General Hiriboshi tapped on his headset, "Testing, testing... how do you read me, Exploration Team 1?" Despite his placement in Command Center 3, he could only barely make out the dome portal and the team was too small to make out unless one utilized field glasses.

A voice responded over his headset, "Exploration Team 1, read you Lima-Charlie, General."

"I copy you same." The General responded, "What are the readings on Explorer 1?"

"Heh, the tech boys are calling it the Tank Probe. Readings are showing identical parameters across the board with two exceptions. Airborne pollutants are less than one part per trillion. This air is remarkably clean sir. Probably a remote location. The other thing is the on-board G.P.S. has yet to initialize. I've reset it four times now and it still isn't picking up any satellite relay." The Commander paused for a breath before continuing, "Should we proceed through the dome or stand-by?"

"Stand-by. I need confirmation before I give the word to proceed." General Hiriboshi turned to Antonio Hernandez the 'Elected Leader' of the base, "All readings from Explorer 1 show the area beyond the portal dome are identical to what we have over here, with two exceptions, sir. The air pollution is roughly one thousand times lower than we have here and the G.P.S. has not initialized. These lend credence to the thought that it is a remote area. I see no immediate indication of any threat to Exploration Team 1. The choice is yours, sir. Do we proceed?"

General Hiriboshi's puppet leader paused then spoke, "What is the status of the containment zone surrounding the portal dome, General?"

The General spoke into his head set again, "Containment Team 4, how are the preparations coming along?"

"Containment Team 4 here, the Containment Zone is operational. We have four heavy machine gun nests and two mortar teams set up and on stand-by, with fifty individual riflemen also at the ready. Any word yet on the air and armor support, General?" The Containment Team Commander reported crisply.

"Air and armor support are on stand-by, we can have them in motion in less than ten minutes. We have you covered, Commander." General Hiriboshi confided to the Team Commander, "How about the other Containment Teams?"

"All other Containment Team positions are well within operational status. Team 3 had a small issue with a poorly threaded belt of fifty cal ammo, but they got it sorted easily. Are the Perimeter Containment Teams finished with setting up their M242s yet, General? The additional firepower would let us rest a little easier."

"That is affirmative, Containment Team 4. The M242s are up and running, fully loaded. Maintain vigilance." General Hiriboshi turned back to his puppet, "Everything is ready sir."

Antonio Hernandez adopted a look of concentration briefly before he nodded, "Proceed with insertion. Have them exercise all possible caution. We don't want some startled locals on the other side of the planet thinking they're being invaded."

General Hiriboshi swiftly bowed to his puppet and turned back toward the windows, "Team 1, you are a go for insertion. Keep in constant contact, I want all radio channels open."

"Yes sir!" The Commander then turned to his insertion team, "We have the 'go-ahead' from the General. Keep all channels open." Without further instruction, the Commander led his team of six through the dome portal.

General Hiriboshi took a deep breath and turned to his puppet, "Any word from our people on how this thing works?" He asked, gesturing to the portal beyond the windows.

Antonio Hernandez shook his head, "Nothing at all. We are nowhere even close to understanding it. We do know it breaks nearly every law of physics to date. As we already know, it doesn't matter which side you enter from, you emerge in the same place and exit the same way. A dome on our side and a dome on the other side, but working like a simple doorway. Beyond that, we know from the attempts at digging underneath it, that the edges are harder than anything we've ever seen, but thankfully they're dull instead of being as sharp as our physicists first assumed. In regard to moving it beyond this facility, we will need to perform more tests. This facility can, theoretically, be altered to direct the portal to anywhere on Earth, but we have no known way of creating another one."

