Earthside - The Shadow Protocol

by TheFullCrumb

Dossier 2 - SUNBURST

Victor stared down the pony. In the last ten minutes, it had given an extremely condensed and ‘scrubbed’ version of what was going on, including who he was, and what he was. He sat there, trying not to look too uncomfortable, but Victor could recognize when someone, or somepony, in his new acquaintance’s case, was in the middle of a very awkward situation.

“So, this side of that ‘wall’ - the one you called a Shadowgate – is called the Crystal Empire? And the nation to your south used to be called Equestria, but was taken over by something called the ‘Empire of the Dusk.’ You’re the Court Crystaller, in charge of raising, to an extent, and training the Heir Apparent of the Crystal Empire.”

“That about sums it up, yes.” Victor waved his hand, his face a blank expression as he tried to process the info dump that was just foisted on him.

“So that means that I am in another world entirely?” The unicorn – Sunburst, as he had said his name was – nodded, frowning as he heard a knock at the door.

“Crystaller Sunburst, your presence is requested at the castle!” Sunburst held up his hoof, pressing it to Victor’s mouth. Leaving him, he trotted to the doorway, opening the door slightly.

“Hello? Is there anything I can do for you-”

“In the name of the Empire of the Dusk, you are to come with-” A single gunshot rang out, the guard collapsing as Victor stood behind Sunburst, handgun raised and ready to fire again. The unicorn stepped back, his orange mane in a mess as he sat still, shaking in fear as Victor stepped outside.

“Well, then. You know what I can do. However-”

“Earthside agent! Execute him immediately-” Victor dove back inside Sunburst’s house, kicking the doors shut and holding his feet against them in a hope that they would remain closed.

“You said the Empire never bothered with this city, Sunburst! Anything else I should be aware of?!”

“Come on, human! There is a trap door… around here somewhere.” Victor barred the door as best he could, stepping slowly backwards as he aimed his handgun at the door.

“What a day for a pair of pajamas. Find that trap door. I’ve got the door covered.” Sunburst nodded, dragging rugs out from everywhere in a bid to find his hidden escape. The doors began to move, their hinges starting to shift as something attempted to rip the door off its foundations. Victor felt a chill go down his spine, his hands starting to shake slightly as he watched the doorway.

“Found it! Human, get over here! I’ll go down first, as you have the firearm.” Victor nodded, crouching and creeping along to get as close to the trap door as he could without alerting whoever was still trying to rip the door off.

“Sunburst, I hope you have a better idea than a hole in the ground.” Sunburst looked up at him from the ladder in the passage below the trap door, raising an eyebrow.

“You ask as if I wasn’t prepared! Once we get down below, there is a motorized minecart we can take to the edge of the city! If Dusk Guards are already here, then this city is doomed, and we need to escape!” Victor sighed, keeping his gun trained on the door. The shaking stopped, just before the door was torn right off the foundation, the walls cracking and starting to buckle.

“Sunburst, I don’t want to hurry you, but get down there now!” Victor stepped over to the hole, Sunburst having cleared the ladder. With a single movement, he dropped down, bending his knees as he landed to take the brunt of the impact. A small piece of rock fell past him as he looked up, the ceiling of Sunburst’s former home beginning to collapse. Leaping sideways, he dodged out of the way, the floor collapsing down the hole he had just been standing in.

“Well, at least those were copies of books and scrolls. Replaceable.” Sunburst sat inside the minecart, the motor rumbling as it idled.

“Probably would have stayed standing if someone hadn’t ripped the door from its hinges.” Sunburst’s eyes widened, but he did not say anything. Victor sighed, clambering into the cart without a second thought.

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The ride proved to be less than eventful, though shouting could be clearly heard through thin cave walls at certain spots. Victor kept his weapon ready, aiming behind them as Sunburst kept the cart on track. Victor turned around to say something, but was caught up in a vast view that spread before the two of them. Turning around, they could see the city they had been inside a minute ago, but smoke was rising from various areas, and burning flags could be seen waving, where their compatriots had been replaced by a flag with a purple sunburst. Sighing, Victor turned around, focusing on the path ahead.

The end of the track came as a welcome sight, allowing Sunburst and Victor to stretch their legs. Lifting his backpack off, Victor set it down, checking the equipment inside. When he was convinced everything was intact, he slipped it back on, glancing over at his new companion. Walking over to him, he cleared his throat.

“Sunburst, we need to talk.” The unicorn glanced at Victor with fear in his eyes, shying away as Victor sat down beside him.

“W-what about?”

“Earthside. That guard called me an Earthside agent, but I’ve never worked for, nor been a part of any organization called Earthside. Does that name mean anything to you?” Sunburst’s face twisted into a mask of confusion as Victor raised an eyebrow, his concern growing by Sunburst’s silence.

“I-I can’t tell you much, I’m afraid. They preferred to stay anonymous in most dealings, but field agents were the ones who would directly interact with their ‘assets on the ground,’ whatever that means. All I know is, they consider themselves some kind of police agency that patrols… various ‘universes.’”

“So the rise of the Empire of the Dusk was something they were actively trying to prevent, then?” Sunburst nodded sullenly, standing up and shaking before he walked slowly away. Victor, standing up and following suit, raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, unfortunately. Their agents may have accidentally contributed to the spread of the Empire throughout the world.” Victor looked around, noticing the thick throng of trees around as they found themselves walking through a thick forest, a light breeze beginning to pick up.

