Escalation

by Nickzon

Chapters

The War to End all Wars
Prelude
Chapter 2: Getting Settled
Chapter 3: Getting Involved
Chapter 4: Getting Problems
Chapter 5: Help From Who?
Red Dawn
Chapter 1: Please… Tell Me This is a Bad Dream...

The War to End all Wars

"Order acquired. Activating warheads..."

"Warheads secured. Waiting for authorization...."

"Fire them."

The two operators looked at each other, smiling with sadness and possibly relief.

"Copy, guess this is farewell then. Godspeed, and god bless America."

Both operators turned the keys, the sirens blared off. As the countdown started, the shape of a long tube ascending out of the huge silo was well between their lines of sight. Despite the world about to end in some 30 minutes, he had a lot to think about in his mind. He started off his 'Thoughts Bucket-list' with family. Nice holidays, warm houses. Yeah, it was unoriginal for his last thoughts to be family themed and all that soft warm stuff, but it was worth it to use his time on the important vital memories. Could it have been a blessing for him and everyone on this planet to die? He most definitely is sure of the fact he will never find out.

Was that water in his eyes? He quickly closed his viewing ports by instinct. Even if everything changes, some things never change. Ever.

--24, 23, 22

"ICBMs are fully operational. All systems are working as intended."

"Comrade Gorbachev, we have activated the nukes. Waiting for authorization."

"I give you authorization. Farewell comrades."

"Farewell Mr. Gorbachev! Long live the Soviet Union!"

The Soviet operators turned the keys, sighing to themselves and possibly mumbling prayers. They kept to themselves in their final moments. That was a shame. This was all a big shame.

One of the American operators crossed his heart and looked up at the ceiling. The numbered countdown still blaring in the background as he closed his eyes and forgot what was happening. Perhaps this was a dream.

--15, 14, 13

No. He thought. It felt as if time had stopped just for him. This wasn't the end. Fate exists. He believed in god. God wouldn't abandon him in his moment of need. He will escape. He will survive the bombs. Some way. He will be alive. He will escape the nuclear apocalypse that would plague the world. That being his fault, as HE pushes the button. HE kills every living organism, big or small, on this planet. He always wanted to be special and unique, maybe do something nobody has ever achieved. Maybe this is what fate thought when he wanted to do something nobody has ever done in the history of mankind. Kill every life form on a planet without wasting a pinch of energy. By poetically pushing the big red button that lay shining in front of his eyes. It was his fault. Who cares if the war was already happening before hand? Everyone dying lay in his cold bloody hands. He could hear everyone saying it. Chanting it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault. All his fault. All your fault.
--STOP! All his fault. All your fault. --STOP All his fault. All your fault. --stop... please~.... All his fault. All your fault.

One--

Prelude

--ZERO

"Hey, Mr. President, are you alright?"

"Mr. President, please respond."

"Mr. President, plea--"

"OH SHIT! ALL SYSTEMS ARE FAILING! SHIT! NO! NO NO NO--

His surroundings appeared and faded around him. He was on the helicopter, mourning all the Americans.. no.. all the humans he could've avoided having dead. And now, he was here. He couldn't even move.

Half of his body was completely covered with rubble and debris from the chopper crash. He could feel the hot metal burn on his right thigh, but he didn't care, how could he hurt anymore than he is already? Why didn't he try to communicate? Why? Now Earth is dead. America is dead.

His eyes fluttered weakly. The world slowly began to form around him, and Reagan could.. no.. he couldn't even recognize D.C anymore. Everything... it was all gone. Everything was engulfed in flames.

His head was shaking, his eyes were spinning, he couldn't even prove that he was on Earth at all.

Everyone in that helicopter, he could've saved. Everything would have been back to normal, The Cold War would've ended, communism would collapse, maybe they'd work together with the Chinamen and the Ruskies in order to obtain long lasting global peace and technological harmony. The journey had already ended when it just started,

Reagan began to hold some thoughts no president would ever consider. Maybe he could just avoid it all. Run away from his mistakes by ending it. He had nothing left he could do. No. He thought. He began trying to move, but ended up hurting himself even more. He looked to his right and saw his reflection on the glass. He had forgotten what the war had done to him too.
Red lined his face, red puddled his nice suit, he looked like Satan. His right eye looked grey, but it was most likely just the glass stains.

He looked at the burning buildings surrounding him. This was it. He could do nothing, but look up. Look up at the stars. Make the last remaining moments of his life peaceful. That's when he saw it. The stars. Shimmering brightly up high. He could swear he could hear a voice singing. It was… very calming. Like a church carol. Though, there were more pressing matters at hand.

He needed to get out. He can still make it out of this hell hole. He could save his country still. Maybe, they can find a way to get back to Earth. Maybe we could fix the planet.

He still had a chance to do something to redeem himself for the people.

He crawled forward, disregarding the pain. He moved, and moved, and moved. He couldn't even feel his legs anymore, but he still moved, until finally, he got out. He stumbled to the floor, breathing heavily. Blood was being stained on the streets as he wheezed and barked out bits of steel shards from his throat. He took a breath, air not flowing in all the way as he gasped in the gallons he could before rapidly exhaling. He coughed out a bit more shrapnel before he wiped his face, and moved on. Shrapnel meant nothing right now. He could go to the hospital for all he cares later. If any doctors made it out alive, that is.

He limped towards the White House, the one that was now ruined, half of it collapsed, and was burning to splinters. He walked past a bunch of wrecked cars, trucks, and vans. Tanks were sprawled all around the street, while in the dead center was half of some kind of helicopter, most likely a Huey of some sort, impaled into the pipelines beneath the roads. Water puddles surrounded the area.

Once he had finally gotten to the building, he walked up to the doors, opened them, and stumbled in. The lights were flickering out. It must be the power supply. The corridors of the once bustling structure had now been engulfed with darkness as sirens blared an obnoxious nose while flashing and spinning red lights. He realized what this meant and began running. The portal only had so much power left before all backup power in the building shut off completely. His heart began pumping and his hands started sweating as he grunted while pushing himself to the limit.

“Hall 3F. Yes! Yes! Come on come on!” he shouted to himself, increasing the throttle of his legs.
The sirens’ blasting of noises amplified in volume as a VOX intercom buzzed in on the speakers,

”Warning. Warning. Please evacuate the building. Full scale lockdown eminent. Backup power depleting.”

He had never thought he could move as fast or even faster than he could in his 20s.

“No, no, no, there. There!” he clenched his teeth.

He jabbed the code into the input for the door’s lock.

Beep. The red light flashed on the pad.

“What?!” he shouted to himself.

”Warning. Backup supply has -THREE- minutes left before complete lockdown.”

“No no no no NO!” he boomed.

What was the god damn password?! Why hadn’t anybody told him that it changed?!
He repeated the code again and again.

1 minute lock. Try again it displayed on the screen.

“NO!” he clamored.

He sped through his head desperately searching for answers, until he found the possible solution. It occurred to him that every lock that didn’t have a specifically set passcode all had the same numbered entry code to get in. Understandably, it was the date the White House was finished. And was to his delight that he couldn’t exactly remember when that was. Was it 1792 or 1793? He compared the two dates, shifting between which he should go with. Problem was, if he got the code wrong, the passcode would be disabled for 5 minutes, and by then all power would be depleted. So what date was he supposed to choose? Could it be settled with the simple flip of a coin?
Wait he thought, that could actually work. he took out one of the many dimes conveniently stored in his coat pocket. He balanced it on his finger, setting 1792 as tales and 1793 as heads, and he flipped.

One minute and thirty seconds remaining. said the VOX.

The coin landed on tales. 1792.
“I swear to god, if this doesn’t work…” he input the code before saying, “fate doesn’t exist.” he jabbed the last button and confirmed it, then saw a green light. His heart instantly lowered in BPM as he rushed towards the emergency teleportation device that had already been set to simply be activated and then be used. He walked down the stairs carefully, and finally came across the teleportation tool. It was buzzing with life, but barely. He ran to the teleporter, pressing the 'activate' button. He scrambled in the pod before it closed automatically, when suddenly a bunch of neon bright lights flashed all around him. He closed his eyes as he braced for impact. Then, everything went quiet.

Chapter 2: Getting Settled

Today had been a strange day. Kind of. Reagan woke up and looked out the window to see ponies exploring the camp/town. There was one that caught Reagan's eye though. It had white fur, wings and a horn, and had rainbow flowing hair, even though the day had not seemed that breezy. Her sides had some kind of sun tattooed on it. The ponies were talking to some construction workers in a seemingly friendly conversation. They eventually noticed the president walking towards them and greeted them.

"Hello, Mr. Reagan? I presume?" asked the tall white pony.

"Yes. And you are?" he responded.

"Celestia. Princess Celestia. My student Twilight Sparkle here told me about you. And you're the leader of this country?" she asked politely.

"Yes. Well, currently this country is being managed by the military until we've gotten settled down." he responded.

"Ah, yes. We were just talking about that. We are eager to assist your people in building a knew city for your people, who are waiting patiently." she smiled.

"Assist us in building? Well, why not? Do you have an efficient way in construction?" he asked.

"Normally, our construction workers operate similarly to yours, but when it's something important that needs to be made, we bring very skilled builders to create the desired structure. Shall we have them help your workers at the moment?"

"Ah, well, be my guest. We really need to get things done fast if we're gonna get those civilians here." said Reagan.

"Speaking of civilians, how many do you plan to bring?" she asked.

