Chapter 7
I woke up under a tree. Strange as I felt no pain from my injuries. Green hills, a blue sky as far as my eyes could see. The tree I was sitting under was the only tree.
What is going on? Am I dead? If this was the case, why I was able to remember everything?
As I tried to thought, I heard the sound of hooves to the left of me.
It was Princess Luna. Wait a moment. This would be meaning that I’m merely unconscious.
She raised a fore hoof and spoke calmly, “Relax, Lieutenant. Everything is fine.”
“I am not dead?”
“No. You are merely unconscious and in the infirmary.” She sat down next to me.
“So this is a dream, right?”
She smiled. “Yes. As Princess of the Night, it is my duty to help my subjects in their dreams. I also have brought your friends.”
Multiple hoof steps came from the left. “Peter!” The CMC called out and hugged me. They were crying. “We thought you died!” Apple bloom was glad to see me.
Luna's smile faded. “You suffered significant head trauma, and are currently unable to wake as a result.”
“How bad?” I patted the foals to calm them down.
Luna had a look of sorrow on her face. “Your skull was fractured, and you have a concussion. But you have been treated, and appear to be recovering well.”
“I feel like it just happened a few minutes ago.”
“Actually you have been unconscious for three days. You even lacked your dreams that even I was not able to reach you.”
“Three days?!” I was shocked.
“The Princess speaks the truth. We are here to wish you a good recovery.”
“Thank you, Scootaloo. I don’t want to be rude, but why were you at my cell that night?”
“After Captain Night reported that the Sergeant was told to report to him, I decided to look after you.”
“Just in time. One minute later and I would be dead now.”
“You’re welcome. And after I heard how friendly and polite you are, I was curious about your dreams.” Just like in the show.
“Really?”
“Yes. It is my duty to patrol the dreams of my ponies, and ward them of nightmares. While you may not be one of mine, I am able to see your dreams just as easily as those of my subjects.”
“Interesting. If this is a dream, can I change it?”
“Of course. Give it a try.”
For some reason, the first thought was my first mission in the GSG-9 in 2010.
“What is that?” Sweetie Belle looked around.
"Pripyat. A city in the Ukraine. I was sent in with a team of the GIGN as a terrorist group called ‘Phoenix Connexion’ kidnapped three Ambassadors. A German, a Frenchman and a Russian.
Our orders were to free them. A Spetznaz team leaded us through the city.”
We saw how my team and the GIGN Team were preparing for our mission.
I hold my monologue. “I've learned from experience that the place to save lives is in the field, not an office. And sometimes the only way to save a life, is to take one.”
“You were the team medic, right?”
“Yes Dinky. And the tech-expert at the same time.”
Tom was preparing his rifle. “Name's Peter.”
“Name's Tom.”
“When did you become a sniper?”
“I used to be undercover. I did time. I had to deal drugs. I even had to kill. And I was so good at it that, it got me a promotion.” He patted his rifle. “I also used to be an artist. Do you know what an artist and a sniper have in common? Details. Like when a touch of color is out of place. When a shadow does not match with its surroundings. Or when a shape is not where it is supposed to be.”
“Enough talking. The Spetznaz team waits here for us.” My squad leader said as a Spetznaz flashed his flashlight at us.
“There's Kamarov's man. Let's go.”
I had a G36C and breaching charges. “The Ambassadors are in a building up ahead.” The Russian said.
“Perfect. Move out.” The leader of the GIGN ordered.
“Servitas vitae.” Tom said as we moved out.
“What does that mean?” That is French for ‘To save lives’. This is the motto of the GIGN.” I explained to Apple Bloom as I saw myself moving out.
“Careful...there's pockets of radiation all over this area. If you absorb too much, you're a dead man.” One of the Spetznaz warned me.
We moved through the city. It was quiet. It was also a gloomy, dark, lonely and scary place with gray skies and long, unkempt grass. After a while we saw a lone terrorist. He did not notice us. “Stay low, he's mine.” Tom sneaked up to the guard.
“Oi, Suzy!” He ran up and knocked him out,
“That's how it's done, let's go.”
We continued to move. A sniper showed up at the top of an apartment building.
“Don't move. Sniper. Fire escape, fourth floor, dead ahead. Take him out, or he'll give away our position, Tom.”
“I am on it.” Tom took the sniper out before he noticed us.
“Beautiful. Move out. Go” The leader of the Spetznaz commanded.
We moved up to another building. Inside, for a moment, the ghostly sounds of children playing could be heard as we moved through the Palace of Culture with a clear view of some abandoned buildings across Pripyat.
