To Run Away...

by SoraNova

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Science Fiction, Adventure, Crossover, Human
Length: 119738

They say, "There's no such place as paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the earth, there's nothing there."... One man opposed that saying.

They say, "There's no such place as paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the earth, there's nothing there." - Kiba - Wolf's rain…
… One man opposed that saying.
He chose to secede from his country to create one, a garden of Eden free of tyranny and full of prosperity. But others chose to eat the forbidden fruit, and so his creation went through unwanted changes.
If there was such place as paradise, would it be real, or just a mirage?
—
The following is an unofficial spin-off to the Bioshock series. The following is a multicrossover.
Originally titled "Bioshock Titanium"
Rated Teen for Violence, Mild Sexual content, and Thematic elements.
PS - Potential spoilers in the comments!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-27 19:54:35 UTC

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

*  - *

  *  -  *

A church choir sang a festive hymn, singing their hearts out as Ivan looked at the water below him. His legs and jeans were drenched in the coldness that it was emitting. He then felt someone pat him on the back before the hand would clench onto his shoulder.

  "Ivan Bentley," He heard a voice of another middle aged man say in a mirthful tone. "Are you ready to be born again?!"

  "Yes." Ivan replied solemnly before glancing at a happy couple who were holding hands and smiling, releasing tears of joy due to his decision.

   Then, there was sound of thunder.

  "Are you ready to erase your past, cleanse your sins, and accept the lord Jesus as your savior?"

  "Yes." He faced the bald headed pastor, trying to hide his frown with a smirk.

  "That's all I needed to hear, my friend!"

   Ivan held onto his nose as well as his breath while the pastor prepared to dunk him in the water.

  "Now, I baptize Mister Ivan Bentley, in the name of Jesus, Amen!"

   He felt the pastor pull him back, making him look at the grey sky above him. The water's coldness began to overwhelm him. He then closed his eyes before his head would dive in as well. Now, all he could hear was the water flowing through his ears, as his breath stagnated. Then, his hand began to pull away from his nose, letting water rush into his nostrils.

"What?" Ivan thought.

   His hand would feel his other one as they met in his back. Then he felt something constrict his wrists. Not only there, but in his ankles.

"Impossible." He added in his head as he tried to break free from his restraints, squirming and prying to no avail.

   Whatever was on his ankles, it made him assume that it was connected to something heavy. Why? Because it was pulling him down into the deep. He felt the pastor's arms separate from him the more he descended. Suddenly, he managed to hear him say happily, "Thank god for this miraculous day!"

   It was then followed by clapping and cheering.

"No, don't thank him, I'm about to drown! HELP!" He cried in his mind, for he couldn't through his mouth.

   He couldn't hold on much longer. He was on the verge of letting more water come rushing through his mouth and into his lungs like a broken dam. But he also knew, that there was no point in holding on either. So he decided to open his mouth and let death come crashing in.

  "Ah'van?" He heard someone call. And just like that...

   ... His nightmare was over.

  "Wake up Ah'van."

   Ivan opened his eyes to find that Haystack was looking worryingly at him, his right hoof on his left shoulder.

  "Whoa!" Ivan was stunned at the unexpected sight, that he jolted the slightest to express that. "You scared me."

  "Sorry." He apologized before saying, "But you musta had one hell of a nightmare."

   Ivan sighed, admitting the truth. "How did you know?"

  "Well, you were movin' around a lot, and you even crah'd 'Help'!"

   Ivan decided not to say anything else since he felt embarrassed for yelling that out loud. He unbuckled himself and got up for some stretches, holding onto the package before sitting back down.

  "Hey, how long have you been up?" He asked.

  "'Ah don't know." The stallion shrugged as he sat on his haunches, feeling the cold floor underneath him. "B'ah the t'ahm 'ah woke up, the window have already closed."

  Ivan sighed. "Well, guess we're gonna have to wait until-"

   Suddenly, the metal surface rose up again before it would be illuminated by the projected light once more.

  "Until that pops up again?' Haystack asked.

  "Yep."

   This time, the opening slide said something different, It now read,

Another message from theDEAR LEADER(Recorded live on from National hall on May 13, 2008.)(Brought to you by the state production team and the DEAR LEADER himself.)

   Then it changed from a slide to an actual colored motion picture in a flash. It featured Roger Doofenshmirtz standing behind a wooden podium with the black hawk and yellow star in front. Behind him, was the country's flag. Which consisted of the state's seal over a red heater shield which was also over three blue lines in a white background.

  "And so I told the hypocrites in Washington, Cheyenne, Pierre, and Lincoln that my city, as well as many other cities in the tri state area, wanted to secede from the Union in pursuit of our own dreams." He stated in his iconic accent. "I told them that I wanted to create a utopian project. So, they accepted my request, but not without laughing at my face and saying that I was an idiot for creating such an idea.

  "But still, I proceeded with my plans despite the ridicule, not only because of my dream, but because of the people I want to help. And so, I unified all the cities in the area into one to commence my project for proving the beasts of America and the world wrong. Now, it's been five years since I made that decision, and we've reached our paradise, thanks to all of you."

   The crowd began to cheer as the camera cut to a full view of city hall.

  "That explains a lot about their territory." Ivan mumbled.

   Then Roger resumed his speech. "This is a nation that was brought to life by your efforts..."

   Suddenly, the walls (Excluding the one with the door) started to slide open, letting the morning light shine in.

  "... A nation where everyone is equal in the eyes of man! Where liberty burns down oppression, and where anarchy is non-existent..."

   When the lights extended even further, it would cause the two to cover their eyes for they were temporarily blinded by it.

  "... We are the beacon of hope for humanity..."

   That sentence reminded Haystack about how Equestria was the beacon of hope for ponykind as they lowered their arms from their eyes..

  "... Because this is Danville!"

   The crowd cheered before the clip was over in a snap. The metal surface would slide back down after the projector would turn itself off. It gave the duo a sign that they were able to observe the city from up above since they assumed that that's the reason why they opened the shutters.

   They looked down after they reached the glass and found something peculiar down below. On an intersection near the building they were on, there was police surrounding the area... heavily armed police. There were body bags scattered around them as well as fire that was burning on the building in front of them.

  "Huh, it appears that there's some crime going on around here... and it looks serious."

  "Ah'van, look." Haystack suggested as he pointed his hoof upward.

   Ivan looked in that direction to find another thing that felt odd. It was a banner that was hanging from the top of the building. It read on the top in clear white.

HEINZ DOOFENSHMIRTZ

   Beneath that was a portrait of an odd shaped man. He had a long nose that would make you think that you were holding onto a pike and dark hair with a head that your mind will say that it looks like a palm tree. He had a grim look on his face as an eye patch covered his left eye. Under it, it simply read.

HAIL TO THE TRUE CREATOR OF PARADISE!

  "It tells me that this country is under new management." Ivan assumed.

   Haystack looked to his left to revisit the crime scene below. "And that tells meh that some of the employees aren't too happy with it ah'ther."

  "We..." The chirpy feminine voice began to speak, stunning the two instantly. "... will be making our descent in ten seconds!"

   Once the two calmed down, Ivan said the first word. "Looks like this is it."

  "Yep."

   Ivan went back on his chair and so did Haystack. Ivan then placed the package on his lap before the announcer said. "Five, four, three, two, one..."

   Then they felt their feet jolt a little, and before they knew it, the pod was making its descent. Now, all they could see was brick as the shutters began to close again.

  "So how are we goin' to deliver this to 'Silver Fox'? Haystack asked worryingly, using his flexible hooves to quote the codename. "And better yet, how are we goin' to get the hell out of here once the mission is complete?"

  "I don't know, which is the obvious answer to your question. I mean, there's no address." Ivan replied, feeling the same way as Haystack until he answered his second question. "And two, it's easy. We're citizens for free. All we need is a permit in order to leave the country and we're done."

  "Oh. Wow, that's easy."

  "Yes it is."

  "Huh, wait, how did you know that?"

  "What?"

  "That we're now citizens for free."

  "Geography class. Find the gateway, live here for free."

  "Oh."

   Then the announcer came back on the air, but this time, no scares. "You'll be expecting a big buffet for you and your friend, spouse, relative, or sibling down below, in celebration of your citizenship. Happy eating!"

  "Huh, guess we're gonna have free breakfast as well." Ivan was pretty relieved of that. He hadn't eaten in hours and the rumbling of his stomach that has been nagging him for food throughout the time was proof of that.

  "Oh good, 'ah sure hope they have plenty ta eat." Haystack said excitedly.

  "Of course they do, it's a buffet."

   They continued to wait until they felt the pod hit something below.

  "Looks like we're here." said Ivan.

  "Bon Appetit, my friends, and bon sejour in your new life."

   The door quickly opened before the duo got up and exited with the package,

   But after doing so, they got the complete opposite of what they were expecting.

  "Ugh, I should've known." Ivan said as he and Haystack looked at what was in front of them.

   Everything was empty. Except for the only notable things that were the marble floors and the sheet that covered the glass doors and windows.

  "So 'Ah guess there's no buffet." Haystack frowned.

  "Pfft, like it even matters." Ivan said, ignoring the hunger he was feeling. "Let's just uncover the package's location, deliver it, and get the hell out of here, alright?"

  "Alr'aght."

   The two walked side by side before reaching the glass door. Ivan then grabbed the handle and pulled it back, opening the door.

   Then after walking in between the two sheets, they found themselves on the sidewalk. And on the street, they found out that heavily armed police were behind their squad cars and pointing their pistols, SMGs, and assault rifles, waiting for them. This horrified the two.

   And with that, Ivan would remind Haystack. "And I should've seen this coming as well."

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

   Quickly, they put their hands/hooves up in the air, with Ivan still holding onto the package,

  "And without us telling you two blokes to put your hands up!" An officer called out through his megaphone in sarcasm. "Wow, I'm impressed!"

   Even though the two could see where the officer was speaking from, the officer would present himself inside the barricade the squad cars, facing their target.

  "You know we've been watching your every move, right?' The officer revealed, only without his megaphone.

  "Uh, no?" Ivan responded, even though he was now certain that they were. "And shouldn't there be a buffet for us?"

  "If both of you weren't wearing that, and carrying that package, then we could've made one for you and your Equine friend." He replied politely.

  "I knew he would say that." Ivan mumbled, since he knew that it had something to do with who they were.

  "Whaddaya mean?" Haystack asked the officer.

  "I mean, your kind is not allowed here!"

  "What? Oh come on!" Haystack complained. "We-"

   "Enough Haystack, we don't meet their requirements." Ivan ordered.

  "And since that's the case..." Another officer stood next to him, pointing his M4 carbine as the officer got out his P90, both of them aiming at their heads. ".... I guess you'll both have to eat someplace else."

Cl-click!

   Haystack began to shake, for he knew that this was the end.

    However, Ivan rolled his eyes at the sight.

  "Duck." Ivan told him before leaning forwards and charging at the pair.

   Haystack just did so, placing his hooves over his head as he heard gunshots come from the two officers, making the civilians run and scream. He looked up to find Ivan in the middle of the air, the bullets whisking underneath his feet. Ivan would then have them lean forward, aiming at the officers' faces. They watched in horror, before they felt his feet punch them in their noses, kicking them back and knocking them out. Landing on the ground, he would duck while simultaneously getting out two frag grenades from his overcoat pockets. The officers weren't quick enough to aim at his body, by then, he was in the process of biting off the safety pins. That's when Haystack decided to help, by getting out two grenades as well.

  "Grenade!" An officer yelled as Ivan tossed them at two cars in front of him, while Haystack threw his at two others to his left and right.

Dakka dak! Dakka dak! Dakka dak! Dakka dak...

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM...

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   They opened fire, regardless of the grenades, but Ivan would evade the shooting once again by performing a backflip before grabbing the knocked out officers' weapons with his hands once he landed.

  "Haystack, catch!" Ivan called out once he landed, tossing him the P90.

   The stallion quickly grabbed it with his hooves while Ivan grabbed the M4.

   BOOM!

   One by one, the grenades detonated, sending multiple officer from behind each vehicle flying into the air with metal fragments deep in their bodies

  "We have multiple wounded! I repeat, we have multiple wounded!" One of the officers cried.

  "Stop them! Stop them!" Another one yelled as Ivan ran to the police car's bumper from the left for cover.

  "Haystack!" Ivan called. "Cover me!"

   He replied with a nod before galloping towards the police car's bumper to his right. It wasn't long before the remaining officers in front of them were simply mowed down by the duo's bullets, letting them fly through their protection and into their vital organs/heads. Once that area was clear, they proceeded to the next cars, and received the same outcome, killed them with little resistance. After clearing the area, they returned to the unconscious bodies in the center and began to stock up on ammo.

  "Let's get the hell out of here before more cops arrive!" Ivan ordered while stuffing M4 magazines into his pockets while Haystack was doing the same with the P90 ones.

  "Pfft, obviously."

   Once they were finished, the two got up and ran to their left before vaulting over a hood of a squad car, with the exception that Haystack jumped over it like a hurdle in a racetrack. Landing on the other side, they resumed their run until they would see a convoy consisting of two Lenco Bearcats and two Humvees speed down the intersection and head their way, sirens wailing.

  "Aw crap!" Ivan shrieked before they slowed down and stopped.

   The two needed to elude them, fast. Fortunately, Haystack found a solution. He looked to right to find a double doorway that led inside the building next to them.

  "Let's hide in there." He suggested, pointing his hoof towards it.

  "Oh thank goodness." Ivan sighed in relief before following Haystack towards the entrance.

   They pulled the glass doors' handles, but it wouldn't budge.

  "Damn, it's locked!" Ivan stopped his foot on the concrete to express his frustration. "We're gonna have to find a lock pick."

  "What!" Haystack was in utter shock by his plan, "Ain't nobody got t'ahme for that!"

   He quickly turned around and bucked his hind hooves onto the glass.

  "Oh, heh, should've thought of that." Ivan now felt a little stupid about his decision.

   The two went inside to find themselves in a waiting room. Complete with multiple groups of chairs that covered the entire floor and three elevators to the right.

  "Quick, to the elevator!" Ivan ordered with a shout, pointing at them like a statue.

  "Really? You sound like some sort of superhero." Haystack criticized while coming up with a conclusion to Ivan's plan.

  "I don't even know why I did that." He admitted. "Let's move!"

   They ran towards an open elevator in the middle. Upon reaching there, Ivan found something rare on the black carpet underneath. It was an imprint of a red cartoon bomb and written over it was the word "Red" in bold.

  "Yep. Things have changed in this 'Paradise'." Ivan mumbled.

  "Ah'van!" Haystack called in panic.

  "Stop! Police!" An officer yelled as he and his comrades stormed inside the building.

   He joined Haystack in the elevator and pressed the button that would take them to the top floor. The door then slid closed before the elevator made its ascension.

  "So, it looks l'ahke we're on the run then." Haystack concluded as they began to reload their weapons.

  "Yep. The mission wasn't going to be easy anyways. And 'Silver fox's' unknown location was the first sign."

   They stood there quietly after that, facing the window with half bored expressions. All they could hear was the tacky elevator music as they felt the it move through their feet/haunches.

  "Does this song sound familiar ta ya?" asked Haystack in order to kill the silence between them.

  "Nope, must be exclusive to Danville."

  "Oh."

   The door slid open after the ding. Unfortunately, the police seemed to be one step ahead.

  "Freeze!" One of the officers yelled as she and her squadron stood firm with their rifles and SMGs pointed at them either by looking through their iron sights or aiming from the hip.

  "Well that was quick." Ivan noted.

  "Whaddaya mean 'quick'? We've already been here." A male officer revealed to them.

   Ivan felt dumbfounded. "Uh..."

Ding!

Ding!

   They heard boots stomp on the floor, making them imply that reinforcements have arrived.

  "So why be up here?" Ivan asked, disregarding the reinforcements.

  "So that dumb ass mercenaries like you two don't get away from jumping out the window."

  "Great, plan spoiled."

  "Yep. So by order of the great successor, as told by the guy below, we have to kill you."

   Ivan raised an eyebrow. "So, Hienz isn't the ruler?"

  "What?" The officer was surprised by his response.

  "I mean, I saw a poster with his face on it. Don't tell me that Hienz is Roger's so-"

  "Ugh, you know what I mean. So let's get this over with."

   Still skeptical on her actions, he asked. "But... Can't you just kick us out of the country?"

   Haystack grew nervous, he knew that the conversation can go south real fast.

  "Ugh, the officer you just knocked out already told you, so No!" The officer was growing irritated, as well as his comrades.

  "But I think it's much better if you do that."

  "No! We have to shoot you dead and that's final."

  "Ugh, fine."

  "What?" Haystack was shocked at his decision.

  "Oh, and after executing us, can you do us a favor and burn this package for us?" Ivan asked as he presented them the package. "I mean since we're going to die and all."

  "Ok then." The officer smirked, agreeing to the deal.

   Haystack in the meantime, shook in fear, realizing that this was the end.

  "Here you go." Ivan tossed him the package, which made the officers glance at it as it soared in the air.

  "Suckers." He mumbled before grabbing one of the distracted officers to his right and placing him in front of him like a shield.

   In reaction to this, Haystack quickly hid inside the elevator as Ivan sprayed multiple rounds at the enemy while they were trying to do the same to him without harming their comrade. However, he didn't leave Ivan hanging. He provided him cover by blind firing in the opposite direction from where Ivan was shooting.

   After a couple of seconds, the remaining officers dropped dead.

  "Clear." Ivan proclaimed once the hallway was silent. "I should've told you that I got this covered, but it was better that I didn't."

   Haystack peeked around the elevator to find this statement true, even though he was still quivering in fear.

  "Now stop shaking, we need to move."

   Ivan grabbed the package from the officer's body, to his amazement, it was completely unharmed during the crossfire. "Nice."

  "F'ahne." Haystack did as he was told.

  "Alright then."

   Haystack followed Ivan across the hall and past a wooden double doorway, which led to a board room with no one inside. Ivan would close the door behind him and used a dead officer's M16 to lock the doors together. He then looked to his left to find the same logo he saw earlier; only it was enlarged, printed on the wall, and revealed to have an acronym.

  "Reliable Excavation Demolition." Ivan read, turning to face it while doing so.

  "Who are they?" asked Haystack.

  "They're a company that have been dominating the markets lately. Never knew they would reach here."

  "Huh." Haystack looked behind him to find an electronic News ticker displaying the date, so he began to read it. "April fifth, twerty thirty three. Wow, this thing can tell what t'day is?"

  "Not only that, but it can announce other stuff as well. Alerts, Current events..." He briefly glanced to his left. "... and Oh boy, soda!"

  "Ah beg yer pard'n?"

  "Thank goodness, because I'm thirsty!" He clearly ignored the question due to relief.

   He found the bottle of aqua blue soda on the maple colored round table. He placed the package on the table and Picked it up, feeling the coldness on his hand as he turned it around to look at the brand's logo. What appeared was a picture of a smiling Pegasus filly with a baby blue coat and eyes of almost the same color. Her mane had the color of white with streaks of turquoise. Ivan thought that filly looked cute even as she stood in the background of snowflakes, but the words underneath it contradicted that, the text read, "SNOWDROP's FURY!".

   It surprised him a little, but he put that aside and read the small text underneath, which read, "A product of Reliable Excavation Demolitions"

  "Huh, didn't know that they wanted to conquer the soft drink industry... Hell, I'm taking this sample." But he quickly remembered about his four legged comrade, "Want some, Haystack?"

  "Nah, None of us Equestrians trust foreign imports."

