//------------------------------// // A Worrying Missive // Story: Do you believe in Ghosts? // by Material Defender //------------------------------// Talbot leaned back as Raymond's communications feed remained off. He sat across from Princess Celestia, looking over a map brought up from the Canterlot royal archives, detailing the area around Ponyville and Ghastly Gorge. "What do you reckon is going on here, Princess?" he said, looking to her. They sat in her chambers late at night, with only a pair of guards in the room to monitor Talbot. "I mean, these diamond dogs... and griffons. You know more than me, so what's the deal with them?" Celestia sighed. "The diamond dogs have long since been only a minor annoyance to Equestria. They mostly reside away from major settlements, living underground where they can dig in peace to look for precious gems, hence their namesake. The griffons, much like I previously stated, are a more militaristic society. But we have been at peace with them for the longest time now... I wonder what could have changed? I will have to ask my ambassador about it." "Rogue elements of nations leading small bands of other armed groups weren't entirely uncommon in my world. Perhaps, with any due luck, this is just some renegade griffon that we're dealing with. But I'm not holding my breath, these sorts of situations usually have a really deep rabbit hole full of secrets associated with them." "I agree... this has been a very worrying turn of events for just a routine investigation." "Well, I assure you, Princess. Corporal Raymond is highly skilled, and my decision to send him in alone was not one made lightly. The nature of Raymond's specialization means that oftentimes, he would work separate from the rest of my team, and he's become exceedingly proficient at engaging in situations with overwhelming odds." "I would hope so. This situation has already become a textbook nightmare, Captain. I would hope that sending Luna with reinforcements can help to alleviate the situation, provided they arrive quickly." Talbot chuckled. "With all due respect, Princess, I know Raymond well. When I give him an order much like the one you just heard, he does his job very thoroughly. I suppose I should have thought about that sooner, since we're out of communications range with him now: if you wanted prisoners to interrogate, he won't be leaving anyone alive." "I do suppose that would be a problem. But it is as you have said yourself, Captain. The well-being of the hostages... or rather, prisoners, must come first. You certainly speak differently to your squad when the situation requires it to." "I suppose it's two-fold thing, Your Majesty. The part of me that's human says there's always something to question. I don't have much time to do that. My own commanding officer has said that I can be a bit too non-minded for a Ghost sometimes, but I know when things have to get done. It just hasn't reached that point where push has to come to shove." "And when it comes to shove..." "We are Ghosts, Your Majesty, and your initial misgivings concerning the nature of our occupation is one hundred percent correct. We are ruthless. We win at any cost. Raymond just personifies it better than the rest of us do." The dogs had seemingly vacated the halls now, either staying in their quarters or taking their guard positions, being deathly quiet. Raymond assumed that many of them most likely didn't want to run into their charming little commander for fear of being reprimanded for a minor mistake. The prison hall was sparsely decorated. The heavy gated doors that led into the two cell blocks proper were unlocked and rusty, with only but a single guard at the doors, which Raymond gladly relieved of his worldly duties with another arrow. He took special care to open the door as slowly as possible, earning only a single creak when he had opened it all the way. He walked in, form shimmering slightly as it refracted the torch next to him, looking around. He stood at the end of a hallway, as cells lined the right side of his sight. He slowly walked down the hall, bow at the ready, eyeing each cell as he passed by them. They were badly-lit, and hard to see in conventionally, but his crosscom began lighting up with more red diamonds as the ponies within were highlighted. And the cell block was large, definitely enough to hold many ponies. Perhaps even the population of the nearby town, actually, though Raymond had no idea how many there were. The griffon wasn't here, which meant that he could only have moved to the other one instead. Raymond quickly backtracked, leaning in to see the griffon loudly talking to some pony in the cell at the end of the hall. "...so that's it? That's your game?" he heard Shining say. "Our relations have been nothing but diplomatic, and now you're--" "Diplomatic? We held our tongues when pony settlers came and settled on