Chapter 3
"All Pilgrim elements, this is Pilgrim-1 Actual; Pilgrim-3 Actual has reported a bent sword, and is failing to respond to any radio calls. Fall back to primary regroup point, over."
Forman took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He and his men had been attempting to track some unknown flying object, but it moved at speeds much greater than they were capable of on the ground, and it wasn't long before they had lost sight of it. Now, Captain Becker, commander of both the mission and the unit Pilgrim-1, had informed them that Lieutenant Marshall, commander of Pilgrim-3, had reported a bent sword, the code word for a missing soldier. What's more was that after making the report, Marshall himself had failed to respond to calls for him over the radio; it could be assumed Marshall was now missing as well. Captain Becker was ordering his entire force, consisting now of 48 soldiers, to regroup at their primary regroup position and a quick look at the map told Forman that position was some three kilometers away; they would have to hurry.
"Alright everyone," Forman said, addressing his troops, "we've got a three-klick hike back to the regroup point. Two men are missing, so let's double-time it; move out!" Forman ordered, setting off with his unit at a brisk march.
The two missing soldiers, Corporal Hunter Jackson, and Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall, were tied back-to-back and sitting in a dimly lit barn, under the observation of Applejack, and Big Macintosh. The two soldiers still had most of their gear; Applejack and Big Mac only removed their rifles, which were lying on a nearby table. Movement from Marshall, followed by a groan, let the brother and sister know one of their captives was coming around.
As Marshall regained his senses, he did everything he could to gauge his current state of affairs. Obviously, he had been captured by someone, and was currently tied up against something, or someone; it was difficult to tell. It felt like he was still wearing his vest and helmet, and he had a pounding sensation in his head. A sudden burst of tinny noise directly in his ear intensified the pain, prompting him to grimace and groan; that must be the headset connected to his radio; at least he still had that. Opening his eyes, he saw a large blur of red color, and a second blur of orange, which was smaller than the first blur, and positioned next to it. Slowly his vision corrected itself, revealing that these two blurs were ponies, and that the orange one was the same he and Jackson had tailed earlier. Jackson; now that his senses were returning, he realized the corporal must be what he was tied up against. Corporal Jackson, however, seemed to still be unconscious.
"Who are you?!" demanded Applejack, stomping a hoof, and leaning in over Marshall.
Marshall opened his mouth, and racked his brain for the answer; he knew there was something he was supposed to say, but his mind hadn't processed the information yet. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, it came to him; name, rank, and service number.
"Mark Marshall, second lieutenant, United States Army; service number, 393-57-3102" Marshall declared.
Applejack and Big Mac exchanged glances; most of this had no meaning to them. They recognized a few key words; the rank of lieutenant, and the word army. He was a soldier of some sort, and Mark Marshall must be his name.
"Alright, Mark Marshall; why are you here?" Applejack asked.
"Mark Marshall, second lieutenant, United States Army; service number, 393-57-3102" repeated Marshall. Applejack stared him down; if he really was a soldier, then she needed to report his presence. Making a mental note to pay Twilight Sparkle a visit soon, she pressed him for more information.
"What were y'all doin' in Sweet Apple Acres?" she inquired, fearing for the safety of the orchard.
"Please don't make me say it again, it's all I'm going to give you" Marshall pleaded. Applejack assumed it was the seemingly useless string of information he had given her twice already. Marshall continued on; "Look, I think there's been a misunderstanding. Let us go, we aren't here to hurt you."
"Why should I believe you?" Applejack asked.
"Well, why shouldn't you?" Marshall attempted as a counter to her point.
"You two were sneaking 'round my orchard!" exclaimed Applejack.
Marshall grimaced; "Okay, yes, I do admit that seems a bit suspicious. But it's not as bad as it looks."
"Oh really? Then might you tell me what y'all were doin'?" asked the farmer pony.
"I really can't tell you that. I'm only allowed to give you my name, rank, and service number," said Marshall, apologetically.
"Well then; if you can't be honest with me, I see no reason to believe you" Applejack replied, matter-of-factly, and turned away from the two U.S. soldiers. "Big Mac, keep an eye on 'em. I'll go get Twilight" she said, terminating the interrogation.
"E'yup" replied Big Mac, fixing his gaze on the two men. Applejack left the barn, heading towards Ponyville.
Forman and his squad finally had their destination in sight; the top of a hill overlooking the town they had passed earlier. A dense growth of trees and bushes provided concealment, while the hill itself was a good defensive position. Cresting over the top of the hill, Forman spotted Captain Becker, and hurried over to him.
"Sir; what's our situation?" Forman asked.