Back then, I couldn’t help myself but flinch a little bit as I heard the ghostly sounds.
“Look at this place... Fifty thousand people used to live in this city. Now it's a ghost town... I've never seen anything like it.”
“Neither did I, Tom.”
“What happened?” Scootaloo didn’t like the sounds.
“On 26th April 1986, a reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, contaminating a large area. Pripyat was near Chernobyl. It was evacuated the next day.
It was the worst nuclear accident in human history. Such a major accident, caused by a little mistake.”
“That’s sad." Dinky commented.
"But sadly true. I heard about it. Terrible.” Luna said to us.
“Such an accident like in Chernobyl must not happen again.” I said to them.
Now we reached a hotel. There were a lot of guards. “They are inside this building. I suggest we attacked from the east, The GIGN from the west and you from the here.”
"Good Idea Kamarov. Tom, you give sniper support.”
“Yes, sir.”
We got into position. As Tom fired, we all engaged.
We quickly overran the defensives. The rooms were all empty however.
“Nobody here. Did you have found something?” our leader asked the GIGN and Spetznaz team via radio.
“Non. Nothing here.”
“Njet. Same here.”
Then I saw a bloody trail. “Hey! There's a lot of blood over here. It's going up those stairs.”
“Easy.”
I saw a shadow upstairs. “Contact!”
We heard Russians voices as we got to the third floor. A terrorist quickly closed the door and we heard gunshots.
I quickly planted a breaching charge at the door.
After it exploded, everything went in slow-motion.
I killed a terrorist that was about to execute a hostage, then 4 other guys.
My comrades entered and secured the room. The terrorists had wounded two other hostages. They were shot into the gut. I took care of their wounds.
“Look at me, look at me. It's him.” My leader helped the German Ambassador up. He was tied up and had tape over his mouth and eyes. The other hostages were the other Ambassadors.
“Good job. This round’s on us.” The Spetznaz leader said via radio.
“Mission accomplished! See you next time, mon ami!” Tom said goodbye after the mission was over.
“Wow. Awesome! You’re pretty good for your first mission.” Scootaloo was impressed.
“Thanks.”
“Peter, how did you meet your wife?” Sweetie Belle was curious.
“I met her one year later.”
We saw a patrol man doing a traffic stop. The driver however pulled a pistol out and shot the patrolman serveral times into the chest. before he could react, bloody wounds all over his chest as he fell dead on the ground, the gunner drove away with squealing tires.
“Did he just…”
“Yes he did. But we did find him.” Luna was shocked.
A patrol car with two officers arrived at the scene. There was a camera inside of the car of the killed officer and a Security Camera on a building overlooking the scene.
The police forces managed to find the car of the murder. He was even so stupid to leave the gun in the car. They found out, that the murder was well known to the police and was suspected to be a member of the Phoenix Connexion.
It was conformed as a shootout started, as soon as we found their hideout which was a hotel.
The scene switched to the hotel in Germany. I rappelled down from a helicopter.
I was leading my own squad now. “Listen up, men! We have a hostage situation! We managed to evacuate the guests and personal, but the Phoenix Connexion has still a hostage inside! Our mission is to save the hostage to and take the terrorists out. You got this?”
“Yes, sir!” Before we entered through the roof, two squad members with the codenames Romeo One-One and Charlie One-One had a conversation.
“We’re going deep and we’re going hard.”
“Surely you can’t be serious.”
"I am serious…and don't call me Shirley.”
“An airplane reference how originally.” Echo One-One my second in command let out a laugh.
“Weapons free, use of deadly force is authorized.” I got permission to engage from HQ
As we entered, an enemy came out of a bathroom and was killed by Charlie. “Tango down in section One Alpha.” The hostage was on the lower floor.
We eliminated every terrorist we saw on our way down. We moved down to the stairs.
“Stairway clear.” We engaged terrorists on the second floor. “Watch your fire down here. We’re looking for a civilian.” I warned my men.
Eventually we found the hostage. The leader of the terrorists was holding the hostage. A young woman with black hair and blue eyes. She was restrained and tape was on her mouth. I could see the fear in her eyes.
“Stand back! Or I'll shoot her head! I said stand back!” the terrorist threated.
“Throw the weapon! Down on the floor now!” I ordered but had no choice as I was about to kill him with a headshot. Before I shot, I held my monologue again.
"In a life threatening situation, the average person's heartbeat can be upwards of 175 beats per minute. A well trained tango is able to stay cool, keep calm. Their heart rates can be 70 to 100 beats per minute.”
After he was down, I untied the woman. She hugged me crying. I patted her back.
