NW: A Brave New World - ARRIVAL
"How does it look Major?"
I looked down at my gun and popped the magazine out. Fifteen bullets left. I glanced down the rear sight and pulled back on the hammer. With a simple flick of my hand, the mag was back in and ready for action. My back was pressed against a bullet riddled wall and a hallway to my left is obscured by a dust cloud of broken plaster. I pulled a thermal visor out of my black and gray form fitting combat suit, slid it over my eyes, and gingerly moved to glance down the tattered remains of a hallway.
"Clear, move in." I responded via our usual encrypted link. I then turned the corner and ran down the hallway. The team and I were deep in an underground lab, well into an investigation of a man who was only referred to as Hoji. Unusual spikes in energy had been noticed in the area over the past few weeks, resulting in multiple power outages and deliveries of black market military equipment had been confirmed to the location. Half way down the hallway lights started to flicker and a violent rumbling ran through the complex.
"Woah, that sounded nasty. This is defiantly the place Major." I picked up my pace and sprinted the rest of the way. A few moments later, the silhouette of a large man stood in front of a doorway covered in smoke.
"Ready Batou? We're going in." I announced. Batou's mouth curved up in a smile and he took to the left side of the doorway and crouched down. He gripped the handle of the door and readied his pistol with the other. Our man was supposedly behind this door, now we get to find out. I gave Batou a nod of my head and he flung the door open. I fell in with Batou's motion and was in the room before Batou had the door fully open and surveyed the scene before me. A group of men wearing white lab coats were scattered around the rather small room and a large arch of metal rested against the back wall with several thick wires hooked into it. Batou was only a step behind me and both of us swept the room with our handguns. Scientist by scientist put their hands in the air and showed no resistance. There were twelve scientists in all and all looked to be in their mid-thirties.
"I believe a man named Hoji is in this room?" I asked aloud. I glanced around the room, but no one answered.
"Major!" Batou shouted. I followed his gaze and heard a dull thud. Before I could even voice a response, every scientist collapsed to the ground, one by one.
"Chief, I think you will want to see this. Ishikawa, Borma, you too. Saito, did you see anyone escaping on the surface?"
"Negative Major, but I'll keep on the lookout." Saito responded.
"So, anything interesting?" I asked as I approached the Chief. It had been a good three hours since the team had arrived and something about large device in the back of the room gave me a bad feeling. In the corner of my eye I spotted Batou approaching, probably as curious as I was.
"Well, it's not a new type of dive device as we first had thought. Hoji's writings explain it as a portal to another world. Hoji expressed how he wanted an escape from modern society and technology in his journal. He believed he could make a device that could form a link between the two worlds," Aramaki explained.
"I guess a tropical vacation wouldn't be enough for this guy, what a nut," Batou expressed with a sigh. I expected this kind of reaction from Batou, but I can't say my own was too different. Most people in Hoji's situation would probably take a vacation or perhaps drown themselves in alcohol.
"Don't knock the guy just yet, according to our findings, the thing works," Ishikawa retorted, "but it can only be used up to four times every twenty four hours. It's just a guess, but using it a fifth time in a row might be how the power outages occurred."
"What? Don't tell me you believe this crap?" Batou questioned with a frown starting to form. He then glanced around the room and let out a low groan. It probably was nonsense like Batou had said, but something caught my interest. A new world huh?
"I want to try it," I announced. It seem my statement had gotten different responses. Broma had an amused look on his face, I could see the hint of a smile on Ishikawa, the Chief look worried, and Batou's mouth was hanging open as he was probably trying to form an objection. I just stood my ground and crossed my arms, waiting for someone to break the silence.
"Major-" The Chief started before he was interrupted.
"No way! What if this thing, I don't know, sends you into the sun or something? C'mon now," Batou exclaimed while waving his hands around.
"The last reading reported that the gate was stable the last time it was used and formed a safe connection to the other side of whatever it linked to," Bruma spoke.