our lands. We held our tongues when they began to expand. We held our tongues when they expanded the borders. We held our tongues when we allowed you to undercut our economy by importing pony products. All those, we could tolerate. But now your kind are beginning to expand around us, trying to snatch up our territory away from the gaze of our cities!" "Those territories were granted to us rightfully by--" "By the undercutting of our politics through your bribes and your goods! All those lands that you have taken rightfully belong to the Griffon Empire!" The griffon had spread his wings, leaning in and practically roaring the words at the wounded unicorn. "You will be taken back to our capital. Our leader would most certainly like to talk to you." The target was in sight. Raymond raised his bow, aiming for the center of mass on the griffon: his body. Shining could hardly believe this. Was this griffon really implying that the Empire would really go to war with Equestria? He'd seen tidbits about their lands from excerpts and papers: they had a military society that only began to bend towards the political sphere only several hundred years ago. Past records indicated that the griffons were a rather war-like nation, and only left Equestria alone because of the significance of the Princesses to the world following the defeat of Discord in ancient times. The griffon stood outside the cell, as Shining gritted his teeth, unable to stand properly without Raindrops helping him. He opened his mouth to respond to the griffon's comment, when... One arrow hit the side of the griffon as he grimaced, turning to his right. Then another arrow hit him in the chest. Then one in the neck. Then one in his leg. He recoiled backwards at the sudden onslaught of projectiles, seemingly appearing out of thin air in the lit hallway. "Guh--who's there--!" he gurgled, and was cut off with more arrows into the chest again, eventually falling to the ground dead, as the body bled out. Shining could hear footsteps: faint, but distinguishable if one actually paid attention. Raymond's form dematerialized before him, as the Ghost grabbed the keys from the griffon's body, looking at the strange keyring with almost nearly-identical keys wrapped around it. "Took twelve arrows. Bastard's tougher than I thought," he said, trying the keys one by one in the cell's lock, before finally opening it with a large rust-covered key. "You alright ,sir?" "Are you crazy...?" Shining said. "You came in here alone?" "Of course I did, sir. We couldn't risk you getting killed, and our priority was to rescue these prisoners." "I saw all the diamond dogs on the way in. That would have easily taken a whole company of royal guard, even more, just to break through. And you managed to get through all that?" "I'm a Ghost, sir. Fighting against impossible odds is what we do." "Praise Celestia that you did, I suppose... we should have waited for backup." He got to his feet, Raindrops helping him as he did so. "Raindrops... let's go find your friend." The pegasus nodded. "O--okay..." She looked warily at the human, before aiding Shining as he limped out of his cell. "These cells are all inhabited, sir," Raymond said. "There's only one way into the prison cells." He gave the keyring to Shining, who took it in his mouth. "I'll stand guard to make sure nothing sneaks up on us. I think it'll be better for all of us if the ponies get rescued by ponies, and not me." His form shimmered then disappeared again, as Shining heard slow footsteps going down the hall. Raindrops and Shining exchanged another surprised look. "Well, it was the Princess's idea to bring him along..." he said. Luna and her wing of twenty Night Guard descended upon the edge of Ghastly Gorge. Luna's sight in the darkness was considerably better than most ponies, and she could pick out Sky Watch standing guard on the edge, and veered her course towards him. Sky Watch heard the telltale sound of wings flapping and turned just in time to see Luna land before him. "Your Majesty! Thank goodness you're here. Captain Shining has been captured, and then Princess Celestia gave the order to--" "I know, my dear guard. She has sent in one of the Ghosts ahead of us, yes?" She walked past him and looked down into the canyon, making out the bodies in the encampment below. "He certainly does work fast. Night Guard! Prepare to descend. There are ponies that need our help, and we shall not let them be in harm's way for a moment longer!" Sky Watch opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Luna. "And you, solar guard. You shall enter the fray with us." She picked him up using magic as Luna and her guard flapped their wings to begin quick descent into the camp. "Onwards!" "No, wait! Your Majesty! I don't like heightttsssssssssss--!" Watch shouted as they jumped off the cliff. Three quivers: that was how many Raymond had brought