"70... 70 million or something?" he said uncertainly.

"Wh-where are these 70 million humans... exactly?"

"There in stasis. Between our planets. Once we make enough space for them, we'll slowly reel civilians in."

"Oh dear. We both know that the amount of land you currently have isn't gonna work well with that number."

"I put my trust in the generals for figuring that problem out."

"I can't imagine anything working except for getting more land. Which, I will allow give. Though, I really hope it is enough to fit all your people in." she sighed.

Her horn glowed and in an instant, a map appeared, rolled up. She opened the map and showed Reagan what she was promising.

"Fascinating."

"What, the map?"

"No. The fact that you can levitate the map."

"Ah, right. I've heard about your lack of magic."

The land promised seemed generous. They had given them a few towns and an island.

"Wow. Don't you feel like this is too much?"

"To fit 70 million? I do believe anyone could say this would be too little." she said concerningly.

"We'll see what we can do. And with that amount of land we can allow a lot of civilians to travel to here. Though, are the ponies currently habiting the place willing to be integrated into our society?" asked the president.

"Our people are very friendly, as long as they are not provoked."

"That works."

"Though you have to promise me that you will treat my subjects like your own. Or there will be problems."

"I would not like to know those, and consider me trying my best to provide equal opportunities and rights to the natives here."

"Then it its settled."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia. You are much too kind."

Gorbachev had had a bad sleep. The rain had kept him up most of the night, and when he woke he was very disarrayed and confused. Once he had got to his senses, though, he could see some ponies outside the house that had been built for him.

It was some kind of blue pony with stars in its mane that was flowing in nonexistent winds. He had exited his house and came to investigate what was happening.

"Hello," said the blue pony in perfect Russian, "I am Princess Luna. You must be General Secretary Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. Correct?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. It is... nice meeting you?"

"It is. And it seems your construction workers could use some help building your settlement for your people."

"Yes, are you offering to help us in some way?"

"We are," she said, "on behalf of the Republic of Equestria, we request to assist in your building for you people."

"Uhmm.. You want to help us? But why? Thank you for the offer, princess, but I simply do not understand your driven motives." he said, bowing in respect.

"No need for all the formality. Our country is accustomed to helping others out, whether or not we've never seen them ever. Because gaining a friend is all the worth for helping." she added. She then took out a map presumably of the nation and showed it to Gorbachev.

"Well, first, thank you, again. Second, what are you doing? Are you using some kind of telekinesis? That is nothing but completely engrossing! I must learn how you can carry or hold things without physically making contact with the object!" he said enthusiastically.

"Well, in my culture, it is a very common practice for us to use our magics for multiple purposes. You can boil it down to it being another limb capable of doing many other things."

Gorbachev nodded, then looked at the map. He was shocked to see the incredulous offering that was proposed by these aliens. They were giving them... land? And tons of them?

"You're giving this land.. too us? All of it?" he asked confused.

"Yes, from what I've heard, your subjects told me you were to be bringing nearly a hundred million of your people. You must have more land than you currently have to at least fit them in your territories." she deadpanned.

"Thank you. I do believe I speak for my people when I say thank you for your hospitality, your highness." he said with a smile.

He took another glance at the map and looked back at her with an uncertain face. Luna returned it with a 'trust me' kind of face. Gorbachev's face eased.

"We should really help them." said Cadence, "I can't believe their entire planet was destroyed by nuclear weapons. Do you think sending in doctors to help them is enough?"

"I'm not sure, but, what if they're secretly hostile? They could just be buttering us up and then attack us." said Shining Armor.

"Don't be so paranoid like that. If my soldiers express sympathy in them, then I will."

"I am too, but it's good to keep it in mind." mentioned Shining.

"I am. I will still play it cautiously. After all, they are aliens."

"So you're sending medical help to cure our radiation poisoning as well?" asked the president, completely stupefied by the amount of help this nation has been giving them.

"Yes. After all, I don't want to be so cautious when simply having a discussion with you. " she joked. He chuckled.

"When will they be coming?" he asked

"Maybe in half a week."

"Okay. That's good to know," he said, "do you have any guesses on when we'll be finished with the construction?"

"Possibly two weeks."

"Wow. Incredible. The amount of help you've been giving us is astounding. I promise you we will pay in full eventually."

"Don't promise me anything, earning a friend is good enough. Mr. Reagan."

"It's good to show thankfulness to the one giving."

"If you truly wish to pay us back, I will not stop you. But I do recommend to focus on your people before worrying about us." told Celestia.

"Do you think we should accept all these offers to help? They do seem sincere about our well being." asked Gorbachev.

"There is always the possibility they could be tricking us. We do share some differences in ideology." reminded his general.

"Again, I think it's completely sincere. Perhaps the only thing they could be seeking is another ally. A friend." said Gorby.

"If you are convinced this isn't supposed to be a threat, then by all means accept it. It certainly will be beneficial to the union if we do accept their help."

"Then it's settled. What's the worst that can happen? We'll have an actual city done in a few weeks."

Cadence had arrived to the British outpost to see how the construction was going. With the help of her builders, it was estimated that a decent amount of the planned city of 'London' would be finished in about 2 months. After that had happened, she would have a lot of stressed rescinded from her knowing that a lot of civilians could be let through the portal and into their new home. She spoke to their leader 'Margaret Thatcher' who was very fond of Cadence.

Upon seeing the generous offer of land from the Crystal Empire, Thatcher looked in disbelief. Her first thoughts seemed to be siding with her thought of declining, but when looking at Cadence and seeing her sympathetic look, she knew she had to accept the offer. She figured that she'd be able to pay her back eventually. Just not now. She had to worry about the British people currently. But before the meeting would conclude, the British had something for Cadence for all the help she had given them for the past week, mainly for the doctors and scientists sent to help cure the radiation poisoning that plagued the worker population still constructing buildings for the citizens of the nation to be content with.

"Cadence, your majesty, you truly are a wonderful soul for giving all you've given us. I cannot fully pay back in debt currently, but we do have something we'd love for you to take as a token."

She peered behind her and motioned for a man carrying a little box to walk up and give it to her. Thatcher then gently and carefully handed it to the princess. Upon opening it, she smiled a certainly warm smile, showing a great appreciation for the gift she was given. It was a necklace, with a beautiful shining ruby in the center, with golden encasement around the gem. The necklace itself was heart shaped, and when in the sun, shined as bright as an enchanted relic.

The two bowed to one another out of respect. And both smiled.

Chapter 3: Getting Involved

“Unpack those helicopters. The fighter jets too. Unpack everything. I think we have enough space now.”

2 weeks later…

By the time most of the city had been finished, there had been a rush of civilians coming in by storm. And it was great to see that a lot of those civilians volunteered in construction of many more towns. Everything was going smoothly and as planned. But as the humans continued to industrialize the land, the pony natives there became annoyed and frustrated about their easy disregard for them. Then, one day, they rose up, and started to protest.

Reagan woke up that day to hearing chanting and yelling outside. Was it just another Monday? He crawled out of his bed, got dressed, and made his way out the door. To his surprise, the ones who were yelling were ponies. On some of their signs said,

“Aliens out!”

“Give us rights!”

“Respect out wishes!”

What had happened to make them so angry? He had to find out. Reagan walked towards a pony chanting with a sign and asked,

“Is this a civil rights protest?”

The pony turned and responded,

“Yes! Your species won’t give us any ability to get what we want. We demand change!”

Reagan rushed to the headquarters building to ask what to do in this situation. Upon arrival he was greeted with a somewhat collected and completely calm building. He rushed towards the main room.

“Macmillan, Macmillan, the ponies out there are angry!” he shouted.

“Is the sun bright?” deadpanned the general.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Look, we’re currently thinking of responses to this unres-“

“Think of— just give them their autonomy! It’s simple! What’s holding you back?” scowled the president.

“The people, Reagan, you know how some are when it comes to seeing something we’ve never seen before, they get scared and act irrational.”

“Macmillan, this isn’t the 1950s anymore. We’ve evolved. We gotta at least try to create some kind of equal treatment here, because after all, these ponies are as capable as we are at doing things.”

“Was that serious? It’s 1984, have you seen any show or movie made recently?” shot the general.

He stopped and looked off.
“Look, Reagan, I’ll try. I’ll try something okay?”

“Good. And I expect something to happen.” said the unfazed man.

“Is there something else you need Mr. President?”

“No.”

“In the Soviet Union, everyone is created equal!”

The crowd shouted in disagreement and anger.

“Mr. Gorbachev, you’re finally awake. Thank god, please, you can talk some sense into these ponies, right?”

Gorbachev was rubbing his eyes from the sleep still in him.

“Excuse me? Are these ponies protesting?”

“Yes. They want change. They want integration into the society and to be treated equally. They don’t seem satisfied with the freedoms given to them though.”

“Are they not allowed to do things here?” asked the Soviet leader.

“They aren’t allowed to leave until we are fully organized. But it’s needed. We can’t just let those ponies say that these aliens are holding them captive!”

“Let them be able to go and come back, general. It is only fair.”

“Yes, but Mr.—“

“No. I want them to have freedom of leaving and coming back. No closing off.”

“Yes. Mr. Gorbachev.”

“And that’s why, the British Empire and its ally the Crystal Empire, has allowed all citizens, pony or human, to have equal rights and treatment, period.”

The crowd bursted into cheers. Thatcher looked at Cadence with a smile.

