I know where the enemy is! They are somewhere to the East or the South or the West or the North of Baghdad.
[I'm a Ghost, not a God. I don't know everything. Don't expect me to tell you what I know, either. I'll give you the puzzle pieces, and you sort out the puzzle.]
???. August 7th, 2045. 11:32 AM
There was a stunned silence. The pony who had spoken- a charcoal-grey coated pony with a horn on its head, wearing rag-tag, regular workers' clothes- tilted his head to the side curiously.
"You can understand me, right?"
"Oh, just speak up already. Yes, we can understand you," groaned Pavlov from the floor. "Got a medic?"
Captain Linton nodded. "Priorities. We need medical equipment, if you have any. This soldier is wounded." He helped a soldier drag Pavlov onto a table in the corner of the room, keeping his distance from the ponies.
The grey coated pony raised a hoof. "Now, now, we can't let a sick... creature rest somewhere as uncomfortable as a wooden table. Come with me, we have accommodations." He glanced around at the few swords carried by the GLA soldiers. "And leave your weapons here. I promise you'll come to no harm- there's only us three here in the building."
Nodding in response, Captain Linton picked up Pavlov with the soldier and carried him up the short steps through the wooden door set in the wall, following the grey coated pony. The doorway was a bit short, and he had to duck his head to get through. The rest of the soldiers filed after them.
They came out into a large dining area dominated by a huge table that could easily seat the whole group, along with enough chairs for all of them. Linton noted with relief that the wooden chairs looked entirely normal.
They couldn't eat without a table, after all.
The walls were mostly bare, although there was a framed photograph showing an entire family of the pony creatures, smiling and waving at the photographer. Four doorways led out from the room, two at each end of the rectangular dining hall. A cramped stairway was set into the wall next to one of the doors.
The grey pony led them into a cramped, largely unfurnished room lined with empty beds. There were two windows with drawn curtains at the other end of the small room. Linton and the soldier set down Pavlov on the nearest bed.
"I'll be right back- I need to talk to my companions. Make yourselves comfortable, you could be here for a while. Medical supplies are in the cabinet." The door shut behind the pony.
None of the soldiers moved, looking to Captain Linton expectantly. He ignored them, instead opening the cabinet to find strange-looking bottles and various medical equipment. Linton chose the only familiar objects- a roll of bandages and a bottle of cleansing alcohol- and brought them to Pavlov. He handed them off to the soldier and chose a cot to lie on.
"Captain, please. This isn't the time to laze around," complained Sergeant Ahmed Woods in a frustrated voice.
"Why not?"
"We should be escaping, right? I'm sure one of those windows can open. We'll get out, and then-"
"And then what?" Linton stared at the ceiling, wondering about the mark he had seen on the flank of the grey pony. It was a colourful but simple picture depicting a half-open curtain letting in a ray of light from a window.
"And then... oh, godammit, where the hell are we?" Woods sat down on the opposite bed, holding his head in his hands. "This doesn't look like Earth. Who were those soldier horses? Who are these ones?"
"I don't mean to, like, ruin your flow, Woods, but I'm sure the Cap' has a plan. Let's just chill till those pretty ponies come back."
"Yeah... you're right, Ali. I trust you, Captain."
That was the cue for the rest of the GLA soldiers to disperse. Everyone found a bed for themselves or grouped up to discuss the events so far.
Linton simply closed his eyes and meditated until he heard the door open again a few minutes later. The same grey-coated pony entered, warily smiling.
"I see you're all comfortable here. Fantastic! We've prepared a meal for you. I hope it's... at least edible."
Linton led the way back into the dining room, where the table was laid with an impressive amount of various, recognisable foods, plates, cutlery, and even a couple of lit candles in stands. The electric lights had been dimmed.
Clapping his front hooves together, the pony announced, "Sorry for the poor choice of foods! It's all we could scrounge up on such short notice. Fiery Coat and Reeling Rifle are preparing desert. Till then, I will be your host. Please, sit down."