"We still have to catch Hoji and don't have time to wait. We have to keep in mind that he probably has a fully armed force. Now he's out there somewhere and I want to find where," I added. The Chief let out a soft sigh and put his hand to his chin. I'll admit this was a bit risky, but it wouldn't be the worst risk I ever took.
"I'd rather we spent time to prepare, but I suppose you have a point. Where ever this 'Hoji' went, he took enough black market weapons with him to start a war. Keep your com link open and make quick work with this 'Hoji'," the Chief answered.
"You've go to be kidding me! In that case I'm going too," Batou exclaimed.
"Fine by me," I retorted with a smirk. Broma must have been even more eager to try out the machine than me. As soon as I finished my sentence, a loud electronic buzzing filled the room and red lights began to flicker. A bright white light shone in the metal arch and the buzzing lowered in intensity.
"Got it! One at a time now," Broma smiled.
"Take this with you," I heard a voice sound behind me. I turned just in time to snatch a fresh mag out of the air.
"Thanks, Saito," I said to the sniper and turned my attention to the portal.
"If this man is as dangerous as we think, this will be a stealth mission. Bring Hoji back and we can force him to tell us about whatever it is he is trying to accomplish. Then the rest of the team will follow in taking out Hoji's armed force," the Chief explained.
"Understood," I answered and stepped up to the portal. I reached out a hand and touched the shimmering surface. Soft. Warm. The rest of the team looked on in anticipation. I closed my eyes and pushed the rest of my body forward, disappearing into the light.
* * *
I expected the portal to be similar to a dive. A tunnel of light connecting the two worlds together, or a plane of existence I would have to traverse to reach the new world, however, the portal was like breaking the surface of water. It was a seamless transition from one side to the next. I then felt myself falling.
I quickly twisted my body in midair and hit the ground with an audible thud. I opened my eyes to a brown room. The floor and walls were the same wooden texture and there were selves of books lined up on the walls.
My eyes then drifted over to a purple... thing. I couldn't explain it. The creature stood on four legs, had a violet fur coat, a mane or hair of deep violet and pink, and a horn atop it's head, but no animal had vibrant violet fur. I ran my scanners over the creature, but found no results. The creature had a look of surprise on its face and slowly backed away from me.
"Chief, do you read me?" No response, "Chief?"
"Umm... Hello?" The creature spoke. Instinct then took over. I quickly whipped out my CZ-100 and pointed it at the creature, but I didn't fire. I didn't know whether this thing was a child's toy or a living animal, but its movements seemed too real to be a machine. Perhaps a very advanced child's toy, but I was supposed to be in another world, not another part of the world.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?" the creature spoke. I slowly returned my gun to its holster, but I made sure to keep an eye on the creature. This could be a trap. What if this thing was some kind of greeting cyborg. If I arrived at this location, would not whoever else used the portal arrive at this same location? Hoji could be very close.
"Just Major for now. What are you?" I returned.
"I'm a pony. A unicorn to be exact. Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll put on some tea," the unicorn smiled and trotted out of sight. I took another look around the room and scanned various objects. The room I was in seemed to be a hollowed out tree. The book shelves were all wooden, as well as tables, chairs, and the couch's frame. Illumination was provided by candles rather than electrical lights. I glanced in the direction of where the unicorn went and could see a room with tile floors and light with the telltale glow of electrical illumination.
I took a seat on a nearby couch and focused my thoughts back on the creature. A unicorn huh? A mythical creature from a child’s story. Maybe I had traversed the barrier between space and into a new world, but before I could make any solid guesses I would have to confirm that this unicorn was an organic life form.
"Here we are, I hope you like it," the unicorn interrupted my thoughts as she set down two glasses of tea. What was more interesting is how it got the glasses in the room without spilling them. I was lost in thought when she brought them in, did it carry the glasses on her back, in her mouth?
"I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare. It's the first time I've seen a creature like you, but I suppose you have some questions for me," the unicorn stated.
"Twilight was it? State your manufacture and model number," I commanded. The majority of advanced children's toys had set voice commands and this one shouldn't be any different.