“Thank you for all the help. The least I can do for you is to treat your subjects with respect.” said the Prime Minister.

“You are more than welcome to ask for assistance anytime.”

Towns were being built fast. Infrastructure was being reformed, and factories were being made. But, while doing that, America tried its hardest to preserve a significant amount of nature along side it.

Both the Soviet Union and the United States were doing many programs for pony integration. Slowly the humans became more used to these aliens. Even though, they were the aliens. Pavement was being put on the streets, and roads were being made. After a few weeks, all three nations were becoming more stable and efficient. And after two months, they had operating cities, currencies, and businesses all around. Equestria and the Crystal Empire both gained a lot of information and help with technology, and more efficient computing. Combining these tech with magic, and now there was a full working internet. The radiation sickness was finally cured, and now ponies were allowed to travel to the countries freely. Everything was good. And soon, all three nations, completely oblivious of each other, were about to approach diplomacy again. And finally become an official nation.

Reagan was told that soon, he would be able to gain his power back as an official president in a few weeks. He could finally work again. After three months of waiting, Reagan was invited to Macmillan’s meeting room alone.

“Reagan, now that we got our feet off the ground, I think we’re ready to make you president of the United States again.”

“Thank you Macmillan. You’ve done a lot for this country.”

“You’re right.”

“Huh?….”

“My tongue slipped. Ignore that.”

America had just established phone lines a few days before, and now Reagan could now call the princess any time he wanted to talk. He was finally gonna put that to good use.

”Hello? This is Princess Celestia.”

“Hello Princess, well, first of all I have to give you a huge thank you for all you did for my nation. And now since I’m back in power, I think the US is ready to begin diplomatic relations with Equestria and its allies.”

”That’s great to hear, Mr. Reagan. I think I am available in 4 days. Me and my dear sister will be having discussions with the Crystal Empire about current issues.”

“Well, count me in. If you can. I’d really like to better make my nation understand its surroundings if we’re gonna become relevant in these current times.”

”Great. Make sure to be there at 2:10. I will see you there Mr. Reagan.”

The phone hung up. Reagan was looking very forward to this upcoming Friday. He could finally have discussions with other leaders again. There was no way anything was gonna go wrong, right?

“Privet, Princess Luna.”

”Hello, Mr. Gorbachev.”

“Do you have anytime free to have a discussion?"

"On Friday, me and my sister will have a discussion with our greatest ally, the Crystal Empire. I'm sure you will be fit for a discussion there. Is that a good time?

"A Friday would be great. Thank you your highness. I'll be waiting to meet you there."

"Alright. Good day, Mr. Gorbachev."

"Good day."

The phone call ended.

"Good day, Princess Cadence."

"Good day, Mrs. Thatcher!

"I really do believe my nation should be beginning to connect to other nations now. I think it is time. Maybe you and I can have a meeting and discuss current matters? I feel as though I need to be more connected in this current world if I ever am to lead my country to prosperity."

"I was feeling you should be getting involved currently, so hearing this is great. On Friday I will be discussing current world affairs with the leaders of Equestria. You are more than welcome to join the meeting.

"Make that a guarantee. I really need to get to know the nations of this world. I fear of becoming more out of touch."

Cadence chuckled at that.

"Don't worry, you won't. Well, if that's all, then I wish you to have a good day."

"You too, Mrs. Cadence."

The phone call hung up.

Chapter 4: Getting Problems

"Sir, ever since we've been reeling in more and more civilians from their stasis, the rate of consumer goods have raised tremendously. Even more then we ever predicted it could reach. What should we do about it? It's tampering with our industrial progress."

"We'll just ask for more help."

"Mr. President, I do believe they've helped us very much enough. They most certainly have their own problems to face. And we can't look so dependent on them helping us because of how it would be translated internationally. We'd look like jokes. Meer puppets to the nation of Equestria."

"In my three years in office, I've very well experienced the limit for asking a bigger state for help. What do you think the United States has been doing for the past half century?"

"Proxy wars and monitoring the communists?"

"I was gonna say except that. But as I was saying, we need help. I'm not going to argue any further." Reagan pressed his hands on the table signifying his conclusion.

"Alright sir. You're calling the shots here. Good luck. Have a good day."

"Right. Farewell." he waved to the man while he exited the room.

Reagan searched around his desk to see where his papers had gone to during the talking.

Ah, he thought, finding it under another file.

He read it over again.

Native Agricultural Accommodation Act

Upon the request of the United States Department of Agriculture, Congress has proposed a new act for the better development among the rural areas of the native regions in the newly formed Federal Republic of the United States of America. Many argue that the lands should be preserved instead of our past methods to industrialize the whole of the United States during its age of the Manifest Destiny. We have now learned that nature is limited and can easily go scarce if not taken care of by society. The act being read currently suggests an improvement of the industrial status inside the city centers, but at all possible costs necessary, to avoid the agricultural regions of the FRUSA. Others argue that if the United States does not tackle the economic/industrial issues it currently faces up against, it will never be a dominant power on the new world stage. It is a sure guess that the president of the FRUSA would like to maintain their global status as a world superpower, but in order to do that, industrialization of the lands are keen. While it is very much possible to maintain better environmental healthiness along with dominant urban centers, it will take a lot of time and planning, and overall will be a difficult task to uphold. Should the president of the FRUSA pass this act, then we will now enter a period of industrialization alongside with rapid efforts for nature preservation in the surrounding areas outside the populated centers.

Sign X.___

“Uhm—uhm excuse me… Mr… Reagan…?”

He turned his head upwards to see the voice. It was a young male, perhaps in his twenties or so holding a few papers and documents.

“Some more papers I presume.”
said the president.

“Yeah… oh and the mail."

"Right. Just put it on the desk."

The man did what he asked and left the room.

"Oh and wait..." said Reagan.

The man stopped and stared at the president.

"Yes?"

"Can you get me some coffee?"

"I'll have someone onto that."

"Thank you."

The door closed behind the man as Reagan looked down at his papers he was just presented. He stared at the letter neatly folded closed with a exotic seal on the front.

In Her Majesty We Trust it had in graved in the seal. He opened the letter and took out the paper inside the folds.
In it, showed a slick and polished handwritten message from.. Princess Celestia..? Well than it wouldn't be handwritten and more like... mouth-written? No wait, she can carry objects with her horn. So... horn written? I guess that works for now, he should ask her later. English and.. 'Ponish' literature and language was nearly indifferent from each other aside from a few parallels that wouldn't make sense in the other world. He suddenly noticed that he had been floating off topic and shouldn't have been this interested in the look of the letter. So he began to read the paper.

Dear Mr. Ronald Reagan, it is to my attention that some, if not most of my subjects currently residing in the land I lent you are becoming more and more discontent by the treatment your species have been handing to them for the past 2 weeks. On behalf of Equestria, I demand integration between our two species. I do not ask much favors to others, so consider this one important. Thank you for reading this and hopefully listening to my requests.

Best regards,

Right. Of course she would have asked him. Why would she not want freedom for her subjects? He'll be sure to attempt some kind of integration with the two species.

He shuffled through the other stacks of paper brought to him, and noticed another small letter. He opened it, and written on it, he read the letter.

Dear President Reagan,

We are aware of your difficulties in trying to organize the country once more, but we (the army council) do think you can try and give some attention to the military, as the professionalism and experience in our men could just be rendered as 'disorganized militia'. We ask for your aid in the funding of our military. If the proper help is not received in 7 weeks, we will take out funds for ourselves. Do not forget what the fine print said, Mr. President.

Good day,

Well, reading that just made everything worse. Was he even able to choose one of the two decisions he could make without getting the other side angry? There had to be another way.

"So," said the premier to the men sitting down.

There was a brief pause before Gorbachev continued his talking.

"I know you all remember Perestroika, and may have mixed feelings about it, but even if the Soviet Union is now in another world does not mean we should abandon all our policies and tasks at hand. Therefore, I am still going to implement democratic reforms on the people and you all will help me whether you like it or not. Do you have any questions?'

Everyone was silent. A few coughs and sniffs here and there but besides that it was practically a library.

"And, democratic reforms also mean an implementation of some capitalist elements into our political and economic structure in order to maintain a more satisfied community. Does anyone want to comment on this?" he asked before looking back at the men.

One of them raised their hand wanting to talk.

"Yes? Grigory?"

"Compared to most men in our government, to say the least, I'm much more liberal than them. Therefore, most of your policies are satisfying to me, but, I do have a few questions. How are we to deal with the popular socialist senators in power at this very moment? Wouldn't they feel betrayed and furious of our continuous campaigns towards a free nation? And second, this will most definitely have some kind of negative side effects from the extreme shift in political ideals in this hugely populated country, with even more souls because of all the refugees from the other countries."

"Remind me those countries." asked Gorbachev.

"Well, there was Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Northern China, most of Eastern Europe, Finland, and the Balkans."

"And how many do those add up to?'

"I think around 20-30 million."

"....." the leader thought silently.

"That's not a problem. Who doesn't love democracy?" he answered.

"Some of their leaders, some of their people."

"What are they gonna do to us? Protest? I'm sure they're aware of how we respond to those things."

"So you're basically unofficially challenging them to launch some kind of revolution or coup against our Soviet government?" inquired the senator with a raised eyebrow.

"We don't need a discussion about this, friend, we have guns, they don't, so we give them the guns." he replied, putting an arm on the man's shoulder. He patted his back before walking out the door. Informally dismissing the meeting with a, "discussion has been exhausted of necessity. You're all free to go." he said, waving has hand.