  "Oh will you be quiet, your country doesn't trust anyone. Funny how you're even here."

   Haystack wanted to rebut that claim, opening his mouth to do so. However, he closed it, because he was right. He looked down in defeat.

   By then, Ivan had already twisted the bottle cap, letting it release air before opening it. He could smell the aroma of ice cold raspberry that the fizzy drink was releasing. It was as if the company was reading his mind. So without hesitation, he mounted the bottle onto his lips and poured the sweet liquid down his mouth. The chill, fizz, and sweetness made him satisfied. In fact, he was more than satisfied, he wanted more of it. So he tilted his head back, letting the soda pour right in like a waterfall.

Glook! Glook! Glook! Glook...

   Haystack was quite impressed at how much he liked that drink. Even though he was still thinking about how little faith the ponies have in humans.

   Meanwhile, Ivan had already emptied the bottle, gasping for air once the last droplets of soda was swallowed.

  "Damn, that's one heck of a drink." Ivan breathed.

   Suddenly, he felt a little queasy, and grew dizzy as well.

  "Aw Christ!" Ivan grunted as he felt extreme pain in his stomach, making him clench onto it like an eagle's claw on a branch, "I shouldn't have drank that."

   Haystack was in just much panic as Ivan was. "Oh my, D-don't worry Ah'van!"

   He placed his hoof on his left shoulder for reassurance. "Ah'll go f'ahnd a first aid kit."

   He then galloped around the room to find one.

   Ivan nodded as he felt a burning sensation on his arms and legs. As the pain expanded and worsened, he looked at his arms to find grave levels of frostbite, turning the skin into a black purplish color. On his hands, Icicles were growing over the frostbite with crackling sounds accompanying it. Then suddenly, his vision started to see things. Strong gusts of wind started to circle around and they were all shaped like wolves, howling with every move. But amidst the wind, he saw something else. A silhouette of a Pegasus filly heading his way. And he knew quickly, that it's the filly from the bottle. And his prediction was correct once the silhouette faded, replacing it with the colors of baby blue, white, and turquoise. Her body was resistant to the wind while her mane wasn't.

   He breathed heavily as she looked at him with a blank stare and held a snowflake on her right hoof before telling him in a soft gentle voice. "Control my power, control my ability, control my fury."

   Then he tossed the snowflake across the divide and towards Ivan's left eye. And the chilly spark would make his eye sting before making the pain in general grow even worse. Worse enough for him to scream in terror. More gusts of wind would fly in between them, making the filly disappear before a loud crack went off. Then in a flash, everything was gone. The icicles, the frostbite, the pain, the filly, it was all gone. And the first thing he saw after the occurrence was a distraught Haystack looking at him with distraught eyes.

  "I-It's okay... H-Haystack." Ivan breathed. "I-I'm alright... Uh... s-sorry for what I said a few moments ago"

   The shocked pony shook his head to fathom what he just saw before picking up the First aid kit from the floor.

  "Um... I-I's alr'ght... D-Do ya still need this." He asked amidst the gritting of his teeth.

  "Nah, I'm good."

  Haystack then looked at the bottle on the floor. "Is that Snowdrop?"

  "Wait, you know the pony on the bottle? As in other than the brand name?"

  "Yeah," He picked up the bottle and looked at the logo. "She's the Pegasus filly who showed us that winner was givin' us somethin' wonderful."

  "Huh, so she's like a folk hero to you ponies, isn't she?" Ivan asked, even though he wondered how she be a hero for something anyone can understand.

  "Yeah, A-ah guess. She enl'ahghtened us with something beautiful, and we should respect her f'er that."

  "Huh, I guess you're right." Still, he agreed with the statement, not the filly's heroism.

  "Yep." Haystack looked at the table to find something else other than the package. "Hey what's that?"

   He pointed his hoof at the object. Ivan looked in that direction, and once he saw what he was pointing at, his face lit up with glee. "Aw sweet, a Playstation Vita!"

  "A what now?"

  "A Playstation Vita!" He grabbed the device and marveled at it. "Now I can bring something home as a souvenir!"

  "Pfft, you humans and your technology. Hey, and what about that?" Haystack pointed at a sticky note sitting on the table.

   Ivan looked at it and noticed that it was written on, so he picked it up and read it out loud.

If you were dumb enough to drink our

                                                                    prototype, "Snowdrop's Fury",

                                                               then turn the Vita on for information.

                                                                                                -Redmond

  "Alright then." Ivan dropped the note before pressing the "on" button on the Vita.

   The screen would light up, revealing a grey background with a black and white version of the "Snowdrop's Fury" logo. Underneath that, it simply read "by Redmond" in bold.

   Vivaldi's "Spring" played in the background before a feminine voice (Which sounded suitable for business.) said, "Congratulations, you just drank, 'Snowdrop's fury'. Here are your instructions to wield her secret might..."

  "Secret might?" Haystack wondered, for he knew that that was just absurd.

   On the Vita screen, the slide changed to a cartoonish one featuring a World war two US soldier trembling in fear as a man in a black overcoat and red bandana charged at him with rage and a rifle.

  "... Say 'Frigidus' in your mind while simultaneously thrusting either hand forward to unleash a powerful blast of liquid Nitrogen that is guaranteed to freeze your enemies..."

  "So I got superpowers, huh?"

   The next slide featured the soldier doing just that, the enemy would appear suspended in the air with his mouth gaped open in horror thanks to the ice; which turned him into a glacier. All while it read, "Try this." above them.

  "... And if you want to watch your enemies slip on ice like buffoons, then say, 'Stagnum' in your hand onto any surface..."

   The next slide showed the soldier doing the same. The enemy slipping on the frozen pond. The soldier gave a thumbs up and a smile to display his satisfaction.

  "... Have fun, comrade!" The voice said as the next slide read,

Thank youRED Industries!

   Then the song ended before the screen went into electricity free darkness.

  "Huh?" Ivan wondered before pressing the "on" button again. However, nothing appeared on the screen. He then pressed it a couple of times more, but the same result kept spawning.

  "Great!' Ivan shouted in frustration before slamming the vita onto the table like a folder. "There goes my entertainment!"

   He then looked at the center of the table to find an empty satchel. "Well at least I found something I can take. Come on, let's go."

   He grabbed the satchel before placing it around his shoulder. Haystack would slide the package towards him before Ivan would stuff it inside.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

   The elevator bells made their hearts race before Ivan would exclaim. "Sweet mother!"

SLAM!

   They ran towards the window and used their rifle and SMG butts to break the glass open.

   Then an officer yelled in a raspy voice. "Stop, In the name of our Eden!"

SLAM!

  "Yikes! Quick!" Ivan got out a spear gun with a hook sticking out of the muzzle. "Fire these onto the building across the street!"

SLAM!

   Haystack let out another nod.

  "Good." Ivan decided to use this time to use his new power. It seemed pretty simple, but he had his doubts about if it would work or not."

   Meanwhile, Haystack was already aiming for the top floor, which was three-fourths the height of the RED building..

   SLAM!

  "Hurry up!" Ivan hastened him, forgetting about wanting to use 'Snowdrop's Fury' on the officers.

  "Alr'aght, sheesh!"

   Haystack pulled the trigger, letting the hook fly towards the other side like fishing line. Despite it's large distance between the two buildings, they were able to cling on with ease.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

   They could hear a buzz saw coming from the door, thus making them even more nervous.

  "Go! Go! Go!" Ivan yelled before holding onto Haystack from the waist. He held on tight as Haystack began to gallop out the window, spear gun in teeth. They felt the air breeze past them as they swung towards the other building, making them feel relaxed even when they're being chased by police. But suddenly, they heard the rope snap and they couldn't feel it's pull, and they began to fall in the wrong direction, heading towards the streets below, screaming in horror.

  "I should've seen this coming as well!" Ivan yelled as they flailed their arms and legs in utter panic.

("Team Fortress 2" belongs to Gabe Newell and the Valve Corporation.)

("Snowdrop" belongs to SillyFillyStudios.)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

  "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" They screamed in unison as if they were riding on a rollercoaster, descending towards a tree.

  "Aaaa- Umph! Ow!" Ivan grunted once twigs and branches began to scratch them, silencing their screams before landing on the on the concrete below, back first.

SLAM!

   Fortunately, their backs didn't break, but Ivan was the first to get up.

  "You alright?" Ivan asked as he stood on his two feet.

  "Yep." said Haystack as Ivan helped him up. "So, are we goin' to f'aght our way outta here?"

  "Hell no!" was Ivan's frantic response once he noticed the enemy surrounding them from both sides. "We're getting ourselves out of here! Follow me!"

   He grabbed his M4 from the sidewalk and aimed it at a window on the building they were next to.

Rat-at-at!

   The glass shattered onto the ground before Ivan would hop inside. Then Haystack would follow in suit after placing his P90 in between his teeth..

  "We're not fighting those douchebags." Ivan added. "We're only here to deliver the package."

  "Hmm, 'Ah guess yer r'aght." He said once he let go of the P90 in his mouth and carrying it with his right hoof.

  "Uh huh, so let's go."

   Ivan began to look around, noticing that they were in a small room where only a writing desk was inhabiting it.

  "Huh, Ah'van, what's thi-"

  "Ugh, forget it Haystack. There's no time." Ivan advised as he walked up to the bullet marked door, twisting the knob.

   That's when he felt an object tap his wrist. He turned around and noticed that Haystack had a tape recorder in his teeth; And his eyes were telling him that he wanted to know what it was. It was enough to convince him.

  "Meh, it's considered stealing." He sighed. "But like it matters, we're on the run anyways. They're called tape recorders by the way."

  He then grabbed the tape recorder and placed it alongside his ammo in his pocket. "At least we'll learn about how they're living their lives here."

   Haystack smiled at his new piece of knowledge. He then followed him out the door and into a lobby, and empty one.

  "Well, I guess they must've fled once they heard about what happened." Ivan said, without a feel of surprise.

   He then spotted the revolving to his left. Pointing at it, he proclaimed. "But there's the exit."

   Relieved, they began to run towards it.

Rat-at-at-at!

   The glass windows next to the door broke open as bullet flew right through it.

  "Crud!" Ivan mumbled before he ordered Haystack to. "Find cover!"

  "On it!"

   Ivan bolted towards the service counter on the other side of the lobby while Haystack used the counter that was next to the elevator which was located to their right.

  "Stop in the name of righteousness!" An officer yelled through a megaphone, while ten of his comrades raided the place, scattering themselves across the lobby in order to prevent them from escaping.

  "We know you're hiding in there!" An officer yelled in a deep voice. "So get out from there with your hands up so we can kill you easily without any hesitation!"

   They hid quietly before Haystack began to hear his name. "Haystack."

   The pony jolted a little once he heard Ivan's voice on his left ear.

  "How're ya talkin' to me?" Haystack choked out.

  "Ugh, through an earpiece!" He whispered.

  "Oh, r'aght." Haystack chuckled in embarrassment. "Ah forgot ah had this on."

  "Oh you. Anyways, try and negotiate with them."

  "Wh'ah do that? Our looks alone will flip them off. Can't we just run towards the elevator?"

  "Nope, that's the only spear gun I had. Whoever shot it down will pay."

  "Oh, so we're goin' to f'aght our way out of here?" Haystack said nervously, unlike the last time he asked that.

  "Teh, duh."

   He aimed his rifle upwards and fired three shots at the chandelier above the officers, breaking the chain that hung it.

   They were quick to look up, but they weren't quick enough to get out of harm's way. The chandelier would slam onto the officers with brute force, pinning them underneath as the light bulbs that made it elegant shattered into a million pieces.

   It was Ivan's signal to attack. He vaulted over the counter before thrusting his left hand towards the distracted enemy, saying in mind. "Frigidus!'

   And at that very moment, he felt something surge in his hand. A cold and rather painful sensation that would rush through his arm like water through a hose. He felt like yelling at that very moment, but all he could do was grunt as the surge ended with nitrogen filled water being released from the palm of his hand, which would dart towards an officer who just noticed Ivan's next move.

   Within seconds, the officer was struck with the pulse of coldness. But instead of being pushed back, he stood still in utter horror as the nitrogen overwhelmed him and froze him in place. It would create a glacier over the red carpet, and Ivan knew what to do next once he witnessed the sight.

  "Crap! That son of a bitch has a dice!!!"

  "A dice?" Ivan wondered as he placed his body against the cold ice.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

   He looked behind him to find that Haystack was already making his move.

  "Aw sweet Celestia! Snowdrop would never do that!" Haystack exclaimed in shock once he caught a glimpse at the glacier.

  "Calm down! It's called marketing!" Ivan retorted before shooting around cover and taking out two officers to the right with three bullets each.

   Once he saw them drop dead, he went back into cover. Then Haystack used that moment to strike. He mounted his P90 onto the desk surface again before spraying multiple rounds at the retreating officers before running out of ammo. Fortunately, he was able to shoot three down as they made their escape.

  "Now get over here!"

  "Yes sir!" Haystack replied as he reloaded his weapon and galloped towards his position.

  "Ok, on the count of three, we go!"

  "Where?"

  "I'll see. One, two, three, go!"

   The two quickly got out of cover and bolted towards the expanded exit, disregarding the revolving door. Unfortunately, they didn't count for what was heading their way. Sirens began to wail again, and the audibility was increasing with every second. This surprised the two, for they forgot about the officers in the other building. Fortunately, Ivan knew what to do. He extended his left arm forward and aimed it at the street in front of them.

  "Stagnum!" He thought before thrusting his hand forward, unleashing the blast of subzero water towards the street. Once it hit, the thin ice quickly spread across as if it were water.

   Suddenly, they began hear screeching sounds, making them imply that they were attempting to prevent their vehicles from driving over the thin ice. Unfortunately for them, their efforts weren't good enough. One of the Humvees was the first to slip on the ice before turning on its side and rolling down the street. Ivan and Haystack were quick to react, they began to run towards the Humvee as it was continuing its roll.

  "So, are we goin' to-"

  "Haystack, we're getting the hell out of here!" Ivan reminded him, "That's all!"

   They reached the Humvee as they heard a loud clash behind them as if someone was swinging a giant hammer at the buildings. The duo then dealt with the officers who were struggling to get up and recover from the crash by shooting them, of course.

  "Haystack, push the Humvee upright!" Ivan ordered

  "What? But wh'ah me?" Haystack complained.

  "Well, you're an 'earth pony' right?"

  "Yeah, but-"

  "And you're a farmer, right?"

  "What does that have anythin' to do with pushin'-"

  "Just shut up and do it!"

  "Excuse me!"

  "Grr, we don't have time for this!" Ivan advised his insulted comrade.

  "Don't ever speak l'ahke that to me again, you hear that!" He said angrily, ignoring what he just said.

  "Look, i'm sorry." He said with a hint of feeling, "But-"

   BOOM!!

   The loud boom was closer than they thought. Their ears began to ring incessantly as the ground shook underneath, causing them to collapse onto the gravel below. The two knew that the source was behind them. So, looking in that direction, they found the unexpected.

   A robot the size of three Humvees stacked on top of each other yelled in a raspy voice as it looked down on them with red glaring eyes; but the red eyes wasn't what made them tremble. Well, it wasn't what made Ivan scared. It was the fact that it was armed with a large rocket launcher on its back..

  "A-Ah'van, S-should w-we get in the h-Humvee now?"

  "N-nope, we run!"

"Die in the name of our successor!"

   And with that, the two quickly bolted out of there, before the robot's fist could reach them.

BOOM!

   The machine's force would create a crater on the ground as the impact made it shake again.

   Because of this, duo would stumble onto the ground again, with Ivan being the first to get up and with an idea as well.

  "Hold up!' Ivan called as Haystack (Who was feet ahead of him) got up.

  "Umph!" Haystack felt something mount onto his back. "Hey, What the hay-"

  "Giddyup! We need to get the hell out of here!"

  "Get off me!" Haystack ordered as he began to gallop instinctively. "I know you humans ride horses, but you can't be serious about-"

  "Well, they run-"

  "Alr'aght, alr'aght!"

"Righteous fury!" The robot yelled as he was gaining on them.

   Haystack was quick to notice that however, and so he placed his P90 in his mouth again.

   Then, while he was increasing in speed, Ivan had another plan, and so he turned around, hand stretched out.

  "Frigidus!" He thought.

   The water flew towards the tin man's chest. But instead of freezing, the water just splashed onto it as if it were regular water.

  "What?" Ivan asked himself in dismay.

  "Stagnum." He thought.

   But this time, nothing came out.

  "What the-" He couldn't understand, it was working before. Why wasn't it now?

"Burn in hell, you curs!" The robot yelled before firing a rocket.

  "Crap!" Ivan muttered before turning around.

   The rocket missed by couple of inches before detonating. The result was a blast that spread from sidewalk to sidewalk and debris flying into the air.

   Ivan in the meantime, watched as a car door landed onto the street at the right time.

  "Haystack, there's-"

  "Ern it!" The tan stallion knew what he was talking about.

   He hopped onto the door's leathery interior before sliding down a slanted area of the street, increasing in speed as sparks flew behind them.

   The robot however, stood still near the slope and aimed his launcher before firing.

  "Crap!" Ivan shouted as he watched the rocket head towards them. So he got out his M4 and aimed at the rocket before firing multiple rounds. Then, one of them was lucky enough to blow it up in midair. That's when their ride slowed down to a halt just fifty feet from the slope.

   They turned around to find the robot putting his launcher away before getting out a large shovel.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" The robot yelled wildly as he hit his helmet with the shovel like a mongering warrior, jumping into the air again.

  "Run!" Ivan screamed.

   So Haystack did, running away from the robot's landing area.

BOOM!

   Haystack felt the machine's landing beneath him, before he was flown into the air by the shovel's flytrap like slap.

   They both screamed before slamming onto the gravel. However, they were quick to get up, before galloping off.

    They've been chased for thirty blocks now, until they realized what was waiting for them next.

   "Crap!" Ivan shouted, "Police blockade, five blocks ahead!"

   The two were in shock due to the blockade's formation. Which consisted of eighteen police officers lined up behind three police cars.

  "Drmn it!" Haystack muttered, panting heavily through his teeth before asking, "Whrt... d r wer... d-dr nrw?"

   Ivan began to think as Haystack galloped past the first block towards their possible demise.

"To hell with you!" The robot yelled before firing another rocket.

   He looked behind him, which killed his train of thought as the rocket flew towards them.

  "Pfft, again?" Ivan rolled his eyes before aiming at the rocket with his rifle.

  "Hrry urp, Arvan!" Haystack warned.

  "Hold- huh?"

   Turns out the rocket made a Beeline above them. The two looked in awe as the rocket flew towards the blockade.

BOOM!

   And that was the sound of the blockade being decimated by the blast.

  "Whrrt thr hrll jrst hrpprnrd?" Haystack asked.

  "Don't know, don't care!" Ivan simply said.

   Upon reaching the site, Ivan managed to find what he was looking for. It was an entrance to a subway located on the far right corner of the intersection.

  "Over there!" He pointed at the entrance. "Now!"

   Haystack looked in that direction before galloped towards it. Just by looking at it, he knew that it would lead to another tunnel that wasn't a sewer. Guess the entrance to the country taught him more about how the humans get around. Once he reached there, they went down the stairs and found themselves in front of a line of turnstiles.

"Come out, enemies of the republic!"

  "Phew, robot can't get here." Ivan sighed in relief.

  "Yep... so where are we?" Haystack asked after he spat out his P90 from his mouth and carrying it in his right foreleg.

  "Right now, an entrance to a subway station."