The General opened his mouth, but Antonio held up his hand, "I know what you're going to ask, General, but the answer is still the same as it was the last twenty times you asked this past week. The biologists have not yet cleared anybody to begin testing these strange... abilities we all seem to have now. They do have confirmation of an additional organ near our stomachs, and they know the organ filters that golden liquid out of our blood in small amounts, but they still do not know what it is. Until they understand that, we need to exercise all possible caution. If this is, as you suggested, a colossal leap forward in Human evolution, it carries with it some truly disturbing possibilities. If it happened once, could somebody create additional alterations to the Human body?" He shook his head, "This is a time for caution and careful thoughts followed by even more careful actions. We are the forefront of science and history. Everything we do WILL have an impact on history. We need to be certain we take the proper course as we steer the entire world." He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on the desk in front of him, "We can steer ourselves and the rest of the world toward a brighter future than we ever imagined, or we could lead an entire world to destruction."

* * *

Insume Ching kept his rifle steady as he slowly made his way through the thick bushes. He was the point man for the team through the portal dome and the young Chinese man took his role seriously. The rest of the team followed behind him. Every rustle and noise was something for him to be wary of.

The brush suddenly cleared, as if it had been cut off by a giant laser. Ching held up his left fist, silently calling for a halt as he stared in wonder at the sight before him. The sun was setting... fast. To fast.

"Commander McGillicuddy," Ching addressed, "I need verification and a recording device up here."

The Irish Commander and the radioman, Erebish Skih from India, made their way up to Ching. Skih was not only the communication specialist, but also the photographer of the team. Commander McGillicuddy stopped and lowered his rifle, staring at the sunset, "Skih, by god you better be recording this."

Skih already had his camera going, "I am, Commander."

Commander McGillicuddy peered through the slowly gathering darkness. Distant motion caught his eye and he lifted his field glasses, trying to identify what he was seeing. Unable to clearly tell what he was looking at, he spoke into his comm, "Johann, get up here. We need a set of eyes and your rifle has better range than our field glasses."

The German sniper moved almost silently through the bush and came up next to McGillicuddy, "I am here, sir." He said through a thick Berlin accent. Commander McGillicuddy pointed down to the base of the hill they were on and said, "I saw movement down there. I need identification and range."

Johann laid prone and rested his rifle as he sighted down the scope. He slowly panned around the foliage until he found the source of the movement. He pulled his head back and wiped his eyes, to make sure there was no debris obscuring his vision, then lowered his head back to the scope.

Through his sights, he saw an impossibility. A bright red Pegasus was sitting on a tree branch at the base of the hill. It had its left wing extended and it was preening like a bird. "Commander," Johann spoke evenly, "You are not going to believe this..."

* * *

General Hiribosbi clasped the headset more firmly to his ear, "Repeat Commander, we did not copy." The Commander repeated his claim.

"Is something wrong, General? Is the Team in danger?" Hernandez asked urgently.

The General lowered his hand and looked at Hernandez, "Commander McGillicuddy reports he and his team have encountered a mythical creature. Something resembling a small, red version of Pegasus from Greek myth."

Hernandez narrowed his eyes and his eyebrows knitt together, "Do we have a visual feed?"

* * *

Skih linked his camera to Johann's scope with a cord and routed the feed through his communications array, broadcasting it. Commander McGillicuddy listened to his headset and nodded grimly, "Understood sir." He petted Johann on the shoulder, "Do you have anything resembling a tranquilizer among your specialty cartridges?"

Johann answered without looking away from his scope, "I have four fentanyl derivative rounds for hostage situations, but I do not know if they work on small flying horses. They might kill it."

Commander McGillicuddy nodded, "Best we have for now. Fire a round close to that thing's head and give it a dose. Hernandez said to acquire the specimen for study."

Johann slipped his pack off his back and retrieved the four rounds in their small magazine. He removed the magazine from his rifle and ejected the round in the chamber before chambering a round from the gas round magazine. He sighted down his scope and made small adjustments for range and approximate wind conditions. He eased his finger against the trigger and the round exploded against the tree trunk immediately behind the Pegasus. It startled and launched itself off the branch, but not before inhaling a heavy dose of the gas. Less than three wing beats later, it fell to the ground, unconscious.