along. Thankfully, he'd only barely used up most of his first quiver when he took up his position at the prison cell entrances when some diamond dogs strolled in, seeing the body he'd left there. One of them stood in shock as he received an arrow to the face, but the other ran. He cursed. His cloak fizzled out as he ran into the hallway to give chase to the beast. The problem with active camouflage was that, even though it was extremely useful in all sorts of combat situations, you couldn't go faster than a quick walk with it on or it break the refraction, turning you into a walking blur that's clearly outlined against the background if anyone just so happened to see you. He quickly fired an arrow at the dog's back, pinging off of the back armor. He cursed again. "Intruders! Intruders in the cells!" the dog shouted. Raymond immediately armed his bow with another arrow, firing into the doorway the alarmed guard had went through as more began to pour out. The front of the body has easier points to hit compared to the back, fortunately, and his arrows quickly found their mark as the dogs quickly began to close the distance. He felled at least seven across the balcony's long stretch before he activated his cloak again, quickly sidestepping as they slammed a spear down on to the ground where he'd been before. "What? What is this magic?" one of them shouted. He began sniffing the air, as Raymond quickly bounded down the stairs, aiming another arrow at one of the dog's necks. He forgot they could detect scent. That would be problematic. But they were just too close to the cells, and Shining was most likely still trying to get the prisoners out. Raymond needed to buy them time. The group of guards turned to one of their comrades as he gurgled and put a hand up to his neck, an arrow dug into it. "He's over there!" one of them said, pointing at the stairs, noting the direction the arrow's shaft was facing from the neck. They raised their weapon and began to charge down the stairs. More arrows, and another two felled. There seemed to be quite the number of guards within this cozy prison complex, because they just kept appearing from various doorways. Raymond quickly hopped over the stair railing, decloaking, firing at the descending dogs until he heard more clamor coming in from behind him. "Onwards! For Equestria!" he heard a female voice shout. A giant pile of diamond dogs exploded from the atrium entrance as Princess Luna regally walked into the room, her guards on both sides, and Watch levitating his crossbow. She gave a cursory glance to the Ghost as he fired his arrows into several of the shocked dogs before cloaking again. "There they are! Attack!" shouted one of her Night Guard. The armored pegasi all jumped into action, flying towards the diamond dogs, deftly avoiding their spears and giving them bucks to the chests hard enough to dent their armor. The diamond dogs were easily no match for the trained skill of the royal guard, and were soon mostly eliminated, either through Watch's bolts, or the hard-hitting bucks from the pegasi guard. "Where is the Ghost?" Luna asked Watch. "I saw him but a moment ago." Watch merely shrugged. "Your Majesty!" The group turned to see Shining and Raindrops standing at the top of the stairs, Ditzy next to her, with a large group of scared and tired ponies behind them. "Thank... uh, you, that you're here." The ponies stood relieved when they saw the Princess of the Night and her guards. "It's okay, everypony. We're safe now." "And what of our friend?" Luna asked. "The one who was sent in to help you? Where is he now?" "Oh, uh, I don't know, Princess," Shining said, as the guards quickly filed past the ponies on the stairs, searching the rooms to ensure that there were no more diamond dogs left. The ponies slowly filed out of the canyon as the awaiting royal guard carriages took them back to Ponyville, where they would be rehabilitated and asked questions about their events prior to disappearance. This event had shocked many ponies when they learned the news: Celestia had thought it best to simply let the truth be known, and given the amount of ponies that had been taken from Ponyville alone, it would have been only a matter of time before the truth had gotten out. Raymond stood inside the griffon warden's room, looking through various papers for information as Luna, Shining, and Watch entered. "You certainly made yourself scarce," Watch said. "Couldn't risk it," he said. "Don't want too many knowing that I exist. The pegasus, I could do, since she was with Shining. The others, not so much." Shining merely nodded in agreement, having Raindrops sworn to secrecy over the conversation they'd held at the jail cell with Raymond. They all began to fan out in the rooms, looking for any correspondences that could relate something useful to the commanders back at Canterlot. "Wait... I found something," Watch