  "What's that?" Haystack asked curiously.

  "You'll know once you get past the turnstiles."

  "Can't you just-"

   But Ivan would bolt towards the turnstile and jump over it like a hurdle.

  "Now you go."

   Haystack rolled his eyes before doing the same.

"The enemy is in the there!"

   Upon hearing that, Ivan said with total confidence. "That's why, if you were asking."

  "Oh, r'aght." He blushed.

  "Alright then. lets get moving."

   Ivan began to walk away, prompting Haystack to follow him. It only took a few steps before they reached their destination.

  "This, Haystack, is what you call a subway." Ivan introduced with a smirk.

   Haystack was enthralled once again, his mouth gaped open and his eyes widened as he observed the railway, "Railroads... Underground? Impossible!"

  "Pfft, not in our world."

  "Awesome." But his enthrallment changed to confusion. "Wait, but wh'ah are we waitin' for a train if the cops are after us?"

  "We're not." He said calmly.

   Then there was a light in the distance, coming from the right.

  "Huh, and yer sayin' as if you knew that train was comin'."

   The light was brightening with every second.

  "Grab on." said Ivan.

  "Whaddaya-"

  "Just grab on." He placed his right hand on his hip, making Haystack imply that he should stick his left foreleg through and cling on. And so, without hesitation, he did just that.

   The train in the meantime, quickly rushed past them, but Ivan was prepared. He got out a small black cymbal from inside his overcoat, while their hair, mane/tail, and overcoat blew in the same direction as the train was going. But that didn't concern Ivan, for he was able to latch onto the train's metal exterior with no problem, using the cymbal's magnetic power.

   Haystack held on for dear life as his hind legs dangled beneath him.

   Ivan in the meantime, withdrew his feet from the metal, preparing to kick the wide window open.

SMASH!

   He witnessed the glass break, but that didn't come from his feet. And so he and Haystack swung inside, landing on the marble floor.

  "Huh, those are some hooves you have! Without them, It would've taken me at least six kicks to break through!" Ivan complemented with a shout as the wind made his speech nearly inaudible.

  "What?" Haystack shouted back.

  "Let's get to the next train car!" Ivan suggested

  "Good idea!"

   And so they did. Walking up to the door before it slid open, granting them permission to enter. Then, after crossing to the other side, it closed.

  "I said," Ivan reiterated for the wind was no longer interfering. "Those are some hooves you have. Without them, it would've taken me at least six kicks to break through."

  "But, ah didn't break through it." Haystack said Admittedly.

  "Really? Oh. Then how did it break?"

  "'Ah don't know. But you know what's odd? Since it's a train, 'ah expect it to be little more crowded." Haystack pointed out.

   Ivan couldn't help but shrug in agreement.

  "And shouldn't we be headin' towards the front of the train?"

  "Nope, Danville trains are computer powered."

  "Oh." But that generated more questions for Haystack to ask, "Wait, what's a computer? And how do ya know this?"

   Ivan sat down on one of the seats before letting out a sigh, "To answer your first question, it's hard to explain. To answer your second question, Danville managed to create their own computer powered subway system back in two thousand and five. And that was before they went silent. After twenty-eleven, we never heard from them again.

  "Hmm, Ah guess Hah'nze takin' o'er was the reason w'hah."

  "Mmm Hmm."

   Haystack accompanied him by sitting beside him.

  "So, how did ya get in debt?" Haystack had to ask.

  "How did you get your cutie mark?" Ivan brought up, feeling annoyed at Haystack's question.

  "Uh, Ah'm not gonna say." he grew nervous.

  "Then I won't tell you how I got in debt."

  "Well played." Haystack muttered.

  "Uh huh, just like your information, my life's personal as well." He said straight forward as he sat back, placing one leg over the other and crossing his arms. "So I'm sorry for asking about your personal life when we were outside Danville."

   Haystack had no choice but to accept, "Um... It's alr'aght."

   They continued to sit down awkwardly as they felt the train underneath their feet/fore hooves. Ivan then decided to lighten the mood.

  "Hey, since we're here, we should listen to the tape recorder."

  "What's that?"

   Ivan face palmed, struggling to maintain his patience. "The thing you just gave to me back in the other building?"

  "Oh, that, heh heh."

   He took the tape recorder out from his pocket and pressed play. They began to listen with close attention.

    Amidst the static, was the sound of a worried man, saying. "Roger Doofenshmirtz wanted paradise... but Heinz wanted power... But it wasn't entirely Heinz's fault... Roger ran this place to the ground... starting with the program to terminate imagination. Not exactly what Roger wanted, but he passed that law anyways. Then that douchebag Hienze took over and it all went even more downhill from there... Ugh, It's January first, Twenty thirty three... and that'll be the day that the first man was able to flee from this Hellhole... which is me of course... Damn cigarette's out. I'm gonna need another one in order to not worry about the heavily guarded borders. And this recorder will be right here, for anyone to understand what i'm doing."

   The man then let out a sigh. "You can't just say that you want to leave the city anymore."

   The recording ended.

  "Huh, looks like permits won't get us out of the city." Ivan concluded.

  "Mmm hmm."

   They were quiet again, which made Haystack want to look around. While exploring the empty cabin, he found something on the red leather seat across from him.

  "Ah'van, it's another one of them 'Vitas'."

   Ivan looked in the direction he was pointing at and found it.

  "Huh, that's odd."

   Ivan then walked up to it and grabbed it. What made it even more odd, was that there was a note attached to that one as well. Which read,

If you learned about the name

                                                               for "Snowdrop's fury" (Which is DICE),

                                                                        then watch this video.

                                                                                            -Redmond

  "Alright then." Ivan then turned the Vita on.

   When the grey screen appeared, it displayed the logo for RED industries. Underneath that, it read, "What is DICE?" in bold Georgia font. In the background, Vivaldi's "Spring" played in the background, to lighten the mood a little.

  "What is DICE?" The feminine voice returned as a triplet of question marks appeared on the next slide. "Well, DICE is an acronym..."

  "I knew it." Ivan mumbled as the next slide featured the word DICE in bold white.

  "... For DNA, Infusing, Combat, Enhancers. Meaning that you'll sacrifice your genetic structure for an advantage on the battlefield."

  Ivan rolled his eyes in irritation. "Ugh, I don't need the definition. The acronym explains it."

  "... However..."

   The next slide featured the soldier from the previous video have his arm stretched out as a drop of liquid seeped from his hand. The soldier was confused on what was happening, even expressing it with a scared look and three question marks over his head.

  "... If your DICE isn't working, then that means that you've run out of Energy."

  "What do you mean I ran out of energy? I'm fine."

   The soldier would say in a word bubble, "What's Energy?"

  "Exactly!"

  "... Well my friend, this isn't your typical energy. This energy is used to recharge your DICE."

  "Oh?" Ivan said.

   The soldier smiled as the bubble would read an exaggerated. "Ooooooh."

   The slide then changed to one of a water bottle. Next to that, was the logo for Snowdrop's fury. All with an Equal sign in between them.

  "... However, all DICE require Energy from a specific source. For example, Snowdrop's Fury needs fresh water to replenish. The more you drink the more energy you gain!"

   The next slide was of the soldier drinking a bottle of water before firing Snowdrop's fury towards the left. The soldier would then smile and give out a thumbs up.

  "Have fun, Comrade!"

Thank you,

                                                                                      RED Industries!

   The screen went back, implying that the short film was over.

  "Well, not only was my Genetic code toyed with..." Ivan sighed as he placed the Vita back in its resting place. "... but another Vita just died. At least I know how to recharge my 'Dice'."

  "Hey Ah'van, have you noticed that the train stopped movin'?' Haystack asked as he remained sitting down.

  "Huh? Whaddaya-"

   He noticed it too. The train was perfectly still, and they were on top of a bridge that was spanned from one end to the other end of a lake.

  "Since when did this happen?"

   Suddenly, the lights would turn off, with the power winding down.

  "Ah don't lahke the looks o' this." Haystack quivered as Ivan stood firm.

   Then, flat screen TV's began to slide horizontally from every corner of the car. The screens then lit up with the grey background. But instead of the logo from RED, it was the state seal of Danville, with the words "PLEASE STAND BY" in bold white. The sound of trumpets in E major played before the chirpy female voice came in and said,

  "And now, a message from the great successor, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz!"

  "Vanessa Doofenshmirtz?" They asked each other.

   The next thing to appear on the screen was an image of a woman with half open eyes while smirking with lipstick covered lips. She had hair that made them imply that it was long and dark. And along with her pale face, it made Ivan assume that she was Goth.

   Then, there was a voice, a husky one. Not the kind of husky that made you think that she was a sexual deviant, but the kind of husky that made you think that she is not to be messed with.

  "So, the pod was discovered by a bunch of mercenaries. How interesting... Look, I know that under that clothing, you both are government fools spying on our land. So who do you work for, huh? The CIA? Mi-Six? The KGB? Oh, I forgot, Celestia would never work with the Soviets... or would she? Anyways, it doesn't matter. I know that your plan was to arrive here and escape, but I won't let that happen. Because I won't let you ruin my father's creation!"

   The screen went to black. While that happened, the sound of helicopter rotors were heard.

  "Uh oh." Ivan said, aware of the choppers

Shwooooom!

BOOM!

   They (And the shattered glass) began to fly into the air, as smoke and fire arose in the sky. They felt weightless before the wind would pin them against the floor.

  "AAAAAAAAAAAAGGHH! They screamed again before the roof would crash onto the water below sending them flying towards it like books slamming on a desk as water rushed in.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

*  -  *

  *  -  *

A music box played a soft lilting tune in Haystack's head. It felt sweet to listen to, making him want to sleep even more.

   But, that desire was cut off by an aggressive knock on the door downstairs, accompanied by the chant of an Angry mob.

"SINNER! SINNER! SINNER! SINNER..."

   Due to this, Haystack opened his eyes, revealing onto him a grey wall. Sitting up, he noticed that the window to his right wasn't showing what was outside. Instead, the view was blocked by an opaque bright light.

"GRANNY SMITH?" A demonic voice yelled in utter rage, "GRANNY SMITH!"

  "What?" He became affright as his heart raced.

"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"

  "W-Whaddaya want?" He heard an elderly mare ask in fear.

"YOU KNOW WHAT WE WANT, YOU HAG!"

   Haystack left the bed and began to head out the door.

"WIPE AWAY THE DEBT, TO WIPE AWAY HIS SIN!"

   That one sentence terrified him as he walked down the hallway, which was as colorless as his room.

  "Well, we could pay it off if ya ended the boycott on our apples!" She retorted.

   Haystack descended down the stairs in slow paced steps.

"YEAH, BUT WE PONYVILLIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO NOT HELP YOU!"

   He stood in the middle of the empty living room.

  "Then leave us alone!" Granny Smith choked up.

   Haystack in the meantime, ignored her, and headed for the door.

  "Big Macintosh! What the hay are ya doin'?" The elderly mare called out with concern.

   He placed his hoof on the door before turning around to face Granny Smith. She had tears streaming down her face as she sat on her haunches,  comforting a much younger mare who was looking at a puddle below, a puddle she created with her own eyes. The image was strong enough to break his heart. But, he had to suck it up. And with that, he answered, "Fixin' what 'ah just started."

   He pushed the door laggardly, letting in a grain size of the outside light inside. Suddenly, somepony stopped him, grabbing onto his foreleg with a hoof. He turned around to see who it was. However, the pony's eyes were too bright to reveal his or her face. They were even bright enough to knock him out. And so the darkness resumed as he layed on the floor.

                                                                                    *    *   *

   Water began to overwhelm his body (Excluding his muzzle and eyelids.) as he felt a rush of energy giving him the power to open his eyes.

  "Damn you Haystack! Don't fail me now!" He heard Ivan's voice call out through an earpiece as he felt a sharp sting on his left foreleg.

   Once Haystack was fully awake and aware of the situation, he said. "Ugh, what a dream."

  "Doesn't matter, let's get the hell out of here!" He said as he let the empty syringe float away.

  "Yes sir. Oh, and what am 'ah wearin'?"

  "Oxygen mask with built in goggles." He swam out the window with Haystack behind him. "Well, mines is, yours is just separate. Also, they feature a water drainage system. I don't how it works and I don't ask, I'm just happy that it works."

   They began to swim upwards as the subway train sank to the bottom of the lake.

  "And how are we still talkin' to each other? Can't human technology get damaged in water?"

  "Not all tech. Some of it is waterproof, like the earpieces we have on. Also, I forgot to mention that the masks have built in communicators. So that's another reason."

  "Huh, also, ya know they'll be waitin' fer us up there, r'aght?"

  "That's why we're not heading that way. Are you even looking at the direction we're going?"

   Haystack then realized that they were going in another direction.

  "Oh, r'aght." He said, mentally scolding himself for this recent mistake.

  "Hmm, So, any other questions?"

   With that, his dream returned to his mind, "Uh, yes, can 'ah ask ya somethin' personal?"

  "I thought we had a deal."

   He didn't forget about what he told him back on the train. However, that wasn't going to prevent the earth pony from asking.

  "What-"

  "I said we had a deal." He was starting to get annoyed. "So it's best that we don't talk about it."

  "Yes sir." He nodded with shame.

   After a while, they managed to reach the shoreline, and they remained quiet throughout that time. Upon arrival, they stood on their feet/hooves and took off their oxygen masks. But what they found on the shore was a surprise, it was a vast crowd of people looking at them with awe and fear.

  "Ah'van, wh'ah are they lookin' at us lah'ke that?" Haystack muttered to him.

  "Don't know, but a better question would be, why are they all wearing lab coats and overalls with letter D's on them? Come on, let's go."

   They proceeded up the sandy slope as the civilians watched their every move, making Haystack a little uncomfortable.

   Once at the top, a parking lot would appear , where it was filled entirely of cars dating back to twenty-thirteen.

  "Huh?" Ivan muttered as he felt someone pull his overcoat like a puppy.

   The duo turned around, to find a little girl who quickly looked away at their sight, hiding her face with her blonde hair.

  "E-excuse me?" She asked in quietude.

  "Yes?" He asked with sympathy as Haystack only watched with the same feeling.

  "Um, Troy, w-wanted me t-to give you this." She handed him a walkie talkie.

  "Oh?" He politely took it from her hand. Once the device was no longer touching her hand, she ran off.

  "Huh, shy, isn't she?" said Haystack as she ran down Ivan ignored that, and observed the walkie talkie, which had yet another sticky note. It made Ivan roll his eyes again.

   On the note, it simply read,

TURN IT ON.

   And so he did, once he threw away the note of course.

  "Uh, Hello?" Ivan asked as he held it in front of his mouth.

  "'Ah, Ivan Bentley! Nice to meet you!" The man on the other side said with such greatness to hear from him.

  "Uh, how do you know my name?"

Static!

  "What the-"

   A brief tune played on the loudspeaker, which was located in the center of the parking lot. It would then be replaced by a female announcer with a voice of urgency.

  "Friends, two infiltrators are on the loose in our fair city..."

  "I think they know that we're not dead." Ivan said.

  "Ya think?" said Haystack to the obvious remark.

  "... These mongrels have murdered thirty of our comrades, and one of them wields the power to create ice..."

  "Huh?" Ivan muttered as the tugging returned. And so they turned around to find the same girl from earlier hide timidly behind her hair again.

  "Um... M-my Dad... says that-"

  "It's okay Maribelle." A man in a lab coat contemplated behind her. "Now, open the door for them. Hi, my name's Davey."

  "Uh, Hello." Ivan said nervously as Haystack gave a slight wave.

   She ran past the two before opening the door of an SUV to their left, hiding behind the door itself.

  "Get in." The man said to them, "And I recommend that your Equine friend go in the back."

  "... I repeat, all citizens are told to stay indoors until the matter is resolved. Please have in mind that no matter how much of our comrades we lose, we, the people on Doofania..."

  "Doofania?"

CLICK!

   After they were seated, and all the doors were closed, they left the parking spot.

  "So, why didn't they call the cops?" Ivan asked with that in question.

  "Huh?" The man asked.

  "Because unlike Caesar's Rome, we're not brainwashed. However, they're not experienced in combat." The voice on the other side intervened, "So, now that we're here, let me introduce you to Davey and his Daughter Maribelle."

  "They already introduced themselves sir."

  "Oh, anyways, they are a part of the resistance."

  "Oh good. What a cliché." He muttered.

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "In every totalitarian nation, they'll always be people opposing the dictator."

  "Huh, true that."

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

BAM!

  "Madame Doofenshmirtz!" An officer wearing a black overcoat and service cap cried after slamming the door open.

  "Yes, Commander Wesley?' Vanessa irritatingly replied as she sat on her lab chair.

  "Divers were sent into the water to-"

   She interrupted. "Never mind that! Did you send the chopper pilot back to base?"

  "You mean the pilot that fired the missile?"

   She nodded, her serious demeanor showing.

  "Uh, yes Madame, why?"

   She let out a sigh before getting up from her seat and separating herself from her chrome desk. She then walked up to the window, with the sun beaming down on her pale face.

  "Commence a surprise inspection of our pilots. Looks like another resistance bloke just infiltrated our military."

  "Oh... But Madame, what about the infiltra-"

  "Comrade Helene just announced it to the public, and General Eckler is rallying his troops into downtown.

  "So you think they're still alive."

   She looked at him with disgust.

  "Oh, right."

   Another sigh escaped from her mouth. "Just do as I say."

  "Yes, Madame." He closed the door, leaving her alone.

   Vanessa in the meantime, stood where she was; Growing pensive as she looked at the city below.

                                                                                        *   *   *

   "So that's why the chopper blew our ride off the bridge." Ivan said as Davey drove up to an intersection, stopping once the light turned red.

  "Yep. Consider yourselves lucky."

  "Mmm Hmm." Ivan said, appreciated at the news, as well as Haystack. "Thanks sir."

  "Your welcome. The name's Troy, by the way."

  "Nice to meet you sir."

  "Anyways, there's a reason why we did so."

  "What is it then?" His mind quickly returned to the subject matter.

  *Static*

  "Damn it." Ivan muttered as he slammed the walkie talkie onto his now dried lap. "Again?'

  "Ah, don't mind that." Davey said, trying to ease Ivan's frustration. "Vanessa Doofenshmirtz controls every communication device in Dan- I mean Doofania."

  "Ugh, that explains it. And since when was Danville called Doofania?"

  "Since Roger's brother Heinz took over, of course. Haven't you learned a little History? After a coup, the country's name always changes."

   Ivan shrugged at that, trying to remember every country that did so.

   Then the light turned green, signaling Davey to go on. And in order to not create an awkward silence, Ivan asked. "So how long have you and your daughter been living here?"

  "Since we were born, my friend."

  "And when was that?" Ivan looked out the window to find people entering into their homes and businesses.

  "You mean me or Maribelle?"

  "Uh, you sir."

  "Two thousand and six. My parents immigrated here from Michigan a year before that. They heard about Roger's ideals for a better life, that's why they went there. But Utopia's change for the worse. Like they say, 'There's no such place, as paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there.' "

   The streets were now empty as they drove into an alley.

  "Isn't that the truth? Oh, and your parents?"

  "Dead." He sighed with grief. "Executed in twenty fifteen for protesting against Heinz's new labor laws. And they did it in front of my face."

  "Oh, I'm sorry about that." Ivan said, his heart going out to him.

  "It's alright, time rots everything."

  "Agree."

   Davey pushed the brakes, stopping the car.

  "We're here." He announced.

  "Uh, Exactly where?" Ivan asked, with Haystack paying attention.