Commander McGillicuddy patted Johann on his shoulder, then turned to the rest of his team, "Move to retrieve the specimen. Go."

Ching led the team down the hill while Commander McGillicuddy, Johann, and Skih kept watch from the top of the hill.

* * *

General Hiriboshi received the radio transmission and turned to Hernandez, "Specimen acquired, sir."

Hernandez picked up the phone on the desk in front of him and dialed an extension, "Biology Department, we have a specimen coming to you. Be prepared to receive and restrain a flying quadruped for study."

* * *

Dusky Darter saw his best friend, Crimson Sky fall to the ground after the peal of thunder that startled him from his nap in the tree. The leaf green Pegasus stallion sprang into the air and landed beside his friend half a moment later. He was lying on his right side with his right wing at an unnatural angle beneath him, obviously broken.

He quickly nuzzled his friend's head, concern and fear eating away at him, "Crimson!" He yelled urgently, "Crim, wake up! You're hurt! We need to get back to Free Run!" He nudged Crimson's head, but he did not respond. Fearing the worst, he placed his head to his friend's chest. His breathing was steady and his heartbeat was strong. Some small relief washed over him, but his attention was stolen away from his foalhood friend when he heard rustling from the nearby bushes.

Three tall Minotaur-like creatures emerged from the bushes, all of them holding strangely shaped black objects. Dusky knew a hunting party when he saw one. The Gryphons who lived in Free Run often hunted. He spread his wings, instinctively making himself as large as he could and lowered himself toward the ground, legs bent and ready.

The three creatures stopped suddenly and raised their strange objects in a threatening manner. Dusky lashed his tail violently behind him, growling at the intruders. One of the creatures said some words in a language Dusky had never heard before. Seeing the hesitance of the creatures, Dusky shuffled backward and bit down on his friend's tail, pulling him away from the hunters, keeping his wings wide open. The hunter creatures noticed his movements and began approaching again.

Dusky dropped his friend's tail and leaped forward in warning. The creatures flinched back and one of their strange objects flashed, causing a deafeningly loud noise. Dusky's ears rang from the sound, but he was a Pegasus, loud noises were nothing new to any Pegasus. Thunder tended to be rather loud.

Dusky knew he was in danger and leaped forward with as much speed and strength as he could. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the three creatures. He collided with the first one, knocking it away, then bucked the second one in its middle, sending it tumbling along the ground and into a tree. He suddenly heard the third one's black object emit a long series of noises.

Ching quickly dropped the first magazine from his rifle and reloaded while he backed away from the small green, winged horse. He slapped the second magazine home and released the bolt, loading the next round into the chamber. The green horse thing was on the ground, legs kicking as if it were running as its eyes rolled around wildly, before he had finished reloading. He immediately contacted Commander McGillicuddy.

* * *

General Hiriboshi was glad for his years of military experience. Most other people would have been unable to make sense of the sudden wave of radio chatter and gunfire over the radio. His mind unraveled the loud voices and gunfire to piece together what happened. He was only waiting on the casualty report.

His patience was rewarded when Commander McGillicuddy made another report, "We have two wounded, one with multiple broken bones, the other is in critical condition. We need medical over here. Chalmers is in critical condition and he was our medic. There was a second creature which attacked the men when they went to retrieve the first one."

General Hiriboshi spoke into his headset, "Copy, Commander." He the looked to Hernandez, "The Team has sustained casualties from a second creature. They require immediate medical assistance."

Hernandez nodded, "Make sure they have it. Send in Exploration Teams 2 and 3. I'm calling a meeting."

General Hiriboshi already knew why, but he had to ask, "Why, sir?"

Hernandez was already standing up from his chair, "I would think that much is obvious, General." He pointed to the portal dome through, "That portal does not exit on our world. The sunset and those two creatures are irrefutable evidence of that. We are dealing with far more than we ever planned for. This is something to be discussed among peers with different perspectives." He sighed, "I should have had the men withdraw once we saw the speed of the sunset and that first creature. Hopefully they were nobody's pets."