Linton shrugged and took a seat without hesitation. The rest of the soldiers followed suit, warily scrutinising the food. Sergeant Ali was just as relaxed as Linton, piling up his plate with bread and something that looked suspiciously like tofu. There was no meat available.
He took only a piece of bread, which he nibbled on as he listened to the pony speaking.
"Right, so- my name is Curtain Drawer. I'm the leader of this cell of the CPM, and thus was happy to provide you assistance when we noticed the Imperial Military looking for you. I'll explain more once you tell me- who are you all? What are you doing here, fleeing the government?" asked Curtain Drawer.
"I'm Captain Linton, of the Global Liberation. We're humans, from Earth, which I think is an entirely different planet from this one. As for how we got here... we don't know. We were... travelling... over Antarctica, an icy region of our planet, when we suddenly appeared in the mountains north of here."
Curtain Drawer's eyes widened. "Another world? I should have guessed as much- after all, random sentient species don't just appear from nowhere. How long have you been here? Did the Imperials catch you?"
"Just over a day. The Imperials, as you call them, had us under guard on a train. We escaped and ended up here."
Linton didn't see any harm in telling the strange pony all they knew. The 'CPM' seemed as though it was against the Imperial Military, judging from how they had helped the GLA hide. At the very least, they could question the pony about this New World they had found themselves in.
New World. That was a neat name.
He continued to answer the rapid-fire questions Curtain Drawer sent his way; about the GLA, Earth, the war, what they knew. He had to lie a little when questioned about his own past, but Curtain Drawer didn't seem to notice.
After a few minutes, Curtain Drawer seemed satisfied. He began answering various questions from the GLA soldiers, as the two other ponies- Fiery Coat and Reeling Rifle- brought more food and sat down themselves.
Over the next half an hour, they listened as Curtain Drawer explained the Crystal Protection Militia's purpose and origin, and some general knowledge about the world itself. Apparently it was formed only a few months prior to liberate the Crystal Empire from its overlord- a much larger and more prosperous country called Equestria, which was taking advantage of local resources and outdated industries in order to profit and exploit the population.
All of this was remarkably familiar to Linton- the story of every colonised nation that the GLA fought to restore the dignity of etc. etc.
There was something about the Crystal Empire 'reappearing' into the modern world that he didn't fully understand, but he guessed it was a metaphor of some sort. The CPM wanted to overthrow the royal family installed by Equestria and instead form a democracy.
"Most ponies are hesitant to sign up, though, because our last leader was much, MUCH worse than the current ones. They're content to accept a 'benevolent' Princess, even if it costs them their freedom."
"How much worse?" asked a soldier from the end of the table. Everyone had mostly finished eating, knowing they would be sick if they ate too much after over a day without food.
"Literal enslavement and mind control magic worse," explained Curtain Drawer with a serious expression.
"Magic?"
"Y'know, magic." An empty was surrounded by a watery grey glow and lifted itself up of its own accord, to the shock of the humans. "...I'm guessing you guys don't have that. A single race with no special talents, that's really weird."
"Wait, if you can use telekinesis," said Sergeant Woods, frowning, "why didn't the Imperial soldiers use it when they were fighting us, instead of their front hooves? Wouldn't it have been better than trying to swing a sword around in a train compartment?"
"Only unicorns and crystal ponies can use magic, so that rules out any earthponies or pegasi from Equestria- although they are uncommon here. Telekinesis is great, but it is not very strong or accurate. A poorly trained soldier could just as easily impale themselves as the enemy," explained Curtain Drawer.
"Mister Curtain? Who are you talking to-" A high-pitched, childish voice came from the stairway. Everyone glanced at it to see a small, dark grey-coated foal standing there, red-pupiled eyes wide.
"Not right now, Suffs! Reel, take him back upstairs."
The silent colt was ushered back up by a gentle but firm Reeling Rifle. Curtain Drawer smiled apologetically at Captain Linton.