  "Where Troy wanted me to take you. Let's go."

   And so the four of them exited the vehicle before entering the building in front of them through a backdoor. After Davey unlocked it, he opened the door to reveal a short corridor inside. Then, at the end of the corridor was another door. Fortunately, it wasn't locked, so Davey opened it without a problem. On the other side, was a vast empty room, with a counter near the far right corner.

  "Odd. I was expecting this place to have more people in it." said Ivan, unsurprised at the room's vacantness.

  "That's because there isn't supposed to be." He said.

  "Oh. Well can you explain why?"

  "Later." He stepped forward, holding onto Maribelle's hand as he walked towards the counter. "But first I want to give you the following."

   He got down on one knee and began to grab what was on the shelves behind the counter.

  "Ahv'an?" Haystack called.

  "Yes Haystack?" Ivan responded.

   Davey found it surprising that the Equine finally spoke, but he had to focus at the task at hand.

  "Do ya know what 'Bl'ahth st'ahle is?" He asked as he looked at the faded logo in front of him.

  "Uh, no." Ivan said, unfamiliar with it either. "Must be another Danville exclusive."

  "It is." Davey said as he placed the items on the counter. "Sadly, thanks to the coup. Her career quickly crashed shortly after takeoff. Anyways, this is what Troy wanted me to give you."

   They then walked up to the counter, but not without Haystack grabbing what was sitting underneath the logo. On the counter, were two SIG pro pistols and fifteen magazines for each of them. Along with that, were four water bottles, filled up and potable.

  "Huh." said Ivan. "Why give us this?"

  "Act of Generosity."

  "Oh." Then something crossed his mind. "Thanks, because the weapons we did have are now underwater."

  "Your welcome." Davey clearly ignored that, and was pleased that he was able to provide his new comrades some weapons. "Oh, and take the guns and water now. We're heading upstairs."

  "How?" Ivan looked at the boarded window to hear troops patrolling the streets, their boots providing him the evidence. "Didn't you notice that we're on the run?"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

"Come out, you foreign rats!"

   Ivan looked back at Davey as the ground shook. "Especially by that robot?"

  "Ugh." He rolled his eyes. "You'll see. C'mon Maribelle!"

  "Huh?" She squealed after looking away from the window.

  "Let's go." He said with a gentle smile.

  "Oh, ok." She held onto his hand before they walked to a door across from the counter.

  "We'll be waiting for you inside. Just come on over when you're ready."

  "Yes sir.'

   And so, Davey opened the door, and they went inside.

  "Have you noticed that the girl is awfully quiet?" said Haystack, who has been observing the girl since they came in.

  "And..." Ivan said with annoyance to his obvious findings. "... You have a problem with that?"

  "Uh, no, I-"

   He handed him one of the pistols. "Just let her be. You don't know what that poor girl went through, nor do I."

  "I'm not saying that-"

  "I know. so don't make it worse."

  "Ok Ah'van." He nodded in obedience and regret.

  After grabbing the ammunition, and the bottles of water, they went into the room, (which was as empty as the store) and met up with the father and daughter.

  "So how do you expect us to get out of here, then?" He asked.

  "Look at what's in front of us." said Davey as he showed them a small door that was planted on the wall.

   Meanwhile, Haystack took a brief glance at the girl, who quickly shied away at the sight. And that made his heart sink.

  "Oh, There's a dumbwaiter in there, am I right?"

  "There was." He opened the small door, revealing nothing but a brick wall. "That means we're going to have to climb our way up there."

  "Great." Ivan groaned.

   And so, they proceeded up the narrow chute. It didn't take long, fortunately, for they were able to climb up with ease, regardless of their situations. Once up there, they found themselves in a grey colored bedroom, with nothing but a small bed in it. It made Haystack struggle to hide his discomfort.

  "Welcome to my daughter's room." Davey proclaimed once the quartet was up on their feet/hooves.

  "Really? I'd expect it to be more... girly." Ivan was dumbstruck by the aesthetics to the empty room.

  "Well, that's not what Doofenshmirtz wants." He admitted.

  "Oh?" Once again, the revelation shocked him.

   Then a few moments later, there was a yawn from the little girl. "Daddy, can I go to sleep now?"

  "Sure sweetie." Davey answered kindly.

   With that, she walked up to the bed and climbed up, before resting her pretty little head on the fluffy white pillow.

  "Huh, that was quick." Ivan thought as he and the others began to hear soft snoring come out from the little girl's mouth.

  "Ok then, let's go." Davey suggested, insisting that she'd be left alone. "Are you both hungry?"

                                                                                        *   *   *

  "And so, if you see one man and one pony together, call our comrades to that location." The radio announcer reminded, "These foreign rats are extremely dangerous to our society and must be stopped. And with your help, we can exterminate them from our promise land. Now, back to the music."

  "Expect Troy to be back on the airwaves in no time." Davey said as they sat together in a wooden round table. "So, let's eat."

   They pinched their forks onto the lettuce before lifting them up to their mouths. Well, except for Haystack, He just placed his muzzle directly into the bowl and chowed down. The three were dining on a salad of  lettuce, carrots, and croutons, with Apple juice as their drink. It was the only thing Davey had in the fridge. Fortunately, though, they saved some for Maribelle.

  "Uh, Davey?" Haystack asked after lifting his muzzle from the bowl.

  Davey swallowed his food. "Yes sir?"

  "Wh'ah is Maribelle qu-Umph!"

   Ivan was quick to hear that and quickly slapped his hand onto the pony's mouth. He should've known that that would happen.

  "Oh heh heh." Ivan chuckled, "Please excuse my comrade. I-"

  "You know, I would've been happy to answer that question." Davey told him.

  "Oh." He slowly lifted his hand from Haystack's mouth, giving him an awkward smile to signal his embarrassment. "Sorry."

   Haystack on the other hand, wasn't amused.

   Then Davey answered the question. "I don't know. That's how she grew up. To be honest, I'm not actually her father."

  "Well, that's new." Ivan thought, unsurprised by that as he chewed on two onion flavored croutons in his mouth.

  "I found her in the wheat fields outside the city about a year ago. And there's a reason why I took her in."

   Ivan swallowed the chewed up croutons. "Because adoptions take a long time to carry out?"

  "Not exactly, If Doofanian troops found her, they could've taken her to work in a factory in Jepsen town."

  They nearly choked due to the bombshell.

  "Well," He rubbed his chin as he thought that through. "They wouldn't actually throw her into the factory and make her work right away. They would teach her the basics and then make her work on those basics, and bump her up the ladder as the years go by. But yeah, it's still shocking."

  "Anyways, because of her, I had to quit my job."

  "Wh'ah do that?" asked Haystack, once he swallowed his own food.

  "Because you can't just tell them that she's your daughter. They'll run DNA tests on her."

  "And how did you quit your job?" Ivan questioned, predicting the next revelation.

  "By not showing up at work and be hunted down for not doing so."

  "So... how were you able to live here?"

  "Through the owner, then he died of natural causes two months ago. Now I own the home."

  "Bummer." Ivan had nothing to say, but this. "Wait, if you own it now, how do you-"

"Faking that he's still alive."

"Oh..." He was silent for a little while, but continued, "And all that led you to join the resistance?"

   He nodded.

  "Hmm, and all just to protect a little girl."

  "Yep."

  "Well, You're doing the right thing, sir." Ivan complemented. "So how were you able to evade troops?"

  "Dying my hair brown."

   Due to the man being undetected, Ivan would only say, "Clever."

  "Cool." said Haystack.

   Then the next song played on the radio. It had a very Jazzy, Rat pack-like tune to it. And the lyrics simply boasted about Heinze's benevolence. And by then, they were already finished with their meals.

  "The saddest thing about it though, is that she can't go anywhere now, only the factory."

  "Whaddaya mean?" said Ivan.

  "It means, they have her files, and they know the parents who abandoned her. If they find her, even at school, they'll easily take her away from me. That's why I keep her around. She can be a very helpful hand."

  "Can those files be burned?"

  "Maybe." He shrugged. "If you can find 'em."

  *Static*

  "Ivan? Are you there?" Troy called, prompting everyone in the dim-lighted room to pay close attention.

   Ivan then picked the walkie talkie up from his belt. "Uh, yes sir."

  "Good, so like I was saying, there's reason why we let you live."

  "And that is?"

  "The reason is that we and your boss agreed to help you find Silver fox in exchange for, certain favors."

   Ivan let out a sigh, for he knew where this was going. "What kind of favors?"

("Littlest pet shop (2012 tv series)" belongs to Julie McNally-Cahill, Tim Cahill, and Hasbro.)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

  "So it's-"

  "Shhh." Davey hushed before pointing at what Ivan was about to disrupt with his voice.

  "Oh, sorry." Ivan whispered. "Anyways, it's simple, burn the files, and they'll give us the Intel, correct?"

  "You do realize that you just reiterated what he just said, right?"

  "Ugh." Ivan groaned. "Just be happy that your foster child as well as others is going to have her entire past erased."

   He was right, but they recognized that it still wouldn't benefit her due to the country's strict guidelines. So they also knew what that meant. With a sigh, he said. "I'll try to be."

  Ivan looked outside to find the alley as empty as it was when they went inside. "Are you sure your plan to get us out of here will work?"

   He then looked at three red shaped pills that were in his hand.

  "I guarantee you, it will." Davey said in a trustful manner.

  "Alright then. It was nice knowing you, by the way."

  "It was nice knowing you too. Good luck out there, for the Sacra fructum."

  "Excuse me?"

  "It's the name of our resistance group."

  "Oh." He tilted his head to the right, looking past Davey to face his comrade. "C'mon Haystack."

   The tan pony was looking rather somber as he gazed at the slumbering Maribelle.

  "Haystack?"

   There was no response.

  "Haystack!" He raised his whispering tone, snapping him out of his daze.

  "Uh, wha-" He stuttered as his eyes blinked

  "Shhh!" Davey hushed again.

  "Oh, sorry." He defected to whispering in an instant. "What was that, Ah'van?"

  "Let's go."

  "Oh, ok." He nodded.

  "Also, take this." Davey got out another Playstation Vita and handed him over to him. "It's about the pills."

  "Huh, i'll take that into consideration."

   Quietly, Davey unlocked the window before sliding it open, letting a cold blast of air in. He then let Ivan go right through it. Once outside, Ivan turned his entire body around and grabbed onto the head jamb above. After letting his feet dangle in the air, he used all his might to lunge his left hand towards the roof's edges. Upon success, he lunged his right hand upwards and let the arm land on the edge before using both (Including his feet) to climb onto the rooftop.

  "Your turn Haystack." Davey told Haystack once he noticed that Ivan was on the roof.

   And so, the pony did the same, and in no time, both of them were side by side.

  "Nice, good thing you didn't need to sing a song in order to encourage you."

  "Whaddaya mean, song?" Haystack asked in a suspicious manner.

  "Meh." Ivan shrugged. "Just a common joke in the US."

   He then placed the Vita in front of him. "Alright, let's see what the pills do before choppers catch us."

   After pressing the on button, the first thing that appeared (Other than the grey screen) was a black outline of a man, while French accordion music played. On the screen, the word, "CLOAKING" appeared underneath the man in the usual Georgia font.

   The feminine voice returned, as the next slide showed the soldier hiding behind a brick wall as three rebels were on the other side, waiting for him to come out.

  "Drink your cloaking pill in order to sneak past the enemy."

   The soldier began to swallow the pill with water as one of the rebels yelled (Through a speech bubble), "We're coming for you in three..."

  "Once you drink the pills, say 'Invisibilitatem' in your mind. And you will be completely invisible to the naked and mechanical eye. To uncloak, just say, 'Visibilitas'."

   The next slide showed the rebels on the other side, but the soldier was nowhere to be found. Question marks would hover over them to express their confusion.

  "Warning: Pill wears off after three minutes. To conserve that energy, do not cloak for that long. Second warning: Firearms and melee weapons are useless during cloaking."

   The soldier appeared on the other side, running away while simultaneously smiling and giving a thumbs up.

  "Have fun, comrade."

    The usual, "Thank you, RED industries" tagline appeared on the last slide before the Vita turned completely off.

  "Well, there goes another one." Ivan said before tossing the device off the building and onto the alleyway below. "So, let's do what the Vita told us."

  "Yes sir."

   And so, they got out the pills Davey gave them, and dropped them into their gaping mouths. After doing that, they got out their bottled water and let it flow right in. Suddenly, they began to feel something tingly in their brains, making them feel dizzy. Their vision began to see red and black lines fly all over the place while their ears began to ring.

  "Ah'van?" Haystack asked Dizzily.

  "What?"

  "Do ya see what 'ah see?"

   Then in a flash, their hallucination was gone.

  "Not anymore, my friend." Ivan said in a coolheaded manner. "Do you?"

  "Nope." He nodded.

  "Excellent. So, do you know parkour?" He asked as he looked to the right, facing the building that was a story higher than the one they were on.

  "Duh, I was taught that in training camp."

  "Alright then, let's go." He bolted towards the edge before jumping off. He flew over the alleyway before reaching the other building, making his hands cling onto the edge before climbing up. Haystack would follow in order to do the same thing.

   From there, it was rinse and repeat for the next twenty five buildings since there was nothing on them but flat rooftops.

  "Haystack?" Ivan called through the earpiece while they were on their fifth building.

  "Yeah?"

  "Why were you feeling uncomfortable in Mari-"

   He suddenly remembered the deal as they jumped over another alley.

  "Because it remahned me of whah am ah here." He said, remembering about the dream he had.

  "Oh. But I don't need to know."

   They jumped over to the next building.

  "Ok. But can 'ah ask you a question."

  "Is it the question from when we were underwater?"

  "Yes, it is."

   He remembered what he said to him back there, but he knew that it's for the best that they get to know each other, even though he was reluctant to do so. "Fine, I'll let you ask."

  "So that means the deal is over?" He said with a hint of confidence.

  "No, but I'll let you ask this one time."

  "Ok." He agreed, his tone then changed to one of seriousness. "Do humans have to pay in order to w'ahpe away a sin?"

   The answer was simple for Ivan. "No, we're just told to repent."

  "Huh."

  "Does that go for every sin back in Equestria?"

   They jumped over another alleyway.

  "No, just the one ah've committed."

   Ivan didn't say anything after that, he just took his response into consideration.

   They were now prone on the last building near the beach, looking at the enemy below with binoculars, observing their positions.

  "Ugh, should've known that this would happen." Ivan groaned. "'The great successor' would obviously be paranoid about this."

  "So, how do you expect us to get across?"

   Ivan found an occupied charcoal colored motorboat just sitting on the shore. It consisted of two soldiers. One was holding onto the HMG upfront, the other was on the driver's seat, looking through the scope of a sniper rifle while it was mounted on the steering wheel.

  "By cloaking ourselves and getting on that boat over there." He pointed at it to show Haystack.

  "Good Idea." Haystack complemented as he looked at it. "It's better than parkourin' our way 'round the lake."

  "Invisibilitatem!" They thought.

   And in a moment's notice, their bodies began to lose their visibility., revealing a burgundy silhouette of themselves.

  "Alright. Let's go."

   They got up and leaped from the building from the building, landing onto the streets below. Getting up from the land, they ran across the street, their footsteps inaudible to the advancing troops.

   Arriving near the boat, they climbed aboard.

  "Ok, take the man with the HMG out." Ivan ordered with a whisper once they were on the deck. "I'll take out the driver."

  "Yes sir." Haystack replied in the same whisper, but nervously.

   They split up to take out their guarded prey. Upon arriving behind the enemy's position, they quickly thought, "Visibilitas!"

   And with a wind-like sound, they began to see their knife carrying hand/hoof appear along with the rest of their bodies. Unfortunately for Ivan, it didn't go unnoticed. The soldier quickly left his sniping position before springing towards Ivan with a machete. Haystack on the other hand, was lucky enough to wrap his hooves around his target before pulling it back.

   Ivan's target on the other hand, swung his machete downward as hard as he could. Ivan was able to dodge that strike with ease, giving him an advantage. He threw the knife directly onto the enemy's back like a dart. With that, the soldier collapsed onto the floor without screaming in pain. In fact, he just laid there, eyes and mouth open wide, and a pool of blood underneath.

  "Yep, he's dead." Ivan muttered before looting the body for sniper rifle ammo. "And I'm taking this rifle."

   Haystack in the meantime, slid his knife's blade through his helpless prey's throat. The sight spooked him a little as he laid him gently on the deck.

  "Ah'm sorry sir." He mumbled with sympathy in his voice before holding onto the HMG triggers.

  "Haystack, you're good?"

  "Yes sir."

  "Good, I recommend that you take the guy's M16 and the ammo for it. You might need it." He suggested as he replaced the M4 ammo with the sniper rifle's.

  "Mmm Hmm." And so he obeyed the order while Ivan began to start the boat's engine.

   Once he saw that Haystack was ready to go, he pulled the lever onto reverse before pushing the gas pedal with his right foot. He then turned the steering wheel to the right, causing the boat to turn its aft to the left.

Static!

  "Jack, where are you going?" a soldier asked through the slain driver's radio.

  "Uh oh." Ivan pulled the lever up to drive before steering to the left.

  "Jack, Get back- Aw Crap! It's the infiltrators! Get them!"

  "Son of a bitch!" Ivan muttered before contacting Haystack. "Haystack, get ready to fire that HMG! We're gonna have company!"

   The stallion gulped in anxiousness before looking through the HMG's iron sight, 'C-copy that!"

  "Here they come!" Ivan announced as two other PT boats raced towards their position.

   Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!" Haystack yelled while firing multiple rounds at one of the boats beside them. He was able to shoot down the HMG wielding soldier with two bullets to the chest.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

   One of Ivan's bullets was lucky enough to hit the driver in the face.

  "Whoa, Haystack!" Ivan said, annoyed by his yelling, "This isn't Vietnam!"

  "Ah know! Ah'm just nervous!"

  "Well, uh, try not to be!"

  "Yes sir!"

Rat-at-at-at-at!

Twang...

   Ivan crouched down, still holding onto the wheel and gas pedal.

... Twang! Twang! Twang! Whoosh!

  "Haystack!"

  "On it!" Haystack turned the HMG to the other side, firing at least five rounds at the soldier before shooting him in the head.

   While his head was down, Ivan found an M79 grenade launcher on the floor.

  "Huh, how come I didn't notice that before?"

  "Ai!" The driver grunted as a bullet sunk into his chest.

  "Tango down!" Haystack yelled as he watched the boat slow down.

  "Perfect!" Ivan shouted.

   Then, there was the sound of choppers.

  "Ah'van?"

  "Yeah?" He pressed a blue auto-drive button located on the steering wheel while loading the M79 with the grenades found.

   Haystack let out another gulp. "We're screwed!"

   Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   The bullets splashed onto the water before some of them would pound on the deck. By then, the grenade launcher was filled up and ready to use.

   Haystack in the meantime, wasted no time and pointed the HMG upwards, opening fire at the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter..

  "Arrgh!" the soldier manning the left turret groaned in pain.

   Then, Haystack focused his fire on the chopper's back, shooting the tail boom to the point where thick black smoke was seeping out.

  "This is Orca nine!' The pilot of that chopper called urgently as systems were showing red. "We're retreating, the chopper's heavily-"

BOOM!

   The tail exploded, sending the chopper into a wild spin towards the water below.

Splash!

  "Good luck gettin' out pal." Haystack muttered.

Tw-twang!

   Two bullets nearly hit his hind hooves.

Tw-tw-twang!

   Three bullets hit the left metal panel.