said. The other three quickly walked over to read the opened letter, which had been sealed with an official wax seal. "That's the seal of the Griffon Empire..." (===) To Commander Stonehide, Your orders are to use these diamond dogs to abduct and send as many ponies back to griffon territory as possible. Earth ponies are preferred, pegasi are mostly useless unless their wings are clipped, and unicorns can be held under control, if you use the devices that we have provided you. Once you have prepared the first batch of labor, send them along with a response to this letter, resealed, so that we know that you have accomplished your task. The well-being of the ponies are a secondary concern, so long as you can keep them all in line, using any means necessary. We have begun a great undertaking, a plan long in the making since our hallowed meeting years ago. The Equestrians are needed for the balance to maintain the sun and moon, but once we have taken over, such things will no longer be needed. The Griffon Empire was once one of the strongest nations that this world has seen, and we will soon restore ourselves to the same glory that our ancestors once held, and perhaps even surpass them. We will not be left in the dust. Your role is small one, but one among many to help our plans reach fruition. Do not fail. General Strongbeak (===) Raymond sighed. Like Russian ultranationalists before the EndWar began, trying to play the black market and gain arms and money to take over themselves... he'd fondly recalled a Ghost team being sent in to deal with them. Why was it always the generals that launched idiotic plans like these? "This is very concerning evidence," Luna said, taking the letter. She folded it up and kept it in her combat saddlebag. "My sister will most certainly wish to hear of this." "Well, let's not keep her waiting, then..." Shining said. The sun was beginning to rise when Talbot first received word back from Raymond. "Sir, the prisoners have been secured. They're currently being rehabilitated by the treatment units that the Princess Celestia sent at Princess Luna's request." "Good. I take it there were no casualties." The communicator was on speaker, so that Celestia could hear, as well. "There were bodies of several ponies, sir. There was nothing we could do to help them." Celestia closed her eyes. "I had thought as much. They will be given proper burials and their families notified... in the case that we are able to identify their... bodies." Such magnitudes of death was something uncommon in Equestria, Talbot assumed. A nicety that only those who have never seen war could enjoy. "And what else, Scope?" Talbot asked. "Did you get anything useful?" "We found a correspondence, sir... an official one, from one General Strongbeak, of the Griffon Empire." Talbot looked to Celestia. "Ring any bells, Your Majesty?" "He's a... rather high-ranking general in the Griffon Empire's military. Even though they're at peace with us, the griffons have always seen fit to maintain a standing military, claiming that they were 'adhering to tradition'. I fear that may not have been the wisest choice when we had first met. The griffon military can hold quite the influence on the political court." "Met? Have you fought the griffons before?" Talbot asked. "No, we only met long after the griffons had united their clans under a single banner, belonging to the Griffon Emperor... but we've always been on such amiable terms, and their ambassador has been more than forthcoming in trade and good relations with Equestria." "So they have politicians, and a separate military ruling party... that sounds oddly familiar..." "You have nations much like the griffons back home?" "Do we?" he laughed. "We were at war with a nation much like the griffons before we came here. All hopped up on proud military traditions and having a military that could easily influence the political court by either force or words. Mostly force." "Then as someone who is well-versed in this subject, what do you assume has happened?" "Most likely readying for war. If they're really trying to push for it, then..." A puff of smoke appeared before Celestia as a sealed letter appeared before her. "I... oh, my, this is from my student. I apologize, Captain Talbot, I must attend to this immediately." She began to pull out a scroll and quill, and began writing. "It's no problem, Your Majesty," Talbot said, looking back to the map. "We all have our priorities." "Sir, Princess Luna is in possession of the correspondence. We are on our way back to Canterlot," Raymond said. "Affirmative, Scope. I want you both to report directly to Princess Celestia's chambers once you land. No exceptions." "Understood, sir." Luna and Raymond quickly entered the room, with a bandaged Shining standing at attention. First Celestia had read the letter, and then passed it over to Talbot. "Any opinions, Captain