* * *

The meeting was a mess. The scientists and researchers from around the world were in a state well beyond anything which could be described as an uproar. Hernandez had been completely candid with his relating of events and had taken full responsibility for the incident.

General Hiriboshi sat to the side, defending Hernandez, he still needed his puppet. Hernandez was finishing bringing the other scientists up to speed, "There are zoological teams examining the remains of the deceased specimen and the other is in containment. It sustained a broken wing, but other than that it seems undamaged. The wing has been set and we hope to glean further understanding of it through observation." He paused, working up the courage to continue with the next part, "One thing the zoologists have already discovered... is an organ in the specimen... which is identical to the one we all developed recently." The room fell utterly silent, "This indicates some form of connection between what lies beyond the portal dome and our new organs. What that connection is, we are as yet uncertain. Until we know more, I am ordering the portal dome secured. Nobody will go in or come out."

"And what if something tries to come out?" A scientist from Spain asked.

"I have given orders for our troops to attempt to hold back any incursions with non-violent means if possible, but if pressed, they have permission to utilize lethal force." Hernandez replied evenly.

* * *

"Lord Puff!" The Chamberlain entered the Audience Chamber hurriedly. Lord Puff was holding an audience with King Myrmidon when the Chamberlain burst in, "My Lord, we have reports that two of our Pegasi Guards are missing."

Lord Puff spoke quietly to the Gryphon King, "Pardon this intrusion, your majesty."

King Myrmidon waved Lord Puff away, "Your citizens come first, I understand that very well. May I listen in?"

Lord Puff nodded, "Of course." He looked back to his Chamberlain, "Report the facts, Chamberlain."

The Chamberlain, a heavy set, goldenrod colored Earth Pony wearing his ruby mane and tail in tight braids, bowed low quickly before making his report, "My Lord, three night past we received word that two Pegasi Guards failed to report to their shifts. Following protocol, we waited for two days before bringing the case to your attention. Neither of the Pegasi has been heard from and their herds are very worried."

"Do we know where they might have gone?" Lord Puff asked.

"Their herd mates said they were heading to the West, to a grove where they used to train. The herds have already marked the location on several maps." The Chamberlain replied.

"Send out three search parties in that area. We have to find our citizens. If something has happened to them, it is our responsibility to come to their aid." Lord Puff ordered.

A smooth voice called out from beside Lord Puff, "Your search parties will be aided by a Flight of Gryphons and Featherback Marines." King Myrmidon laid a friendly talon on Lord Puff's back, "We will find your citizens, Lord Puff." He narrowed his eyes, watching the Lord of Free Run, "Do you believe the Changelings are involved?"

Lord Puff sat down as the Chamberlain departed, "There is no evidence of it, but it is not completely outside the realm of possibility. I will not lay the blame on the Changelings without reason. If there are no signs indicating otherwise and if this becomes a more common occurrence, then I will consider it. I do not want to be enemies with them, but with Changelings being willing to attack Canterlot and nearly win, we cannot take them lightly in any way. We made an agreement with them and sold them the land. They have not yet given us any signs of treachery, but their race is known for such things. Stealth and guile are second nature to them from what I have read. I do not trust them, but none of us shall be an aggressor and begin a conflict." He looks to King Myrmidon carefully, "Can we count on the support of Gryphonvale if things take a turn for the worst?"

King Myrmidon answered in the same way every one of his predecessors would have, "Gryphonvale comes to the aid of civilians. We have no place in war except to prevent a genocide or to rescue civilians from harm. Belligerent nations and city-states must resolve conflict themselves. Had the Changelings won against Canterlot, we would have swept over them and annihilated any who harmed civilians, but the conflict would still have to be resolved by the Princesses and the Changeling Queen. You know this, Lord Puff. We do not take sides and I advise you to remember that, lest you become the aggressor against a numerically superior force."