  "Crap!" He turned the turret to the boat's starboard.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

   He returned fire while more bullets from the enemy HMG kept hitting the panels.

BOOM!

  "Whoa!" Haystack shouted as he watched an explosion overwhelm the boat.

   The M79's muzzle was oozing with smoke as Ivan held onto it from the hip.

  "Hmm, I should take this with me." Ivan said, impressed by the grenade launcher's performance.

  "Ah'van, did you do that?"

  "Duh."

BOOM! SPLASH!

  "What the-"

  "Huh?" said Haystack as he shook in fear from the blast.

   They turned around to find a large blast of water arising from the lake. It nearly made their jaws drop from the shock and awe.

BOOM! SPLASH!

   Another explosion of water occurred, sending water hurdling towards the boat, drenching Haystack.

  "Aw hell!" The wet pony shouted as he was pushed towards the deck by the water's force.

BOOM! SPLASH!

   Suddenly, the boat felt weightless as it tilted forward, sending the two flying into the air.

  "AAAAAHHHH!!!!" They screamed before the deck met the water.

   Once the duo met it, they quickly held their breaths and swam away while they put on their oxygen masks and goggles.

BOOM!

  "Crap!" Ivan briefly looked back, witnessing the overturned boat explode.

  "Looks lah'ke they had enough." Haystack said.

  "Let's just swim to shore before they find out that we're not dead."

  "Ugh, obviously."

Beep!

  "Ivan, you and your pony buddy alright?" Troy contacted.

  "Yes sir. And how are you talking to me? We're underwater and the walkie tal-"

  "No time for that. One of my resistance buddies have offered you refuge until the evening."

   Ivan was happy about the news. "Oh good."

   "Yeah." Then Troy's tone changed, revealing a catch to it. "About that."

   And Ivan could tell. "Ugh, what is it?"

  "You know the M198's that have been shooting at you?"

  "You mean the artillery shells that just bashed our boat ride?"

  "Yeah, you're going to have to fight your way past it."

   Ivan rolled his eyes. "No we're not."

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "We're going to cloak our way past it, obviously."

  *Static*

  "Aw great! Either this guy's being a douche or they cut us off again."

  "So, there's something good and we need to fight our way to it."

  "Yep, you're right." He nodded.

   It would be quiet before Haystack chose to ask an irrelevant question. "Hmm. Hey, did you notice that Roger said Soviet Union instead of Soviet Empire?"

   Ivan went along with the irrelevant comment. "Yeah, but they were called the Soviet Union before and during World war two."

  "Oh, 'ah didn't know that."

  "Well, everyone makes mistakes, and some mistakes are redeemable."

   Haystack nodded in agreement, and from there they continued to swim until they reached the shore.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

   They were now approaching the shoreline.

  "Ok, activate your invisibility." Ivan ordered. "Expect a huge number of troops waiting for us on shore."

  "Mmm hmm."

   And so they did. By the time they stood up, they were completely invisible to the personnel carriers that were just now arriving on the beach. The two began to sprint past the vehicles as they began to open their doors to deploy the troops.

   It didn't take long before they reached the first building across the street. It was a small abandoned office building. And the evidence for that was on an "OUT OF BUSINESS" poster that was planted on the front door.

  "Let's get in" Ivan ordered as they uncloaked themselves.

   Haystack nodded in agreement as Ivan kicked the door open. Once the two were inside, they found an empty waiting room beholding them.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep...

  "You hear that?" Ivan asked, looking around to find the source while Haystack did the same.

   Quickly, they noticed that the beeping noise was coming from one of Haystack's pockets.

  "Uh, 'ah think it's the key." Haystack took his oxygen mask off of his muzzle before reaching into the pocket.

  "Oh, huh, I forgot." Ivan then took his own mask off and put it away. "Anyways, key?"

   By then, Haystack had a golden cut key in between his teeth. "Hrr."

   Ivan grabbed the key and slid it out his mouth before looking at it. The key had a ring connected to it with a miniature flashing red ball attached. It also had the letters BB branded on both sides.

  "Hmm, looks like this is some sort of homing beacon. And it looks like we're close by."

   They rummaged through every empty room in the building before the ring began to beep more frequently as they reached a room on the third and final floor.

  "Looks like we're close."

   They entered the room, that's when the beeping rate increased even more. Ivan placed the key in front of him until the beeping turned into buzzing once the key was in range of a keyhole.

  "There it is." he said before walking up to it.

   The key cut to silence once he inserted it inside. After twisting it to the right, it unlocked, revealing the edges of a small safe door.

  "Hmm."  He opened the door. Inside, was a bag of money, and they could tell because the bag had a currency symbol on it. "Ugh, well at least it's better than nothing."

   He then faced Haystack. "Where did you get the key anyways?"

  "Found it at the pet store while Davey was giving us weapons and water."

  "Oh, that explains the BB print. And speaking of water..." Ivan got out a water bottle and began to drink it all. While doing so, he felt a cold sensation in both his hands and throat; as if he was holding and drinking snow. And it lasted until every drop was swallowed. "Brrr, chilly."

  "And whah'd ya do that?"

  "Recharging my dice, of course."

   He then grabbed the satchel and put it on the floor before unzipping and opening it. The bag in the safe would be next before it was untied from the rope that held it closed. After that, he pretty much dumped the golden coins in with the package.

  "Hey, have you noticed that the package didn't get damaged? Ivan then put the money bag down.

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "Remember? We were underwater."

  "So the satchel is waterproof." Haystack sighed. "We Equestrians dream of that technology."

  "Yeah, hope it doesn't turn to jealousy."

   Haystack nodded, because it was true.

   Ivan zipped it closed before he placing the strap on his shoulder. While doing so, he noticed something. "Huh, they're not even heavy in the satchel."

SNAP!

   Haystack felt something break underneath his right hoof as he stepped forward. After lifting it, he noticed that one of the coins were broken into pieces.

  "That's because the coins aren't actually made of gold."

  "Yeah." Ivan picked one of the pieces up and observed it with his fingers and eyes.

"Bottle caps, to say the least."

  "No wonder they denied rights for that gold mine." Ivan noted as he watched Haystack. "They had another way to make money."

  "Ugh." Haystack shook his head at the realization. "This place is gettin' weirder and weirder."

  "I guess it is."

   They then exited out an opening in the wall of a room on the first floor. Once outside, they found themselves in another alleyway where on one of the buildings, was a vending machine.

  "Ah'van, what's that?" asked Haystack, pointing at the machine.

   Ivan then looked at it.

  "Hmm, a vending machine." And so they walked over there.

   Upon reaching it, Ivan realized that it looked more like a slot machine. Haystack on the other hand, just wondered how it worked.

   On the screen, was the seal of Danville. That's when a voice coming from the speakers on the upper right part of the machine announced in a chirpy male tone. "Hello there sir, or madame! Welcome to the mini-store of Power! The place where you can upgrade your combat and medical abilities to better levels!"

  "Huh, not what I wanted, but at least their money isn't useless to us."

   Haystack nodded.

  "Please make your purchase by selecting your wanted item!"

   The seal disappeared to reveal a rectangular shaped grey button with the words "Cloak recharge" over it in white. At the far right of the button, it stated that it costs two hundred and fifty to purchase.

  "Well I'll be." Ivan said, impressed at the upgrade before pressing it with his thumb.

  "Ah'van?" asked Haystack once something crossed his mind. "Shouldn't we hurry up? Ah mean, troops maght know we're here."

  "Ugh, Haystack..." Ivan shook his head in disbelief. "Do you hear that?"

   The pony perked his ears up to hear what's outside their position. All he could hear was the sound of military vehicles rolling around town and troops marching and giving out orders.

  "Yes 'ah do."

  "Good, so don't expect troops to be coming over here."

  "Yes sir."

   Ivan then returned to face the screen, only to find that it had a message underneath his selection, which read,

                                                 You know: You can add an extra pill to your purchase

                                               if you are buying one for your friend and one for yourself.

                                                                             (Ten credit fee)

                                                  DO YOU WANT TO PROCEED WITH THE OFFER?

                                                                                -YES-/-NO-

  "So not only can I add another pill to my purchase, but it seems that Roger uses the term, 'credits' as their currency name.

  "Ugh, just press yes." Haystack moaned, growing impatient.

  "Alright." Ivan replied, annoyed at his remark.

   He pressed the 'Yes' button, causing the message to disappear. The voice would then return due to this,

  "Please use the eye scan to confirm that you both have the DNA necessary to make your purchase."

   They heard a mechanical buzz before as the eye scanner flipped over to face them.

  "Alright.' Ivan repeated, only calmer. He leaned forward and placed his right eye in front of the scanner. In a split second, a vertical line of green light would fly over it, scanning his eye. After that, he heard a beeping sound which signaled the machine's approval. "Ok, your turn Haystack."

  "So you just put y'er 'ah in front of that?"

  "Yep." He nodded.

  "Looks simple enough."

   Due to his size, he was able to reach the scanner without lifting himself up. The green light would pass over before there was a loud buzz as if someone got the wrong answer on a game show. It would then be followed by the voice saying, "I'm sorry, your DNA doesn't meet our requirements."

  "Looks l'ahke Equestrians aren't on their list."

  "Ya think?"

  "This means we will downgrade your purchase. Sorry about that." Then, a metal bin slid out of the bottom area. "Please dump the money needed for your purchase here!"

   And so, without question, he grabbed the satchel and opened it. Upon doing so, he took the package out and told Haystack to hold onto it. He agreed and slipped onto it with his teeth. Ivan then proceeded to do as he was told. The screen began to display the money count, the number ascending with each coin hitting the bottom. Then, when it reached two fifty, the bin snapped back inside with a clap, making them jolt back.

  "Hrrh, crrpy ersh mrchine." Haystack muttered as some of the coins dropped onto the ground.

   They suddenly heard sawing noises coming from inside the machine. Then, there was a thunk before the bin snapped back open with a small yellow case and the coins gone.

  "Have a nice day, sir!"

  "Sweet." Ivan said as he grabbed the case and opened it. Inside, was a yellow and red pill. And so, he went on to swallow it with water of course. And while he was at it, he decided to drink it all in order to recharge his dice.

   Then, upon emptying the bottle, he felt dizzy, and his vision would flash bright yellow as he heard a loud crack in his ears.

  "Damn." He muttered as he recovered from the episode.

  "Er, Ervrn, yr frrgrt thsh." Haystack said as he held onto another Vita with his teeth, the package and scattered coins back in the satchel.

  "Oh, thanks."

   Ivan then took the Vita from his mouth and pressed the on button. After doing so, the grey screen returned and so did the silhouetted man. The words, "CLOAK RECHARGE" appeared underneath as French accordion music played.

  "Cloaking has been enabled to recharge." The woman announced. "Which means that while visible, your cloaking ability will go back up to three minutes."

  "Ugh! Well no shoot Sherlock!"

   The slide then cut to a warning sign. "Warning: If you choose to cloak before charging back to three minutes, then your power will dwindle from there. Second Warning: does not work when the cloaking pill is completely drained... Have fun comrade!"

   The end tagline appeared before the music and visuals turned off completely, causing Ivan to throw the Vita against the wall behind them.

  "Egh, what a waste of Vitas. C'mon, let's go." Ivan said before zipping the satchel closed and placing the straps over his shoulder again.

   After walking away from the machine, they went through an alleyway to their right. At the end of it, they found themselves just two blocks away from the artillery cannon that nearly took them out, along with hordes of troops guarding it.

  "So how do you expect us to pass that?"

  "We're not fighting any of these bastards that's for sure."

   He began to look around to find a way. That's when he found a large ladder that stretched from their position up to the top floor of the building it was on.

  "Looks like we're doing more parkouring. C'mon."

   And so, he began to climb with Haystack right behind him.

Static!

  "Ah'van, are ya there?" Troy asked, causing Ivan to take the walkie talkie out.

  "Yeah. Anyways, where is this shelter you offered us?"

  "Uh huh, about that?"

  "I'm listening."

  "There's a reason you need to fight your way through it."

  "And that is."

  "Blow up the artillery shells and one of my resistance buddies will come out and light a flare amidst the smoke."

  "Uh, won't that hurt any civilians? I mean the blast will be big."

  "Yeah, there's a reason you need to fight your way through it."

  "So, what is it?"

  "They were evacuated in case that happened. Oh, and the only way to  the shelter is underground by the way."

   By then, the two were already on the rooftop. They could even feel the cool breeze run past them.

   He sighed, "Good to hear. Anyways, we'll blow it up in no time."

  "Good. Troy out."

Static!

  "Ok then. Let's blow that up. Here you go Haystack."

   He tossed him the sniper rifle.

  "What? But whah me?" Haystack complained.

  "Since you couldn't take the cloak recharge pill, I think you'll find it useful."

  "Yeah but, can't ya just use yer grenade launcher?"

   Ivan facepalmed. "Haystack, grenades make an arch when they're fired. So the possibility that one of the grenades will hit the shells is one in six. Also, the more grenades are fire, the more likely I'll get shot."

   Haystack knew he couldn't let that happen. "F'ahne."

   He lifted the rifle and looked through the scope, aiming for one of the shells that lied next to the cannon.

F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f....

  "Crap!" Ivan muttered as he heard the sounds of an attack chopper in the distance, "Hold your-"

BLAM!

BOOM!

   That explosion was followed by more explosions, smoke that stretched for at least two and a half blocks, and cries for help.

   Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

   Bullets began to hit the rooftop, missing them by inches.

  "Damn it! Let's get the hell out of here!" Ivan ordered, causing Haystack to follow him as the chopper flew over them.

   They then slid down the ladder, and landed on the gravel. Ivan then got out his pistol while Haystack got out his M16 once they went out into the street.

  "Ah *Ahem* Ahvan, ah *Ahem* can't see!" Haystack coughed as they ran through the smoke, their eyes releasing tears due to the smoke's sting.

  "*Ahem* Me neither, but-"

   Suddenly, they felt someone bump into them, and due to that, they fell onto their bums. In front of them were two pairs of red lighted goggles, ascending before their eyes. Then, without freaking out, they shot them where the bullets will kill them before quickly grabbing the goggles and putting them on. Upon doing so, they were able to see clearly even though everything was red now. The first thing they saw was one of the sandbag levees. So without hesitation, they ran towards it and used it as cover while putting on their oxygen masks.

  "So, do you think they know where we are?"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

Tw-tw-tw-tw-tw-tw-twang...

  "Obviously!" Haystack replied as bullets pounded onto their cover.

   Suddenly, they heard a loud pop and a whining noise in the distance. They looked up to find a flare in the air.

Static!

  "Ivan, get moving! My forces will cover you!"

Static!

  "Alright, you heard 'em! Let's go!"

   They then got up and vaulted over the levee. While doing so, Ivan fired a blast of liquid nitrogen onto one of the soldiers, creating another glacier for them to use as cover. Once their feet touched the ground, they ran towards it, taking out three soldiers each without getting hit.

BOOM!

   The ground began to shake again as the smoke cleared, causing them to fall down. Looking behind them, they found the same robotic soldier from before looking at them with those glaring eyes.

"I have you know!" The machine yelled.

  "Crap!" Ivan yelled before he switched to the M79, "Cover me Haystack!"

Ka-thwop! BOOM! Ka-thwop! BOOM! Ka-thwop! BOOM!

   They ran past the small glacier as the grenades exploded on the robot's body armor.

   On the other side, the rebels (Wearing mostly beige) started to fire smoke bombs before dealing with the other enemy forces. On the other hand, the one's armed with the RPG's helped Ivan with the robot.

  "Fall back!" One of the rebels yelled in a raspy tone once the two reached the white smoke.

  "This way, another rebel ordered them to go by pointing at a manhole to the sewer.

   Meanwhile, the robot had enough.

"No More!" It yelled as it was being pounded by explosives. And so, the robot got out its rocket launcher and fired at the group, destroying everything within the blast radius. Ivan and Haystack on the other hand, were flown into the air, screaming. It was only out of luck that that made them fall into the manhole and into the sewer below.

  "Ow!" Ivan muttered after hitting his head on the fall.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

  "This is 'News Flash' with Zelda Thorenstein." A male voice announced as rock music played on the radio.

  "Hello Fellow comrades." A woman in a monotone voice said after the music stopped. "This is 'News Flash'. Today, I am happy to report that our troops were able to capture the two scumbags that dared infiltrate our great country. They are responsible for the death of at least sixty troops..."

  "Because they shot at us first." Ivan muttered as he faced the metal bars in front of them.

  "Fortunately, they were captured while trying to escape from one of our marvelous creations. That'll show the bastards in Washington and Canterlot that they shouldn't mess with the dear fatherland. Our dear successor, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, was nice enough to let them cherish what time they have left before execution. They're now in a prison cell in one of our finest police stations across the city. Did you spot them?"

   There was brief silence. "In other news, our troops raided the home, or at least you can call it that, of Davey Westbrook. He is a traitor who has been raising a child that's not his..."

  "Hmm, we failed him." He muttered again, not knowing if he should feel bad or just let it slide.

  "... And for his actions, he has been executed on the spot, and the child will be sent to the department of labor for her new job."

  "Sssss, Oooh."

  "Remember comrades, raising children that aren't yours is a crime in our great nation, and will not be tolerated..."

   Ivan let out a sigh.

  "Sad, isn't it?" A man in another cell next to theirs asked.

  "You're talking about the guy that got shot for taking care of a little girl that wasn't his?'

  "Ugh, Just listen to the next story."

  "In other news, riots continue all over the world as gas prices continue to increase to an all time high..."

  "That the world is going through some tough times?"

   Then he heard snoring.

  "Damn, that guy must be drunk or something."

   Then, he heard a shout to his left, "No!!"

  "Oh, so you're finally awake." Ivan said, standing upright. "Looks like you've been having some sort of night-"

  "Huh?' He gasped before facing Ivan with a distraught look. "Oh, it's you."

   He then faced the jail bars in sadness. "Uh, what tah'me is it?"'

  "Eight fifty-seven PM. You were knocked out for quite a long time."

  "And how do ya know that?"

  "They let me keep the watch."

  "And wh'ah didn't ya wake me up?"

  "One, you were knocked cold. Two, what part of 'they let me keep the watch' didn't you understand?"

  "Hmm, so what now?"

  "We're going to be executed of course." He said it as if it was all fine and dandy.

   Haystack put his head back down and used his hooves to cover his tearful face.

  "Uh, are you crying?" He asked.

   He nodded.

  "Why?"

  "'Ah-Ah need the m-money. 'Ah have a -ffamily and a fillyfriend t-to take care of."

  "Ugh." He rolled his eyes.

  "... The Soviets continue to deny Equestria's allegations, saying that they had no part in the Italian coup and do not wish to expand into western Europe. Tensions between the SSRIR and the west continue to worsen with this new threat hitting the alliance. Celestia continues to demand that NATO increases border and naval protections across the German and Nordic borders to 'Protect what little peace you humans have'... This has been 'News Flash'. I'm Zelda Thorenstein, signing out."

   Then, music began to play. Ivan implied that it was the country's national anthem, for he heard the sound of string and brass instruments playing harmoniously in f major. After that, he checked his watch and noticed that it was nine.

  "Alright, they'll be coming now." Ivan advised. "Stop crying, wipe away your tears, and get ready to beat the crap out of some guards."

  "Huh?"

   They heard the door to their left unlock before sliding open. Entering, were three soldiers armed with Mp5 Sub-machine guns, walking in a triangular formation.

  "Alright, you two..." The soldier in front said. ".. It's time."

