“I have been a conspirator for so long that I mistrust all around me.”
-Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1918-1970
December 15th, 1008, 1530 hours
Wind Rider
Former member of the Wonderbolts (dishonorably discharged)
Saddle Row, Manehattan
"Get out!" The perfume store owner kicked Wind Rider out of her store with a broom, "and don't let me see your sorry lying flank near this street again!" Wind Rider stood up as the door slammed shut in front of him. Dejected, he started making his way to the metro station returning home.
After being dishonorably discharged from the Wonderbolts, Wind Rider returned to live in Las Pegasus in moderate luxury. After a few moons of his early retirement, however, some newspaper in Manehattan got hold of how he attempted to frame the new member of the Wonderbolts, who just happened to be the element of loyalty, and how he subsequently got fired for it. Needless to say, the paper went selling like hotcakes across the nation of Equestria as more of his dirty acts had been revealed, the most shocking one being how three other Wonderbolts also got dishonorably discharged the same way twenty-five years ago, with one member failing to cope with her being fired and subsequently hanging herself.
His reputation sank to the gutter. Even though he couldn't be prosecuted due to the case being well over the persecution period, Wind Rider's wealth started to deplete as the government subsidy for him was cut to a bare minimum, and his fortunes on the gambling table took a sharp downturn. He attempted to live the same lifestyle as before, which dried out his wealth even faster, and in the end, had him kicked out of his condo as he could no longer afford to live in Las Pegasus. One of his relatives in Manehattan offered him a job in his own trash company, where he worked cleaning toilets in a trash treatment plant. His pay barely afforded him a small apartment that was located near the slums of the city.
On the way to the metro station, the ponies could be heard talking about how he used lies and dirty tricks, attempting to keep his record unbroken. Booing could be heard wherever he went, even as he entered the underground metro station. Faces frowned at the sight of his presence as parents covered their kid's eyes and ears.
When he tried to buy a cup of cappuccino at the station's coffee stand, the cashier looked at him with disgust as the line behind Wind Rider was also much less impressed by his existence alone, with the customer behind him groaning, "darn it, just when I thought I was going to be fine for the rest of the day..."
"Here, take it or leave it." The barista put down the cappuccino in a not-so-gentle manner, "I hope you burn your tongue and the roof of your mouth drinking it."
On the train, the seats near where he was sitting were near empty from most ponies refusing to sit near such a notorious liar, except one pony who pointed his front hoof at Wind Rider and asked drunkenly, "hey, ya *hic* murdered someone to *hic* get this sorta treatment? *Hic* Serves ya right...*hic* "
Finally getting off the train and out of the station, the sky started to rain as he was near the apartment building where he lived. When he got to his door, he found out it had been vandalized with somepony spray painting the words "MURDERER" in bright red.
"Damn you, bastards!" Wind Rider slammed his front hoof on the door, "you bucking kids, I will chop your hooves off!" Surprisingly, his landlord didn't come out and yell at him for shouting this loud. Wind Rider guessed that he just took sleeping pills.
He then tried composing himself and entered his apartment, only to see two changelings and a green pegasus waiting for him in his living room.
"Wind Rider, is it? Welcome home." The leading Changeling stood up from the couch and walked up to him, "all will be explained in due time."
"W-what's the meaning of this? Why are all of you in my house?" Wind Rider took a few steps back.
"Relax, Sir; we just want you on board to take down Rainbow Dash and her stupid friends!" The green pegasus said.
"Ugh...Lighting Dust, let me handle the talking!" The leading one looked back and ordered, "anyways, as you have heard, we, on behalf of Queen Chrysalis the Great, are looking for your assistance."
Wind Rider was too dumbfounded to say anything. The leading one sensed his confusion and said, "ah, where are my manners? My apologies. I am Lieutenant Schawler, Imperial Intelligence Service. With how intelligent you are, I'm sure you already know why we are here today."
"I see what you mean, but working for you? That is high treason. Why should I risk having those humans sniffing up my tail and dissolve my body in an acid barrel?"
"We acknowledge your achievements in flight, Mr. Rider, unlike the heartless Equestrian government. Her Majesty the Queen has taken a liking to your capabilities and potential and offers you a position as the chief drill instructor of her elite aerial combat unit. Rest assured, the pay and commodities will be the best we can offer, and we do have plenty to do so."
Lighting Dust groaned, "come on! You got kicked out and with your record erased, while I was also kicked out! All thanks to Rainbow Dash and that moron Spitfire! This is the perfect opportunity to get back at 'em!"
