As soon as the first bullet smashed into the head of the first Eqaharian soldier, the remaining Guards jumped to their hooves and formed a living shield around Prince Ajax. Their canteens of nectar spilled their contents out onto the ground, and their spears were now clutched tightly in the soldiers' hooves in an act of protection for their Prince.

However, that was of little consolation, Ajax thought as more and more Guards fell, blood splattered across their heads and chests, and shrapnel from their armor filling the air.

However, what terrified Prince Ajax more were the cut-off screams of his dying men as bullets tore them apart. A Guard attempted to rise up and cast a shielding spell, only to have his chest riddled with rounds. He fell to the ground, sporting multiple holes in his once-mighty obsidian armor.

As the last few guards fell, the area became full of the cries of the injured, and Ajax frantically looked for the source of the attack that had eliminated most of his force in mere moments.

Then, he saw something move in the trees directly in front of him. As a phantom-esque figure exited the treeline and slowly approached, Ajax stared in disbelief, shock and horror as the once invisible being turned visible once more. It was clad in brown, white, and gray, with a shining blue eye. Ajax could also see the insignia of a skull on its chest.

This would have been intimidating enough for the Prince, until fifteen other beings like the first also made themselves visible. They had their differences in attire, but the strange metal objects in their hands were held in a ready position. They moved quickly and with purpose, and soon surrounded the site of the carnage. Some of them began combing through the bodies, others took defensive positions.

But one, wearing a blue cap that bore the image of what seemed to be an ancient helmet, came and knelt in front of Ajax, whose voice was rendered silent from fear. Now that he was getting a closer look, Ajax could see the being's intelligent brown eyes past the strange, vivid blue-glowing glasses it wore. The being gave a scoff, stood up to his full height, and then motioned to another one of his companions.

The last thing Ajax saw before he was knocked out cold was the sole of one of their boots impacting against his forehead.

====

"Good work, Ghosts." Nomad smirked as Aegis Lead zip-tied the unconscious prince, discarded his armor, and hefted him over his shoulders like a lost sheep. "Target acquired. Let's get back to base before reinforcements get here."

"Yessir!" the other Ghosts replied. As Sparrow and Rook secured a few pieces of intelligence from the bodies of two soldiers with gold-trimmed armor, the Ghosts cloaked and retreated into the forests, leaving only the bodies, spent cartridges, and their footprints behind in the mud.

Moments later, a team of Eqaharian pegasi soldiers landed and stared at the carnage in horror, moreso at the cast-aside armor of their Prince. As they trembled in fear, the captain of the team slowly spoke.

"Send a message to Prince Hector, right now."
====

As Ajax slowly came to his senses, he could see that he was in a dark cell somewhere, lined with worn and cracked stone bricks. A small table had been set before him with a glass of what seemed to be water and a folded piece of paper with a pen. He looked down to see he had been securely bound to a metal chair, and due to his still-disoriented state, he couldn't use his magic.

Then, the cell door opened, revealing the leader of the beings who had attacked him. Ajax could see it was masculine, with a long beard of brown. As he took a seat, he placed a tablet of some kind with a glossy black face on the table and tapped it. An array of writing, designs, and lights appeared on it, though Ajax couldn't read the foreign text displayed on it.

"Prince Ajax, I presume?"

Ajax's eyes snapped back to the male being, realizing in panic that he could speak the common language used by both Eqaharion and Equestria. The being laughed and crossed his arms.

"You know, I figured you'd be too scared to talk. I'll make this clear to you."

"Tell us what you know about everything I ask about, and I'll do my best to guarantee your safety."

"Go to Hades." Ajax spat. "You won't get anything out of me. I am a Prince of Eqaharia, you have no power to keep me here!"

"So that's a no?"

"What do you think?" Ajax replied. The being shrugged, and grabbed the back of Ajax's head. Then, he slammed it into the front of the table with great force, letting the whiplash from the blow recoil the Eqaharian upwards. Ajax growled in pain from the blow, as his head began to spin.

Once it settled, he saw the being sit back down and put his legs up on the table.

"Wanna try that again?" he chuckled. "Let me make some things absolutely clear to you."

