, and stepped back. They began talking avidly under their breath, and while the Guards lowered their weapons, they, like the CIA Agents, kept them ready.

The two Princesses came forward, and Twilight spoke.

"We'd like to compare notes before we do anything." she said. "We need to be sure if we can trust you. Is that okay?"

"That'd be fine." Adler said. "So, where do we start?"

====

After the humans were escorted to the town hall, which was quickly converted to a conference area, Crewe and the team sat down across from Luna and Twilight. After both sides gave a brief history lesson alongside other relevant information such as recent events, Luna cleared her throat.

"So, as to the murders…" she said. "Three lumberworkers were found dead after trying to catch the criminals who were stealing the harvests. Doctor Healing Salve pulled these from their bodies, and found this nearby."

She produced the bullets and the casing, and Crewe raised an eyebrow as he looked them over.

"This is a 7.62 by 39mm bullet." he sighed. "It's used primarily in a Soviet-made weapon called the AK47. It looks like the Emissary's been sending guns here after all."

"Who's the Emissary?" Twilight asked.

"He's the leader of this criminal group." Crewe replied. "He primarily trades illegal guns and weaponry, among other things. We only learned of him because the leader of Requiem, Grigori Weaver, got an intel package from one of our agents about him."

"Earlier, we attacked one of his supply bases in South Africa, rescued a captured CIA Agent, destroyed his headquarters on Earth, and secured a portal that led us here. From what we've gathered, he's been sending guns here for some time now. We think he's building an army, as he's got the weapons, supplies, ammunition, and resources to do so."

Crewe handed Luna and Twilight some of the recovered dossiers, and her eyes flared as she went pale in anger, shock, and surprise as they read through them.

"This madness must be stopped." Luna said. "We would be fools to decline your help, Sir Crewe. You've certainly given us a new insight as to what's going on."

"Thanks, but I prefer to be called just Crewe, or you could call me Cougar." Crewe replied. "It's my old call sign from the US Marine Corps. We use nicknames to hide our identities. Maddox is called Aspen, Holt is Raider, and Conway is called Dart."

"Very well." Luna replied. "So, Cougar, what must we do now? Those murderers must be brought to justice."

"I agree." Crewe nodded. "However, we can't just go back into the forest, guns blazing, and hope for the best. We need more intelligence on them. Their locations, for one thing. And seeing as there's only nine of us against god knows how many hostiles...rushing in is a bad idea."

"But we can help!" Twilight protested.

"I don't doubt that you can, but you're a civilian with little military training or experience." Adler said, the other agents nodding. "With all due respect, you'd be in danger."

"I can see why you'd think that." Luna smiled broadly, causing the agents to look at her in curiosity. "I am over 1000 years old, and have been in battle before. And while spears and bows certainly pale in comparison to your guns, our magic is capable of more than you think."

"Magic?" Mason asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"And more importantly...what can you do with it?" Bell added.

"Why tell you...when we can show you?" Luna smiled. "Come with me. There is much to be seen and done before we depart. You'll be in for quite a few surprises, that I am sure of."

"Alright then." Maddox nodded. "Shall we take this outside?"

"Of course." Luna nodded confidently. "I have a feeling...you'll be quite impressed."

Author's Note

Wow. This was a really fun chapter to write, and a long one at that. I didn't realize I had written so many words until I got to the endpoint. But it was well worth it.

Next time - A combat magic demonstration, the hostiles are located, and a plan gets made to attack at dawn. In the meantime, the Emissary learns of the attack on the Pantheon...

Chapter 5 - Crack of Dawn

As the moon gave off a pale glow, the CIA Agents, Luna, TwIlight, and two Lunar Guards headed out to a nearby sawmill that had been abandoned since the murders. Seeing as it featured long sightlines and plenty of spare lumber, it would be a decent substitute for a firing range.

"Alright, where would you like to start, Cougar?" Luna asked as the team, minus Bell and Adler, laid out their weapons to display them. "These guns seem...rather diverse in appearance. Do they all function in the same way?"

"They do." Cougar said as he unloaded his XM4, emptied the chamber, and set the magazine aside. "Mind if we start with my team, Adler?"

"By all means." Adler replied, as he and Bell were currently occupied by sending an intel package over the radio to the USS North Dakota, which would then be passed on to President Reagan and the top echelons of the CIA.