"I don't know, that's...a lot of risks I'm taking there. High treason isn't like littering, it-"
"You will be safe under our employ, you have my word. If any Equestrian agent tries to take your life, we will have them pay back ten times the price if they can even get close enough to attempt that. We will provide you with what the two princesses can, only much better. Have the princesses ever given you anything that you have deserved in the past two years?"
Wind Rider thought to himself silently.
Schawler continued persuading, "oh, Mr. Rider, look at you, having to live on limited government subsidy, disgraced across the entire nation, with your own easily irritable landlord charging you extra rent because someone's cousin from Ponyville wrote a letter about your acts and mentioned it to a newspaper editor? Oh, poor you, you don't even know how to stand up for yourself. Had Spitfire's betrayal or Rainbow's gloating around finally done it? Did they break you?"
Wind Rider shouted in a fury, "I am NOT broken! Spitfire can kiss my ass, she should have died in that rocket stunt before, but no, she lived, and she fired me for a stupid little filly that is too smart for her own good! Both of them should have been dead, and I should have been head of the Wonderbolts. It's what I deserve, goddammit! I have bled for Equestria, and this is my thanks?"
"Prove it then," Schawler delivered his final blow, "if you are indeed the pegasus who once set the record for long-distance flying in the Wonderbolts, the one that is destined to command the Wonderbolts, the real Wind Rider who can stand up against evil against him...then stand up to a nation that ruined and wronged you."
That became the final straw for Wind Rider, as he gave in and said, "...Then, we have a job to do."
"Good...Good! Pack your bags; we are to leave as soon as possible. The Panthers will be sniffing up our trail if we are here for too long."
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December 15th, 1984, 1100 hours
Major General Hafez Al-Assad
Acting Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Central Command, commander of the 30th Guards mechanized infantry division of the Soviet Army
Ba'ath party headquarters building, Novaya Moskva
The former president and dictator of Syria sat in his office, the logo of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party with the flags of the party and the Syrian Arab Republic behind him.
He stared at the three photos on the desk. First one to the left is a photo of himself in uniform, taken right after the 1970 Corrective Movement. The second one was a family photo, taken in 1972, which had him, his wife, his four sons, Bassel, Bashar, Majid, Maher, and his daughter, Bushra, in the photo. The third one, taken a week ago, was just him, his wife, Bashar, Majid, and Bushra.
There was a knock on the door, and Hafez responded, "come in."
In came a lieutenant wearing a Syrian uniform. After a salute, the lieutenant turned and locked the door as Hafez asked, "aren't you supposed to report something, lieutenant?"
"Oh, I am supposed to report something, only much later, and to someone else." The lieutenant took off his peaked cap and started to reveal his true self: a changeling.
"W-wait! Who the fuck are you? And why are you here?" Hafez shot up from his seat, taking a Browning hi-power from his desk drawer, chambered it, and pointed it at the infiltrator, his hands shaking.
"I have a proposal from Queen Chrysalis." the changeling said, "we have taken note of certain things troubling you recently, and if you can perhaps put down your gun, we can work on...a mutually beneficial partnership."
"I will put it down when you have finished proposing whatever the fuck your queen wants," Hafez replied in a stern tone, the end of the barrel still aimed at the infiltrator.
The changeling then started to trot around in the office slowly and said, "now, I have known from my sources that you have some unresolved conflicts with the humans from Israel. Queen Chrysalis has heard of your story and is very impressed by your resistance against those Israelis and decided to offer you the post of lieutenant general. You will be allowed to keep your troops under your command, and we will offer everything you want. Money, power...even revenge against the Israeli humans. Most importantly, a slice of land will be given to you as your kingdom after we finish conquering Equestria."
"...Continue." Hafez thought for a moment and slowly lowered his gun.
The changeling gawked briefly, saying, "what's more to discuss? I have finished all I need to say. The terms are better than anything Mr. Birthmarks or the two fools in Canterlot will ever offer; I don't see a reason why not to join us."
"How do I know you will not backstab me when I have finished what you want to do?" Hafez questioned, starting to shout a bit, "don't take me as a fool. I can sense betrayal and backstabbing miles away. All of you changelings reek of a stench, I have felt it on those Iraqis, the Islamists, Sadat…I knew it all along. They all have the same stench of treason, and you…reek of that stench.”
“I would gladly repeat the points if you-”
“Plus, I don't know why you and your Queen would think I will be joining your kind just because I have ordered Hama and the 30,000 people in it to be razed to the ground. I am nothing like your Queen, nothing! I am Hafez Al-Assad, the lion of Damascus, damn you! Who does your Queen think she is to be compared to me just because she has some slaves and had killed a few dissidents? I have excelled in everything she will ever do before she was even born!"