"Still nothing from Lieutenant Marshall; Sergeant Major Erik has assumed command of Pilgrim-3, and we now know that Corporal Jackson was the soldier Marshall reported missing. He and Marshall had followed a local, and they never regrouped with the rest of the unit," Captain Ford informed him.
"Gotta' plan, sir?" asked Forman.
"Actually, yes, Lieutenant; you and I are going to go make contact with the local population", replied the captain.
"Sir?" Forman was half expecting some sort of joke. "I thought we needed more information before making contact; that was the point of our reconnaissance."
"That was the original plan, Lieutenant; however, it seems likely that Lieutenant Marshall and Corporal Jackson may have been taken captive. If that's the case, they already know about us, and if that's not the case, a search-and-rescue mission will probably attract their attention. Plus, we might be able to persuade them to help us locate our missing men", explained Ford.
"Alright then, sir; I'm ready when you are," replied Forman.
"Glad to hear it; in that case, let's get moving," Becker said.
After finally getting a satisfying rest, Twilight Sparkle woke up in her room in Canterlot Castle. She rolled out of bed, secured her crown, and used magic to place it atop her head. After stretching out her muscles to purge the achy sensation of sleep from her body, she made for the door.
Twilight was hoping to find Spike, and get back to Ponyville. Though the sense of alarm she had felt earlier had passed, she still wondered what exactly had caused it, and hoped her library might have a book that contained the answer.
"Now, where could that dragon be," wondered Twilight. Canterlot Castle was a huge structure, and it could take her hours to find her assistant. To improve her efficiency, Twilight made a mental list of places the dragon would likely be. The first place she was going to check was the dining hall; however it proved to be unnecessary when she encountered Spike on the way to the first location.
"Spike; there you are!" Twilight exclaimed, grabbing the attention of the small dragon.
"Your highness", Spike said, bowing elegantly.
"Spike, I told you not to do that", Twilight said irritably, letting out a huff.
"I know," replied the dragon, grinning up at her.
A slight smile broke through her face as well. "C'mon Spike, let's get back to Ponyville."
"Aw, what's the rush? Can't we stay here a little longer; have you seen the buffet at the dining hall?" Spike pleaded.
"Sorry, Spike" Twilight said, giggling, "I want to get back to the library and do some research."
"Oh goody…" Spike sighed, well aware this would likely mean long hours of note-taking and book-fetching.
"If you're a good little dragon, I'll let you go help Rarity with a dress she's designing, after we finish" Twilight offered as an incentive to help, playing off her assistance crush on the clothing designer.
"Fine" Spike agreed, silently rejoicing at the prospect of spending time with Rarity.
"Alright then; let's find a carriage to take us to Ponyville. I'm still not a very strong flyer, and I certainly couldn't make the trip hanging onto you", Twilight said. It didn't take long, of course, for a princess to appropriate two Pegasi guards and a carriage for transport, and very soon she and Spike were on their way back to Ponyville.
Lieutenant Forman, Captain Becker, and a third soldier, Corporal Garnet, were all standing just beyond the outskirts of Ponyville, concealed by the surrounding greenery. Their objective, the town hall, jetted out over the roofs of other buildings like a beacon, and the three soldiers were contemplating the events about to take place.
"There's no way we're going to reach that unnoticed, is there, sir?" Garnet asked.
"That would be highly unlikely, Corporal," Becker replied.
"I guess the best thing we can do is march straight to our target, and try to look as friendly as possible", suggested Forman. The term friendly would not, however, normally be used to describe the present appearance of the soldiers. Ford and Forman both carried new M4A2 carbines, which were based off of the proven M4A1, and Garnet carried an M16A5, the most recent addition to the iconic M16 family of rifles. Pistols in thigh-holsters, body armor, and grenades gave the impression these men were about to fight a war, rather than try to negotiate an alliance. Hopefully, these ponies would be ignorant to the power and purpose of U.S. weaponry. Otherwise they might be more inclined to run, rather than talk.
"No use delaying any longer; let's move," Becker said leading Forman and Garnet out of the bushes and onto one of the town's dirt roads, and out into plain view of all the towns inhabitants.
Applejack was making her way through Ponyville heading towards Twilight's library/home. She was confident that Big Mac could keep the two prisoners captive long enough for her to report the incident to Twilight, who, being a princess, would handle the situation from there. Her primary concern wasn't that the captives might escape, but that their friends might come looking for them, or that Applejack herself could run into them. Though, now that she was in Ponyville, the likelihood of encountering any of these potential hostiles seemed low. Thankful she had avoided their detection, Applejack turned a corner, and let out a loud gasp; comin down the road were three soldiers, who all looked identical, more-or-less, to the two she and her brother had captured earlier.