"Oh, and when I said 'giving them the guns', that was supposed to mean shoot them if they don't stop. Just the greater good stuff right? America always does that.. even if our rival isn't here with us anymore."

Reagan's deciding had been getting nowhere ever since he read those two letters. So, in order to decide which issue he would tackle first, he simply did a flip of a coin. Tails. Military reform. Alright. He had spent enough time pondering like an idiot, it was now his turn to be productive today. He phones the general's number and waited.

"Hello?" responded a partially exhausted sounding voice.

"Okay Mac, I'm in."

"Great. Let's discuss the thing tomorrow."

"W-why not now?" asked the president.

"Mr. Reagan, this is anything but a rude comment when I say, that it's 3 in the god damn morning!"

"It is? How do you know?"

"I don't. It was just an over exaggeration. Did it work?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Yeah, we haven't gotten the time around to adjust our time to the time of this planet's. considering the fact that they're in a completely different position from where our solar and lunar bodies. I-I'm pretty sure their days are 10 hours longer than ours. Their nights as well."

"Inconvenience..." muttered the president to himself. "Right, if it's really that late then I'd better get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow.. maybe."

He lowered the phone onto the stand and exited his office. The partially constructed White house was quiet and empty. Some of the still glowing lights flickered on and off as he cautiously made his way towards his room. The infinite carpet floor patterns repeating as he walked his way down the hall. His path eventually led up to a corridor leading up to the bedroom. Except it was to his cognizance that he wasn’t gonna get any sleep just yet.

Luna made her way to some strange settlement near Ponyville she had never seen before. She needed to move fast. She could sense somepony was in grave danger. A white building that looked like a town hall had the strange feeling she’d been feeling. It had to be the source. She teleported into the building and— a white pony? Tall, rainbow ma- “Celestia?!” she spat out.

“What in the stars are you doing here?”

“None of your interests, Luna.”

“That’s sister to you,” she firmly glared.

She looked to her surroundings and saw—
“A human?” she said out loud again, “what in our galaxy is a human doing here?”

“What are you two doing here?” the creature she rudely said.

“I sensed something wrong here. I came to investigate. Very strange that it was only… my dear sister,” she deadpanned.

“Tell me sister, what are you doing here?” she asked to the sun.

“None of your concern.” she grumbled.

Poof

She suddenly disappeared then and there, as the human looked all around to see where she went.

“It is no use, human. She has teleported somewhere far.”

“Teleportation? You can do that too?” asked the alien.

“We can do much things with our magic that I suppose you can’t do without your technology,” she whistled some air out, “now, where to begin.. ah, yes. What art though name?” she asked politely.

“Uh… no need to be so formal with me. I’m Ronald. Ronald Wilson Reagan. President of the United States. Mr. Reagan is formal enough to me, but I’m usually fine and tolerant to those who simply call me Reagan.” he gave a chill smile, attempting to beam up with tall posture to look his part.

“Impressive. Though I’m certainly confused of how I haven’t heard of you or your country. There are humans I’ve seen, but had never stated their correlation with a ‘United States’.” responded the Moon Monarch, eye brow raised.

“Other humans?” the human now known as ‘Ronald Reagan’ eagerly jumped in right after she spoke.

“Ah, yes, you must be interested in these other humans.”

“Interested? I thought our people were the only ones who escaped the aftermath of the apocalypse!”

“The apocalypse… ah yes. The one that unfortunately destroyed your planet. Such a shame. All those innocent souls burnt to a crisp.”

“Yeah, it’s not a joy to remember. Especially because I take responsibility. But back to the other humans, who do they state their allegiance with? Maybe it could be a major ally of ours.”

“Hm… something.. Union… oh, right. I think it was ‘Souliet Union’? I’m sure you know them. Perhaps they were a great friend of yours.” Luna gave a warm smile, that lowered into a neutral expression waiting for ‘Ronald Reagan’ to respond. His mouth was partly open, his eyes wide and dilated. Was he scared? Or just shocked?

“Soviet Union,” muttered the human.

"Is there something wrong with this 'Souliet Union'?" asked the princess.

"E-eh... eh-yes! Communists. Killed everyone and ignored our attempts to communicate with them. They destroyed us all. They destroyed our planet!" hissed Reagan.

"Th-them? The 'Souliet Union'? I simply won't believe this. I know they were sincere in their kindness. This.. failure in communication you mentioned... maybe it was something else? Maybe they were willing to negotiate but something had happened?”

“Everyday I partially hope that was the case, and their could still be hope in our relationship, but that simply isn’t likely. Soviets have backstabbing personalities I assure you. I know we just met but.. do me a favor, keep an eye on the bastards? I don’t trust them one bit.”

"Hm..." she paused, "your wish is granted, on the condition that you must forgive them if they mean nothing but apologies for the past," she ordered firmly.

Reagan stopped for a moment to consider the idea. He then answered.

"Alright, sure. But the deal is signed, you won't break it." he gave a stonewall glance back at her.

She nodded to this.

"I will go now, stay safe. We will discuss current matters in the future."

After that, she disappeared out the building, flying into the night sky as the full moon shined itself upon the earth.

Chapter 5: Help From Who?

"This is CBS currently broadcasting your latest American news. As of right now, the president of the Federal Republic, Ronald Reagan, is now carrying out a press conference to the people out of stasis and are currently living their new lives in the partially constructed Washington D.E."

The camera panned to the president walking into the room full of reporters. Cameras flashed as he walked up to the podium and adjusted the microphone to his comfort. The audience spanning of a number near sixty men and women, some even being ponies, all took to their seats and waited for the president to speak.

"Hiya, America." he said, putting his hand up to signify his greeting towards the crowd. "I'd like to say, that today will be noted as the first press conference in the next American generation. Not only is it a new generation, but a new, clean, fresh age where humankind, along with their allies, friends, and benefactors, can prosper in its privileged way of life." he said before clearing his throat.

"Now, before I tackle some questions heading my way, I'd like to introduce you to our guest, Princess Luna, Head Administrator of the Equestrian Parliament, the Princess of the Moon, and the sister of Princess Celestia.”

“Greetings all.” she faintly smiled, waving at the crowd.

“Now, have you been to a press conference before, your honor?”

“You don’t have to speak to me that way. A simple ma’am would do for me. And yes, I have been to a press conference. We Equestrians have magivisions. They can broadcast a viewing of the conference around the country. Though the amount of magic it needs to operate is costly when used around the country, so watching these broadcasts are strictly limited.” she said.

“Well, your magivisions sound a lot like a television. Except for the magic. It just uses electricity.”

“Oh really? Well, consider me interested.” she smiled.

"Now, I believe it is the time we answer some questions--"

“Mr. President, are you saying we’ll be working with these extraterrestrial beings in order to continue the American legacy?”

“Do you believe these creatures should be trusted?”

“Will we ever live to see a new prosperous nation?”

“What will happen to our old homes?”

“What about the natives here?”

The reporters swarmed the president with questions. He had experienced this. Many times. Yet he could never get used to it. He had no better choice other than firmly answering—

“Look, I can only answer one at a time. Please take turns. And please let me talk.” he sighed.

The reporters quieted down, seeming to be waiting for another response. The man noticed this, and quickly continued.

“I know everyone here is eager to know these things, but frankly, I don’t know the answers for any of these questions. I ask for no one to expect me to hold the right ideas always. I decide first, not do first, not choose first, nor act first. So in that case,—-“

—TV flashes off—

“Hello workers of the administration. We now hold the first discussion of the cabinet.” he stopped, producing an awkward period of silence in the room.

“So, Mr. President,” asked Rosette, one of the cabinet members stationed in the -under construction White House-.

“Can I ask something to any of you?” questioned the president.

His administration sat quietly, waiting for the president to continue.

“Does something new require something different in order to keep up with the changes?”
he asked vaguely.

The cabinet members murmured in conversation before again, sitting quietly for the president to move on.

“Joe? I’ll ask you. Does something completely new, require something in adaptation for it to operate under completely new circumstances?” he repeated again.

“I’m afraid I don’t fully understand what you’re asking.”

Reagan paused for a second. Thinking of a new way to ask the question.

“Do you need to adapt to new environments in order to survive?” Reagan questioned.

Joe responded, “Yes. Mr. President.”

“Alright. In an event you are found in a completely alien situation, rendering all of your methods unable to work, do you make new methods in order to not make the same mistakes, or to prevent mistakes?”

The cabinet began to understand what he was trying to explain.

“Yes. Mr. President. I think we understand where you’re going with this.”

“That’s great. If so, then does America require new policies to adjust to its current position and issues?” Reagan responded.

“Yes.” Joe answered with understanding.

“Then what do suggest? Anyone?”

There was a pause in the room. Then a member answered.

“Well, right now, we’re facing a citizenship problem. Are there any thoughts you have on that, Mr. Reagan?

“Ah, that there is something I hoped you were gonna ask. Any ideas on how to act on it?”

“Well, I suggest we integrate them into our society. What makes America superior to others is its multiracial population. Unity is in our name; it’s what makes us strong.” he answers.

“I don’t have any kind of criticism on this idea.”

“I believe this concept is worth note. I just think we don’t have to rush the approach though. It’s best to believe staying safe from pulling the strings of our current shape of society would remove any worthy risks of integration.” noted a man named Robert.