"Sorry about that. That's Suffused Silhouette, but we call him Suffs for short. I think he's the son of some high-ranking officer or something, we're taking care of him for a few days since the main base is a lot more likely to get raided. Any more questions?"
The soldiers seemed mostly satisfied for now. Linton shook his head. "What do you plan to do with us now?"
"Ah, well..." Curtain Drawer seemed slightly uncertain for once. "We can't just let you stay here out of the good of our hearts, the upper echelons would find out eventually. And, trust me, you do not want to end being shuttled around their ethically-questionable research labs. We will not just throw you out and let you fend for yourselves, either. So, how about a compromise?"
"You want us to do something," guessed Linton. No one ever did something out of the good of their hearts. He was ready to accept almost anything, though- there was no way they could sneak out from this hideout without alerting Imperial Military, especially considering it was apparently set on a main road. The Imperials would be searching the back routes too after their quick escape.
"The CPM needs all the help it can get. How does this sound- your men do some basic, perfectly safe errands while you stay here. You all can leave at any time, or when we've figured out some nice, remote area to send you to. I've heard the penguins are looking for skilled immigrants."
"The what?"
Curtain Drawer ignored Pavlov, who had spoken up from the doorway to the 'barracks'. He was looking better already with some actual medical treatment.
"We just need you to do things like delivering supplies, messages, or watching out for Imperial Military soldiers."
Linton raised an eyebrow. "Suspiciously good offer aside, we can't exactly wander about the streets as humans, can we?"
Grinning, Curtain Drawer got to his hooves and opened a drawer. He took out five strange gold necklaces, each with a pendant displaying the head of a buglike creature. "I was hoping you would ask that. Here we have specially made transformative amulets, shipped straight from Canterlot! They use changeling magic, or so I'm told, to create a visual and physical illusion of a random pony. We use it whenever we go outside, being wanted fugitives with highly recognisable Cutie Marks. Not sure if it'll work on you humans, but it's worth a shot."
"I'll try it on," Linton offered before anyone else could. He wasn't going to risk his soldiers to some strange 'magic'. Curtain Drawers carefully handed one of the amulets to him as he stood up from the chair.
"If you feel weird, take it off immediately. It works on griffons and yaks, but your body could be simply too different."
Linton put on the amulet.
Nothing happened.
"Oh, right, you have to sort of- will the amulet to work? It's hard to describe."
Amulet, do something.
Still, nothing. He thought for a moment. Willing something wasn't the same as wanting or asking for it. It was similar to moving one's limbs, he guessed. He just had to pretend the amulet was a muscle of his body-
And, just like that, Linton got it. His perspective had suddenly shifted to much lower than normal, but he didn't feel anything particularly different...
...except for his arms now being legs with hooves attached to them. He looked down, raising his hooves to inspect them, only to fall over forward.
"You said this would just be an illusion, Curtain Drawer," Linton complained.
"Well- it makes you a pony in everything but attributes. No magic can simply make you stronger, or give you abilities. Imagine it as... wearing a costume."
Linton accepted the explanation and inspected himself in the mirror by the 'barrack's door.
He had become a lime-green coated pony with bright orange eyes and white marks close to his hooves. He turned and saw that his Cutie Mark- which according to Curtain Drawer was an indicator of a pony's special talent or qualities- displayed an empty, barren field, barely visible against his coat.
"Captain...?" said Sergeant Ali uncertainly.
"Yes, Sergeant?" Linton's voice seemed
The Sergeant had lost his exaggerated American-hippie accent for the first time in years. "How in God's name did your Russian uniform turn into a horse one?"
And so it had. The thick, winter uniform he was wearing had the same blue-brown camo pattern of the Russian VDV, but there were now shoulder pads with the GLA insignia, and green streaks on the sleeves.
"That's... new," he murmured. His backpack had also transformed into two bags on either side of his barrel, within easy reach of his front hooves.
"Magic is not a mindless machine. It adapts to the situation," explained Curtain Drawer, walking around Captain Linton. "Hmmm... wearing those uniforms out in the open should be fine, they look similar to what maintenance workers wear, especially in winter."