Ponies were fleeing off the streets as they caught sight of these strange creatures. Their reaction reminded her of how she and her friends once feared Zecora, believing she was an evil enchantress living isolated in the Everfree Forest. Zecora, however, had ultimately proven to be both friendly and helpful, and Applejack highly doubted the same was true for the soldiers.
The group drew closer to her, and Applejack realized the one walking ahead of the other two had shifted his attention over to her. Frozen with fear, she stood perfectly still as they drew closer. Much to her surprise, however, all the creature did was incline his head slightly in her direction, the way one might do if they were offering a silent greeting. They were close enough now that Applejack could make out what they were saying.
"How do we look back there, Garnet?" the leader asked.
"Streets are deserted, sir", replied the one walking at the tail end of the group, who had been checking the area behind him every so often.
"Too bad we don't have a Humvee," grunted the one walking in the middle.
"We'd have to airlift 'em in by helicopter, the forest is too damn thick to drive through", commented the leader.
Applejack had no idea what they were talking about, but now that they had entered Ponyville, it was imperative that Twilight be made aware of their presence as soon as possible. Time was of the absolute essence, so once they had passed by her, Applejack broke out in a run towards Twilights house, careful to avoid any further confrontation with the soldiers.
"There's the town hall," Ford said, gesturing towards the structure with his carbine.
Forman looked at the building. "Let's hope there's somebody there we can talk to."
The three soldiers marched forward, towards their destination. There didn't appear to be any indications of activity inside the building, but that could very likely be due to their appearance. Most of the town's inhabitants seemed inclined to get indoors as soon as they saw the men.
Upon reaching the stairs leading up to the entrance, Corporal Garnet called out. "Sir, look at that!"
Forman and Becker turned and directed their gaze to where Garnet was pointing. What looked to be a golden carriage pulled behind Pegasi was flying in low towards the town.
"That's new", Forman said, raising an eyebrow.
"Quite so; apparently, they do have flight capabilities" Becker replied, while Forman's mouth pulled into a slight frown as he recalled the flying object he and his men had observed earlier; perhaps, there was a connection to the Pegasus pulling the cart.
"What would the plural of Pegasus be, sir; Pegasi?" Garnet asked, receiving a small shrug from Forman.
"Guess we can ask whoever works here," Becker said, walking up to the door and knocking several sharp blows on the door.
Mayor Mare cowered behind her desk as the sound of the knocks resonated through the building. Three strange creatures were standing outside of the town hall, apparently demanding entrance. Even from her office, she could hear them.
"C'mon, open up in there! We just want to talk!" bellowed one of them.
"We're not leaving until we talk to someone!" another voice shouted. Seeing no way that she'd be able to out-last them by hiding here in her office, the Mayor took a deep breath, and stood up. She walked calmly out from her office, and to the town halls double-door entrance. Pausing for a moment to compose herself, she cracked open the door on her left, and peered outside.
"Ah; finally!" the one closest to the door said, approvingly. "I am Captain Cole Becker of the United States Army, commander of the First Alternate Reality Group, here to speak on behalf of the United States of America."
Inhaling deeply once more, the Mayor swung the door fully open, and identified herself. "I am Mayor Mare, elected Mayor of Ponyville."
Becker nodded his approval at the mention of elections. "Excellent; Mayor, could we come inside?"
"Perhaps it'd be best if you told me what you wanted first?" she said, apprehensive about allowing them entrance to the building.
"There's a lot we have to talk about, ma'am. It really would be better to discuss it inside," Becker insisted.
Most Equestrians did not react well to strange new beings, and the Mayor was no exception. However, despite the outlandish appearance of the creatures, it seemed to the Mayor they acted friendly enough, and gave no obvious signs of hostility towards her, or the citizens of Ponyville, so she relented to their request. "Very well," she said, standing back so that they could enter.
"Thank you," Captain Becker said. "Corporal Garnet, you stay out here and keep watch; let us know if you run into any trouble. Lieutenant Forman, you're with me."
Mayor Mare watched the two creatures enter; the one called Ford was obviously the leader. She showed the pair to her office, and they sat down in two chairs in front of her desk. It was actually somewhat comical, the Mayor thought, seeing these odd beings attempt to sit comfortably in seats built for ponies. Eventually, they seemed to settle into a more-or-less comfortable sitting position.
"You said you had a lot to tell me?" the Mayor said, indicating that they should begin.
"Oh, yes ma'am; I'll start at the beginning," Becker said.