"Huh? I was born from a mother and father, just like everypony else," Twilight explained with a confused look on her face. I stood up from the couch and carefully approached the unicorn. She had a nervous look on her face and shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I just checking for something," I said and sat down beside her. I then gently moved its mane to the side so I could get a good look at the back of its neck. Nothing. Not one point of connection. I applied gentle pressure to its skin. Nothing metal or hard, it's skin felt soft and I could feel the structure of muscle beneath. I then moved two fingers to the front of her neck and found a pulse. I could also feel and see the unicorn shake in fear as I felt around her neck, defiantly too real to be a machine. If this creature was organic, then it is entirely possible that Hoji entered this world from another point.
"You're entirely organic, are you not?" I asked.
"Umm, I'm not sure what you mean. How would I be anything else?" she returned. I opened my mouth to respond, but I decided showing her would be a lot easier than explaining. I turned away from her and moved the hair away from the back of my neck.
"See the slots there?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"They are for connecting and sharing information. They link directly to my cyber brain. My body is fully cybernetic. I was checking to see if you were too," I explained.
"I'm not familiar with that term. Cybernetic?" she asked.
"It means that-," I started before there was a loud and frantic knocking at the door. I looked to the door and then back at Twilight.
"I'll get it, you just stay here," Twilight spoke and trotted to the door. Not wanting to be seen, I activated my cameo and became invisible to the naked eye. Twilight opened the door to a pale yellow smaller pony with a red mane and a pink bow. She had a look of worry on her face and seemed to be out of breath.
"Twilight, Twilight! Y'all gotta come quick! Me an tha girls were diggin' close to tha Everfree Forest, not in it but near in, an' then a big ole mantacore came out of tha forest an' I came runnin' fer help an' ya just gotta help the girls!" the frightened pony exclaimed in one breath through a thick southern accent.
"Don't worry Apple Bloom, I'll help them. I just need to get the other girls. Major could you...?" she replied and turned to find me missing. I quickly walked next to Twilight and toggled my cameo.
"Lead the way, if there are lives in danger then there's no time to gather help," I said, eager for action. If I could do something to win the trust of these ponies, then they might be more willing to help me in my search for Hoji. My questions would have to wait.
"Ack! Where did you-?" Twilight started before she was interrupted.
"Woah! Who er what are you!" the smaller pony exclaimed.
"Please, let's focus on the situation. Where are your friends little one?" I asked the pony.
"No, you can't go alone. This is a mantacore we're talking about. Body of a lion, poisonous tail of a scorpion, and wings. I need to gather the girls," Twilight panicked. Another mythical creature? This was starting to get interesting.
"Twilight, I'm a Major for a reason. I can handle myself," I calmly spoke. Twilight seems to mull over the decision over her head before answering.
"A-alight. The Everfree Forest is Northeast from here. The fillies should be at the entrance, right Apple Bloom?" Twilight asked.
"Uh-huh," Apple Bloom confirmed.
"I'm going to find Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Apple Bloom, go get Rarity. Major, please be careful," Twilight said.
"I will, don't worry," I responded. I then activated my cameo and crossed the threshold into a whole new world.
NW: Meet the Ponies - ENCOUNTER
The sun was bright in this new world. The grass was green and healthy, the sky was a deep blue, and atmosphere was alive. Everything I could see seemed to be more vibrant than Earth. There were no skyscrapers here or industrial looking buildings. Just a simple village.
I crouched down, spring boarded myself to the top of a nearby building, and began my sprint. My gaze focused on the ground during my parkor, studying the village's inhabitants. The unicorn Twilight was not an individual case. The entire village seemed to be filled with equines of all colors of the rainbow.
A white one with a red mane set up a flower shop. A red one with an orange mane stood behind a wagon of apples. What I assumed was the main street was filled ponies buying and selling good in a market place like fashion. The place reminded me of a third world country, or a place back in medieval times.