With a bit of struggle due to the awkwardness of the hooves, he shook off the amulet. In an instant, he was back in his human form.
"Your uniform is, like, still all rebellious. I like the vibes," noted Ali, back in his weird accent. Linton looked down and, sure enough, his Russian uniform had kept the GLA insignia and green streaks.
"How did it feel, 'Captain'?" asked Pavlov from the doorway. He had opted not to take a seat at the table.
Linton thought for a moment. "A little strange, but not as much as I expected." He had some strong suspicions that their host had rushed the whole introduction along because-
"I will admit, there is something I need your men to do right now."
Aaaand there it was.
"Go on."
"It's not dangerous, and Fiery Coat will be with you-"
"Get to the point."
"-and, after all, no reason in delaying-"
"Yes, yes, we agree."
"-but ofcourse, you can always turn it down if you'd like to rest-"
"Curtain Drawer," interrupted Woods firmly after Linton's failed attempts. The pony looked up, startled. "Soldiers, raise your hands if you volunteer to go on Curtain Drawer's mission."
Every single hand went up, including Pavlov's, surprisingly.
"See? No one knows what they have to do, but they're prepared to do it. This is what we do, Curtain Drawer. We are..."
"...the vanguard..." continued another soldier.
Private Aleksander picked up the chant. "...the unwavering voice of the oppressed..."
"...for we believe in a future where justice and freedom prevail..."
"...no matter the odds," finished Sergeant Ali somberly.
"That is... quite a motto. I must thank you profusely for being so trusting. The world you come from must be one better than this one. If only ponies had such faith and harmony..." Curtain Drawer's tone became businesslike. "We only have five amulets, and Fiery Coat will need one, so only four of you will go. The mission is very simple: in an hour or so, an arms supplier will be waiting a few blocks away with some rifles. You just need to keep a lookout for Fiery Coat, and help him bring the rifles back."
"You guys have rifles?" Corporal Hugo, their sniper, perked up. "How do you even use them?"
"Telekinesis, or standing on our front hooves- kind of like with the swords. They're not very popular, though. A bit too heavy and unwieldy, and they do not always fire. Most ponies prefer a good, reliable sword or battle axe."
Interesting. Perhaps they could provide some pointers on how to improve the guns.
"When do we leave?" asked Linton.
"Now."
"Now?" sputtered Woods. "We're half dead on our feet, we just ate, and-"
Linton interrupted him. "Sergeant Ali, choose three men. You're leading the mission."
"You got it, Captain."
Ali, now a hopefully-nondescript purple-coated crystal pony, carefully walked- trotted?- after Fiery Coat out the front door of the hideout. They stepped out onto a wide stone street that sloped upwards to the right. It was lined with terraced houses, similar to ones in rural Europe. There were a few more ponies in various clothes and a single bored Imperial soldier walking along the street, but no one paid them any mind.
"This way." Fiery Coat guided the group to the right. "I'll walk some distance ahead to make it look like I'm not with you. The four of you, just stay in a group and occasionally chat or something. If you get separated somehow, make your way back to the safehouse."
"Got it."
As Fiery Coat had instructed, the GLA soldiers fell behind a little. The slower pace helped them get used to walking around with hooves.
Ali tensed up as a duo of Imperial soldiers marched past, but they were entirely ignored. It seemed that Curtain Drawer had been right about the uniforms not drawing much attention.
Speaking of the uniforms, they had gained the same makeover that Captain Linton's uniform had. They were a lot nicer than the usual GLA uniforms, if a bit too warm for the temperate climate.
After a few minutes of casual walking, they arrived at some sort of commercial district. The houses were replaced by stalls and shops with glass storefronts. There were more ponies here, but still much less than Ali had expected.
He spotted Fiery Coat turning into an alleyway between the shops. The soldiers picked up the pace to catch up.