Twilight Sparkle now had the library in her sight, and couldn't wait to get back and begin her research. If all went well, she could find some explanation for her feeling earlier.
Surveying the town below her, she noticed something odd; the streets looked completely deserted. Normally she'd be able to see dozens of ponies going about their daily business, but she was unable to spot a single citizen of Ponyville. "Hmm…Spike, is there some sort of holiday today?" she asked her assistant.
"A holiday? I don't think so," replied the dragon.
"Odd; I don't see anypony out on the streets today," Twilight said.
"Really? Let me see," Spike said, standing in his tiptoes and sticking his head over the side of the carriage.
"Careful spike," Twilight cautioned, worried he might fall out.
"Hey you're right; well, there's Applejack at least", said Spike.
"Applejack?" Twilight asked, moving over to Spikes side of the carriage, and peering over the side where she saw her friend running at a full sprint.
"Guards, set us down beside her!" Twilight ordered the Pegasi pulling the carriage.
"Yes, Princess" the replied in unison, altering their course so that they'd intercept the Earth Pony.
"Applejack!" Twilight called out as they flew overhead.
"Twilight!" Applejack shouted back, rushing over to the landing carriage.
"Applejack, what's going on? Where is everypony?" Twilight asked her friend, as she hopped out of the carriage.
"Twilight, there's a bunch of weird creatures in Ponyville!" Applejack reported, skidding to a halt in front of the princess.
"Weird creatures?" Twilight asked, confused.
"I found two of 'em sneaking around Sweet Apple Acres this morning. Big Mac and I caught 'em, and one of 'em said he was a lieutenant in some army."
"A lieutenant, huh?" Twilight said, scratching her chin with her hoof. She was more familiar with military ranks than Applejack, and she knew that in Equestria's Guard, lieutenants would often serve as field commanders. While the U.S. and the Equestria Guard ranking structures were vastly different, in this particular case, they did fulfill much the same role. "I suppose you better take me to them," Twilight said.
"There's three of 'em in Ponyville; I saw 'em headed towards the town hall!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Alright then, we'll start there; hop in," Twilight said, instructing Applejack to get in the carriage. Once they both were aboard, Twilight ordered the guards to take the carriage to the town hall.
Observing Applejack, it was obvious to Twilight she was extremely worried by the creatures she described earlier. "C'mon Applejack, they can't be that bad. Remember how worked up everypony was about Zecora, and now she's one of our friends."
"Trust me Twi, these things are a totally different story," Applejack replied.
"Never judge a pony be its cover, Applejack" Twilight recited the old saying.
"Whatever these things are, they sure as hay ain't ponies" Applejack replied.
"Hmm…what are they, Applejack? What do they look like?" asked Twilight.
"Well, they've got a really short muzzle, they're all fleshy, they walk on their rear hoofs, and their front hoofs ain't hoofs," Applejack said, touching a hoof to her chin as the recalled the details.
Twilight's eyes shot open wide as she heard the description; she knew of only one creature that it matched, but it simply couldn't be possible. Using the technique her sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, had taught her, Twilight managed to calm herself down.
"Princess Twilight, we are approaching the town hall," one of the Pegasi guards reported. Looking out the side of the carriage, Twilight could see the building quickly growing larger, and there, standing outside the doors, was a human.
"Spike, I need you to send this to Princess Celestia," Twilight said, scribbling down a note and handing it to him.
"You got it," Spike said, blowing on the rolled up piece of parchment, sending it to the destination Twilight instructed.
"Mayor, I'm glad we've managed to arrive at an understanding," Captain Becker said, having concluded the initial meeting between the United States, and any Equestrian government official.
"I've had a letter that explains you and your presence here sent to our leaders in Canterlot, but I wouldn't expect a response from them today. In the meantime, however, you are of course welcome to search for your lost men," the Mayor said in reply.
"Thank you, Mayor; if it's not too much trouble, you might want to let your citizens know we aren't here to cause them any trouble", Ford said.
"I'll make sure to inform them of that," she replied.
Ford's headset cackled; "Captain you might want to come outside." Becker recognized Garnets voice.
"Copy that; we're on our way," Becker responded, signaling for Forman to follow him. The two soldiers exited the office, trailed by the Mayor, wondering what was going on.
The doors flew open as Becker and Forman walked through it, and out next to where Garnet stood. At once, Becker could see what the corporal had called about; two Pegasi were hovering in the sky above them, and some sort of purple Pegasus-Unicorn mix was standing on the ground, with a regular looking pony next to her. Much to the dismay of the three soldiers, none of these natives looked particularly happy to see them. Gripping their weapons, but keeping them pointed downward, the Humans waited for the Equestrians to make their next move.