Talbot?" Celestia asked. "This is some pretty damning evidence, Your Majesty. It's rather surprising that he didn't burn this, but it would seem that they wanted this letter returned to them as proof to ensure it isn't just any letter from a random soldier. Where did you say he kept this?" Talbot asked, turning to Raymond. "In his office. He had a lot of letters on his desk. It was a coincidence that Sky Watch managed to find them... he had a lot of other wax-sealed letters on his desk, as well, but most were either useless to the matter at hand or completely irrelevant," Raymond said. Talbot looked thoughtfully at the letter. "...is contacting the griffons possible? Nothing blatant, obviously, but if they're trying something..." Celestia nodded. "It can be done. Ambassador Quillfeather has been the diplomat to Equestria for the past several decades. I will check in with how he is doing, and update myself upon affairs within griffon borders. The letter, however... is top secret. Aside from those of you in this room, Sky Watch is also to be sworn to secrecy." "Done and done, Princess," Shining said. "Watch has assured his cooperation in this matter." "And of the ponies, Captain Shining?" Shining shook his head. "They're fine... but the truth of knowing that the abductions have happened... and the deaths... have left most of them on edge. My own sister could hardly believe the truth herself. With Princess Luna's permission, I'm keeping a small detachment of royal guards there in case any further trouble happens." "And from what I can understand from Captain Talbot, Corporal Raymond's exposure has been... minimal, aside from guards who have deployed on this mission." Talbot was about to ask a question, but was interrupted. "And the servants here, too, Captain, they have also been sworn to secrecy. It is no matter, since they reside on the grounds anyhow." "I agree," Celestia said. "And with that, I believe that concludes this mission. You are all hereby dismissed." "I don't like this, sir," Raymond said, following Talbot back to their quarters. "I don't think somebody would just make a letter like that just for shits and giggles, even if he is some high-ranking general. We need to prepare." "And prepare we will," Talbot responded. "Better to have and not need, than need and not have. Work with Doctor Harvey and prepare new armaments. If we're lucky, this is all just to scare the Equestrians into meeting some demands, most likely just to hand back their lands. It'll be quick and harmless, and the worst is that some ponies get their homes moved somewhere else." "And if we're wrong?" "Then I don't think they have enough royal guards to hold off a griffon army. The griffons are militaristic. You can bet your damn ass that they won't be lacking in numbers or training. And I doubt the royal guards are well-equipped enough to fight a war, they might have the training, but they certainly won't have the advantage in numbers, even with their garrison at Stalliongrad, which the Princess tells me numbers around several thousand strong." "You expect us to get involved?" Raymond asked, stopping Talbot in the middle of the hallway. "Well, I certainly don't want to find out what happens if we end up in the graces of a species that adheres to 'military tradition'. The Equestrians have tolerance on their list. I'm not too keen on finding out if the griffons have the same. I think I'd rather take my chances protecting the people who've been good to us so far, wouldn't you?" "...you have a point." Raymond nervously rubbed scratched his face. "Just thinking about actual war in this place seems a bit... odd. I mean, at first, it seemed a bit idyllic, and suddenly, I get called in on this op, and shit just hits the fan. Don't need a reminder to seeing how some of the prisoners reacted to seeing bodies." Talbot gave a small smirk. "I guess they're more human than we thought, huh?" The Ghosts and Harvey stood in their quarters, looking at a cloth map of Equestria, the most recently made one given to them by the Canterlot royal archives. To the west, however, lay the territory of the Griffon Empire. Several juts from Equestrian lands into the griffon's, and a note left by the cartographer, said that the change of ownership was recent, less than several decades ago. "Whoa, wait, let me get this straight: you're telling me that the griffons are going to try to pull some shit on the ponies? Griffons? Pulling some crazy shit? Against ponies?" Mendoza asked. "Well, that's another thing I can scratch off my bucket list: mythical creatures going to war against pastel-colored ponies." "You're serious about this, sir?" Pastor asked Talbot, looking over the Equestrian land map that sat on the table. "I mean, from what I can see of the map, Canterlot's closer to griffon borders than it is to Stalliongrad. If they launch a surprise attack, they won't have enough