“Speaking of rushing, are we bringing in civilians too quickly?” asked the president, hands together.

“Oh, Mr. President that is nothing to worry about. I don’t believe it is overpopulated yet.”

“MR. REAGAN? I DEMAND YOUR POLICY! THIS LAND IS OVERPOPULATED. —- GOD! LET GO YOU TWO FACED BASTARDS!” said a familiar voice. The doors swung open as a man in a navy blue coat and a black hat barged into the doors of the office.

“DICK! GET BACK HERE YOU LUNATIC!” shouted behind him, came another man in a formal suit covered by a black coat.

The security stationed in the White House grabbed onto the former president and began to drag him back.

“Security, cease your doings.” ordered Reagan.

The men grabbing onto the man stepped back as he flailed his arms.

“Get off me you slimy crooks!” shouted the man.

“Dick Nixon? Is that you?” inquired the sitting president.

“You! Mr. Reagan, explain. You’re reeling in too many of us too fast!” shouted the disgruntled former president.

“Dick! Stop it you fool! That’s the president!” shouted an outraged Gerald Ford.

“What the? How did you two get in here anyways?!”

“Just like everyone else in this hell hole!” spouted Nixon.

“Dick, stop it!”

“Shut up Ford. I’m obtaining answers.”

“Richard Nixon? What do you want?”

“What do I want?! Hm.. let’s see… I demand a place in your cabinet!” he demanded.

“Dick are you crazy?!”

“Crazy as what? Talking horses? Being on a different planet? Magic? Flying? Truly democratic monarchies?!”

“Besides all that damn stuff!”

“Well, there is 1 person sitting and that’s you! There should be 26 people!”

“One, two, three, four, five, six, se— there are actually 19 people here.”

“Exactly my point. Wait what?! Reagan are your eyes cleared? Or are you just hallucinating. There are no other people.”

“You—-“

“So, as I was saying—”

“You’re calling me a hallucinogenic—“

“I am gonna sit here right now, and you’re gonna let me sit here right no—”

“—Why don’t you ever have anything reasonable to say for fucks sake—“

“Mr. Reagan,” intervened Clara.

“I’m talking.”

Clara scowled.

“I will be working for… this great one called: the Department of Global Affair—“

“—And what does this ‘Department of Global Affairs’ bring to the deck, exact—“

“Well! We try and understand global affairs, and solve the problems! The United States must set itself as a dominant power on the world stage, and therefore we should be further exploring our surroundings, including our own neighbors!”

“Dick, you didn’t answer my questio—.”

“And yet you’re so incompetent you can’t even fix your own country!”

“Say that agai—“

“I’m saying you’re a clown who should go back to cinema, your presidential career is the literal embodiment of a joke, and your policies have a desire for Hoover’s-dick.”

The table gasped.

“Excuse me!—-“

“HOOVER. DICK.” shouted Nixon again.

“Nixon you klutzy bastard!” shouted Ford.

“There are horses rioting outside, Ronald Mcdonald! If I were president I would be signing amendments and bills left and right to appease the population. Just like the African American population in 69’! Wait, what in Uncle Sam’s hell happened to your eye?” he asked out of sentence.

“None of your business! It’s not even important! Now if you don’t have anything else more useful to say, I’ll be seeing you never!”

“You are an absolute long necked cock sucking asshole bastard! I’m watching you! You self proclaimed ‘president’!” Nixon bolted out the door while Ford pursued behind along with a bunch of security.

“Are you alright Mr. President?”

“I’m fine I’m fine. Let’s just conti—“

He stopped as he turned his head and saw nobody near him.

Twilight continued packing her books about politics in her saddlebag. Spike watched with uncertainty as she did so.

“Twilight, are you sure this is necessary? I feel like you’re pushing the humans when they have internal issues we should let them solve first.”

“Like what? I feel as though the pony riots on the blocks of the streets have been well enough attention to integrate them more! They should add ponies to cabinet! Give them every a human has!”

“I don’t know Twilight…”

“Spike, this is socially unfair for our ponies! I don’t care if you don’t think it’s right, I’m going there and giving Mr. Reagan a pep talk!”

The alicorn hadn’t noticed AJ and Rarity standing there and watching her.

“Twilight, darling, I don’t think you should be dictating the human president’s decisions.” advised Rarity.

“Ye’ Twah’. It doesn’t seem that fair on his side at all. Them humans elected him, Ah’ think he’s trying to all he can. We have no idea what is going on there. Take our advices and try not to get in his face about that political stuff.”

Twilight stood there, completely still. As if she weren’t alive.

“Twilight?” asked Spike, poking her in the hoof as Twilight vaporized into thin air. She had used one of her spells to slow the vision of her down until she had left.

“Ah for hill’s sake. Classic Twah’.”

“Should we follow her?”

“Ah’ believe it’s too late. He is done for…” deadpanned AJ.

“Mr. President, someone wants to speak with you.”

“I’m busy. Tell them to come back later.”

“Seriously, Mr. President, this one is tormenting the staff with utter bullshit! Oh god she-“

“I’ll have you know, I’ve read over a hundred politically scientific books stating theoretical concepts of ideological economic and social opinions on hundreds of factional representations on the political spectrum. I have already confirmed that your president is right-wing just by the way he straightens and polishes his suit! Now as the Princess of Friendship I demand to speak to your manag- I mean president on the matter of pony kind and their integration to your ‘democratic’ society. I have organized an entire three hour essay on why you shouldn’t judge ponies because they look different to you humans, and just in case your president forgot human anatomy, I made a complete diagram of the human body as convenient as it could possibly be. And if he doesn’t open the door, I have an eight hour longer version with 10x explicit detail. And if that doesn’t work, I have a 35x explicit explanation with complete diagrams on every two pages. And to remind you, I have PHDs in magical studies, quadratics, and physics, I have degrees in political and social theories, historical, scientific studies, theory of organic chemistry, as well as majors in mathematical logic, physical chemistry and genetics and biology and-“

Reagan opened the door, unable to take the constant rambling.

“Thank you Mrs, I’ll take it from here.” the president smiled while motioning Twilight to enter.

“Come in, come in, have a seat Mrs.”

Red Dawn

“Commence training operation.” said Macmillan.

“Start the training men.” said Victor.

“Yes, sir.”

“Understood comrade.”

The shiny brand M1 Abrams drove through the fields of Germany. From some few Kilometers away were thirty eight T-72A tanks going straight to them. Both platoons of tanks were equipped with hundreds of supporting infantry. German, British, French, and American troops for one side, while the other side had a mostly Soviet group, though also varying of East German, Polish, Hungarian, and Romanian forces.

It was 7:55 PM CET, November 10th, 1982. It was the eve of Veteran’s Day, along with St. Martin’s Day. The NATO and Warsaw Pact forces closed in on each other. Once they made contact with one another, it wasn’t hostility that filled the group, it was confusion.

“Hello? Do you understand me?” asked Colonel Bill.

“Американцы? Привет? Что, черт возьми, происходит?”

“Sorry, sorry, I don’t understand you!”

“Не думаю, что американец нас понимает.”

“Vhat is happen? Vhy ve stop?” asked the German lieutenant.

“There are Russians. Why are there Russians? What the fuck is happening? Someone call Macmillan!”

“Чтобы сохранить огонь! Чтобы сохранить огонь!-“

CRACK! CRACK CRACK! CRACK!

“OPEN FIRE!” cut off the Colonel.

His M16 went guns blazing. The rest of the soldiers followed suit as well.

“ПОЖАР НА НИХ! УБЕЙ ИХ!”

Both sides opened up on each other. Despite extreme competency for military experience by both sides, the East outnumbered the Western forces by 3:1.

“FALL BACK! FALL BACK!”

The NATO soldiers ran towards the nearby town to fortify their position. The M1 Abrams’ traversed quickly behind them.

“SIR, THIS IS COLONEL BILL, WE’RE UNDER ATTACK BY RUSSIAN FORCES! SEND REINFORCEMENTS! SEND REINFORCEMENTS!”

”WHAT?! WHAT?! OH NO OH CHRIST! I CAN’T BELIEVE WE ACCIDENTALLY STARTED A WAR! LOOK, JUST RETREAT TO THE NEARBY TOWN AND STAY PUT!”

”ROGER!

“Why did they fire at us?!” shouted the Soviet Lieutenant.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!”

The soldiers paused. Listening to the sound of crackling explosions in the night sky.

“Wait, do you guys see that?!” shouted the corporal, pointing at a colorful flair of lights.

“What the—… oh no…” said the Colonel.

“What?! What?!”

“They fired at us… they fired at us, because they thought the fireworks were…” he stopped.

Everyone in the group became wide eyed in realization.

“Gunfire…”

“Sir, everyone is celebrating. Why is everyone celebrating?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“It’s eve of Saint Martin’s. Also it is veteran’s day tomorrow is it not?”

The Colonel stopped, then realized what was going on. Those weren’t explosions or gunfire, those were firecrackers and fireworks!

“Oh shit! We fired at them! We started a war because of fireworks! Someone call the higher ups! Call off the airstrike!”

“You called in an airstrike?!”

“You would too if Russians attacked you!”

“Look! It’s too late!”

On the horizon of the orange and pink sky, an F-15E dived and quickly pulled up, dropping its payload of explosives on the Russians who were shouting and approaching them with swaying arms.
After the attack that killed their fellow comrades, the Russians opened fire at them in retaliation. Soon, the fields of Germany became a battlefield. A building on the right was obliterated by the 125 MM Soviet cannon. The German civilians who were once celebrating were now screaming in terror.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

NATO forces opened fire their anti tank weapons at the Soviet armor. A Russian with an RPG fired at the house some soldiers were in, causing the roof to collapse.