Focusing on my new mission, I leapt off yet another building to a ginger bread looking house. From there I got a bird's eye view of the surrounding area and easily spotted a tree line in the distance. I then threw myself into a back flip and slammed down to the ground harder than I had intended. The surrounding ponies took notice of my landing, but by then I was well down the road. I weaved through the crowd until I reached the outskirts of the village. I came to the green tree line, but I could not see anything in my line of sight, so I closed my eyes to listen.
I could hear the leaves rustling in the wind, a small stream flowing through the forest, and the chorus of insects. Living in the city most of my life, I rarely got the chance to admire nature. We had simulations that could put a person on the beach, in an open field, even space, but those were just simulations. I only truly got to listen to nature in a few of my days before Section 9, when I was just a regular soldier.
A shrill cry interrupted my thoughts and I mentally kicked myself for getting distracted. Nature could wait; right now lives were on the line. I pulled out my CZ-100 and headed in the direction of the noise. I sprinted through the forest and noticed how the area almost got pitch black as I entered. The sun was still shining bright just outside, so why was the forest so dark? Trees, bushes, and even the sky itself seemed to have sinister faces about their figures. A loud roar sounded to my right and I changed direction.
"Let her go you big jerk!" A childish voice shouted as I approached a clearing in the forest. From my perspective and the dim light, I could see a mammoth of a beast in the middle of the clearing with a long tail and velvety wings. Another panicked cry came from under the beast. There was my objective.
Wasting no time, I lifted my gun and fired four shots at the shadowy beast's wings. A roar of surprise and anger sounded from the creature and I quickly closed the distance between us. The beast looked from side to side, but it would not find me with my thermal optic cameo activated. My main concern now was getting the beast off the child before I went fully on the offensive.
I stopped right in the beast's face and gave two strong jabs to its chin. I then firmly planted my left leg on the ground and swung my body around with deadly force. My right leg connected in a loud crack, round housing the beast in the side of the face. It staggered back in surprise. The average lion weighed around five to six hundred pounds and even with my cybernetic body, forcing the creature back was quite a feat.
"Run! Now!" I commanded to the child, giving the beast my specific location. I anticipated its swipe and blocked its paw with my left arm. The impact of the blow dropped my cameo and I heard a gasp from behind me. The child was still there, I needed to end this quickly. From my defensive position I pointed the barrel my gun at the creature's right elbow that was locked with my left arm and squeezed the trigger.
I then jumped back with a cartwheel and scooped up the child, or filly, and took off towards the exit. I busted through the brush and out into the sunlight again. Behind me I could hear the heavy steps of the creature still in pursuit.
"Go back to your village!" I commanded the filly and set her on the ground.
"But but Scootaloo is sti-" the white filly protested.
"Right here! Thanks, uhhh... Whatever you are. Let's go Sweetie Belle!" an orange filly shouted as she came through the forest and into the light. The mantacore came into the light next, close behind the orange filly and came to an abrupt stop as it spotted me. I had already used five bullets, leaving me ten left in my current clip. I only had the one extra clip from Saito and still needed to capture Hoji. I couldn't waste any more ammunition. I assumed a hand to hand combat stance and readied myself for the mantacore's attack.
But an attack never came. The mantacore started to glow with a white light and was lifted into the air. Then it was suddenly thrust back into the forest as if some invisible hand had picked the creature up and flung it aside. I let my defensive stance fall when I started to feel myself being lifted off the ground. I twisted and struggled against the invisible force, but it held strong.
"Princess don't! She's on our side," a familiar voice came from behind me. Twilight?
"Oh, whoops~," an unfamiliar giggle replied. I was then set back on solid ground and turned around to find Twilight and another equine figure. It was a unicorn like Twilight, but this one had wings as well. It was also twice the size of Twilight. Her coat was white and her mane was the colors of the arctic aurora. On her head rested a crown and a golden necklace hung closely to her neck. She looked very regal in appearance and I assumed she was after hearing Twilight refer to her as 'Princess'.
