The psychic command chamber of Emerald Crest glowed a faint purple around the servers mentally linking up the unicorn to the forces under her command. Attached to her bald head was a web-like mat of sensors and nodes while a dark green aura rippled around her horn. Her eyes were shut, not that she was using them, all nonessential senses like smell and touch were suppressed to consolidate attention to her tasks.
Emerald synced her mind up to those of her fellow commanders, sent by Yuri to carry out his will. In her particular case, she was tasked with securing the human city of Bonn for later use. She did not fully understand what these humans were, only that Yuri was one of them, nor did she even know that there was another world plagued by war or that her own war would meld with it.
In any case, she was grateful of Yuri's decision to have her join the best side. After all, if the failed Princess Celestia could not even save her own sister from herself, how could she hope to protect her ponies from Sombra or the Allies and Communists that opposed Yuri?
Unfortunately, her mission did not go as planned.
“What is the status of your respective operations, fellow commanders?” Emerald asked the other four unicorns sharing the link, their minds and thoughts remained individuals at the psychic conference table, but it was almost impossible for them to think of Yuri as anything besides the boss with the final say.
“Helsinki stands with the Soviets, unfortunately.”
“Cologne has been taken with minimal casualties.”
“The forces defending Ulaanbator are routing, but pockets of resistance remain.”
“The Budapest force has been... decimated.” The last mind seemed particularly troubled in relaying the events.
“The Bonn invasion has been repulsed,” Emerald said, her physical body rubbing her temples. “These humans are more resilient than expected, but how?”
“It is obvious, Yuri is human, it is only fitting that others are like him,” the Ulaanbator commander said. “Perhaps not as powerful, but stronger than a pony. In the way an alicorn is stronger than a typical pony.”
“And yet, they do not have magic. Yet they are able to create machines that can disguise themselves as trees and mount weapons powerful enough to burst shield spells,” the Colon commander added. “Their understanding of technology is far beyond anything we know, many of our more machines and electronics are based upon magical principles yet remain inferior.”
“Even further is their physical attributes, or lack thereof,” the Helsinki commander said. “These humans, tall and narrow - at least the ones outside the North American continent according to intelligence – they lack the strength of an earth pony, or the musculature of a minotaur or even a wretched diamond dog. Their eyes, are small and forward facing, less acute than that of the griffons. It is indeed their technology that is their advantage and only.
“The phrase, mind over matter applies does it not?”
The six unicorns in attendance physically twitched in surprise at the sound of Yuri's voice echoing through their subconscious. The group shared a mental image of each standing before a table, represented by shadowy avatars. Yuri made himself appear within the image as a humanoid silhouette with the markings on his head the only detail on its face.
Yuri continued, “The human body is perhaps not the most imposing of shells. However, the human brain very much is. Though not the largest, it is nonetheless more advanced than any form of life encountered.” The unicorns did not object to Yuri's words, he had more than proved them to be accurate already.
“Master, we did not anticipate that you were present. Shall we inform you of the results of our tasks?”
“Indeed, I shall scan your memories and analyze your missions, your successes, your mistakes.”
I wonder why he always whispers when he talks, it's so odd, Emerald thought, she knew he could probably hear her comments, but she was curious.
“It is because I prefer to speak my mind, comrade-Emerald.” Solid purple eyes appeared on the avatar of Yuri, glowing dimly. “You shall go first.”
Emerald Crest's physical body relaxed as she allowed Yuri to scour her thoughts and memories without resistance. The process it self didn't take more than a few seconds and the next thing she knew her master was done and had moved on to the next commander in the group.
When Yuri was finished making his psychic rounds he expressed his thoughts to the group. “To those who have succeeded in their tasks, you have performed admirably and have shown a comprehensive understanding of tactics and local climate, political and natural. For that, you may leave and go about your devices until you are called again.”
The commanders of the Ulaanbator and Colon fronts severed their link from the group. So long as they ultimately obeyed him without hesitation his successful minions were granted generous freedoms and Yuri could care less of what they did in their free time.
“As for you, comrades-Emerald Crest and Nova Cloud, you have failed in your primary objectives. Unlike your comrades, you have not adapted to the opposition in a satisfactory manner. The direct course is not always the smartest, but you have still achieved a secondary condition adequately enough to evade punishment. This time.”
Emerald and the commander of the Helsinki operation remained as they were, Yuri did not yet dismiss them. The eyes on the psychic's avatar glowed brighter and turned into sharper shapes as he focused on the last commander.
“And then, there is you. Your force had been utterly decimated to the last, yet unlike the two beside you now, you cannot explain it. Your thoughts held nothing but images of dozens of dead equines riddled with bullets and severed limbs, but there is no hint of who or what caused this.” Yuri's most plausible theory on the matter was that the forces encountered a Soviet commando - or perhaps a handful of commandos - that just so happened to be there. Whatever killed the forces certainly did a masterful job of hiding from sight while simultaneously gunning dozen dozens of troops in moments judging by the number of bullet holes in the latter.
“All things considered, it is not entirely your fault, I am to be held responsible for failing to account for commandos operating in Hungary, given its proximity to my old estate. Nonetheless, the outcome is complete failure and while you have not necessarily shown incompetence, you must be made an example. May your clone find greater success.”
A quick jolt surged from the symbol on Yuri's forehead through the mental conference room and struck the horn on the avatar of the failed commander, who literally melted into an astral puddle, symbolically representing their physical brain turning into soup and leaking out their nose Egyptian-style for the other two commanders to see.