“OH SHIT!” shouted the colonel, jumping out the window. The others followed suit.
The colonel started to run at the firing Russians.

“STOP! STOP EVERYONE STOP! SURRENDER SURRENDER PEACE PEACE!” shouted the colonel to the Soviets.

CRACK! CRACK CRACK! CRACK!

The colonel fell to the floor. The German and American soldier following him opened fire, but were cut down as well.

The small group of Russians met up with the rest of the group and had pushed to through town. But because of constantly being bombarded by American close air support, the group split and spread out so that they were harder targets to attack. A corporal holding his STRELA MANPADS locked onto the low flying F-15 and let loose his missile. The jet that was spraying a rapidly firing auto cannon at them had now been engulfed with an explosion and later crashed into the forest.

Once Eastern forces came to a close distance from the line of houses, gunfire had opened up again.

An American soldier mounted an M60 LMG and started mowing down the now scrambling Eastern infantry.

A BMP who was escorting the T-72s fired its 25 MM shells loaded with high explosive at the machine gunner. The gunfire support ceased as the building had been completely leveled.

An anti-tank soldier ran out a building aimed at a Russian tank. Once he got a clear shot at the thing, he fired the M47 Dragon that was propped on his back at the T-72 gunning down the buildings full of fellow NATO forces.

The T-72 was struck in the area housing ammunition racks, and thus popped off into an explosion of bright colors as every single round detonated.

Soon, the sky had become its own war-zone as well. An armada of AH-64D Longbows eventually had emerged from the horizon, while on the other end, a group of helicopters consisting of Mi-24 Hinds also flew in. The aircraft set fired on each other as well as the enemy ground units.

Tanks had now steamed into the battle, other armored vehicles as well.
Above all that, fighter jets battled out each other high in the sky.
F-15s and MIG-23s circled the battlefield as howitzer shells from nearby artillery units completely bombarded the German countryside. After the dust cleared, everything was completely dark and dusty, craters flooded the once beautiful fields.

Ballistic missiles were let loose at 03:00 hours two days later. Though these missiles weren’t armed with nuclear warheads.
Both sides have been cautiously avoiding the use of nuclear warheads during the new European war.

Not wanting nuclear annihilation, America had stated of their non involvement with the conflict. They had stated to be sending volunteer forces/ military advisors under the command of other European forces to kick out the communist threat. Alongside the USA, Britain revealed its indirect involvement as well. The rest of NATO was now outraged by this abandonment, and quickly made an authorization to create a new factional alliance and completely leave out the United States and Great Britain for declining their call to arms.

Reagan, along with Thatcher had lost a significant amount of credibility for their actions, although Reagan had guaranteed that if the Soviets were to continue to escalate the war in Europe, he’d take immediate actions against them. Though, this couldn’t keep NATO from losing all jurisdiction and competence, as well as the United Nations for not stepping in. But, at least the world would (for now) stay clear of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). And therefore, an invasion of North America would be a violation statement. So, in other words, absolutely no one expected the Soviets to completely disregard these statements and declarations, that was, until November 18th, 1983.

”I… I hear something like machines. Very loud machines. It sounded like.. I sounded like a huge explosion. And there’s this huge freaking boat just floating a few miles away. I can see it with my binoculars… it- it seems to be unloading something.”

“Understood. We’ll sound out some officers to investigate.”

“Any idea what that boat may be doing?” asked Grahm.

“No idea.”

“Nothing seems wrong, it’s just sitting there. Unloading something. We’ll have to call helicopters in.”

“Yeah. Okay, let’s pull out then. We’ll just have to wait for someone else to come.”

”Hey, we’re gonna need some kind of aircraft. We aren’t getting any kind of development with that unknown ship. Over.”

”Roger. Sending chopper.

The driver twisted the keys and started the car. But, he could barely hear the faint sound of helicopters buzzing.

“How’d they already come?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

Then, suddenly, from the docks, emerged a Soviet attack helicopter. It fired its front primary cannon at the car, missing. The car swerved back to get the hell out of there, the officer sitting beside the driver frantically buzzing on the radio.

”I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A JOKE, AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK. I REPEAT, AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK! SEATTLE IS BEING RAIDED BY HOSTILE SOVIET HELICOPTER. SEND BACKUP-“

A BTR emerged from the water, crashing into many storage crates, firing high explosive auto cannon shells that just missed the car as it fled.

”I REPEAT! SEATTLE IS BEING INVADED BY SOVIET FORCES. SEND IN BACKUP!”

The car hastily retreated from the Seattle dry docks, where the Soviet invasion force now started to begin unpacking their equipment. ZSU’s lined up on the parking lot, firing at the circling helicopters. 20 minutes later, MIG fighter jets boomed over the city. Civilians screamed as they flooded out the buildings and onto the streets. Police cars drove through the abandoned metropolis. T-64’s airdropped by planes leveled the buildings, coaxial machine gunners fired at the cops. The pistols and M16s the police were armed with couldn’t work anything against the Soviet armor. Seattle had become under siege as American forces arrived to relieve the police forces bravely fighting off the Russian attackers.

American troop presence strengthened two months later. Armored reinforcements made advancements beyond the Northwest became stale, and with so many men fighting on the front lines, Nuclear War was suicide. The war already had progress. So no one was to end it. Protests not surprisingly sprung out across the world. These protests soon escalated to riots. The world was under civil unrest. And around the planet, authorities gunned down these rioters. It was war. War was happening. They had no patience for complainers. This anger became distrust, the distrust became anger, and this anger became lust. The lust for revenge. Revenge with blood. Hundreds of uprising broke out simultaneously all over Earth. The world entered its darkest period in history.

Chapter 1: Please… Tell Me This is a Bad Dream...

Reagan starting limping through the flat landscapes of the area. The lush green nature filled with trees and flowing grass, the sky was clear and blue, it would've been a perfect day on Earth. Sadly, though, there would never be a moment like that ever again. Earth was gone. And hopefully, the corrupt leaders with it. Upon climbing over the hill, he saw a vehicle and a man, seemingly a patrol or something.

The man rushed to the fellow human that was hopefully an American. He nearly fell down the hill. Once he approached him, the man near the jeep who was holding a walkie-talkie, turned his head and saw the former president rushing towards him. He flinched.

"Oh-ho, shit. Mr. President you scared me for a moment there." said he.

He put the radio to his mouth and spoke again.

"Hold on just a moment, I got someone interesting here. Over."

After lowering the walkie-talkie from his mouth he smiled and saluted to the president.

Reagan panted, panted and panted. He stood himself up with a metal bar attached to the jeep.

"Pleasure to meet you in person... Mr. President...?" he continued, a bit confused by the usually charismatic president's lack of talking.

"Thanks. I wish the situation was better as well." said Reagan, his voice was rough.

“Well, hop in. We'll get you somewhere safe. You obviously need it. Look at you! My god."

"Yeah. Chopper accident."

"Obviously."

The president hopped onto the back seat of the jeep, and the vehicle started rolling again.

"Uh yes, this is Brian, I've found Mr. Reagan. I um.. I'm gonna continue the task and hopefully we'll make it back in one piece. Over."

"Are you mad, Brian? What if there are some hostile aliens that kill the VIP?" said the man on the radio.

"We'll just stay more hidden next time." he joked.

"You have to bring the VIP back to base, soldier, that's an order."

"Look, I promise I will bring him back and not in shards." he answered.

"You know what? Fine. Fuck you, I'm not taking any responsibility for the death of Ronald Reagan. Over and out."

The soldier sighed before lowering his radio. The rest of the ride was quiet.

Ronald thought to himself of how strange it was to see infrastructure paved down here. Did the military already put down roads this quickly? What'd he miss? Or.. could this mean that there were other forms of intelligent beings native to this planet? The thought of that was both scary and very intriguing.

"Hey uh, Mr. Brian," Reagan said, holding onto the outer bars of the jeep.

"Call me Lieutenant Brian." he responded before returning to his driving.

"Right, hey uh Lieutenant Brian, have you yet noticed that there is infrastructure here?" his voice was still scratchy.

The soldier turned his head before stopping the car. He turned to the side to see the ground.

"Holy shit." he muttered before rushing to his radio.

"Colonel Keith, this is Lieutenant Brian speaking, it seems there are some form of infrastructure here. It really looks man made. I don’t think we’re the only sentient life forms here. Over."

"Oh for fucks sake... copy. Just keep going on with your mission, see if there's anything else that seems peculiar. Keep Reagan safe. Over."

"Copy, over and out." he said before lowering his radio again. They continued to drive for a bit, until--

SCEEEEEEE!

The tires squealed to a halt, bumping both riders in the back.

"Look." the soldier simply answered.

The rider stared the same direction he was pointing to and saw something that blew their minds to bits. A bunch of multicolored pastel horses of some sort, walking around town and acting like humans. It was a town full of sentient horses.

"Holy... shit..." muttered Reagan.

Lieutenant Brian picked up the radio for the hundredth time and spoke.

"Colonel, there are horses. Rainbow horses." he didn't even end his words with an over.

"Repeat that please? I swear I heard you say 'rainbow horses'" he responded.