"Now, I would suggest against that." the changeling responded, "if we are to cooperate with minimal problems, it is best that you give up such thoughts or notions of yourself being superior or the possibility of betrayal from us. Her Majesty the Queen is the mother of all of the changeling nation, and I would recommend you give her the respect she deserves."
Hafez raised his voice as he slammed his fist on his desk, "I will have you know, I earned everything that made me who I am, my name, my presidency, my nation, my party, my victory over the Zionists! Your Queen is born with a silver spoon in her mouth, while I had to join the fucking army just to go to school! Your Queen is nothing! Nothing! A lion shall not work under a lamb. It eats the lamb up and spits the bones out!"
The changeling laughed for a bit, "should I mention that we know how Bassel died to the Israelis in the war? Or perhaps, when Maher died outside of your bunker...you weren't there to save him. We knew about Hama, the 1970 coup, we know…everything."
"Don't you dare mention my family, you son of a bitch!" Hafez picked up his gun on his desk in rage, and shouted, " and who...who even gave you all that information! Give me their names! Now! Or you will be waiting for them in hell!"
"I see how it is." The changeling frowned as he handed out a business card, "I will return in a few days. The offer still stands, but it will not last forever. You can find me here, and I would suggest you be quick. The Queen doesn't like delays."
As Hafez saw the infiltrator try to leave, his anger finally had him aiming his hi-power at the changeling and firing three consecutive shots on his back. The changeling screamed in pain and struggled to stand up as Al-Assad walked up to him, firing the remaining bullets in his magazine until only one left.
"You don't try to threaten me, you little changeling cockroach! Tell your Queen there will be no cooperation, and I will be coming for her next!" Hafez shouted as he fired the final round into the changeling's head, blood glowing green splattering his suit.
Not long after, his guards barged in, searching the room for other potential hostiles and surrounding Hafez as he breathed heavily, his hand and the gun shaking from his reduced body strength.
"Mr. President, sir, are you alright?" the guard captain asked.
"I...I'm fine. Just give me a moment. Tell Markus Wolf that we have traitors." Hafez Al-Assad replied, handing his hi-power to the captain, then left for the washroom.
He looked at himself in the mirror as he threw a violent coughing fit. Thankfully, there was no blood spit, but the more he looked into the mirror, the more Hafez saw that he had slowly turned into what he always feared: a diabetic, old, desperate man.
Hafez Al-Assad quickly washed his face and reassured himself he was anything but that. He was the Lion of Damascus, and he always will be.
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December 16th, 1008, 1200 hours
Outskirts of Fillydelphia
Trixie Lulamoon woke up from a deep slumber. Last night's magic show went all the way into midnight, and its effects came back to bite her in the rear.
"Ergh..." Trixie groaned as she rubbed her eyes and got off her hammock, "....the great and powerful Trrrixie has just awakened from her great and powerful sleep..."
She proceeded to make some coffee to start the day, as she opened the wagon door for some fresh air, she noticed a letter with a strange seal on it in her mailbox attached to the wagon. Skeptical, Trixie sat down at her small tea table with the letter and coffee, opening a packet of peanut butter crackers as she read the letter.
To the esteemed, great, and powerful Trixie Lulamoon:
It has come to my attention that you have unresolved conflicts with one of the princesses, Twilight Sparkle. Coincidentally, a group of like-minded friends and I also happened to have some past grudges against said princess. Therefore, we would like to meet the great and powerful magician herself and negotiate a way to prank a common enemy, we will meet up at the City Mare Cafe in Fillydelphia city center at 4 PM, on the 17th of December to discuss how to get close to her for our plan. Please arrive on time, and need not worry, we already know what you look like.
Sincerely,
A fan of yours.
"Hmm...? What's this...getting back at Twilight Sparkle?" Trixie mumbled as she munched on the crackers, "I mean, I do want to go to that high-end cafe...but hey, somepony is paying the tab, so why not?"
As Trixie finished her cup of coffee, she thought to herself: hold on, plenty of other ponies should also hate Twilight, why pick me? Maybe I'm just that great and powerful, but why would they mention getting close...
"Starlight Glimmer." She muttered to herself, "I'm friends with Starlight, and they want to get close so they can, in return, get close to Twilight."
Wait, if the goal is to get close to Starlight Glimmer, then why won't they go straight to her and try working from there instead? Or is it that...
"They can't. And they must look for my help to be friends with her."
And for what reason they can't make friends with Starlight? She's not a bad pony, and she would have let a small prank slide if it was harmless...
"Eh, must be a big prank then!" Trixie tossed her suspicions out of the window. "The grrreat and observant Trrrrrrixe sees no deception in this letter!"
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“So, are you on board with this?” Slippy Grooves, one of the two ponies, asked, “your magic and the explosives combined. It would be quite the prank of the century!”
