Authors Note: First Fan-Fiction. Also, I don't know much about the protocols of the United States Military, so I could very well be doing something wrong with respect to proper procedure. Apologies for any inaccuracies you might notice.
Equestria Occupied
First Lieutenant Jason Forman listened to his own footsteps as the soles of his boots came down on the tunnel's hard concrete floor. This gray, barren, underground passage was just one of the many subterranean routes of Joint Base Ingram, the newest United States Military base, which had become operational only a few years ago.
History had repeated itself; the United States was in another cold war, this time with China. New weapon systems were developed, missiles poured from factories by the dozen, tanks rolled out of their production plants, and the entire country had renewed patriotism, and an interest in the spread of democracy, through force if necessary.
Forman couldn't help but think he had forgotten about something; a nagging sensation at the back of his mind told him he was missing some important detail about the day, though he couldn't imagine what it was. He was on his way now to where he would begin his new assignment, whatever that may be. After months of intense training and tests, he was finally about to find out just what he had been preparing for. Surely, he could be forgetting some detail about his new posting; he had taken steps to ensure every detail he could manage to find was abundantly clear to him. No, he wasn't forgetting something about his new job, but instinct told him whatever he had forgotten was something sinister. He came to a three-way intersection of tunnel, and turned right.
"Jason, hey- wait up!" Someone called out his name; Forman could recognize that voice anywhere. He turned around, and saw his friend, Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall bounding down the tunnel towards him.
"Mark, good to see you here," Forman said. The two had participated in the same training over the past several months, but had been friends before that. Now, they would be working together in the same new environment.
"On your way to the new job?" Marshall asked, matching his stride with Forman's brisk pace.
"Sure am, you're headed there yourself too, right?" Forman answered.
"Yep; speaking of, do you even know what the job is going to be?" Marshall asked.
"Nobody would tell me. Even after I passed everything and got approved for this, I was told I wouldn't find anything out until the briefing", Forman replied.
"Same thing happened to me; I tried to use the training they put us through to figure out what we'll be doing, except most of it makes no sense. I mean, all the advanced medical stuff I can understand, but then they had us study the anatomy of dozens of different animals, with heavy emphasis on horses, then they had us study Greek and Norse mythology, then had us train against cardboard cutouts of a bunch of animals, most of which I'm sure don't even exist, how the hell are we gonna' put any of that to use?"
"I dunno. I guess we'll just have to find out when we're being briefed", Forman said.
"Yeah…guess so," Marshall sighed, and then added "Big day for you, though, am I right?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Forman asked. "We both have the same new job, what's different for me?"
"C'mon Jason, May 15th, 2030?" Marshall said, informing him of the days date.
"Yeah…?" Forman asked, before realization dawned on him. "Oh hell…" he muttered, stopping dead in his tracks.
"Yep; happy 27th birthday!" Marshall said, clapping his friend on the shoulder before walking off, leaving him behind.
Forman shook himself from his daze, and took off after him. "Hey!" he called to Marshall. "You're going to keep this to yourself, right?"
He received no answer, and called out again, "Right?" When he caught up, Marshall offered him a smile, and pushed open the door to room 224, their destination.
They entered the room, and located their superior officer, Colonel Chad Davis. The two lieutenants saluted sharply to the colonel, who returned the salute. "At ease" Davis said. "Gentlemen, it's good to see you here."
"It's good to be here, sir. Are we on time for the briefing?" asked Forman.
"The briefing isn't scheduled for another 15 minutes, but since everyone is here now, we'll go ahead and begin. Head through that door, and in a few minutes, the briefing will commence." Davis pointed towards a plain looking door, and they walked through it. On the other side, they found 50 or so soldiers sitting in front of a Smart board. Taking two empty seats, they sat down and waited for the briefing to begin.
Colonel Davis entered, flanked by a staff officer. The soldiers stood for the colonel, and he told them they may be seated.
"Gentlemen, it's taken each one of you exceptionally hard work just to sit in this room today; congratulations," Davis began. "I can say with complete confidence, you all are the most prepared we have to complete the task ahead of you. And I'm sure that, after months of preparation, you're all wondering just what that task is. Well, eight months ago, our scientists managed to stabilize a sort of….rift between two realities." Davis paused for a moment, allowing that statement to sink in. "Based on pictures taken during many high-altitude surveillance missions, we have identified several native species, with the primary population composing of what closely resembles horses." Pictures began to appear on the Smart-board, changing periodically to fit in with the topic of the colonel's statements. "Whatever these natives are, they're a highly-intelligent civilization, with established communities, and a trans-continental railway system. Business and road signs indicate, astonishingly, English as a primary language, and a variety of statues and monuments indicate the relevance of, or perhaps even the direct presence of, Norse and Greek mythology within their society."