time to retaliate before the griffons are knocking on the castle's front door." "Then we have to hope that it isn't going to be a surprise," Talbot said. "Princess Luna has informed me that she will secretly be keeping an eye on the griffon borders to make sure they don't mobilize right outside. With that, if they don't want us to see it coming, they won't be able to do much." "And of the Ghosts, Captain?" Harvey asked. "I can hardly imagine you all just sitting here waiting for something to happen... if it does happen, that is." Raymond checked his M107's empty load slot before sliding in the magazine. "Then we prepare. Make weapons." "Yes, well, we should look over several more of your plans later. Perhaps we can fashion something, a primitive gunpowder weapon, perhaps?" "Won't work, Doc," Mendoza said. "I asked around earlier today, and they don't have any gunpowder here, much less know what it is. What a shame, too, I was going to try to make some explosives. They told me they used fireworks, but they use magic for that, not gunpowder." "Well, Corporal Raymond downloaded some schematics for basic gunpowder explosives, I suppose that can appease your affinity for explosives for the time being," Harvey laughed. "I've also completed a basic crossbow weapon for you all. Small, and compact, but with enough stopping power as the recurve bow that Corporal Raymond is using, but perhaps not nearly as accurate." Harvey reached down below the desk and pulled out a heavy wooden chest, unlocking it with a key. Within lay several pristine crossbows, folded up neatly and held within the box's molds. On the door side, there lay several bolts for test-firing. "Nice, doc," Mendoza said, picking one up and extending the lath with a click. "Real nice, it looks like something you'd see from the Middle Ages." "Well, if I didn't have the plans, these things would have been nearly impossible to make on such short notice," Harvey said. "It would just require too much trial and error to perfect the designs." "And I'll take a look at those explosives designs you have later, Doc," Mendoza said, locking the lath into place and gently replacing the crossbow within the box. "I'll take stock of all of our gear, boss," Pastor said. "Our sensor grenades will likely come in handy, and so will the recon drone. We can be thankful that they gave us the extended field operations model this time. The drone can recharge on its own instead of having to replace batteries after every mission." "Preparations will begin in earnest tomorrow, gentlemen," Talbot said. "As will deliberations on the probable conflict. Until then, start drawing out plans. Shell, I want you to mark and detail every single bit of terrain and any landmarks in griffon territory, and get me as much information as you can on the cities. Scope, you're in charge of weapons and armaments, and so you're working with Harvey. We have our MR8s, but I don't want to be caught with our pants down if we run out of ammo. Fuse, you... just try not to blow anything up." "Will do, boss," Mendoza said, looking at schematics for a basic powderkeg explosive. That same day, late at night, escaping the gaze of the Night Guard pegasi that patrolled the borders, a lone griffon entered Equestria. The young griffon was wearing what seemed to be scribe's robes, and wore glasses. He tripped a few times as he bounded his way through the forest in darkness. He lamented the state of his clothes, but thought nothing more of it as he avoided the gaze another pair of pegasi in the night skies. Something had happened back home in the griffon capital of Tesseraka. He was tasked with a mission, a mission that brought him to Equestria. A mission that he had promised his father to carry out. He looked down at the small cuts on his body. "Oh, dear..." He quickly pulled out a rag out of his bags, heavy with scrolls, and tried to pat down the wounds before they got any worse. He had taken several wounds attempting to escape from the guards, and flew mostly unbothered from Tesseraka after the guards lost his trail. It was then that he recalled why he was in such a dreadful place. He needed to find someone... somepony. A Princess, yes. A Princess at the Equestrian city of Canterlot. But he couldn't be found, he needed to hide, stay secret. For if he was found, he would lose his life... as would many griffons and ponies, if he failed. He'd heard many things about the fearsome power of the Princesses. He could only wish that they would let him live long enough to deliver his message. He knew what he had to do. Steeling himself, he quickly darted through the forest, only stopping once to observe the city protruding from the side of the mountain in the distance, the towers and bulwarks of the majestic castle apparent even in the darkness. His destination would require the most tact and caution in order to reach. If he ever did, that is.