"The wait is the kill, and the kill is the wait."
-Gryphon Proverb
-Halberd-
The sky-blue pegasus fluttered down from the sky, her wings kicking up leaves from the ground as she steadily slowed her descent down. She landed on the grass with barely a sound, as was expected from a pegasus pony in Luna's guard. A second later, her two scouting buddies touched down in silence as well, both with an expression of mild interest on their faces. Pegasi were generally half a stone lighter than their earth pony and unicorn counterparts by weight, but their magic allowed them to both drastically reduce their mass and reduce the sound their hooves made. This, combined with their swift flight abilities and ability to manipulate the weather, made them great scouts and air support units. They were part of why Equestria's army had not crossed blades with another for many decades; their strong, disciplined troops were nothing to laugh at.
Sapphire Halberd smiled as he watched the reconnaissance unit approach the commander's canopy tent he was unexcitedly sitting under. Fifty thousand ponies in total protected Equestria under the banner of the Princesses, each one of them unwaveringly loyal and fiercely devoted to their country. No force across the land could match their sheer power, even if multiplied tenfold.
"Captain Steelshield."
The dull-tan unicorn sitting some ways from Sapphire shifted his gaze towards the pegasus calling for him. The twenty or so corporals and lieutenants in the tent also diverted their attention away from their idle chit-chat and towards the scouts that had just entered the tent.
"You're back. See, I'd have preferred a report on this here table, but it's not here. Which means this better be important, because I have a whole lot of waiting that I have to get back to."
"Heh. Well, uh... it is. We found a little wooden shack in a clearing about twenty farrows north-northeast of here."
That alone was news to everypony within a fifteen-foot radius, and they all sat up straight at the sound of the words. For any creature to have set up a structure in the untamed, dangerous Everfree was news by itself, but for it to still be standing meant that it was relatively recently erected. Interesting, since anypony going into the Everfree was either stupid, dead, or both.
"...are you sure about that?"
"I'm sure, Captain. It's all in the report," she answered as she pulled a scroll out of her saddlebags and sat it down on the table.
"I don't care about the report, I want to hear it straight from the pony's mouth. Go on."
"Well, it's a real heck of a shack. About thirty sects wide on each side, and about ten tall. The walls are made of wood planks, but it definitely looks a bit shoddy, in my opinion. Some weird black and grey slabs of smooth stone on the roof, for some reason. We don't know why. Sharp wooden spears for defense, too."
"Strange indeed. You kids see anypony around?" Steelshield asked.
"No. There might have been inside, but we didn't look. Since, well, if there was...we didn't want to get too close, just in case."
"Good. How are those cloaking vests, by the way?"
"Really heavy and hard to fly with, since they keep draining our magic, but they work like a charm."
"Good to hear the surplus gear is still top notch. Anything you want to add?"
"Not really," the red-maned Second Wing blurted out. The First Wing looked at him nastily before turning to the Squad Leader.
"He's right," she replied. "Nothing real notable or interesting we saw, other than what we've said. I didn't want to get any closer, so there's not much to say."
"Hmph. Alright. Snow Flurry, Rouge Sunset, Marigold, you're dismissed. And rinse your coats out," the Captain shouted as the three pegasi walked away.
"Someone go tell Princess Luna," he said, shifting his seating position. "Right, so you all catch that?"
Nods of agreement broke out amongst the squad leaders.
"Well...anyone have anything to say?"
Nobody moved. They were all too bored to ask anything; since the pegasi were all gone scouting, the unicorns and earth ponies were stuck back at camp, waiting for orders from Luna.
"Ugh...alright then. What time is it?"
"Eight and eighty, sir," answered a unicorn.
"So almost noon-ish. When's lunch?"
"At nine."
"Baloney. What are the cooks making?"
"Apple oatmeal, same as this morning."
Groans resounded around the field table.
"Again?," one of the squad leaders complained.
"Better than nothing, I guess," said an earth pony who was polishing his helmet.
"Hmm. What time is it now?" asked the Captain.
"Eight and eighty-two, Captain Steel-"
"You requested my presence?"
Though it was the middle of the day, Luna's arrival was unnoticed by the ponies seated under the tent, almost as if she had materialized out of nowhere. The commanders all simultaneously turned towards the deep, regal voice in unison, drawn once again from their apathy. There was a clanking of armor as all the ponies in the shade of the canvas top quickly stood up and saluted the alicorn, their sense of duty suddenly reinvigorated by the sight of their leader.