“Shh, it’s over. You’re safe now Ma’am. Let’s get you to the paramedic.”
I carried her out. At the ambulance, the woman said to me, “Thank you. You saved my life.”
“I only did my job Miss…”
“Katrin. You can call me Katrin.”
“Name’s Peter.”
“Die!”
A terrorist that had hidden himself charged at Katrin, but I threw myself in his way to protect her.
Echo killed him, but the terrorist managed to fire a shot.
The bullet grazed my eye.
“Sir! We must get you to the hospital at once!” Echo helped me up, as I was holding my eye.
“You take your job very serious.”
“Just like you, you’re Highness.” I replied politely.
“May I ask how GSG-9 was founded?” Scootaloo seemed to have an interest for things like that.
“On 26th September 1972, Terrorists took hostages in Munich. Germany's law enforcement found itself severely compromised due to their failure to rescue the hostages and stop the terrorists as well as the country's historic relationship to Jews and Israel. That was why GSG-9 was created. To have a unit against it.”
“And how you got married?” Sweetie Belle smiled at me.
As response, they saw how I was recovering in the hospital. I was bandaged around my eye, but the doctor said it wasn’t so bad.
I heard a knock on the door. “Come in.” Katrin walked in.
“Hello beautiful.”
She blushed. “Hello, Peter. I am here to wish you a good recovery. And I-I wanted to tell you that I…” She couldn’t finish it and kissed me on the lips.
“You know, I fell in love you after I saved you.” I replied blushing.
After that, she visited me every day. After I was released from hospital, we dated.
Then we saw my wedding. “I hereby pronounce you husband and wife.” A priest spoke up. We saw my Wedding. I smiled. I was wearing a black suit, my wife a white dress. The guests were cheering, Tom was also here.
“So cute!” Sweetie Belle smiled with tears at the now married couple. After the wedding, we danced in a nightclub to Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung.
“It’s get even better.” Dinky looked around until she saw a woman with a newborn on her arm. “Congratulations! It’s a boy.” A doctor said.
“How shall we call him, Peter?”
“How about Otto?”
“That sounds nice.” We had both tears of joy in our eyes. The Princess of the Night sniffed.
“The birth of a child is always something nice, isn’t it?” Everypony nodded.
Then we saw how I was about to watch the show with my son and wife.
“I hope this doesn’t confuse you too much.”
“What do you mean?” Apple Bloom asked before she saw about what the show was.
“I like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, daddy.”
“Me too, Otto. They remind me of you.” I ruffled his hair.
“I like the idea from the fans to make Dinky a member of the CMC. Do you think they make it canon someday?”
“I hope so.” I replied before we played some Lego video games.
“How…how is this possible?” Dinky was confused.
“You’re asking the wrong guy. But I am a big fan of you and so is my son. I also followed the number one rule: ‘Love and tolerate.’"
“Do you not hate us?” Luna asked me.
“No, I don’t.”
“Even after Stud and Strikes almost killed you? You do not hate them?”
I smiled evil. “Oh, I would love to get them a beating of my own, but I don’t hate them that much that I would kill them.”
“Fascinating. My sister and I thought you would have developed a strong dislike of us, based on that experience.”
“Stuff like that happens. The only thing I hate are terrorists. Most of them are indiscriminate in their victims, disregarding age, religion, gender, or nationality. And a child you like three should not die so soon. You yet have your life ahead of you.”
“You like children very much, don’t you?” Sweetie Belle gave me a big smile.
“Yes.”
“Why are you in the military?”
Scootaloo asked as she saw how I spent time with my son.
“After the European Federation was founded, European counter-terrorism and special operations units were taken over into the Enforcer Corps.”
Now we saw how Locksmith tried to attack the Americans in Copenhagen. But we were taken out by JSF Pioneers that fired from towers before we were able to fire or go to cover. I along with four other Grenadiers was the only survivors.
After that, I was sent home to my wife. We watched together TV.
As the Freedom four was destroyed, we knew what would happen now.
Otto broke out in tears and hugged me tight.
“Please don’t leave us daddy!” he begged. I returned the hug and stroked his hair.
“I have to leave, to protect you.”
“Please don’t die, daddy.”
“I won’t, Otto. We will teach the Americans and Russians not to mess with the European Federation.”
“Just, be careful, Peter.”
I kissed my wife. “Careful is my middle name. I love you.”
"I love you too.”
“I will miss you too, but no matter what happens, I will always love you.”
I hugged my son again. “Goodbye, Otto. Daddy loves you.”
Then I left our home to fight for Europe.