"No, you didn't hear me incorrectly, there are literal, pastel multicolored ponies... pastel multicolored sentient ponies."

"Lieutenant, are you high? Over."

"Wish I was. Over."

"Is Reagan there? Let him speak to me."

The lieutenant handed the radio to Reagan. Reagan spoke into it.

"Look, what your Lieutenant here is saying... all of it... all of it is true. I can see it with my own eyes."

"What... the... fuck..."

The group went silent for a moment, only for some unknown voice interrupted the moment of processing.

"H-hello?" said a female voice. The two humans turned their heads to the source, and, to their 'totally not insane minds', was one of the multi colored horses. The multicolored small horse, spoke and English word. Maybe it was just a coincidence, and it only sounded like she greeted them.

"D-do you speak.. Ponish?" asked the horse. It's (assuming was a her) skin.. or fur was purple. Her hair was some dark blue with streaks of pink and purple. It surely was impressive to have hair like that naturally. Upon further inspection, Reagan could see a horn at the top of her head. Was she a unicorn? Reagan asked to himself. And looking more, he could see a pair of wings, same color as her fur. It had purple feathers. Like a pegasus. This horse lady thing was... a mythical creature of some sort. Holy shit, and to top that off, she could talk. Unlike the other humans with him, Reagan dealt the feeling of absolute astonishment by accepting the fact that he was here, in a multicolored horse world full of sentient talking mythical creatures that could speak English.

This is a fever dream. he thought. This literally is a fever dream oh my god.

"Please... please tell me this is just a bad dream and I'll wake up in a perfectly normal Earth that hasn't experienced a nuclear war." groaned Reagan.

"Yeah uh-umm... I'm afraid this is quiet real Mr. Alien sir." said the purple winged magical horse, "and what about nuclear war?"

"Hold on, did you ask us if we spoke 'Polish'?" asked Reagan.

"N-no, d-do you s-speak Ponish? What's 'Polish'?" she asked.

"Polish is a language in Europe. And... Ponish, like 'pon' as in pony?" said Reagan.

"Y-yeah, we call ourselves p-ponies... and.. well.. I think it's safe to say you aren't a pony... or a griffon... or a hippogriff or changeling or yak or dragon--"

"Yeah, uh, we're not mythical creatures, ma'am." interrupted Reagan, "we're not even from here."

"Yeah.. wait what? Mythical?”

“Well obviously you're completely unaware of human culture....”

“What are you then? And if you're not from here, or this planet at all, how come you speak perfect Ponish?" said the female pony, her voice becoming more collected and less nervous.

"On our planet we call the language we're currently speaking English... and for that other question, we're humans." answered Reagan.

The other men were still frozen in shock by the talking horse, and so they let the former president do all the talking for them while they continue to gape their mouths open with pure confusion.

"Does the other 'human' with you talk as well?" asked the female pony.

"He's probably just dumfounded right now.. he'll be fine in a matter of time." he rested his head in his right hand. He then sighed.

"Okay... then.... well here's my last question, why are you here? And how in Equestria did you get here? Woops, those are two questions, whatever, you know what I mean." she spoke, waving a hoof like a human with animated expressions with hands.

"For the first one, we... had a huge war that... practically destroyed our planet. We.. escaped from there to here. And for the second question, I have no idea. We just came here or something, I don't even think we knew where we were supposed to end up." he responded, putting his hands together into a fist.

"Oh... okay then... thanks for the information... uh..." she said, not knowing his name.

"Reagan. Ronald Reagan." he answered, "and you are?"

"uh... oh! Me? I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle." she told.

"Princess, like, some leader?" asked the president.

"Yeah, but my friends just call me Twilight.”

“Okay Princess Twilight Sparkle, if we’re speaking formally then I guess I’d have to introduce myself fully.” he said, “I’m President Ronald Reagan of the United States of America. That's actually what other people call me. Please don't call me that. I don't deserve the title.”

“Why? What did you do to be so critical on yourself?"

"I blame myself for the war."

"Why?"

"Look, sweetheart, as much as I'm used to answering a shitload of questions, right now isn't a good time. So please,"

He motioned to the driver to get moving.

"Brian, take me to the base, I think you can conclude your patrol right now."

"uh-uhhh yes sir..." he stammered, before driving the car away from the town, headed supposedly to the headquarter base of operations or whatnot. As they approached the base, or home camp, the man could see a bunch of construction workers building something.

Brian swerved into a patchy lot of vehicles.

Reagan walked into the largest tent, which was obviously the main headquarters.
Everybody that he walked passed stopped and saluted before going about their tasks. He approached a room full of people, these ones wearing attire and not military uniforms. He'd figured this was somewhere he could ask some questions and finally get to work. As he entered the room, everyone talking turned and greeted him.

"Ah, Mr. Reagan. Glad we can see you at this time." welcomed a man.

"Hello. So, I got a question,"

"Yes?"

"How many people made it over the threshold?" inquired Reagan.

"uh... about... about 70.. 70-100 million Americans, Canadians, Central Americans, Mexicans, and South Americans." he responded.

For a total number of people, that was certainly a lot, but when it came to two continents combined, that was an extremely small number. And all those people under one rule. Didn't seem fair but they couldn't do anything about it at the current moment, but Reagan swore to himself that they'd get their own way of governing themselves once they've settled and adapted to the current situations. But, that didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. After all, there are apparently talking multicolored magical flying horses who are sentient roaming around this land. It wouldn't be a surprise if there wasn't any place they can expand their territories to in order to provide land to the non-American survivors. And he could remember the purple horse mentioning a bunch of other mythical creatures. There must be multiple sentient races. He instantly thought. Today couldn't have been crazier and chaotic than it already was.

Yesterday wasn't crazier than it had been once he travelled to a mythical land, but that doesn't say that today was either.
It wasn't exactly a 'bad' day, but it was a chaotic one indeed. There was so much going on in his face that Reagan felt like his head was gonna pop. But, after a while of having nothing to do for the time being, Ronald decided that it’d be reasonable to get some level of understanding between this world. He is bound to get a truckload of that if he continues to pursue conversations with this princess. Maybe the 'pony' could help us. And to Reagan, the creature seemed sincerely peaceful, and he was confident that in no way was she gonna be a threat to humanity as long as he and his nation don’t get aggressive and unreasonable to her or her people (for obvious reasons).

Since the nation was temporarily under a military junta, Reagan had to gain permission from the generals currently running the country to get authorization to leave. In this state of the nation, he was like everyone else when it came to freedoms and rights. The man approached a medium sized tent with the words “ARMY COUNCIL” etched into any flat surface.
He entered the room and found (to his expectations) multiple generals discussing issues.

"Mr. Reagan? It's great to see you're still alive."

"Barely..." he muttered to himself.

"Do you need something?"

"I want a shower."

Celestia was sipping her morning tea as per usual.
Luna was munching on her pancakes that Celestia made. It had been a quiet morning, a calm morning. Nothing had them stressed or worked up that day. That was, until a guard frantically ran to them urgently.

“Prin-princesses! There-there have been ali-aliens appearing all over Equus! A huge group of them have just appeared near P-Ponyville, all the way to the southern coast!” he panted, “and more have appeared on the Northwest near Leneighrad!”

Celestia stared at him. Luna as well. Had he said aliens? There are beings from other planets, maybe universes that just appeared out of nowhere? She had to get to the bottom of this.

“Tia, what do we do?” asked her sister.

“Guard, inform the Equestrian armed forces to send a small task force to Ponyville. Send another to Leneighrad. Quickly.” she ordered, still sipping her tea.

“Yes my princess.” said the guard before turning back and shutting the door.

Luna finished her pancakes, she put her dishes in a stacked pile before going back to her seat to continue drinking her coffee.

“What do you think will happen?” asked Luna nonchalantly.

Celestia turned her head to Luna.

“Hopefully they can reason properly.” she said before going back to her tea.

Construction was extremely productive currently, and houses were already being finished using the natural abundance of clay found in the area for bricks. Production wasn’t rushed, however. They didn’t want their hard work to come crashing down. Tank equipment have been reactivated, and the army has starting to organize militias. Everything was going to plan, when the sound of vehicles moving could be heard from the distance. The workers stopped their building to peer over what the sound came from, and in a matter of time, on the horizon, were hundreds of vehicles. Trucked, jeeps, and some APCs. The soldiers marching alongside them though, caught them even more by surprise. They were the horse creatures Reagan had encountered earlier. And they’ve… somehow seized the equipment from other Allied bases? Why were their weaponry so similar to Western weaponry? The only difference for their equipment was the guns. They looked like M16s, but with weird grips. They held their rifles with one hoof. Their helmets were similar to those of a basic Allied soldier, though it had mostly British similarities. The soldiers waiting at the base stood there, staring at the alien creatures with human-like weaponry.

The task force stopped close to the gate where the American soldiers stood.

“Hello? Do you speak Ponish?” asked the voice.

“Ponish? No, we speak English.” said the colonel walking near the aliens.

“You’re speaking Ponish,” said the pony.

“We’re speaking English. And so are you.” responded the colonel.

The pony sighed and continued to talk.

“Look, we can continue to argue and get nowhere, or make progress in relations between our species.”

The colonel paused.

“Continue,”

“Okay, well, we mean no harm. Equestria seeks peace in this world. But you have to promise us that you will be of no threat to the nation. We don’t suggest you to disarm your nation, but to only use these weapons of yours as self defense.”