"At ease, gentlecolts. I've just heard from a messenger about a structure in a clearing. Tell me more, if you will. But first..."
She nodded towards the tent poles, and four of the squad leaders immediately began to pull down the sides of the tent. Soon, the Princess and her seconds-in-command were immersed in the dark shadow of the tent flaps, giving them some measure of privacy in the hazy shade.
"...some discretion. Now, what can you tell me about what the scouts have seen?"
"Well, a couple of minutes ago our pegasus scouts discovered a wooden shack in a clearing about, uhh..."
The Captain grabbed the report and pulled it open. Some of the writing was smudged, nearly to the point of illegibility. This was not too unusual for the pegasus scouting groups; since they had to write their reports in the field, it was difficult to properly keep their ink dry, especially while in mid-air. A cumbersome system, but it was better that the scouts set their observations on paper immediately rather than on the ground several hours later.
"...that might be a...twenty farrows north-northeast of here. They didn't seen anypony inside, but they didn't get any closer."
"So," Luna muttered, "I think this may be it."
"What is, Princess?" Sapphire calmly asked.
She warily looked around the tent, her head moving from side to side, until she lowered her voice to a near whisper and answered his question.
"Tonight, I will lead a small group of ponies to the structure and search it. I will require a unicorn squad and two earth pony squads to volunteer for this mission, to accompany me. A pegasus squad will also come. Now, who wishes to volunteer?"
Sapphire was one of the first to raise his hoof. He didn't want to sit around the camp and do nothing, and he was also curious as to what they would find there. They would need him, too - his squad was small, but it was one of the best in Luna's army (at least, according to Sapphire.)
"...You, you, and you," the princess announced, a stab of her hoof at a squad leader accenting her words. "Everyone else, please leave this tent for now. My next words are not for everyone's ears, if you know what I mean."
Several grunts punctuated the sounds of the mares and stallions rising from their seats and exiting the tent one by one. Luna waited until the shuffling of hooves outside the tent stopped before going on.
"Before I go on, I would like to apologize for shrouding this operation in secrecy. I know I haven't been upfront with you all, but it was necessary. This is obviously an important issue, since I am present, but I am sorry for leaving you all in the dark."
The alicorn sighed, then dropped her voice down another level.
"What I am about to tell you next must be kept confidential and shall be known by nopony other than those present and their subordinates. Swear it."
"I swear, by the Princess of the Night."
Luna appeared satisfied by the small chorus of voices she received. She closed her eyes, her horn lighting up as she cast a inaudibility spell over the tent and its occupants. Though nothing seemed to change when her eyes opened, she still had a smile of approval on her face for a brief moment before her visage returned to its natural, immeasurable state.
"Commanders, the report you received was well-made, but...that wooden house...is in fact inhabited."
Not a pony spoke a word after she uttered her last syllable, the implications of her words hanging in the air.
"Inhabited by...creatures that are not...native to this world. They...may pose a threat."
Faces shifted, but the ponies still maintained their discipline. Luna had expected more of a reaction from the fact that literal aliens were in the Everfree.
"If it comes to it...I want you all to immediately flee."
That command was what tipped the commanders over the edge. A series of objections rang out from the worried ponies, whose concern for the safety of the Princess was too great to bear.
"Silence, please."
Luna was immediately rewarded with silence. Her horn's glow wavered a bit before she continued speaking.
"I understand you are all concerned for my well-being, but I can assure you that I can handle whatever happens. I am an alicorn, and I am able to deal with any threats to my safety quickly, efficiently, and appropriately. If I give the signal, you must all retreat back to camp - with or without me. That is an order. Any further questions?"
Nopony spoke.
"Very well. I expect all of you to be ready by sundown. You will receive more details then. Pack light, we won't be gone for long. Tell your soldiers, but only them. Do not let word get out. And...be careful tonight. Dismissed."
With that, the invisible field of silence vanished, and Luna stepped out of the dark tent and into the mid-day sun. The smell of apples and oats drifted across the camp...along with a few annoyed shouts from the mess station.