"One, no one knows you are here, and there's no one coming for you as a result. So you can forget about a rescue mission anytime soon."

"Two, even though I personally don't condone the use of torture on anyone, I think the Equestrians really don't care at this point what they could do to the Prince of a kingdom who has occupied their home."

"And three, I very much would prefer it if you talked sooner rather than later. Because one of my friends wanted to interrogate you in my place. You should thank me for persuading her otherwise."

"Why is that?"

"Because she saw what happened to the Element of Kindness at the brothel you imprisoned her at. As a result, she really wanted to beat you senseless until you didn't know right from left. Those were her exact words, I might add."

"But I persuaded her otherwise. But if you don't start talking in about ten minutes, I'll let her have some time with you.How much time that is, depends on how long you don't talk. And the longer it takes, the more she gets into it. I hear she brings out a knife at the five-minute mark."

Ajax's eyes flared, and he started to struggle to no avail.

"That sure woke you up." the being replied, sliding the folded piece of paper over, then opening it up. What followed was a list of subjects all too familiar to Ajax, such as the specifics of the defenses in Canterlot, Manehattan, and other cities, the locations of the other Eqaharian princes and the King, the locations of the other prison camps, and more. Ajax stared at it, knowing that even divulging the smallest piece of information would mean sedition in the eyes of his father.

"Now, you can tell me what I want to know." the being replied. "Or I could have my female friend come in. Your choice."

Ajax stared at the paper for a few moments, then looked up at the being.

"My father would kill me if I tell you anything."

"My friend will kill you if you don't cooperate. And she'll make it slow." the being said darkly. "If you cooperate, as I said, I will guarantee your safety as a prisoner of war."

Ajax thought this offer over in his head. On one hoof, if he escaped and made it to Canterlot, he could tell his father what he had learned of his enemy. That is, if he managed to live through the process of escaping, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't be recaptured and likely killed.

Or he could keep his life, and tell this being what he wanted to know. Which would ensure a great many things that Ajax feared would happen from his father as a result.

It was a surprisingly quick decision, as Ajax decided to spill his kingdom's most heavily guarded secrets and plans before this female friend or his father, King Diomedas, could spill his guts onto the ground.

====

About an hour later, As Nomad tapped the END RECORDING button on his MRT, a weary, hoarse-voiced Ajax looked up at him. Nomad simply uncuffed one of his hooves, and shoved the glass of water into his grasp.

Once he had finished drinking, Ajax was then tossed into another cell, this one being furnished with a pit toilet and rough bed. As the door was closed and locked, Nomad walked away with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

"If it's just you and your host, you won't win."

Nomad turned back to Ajax, and smirked fiercely, making the Prince flinch.

"Who said it was just us?"

Nomad laughed and closed the door to the brig before returning to the Ghosts' barracks, all the intel they needed stored securely on his MRT.

====

"I don't believe it." Sunset gasped as she was told of Nomad's successful interrogation, and then she was shown every piece of intel the Prince had spilled. "You got all this out of him?"

"Yes." Nomad replied as the other Ghosts restocked their ammunition from a supply crate, a recent arrival through the portal, along with other pieces of human tech. "Any luck finding the Element of Honesty?"

"The most I have to go on is that she and her family headed north to the Crystal Empire as refugees." Sunset replied. "But ever since the war started, the Empire surrounded itself with a shield of winter weather so harsh, not even the Eqaharians will risk an attack there."

"Is there any way we can reach the rulers of this Crystal Empire?" he asked.

"I could try to teleport there, but it's not exactly safe on my end." Sunset sighed. "But I'll see if we can find a pegasus capable of carrying a message that far and with great speed."

"Leave that to me." said Rainbow Dash, who approached with an air of readiness. "I've still got my Wonderbolts training with me, I can make it there in a few hours at most."

"Then prep to leave ASAP." Nomad replied. "You'll need to take this, though."

Rainbow was handed a sidebag containing an abbreviated but still concise copy of the intel secured from Prince Ajax, a written message from Lt. Colonel Scott Mitchell and Nomad, and a satellite radio for communication.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Rainbow nodded. "See you on the far side, Nomad."