   The soldier then noticed that Haystack was still weeping. "Yeah, I know, but you shouldn't have been here in the first place. May Celestia have mercy on your soul."

   He began to weep even more after that last sentence was said coldly.

  "Ugh, guess I'm on my own then." Ivan muttered as he took two steps forward, preparing to make his move.

   The soldier began to unlock the cell door.

BLAM!

   The soldier in the back fell as a bullet tore through the side of his head.

  "Huh?" Ivan muttered as the two were taken aback by what was happening.

  "What the-"

BLAM!

   The soldier in front sat lifelessly against the bars after another bullet ended his life.

  "Ahem, gentlemen?" They heard a voice say in a French accent.

   What was in front of them now, was a man in a blue tuxedo, ski mask, dress pants, and black dress shoes.

  "Uh, who are you?" Ivan asked.

  "'Ze name's Pierre."

   The man then unlocked the door and let them out. Ivan was still shocked by how the man was able to disguise himself, but he decided to not to ask about that and went on to introduce himself.

  "Uh, thanks Pierre, nice to meet you. The name's Ivan and this is Haystack."

  "N'ahce to meet you sir." Haystack lauded, shaking his hand with his hoof. "Oh thank you for savin' us."

   Pierre then looked back at Ivan with a weird look.

  "Yeah, he's happy to be alive."

  "Alright, good."

  "Anyways, Troy sent you to rescue us, didn't he?"

  "Oui, my friend!"

  "Oh good, so can I talk to him?"

  "Sorry." He replied while loading his pistol with more bullets. "Long distance calling not possible in night hours."

  "Oh. Well, that's disappointing."

  "Yep. Anyways, he says that you must complete your mission from here."

  "Of course, because-"

  "We need the money sir." Haystack interrupted.

   Ivan questioned why.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! ...

   A red light started flashing over them as a loud beeping sound alerted the deceased soldiers' comrades about the situation.

  "Crap." Ivan muttered.

  "Don't worry." Pierre calmed them before running up to the door, slamming it shut, and locking it.

Knock, knock, knock, knock!

  "Come out of there you blokes!"

  "Oh, and here you go Ivan." Pierre then handed him a syringe filled with crystal blue liquid.

  "What's this?" He asked.

  "'Ze dice they drained out of you. You're gonna need it, of course."

  "Oh, thanks."

   He then rolled his sleeve up and injected himself with the liquid. Within seconds, the chill returned to his hands before dissolving.

  "I also enhanced it with another body-builder pill. It allows you to drink only one water bottle in order to recharge it at full power."

  "Good, drink too much bottled water and you feel like you're gonna drown."

  "Oui."

  "Hmm, I wonder why they didn't use it?"

  "It already has your DNA, making it useless to them."

  "Swell." He changed topic. "So, do you know where the package's at?"

  "In an office down 'ze hall. Fortunately, the satchel carrying it hasn't been open yet, so your mission continues."

  "Good. Now let's get the hell out of here. C'mon Haystack, grab a weapon."

   The pony nodded to his command. The two then grabbed the Mp5's and looted the bodies for ammo, money, and grenades. Pierre in the meantime just stood and waited.

  "If you don't come out, we come in!"

Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock!

  "Hurry up." He advised.

  "We're ready." Ivan said.

   The two stood up, armed and ready to attack.

  "So how are we goin' to get out?" Haystack asked.

   He got out a grenade and stood against the wall. "Simple."

   After that move, Haystack followed in suit and stood behind him.

  "Open the door, please." Ivan ordered Pierre to do.

  "Yes sir." He then went up to it and used the key to unlock it.

  "Get ready." Ivan whispered.

  "Move in." One of the soldiers whispered as the door opened slowly.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

   The bullets pounded onto his chest, knocking him back with every shot. Ivan then bit the grenade's blade off and tossed it into the hallway.

BOOM!

   As the explosion ensued, they heard cries of pain from the soldiers. This gave Ivan a chance to make his next move. He got up and blind fired multiple rounds through the smoke.

  "Go! Go! Go!" Ivan ordered as the smoke dissolved.

   Haystack did just that. He ran past him and dive rolled into the hallway, shooting down two soldiers to the right. Behind him, five soldiers were heading down the stairs that lead to the hall. Fortunately, Ivan had it covered. He came out, and upon spotting them, he fired a blast of nitrogen, freezing them and creating a glacier that covered from wall to wall.

  "Oh son of a bitch." Ivan muttered.

  "Why 'ze hell did you do that?!" Pierre asked, shocked by the sight.

  "Look, it was either freeze them or shoot them and get hurt in the process." Ivan tried to reason with him. "Also, we can use the grenades to blow it up."

  "Ugh, very well."

  "Good, so where's the office?"

  "This way."

   The trio then ran the other way until they reached a corner at the end of the hallway.

Rat-at-at-at-at!

BLAM!

  "Yikes!" Ivan shrieked as the three dodged the enemy fire and used the wall as cover.

   Suddenly, there heard the sound of a snapping blade.

  "Uh Oh." Ivan muttered.

   Then there was a clanking sound, making him guess that it was a grenade. Then, once he saw it fly towards them, he was right. Fortunately, he was able to grab it in time and throw it back.

  "Son of a-"

BOOM!

   Smoke began to spread across the hall as more cries of troops were heard.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

   Then, there was silence. When the smoke faded, all they could see was the corpses of three soldiers lying dead on the floor.

  "Clear." Ivan proclaimed. "So where's the-"

   Pierre then pointed at a windowed door to their right.

  "Oh, there it is."

    After walking up to it, and letting Pierre use some sort of device to decode the lock system, they went into an office where the satchel was placed on top of the desk. Ivan then unzipped it to find that both the package and the money was still inside.

  "Oh good," He sighed in relief, before noticing something that was next to it. "Huh, Another dice."

  "For 'ze best that you drink it, so it doesn't get into 'ze wrong hands." Pierre suggested.

  "Whah can't ah drink it?" asked Haystack, thinking about the powers he'll get.

  "Hmm..." Pierre began to think.

  "I'm not risking it, sir. He's a pony and I don't know what will this do to him."

  "Ah'van, 'Ah just ate that pill." Haystack pointed out.

  "Yeah, that's just a pill." Ivan rebutted. "I'm talking about a drink like this, a drink that can kill you."

  "And possibly kill you too?"

   Ivan was left speechless.

  "Make your choice Ivan. We don't have zat much time left." Pierre forewarned.

  "All right."

   Ivan knew that there wasn't time, so he thought it over as quickly as possible. However, he knew that both decisions are risky.

  "I'm drinking it, Haystack." He announced.

  "Darn." Haystack muttered, stomping his hoof on the floor.

   Ivan then lifted the glowing red bottle and turned it around to see what it was labeled.

  "Pyro's fantasy." It read in bold text. Over that, was a black gas mask on top of a ball of fire. With that, he now had a firm guess on what powers he'll get. He loosened the bottle cap and took it off, before placing the bottle on his lips and lift it up. Within nanoseconds, the cherry flavored drink was already flowing over his tongue and heading down his throat.

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! ...

   It took a couple of seconds for him to empty the entire bottle, before feeling a little dizzy. He let out a sigh to calm himself down as the two watched in nervousness.

  "Ok." He started to hallucinate, "It'll wear off soon."

    Then, he began to see sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows scatter all over his vision. All while faint male screams , and a distorted version of the song, "Do you believe in magic" was heard. He looked at his hands to find out that there were flames igniting from his numb fingertips. After a couple of seconds, the hallucinations ceased.

  "Now, where's the Vita?" He asked.

  "Excuse me?"

  "The thing that is used to tell me how to use this thing?"

  "Oh right." The two began to rummage the desk to find it.

  "Found it." Haystack said, for he found it on the floor, he then grabbed it with his teeth. "Here ya go."

   He then tossed it over to him.

  "Thanks." He said with a smirk as he placed the satchel's strap on his shoulder.

  "Good, now let's go before they blow the glacier up first."

   They nodded before exiting the office and running down the hall. While doing so, Ivan pressed the 'on' button on the Vita. The grey screen reappeared and the logo on the bottle accompanied it. The theme song from 'The Simpsons' played as the female announcer returned with the instructions.

  "Wield the power of fire, with pyro's fantasy.." She said as the screen cut to the soldier looking helpless as three rebels had him at gunpoint.

  "Haystack, was it?" Pierre asked him, in which Haystack nodded in return. "Blow that ice-"

  "Wait!" Ivan told them, preventing Haystack from getting out a grenade.

  "... Say 'Ignis!' in your mind while thrusting your hand forward. Doing so, you can ignite enemies or melt ice!"

   It then cut to the soldier setting the rebels on fire, smiling as they screamed in pain.

  "Warning: Fire spreads! Second Warning: Requires a bottle of alcohol to recharge."

  "What?" Ivan thought as her eyes widened in shock.

  "Have fun, comrade!" She said as it cut to the soldier giving a smile and a thumbs up while the rebels turned into a pile of ash. 'Thank you, RED industries' then appeared before the Vita turned completely off.

  "Hmm, looks like I'll be drinking booze then." He muttered before dropping the Vita on the floor and telling them. "Anyways, I got a plan. Haystack, get ready to use the grenade once the ice melts."

  "Ok?" Haystack said preparing to bite grenade's blade off as Ivan headed over to the ice.

  "Good, now stand back."

   And so they did. Ivan lifted his hand up and faced it towards the ice. Then, with the magic word, he thrust his hand forward, unleashing a fireball towards it.

BOOM!!

   Within seconds the heat enveloped the coolness, thus, the ice began to melt.

  "Now Haystack!"

  "Alright." He bit the blade off and tossed it over the shrinking glacier.

  "Crap! Grenade!" An officer yelled as the grenade bounced its way up the stairs.

BOOM!

  "We must move!" Pierre ordered, the water wetting their shoes/boots/hooves.

   The three went up the stairs before finding themselves in an office where three soldiers in bright red dress uniforms and black berets lied dead on the floor.

  "Huh, nice throw." Ivan complemented.

  "Thanks." He replied with a flattering smile.

   The trio got to cover while the enemy did the same.

Click!

  "Damn." Ivan mumbled, for the magazine ran out of ammo. Now it was the officer's turn.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

  "Yikes!" He shouted before hiding behind the desk and started to reload his Mk-5.

   D-r-r-r-r!

  "Ai!" The soldier shrieked after one of Haystack's bullets shot him in the stomach while trying to shoot him first.

   By then, Ivan finished reloading. He went to the side and shot a soldier that was trying to vault over a desk.

BLAM! BLAM!

   Pierre shot another soldier in the chest.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r!

   The soldier yelled in pain while firing random rounds, making Pierre hide back behind cover. After that, they couldn't here anything. It made Haystack peek around the desktop and see if there was anymore troops.

  "Clear." Haystack proclaimed, making the two get up and advance.

   Then there was yell. "Die you foreign scum!!!"

  "Get down!" Pierre yelled as the soldier got out from the desk and fired as many rounds as he could.

BLAM!!

   The soldier fell back after Pierre shot him in his forehead.

  "Now, it's clear." He said with confidence.

   They ran up to the front window and peeked past the curtain. On the street, were three police cars in front of two Humvees. And those two Humvees were in front of a Lenco Bearcat.

  "Son of a bitch." Ivan muttered, "Do we really have to fight these people?"

  "This place doesn't have a backdoor, so yes."

  "Great." He moaned.

  "This is Sparta six to Tom Tom five, do you copy?" An officer asked through a corpse's radio. "Come in Tom Tom five!"

  "Crap, let's go." Ivan said before pushing the door open and fired from the hip.

  "It's them, fire!"

   Ivan then unleashed another blast of nitrogen at three soldiers that were standing in front of the second police car for unknown reasons.

   The trio ran down the stairs and were able to use that glacier as cover. And so, the firefight has begun, and it started off with the trio being pinned down by enemy fire.

  "We got you now, punks!" A soldier yelled through a megaphone, or did they?

D-r-r-r-r-r!

  "Ulgh!" A soldier groaned after Ivan shot him in the face while trying to shoot them from the far end of the third car's hood.

  "Better go cover that." Ivan said before going prone and crawling his way over there.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r!

   Another soldier was shot while shooting from the back of the middle police car.

  "Pierre, use the first car as cover!"

  "On it!" He replied to Ivan's order.

  "Ah'van, what do 'ah do?

   BLAM! BLAM!

   Then Ivan activated his invisibility.

   A soldier behind the first car fell back after a bullet hit his throat. Pierre then cloaked himself before running towards his objective.

   By that time, Ivan was able to reach the third car's hood. He uncloaked himself as he sat next to the front bumper.

   D-r-r-r-r-r!

   He blind fired a few more shots into the chest of another soldier.

   He then got out of cover and ran towards the Humvee's front bumper. He fired from the hip and shot the soldier firing the HMG while he wasn't looking.

  "Wow, didn't see me coming."

  "He's over there!" One of them cried.

  "Aw crap."

   Bullets began to fly past him, so he had to blind fire more shots.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-Click!

   He was out of ammo, giving the soldiers an advantage while he was reloading.

  "Crap!" He shrieked after a soldier was at his side, ready to shoot.

   And so he rolled forward, causing the enemy bullets to miss. He then got up and grabbed the man's FN FAL rifle by the muzzle. After ripping it from his hands, he kicked him in the chin, knocking him into unconsciousness. Now that he was dealt with, he dive rolled towards the enemy troops and decided to deal with them the quickest way possible.

    He unleashed another fireball at them, igniting all three in flames before spraying them with bullets.

  "Nice." Ivan smirked at what his new power is capable of.

  "Ay!" A soldier next to the front bumper of the other Humvee cried after a bullet tore through his head.

  "Looks like Pierre did the same thing." Ivan muttered as he watched Pierre appear in front of him.

D-r-r-r-r!

   Haystack in the meantime, managed to deal with the last soldier in front of him. Once there was silence, he jumped over the trunk and met up with the two.

  "So Ah'van, what now?" Haystack asked.

  "Ugh, we get the hell out of here, of course!" He retorted with an eye roll. "Now let's get in one of those squad cars, now!"

   They ran over to the police car and went inside.

  "So, wh'ah are ya dr'ahvin'?" asked Haystack.

  "Because one, Pierre didn't say anything. Two, I remember where the subway station is at."

  "'Ze subway is closed, and I don't think that grenades will be able to blow through 'ze steel shutter."

  "Great. So how do we get to the labor department?"

  "There's a bridge we can go through."

  "So what are ya waitin' f'er, let's go." Haystack hurried.

   He managed to drive in the direction they were supposed to go.

  "Hey, wh'ah are the streets empty?" asked Haystack as he looked at the quiet, dark, and empty suburbs.

  "Curfew." Pierre answered calmly.

  "Oh, what's that?"

   Ivan and Pierre rolled their eyes.

  "It's when 'ze government says 'zat no one should be out of 'ze house after a certain time and until a certain time. Does Equestria even have curfews?"

  "No, 'ah don't think we have."

  "Looks like they truly didn't give a damn about Princess Luna, didn't they?" Ivan muttered.

  "Pierre?" Ivan asked, for he was now a few blocks away from the bridge.

  "Yeah?"

  "You should've told me that the bridge was filled with troops."

  "Didn't know." He replied in a terse manner.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

  "So Pierre, what do we do now?" Ivan asked with a hint of frustration.

   The man just sat there, observing the scene.

  "C'mon, we don't have-"

CRACK!!

   They shouted from the jump scare.

Crack! Crack! Crack! CRASH!!

  "Get down!" Pierre shouted as the glass window broke into pieces. He then pushed the gas pedal and drove straight towards the bridge while more bullets were flying past them.

  "What the hell are you-"

  "Put your oxygen masks on!" He commanded.

  "Oh, I know where this is going!" He then turned around. "Haystack!"

  "Ah'm on it!" He shouted back as he searched for his mask.

  "Good!" He turned back and did the same.

   Pierre in the meantime, steered to the right, going off road and towards the river.

  "Eep," Ivan squealed in fear after peaking at the sight.

BOOM!!

  "Son of a bitch!" Haystack shouted as smoke arose into the air.

CRASH!

   The rest of the windows broke into pieces.

  "Hold on!" Pierre yelled before he drove the car off the ground and towards the waters below.

VROOOOoooooooomm!! SPLASH!

   The police car began to sink as bullets continued to pound the rooftop. Luckily, the three were able to get out through the broken windows as their goggles began to illuminate.

  "Oh, thanks Celestia we're all r'aght." Haystack rejoiced as they swam further away from the vehicle.

BOOM!

   The sinking vehicle exploded, sending bubbles and debris flying.

  "Yeah, you can say that again." Ivan scoffed.

  "Oui, now let's get to 'ze department. Follow me."

  "Uh, we're already doing that sir."

   Pierre rolled his eyes. "I know, just checking."

  "Ah'van?"

  "Ugh, yeah?"

  "Remember when we took those dead soldiers' goggles to see through the smoke?"

  "Of course, that was hours ago. Why ask?"

  "You know, since our goggles have night vision-"

   Ivan moaned, realizing what they should've done. "Don't go any further."

  "Oh, ok... Pierre?"

  "Yes my Equine friend?"

  "Where are ya from?"

  "Ugh, don't mind him." Ivan groaned in his thoughts. "He's from Equestria."

   He should've thought of that while he was asking Davey a personal question.

  "Toulouse, France. Lived there all my life before leaving and joining BLU in the espionage division."

  "You're from France?" He said ecstatically.

   Pierre then nodded.

  "Huh, wait, why's BLU here?" Ivan asked.

  "Don't you know? Wherever RED goes BLU follows, and vice versa."

  "Oh right, so why did you join BLU?"

  "Same reason you joined 'ze legion."

   The two began to feel uneasy by that statement, since Pierre knew who they work for and why.

  "Uh, how do you know that?"

  "'Ze insignia on your shoulder." He then pointed at the crossed sword and musket that bared a blue dove. "BLU has strong ties with 'ze mercenary group. Kelferson LLC, I think it was called."

  "Oh." He didn't have anything else to say about that, so he decided to change topic. "Anyways, do you know why RED is here?"

  "Yep. 'Ze country hasn't changed since Heinz took power. So before he died, he gave all that power to his daughter."

  "You mean Vanessa Doofenshmirtz?"

  "Of course. Once she took power, she signed a contract with RED for food, medical, and as you can see, technological aid."

   That made Ivan come to a conclusion. "That explains the dice and the robot."

  "Oui."

  "So how have they been doing?"

  "Not doing a good job of course. They're only here to contribute to the amount they were paid to do. And judging by their treasury, they aren't able to afford more. But it doesn't matter, RED will continue to do business with Doofania and rub it in our faces."

  "And because of that, BLU is here to arm the rebels to overthrow Vanessa Doofenshmirtz so that they can restore order and at the same time do business with BLU." Ivan determined in a swift speech.

  "Exactly." But he had to ask. "H-how did you know that?"

  "Logic, my friend. Never leave or stay at home without it."

  "Agree."

   Since they were talking for quite awhile now, Ivan decided to check on his four legged comrade. "Haystack?"

   There was no response from the quiet stallion.

  "Haystack?" He repeated. "Haystack!"

  "N-no! Leave us alo-" His quickly snapped back into reality. "Uh, huh?"

  "Eh, Haystack, are you alright?"

  "Uh, uh." He stuttered. "Y-y-yes, AH'm all r'aght."

  "You don't look all right, my friend." Pierre said.

  "N-no, seriously, Ah'm all r'aght."

  "You sure?"

  "Positive, sir."

  "Alright then, suit yourself."

   Haystack let out a quiet sigh as he looked strait ahead, still in his downhearted mood.