"Alright, first up is my personal favorite, the Colt XM4 Assault RIfle." Cougar said. "A variant of the standard M16 battle rifle, the XM4 fires fully automatic, at 722 rounds per minute from a standard 30-round magazine. It's lightweight, accurate, and hits moderately hard. It's chambered in the USA's standard cartridge, the 5.56mm round."

"It was first used by MACV-SOG units in the Vietnam War, where it was called the Commando." Cougar continued. "Since then, it has entered more widespread use in the USA's armed forces."

"What's the sash wrapped around it used for?" Luna asked.

"Mostly for getting it ready and in firing position quicker, but somewhat for cosmetic purposes." Cougar replied. "Aspen, you're up next."

"Alright, this is the Heckler and Koch MP5 Submachine gun." Aspen said. "Chambered for 9mm, it fires fast and has less recoil than an Assault Rifle, but it doesn't hit as hard. German forces on both sides of the Iron Curtain love this weapon. It's widespread, too, meaning ammo isn't as hard to find in the field."

"Iron Curtain?" Twilight asked.

"That's the metaphorical term for the territorial split in Europe between countries influenced by the US, and those by the Soviet Union." Dart answered. "There's East Germany, for example, which is governed by the Soviets, while West Germany gets aid from the US and NATO."

"Moving on…" Aspen said. "Care to take over, Raider?"

"Fine by me." Raider replied. "This fine shotgun is called the Streetsweeper. It's able to carry 18 shots in a single magazine, though it takes time to reload due to the drum mag's turning mechanism. It also sends out those 18 shots quickly, and they hit hard. Problem is, since it's a spread of shot and not a single bullet, this doesn't do much past short-range combat."

"But should the enemy get in close, you can cut 'em down quick. Just be sure to keep your magazine topped off. This gun runs through ammo fast."

"Finally...there's Dart." Raider said.

"Thanks." the slim-framed agent replied. "This is the Pellington 703 sniper rifle. Not much to say, as this is built for distance combat. It's bolt action, meaning I have to rechamber a round each time I fire manually, but it compensates by putting down targets reliably with that one shot. It handles like a dream and rechambers quickly, but it only carries 5 shots by default."

"Since I specialize in sniper warfare, this was the ideal choice. Picking off my enemies before they can even know I'm there."

"That sounds rather...dishonorable for a warrior." Luna said. "Wouldn't you rather fight your enemy face to face in a fair fight?"

"Nope." Dart replied instantly. "As a sniper, my job is to take out the enemy quickly and accurately, and if they get in too close, I'm done for. Having a sidearm like my 1911 on me helps, but I'm in my element at long range."

"Plus, it's a quick death for them. May not make you feel better, but that's how a sniper works. And just so you know, no one really plays fair in combat. You're supposed to do whatever it takes to win. If that means circumventing what's seen as honorable or whatever, that's just...what it takes. No getting around that."

Luna didn't seem convinced, but she nodded. As the presentation continued by Woods, then Mason, and then Sims, Bell and Adler watched Twilight take notes on a pad of paper held aloft by what was most likely their magic.

"Huh." Bell said. "That's some comic book or movie stuff right there."

"I'd agree." Adler replied, as they finished sending the intel package to the USS North Dakota, then they turned off their portable radio. "It's likely that moving things with your mind is just the tip of the iceberg. There's no telling what else they can do with magic."

"And that's a bad thing?" Bell asked quietly.

"Maybe." Adler shrugged. "All I'm saying is if this operation goes sideways...we'll likely have more than just bullets to worry about."

Bell nodded, and as they packed up the radio into a duffel bag, Bell and Adler returned to the group just as the weapons exhibition finished.

"So, magic." Adler said. "Would you care to show us what it can do besides just moving stuff in the air?"

"You sound rather suspicious." Twilight asked. "Why is that?"

"Because as I told Bell, I'm concerned that it'll be more than bullets coming at us when we hit the camp." Adler replied, wiping his glasses. "I need to know the full extent of what you can do, so we can know what we'd be potentially up against."

"Your reasoning is sound." Luna replied. "Though I also have a question. What does your world have to gain by aiding us? This "Cold War" that you spoke of certainly seems manageable enough for your kind alone."

"That may be so." Adler replied. "But after...Greenlight, we can't be too sure about not having enough allies."