As Rainbow departed into the sky at breakneck speed, Nomad and Sunset headed to the command table to plan their next operation.

====
The Crystal Empire, Royal Palace
Office of Prince Shining Armor, Balcony patio
====

Hours lanter, in the Crystal Spire, As Prince Shining Armor stared out into the darkened night sky, sipping a late-night glass of wine, soft hoofsteps could be heard behind him, then he felt the embrace of his wife, Princess Cadance.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked quietly.

"Who can these days?" Shining replied bitterly. "Even though the Yaks and Griffons send us supply shipments weekly, there never seems to be enough rations, water, or elbow room for everypony here, the other refugees included."

"You can't blame yourself for that." Cadance replied, sitting down next to him. "We couldn't have known about the invasion at all, let alone that we'd be put in this position. All we can do is make the best of it and plan appropriately."

"And I also know you've been...crying in private because of Twilight during nights when I work late."

Shining sighed and looked at his wife solemnly.

"I don't think I'll ever see her again." he admitted. "First the invasion cut us off. Then, Canterlot was captured and Twilight along with it. Finally, that decree was announced. What else can I do?"

Cadance brought her husband to her shoulder and he soon closed his eyes, starting to sob quietly.

"Hush, Shining Armor, hush." she soothed. "We can hope that we'll see her again, and pray this war comes to an end. Until then...take whatever solace you need in me, okay?""

Shining nodded weakly and soon quieted down. As the night settled, Cadance was about to close her own eyes, when another set of hoofsteps could be heard behind them.

"Princess Cadance? Prince Shining Armor?" asked a nearby Crystal Guard. "There's somepony to see you. It's urgent."

"Can it wait?" Cadance asked.

"Not really." Rainbow Dash said, coming into the light, startling both Shining and Cadance. "I've got news you absolutely need to hear, and intel you cannot pass on."

As Rainbow spread out the captured information from Prince Ajax, Shining's eyes widened as far as they could go.

"This is impossible," he gasped. "This is strategic info for Canterlot and Manehattan, defensive details and troop movements, prison camp locations...damn near everything! How in heaven's name did you get all this?"

"From Prince Ajax himself." Rainbow smirked.

"How did you capture him? I thought the Princes never left Canterlot." Cadance replied in a similar state of disbelief.

"It wasn't us." she replied. "Remember how Twilight sent a distress message to Sunset Shimmer after the fall of Canterlot?"

"We thought Sunset didn't get it." Shining replied. "I thought the mirror was the only way to access the human world."

"Not the case anymore." she smirked. "The United States government learned about the invasion. They sent sixteen of their best soldiers to retake Equestria, and they've accomplished more in a week than we could have in three months."

"They call themselves the Ghosts." Rainbow continued, pulling out the satellite phone and powering it up, displaying the logo of the Fifth Special Forces Group, followed by a rapidly-filling progress bar. "Would you like to meet them?"

Shining Armor and Cadance dropped their jaws as the image of Nomad sitting at a table appeared on the screen.

"Hello." Nomad said. "I'm Major Anthony Perryman, United States Army, Fifth Special Forces Group, Ghost Recon. You can call me Nomad. I take it you're the rulers of the Crystal Empire?"

"Yes, I'm Shining Armor. My wife, Princess Cadance." Shining replied. "What can we do for you, Nomad?"

"I think it's actually...what can we do for you." Nomad replied. "I take it Rainbow Dash made it there with our package in one piece?"

"Yes, she did." Cadance replied. "Where do you wish to start, Nomad?"

"Let's start with this. It's a pleasure to work with you, Prince Shining Armor, Princess Cadance. Tell us what you need done, and we'll get it done."

"I like you already." Shining smiled, this being the first time in a while. "Ready for a good amount of talk regarding the liberation of Equestria?"

"I can't wait to get started." Nomad replied. "Tell us what you got."

Update!

Yep, the Ghosts are heading to the Crystal Empire, and will soon meet the Empire's own variation of Special Forces, known as the Crystal Sabres.

And in Canterlot, Diomedas learns of his son's disappearance....