Normally, the soldiers might expect everything to be a hoax. However, after the months of training they had undergone, not to mention to money the U.S. Government had spent to fund that training, it only made sense that what the colonel was telling them was true. Especially since the scientific community had lately been overtaken by an interest with the possibility of alternate realities, and how they might be accessed.
Davis began his closing remarks. "I know this might seem a bit hard to believe, but trust me; it's real. You all will be the first to conduct any large-scale ground operations, especially missions relating to establishing first contact with the natives; represent your country well. Officers and team leaders, remain behind, all other personnel will exit through the door and report to room 235" Davis said, ending the briefing.
After most of the soldiers had filed out the door, Davis signaled for the remaining personnel to come and occupy the seats nearest to him. "Gather 'round, everybody", the colonel said. Once the seats had been filled, he addressed the group.
"I'm going to let you all in on what the DOD is hoping to get out of this", Davis said. "A very unique opportunity has presented itself to us, and we have every intention of capitalizing on it. In short gentlemen, we're going to build a base on the other side of that rift. This cold war with China is looking like it could turn hot at any moment, and if we can put a base inside another reality, it will significantly increase the retaliatory capabilities of the United States, in the event that China should launch any sort of attack against us, including a nuclear attack. A military base on another plane of reality ensures that the U.S. can keep fighting, even if all the bases on this side of the rift are leveled." Davis paused for a moment, and looked left from right, into the eyes of all the soldiers that sat before him. "It would be preferable, if construction of the base can be on friendly terms with the natives. However, we will be putting a base there, one way or another", Davis said gravely. "Any questions?"
Forman's hand shot up. "Yes, sir; I have one."
"Lieutenant; go ahead" Davis instructed.
"How much do we know about the military capabilities of the natives?" Forman asked.
"We know next to nothing, Lieutenant. Aerial surveillance hasn't reviled anything that looks like it might be a military base by today's standards, and no vehicles that you'd expect to find in a modern military have been photographed either. It can be assumed that their capabilities are vastly inferior to our own, but we won't know anything for certain until all of you go through, and clarify the situation", Davis explained.
"Yes sir; thank you," Forman replied.
"Anybody else?" Davis asked, and seeing no raised hands, or other indications of a question, he ended the meeting. "Very well; one last thing; there is a chance you will be met with hostility. Should that happen, you are permitted to use any means at your disposal to defend yourselves, and the lives of your men. Use good judgment; it's better that we can get on good terms with the natives, but personally, I would consider the life of an American serviceman more important than the lives of any aggressive natives. That is all; report to room 235, there you will be assigned your men, and then you will pick up your equipment. In two hours, you will be walking through the rift, and into uncharted territory. Dismissed", Davis said, and the soldiers filed out of the room.
It was a silent night in Ponyville, except for the sounds of a single pair of wings beating against the cool air. Under the light of Luna's moon, Princess Twilight Sparkle descended through the midnight sky, towards her residence in Ponyville's library.
Her hoofs kicked up dust as they landed on the dirt road, and her feathers rustled as she folded her wings into her body. Fatigued by the trip, she let out a sigh, relieved to finally be home. She willed the door in front of her to open and it obeyed her command, swinging in to allow her entrance to her home. Stepping inside, she surveyed the familiar interior which she had missed so much during her time away. Only earlier that day, she had returned from the Human world, after defeating Sunset Shimmer and reclaiming her Element of Harmony. After reporting to Princess Celestia what she had occurred there, Twilight departed from Canterlot Castle, and headed back to Ponyville. She had been offered a room to stay in at the castle, of course, but declined the offer, preferring to, once again, sleep in her own bed.
Casting light from her horn, she climbed up the staircase and made her way to her room. Her eyelids were heavy, and every muscle in her body ached, making the thought of a good night's sleep very attractive. After what seemed an eternity, she arrived at her room, and curled up on her soft bed, and a sense of relief and closure washed over her; she had stopped Sunset Shimmer, and returned her Element of Harmony. Now, she could finally rest peacefully. "Everything is certainly fine" she said, and let out a small chuckle, convinced everything would be easy going from here on out.
The 50 soldiers of the First Alternate Reality Group, the name which had been assigned to the group deploying to this strange new world, were traveling through an underground tunnel on-board a magnetic levitation train. In less than 45 minutes, they would step through into the unknown.
Forman turned to the group's commander, Captain Cole Becker. "What do you make of this, sir?" the lieutenant asked.