"What's Greenlight?" Twilight asked. "You hesitated when you said that word."

Adler gave a sigh and sat down, motioning for everyone else to do so as well.

"Operation Greenlight was a US-led project that was nearly hijacked by a Soviet Agent known as Perseus." Adler said. "The Greenlight plan involved placing atomic bombs in every major European capital as the ultimate countermeasure to a Soviet invasion of western Europe."

"Uh...didn't you say those bombs could annihilate cities in one blast? And poison the surrounding environment for a long time after the blast?" Twilight said, shocked and horrified.

"Yes. And in 1974, the original bombs were upgraded to Neutron bombs that were more powerful and would preserve infrastructure.'" Adler continued. "The whole thing was overseen by a CIA agent named Jason Hudson, who Mason and Woods know...to an extent."

Mason and Woods scoffed, and Twilight could've sworn she heard Mason mutter "Fucking ice-cube…" under his breath.

"Problem was, Perseus infiltrated the program and stole one of the nukes, planning to detonate it and pin the results on the USA. Seeing as it was an American nuke in the wild, and one it was detonated, the US would be world enemy number one once that particular fact got out." Adler said.

"And it nearly succeeded. Perseus had sleeper agents in the US reverse-engineer the necessary codes to activate the entire array, and he was ready to annihilate a third of a continent at any moment and change the course of the world. We were barely able to stop the activation signal from being sent, all thanks to Bell."

Bell gave a reluctant sigh once Twilight and Luna looked in his direction with raised eyebrows. For Bell, his days as a Perseus agent, then being betrayed, then being subjected to MK-Ultra and having his memories messed with to reform him was still a...really sore subject for him.

Bell had told Mason once that even though he told the truth about Perseus...he still harbored some hard feelings about Adler and Park's actions. While he was in the hospital in England, recovering from being shot in the side...nearly every night, Bell would have a nightmare about his experiences.

Even though he had told Adler "no hard feelings", it still felt like a lie at times. Bell took in a breath and interlaced his hands.

"I used to work for Perseus." he said. "Adler and his team saved my ass after I got betrayed and was nearly killed. Though, I can't share a lot of the details as they're all heavily classified...let's just say I knew where Perseus planned to broadcast the signal in the end."

"Using that knowledge, we stormed the Solovetsky Monastery, stopped the activation, and Perseus went into hiding. We were also able to dismantle a Soviet spy ring in the US and eliminate the remaining sleeper agents as a result."

"So....everything worked out, right?" Twilight asked. "A third of Europe didn't get blown up?"

"Yes. And then Adler shot me in the side to cover our tracks." Bell scoffed, causing Twilight and Luna's gaze to jump to Adler in shock. "I had to spend a week in a British hospital thanks to that asshole."

"You..shot your own teammate?" Twilight dropped her jaw. "Why in heaven's name would you do that?"

"I had my reasons." Adler replied simply. "That whole story is not important right now. Can we get back to magic now?"

Twilight and Luna looked at each other in surprise, as Adler's sharp tone left little room for protest.

"You can handle this one, Twilight." Luna said. "I need to raise the Moon...and settle my mind."

She didn't see it then, but Bell moved to follow her, saying quietly that he needed to take a leak to Adler.

====

As Twilight began her lecture on magic theory, Luna, a decent distance away, summoned her powers and bid the moon to lower, and it did. As the sun began to rise into the sky, Luna took a seat on a nearby stump.

"These humans…" she thought out loud. "They are so...strange. We haven't fought a war in over 1000 years, and they speak of fighting wars so casually, so...easily. They can call others their friends, but can just as easily wound them."

"Just...they are so different in words and actions from us…"

"That's true."

Luna turned to see Bell approach.

"Yeah, I'm not really gonna sugarcoat it, Princess." he sighed. "I've done some really messed up stuff in my life, and killed a lot of people in the process. I don't really dwell on stuff like that, but...at least I know that if I go to hell, I'll be proud that I did what I believed was right."

"You follow a religion?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, back in the hospital, the only book I could read for about two days was the Bible." Bell sighed. "It's basically the main book of faith for those who follow the world's largest faith in terms of numbers, Christianity."

"And you are one of them?" Luna sounded surprised. "I didn't expect you to be a religious person, Bell."