-Noah-
The once roaring inferno in the wood stove was now a small flame, flickering in the dark. Two hours ago, the crude heater was blazing hot, its intense heat filling the room with warmth. Now, as everyone else rested through the night, the dim embers struggled to fight off the biting chill of the night.
Noah buried his hands further in his armpits. His uniform wasn't made to deal with temperatures this frigid, but it was all he had going for him except for a blanket over his legs. He scooted closer to the fire, shuddering as the warmth entered his body.
The six creatures in the back of the house were all either sleeping or on the verge of falling asleep. Noah was already tired from staying up so long; keeping guard was an ordeal for him. With nothing to keep him company but soothing cricket chirps and a hypnotizing fire, he was just barely able to stay awake. The temptation of sleep was too much, and his eyelids slowly drew closer and closer for the last time that night...
A thud from outside jolted Noah out of his exhaustion. Confusion, then fear sent a rush of adrenaline through his body, killing all of his sleepiness immediately. He sat completely motionless, listening soundlessly for whatever was outside.
Footsteps, heavy ones, from behind. Noah's heart skipped two beats as he listened to something walk around from the back of the house to the front. Without a sound, he slowly stood up, grabbed the carbine propped up against the wall next to him, and slowly tiptoed to the front room.
"...eí cheü, eí cheü."
Noah's arms were trembling as he raised the gun and aimed it at the doorway, his index finger pointed over the trigger guard. His thumb flipped a lever on the gun from "S" to "1". The click was loud, too loud. Noah cringed. There was clearly something outside - no, several things outside.
Then, complete silence. The front sight post erratically swayed with Noah's left arm as he quivered in fear. Oh god, they knew he was inside...
Suddenly, a rapid series of hard knocks on the door sent a wave of fear down his back. Noah couldn't call out for help - not when whatever was outside could hear him.
"Whér eit eindæ, pareteü enscräu! Enscräu, par loë cœnsei dín Présne Lon!"
The shrill, high-pitched shout cut through the air like daggers through Noah's chest. He couldn't have responded even if he wanted to - his mouth felt numb, and his throat didn't work at all.
"...Proe cuíde. Finé cuíder!"
Someone was making sound in the other room. In the back of his mind, Noah registered it as either Leah or Andrew getting up. In the front of his mind, he wanted to scream at them for making too much sound.
And then the door swung open, and three colorful horses rushed inside. It took a second for the two parties to fully realize what they were respectively looking at: aliens. The human and the ponies stared at each other in shock for what seemed like forever before Noah finally spoke, in a shaky and hesitant voice.
"S...Stay back!"
They were clad in intimidatingly-dark, metallic plate armor that covered their torsos as well as helmets that looked like they were pulled straight from ancient Rome. Each one of them had a sheathed short-sword at their side.
"I-I said STAY BACK!"
Noah pointed the muzzle of the rifle back and forth between the ponies as he slowly backed away from them. Ignoring his warnings, they advanced further into the room with each step he took back. One of them turned and yelled something out the door, and two more of the aliens entered.
"I swear to God, don't get any closer!"
Two clicks, right past the "3" and straight to "A".
"Të scür të scer? Brë..."
In unison, the front three aliens' horns began to glow. The shortswords slid out of their scabbards and hovered menacingly in front of them.
"Don't you...!"
Noah's finger entered the trigger guard.
"Forégna alta-"
Noah squeezed the trigger.
The 5.56-millimeter weapon was loud, but in the confines of the small room it was deafening. The sharp cracks of the gun became earsplitting explosions that overrode all other noise. Noah's ears rang with each shot he fired, but at least he knew what was happening - unlike the aliens.
What seemed like thick, menacing armor turned out to be nothing but thin sheet metal as the steel-tipped bullets cut through their protection like it was nothing but styrofoam. The three horses in front dropped to the ground, their swords clattering as they fell from mid-air. The two in the back were too disoriented to fight but not enough to ignore what had just happened. Three of their comrades, downed within seconds by a loud, terrifying weapon. Noah pointed the gun at them as the smell of sulphur and copper filled the air. Crimson splatters coated the wall, staining the wood with hot blood.
Suddenly, a flash of light filled the room. Noah blinked, then pointed his gun at the source. Another alien had just materialized in front of him. It was different, taller...and much more fearsome. It was a dark blue alien, with hair that seemed to sparkle and shine like the stars - and it wasn't happy about what he had just done.
