J´zar was standing in a small rocky formation, looking at the horizon where a small sun was starting to rise. A new day was beginning. Even if J´zar was looking at the horizon, he was seeing a very different thing. He was remembering the wars of ancient times, when he was a thousand years younger. He was now fifteen hundred years old, and he had seen many things. Though the Nameless Rune had given him an extended lifespan, it had done nothing to lighten the pain of so many lives lost.
"¿Sir?" The voice of Zephir (one of his junior officers) greeted him from behind.
"¿Yes Zephir?" J´zar answered.
"The Commander wants to speak with you. She is holding a meeting with the Order´s top scientists"
J´zar jumped off the stone and landed in front of Zephir. The long, black cape which was standard issue for any member of the Order flew behind him and the twin cruciform swords on their sheaths at the sides of his waist made a metallic jingle as J´zar hitted the ground. He rose up to his feet, clad in black plate armor and chainmail.
"Lead me to them" He ordered.
Zephir nodded as he walked towards the bigger rocky formations that appeared far into the east. J´zar followed him quietly but quickly.
"Inform me of my war efforts ¿what has been of my Regiment?" J´zar asked with a strong (but not harsh) tone.
"The first and second Companies are stationed at Syria. So far, most of the casualties are civilians" Zephir ionformed.
"That´s not good. We must end this quickly before more innocent blood is shed. ¿And what about the first company?" J´zar proceeded.
"Here with me, as you ordered" continued Zephir.
"¿And what do we know about the other Regiments?" Inquired J´zar.
"The second Regiment is guarding Iraq and Pakistan, and the third is undermining Yakuza business in Tokyo" Zephir remembered.
"I still can´t believe a gang of common men requires a full Regiment to be taken care of. Send your Company to Tokyo with instructions to start direct actions against the Yakuzas" J´zar shouted his orders quickly.
"Yes, sir" Zephir agreed
By that time they had already reached the eastern rocky formations and had started climbing them. The wall was merely ten meters high, and J´zar had received alpinism training. Once both J´zar and Zephir reached the top, they gazed upon the valley below them: at least three hundred meters of plain grass surrounded on all sides by rocky formations such as the one they had just climbed. On the center of the valley there was a camping site composed of thirty tents, each one with sufficient space for ten men with their supplies. The Yellowstone National Park was the headquarters of the Order in North America.
J´zar and Zephir walked down to the camp and towards the main tent of the zone. As other members of the Order saw them pass, they bowed their heads low towards Zephir and J´zar. Upon reaching the tent where all the important people gathered, Zephir waited outside as J´zar entered. He could hear Zephir shouting orders at his men.
"¿You have requested my presence, Commander?" J´zar asked to Sp´hre (a tall woman dressed much like J´zar, except that her mask had six horns while J´zar’s mask had only two) as he bowed to one knee.
"Yes I have" Sp´hre said in a formal tone of voice "Now get up, J´zar, Principal of the First Regiment from the Sixth Brotherhood"
The ritual words had been said, and the true chatting could now commence. J´zar noticed a few persons dressed with white robes and having simple white leather masks.
"Our scientists (here present) have discovered something that might be of interest" Sp´hre said "Chief Researcher A´un will debrief you"
"Well, yesterday at about 2:00 AM" a man with white robes started speaking "a rift opened in space-time"
"A rift" J´zar wondered.
"Yes, a hole. We do not know where it goes" A´un explained.
"¿And how are you sure it even “goes” somewhere?" J´zar asked.
"Because when we threw an orange at it, it threw the orange back at us" A´un reasoned.
"Interesting, but, ¿Where do I fit in this" J´zar questioned.
"We do not know for how long this rift will remain open. We have managed to hold it open using an arch made of osmium which absorbs it´s radiation and…well, keeps it open!" A´un informed.
"¿So…?" J´zar pressed.
"You are my best soldier" Sp´hre intervened, trying to go straight to the matter ", and we need you to explore what´s behind the rift"
"Basically, you are sending me to a place which we know nothing about, with hopes it´s breathable in there, that it´s not a collapsing universe or that it´s not filled with orange-bouncing monsters!?" J´zar almost yelled.
"Y-Y-Yes…" Sp´hre said, slightly scared of J´zar’s outbreak
"Then…show me the rift." resigned himself J´zar.
The scientists lead J´zar to a secluded area at the border of the plateau, where a gaping hole of alabaster whiteness stood in the middle of an arch made of a bluish metal.
"¿This is it?" J´zar asked, as if he was asking nothing but the hour.
"Yes" Sp´hre mumbled.
"If I don´t come back, the Regiment belongs to Zephir." J´zar had to make sure everything would go on without him.
J´zar then took a deep breath, and walked into the rift.
His travel to Equestria was just beginning.