  "You know, as his commander, you should really have a talk with him." Pierre whispered from earpiece to earpiece with Ivan.

  "Can't. I made a deal."

  "What deal?"

  "I don't want to talk about my background, so he doesn't have to say anything about himself."

  "A little harsh, isn't it?"

  "I don't know. While I was driving towards the city, he didn't want to tell me anything."

  "Well maybe 'ze guy needs help with something. That's not considered sharing personal ground."

  "Well..." He had nothing, so he had to comply. "Fine."

   Pierre grinned.

   The felt the sand underneath their feet as they stood up from the water.

  "Let's go, we got a mission to complete." Pierre ordered as they glanced at the siren lighted bridge. "Follow me."

   They obeyed the order and sprinted down the beach.

  "Why are we heading towards the subway rail?" Ivan asked suspiciously. "I thought you said that the subway was closed."

  "You wanna head to 'ze department of labor or not?"

  "Yeah, but you just-"

  "Just trust me on this." He continued his climb upwards. "Come on."

  "Ugh, well, he's been here for awhile. Might as well trust him." He grabbed onto the beam as well. "Let's-"

  "Ah'van?"

  "What is it?" Ivan replied while Haystack began his climb as well.

  "Well... uh... um."

  "Come on, spit it out."

  "Uh... nothin', sorry fer botherin'."

   He rolled his eyes in response.

  "He's doing this now?" He muttered. "God, that policy of mine must've hit 'em hard."

   They then met with Pierre's hand reaching for them before agreeing to his generous offer.

  "Thanks man." Ivan said, once the two were on the tracks.

  "Don't mention it." He replied while helping Haystack up. "Anyways, we must move."

  "Alright then."

   They entered the tunnel and made their way down.

  "And how long has BLU been here?" Ivan asked.

  "Tomorrow is 'ze fifth anniversary of BLU's arrival."

  "So, five years then?"

  "Of course." He said politely. "Once we heard of RED's arrival, we quickly sprung into action."

  "Yeah, you just told us that."

  "What?"

  "Nothing. Anyways, did they take it well?"

  "Of course not. That has opened 'ze door for more proxy battles all over 'ze world. Tell me, where are you from?"

  "Uh..." He was speechless and growing nervous.

  "Oh, right, you don't want to reveal it."

  "Yes sir."

  "It's them!!" Someone yelled.

  "Uh oh, Take cover!" Pierre shouted.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   After using the tunnel as cover, Ivan got out a grenade and set it to explode. "Frag out!"

  "GRENA-"

BOOM!

  "Go! Go! Go!" Ivan shouted.

   After that order was given, the duo left their cover and counter-attacked, taking out three soldiers standing on the edge of the platform.

  "Frigidus!" Ivan thought, firing a blast of ice at three troops to his right before yelling. "Take cover!"

   They jumped on, and ran towards the glacier. On the way, they shot two soldiers on each flank while Pierre covered them. Upon reaching it, they sat down and reloaded their guns.

BLAM!

   Pierre would place a bullet into another soldier from the pillar he was hiding behind, clearing the place.

   On the contrary, a few seconds later, they heard footsteps that were coming from the stairs.

  "Great!" Ivan stomped his foot on the marble floor. He then got out a grenade and armed it. "Frag out!"

Clank! Clank! Clank!

BOOM!

  "Open fire!" One of the soldiers cried.

  "More like open flame." Ivan muttered as machine gun chatter echoed across the station.

  "Ignis!" He then thought. Another ball of fire would fly out of his hand, scorching five soldiers once it made contact with them.

   They screamed in agony as their enemy sprayed multiple rounds of bullets at them and their comrades. Due to this, the squad suffered losses and weren't quick enough to make their move.

  "Damn it, we got casualties!"

  "Heh, dunces." Haystack chuckled while they were reloading behind cover.

   In the meantime, Pierre got his turn.

BLAM! BLAM!

   He shot down two soldiers.

  "What the-"  What the squad leader saw was now two bodies lying beside his left flank. However, he wasn't able to spot the shooter, because he was already cloaked and heading for the turnstiles. "Son of a bitch!"

    He then went to his walkie talkie. "We need reinforcements!"

  "Roger that, dispatching troops to your location."

  "Good, now let's close in on those bastards!"

   The troops continued to open fire, taking large steps towards the glacier.

  "Crud." Ivan shouted. "They got us-"

   He paused, "Oh, right."

   He fired his dice, only nothing came out, killing his hopes. On the bright side, he was able to hide back behind cover before the bullets could reach him.

  "Great." He muffled, "No alcohol."

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

   Cutting sounds were heard along with more screams of pain.

  "Clear." Pierre confirmed.

   The two peeked out of cover to find this true.

  "And just in time too." He pointed at the tunnel where light was beginning to appear from their great.

  "Oh good." Haystack sighed. "Wait, if it's comin' from that direction, then wh'ah could've we go to the other station?"

  "To kill time of course. 'Ze other station is also protected by soldiers. It could've been like 'ze siege of Leningrad if we went-"

   That reference made Haystack a little angry. "Ya know, Celestia doesn't want to be rem'ahned of that."

  "Okay, okay." Pierre said, taken aback by his sudden report. "Ugh, geez."

   The light was getting brighter and brighter.

  "Let's go, now.' Pierre suggested before running towards the edge of the platform, causing the others to follow.

  "Oh, I know where this is going." Ivan implied.

  "Get them!!"

   They turned around to find three hovering drones charge towards them with more soldiers.

B-b-b-b-b-b-beep!

  "Get down!" Pierre shouted before pulling out a flare gun and firing past them.

D-r-r-r-r-!

   The shooting from the drones' twin barrel machine guns stopped as the flare distracted them. They turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees and gave chase. By then, the train had already arrived. Once it stopped, it opened it's doors and they went in. Then they closed, but not before Pierre threw an EMP grenade at the squad, disabling their communications, and their drones. Then the train sped off.

  "Damn sir, you sure have a lotta tricks up your sleeve."

  "Yes I do." He smirked before the three faded into awkward silence.

   They then sat down on separate seats and remained there quietly.

   After looking around for a couple seconds, Ivan found a tape recorder lying right next to Haystack. Apparently, he didn't know it was there in the first place.

  "Haystack, can you hand me that tape recorder lying next to you?"

  "Oh?" He looked over to his left and found it sitting next to his haunches. "Oh."

   The pony then reached for it with his muzzle. Only thing is, he wasn't able to grab it.

   Ivan rolled his eyes. "Ugh, don't worry, I'll get it."

   He walked over there and grabbed it with his hand. Sitting back down, he pressed the play button.

  "Well, hour one."

  "Hey, it's that guy from the other recording." Ivan pointed out.

  "Heading for the border along with my friend Davey. We'll be meeting in a resistance cell within the city. Also, his 'daughter' is coming with. With those two elements combined, I'm implying that he doesn't want to be hunted down anymore... or fight... "

  "Really?" Ivan wondered as the others listened intently.

  "... He told me that he'd do anything to that little girl from the tyrant; and quitting both the resistance and getting out of this stinkin' messhole is the only way. Vanessa Doofenshmirtz isn't too kind about children being abandoned anyways, so why stay here?" He sighed. "Poor kids. Parents keep abandoning them because they can't afford it... pfft, idiots. But hey, who can blame 'em? Anyways, I'll be geting there shortly. That sad little girl will soon realize the true meaning of freedom once we get out."

   The recording ended.

  "Then how did he-"

   Suddenly, it resumed.

  "Damn it, that douchebag's staying? Really?"

   Then he heard the click, signaling its actual end.

  "Huh, guess that answers it."

   Haystack shrugged in agreement.

  "Hmm, 'ze man must've been-." Then they noticed that it was getting darker. "Merde, activate your-."

  "We know, we know." The two responded in unison before doing just so.

   The train then slowed down and went to a halt before opening its doors.

  "Check the train, make sure that no one's inside." A soldier ordered.

  "On it."

   A couple soldiers would then go inside and take a look for about ten seconds before exiting the train. After about five seconds, the doors closed and the train was on its way again.

  "Phew." Haystack sighed after his cloaking ability worn out.

   Having nothing else to say, they continued to enjoy the ride. Pierre sat quietly, while Haystack began took another pill to recharge.

   This gave Ivan some time to think to himself as the others were possibly doing the same thing. He then closed his eyes to do so.

*   *   *

  *  *  *

   He was reminding himself of the second day after he left to join the legion. He was on a bus in the middle of barren land. There, he was looking at it through a window, seeing corpses and burnt crops lied on the ground. The other passengers watched in horror, panicking and asking what happened. Outside, there was music playing from a piccolo while men and women in white coats and assault rifles ran through the fields; wearing three point hats of emerald, pink, blue, and aqua blue stripes.

   The bus was beginning to slow down as they scattered the place.

  "Looks like the Celestianists are in control of this place now." A man said in a deep tone.

  "Hail Celestia!!" One of the rebels yelled with joy, which was followed by a battle cry from his comrades.

    A red flag with an eight point sun was waving over them as they sang an Equestrian patriotic song.

   Ivan however, ignored it and looked down onto his lap, where an envelope was sitting on it.

  "Ah'van?" Haystack's voice jumped in.

  "Whoa!" Ivan then opened his eyes and slightly jumped upwards to the voice. "Uh, yeah?"

  "We're approaching 'ze department." Pierre said

  "Is that so?" He looked out the window to find bright lights in the distance. "Oh, it is. Should've known that that was the reason why we had to take another train ride."

  "Yep." Pierre reached into his pocket and exchanged his walkie talkie for a small kit.

  "You know there's no time for a cigarette, right?" Ivan asked once he saw the cigarettes inside.

  "I know." He placed one of the cigarettes in his mouth and set it on fire with a lighter. Blue smoke began to appear once he inhaled and breathed out. Suddenly, a glowing black aura overwhelmed his body and changed him into an enemy soldier.

  "That explains it." Ivan thought.

   Haystack on the other hand, looked in distraught. Wondering how the hell was that cigarette able to do that without magic.

  "Now give me your SMG." He said in a deep fluent voice.

   Ivan was quick to react. "Excuse me?"

  "Just trust me on this, I'm disguised as a Doofanian soldier."

  "Alright then." He went over to the seat and grabbed the P90 before handing it over to Pierre.

  "Now turn around."

  "Oh I see." Ivan concluded. "Should've seen that from the start as well."

    He turned around and placed his arms up. "C'mon Haystack."

  "Oh." He obeyed and stood by his side.

   The train was beginning to slow down as it approached a station.

  "Alright, walk to the door."

   They did just that. A couple of seconds later, the train stopped. Five soldiers would then run over to meet them.

  "State your name, comrade." A female soldier demanded after the door opened.

  "The name's John Matrix of the fifth battalion forty third Star Fox regiment." Pierre replied in a brave tone.

  "Why John Matrix?" Ivan thought.

  "John Matrix, as in John Matrix from the movie 'Commando?"

  "Of course."

  "I don't think I can believe you there. All three of you may be spies-"

  "Hold on!" Someone from a distance cried. "Don't shoot."

  "Oh, General Weaver." The squadron (Including Pierre) saluted.

   A man in a red overcoat and black service cap joined the circle. "Sergeant Allison, do you know who you're talking to?"

  "An imposter sir." She retorted, pointing her shotgun at the trio.

  "You're talking to a Star Fox commando. An elite in our armed forces. He can't reveal his real name."

  "Oh, uh, sorry sir." She blushed.

  "Better be, or you'll be getting a demotion." He then turned to the three and said joyfully. "Matrix, how's it going?"

  "Good." He smirked, "I captured the bastards that the great leader wanted alive."

  "Alive?" Ivan wondered under his breath.

   The man met the two face to face. "The great leader has changed her mind about you two. She's ordered us to take you to Jepsen town. There, you'll be working for the rest of your lives."

  "No shoot, we're in a totalitarian state." Ivan muttered.

  "What was that boy?" He asked him aggressively, causing him to jolt in surprise.

  "Uh. nothing sir." Ivan knew that one move would kill him.

  "That's what I thought." He took two steps back. "Now I don't know why you pinheads came here. And I certainly doubt, the leader's accusations that you guys are spies for whatever foreign intelligence agency and the PRAI."

   He began to light a cigarette. "So, in an act of generosity, I will negotiate with the great successor and see if Washington and Canterlot are willing to pay top dollar slash bit to pay for your safety. Plus, with the pony, we can surely sever relations between the two."

   Haystack gulped in fear.

  "Take them away."

   Pierre poked them on the back.

  "Ah, hey!"

  "Just go." Pierre insisted.

   They exited the station and headed for the department. In front of it, was an outpost that surrounded the building. The troops in it watched in disdain as the two were being taken to the department.

   After that trip, they were now in front of the entrance of the brick colored building.

  "Open the door." The general commanded.

   The two soldiers in front nodded before grabbing the door handles and pulling the doors open.

  "Take them to the dungeon." He went on to say after they went inside; standing over a teal floor in a waiting room.

    Ivan looked down and grinned; trying to control his laughter. "They have a dungeon?"

   The soldiers then grabbed the two from their arms and tugged them forward.

  "John, aren't you-"

D-r-r-r-r-r! D-r-r-r-r-r! D-r-r-r-r-r!

   They looked back to notice that their comrade was wearing blue and their general was now dead on the floor as well as the two soldiers guarding the door.

  "Spy!" One of them cried. "Get-"

Whack!

   The distraction was potent enough for Haystack to kick the soldier in the back of the head.

D-r-r-r!

  "Ai!" A soldier yelped once Pierre shot him in the stomach.

Whack!

  "Umph!"

   Ivan also had the handle of it once he took one of the SMGs, hit a soldier in the chin with it, and then shot him. The soldier next to him met the same fate. Meanwhile, the soldier standing got a knuckle (or should I say horse shoe) sandwich.

BOOM!

  "What the-"

   Smoke ascended from the building, sending debris flying through the glass door.

  "Jesus!" Ivan cried. "What the hell was that!?"

  "'Ze files are located in 'ze main office of 'ze third floor." Pierre advised, ignoring his question.

  "Yeah, but-"

  "Go! I'll cover you!"

   He shrugged. "Alright then. Haystack, grab some ammo."

  "Yes Ah'van."

   They looted two of the bodies and then proceeded past the double doors as sirens began to wail. On the other side, was another waiting room; only this one was smaller than the other and it had five booths in front.

  "Attack!"

   Men wearing the same attire from the police department came out from behind those booths and opened fire.

   The two were quick to hide behind the doors and let the bullets fly.

  "Crap." Ivan thrust his hand forward, summoning his dice. However, nothing came out. "Crap!"

   He tried the next one, nothing. "Damn it, looks like we're going to plan B."

   He cloaked himself and ran inside, dodging every bullet flying past them. He then jumped over the soldier he was aiming for and grabbed him from the neck, pulling him back.

  "What the-"

   Ivan uncloaked himself.

D-r-r-r-r!

  "Roddick!" He cried as Ivan killed his comrade with a headshot.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

   Ivan let out a grunt as he felt something sharp sting his ankle. "Ow."

   Fortunately, that didn't stop him from shooting the others down with a spray of his SMG.

... D-r-r-r-Click!

    He then pulled the weapon back and knocked him out in the back of his head. Collapsing onto the floor below, he reloaded his weapon while Haystack dealt with the remaining two soldiers hiding inside the booth.

  "Clear." He proclaimed. "Ah'van, y'er leg, it's hurt."

  "I know that!" He snapped. "Ow."

  "Here, let me help ya with that." He offered.

  "How are you going to help? You're a pony!"

  "Take this." He now had a syringe in his hoof.

  "I don't trust a vaccine that looks like piss and was created by a pony."

   Haystack rolled his eyes, and then injected the needle in his arm.

  "Ow, hey!" He then felt something chilly in his wound. "Huh?"

   Looking at it, he noticed that the bleeding stopped and the pain was fading. "Whoa."

  "Told ya." Haystack then wrapped his hoof around him and helped him up.

   Ivan then got up and flexed his healed ankle. "Huh, looks like I was wrong in couple seconds."

  "Yep."

  "Alright, let's head up the elevator."

   The pony nodded and followed him over to the one nearby.

  "Ugh, great. This elevator only goes up to the second floor." He pushed the up button. "Looks like we're going to fight through two floors instead of one."

  "Guess so." The elevator door closed and made its ascension. "Ah'van, what's an elevator."

   Ivan face palmed. "The thing we're on right now, and the thing we just went on in the first building we entered?"

  "Oh, sorry... it feels naus-"

Ding!

   The door slid open.

  "Uh oh."

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

   They jumped to the side, letting the bullets fly past them.

D-r-r-r-r!

   The officer groaned in pain as three of Ivan's blind fired shots hit him in the chest.

  "Frag out!"

Clang! Clang!

   Haystack used his hoof to throw it back like a tennis racket hitting a ball.

  "Damn!!"

BOOM!

   Once the explosion ensued, they ran across the hall and into an office.

  "Where the hell did they go?" A middle aged woman asked in panic.

  "Don't know, let's just stay here until they do. We're on our own now."

  "Well, looks like we got time." Ivan whispered before grabbing an unopened bottle of alcohol on the desk. "Look for something useful-"

  "Found somethin'."

  "What is it?" He asked while he was opening it with a bottle opener.

  "Some more money." He said as he got out another sac of cash with his teeth

  "Oh." He took of the strap from his shoulder and placed it on the red carpet. "Alright, put the dollar store coins in there and I'll cover you."

  "Uh, what's a dollar store?"

  "Ugh, forget it." He drank the beer and felt warmth go into his hands. "Nice."

   He dive rolled out the door, gun blazing.

   One of the employees was shot in the head during the sudden assault. This gave Ivan a chance to hide behind the stone water fountain in the middle of the hall while the enemy was distracted.

  "Damn it, where the hell did he go?"

  "Wow." Ivan thought. "What a bunch of dumbasses."

   He cloaked himself once again and ran for the room on the other side of the fountain. After jumping over the man as if it were a rock, he uncloaked himself and grabbed a knife that was sitting on his desk.

   The man screamed as it penetrated through his black leisure suit and through his back.

  "Jack!" The woman yelled in horror before firing her pistol at Ivan while he used 'Jack' as a shield.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

   However, all the shots missed Ivan's head and only went onto hit her friend in the chest.

D-r-r-r!

   The woman then groaned and fired wildly as Ivan's bullets stung her in her breasts.

  "Ouch." He said sympathetically. He then dropped the man on the floor as the hallway grew quiet.

  "Ah'van, Ah'm done." Haystack called, carrying the satchel around his neck. "Wow, you humans have an odd way of carryin' bags."

  "Yeah, so do you ponies." He handed him the satchel and Ivan took care of the rest. "Hey, have you ever wondered what's inside the package?"

  "Nope, not at all."

  "Oh."

  "But hey, I don't think we should." They went over to the next elevator that was located at the end of the hallway and went over to the third floor.

  "Waddaya mean?" He asked as they reloaded their weapons.

  "Hell, we're just going to give it to them, get paid, and get the heck out of here."

  "Hmm." Haystack shrugged before the heard the ding of the elevator bell.

   Ivan was the first to fire this time, killing the employee on the other side.

  "Ignis!" He thought, sending a fireball towards the middle of the hall.

   The employees' screams were now audible as Ivan ran across the hall and used the room as cover.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  "I'm not scorching with them you foreign rats!" Someone cried.

  "Huh?"

   They took a peak around their cover. In front of them, was a man in an EOD suit, armed with an LMG, and approaching fast.