"And if the Changelings win? If I am overthrown and the Guard of Free Run is destroyed?" Lord Puff asked.

"Then the civilians will be free to go wherever they please. Lives are not spoils of war to be used by the victors. We would die before we allowed that to happen." King Myrmidon answered cooly, "If you feel that you need troops, there are avenues available to you, but I will urge the upmost caution here. I would advise you to extend a helping hoof to the Changelings. Offer them assistance. A potential enemy may become a friend, if welcomed openly. From what I know, the hive which has purchased the land from Free Run is the largest in the known world. Having such a powerful ally would be a boon beyond measure to the welfare of Free Run." Myrmidon sat back on his haunches, "Did you know nearly half their population are Ponies?"

Lord Puff turned and regarded the King warily, "Are you certain of this?"

King Myrmidon shrugged, "I have not seen it myself, but the Princesses of Equestria have openly attested to it. These Changelings already live peacefully with Ponies, Lord Puff. They easily had the means to take any land they wanted by force, yet they came to Free Run to buy it. They have not presented themselves as an enemy, when they could have taken Free Run by surprise in a single night in what would have likely been a completely one-sided battle. Do not imagine an enemy where none exists. Ponies have long harbored mistrust of other races and they have been all the poorer for it. I urge you not to fall into that trap. Free Run stands on the top of a wall. On one side lies riches and wealth and prosperity the likes of which it has never seen before. On the other is unnecessary strife." King Myrmidon rose to a standing position and began walking out of the Audience Chamber, calling over his shoulder, "I know on which side of the wall I would want to be."

* * *

Featherback Marine Harrison pulled the cord on his harness as his Gryphon Carrier tapped him on the right shoulder, signaling that she was about to land. Harrison landed and rolled into a standing position, his Shock Lance still in his hands. He approached the search party from Free Run as they were all gathered around a massive blood stain on the forest floor.

Harrison excused himself as he pushed past Ponies, Zebras, Donkeys, and other races. He knelt down next to the Minotaur bull who was examining the blood stain, "Your nose is better than mine, good bull. Is this blood from a Pony?"

The Minotaur nodded sadly, "Yes, and there is too much blood for a Pony to have survived. There is no sign of the other one and we do not know which one this blood came from."

Harrison peered intently at the blood when three things caught his eye. The most alarming was a spent rifle cartridge casing. He reached down and picked it up, examining the back. The numbers 7.62 spoke volumes to him. He pocketed the brass casing then leaved down and gently picked up a piece of flesh. Holding it in his hand, he easily deduced it was gray matter.

He dropped the piece of flesh back on the ground and turned his attention to the third thing which caught his eye, tracks. A number of the civilians from Free Run were already investigating where the tracks led, "Hold on there." Harrison spoke loudly, "None of you are armed or armored. Let us check it out."

The civilians trotted back down the hill and Harrison signaled with his hand for his Flight to converge on him. Harrison held up his right hand and extended his index finger, twirling it in the air in an upright position. It was the hand signal for a Gryphon to get airborne and provide reconnaissance from above.

His Carrier Gryphon took to the air and began circling the area as Harrison and the other three Gryphons silently made their way up the hill.

Cresting the top of the hill, Harrison found the tracks led into a dense, thick patch of forest and vanished. He peered around, but saw nothing. The tracks led to nothing at all. Harrison knelt down and spoke quietly to the Scout Gryphon, "Can you follow the scent of the blood?"

The Scout Gryphon nodded silently and lowered his beak to the ground. He began sniffing along the tracks, easily picking up the scent. When he came to the end of the tracks however, he stopped and raised his head, "It's gone. The scent just vanishes, like it was never there."

Harrison nodded, already figuring that would be the case. He took off his helmet and sighed sadly, "This looks bad. Really bad. There is nothing more we can do here. We need to make our report to Free Run." He reached into his pocket and withdrew the spent brass casing, "We've got a problem."