Trixie questioned, "explosives? Now, this usually isn't what the great and powerful Trixie would call a harmless prank. That's way too much …what are you two really up to?"
"Oh, come on! It's safe, I promise!" Jammie Hearts, the other pony, reassured Trixie.
"Trixie isn't concerned about safety…Don't worry. Whatever operation against Twilight you two are planning, I'm on board. I won't say a word."
The two looked at each other, and Jammie said as Slippy nodded, "we are…going to blow up Twilight Sparkle and her friends. We work for the Imperial Intelligence Service-"
A smug appeared on Trixie's face. She then took a small listening bug out of her hat and told the waiter next to her, "Miss Sweetie Drops, would you kindly please?"
With the blink of an eye, the disguised waiter and two other ponies from the table next to theirs dragged both ponies, now revealed as changelings, and pressed them on the floor. Multiple ponies in black suits and sunglasses came barging into the cafe as Sweetie Drops took out the arrest warrant.
"You blasted cheap magician! You dare call SMILE (Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria) on us?" The changeling infiltrator shouted, being controlled on the ground.
The other one also shouted, "HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN WILL REMEMBER THIS, YOU SCUM!"
"SMILE agents have been on your tail for a long time and told me about this operation outside just before I came in. After I agreed, Trixie simply dealt the decisive blow on both of you!" Trixie Lulamoon proudly announced. "You have been outsmarted by the great and observant Trrrrrrixe!"
Agent Sweetie Drops duct-taped the two's mouths shut, then stood up and said to a proud Trixie Lulamoon, "thanks for your help, citizen. The princess is safe for now, thanks to your timely cooperation!"
Trixie, enjoying the praise, raised her head and looked down at the two changelings, and announced:
"I, the great and powerful Trrrrixie, shall never let my personal issues affect my allegiance to Equestria, to harmony!"
A waiter looked at her and said, "Ma'am, please get off the table."
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December 16th, 1984, 1900 hours
Major Željko “Arkan” Ražnatović
Commander of the European Federal Army 35th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Restaraunt Derpsia, Canterlot branch
"My brigade will be deployed to the Sire's Hollow section next week," Arkan said as he drank from his glass of wine, "orders from Brandt. I don't know what strings you changelings pulled, but keep this up, and we will have a good shot at taking over Equestria."
The changeling, disguised as somepony named Svengallop, replied, "My pleasure. The Queen is utmostly pleased that you will be joining our cause. For now, we can start moving slaves and spies into Equestria through the western border again."
"I am still unsure if making moves right now is such a great idea." Radovan Karadžić turned to the infiltrator and said, "Recently, Wolf had just started to apprehend humans that he suspected to be collabs, especially after yesterday. After Hafez Al-Assad has shot your buddy, Markus is now adding a hell of a lot more people on the list- me included."
The changeling chuckled a bit, and said, "Relax, Markus Wolf is an easy man to deal with. We already fooled him left, right, and center with the faux troop movements. I don't see how he can even gain any significant advantage over us."
"I wouldn't be this cocky." Karadžić wiped his mouth, "The Stasi was easily the most feared agency in Europe right after the CIA and KGB. They know when, where, and why you go to the washroom and take a shit, and you would be fine and not know they even existed. But should you come onto their radar by suggesting something the Stasi and the East German government didn't like...then you would wish you were dead."
Major Ražnatović took out a cigar and lit it, "Jesus fucking shit, Karadžić, you gotta relax for a bit. Markus is a fucking buffoon with communist shit in his head. You are just overthinking it, ya know?"
"What can I say? You haven't changed a single bit since Mauzer kicked your ass in Srebrenica. Always the reckless young hothead I knew knocking on my door in Banja Luka, and might I say that one day, this will be the end of you."
"Hey! We agreed not to talk about that slave of Tito!" Arkan complained.
Karadžić drank from his glass of water, ignoring the statement.
The infiltrator then said, "excuse me, I am to report to the queen soon. You two enjoy yourselves."
After seeing the changeling in disguise walk away, Arkan groaned, "working with these bitches is fucking torture, man, their queen this, their queen that, why doesn't the queen do everything for them at this rate?"
"We are merely choosing the right side of history, Arkan." Radovan Karadžić said, "I merely fight for whoever ensures our benefits. You want revenge against Mauzer, and I want power."
"Look, after we get our promised kingdom, ruling over every fucking moron and retard on this piece of land, I shall be king, and you shall be prime minister, alright?" Arkan downed his entire glass of wine, "there, under me, you can have as much power as you want, only I will always have more."
Karadžić said nothing but smiled.
"We will see about that," he thought to himself.