"Well, the Pastor at the hospital, Father Fitzpatrick, was really nice, and he helped me out a couple times when I needed a kind word more than painkillers." Bell said. "Princess, humans are not just soldiers. We're artists, musicians, writers, cooks, leaders...it's not like we enjoy excess violence and warfare, it's just...in our nature."

"Besides, our world has so much to it besides war, that it's kinda hard to believe. There's so many countries with so many cultures, languages, foods...hell, I'll admit it's easy to focus on the negative aspects."

"So you think more on the positives?" Luna looked away for a moment. "For a person in your line of work, Bell, I think that does sound reasoned."

"Yeah, I got all that from Father Fitzpatrick." Bell chuckled. "Would you believe me if I told you that he saw combat as well? Not as a soldier, but a Chaplain for the British Army during the Second World War?"

"There are priests in the armies of your world?" Luna asked.

"Gotta keep morale up." Bell said. "And it's not just priests, there's cooks, technicians, mail workers, there's more to fighting a war than having warriors at the ready."

"Well, that is true." Luna said. "How did you come about all of this knowledge?"

"Well, apart from exercising, eating, and sleeping, I read books for most of the week I was in the hospital." Bell said. "Father Fitzpatrick brought them to patients every day. For a man of about sixty-seven, he's pretty physically fit."

Bell stood up and stretched, and Luna followed suit.

"We should get back to the group. We've got a job to do, and there's no time like the present to do it."

As the two of them headed back to the sawmill, the others were already ready and waiting with weapons loaded and ready.

"You set?" Adler asked.

"Yeah, we got caught up talking." Bell nodded. "Let's go, guys. Time's wasting."

As the group headed towards the northwest, straight for the enemy camp, Luna furrowed her brow slightly at the thought of what was to come.

Author's Note

UPDATE!

I will admit, I missed writing here on this site. There's a few reasons I haven't been as active here, but the gist is I've been busy with life.

Anyway, expect more frequent updates going forward for all stories (Hopefully).

Next time - The CIA agents attack the camp, President Reagan authorizes Carver, Weaver, and Samantha Maxis to fully commit to the hunt for the Emissary in Equestria, and in the meantime, the shadowy villain comes into contact wtih a man named Vikhor Kuzmin, alias "Stitch"...

Chapter 6 - Unexpected Complications

"You guys got anything?" Bell asked, as he swept the mounted flashlight on his Krig 6 in a side-to-side pattern. It had been about five minutes of dead quiet since the CIA Agents, a group of Lunar Guards, Princess Twilight, and Princess Luna departed for the Emissary's base. Luna had ordered roughly half of her guards to protect the town in the meantime, while the others would follow behind for the attack.

"Not a damn thing." Woods replied, checking over a thicket with his Hauer 77's own flashlight. "Are you sure we're going to the right place?"

"This route does correspond to the map we got from Dragonfly." Adler replied, checking the map over with a compass. "And turn out the flashlights, we can work without them for now."

"Got it." Mason said, switching his light off. "So...once we hit this base...what's the plan?"

"Eliminate all hostiles, secure any intel we can find, go from there." Adler replied. "Wait a sec...get down!"

As everyone present dove for cover and were soon hidden from view, a military truck with a covered bed, carrying five griffins and two human soldiers, armed with AK47s and Gallo SA12 shotguns, drove into view. The occupants took up defensive stances, and a human soldier then spoke into a radio.

"Central, this is 1-3. We are clear on this side." he said. "Should we return to the base?...copy. Will start a second sweep now."

As the soldier put his radio away, Adler motioned for the agents with suppressed weapons to take them out. Bell, Cougar, Aspen, and Mason nodded, and lined up their sights.

Adler clicked his tongue loudly twice, and on that signal, the agents opened fire, shooting the driver first. As the other hostiles fell dead, Bell quickly grabbed the radio and switched it off.

"Good work." Adler said. "We have our heading. That guy mentioned a base nearby, so that's where we're going."

"But how are we supposed to sneak in?" Twilight asked.

"Simple." Mason chuckled, as he pulled the dead griffon out of the driver's seat and started up the engine. "Everyone in the back, and mount up."

As the CIA agents did so, Luna ordered the other Guards to return back to the town, saying "We shall be fine. I will call if we need you."

The Guards nodded reluctantly, and they flew off towards Thorne's Glade. As Bell ignited the engine, the others crouched in the bed of the truck, checking over their weapons.