“Well first of all, we’re the United States. Nobody bosses us around. And second, we don’t attack anyone unless if they’re attacking us or our friends.” said the colonel, ignoring mentions of U.S intervention, “and, to ask you a question, why do you have our weapons?” shouted the colonel.

“Your weapons? These are our weapons. We made them. What the tartarus are you talking about?”

“That’s a Patton.” said the colonel pointing at the Equestrian tank.

“That’s a Luna.” deadpanned the pony.

“That’s a Patton, stop pretending that you made it, it’s ours!”

“Look, maybe this is some misunderstanding. What if we created our weapons and had no idea that they were exact clones of each other? This could be some huge coincidence.”

“You really believe that?”

“And you believe that we somehow travelled to your world and stole your tech?”

“Well what else am I supposed to believe?”

“Alright what the hell is going on here?” shouted Major General Macmillan.

“Sir, these horses stole our tech.”

“Ponies.” corrected the pony soldier.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” said Macmillan, “this is incredible.”

He walked up to the pony tank and inspected it.

“The possibilities of nearly exact clones of technology…” he went on.

“Excuse me sir, as much as it is disappointing to say, but we came here to discuss, not to show off.”

“Oh, right…” said the general before walking back.

“So now that we’re all on the same page, what are you?” asked the pony, “and why can you speak Ponish so fluently?”

“I’m not sure what this Ponish you’re talking about, but we’re speaking English here.”

By the time this had already spun out, Reagan had been watching the strange exchange.
Reagan walked up to the two discussing.

“I think there is somehow a strange connection between our languages, general.” he pointed out.

“Right, well, to continue,” he said, “are you a nation of free will and equality?”

“Very much so. It is what we’ve believed in for thousands of years.”

“Damn, that’s great. You boys must have very sympathetic leaders.”

“Yeah. We’ve had them for hundreds of years.”

The humans stood there, mouths gaping open in shock.

“They’ve lived for hundreds of years?” repeated the general.

“Yes? What of it?”

“We… in our world immortality is impossible.”

“Well, you must be missing out on a whole new level of magic.”

“You have magic?”

“Of course we do. You don’t?”

The humans stood silently.

“On behalf of the Equestrian nation, we ask the reason of your presence here.”

“We escaped from our home world after a war that destroyed everything.”

This time it was the pony’s turn to gasp in shock.

“A war that destroyed your planet?” he repeated.

“Yeah. We used nuclear weapons on each other. It destroyed most of the planet, and the remaining population evacuated to a strange new world. And, I guess you know the rest.”

“Oh… that’s… incredibly sad, I apologize for being so aggressive.”

“No worries we’ve seen worse.”

“Does your nation mean peace?”

“Yes. We stand as the bastion of democracy. Equality and free will is our groove.”

“That’s great to hear. Do you think your leaders can be able to come to our capital city and discuss diplomacy with our leaders?” asked the pony.

“Uh, sure just not anytime soon. We can’t really be by anyone for too long. We have radiation poisoning.”

“Radiation poisoning? You have been poisoned by radiation?”

“From the bombs.”

“Oh dear. Perhaps we can help you find a cure.”

“That’s great and all, but do your people have experience with atomic energy and all that stuff?”

“We are aware of its existence, and we know its benefits and its consequences as well.”

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try. But your scientists have protective equipment right?”

“Yeah. For at least a decade we’ve been experimenting on it. But we’ve been cautious. Very, very cautious.”

“Okay then. It was… nice meeting you? I do believe we are bound to meet again… Mr…”

“Brass.” he said nonchalantly.

“Alright Mr. Brass. My name is Macmillan. Good day?”

“Good day.” he smiled.

The small task force then left the compound. Both sides were still confused on the matter.

“Twilight? Twilight what happened?” asked the yellow pegasus, knocking on her door.

“Fluttershy? Great to hear you! Quickly, come inside!”

The door opened and Twilight grabbed Fluttershy with magic and dragged her in.

“What did those creatures do?” she asked.

“They talked! They spoke Ponish! They were pretty formal as well. Except, it was only one. The others, he said, were very shocked. To shocked to talk. This is great! I’ve had Spike write it all down! I’m gonna make a book out of this!” she went on.

“Uh.. Twilight? Have you not bothered to report to Celestia that strange aliens just appeared near Ponyville?”

Twilight was still babbling until she heard Fluttershy say those words.

“Oops.” she blushed, then asked Spike to write a letter. To her surprise, Spike had face planted on the desk he was writing on.

“Don’t talk to me. I think I’ve lost it.”

“Lost what?”

Spike groaned and continued to face plant.

(Translated from Russian.)

“Move! Move! Let’s get this patrol done quickly.”

The convoy of BTRs and GAZs rumbled down the road.

“Do you think somebody else came here before us?” asked a soldier.

“I’m not sure, but there are definitely some kind of sentient creatures intelligent enough to build infrastructure.”

“Right.”

The convoy sped along before halting suddenly.

“Holy shit!” shouted the captain.

“Contact! Down the road! They look like American vehicles!”

“Hold fire, maybe they will reason with us.”

The convoy waited. They waited until a quadrupedal creature hopped out the commander port of the tank.

“Keekaa?” they said in an unknown language.

“Hello? Wait. Are you a horse?” asked the captain.

The horse-like creature stopped and turned their head to another one. They talked briefly before turning their head to them again.

“H-hello?” the horse asked in perfect Russian.

“Hello! Are you some kind of horse?”

“No! We’re ponies! What are you? You look like a hairless monkey!”

“I guess you can say that. We’re humans.”

“Okay, umm.. on behalf of the Equestrian nation, we ask only for peace between your species.”

“We’re looking for that. What are your terms?”

“T-terms? No! We’re not in a war or anything, we just want peace!”

“Oh. Right.” he said before scratching his head.

“Well, on behalf of the Soviet Union, we accept that offer. Though we ask for a piece of your land. We need it for our people.”

“We will have to ask our leaders. But as long as you mean peace, we are surely able to provide some form of land. And opening up diplomatically would be most appreciated.”

“We are sure to try. Say, this city looks a lot like Leningrad.”

“That’s because.. it is Leneighrad.”

“Leneighrad? I said Leningrad. As in the city. How do you know what Leningrad is?”

“Lenin? It’s Leneigh.”

They stopped for a moment.

“Hm… strange. It really seems… like our city names have connected ties with each other.”

“It seems so.”

There was an awkward pause.

“I’m sure Mr. Gorbachev can hold a meeting with your leaders.”

“Right. Well, are you interested in a tour?”

“I most certainly am. But I’ve been to Leningrad many times. But, it’d be interesting to compare the similarities!” he chuckled.

The soldier stared at the captain.

“Captain, you seem to be taking this whole thing well.”

“Yeah. I’ve seen weirder things in Chernobyl.”

“Princess Cadence?” asked the guard.

“Yes?”

“Reports have stated that some unknown alien species has appeared in Cadenza Plains.”

“Aliens? Can you send some kind of patrol to scout out these visitors?” she asked.

“Yes, your highness.” said the guard before closing the throne doors.

“Aliens?” repeated Shining Armor, “should I come with the patrol?”

“No. It could be dangerous. Until we figure out what’s going on I think we should keep safe.” she responded.

The British patrol had already been ordered and the scouting force was moving.

“Say, are those… ours?” asked the officer to the lieutenant.

“I’m… not sure what they’re doing.. hold it!” he ordered to the convoy, “they’re headed to us.”

The British convoy waited until they got within a talking distance to the unknown vehicles.

“Hello?” shouted the officer, “what are ya’ doing? All vehicles should be stationed at the base upon further notic-“

He paused his speaking upon seeing the pony fit through the hatch.

“Uhmm… excuse me, whoever is in there I’m not sure you’re supposed to bring a pony along for a tank ride, uh-under the British Empire we order you to station your tanks with everyone else.” he repeated.

“Excuse me, but whatever are you talking about?” asked the pony.

“Holy shit! It talks!”

“Yeah I talk, what’s the matter? You’ve never seen a pony? And I sure haven’t seen any creature like you before. What are you?”

“We’re.. humans. We’re British. Say, can your commander come out and talk with me?”

“I am the commander.”

“Haha very funny, now, chap, can you get your-“

“Seriously. I’m the commander of this patrol. We’ve been sent out here to investigate some alien appearance around here. And I think it found us first.” he joked.

“Fascinating.” he said, “talking alien ponies who can drive tanks.”

“Do you come in peace?” asked the pony, ignoring the comment.

“Yeah, we’re not really in the mood to just randomly shoot natives of a new world.”

“Sounds unlikely.” deadpanned the lieutenant.

The officer looked at him with a glare and shoved his helmet.

“Hey! What the hell?”

“Yes- yes we come in peace, now, before we discuss any further, try your best to stay away from us. We might all have radiation poisoning."

"Really?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes, really. We just went through a nuclear war that wiped our planet out. "

"Terrifying..." said the guard, "look, if you're in a position like this then I'm sure our country will show some sympathy for you. We will surely help you out as much as we can."

“That’s very generous. Thank you."

"You're the ones who just lost their planet and possibly their family. The least we can do is to stop more of your species from dying."

"Well, in that case, I guess we'll be going back. I think making contact with aliens will be enough for today."

"Yes, well, good day to you."

"Good day."

The ponies turned around and drove away.

“Say, Captain Shane, how come you’re so calm about this?” asked the Lieutenant.

“Lieutenant, war has made me accept things a normal man normally doesn’t.”