A little way down the tiny alley, just out of sight of the street, Fiery Coat was speaking to a rough, old-looking earthpony. The earthpony's eyes widened at the sight at the GLA soldiers, but Fiery Coat explained, "They're with me."
The earthpony growled. "Bits. Now."
Fiery Coat handed the earthpony a few large, gold coins. "And the rifles?"
"In the dumpster. Good luck." The earthpony left the alley.
Ali opened the dumpster at Fiery Coat's nod. Sure enough, inside were about thirty strange-looking rifles. They were more akin to Interwar semi-automatic rifles than the modern assault rifles of Earth, and instead of a small trigger with a guard had a much a larger, broader one that he guessed was easier for ponies to use.
"Load up your saddlebags. Six guns each."
They did so with only a little struggle- the rifles were heavy and long, but fit easily in the saddlebags.
"Why do you need, like, thirty guns if there's only three of you? Not that I'm against having ten guns a person, the more the merrier."
"Most of these are being passed on to larger cells," explained Fiery Coat. "I hate to give money to Equestrian arms dealers, but we need the guns and they have reasonable prices."
As they entered the main street, Ali noticed it was much, much busier than before. Lunchtime, he guessed. The wide variety of ponies- mostly crystal ponies, but there were some earthponies, pegasi, and regular unicorns too- browsing the shops, haggling at stalls, or being served meals seemed well-off for a supposedly occupied country, but he supposed this was a richer area.
They made it back to the hideout without incident, surprisingly, and dropped off the rifles with an extremely thankful Curtain Drawer. Ali was glad to be back in human form, though- the pony form was seriously weird.
They sat around the table and discussed future plans while Curtain Drawer explained more aspects of pony society and ideology. Linton was notably absent- apparently he was resting in the barracks.
After about an hour, Ali decided to join him. It had been over a day since any of them had slept, and his head was starting to spin.
Ali entered the dark room, closing the door behind him.
"Back into the fire, huh, Captain?"
"Back into the fire," agreed half-asleep Linton from under a thick blanket in a bed at the end of the room.
West Crystal City Station, Crystal City. August 7th, 2045. 11:45 AM
Talcite waited patiently as Alpha trotted along the busy train platform towards her with deadly calmness. They were in West Crystal City Station, a massive, fifteen-platform station built in the time of King Sombra. Despite its size, it was packed with waiting ponies from all over the world, being a central transit hub for the city.
Med had whisked away heavily injured Intel to a Special Forces base somewhere in the city before any medical personnel- Imperial or civilian- started asking questions. Meanwhile, Talcite had been left to face the wrath of their team members. she had disembarked from the train quickly with the Imperial soldiers carrying their dead comrade, initially planning to escape, but had eventually realised that it was better to face the consequences now rather than later.
She took a physical step back as Alpha loomed in front of her. Talcite had seen him angry before, but this was different. He seemed unusually calm and composed.
"Comms."
"Alpha."
"You let them get away."
Talcite shrugged. "I couldn't have stopped them. I'm a communications officer, not a soldier."
"You could have delayed them. You know S-1 and S-2 were on their way. Instead you stopped to help Intel."
"How can you be mad at me for that?"
Alpha kept his calm, cool composure. "You compromised your objective in order to help a fellow team member in a non-life-threatening situation, yet you left another soldier to die alone from his wounds."
Oh, that was low. Talcite was at a loss for words. If Alpha was trying to make her feel guilty, then it meant...
"Comms, the world needs good ponies. Special Forces doesn't." Alpha's tone became warm, almost pitying. "Leave Special Forces, Comms. Enjoy the world."
"No..."
"The order came in. You are officially discharged. Seeing as you had no official gear on you, you don't need to report to HQ. Your discharge pay will be mailed to you."
"No..." Her head swam. This wasn't happening. She hadn't come all this way, struggled through a year of harsh training just to fail on her first mission before it even started. "Nononono..."
"I understand this can be a shock- Talcite? Talcite!"
Huh, he knows my name. That was her last thought as her legs buckled under her and she fell unconscious.