"You two," Mason said to Luna and Twilight. "If we come under fire, it's best if you keep your heads down and stay low. But if you think you can lend a hand using your magic, you're welcome to do it. Just don't do anything reckless in the process. The last thing we want is one or both of you taking a bullet and us not being able to save you."

"We understand." Twilight replied nervously. As the truck proceeded along the path, it wasn't long before they approached the camp entrance.

However, the checkpoint near the gate was empty, and from the side, Mason could see the guard stationed there had been shot. As the truck slowed to a halt, Mason got out and looked over the body.

"Two hits in the chest, one to the head." he reported as Adler approached. "We're not the only ones after the Emissary, Adler."

"It would seem that way." Adler replied. "No need for suppressors, then. I doubt we still have the element of surprise on our side."

"Question is...who beat us here, and what are they here for?" Cougar replied. "Ready up, everyone. We're in deep now."

As the agents unsuppressed their weapons and took up ready positions, Twilight's ears twitched, and she could faintly hear steps coming in their direction. As she looked over towards the left, a small cylinder rolled into view.

Then everything went white, Twilight's ears began to scream in pain, and she felt herself be pushed to the ground. The others were shoved in a similar fashion, their weapons kicked away by their attackers.

As their vision recovered, the group saw their assailants were Spetsnaz soldiers, clad in gray, tan, and green, carrying an assortment of weapons, all of which were customized with various attachments.

As guns were levelled at the heads of the CIA agents, an aged, authoritative voice spoke out in accented English.

"We meet again, Russell Adler. I must say, I didn't expect you'd be bringing company…"

A man wearing a fur jacket, cargo pants, a bue-and-white striped shirt, and combat boots came into view. His graying hair and beard suggested his age was around fifty or sixty, and a trio of patches lay on his shoulders. One was the Spetsnaz logo and the flag of the USSR, but the third was the patch of the Omega Group.

As Adler looked him in the eye, the CIA agent swore under his breath, recognizing his old nemesis.

"Perseus…" Adler growled. "Been a while, huh?"

"Indeed it has, Russell Adler." Perseus replied, taking a seat on a crate. "First, Operation Fracture Jaw. Then, Project Greenlight."

Twilight's eyes flared at the mention of that name, and she put the pieces together quickly.

"You're the human who tried to destroy an entire continent?" she called out.

Perseus laughed and came over.

"You know their side of the story, I presume?" he asked. "You hardly know the circumstances behind my side of it."

"First of all, I never intended to activate the Greenlight bombs. Had you dug deeper, Adler, you would've realized the signal broadcasting from Solovetsky was a deactivation sequence. I intended to disable the nuclear warheads, not detonate them and ruin an entire continent's worth of resources and kill countless people."

"Bullshit." Mason countered.

"Alex Mason, I presume?" Perseus replied. "You'd be wrong. I am a man of morals, and I hardly find it worth my time to have destroyed the European continent. Even if they did detonate and the US was blamed for it, what would happen if it was discovered that it was a Soviet plan all along?"

"The Kremlin would pay the ultimate price. On another note, I don't think any of you understand what is at stake here."

"Enlighten me." Adler scowled.

"The Emissary is responsible for the deaths of thirty Soviet soldiers, on Russian soil. Some of them had families, Adler. I was ordered to find answers for them, and to eliminate the Emissary, much like you have been as well."

"Thus, despite my second in command's recommendations, I have my orders." Perseus sighed, motioning the Spetsnaz to stand down. "Russell Adler, I propose a temporary alliance between our forces."

As the Russians kicked their weapons back with reach, Adler strode forward to face Perseus.

"Those are your orders?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"From the Premier himself." Perseus replied. "I am honest in saying we stand a better chance against the Emissary together. Because if my sources are correct...the criminal in question has something planned that is far worse than Greenlight could ever be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Woods asked.

"If you all come with me...I'll show you." Perseus smiled. As the Princesses and the CIA Agents turned to each other, Adler reluctantly nodded and spoke.

"Show us what you're talking about first. Then we'll talk about his alliance."

"Deal." Perseus beckoned towards the rear of the camp. "Follow me, my friends. We don't have much time."

Author's Note

Update!

Yeah, Perseus is the reluctant help our heroes need, but didn't ask for.

What a twist, am I right?