“So, from what you are saying, they’re a human organization that have taken it upon themselves to police reality itself?”

“Exactly.”

“If they’re human, why would they take an interest in your world? There’s nothing here that would really benefit humanity. I mean, if it was the Western Alliance, it would be to have a fallback point for evacuation. If it was the Neos, it would be to spread their modern brand of ‘glorious communism.’” Victor sighed, moving forward. Having to duck a few times was nothing compared to the uneasiness he felt through his gut. Something was following them, and whatever it was, it was not friendly.

“That’s something I would very much like to ask one of them. Anypony can see that their intentions were less than noble.” Victor stopped for a minute, prompting Sunburst to turn around. With a shout, Victor swung his fist to his right, catching something and landing a good, solid hit. As they both stood there, another human stumbled out of the surrounding trees, clutching his jaw as he smiled, a tiny amount of blood trickling from his mouth.

“Didn’t think Earthside would have the manpower to mount a recovery operation. What’s your name and callsign?” Victor and Sunburst looked at each other before staring at the human, whose face took on an expression of slow realization.

“We’re not from Earthside. I didn’t even know Earthside existed until a few hours ago.”

“Start from the beginning then. Who are you?”

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The human – formerly Agent Hades, as Victor and Sunburst discovered – had been stranded in the Equestrian dimension, as he put it, when he and his fellow agent, Dominic, had dropped flashbang grenades in a bid to get away. He had been lucky, but Dominic had pulled out an actual grenade by accident, blowing himself up and accidentally protecting Hades, or James Wickton, as he preferred his real name to his callsign.

“The Empire of the Dusk wasn’t a threat to our operations here initially. We were interested in Equestria because of the substandard steel we’d been getting from other universes. Earthside has a good manufacturing complex, but with substandard materials, it’s like polishing a turd. You can make it look shiny and chrome, but it’ll still be a turd.” He leaned back, his torn armor a testament to how long he had been out of contact with civilization.

“So the town you and your team tried to liberate, what was its name?” Victor leaned forward as Sunburst asked his question, eager for the answer. Wickton sighed, looking up at the sky before he answered.

“No point anymore. There’s no town there now. Imperial Guards burned it to the ground,” Wickton replied, fiddling with his hands. Victor began to grow bored of talking with Wickton, and reached inside his bag, retrieving the tablet and the holoprojector. Almost all at once, Wickton kicked him in the gut, snatching the tablet from his hands.

“Urk! W-Wickton! Give me back my computer!” Wickton narrowed his eyes, only widening them when he saw the handgun in Victor’s hand. Sunburst tilted his head to the side, shrugging as best as a pony could.

“Probably better to give him the tablet back, Wickton. He’s fairly proficient with that weapon.” Relenting, Wickton handed the tablet back, sitting down against a nearby tree. Victor continued setting up his equipment, hooking up the projector as he set up the four small points that would create the holo-display. Pulling out the usb drive, he clicked it into the tablet, loading up the computer as he did so.

“So, Wickton, since you now understand how I came to be here, can you tell me what this file is? It shut down my last computer, and I’d rather not lose this tablet to it as well.” Wickton grunted, crawling over to see what Victor was talking about. Almost as soon as he saw the file name, he stood up, leaping away and standing behind a tree.

“How?! How did you get that?! There’s no possible way!”

“A few months ago, I found this in my mailbox with a note attached to it. I didn’t see anything the matter with it, so I kept it. Didn’t plug it in until today, and that’s how I ended up here. I told you this already. What’s so important about this file?” Victor had to step back as Wickton paced back and forth, muttering to himself as Sunburst and himself glanced at each other. Wickton turned back, stopping for a minute and taking a breath before he spoke.

“That file is the governing process behind Earthside. You’ve gotten your hands on the single most advanced piece of code in the entirety of existence! That ‘Shadow Protocol’ is also known as the ‘Gatebuilder.’ Your holo-display must have been just powerful enough to produce a temporary gateway to this universe!” He walked away, staring up at the canopy of the forest, Sunburst and Victor left to themselves. Victor stood up, placing the tablet and the project back in his backpack.

“So, what you’re saying is… is that I somehow got the entire reason Earthside exists in my mailbox.” Wickton turned around, nodding silently. Sunburst looked upwards, moving quickly to nudge Victor and Wickton to get their attention.

“We’ve got a problem!” Victor looked up to see several flying ponies staring down at him, their armor similar to that of the guard he had shot. Backing up, he aimed his handgun again, preparing to bolt as soon as he could, Sunburst and Wickton preparing to do the same.

“In the name of the Dusk Guard, you are sentenced to death!” Victor looked at Wickton, shrugging. Wickton raised an eyebrow, motioning at the guardsponies in front of them.

“I’m a human, with a handgun, wearing pajamas, about to fight a battle with trained and deadly guards. There is nothing that could get weirder-” With that unfinished statement, a larger, lavender pony, complete with wings and a horn, landed directly in front of them, facing the guards.

“If you all want to live, get behind me!”

“I stand corrected.”

Author's Note:

So, these early chapters introducing the characters are being called the "Dossiers," showing what each character is capable of, and leaving you to guess exactly why I chose them.