"I have some questions for you, traveler from another world," the regal pony spoke.
"Of course, I have some questions as well," I returned.
"My student says you have the ability to become invisible. Could you follow us back to the library as such? I would rather you not cause a stir in town," the pony requested.
"Alright, you won't even know I'm here," I said and activated my thermal optic cameo, vanishing from sight.
* * *
I watch closely as Twilight and the 'Princess' trotted through town. Sure enough, every pony they crossed paths with bowed and the Princess returned with a warm smile. So she was royalty after all. If this regal pony was a princess, then surely there was a King and Queen. If there is a King and Queen, then this world is starting to resemble a medieval like time, but with minor modern advances like the electrical lighting I noticed in Twilight's home. Another thought that was going through my mind was how the mantacore and I were lifted off the ground. There was no visible force holding either of us, but the results were physical. Does this equine race have a form of optic cameo or do the unicorns follow modern mythology and control forces such as magic? I shook my head. I may be in another world, but physics would still apply. We reached Twilight's house as I was lost in thought and I silently entered behind Twilight and the Princess.
"There you are, finally!" A brash voice exclaimed as I entered. Inside were more ponies. The one that spoke was cyan blue with a mane of all the colors of the rainbow, and it had wings. Beside her was a timid looking pale yellow pony hiding behind a bubblegum pink mane, also with wings. Pegasi? Beside the shy one was a regal appearing white pony with a curled purple mane, another unicorn. And beside her was yet another pony, this one was pink and pink. Running out of color combinations are we?
"We found Scootaloo and my sister and got them home safely," the pony with the curled purple hair said. I silently sighed in relief.
"Yeah, but then we couldn't find you two, so we decided to wait here. It was soooo boring. What happened?," the brash one used her outside voice again.
"You can show yourself now, Major. These are my friends," Twilight spoke.
"Alright," I replied and dropped my cameo. A collective gasp came from the group of new ponies and I crossed my arms in front of me as they gawked.
"Everypony, this is the Major," Twilight introduced me.
"Woah!" The rainbow manned one smiled and flew up to me. "He looks awesome! Can you fight? Are you the one who beat up that mantacore?"
"She. I happen to be a woman," I corrected. I guess ponies didn't understand what breasts were. That's going to be an awkward topic. The pegasus tilted her head.
"Sorry about Rainbow Dash. I, of course, can tell a lady from a male," the white unicorn spoke as she rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash... Fitting name. "I am Rarity, it's a pleasure Miss."
"Good to meet you too, Rari-," I started.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! Do you like parties? I hope you do because I'd really really reeeealy like to throw you one!" the pink one bounced up and down in front of me. Before I could respond she was pulled away by Rainbow Dash.
"Sorry about her, you'll get used to it," Dash explained. I just nodded back. I then took a seat on a red sofa and crossed my legs. I needed to get to the point and ask about Hoji. The only thing I had accomplished so far was wasting time.
"Fluttershy? It's alright, she won't hurt you," Twilight spoke to a table, or rather what was under it. The yellow pegasus had taken refuge under a nearby table while the others were making their introductions. Twilight had to try hard to coax the buttercup out from hiding, but she managed.
"H-hello...," the pegasus squeaked. I held out my hand to her and she timidly gave it a sniff. Just like a cat would. She then hopped up on the couch beside me and lifted a hoof. She placed her hoof on my wrist and closed her eyes. After a few moments passed by with everyone watching I opened my mouth to speak, but Fluttershy spoke first.
"Your pulse is very weak. Are you hurt?" She asked. I gave a sigh; this is going to be hard to explain.
"I'm surprised you could feel anything through my titanium shell," I said.
"Titanium... Like the metal? How is that possible?" Twilight asked and took a seat on another couch across from me. The rest of the group followed the suit and found places to sit down.
"My body is cybernetic. Humans have the technology to fuse flesh and machine. Look, I came to this world in pursuit of a very dangerous man named Hoji, it's possible that he is looking to start a war and I need to find him before he does," I quickly changed the subject. The group let out another collective gasp and remained silent.