“The two of you may leave.”
Emerald Crest and Nova Cloud severed the link, leaving Yuri alone to think in the real world. He observed the time machine he entered from. In his short time in the world of colorful equines it came to his attention that there were several other stable alternate timeliness of the world he was in all radically different from each other. Three of these timelines seemed better off from the one he was currently in judging by the lack of apparent war reported by his scouts. Two of the other timelines seemed to be dominated to absurdly powerful beings yet to be encountered in the others, Yuri decided to play it safe and not tamper with them further until he had the means to counter these beings. Yet another timeline seemed to be dominated by shapeshifting insects, and he was in the process of contacting them. The last timeline seemed to be devoid of life, a wasteland far as the eye could see. Perhaps there was more to it than initial impression, but the other 'better off' timelines looked more promising. Specifically one that seemed to show the so-called land of 'Equestria' to be in the midst of advanced industrialization.
Already his forces were in the process of setting up psychic beacons to subjugate the nearest cities to his will. With the industry provided from an entire world unmolested by war coupled with the blueprints of most of his technology base, Yuri's war machine would be back up within the month at the latest.
Twilight Sparkle, the newest Princess of Equestria, was quite confused.
“This is where the Map told us to go…” she said, as she looked around her, seeing mostly tall pines and thorn bushes, only interrupted by dirt paths going inside the pinewood, paths made in a past long forgotten but constantly used as route. “But… where’s anypony?”
“Let’s face it, Twi,” Rainbow Dash said, flying close by and handily dodging low-lying branches, an annoyed frown on her face. “The map made a blunder, there’s nothing left that would ever require us seven. I mean, you could take on oh-so-many bad guys alone!”
“Dash, your words are flattering to us all, but most likely not true,” Rarity said calmly, walking behind Twilight and at Starlight Glimmer’s side. “The map has never failed us in any circumstance. And, considered what we have faced together, we can never know when our strengths will need to be used in conjunction with one another.”
“I agree with Rarity here.” Applejack dryly stated, causing Rainbow Dash to sigh.
The march of the seven ponies was accompanied by the sound of the bushes’ leaves and the trees’ fallen branches crackling under their hooves, birdsongs of many varieties, and the occasional gust of wind rustling leaves.
“Such a love-” Fluttershy said, only to be interrupted by a loud boom and a odd whooshing sound. Suddenly, the seven went on high alert, quickly forming a skiltron to fce threats from all directions.
“What was that? It sounded a lot like Tirek’s magic-draining power!” Rarity said, her horn lighting up rather rapidly to grab a small rock to throw.
“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure that is not a natural-born sound. We shall be watchful of our steps now,” Twilight said, breaking formation and trotting forward. “But we still must move!”
The other six rapidly returned to their column-like formation, trotting at the same pace as Twilight and keeping it as best as they could do. As they did so, several flocks of birds flew away, rustling the leaves in an alarming manner, and the animals walking around in the forest produced distress calls at the same time, creating a very loud cacophony sharply contrasting with the previous relative silence of the forest.
After several minutes of trotting, the seven ponies arrived in a marsh, greeted by the sight of a silver and purple horseshoe-shaped door frame, coupled with two coat-clad bald figures that Twilight recognized as humans, but with an oddly dull skin colour. A strange silvery object was attached to the backs of their heads and it was seemingly sliding down to the tail end of their spines.
“Are those… humans, Twilight, dear?” Rarity asked with a whisper, as she hid behind a nearby bush on Twilight’s silent order.
“Yes, those are humans, but they look… eerily similar. Almost as if they were clones...” Twilight whispered, as she forced Pinkie Pie’s head down with her right hoof.
“Like the ones born out of the Mirror Pool?”
“Yes, Rarity, like the ones that came out of the Mirror Pool.” Twilight muttered, as she spied on the two humans from an opening in the bush behind where she hiding.
The two humans went in opposite directions in the marsh, walking with her index finger- which was glowing purple- pointed straight in front of them, before briefly stopping. Both of them, almost simultaneously, turned around towards the bushes, as a faint purple immaterial thread that extended from their fingers and moved towards where the seven mares were hiding. Realizing that, Fluttershy rapidly rushed to hug Rainbow Dash as she stared worried at the threads; Twilight and Rarity watched concerned as they slowly slithered towards them; Pinkie stared in wonder; and Starlight watched and mumbled.
“I do think I recognize this kind of magic… mind puppeteering, I believe.” Starlight Glimmer calmly whispered, as the threads started to touch her horn. She then lit it up, causing the threads to retreat off her head. “Sadly for them, I do know how to dispel that.”
Soon, Twilight realized that her head was being touched by the figments. However, aside from a sensation akin to tickling on her forehead, she failed to notice anything weird in herself, be it thoughts or actions. twilight stifled a giggled, as she shook her head, watching, as she noticed that the immaterial threads still coming from from their hands.
“Why isn’t this working at all?” One of them wondered aloud, as he other huma seemingly exchanged a glare, just before turning his hand back towards the ponies, his fingertips slowly engulfed by flames.
“No matter.” The other human said, before throwing a fireball at the bush, which however was handily dodged by the seven ponies, who simply jumped side and let the bush burn to a crisp.
"What shall we do Twilight?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew away, follwoed close behind by Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity.
"I don't know, I have never seen a human using magic as easily as that, much less begin this aggressive!" Twilight shouted back.