Noah didn't hesitate to fire at the new threat. Panic set in, and he held the trigger down instead of firing in short, controlled bursts as he was trained to do. The recoil bruised his shoulder as he emptied the rest of his magazine into the creature. Instead of piercing its flesh, however, the bullets seemed to hit a blue barrier. The alien seemed to be able to deflect Noah's gunshots - but Noah kept firing. With each shot, the barrier seemed to get fainter and fainter, almost as if it was getting weaker...
Click.
The booms suddenly ceased, and the gun stopped firing. Noah cursed as he hit the magazine release and let the old magazine fall to the ground. He turned and grabbed a fresh one off the desk, slid it into the gun, and pulled the charging handle. He would have aimed it at the alien, too - if it hadn't rushed into the back room while Noah was reloading.
-Luna-
Everything was going wrong.
This was supposed to be a simple search operation, one that her ponies had done countless times before. There were supposed to be only three other creatures in the house besides Twilight and her friends - and they didn't even have magical capabilities! They should have been no match for her twenty well-trained soldiers.
Luna and her small charge had approached with utmost silence, as her ponies were trained to do. They knocked on their door, declaring their intent to enter. And they had given fair warning, too!
She cursed as the loud snaps from inside stopped. Perhaps they didn't understand Equestrian? It should have been obvious; they were creatures from another world, after all. How could they be expected to know what her ponies were saying? And how could they not expect such a disastrous first impression with this new species? Equestria's centuries-old institutions had no way of dealing with an entirely foreign race; there hadn't been any since the beginning of written history. Maybe it was just terrible planning, but how could she help it? Two days had passed since she had seen Twilight, deep in study in her dreams, stuck out in the Everfree among who knows what kind of creatures! Celestia would have spent much longer, scrutinizing every detail of her course of action; Luna had just rushed to Twilight's aid as soon as she could.
The swelling feeling in her horn told her that her teleportation spell had finished charging. She concentrated on her target, then released the built-up magic into the teleportation matrix. A bright sunburst of light filled her vision, fading away as quickly as it had appeared. He first thing she saw was her loyal ponies lying on the dirty floor, their life slowly draining away from the wounds on their bodies. She looked at the alien, holding the metal weapon in its hands. Her surroundings were foreign and unfamiliar, but the way it carried itself gave off a universal message of hostility. She stepped towards it, and it shifted its weapon in her direction.
Thankfully, her defensive fields came up just before the weapon rattled off its deadly burst of fire. Her alicorn magic was the strongest, her barrier perfected after countless years of practice and experience - and yet the tiny little weapon (not even the size of a polearm!) hammered away at it, chipping away at it at a rate unbelievably rapid. Hit after hit smashed into her shield, each impact bringing her closer and closer to total vulnerability. Soon, she would be totally open to even the weakest of blows...
The alien suddenly stopped attacking her, a look of terror on its face. Luna finally managed to get a good look at it as she regathered her defenses. Twilight's depiction was quite accurate; Luna had thought that the thin proportions were just caused by a lack of artistic talent, but they turned out to be correct. from the snoutless head to the thin, furless claws.
A curved box dropped from its weapon, the black metal clacking against the wooden floor. It reached for another one lying on a nearby table, apparently unable to continue attacking. Luna had two options at that moment: she could either launch an impact spell, disabling the alien but preventing her from regaining her lost shielding, or she could rush for Twilight and teleport away to safety with her.
She ran into the other room, her hooves moving as fast as she could in the confined quarters of the small area. Surveying the dimly-lit boxes and occupied beddings, Luna quickly found a lavender alicorn sitting up and staring at her with a look of surprise on her face.
"L-Luna?"
Luna ignored the two aliens and two ponies staring at her, too shocked to react. She rushed towards her objective and grabbed Twilight with her magic, laying Twilight over her midnight-blue back.
"What's going-"
A second later, the two ponies were out in the cool night air, outside of the hut. The rest of her Night Guard, hiding behind the walls of the hut in caution, all looked at her as she suddenly appeared right outside the doorway in a brilliant starburst of light.
"Retreat!" she yelled, her voice loud enough to yank her guardsponies from their stares. Within a split second, everypony was sprinting away at top speed, their legs carrying them at full pace.