The filly’s had tears in their eyes but Scootaloo cried the most.
“This reminds me when my daddy had to leave.” The other Crusaders hugged her to cheer her up.
“It’s never easy. But my wife and son were what we’re driving me. Still, I miss them.”
Lina patted a wing over me as I struggled not to cry.
“Thank you.”
She said nothing, as she looked in shock on a battlefield. It was the battle of Paris.
Locksmith defended an Uplink with the designation Whiskey.
The Russians crossed the bridge with tanks and IFVs but also Riflemen.
We managed to take out the vehicles, but took heavy casualties before the Riflemen were disabled by an Airstrike and Artillery. “Locksmith here, we lost two squads.” I reported.
“Lieutenant, look out!” a Grenadier shouted.
Before I could react, I was hit by an AK-74 bullet.
I fell on my back, holding my chest where my heart was.
“Medic!” I called out in pain. It was so great, that I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth.
Before everything went black, I heard a comrade say, “Hold on, Lieutenant. Help is on its way.”
“You were very lucky that you survived that.”
“Indeed, Apple Bloom.”
I woke up in a hospital bed as I heard voices. “I can’t remove the bullet. It would only make it worse.” A doctor said.
“This is you got the scar on your chest, right? Sergeant Night Hooves told me about it.”
“Yes, Princess. A Russian bullet still in my rips.”
Then the pony’s saw the all the battles I had fought in.
Then I was reading a letter from my family.
Peter,
We miss you very much. Still, we are happy to hear that Europe is about to win this war.
We are watching the news every day. Sometimes, Otto has nightmares about you. He prays every day that you come back safe and sound and not in a body bag. Everything is quiet back home. Every time I see a parade of the Enforcers, I have to think of you. It’s so empty in the house without you.
I hope that you survive and are coming back to us. We can’t live without you. I have something in the envelope for you.
Your wife and son.
I wrote back while listening to The Thin Blue Line.
Dear Otto and Katrin,
I miss you too. I am fine and we won every battle so far.
I dream every night about you. To be honest, I am homesick. I just hope that after this war is over, that I can finally return to you.
You two are what are driving me in this war. I love you two with all my heart.
With all my love
Peter
“Writing your family?” a Grenadier asked me.
“Yes. What about you?” He let out a sigh.
“I don’t even dream about home anymore. Still the night is beautiful, don’t you think?”
“Indeed ja. I like the night more than the day. The moon is just beautiful to look at.”
“I wish we could fight the Americans. I heard they are always complaining about Pioneer spam.”
“I don’t hate them or the Russians. Both are just fighting for their families like we do.”
“Interesting. Your love seems to win over your hate.”
“As I said before: Love and tolerate. But I am dead anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean Sweetie Belle, is that I would go into prison for desertion and probably treason. While the death sentence is not in Germany, I would be in prison for life. And my family would be molested for it, which I want to avoid.”
“Don’t worry. We can make sure, that they will not see you as traitor or deserter.”
Luna had an honest and promising expression.
“Thank you, your Highness.”
“Please, you can call me Luna.”
“Interesting that you won every battle.”
“You know Scootaloo, Sun Tzu, a general and military strategist said once: ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.’ And we did know ourselves and our enemy’s.
Actually, I am tired of this war. I just want to go home. By the way, if Equestria is in Germany, how it was undetected during the wars?”
“Simple. The magic of Equestria keeps it hidden from any human technology. However if a human enters our Country like you did, he can see it. Still the Explosions could be heard in the distance.”
“Flash Sentry and Ash Mark told me they are scared that the war will reach Equestria. I bet that this became too much for Stud and Strikes and I was their stress relief.”
“How did you even landed in Equestria?” Luna asked with curiosity.
I showed them the mission briefing.
“Our objective is to secure the Uplinks in this area. We don’t know if we will face the Russians or the Americans but be prepared for everything. Also, if you encounter any of those ponies and they attack you, use only non-lethal force, understood?” an officer showed pictures of an earth pony, a Pegasus and a unicorn.
Then, they saw how I rappelled down from the Gadfly, the conversation with Tom and my comrade and the fight with the Forgotten Army.
“So that’s how you landed here.”
“Yes, Apple Bloom. As you could see, the Forgotten Army may be well equipped to some point, but is still a joke. I still wonder why nobody searched for me yet, or what happened to the fight.”
“It was an interesting conversation with you Lieutenant. But we must leave you now.”
“I must thank you. It was a nice relief from the stress I had.”
“Your welcome!” The CMC said together.
“Till we meet again, in the real world.” With a flash of Luna's horn, the dream faded.