The captain shook his head slightly and let out a breath. "It's incredible, if it's true."
"You still have your doubts about its validity, sir?" Forman questioned.
"I want it to be true, Lieutenant; it would be the opportunity of a lifetime. And I have no reason to doubt it, especially after all the training they put us through. But it still seems like a story out of a science-fiction movie, or something", explained the captain.
Forman could feel the train slowing down as it approached its stop. "I guess we're about to find out for ourselves, sir."
"That we are, lieutenant", replied the captain.
The train slowed to a halt, and the doors slid open to reveal a cement boarding/offloading platform. The underground station was illuminated by bright LEDs, which cast a cold, bluish-white light. Forman exited the train silently, with the rest of the men, feeling a spirit of bold curiosity that was hampered only by a slight pang of fear at the unknown factors of the mission ahead. Next to him, Marshall was feeling much the same thing. A guide led the group through several underground hallways, until they finally arrived at a massive blast door.
Alarms blared and amber lights flashed as the gigantic door slowly opened, revealing the space behind it. Forman saw what appeared to be the interior of a huge hanger-type building; bigger than any he had ever seen before. Aircraft were lined up against one wall, and a runway lead from the entrance down towards what looked like a giant opening at the end of the hanger, which opened into the cool night. At the moment no aircraft were on the runway, but several Humvees and transport trucks were parked off to one side.
"Hey Marshall, why do you think this hanger had a door on one end, and a huge gaping hole in the other?" Lieutenant Forman asked his friend.
Before Marshall could answer, a man in a lab-coat interjected himself into the conversation. "That gaping hole, as you so elegantly put it, is your rift into another reality, Lieutenant" he explained, and extended his hand towards Forman "Doctor Marcus Jones", he said intruding himself to the lieutenant, who shook his outstretched hand.
"Lieutenant Jason Forman", Forman said, introducing himself to the doctor.
"Yes, yes, I know who you are. I know who you all are, in fact. Now, I'm sure you're all eager to get going with your mission, so if you will mount up in these vehicles, you'll be driven down to the rift. As you can see, it's quite a walk" the doctor said, gesturing to the expansive space behind him.
Lieutenant Forman and Captain Becker loaded into the same Humvee as Doctor Jones, and waited while the rest of the soldiers boarded their vehicles.
"So, Doctor Jones, how did you discover this rift?" Captain Becker inquired.
"It appeared as a strange anomaly on radar, Captain. When some people were sent to investigate, well, this is what they found. Of course, they only found a small portion of it that was above ground; the majority of the rift is actually below ground, and had to be dug out to access the ground level. This hanger was constructed to protect our secret", Doctor Jones replied.
The Humvee began moving, as all the soldiers had mounted up into the vehicles. "And you built this indoor runway?" asked Ford.
"Indeed, it was necessary for us to conduct our aerial surveillance missions. We borrowed some features incorporated into aircraft carriers; for example, an arresting wire to help slow and stop aircraft coming in for a landing", explained the doctor.
"This must have been a massive engineering feat", said Forman with some admiration.
"Oh, it was; but that's really not my department. I am a scientist, after all; my main point of interest is the rift", the doctor replied, as the Humvee began to slow down.
"Well Doctor, it's an honor to get to work with you", remarked Captain Becker.
"Thank you, Captain, and speaking of work, we're here now; let's get started."
The vehicles stopped at the end of the runway, in front of the rift. The soldiers dismounted from the vehicles, and formed up with their teams. Doctor Jones addressed Captain Ford. "Captain, you were made aware of the objective for the first mission, care to inform the rest of your men?"
"Yes, Doctor", Becker said, taking his place in front of his men. "Our first mission through the rift is a reconnaissance operation of the town and surrounding areas. Under the cover of darkness, we will maneuver into positions that have been marked on the maps you received earlier. Using audio and video recording equipment, we will collect any information we can on the inhabitants. Be careful to remain hidden, and keep radio chatter to a minimum. At 2100 hours, we will begin extraction, if conditions permit. Now, if everyone is ready, I think we've all waited long enough to walk through that rift", said Ford, an enthusiastic smile coming over his face. "So, let's move out!"
Forman looked to his left, where a soldier was sticking the barrel of his new M16A5 experimentally through the rift. Then he looked to his right, where he saw Marshall grinning like a madman, unable to contain his excitement. Finally, he looked straight ahead, at the other side of the rift, where dirt met the concrete floor of the hanger in a seamless fashion. Taking a deep breath, and gripping his rifle tightly, he stepped forward, into a new adventure, a new world, and a whole new reality.