"I see. We will offer our assistance, but I have some questions that need to be answered first," the princess broke the silence.
"I'll answer to the best of my ability," I returned.
"How did you get here?"
"My team and I tracked Hoji to his lab where we found and activated a portal linking our two worlds."
"Ummm... You did?" Twilight interrupted.
"Yes." I answered. Was she hiding something?
"Princess, remember that spell I told you I found in my last letter?" Twilight looked up to her mentor.
"I do," the Princess replied.
"When I cast the spell the first few times, nothing happened. I tried it again this afternoon and that's when the Major appeared here," Twilight explained. Spell? Cast? Was Twilight implying she could use magic?
"That is interesting, but the Major said that she's the one who came of her own free will," the Princess continued.
"This is just a theory, but what if the two portals that linked our worlds had to be activated at the same time?" Twilight asked. I had to admit, it was an interesting concept and magic would explain how the mantacore was flung through the air earlier today. I then took another look around the room, the same room that I first appeared in and couldn't see any type of electronics. No lab equipment, no giant metal arches, not even a television. I didn't want to believe in a child's concept such a magic, but it wasn't long ago that cybernetic beings were just writings in a some pulp sci-fi novel.
"If your theory is true, Twilight, Then there must be another unicorn opening the portal of this world. And if I find that unicorn, I can find Hoji," I spoke.
"If this man is as dangerous as you say, I will gladly offer my assistance. I will gather a force together and we can plan from there," the Princess suggested.
"That's not necessary. My mission is to capture Hoji and bring him back to my world. Then Section Nine gets him to tell us his plans and just what we're up against. After that my team and I will come back and deal with the rest of Hoji's force," I explained.
"That is not necessary either. You must understand that both Hoji and you are in my jurisdiction now. Therefore you fall under Equestria's laws. I will allow you to go about your mission and bring you team to this world, but this must be a combined effort. I will have a hoof in defending my country. I hope you understand," the Princess retorted.
Well, she had a point. I can't say that if some alien creature came to Earth and started making demands I would let them go as they pleased. I was lucky enough that they didn't treat me as an alien threat and try to detain me
"I understand. Thank you for your assistance," I replied and gave a rare smile.
"Good. I must take my leave now. I'm placing a lot of trust in you Major," the Princess smiled back. "Twilight, make sure to teach the Major a bit about Equestria."
"I will, goodbye Princess," Twilight replied and ran to her mentor's side. The Princess craned her head down and gave Twilight an affectionate nuzzle, like a mother would a child. The others who had sat by and listened to the conversation vocalized their goodbyes as the Princess left and took to the sky with her powerful wings. The others took the Princess' leave as an indication to start asking their own questions.
"Do you like parties!?"
"Are you a spy?"
"I must ask, who designed your attire?"
"Y'all like apples?"
I put a hand to my forehead and let out an audible sigh. Spending the evening answering a bunch of curious ponies' questions was not in my plan. Twilight must have taken notice and she stepped in between the group of ponies and me.
"How about we let the Major get some rest. She's had a very busy day," Twilight informed her friends. To tell the truth, this was one of my slower days, but I wasn't about to share that information.
"I don't really care for parties, I'm a soldier, not a spy, I don't know who personally designed my combat suit, and apples are alright," I answered in one breath. The group gave mixed reactions. Pinkie wore a frown, Rainbow didn't look convinced, Rarity looked disappointed, and the farmer looking one whose name I'd yet to know seemed satisfied. One by one Twilight shooed them outside and closed the wooden door behind her.
"That went better than I expected," Twilight said aloud. Part of me wondered how she had expected the situation to go, but I keep that question to myself.
"Well Twilight, what do you have to teach me about this world?" I asked.
"Here, let's start with this," Twilight answered. Her horn then started to give off a violet glow. A book hovered in front of her with the same violet glow and gently lowered to the table. Magic?
It's going to be a long night.