"Applejack...we need to-"
"Not now, Twilight," Luna huffed as she hurried towards the woods. Applejack and Rainbow Dash would have to wait - the alicorn was the top priority. She looked over at Twilight; her purple coat was covered in bandages. What had they done to her?
Luna's hairs stood up on the back of her neck, an electric buzz filling her ears. She stopped running, the strange feeling too abnormal to ignore. It was indescribably familiar...something that she couldn't quite place her hoof on. Luna turned around, attempting to trace the odd sensation of the feeling.
Nothing was visible to her eyes, but her gut told her something enormous was about to happen...
-Portgate-
"So, why did you decide to leave the barracks for this?"
The man looked over at his partner, anticipating a response as they stood thirty meters away from the Portgate.
"I dunno. Guess it was better than, you know, just...nothing."
"Heh, I know what you mean."
He stuffed the last bite of Choco-Caffeine Granola into his mouth, then shoved the wrapper into the shin pocket of his pants. "These are really good, you know. Why don't you ever get one?" he asked.
"I don't like them. Too bitter," the other guard replied as he shifted the rifle in his arms. A technician walked past them, carrying a large plastic box in his arms. The Army volunteers watched as he set it down right next to the giant metal ring, its frame half-exposed as a mass of wires and metal.
"So, when are they gonna be finished?" he asked.
"Oh, so now you ask? Dunno, they said about two weeks, I think. Though you never know."
"Damn right, you never know."
The technician opened the box, pulling a large metal cylinder out from it and handing it to a woman in the orange overalls of the facility's engineers.
"Hey, check this out!" the man exclaimed as he grabbed his smartphone from his vest pocket. He checked the screen, pressing the home button through his tactical gloves, then showed it to the other guard. "My wife just sent me a video. Hehe, it looks funny. 'why snowmobiles are the most dangerous animal in alaska.' You wanna see?"
"Shouldn't we be keeping guard?"
"For what?" he grumbled as he shoved the phone back into his pocket.
"I dunno, just...it's not gonna look good if - hey, you feel that?" his companion asked as he gripped his gun tighter.
"What do you-"
Blue light filled the enormous underground chamber as the Portgate once again rumbled to life. Everyone in a fifteen-meter radius immediately rushed back from it, forming a circle around the swirling blue vortex. The intercom buzzed out a message in the silence that overtook the normally-noisy testing area as the image of a dark forest and fields of grass shimmered in the portal, lit up by the bright incandescent light flowing through to the other side.
"-do not panic, do not panic! All security personnel, this is a code two - oh for God's sake, forget it. All security personnel, head to the Portgate area IMMEDIATELY. This is not a drill. It-it's opened up again, without warning. Everyone else - evacuate the sector! Head to your designated escape routes and evacuate immediately!"
"Jesus!" the two simultaneously exclaimed as they backpedalled away from the Portgate, aiming their guns at the door to another world in preparation for what would come out of it. They hid behind a nearby service cart, taking cover as they rested the handguards on the scratched aluminum. Each passing second, then each passing minute grew longer and longer as they waited for an invader to come through.
More and more soldiers flooded the room. An officer barked out orders to the men, who formed a ring around the Portgate behind various pieces of cover. Someone hefted a light machine gun onto a nearby crate, setting the bipod on the raised edge of the box. Nothing came through.
Then, a shout - from the inside of the ring - broke through the chaos. Everyone closed their mouths and listened, their surroundings quickly becoming quiet save from the sound of alien crickets chirping.
"...help, we need help!"
A human in the black and grey clothing of the Portgate Security Administration stumbled into the view of the Portgate, their clothes noticeably dirty and unwashed. Sighs of relief were heard throughout the building - then gasps of shock.
"We have three wounded...aliens! They need gunshot treatment, immediately!"
Another man, this one wearing blue, hurriedly walked through the Portgate, something strange in its arms. He set it down on the concrete floor, taking care to place it as slowly as possible.
"..."
A forest green unicorn, bandaged and armored, was lying unconscious fifty meters underground in a research facility in the middle of central Texas. Everyone was speechless.
It seemed like forever until someone uttered the words that set the foundations for the future of Humanity and what it had discovered.
"...well, don't just stand there! Get a medic over here, ASAP!"
End of Part I.