   Haystack knew what that was, and he knew a good way to deal with it. He glanced at the shotgun that was lying on the floor, and prepared to grab it.

Rat-at-at-at-at!

BLAM!

  "Ow!' Haystack screamed as he landed on the ground.

  "Umph!" The EOD soldier grunted, the spray of bullets bouncing off the Kevlar.

   Ivan pulled him in as blood began to seep from his back. "Damn, what a hit."

   He pulled the shotgun and aimed it high as he searched for the syringe.

   Haystack breathed heavily as the pain made him feel numb.

  "Where... hell... was... vaccine?"

   Those were all the words he could hear as a certain something began to waltz right into his vision. He was running down an endless forest, tears in his eyes, and the cool breeze blowing against his coat.

  "Huh?" He choked once he felt the cold feeling caress his wound.

  "Welcome back to the land of the living my friend." Ivan greeted calmly.

  "What the-" He sat up, confused on what happened. "Am ah dead?"

  "Either you don't believe me, or those Vaccines are like illegal drugs. What's that thing made of anyways?"

   He peeked outside to find out that the EOD soldier was now dead from a bullet wound to the head. He also noticed that the rest of the hallway was quiet as well. "Did you clear this place?"

  "Yep, now let's get to the chairman's office and burn those files."

  "Of course, but how?"

  "That stairway at the end of the hall..." He pointed at it. "... or at least I think that is the office."

  "Ok then."

  "Good, take the shotgun, I'll take the LMG."

  "Whah?"

  "Back up weapon, or if you wanna shoot one 'til the end. Doesn't really matter."

  "Oh, r'aght."

   They ran up the short stair case and to the door leading to the office. That's when they kicked the door open.

  "You'll never..." A man yelled.

  "Crap!"

   Their eyes widened.

  "... have her!"

D-r-r-r!

  "Ulgh!" The man groaned as all four bullets fired hit the black overcoat man in the stomach and chest.

  "Huh, close one."

  "Ah'van, what did he mean by 'her'?"

   They looked around the desk to find Maribelle lying underneath it. Her body tied up from mouth to ankles, her face full of slap marks and tears. The sight shocked them, but they knew that there was no time to feel bad.

  "Huh, guess that's what he meant by 'her'."

  "Wh'ah do they have her here in the first place?"

  "Most important question is why is that man beating her up? Come on, let's help her."

   After untying her, Haystack carried the shaken girl on his back while she held on for dear life.

  "Ok, now what?" Haystack asked.

  "Ivan, have you burned 'ze files yet!?" Pierre called through the man's radio.

  "Pierre, is that you?"

  "Yes, but have you burned 'ze files?"

  "Oh, right."

  "Also, you have to get out through ze window and meet up with resistance forces."

  "Why so?"

  "Because, enemy forces are closing in on your position!"

  "Crud, wait, how do you know this?" He asked as he watched the skirmish from the broken window.

  "Because I'm outside 'ze outpost."

   He got a little pissed, "You-"

  "Oh yeah, and use your cloaking devices, out."

   Then he remembered about Maribelle, "Wait-"

Static!

  "Aw great." He stomped his foot on the floor before arming a C4 detonator that happened to be on the desk for it to detonate in thirty seconds."That'll burn the files. Mainly because I don't know where the hell they are."

  He then cloaked himself again while Haystack did the same. Oddly enough, the device even had the strength to make Maribelle invisible as well.

  "Oh, cool." Ivan said, amazed by the sight, "Alright, hold on, Maribelle!"

   She nodded before the two jumped through the broken window and onto the battle ground below. Fortunately, Haystack was able to land on his hooves, making the little girl live the fall.

SLAM!

  "Where the hell are they?" One of the soldiers yelled as they raided the room.

   Three... two... one.

   The room exploded into pieces. While that was happening, the three were already making their retreat through enemy lines. After a while, they uncloaked themselves and caught up with resistance forces. Without introducing themselves, they made their withdrawal from the sight.

Chapter 12

                                                                                   Chapter 12

  "So why couldn't we stay with them again?" Ivan asked.

  "Simple, Troy doesn't want you both to stay outside ze city." Pierre explained, "Oh, and because they're always on ze move. They're leaving their encampment tomorrow."

  "Great, so we're walking back to the city, aren't we?"

  "Mmm Hmm."

   Ivan kicked the grass in frustration, "Ugh, we haven't gotten any sleep and now they're telling us to walk back... And why are we taking Maribelle along with us, anyways?"

  "Troy's orders, obviously."

  "But shouldn't she be getting medical attention?" He added, concerned for her safety, "I mean that guy was beating the crap out of her."

   Pierre looked at the little girl, who was lying against Haystack's back with tears in her eyes. She was sobbing quietly as her eyes remained wide open.

  "Non, not with them. They have too many troops to tend-"

  "She's a little girl, you know."

  "Ugh, They're just slap marks, they'll go away."

  "Yeah, but I mean she's traumatized, shouldn't they-"

  "Sorry, but there's no time."

   He sighed, having no choice but to agree, "Fine. Anyways, how long have we been walking?"

  "Thirty minutes, my friend." He answered as the moonlight above blanketed the grass beneath them.

  "And how long will it take until we reach the city?"

  "It will take at least an hour." A female voice said.

  "Uh, Haystack? Did something hit you down there?"

  "Just look." The voice said, making them do so.

   In front of them, was the sight of Maribelle sitting up, her tears dried, and her demeanor changing to that of seriousness.

  "Ah'van? Pierre?" Haystack asked, his mouth gaped, "Wh'ah can she talk... l-l'ahke that?"

  "Simple." She said calmly, "Moon's out."

   Ivan leaned over to Pierre, whispering, "Pierre, do you know what's going on?"

   Maribelle rolled her eyes, "So, do you guys have any names?"

                                                                                    *   *   *

  "Madame Doofenshmirtz!" A politician contacted through an intercom on his desk.

  *Beep!*

  "Ugh... yes?"

  "The department of labor is under attack!"

  "Ugh, why... why call me?" She groaned, "Shouldn't you be calling General Weaver about-"

  "He was at the base, and a spy murdered him."

  "What?!" She shouted, surprised at the bombshell report.

  "He was accompanied by the infiltrators and they managed to not only assassinate Chairman Tanning; but they were able to kidnap subject A1."

   There was a short pause before she went back on the air, "Alright, I'm on my way."

  "Good."

  *Beep!*

                                                                                   *   *   *

  "Well, nice to meet you guys."

  "Yeah, but can you explain wh'ah you could talk l'ahke that?" Haystack asked, urgently.

  "Alright, I was born by two parents that were infected with the body builders' Gabe. What are body builders, you might ask? Well, they're the pills you took-."

   Once he heard 'pills', he stopped her, "We know what-. Wait, how do you know we took some of them?"

  "I can sense it. Tell me, are you feeling a slight headache?"

   Ivan and Haystack began to notice it. The pain in their heads was low as she said, but it was strong enough for her to be right.

  "Huh." Ivan began to gently rub his head, "How did I not know that?"

  "Meh, That happens." She shrugged

  "Hmm, anyhow, what's Gabe?"

  "Let me explain." She ensured them, "Anyways, as I said before, I was born into this world by parents that were infected with the body builders' components called Gabe. It stands for Genetic Altering Body Enhancers, and it's a major ingredient in the body builders.  In further detail, the body builders were created by Roger Doofenshmirtz in order to keep his citizens happy with a revolutionary breakthrough during the tough economic years."

  "Oh, the Ah'rony." Haystack muttered as the two listened intently.

  "You can say that again."

   He glanced at her, surprised on how she was able to hear that, "Huh?"

  "Body builders could be used for many things. Stress relief, increased strength, intelligence, athletic ability. Hell, even sexual performance."

   Ivan chuckled, muttering, "Hmm, a four year old saying 'hell'."

  "I heard that." She chimed in.

  "Oops."

  "You're forgiven." She then returned to the subject, "Unfortunately, many people were starting to feel severe side effects from the 'Revolutionary' product. These side effects ranged from small things like colds, to grave ones like schizophrenia and other diseases."

   Behind her, Haystack was already feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about this. Unfortunately, he had know.

  "This angered the people, and Roger would suffer. Then, his brother Heinz took over, and he granted 'equal rights' to the infected. They were moved to homes with barbed wired fences so they can be isolated from the non-infected. Strangely enough, they're located in the suburbs. So that's where I come in. See, I was born with some of the structures from their body builders. Meaning that this gives the child a head start in intelligence. However, it only happens when something activates it. For example, the moonlight."

  "So does that explain why that guy was slapping you?"

  "Technically yeah, Chairman Tanning wanted some information out of me, and since the moon was out for a brief moment at the time, he decided to interrogate me like I was Rambo or something."

  "So why were you shaken up when we found you?" Pierre asked.

  "I just said that the moon was out for a short time. Thus, when it's deactivated I go back to crying like a child."

   Still, the three had one question on their mind. Neither Pierre or Haystack had the willpower to ask, so after a few awkward gestures at Ivan, the question was asked, "So... how do you know this?"

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "How do you know all about... about... what you just told us?"

  "Duh, I read about myself and other stuff while I'm in this phase." She retorted, "You thickheads should do the same. You have plenty of time to do so, by the way."

   They were still stuck in disbelief, but carried on, "Well then, go on."

  "Swell, anyways, I want you to have one of the houses."

  "What do you mean?" asked Haystack, "As in Break in?"

   She grinned like a cheery school girl, "Of course, the authorities don't really give a damn about them; so might as well have one."

  "Huh." Ivan wondered, "Sounds like a good deal. A little cruel, but a good deal."

  "Good." She then turned around, "Now let's go."

   Ivan then thought, "Ugh, why the hell did I say that?"

   From then on, they were quiet, letting the warm breeze of the howling wind take the wheel. The moon above them was shining bright as the last of the clouds fled away from the moon. The three were feeling sleepy, yawning sporadically as the night went on. Maribelle on the other hand, was awake; Looking through Haystack's binoculars, watching the clouds head towards the horizon. A few seconds later, he noticed that the dark sky was fading into a brownish color.

  "Huh. We're getting close." She said.

   The news quickly lifted their spirits.

   Haystack was the first to say something, "Close, As in we're reaching the city?"

  "Uh, yeah." She said bewilderedly, wondering if they're dehydrated or not.

  "Yeeeee haaaww!" Haystack was galloping down the grass, happy to finally see signs of civilization.

  "Does 'ze pony do this often?" Pierre asked, with he and Ivan on their trail.

  "No, I barely know the guy!"

  "Haystack?!" Maribelle called, "Haystack! Slow down!"

   But he just couldn't. So she had an idea. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. It was strong enough for the equine to choke once more and fall onto the ground.

  "Ow." He grunted.

  "Slow down, pony."

  "Sorry." He said, feeling ashamed for his actions,

  "It's all right." She then got off and stood beside him while the others caught up.

  "Merde, you surely know how to get a horse, or should I say pony to stop."

  "Thank you very much." She grinned, pleased at the compliment.

  "Anyways, whah did ya stop me?"

   She turned around and sat on his back, "Just head up that hill like we were doing, only walk."

  "Alright?" And so he did, causing the two to follow them without questioning it.

   After walking halfway up, she then gestured them to go prone. Again, they obeyed, no questions asked. After crawling for about a minute and a half before being ordered to stop and take a look past the top.

  "Damn, I got nothing to say to that." Ivan said, surprised at the infantry backed border that divided them from the city.

  "And it's a good thing you stopped ze pony from running towards it." Pierre intoned, looking through an inferred scope, "Minefields are guarding ze outside."

   This made Haystack want to say something, appreciated that she held him from pushing daisies, "Uh, thanks, Maribelle... for that."

  "Don't mention it." She looked through the binoculars, observing their defense positions, "The only way in is by... uh..."

   She leaned towards Pierre and grabbed an EMP grenade from his pocket.

  "What ze hell are you doing?"

  "The obvious." She armed the explosive and tossed it down the hill.

   When it landed on the ground, it would explode and send its electrical charges to deactivate the couple of mines in the area. The explosion then caught the attention of the troops on the other side.

  "Good, they think that the rebels are on the attack." said Ivan.

  "Now we go in." she proceeded in her mental instruction book, "See that gateway?"

   They looked to the left, where she was pointing at.

  "Yeah, I know where this is going."

  "Mmm Hmm." She grinned.

   The gates began to open on its own as five personnel carriers lined up.

  "Cloak, now!" She whispered.

    After doing so, the four ran over towards the entrance; avoiding the mines by running against the minefield.

  "Oh, and keep running." Maribelle recommend they do as they ran through the entrance. She hopped onto Haystack's back and slapped him in the neck, "Giddy up, Horsey!!"

  "Excuse me?" Haystack snarled, "I'm not a horse, missy! I'm a citizen of Eques-"

  "Yeah, yeah, I know."

   The alarm in the narrow base began to buzz as the quartet reached the other side.

  "Over there!" She pointed at a line of bushes, causing them to run towards it. Upon arriving there, they jumped over them and hid between them and the fence.

   The four then uncloaked themselves.

  "You know we could've just contin-."

  "Shhh." She interrupted his statement with a finger to his lips. The little girl then pointed behind them where a squadron of Humvees and infantry went in to reinforce the base, "Just follow my lead."

   He leaned away from her petite finger, "Pfft, obviously. You're the only one who knows where the house's at."

   She rolled her eyes before crawling towards the last bush in the line.

  "Do any of you still find it creepy that a four year old is now our commanding officer?" asked Ivan with eerie in his mind.

  "Psst, I heard that." She hurled back, "Anyways, you should be lucky that I'm in charge, because I'm actually offering you guys a place to stay."

  "She isn't wrong, Ah'van."

  "Alright." He groaned, "I'm just baffled."

  "Well don't be, now let's get moving." She looked both ways before running across the street.

  "I also find it weird that the Gabe was able to give her super hearing powers."

  "Let's not ask." said Pierre.

   The three then darted out of the bushes and followed the little girl. Yet, she was already running over the fence of the third house. This made the trio Bee line towards her instead of following her path.

   Maribelle climbed over another fence before she felt something bite the strap of her dress overall, "Whoa!!"

   Looking up, she noticed that a smirking Haystack had already caught up to her, "Well, you caught me."

   He put her on the ground while the others reached them, "Whah didn't ya wait up?"

   A bright light spread down the street.

   She gasped, "Because of that, now follow me."

    She ran towards the fence that divided the front and backyard of the home. After climbing it, the trio followed. Once the last person set his feet on the ground, the light grew brighter while it pointed at their backs.

  "Uh oh." said Ivan, watching their shadows increase in size.

  "Stop!" The HMG armed soldier called through microphone, "In the name of our motherland!"

  "Run!" Haystack shrieked before machine gun bullets flew over them.

  "Go! Go! Go!" The soldier cried before ceasing fire. The sound of infantry boots hitting the concrete was what followed.

   By then, the four were already on the other side of the back fence.

  "FIRE!!"

  "Duck!" Ivan yelled before bullets were punching through the fence.

   Meanwhile, Maribelle grabbed a grenade from one of Haystack's pockets, armed it, and tossed it over the fence.

   BOOM!

   The quartet then got up and ran to the fence after the little girl ordered them to do so.

   They then climbed over three fences before finally reaching the end of the street. Unfortunately, after climbing over the last one, they wound up setting their feet in front of an outpost located in the center of the intersection; and the sight of that made their mouths drop.

  "Son of a-" Ivan's words were then interrupted by the triggers of the enemy's rifles being pulled.

   Whck!

  "Ow!" Ivan stumbled after a bullet struck him in the hip.

   Fortunately, the others weren't hit by the rounds; and they were able to reach the other side with safety.

  "Ow, ow, ow, ow." Ivan slowed down as he grabbed onto his wound, doing his best to stop the bleeding.

  "Ah'van, you all r'aght?" Haystack said.

  "Yeah. Grrh." Ivan grunted.

  "Of course yer not." He handed him another syringe, "Take it."

  "After them!" One of the soldiers cried.

  "Go." Ivan ordered as he injected himself with the vaccine, "I'll, Nmh, cover you guys."

  "Alraght." He galloped, "And don't lose that, lahke you did with the others."

  "Ugh, why didn't you-"

   The soldiers running towards him would interrupt his question. In reaction, he held his LMG with one hand, and shot a ball of fire out of the other; setting four of them on fire. After spraying a couple rounds at them, he ran off and caught up with his comrades.

  "So, where now?" Ivan panted as they reached the corner of the sidewalk and made a right.

  "Where else?" said Maribelle carrying the obvious answer, "This way, of co-"

  "Tank!" Pierre cried while an M1A1 drove in front of them.

   Boom!

   BOOM!!

   The explosion was strong enough to expand from sidewalk to sidewalk.

   Fortunately, the four barely evaded it by a few feet.

   Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   Quickly, Maribelle turned left, causing the others to follow. This gave Pierre a chance to fire his revolver.

   BLAM!

   The bullet would cut through the soldier's head.

  "Bullseye." Pierre simpered.

   Boom!

   The sound of the canon fire sparked Ivan to use his dice once again. Therefore, he did, and the ball was able to detonate the missile in mid-air, "We should head into the homes, they won't fire there!"

  "Agree." The little girl then led the three into the backyard of the home nearby.

  "Hold on!" Maribelle lifted both her hands, signaling them to stop. She then walked over to her right and reached a visible lantern sitting against the wall. Turning it on, the light would reveal an RPG sitting right beside it.

  "Uh, uh... How, did you know this?"

  "A better question is, why is it here?" Pierre brought up.

  "Don't know, and I won't ask. All I know is is that I remember Davey sleeping here one night and the RPG was there." She then looked at Haystack, "Alright Haystack, you hold onto it."

  "Whah, b-but whah me?"

   Ivan rolled his eyes, thinking, "Really? Again?"

  "You're stronger than all of us here, so yeah, that's why?"

  "B-but can they at least tell them to carry-"

  "Sorry, we have no holsters, but those saddlebags you have are useful."

  "What?" He then groaned, "Oh, alraght."

   After loading two rockets in each of them, they ran off and continued their evasion, but not before Haystack grabbed a tape recorder that was lying nearby. Upon climbing down the last fence, they encountered the tank from before.

  Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

   The bullets from the HMG fired at them.

  "Looks like they know that they need to take us alive." Pierre said as they ran across the street, bullets flying past them.

  "Yep." said Haystack.

   Rat-at-at-at-at-at!

                                                                                       *   *   *

  "Wow, Isenburg." The driver of the tank laughed, "You're a terrible shot."

  "Oh, shut up, Green!"  The soldier growled, "It's late at night, and the wind is out!"

  "Calm down, man!" He began to drive down the street, "Just messin' with ya. Now-"

   Clang! Clink! Clink!

   The soldier was back inside with bullet holes in his body.

  "Ah come on, another?!"

   BOOM!

  "Whoa!" He shouted as the interior rumbled as if it were in an earthquake.

                                                                                      *   *   *

  "Nice shot." Ivan said, appreciated by his companion's successful.

  "Heh, thanks, you weren't so bad yerself."

  "Yep, now let's get out of here." Ivan stood on his feet and ran.

  "Yes sir." He began to follow.

   When they met up with the others, Maribelle would order them to head into another backyard to their right.

  "Damn, could this get any worse." moaned Haystack.

   She opened the fence door.

  "There they are!"

  "Son of a bitch!"

   Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   She yelled them to duck before closing the door. Once the shooting stopped, she ordered them to retreat to the backyard and head to the right. They ran over four fences before reaching one more.

   While Maribelle was given a boost, she said, "Oh thank god we're-"

  "Fire!!!"

   "Put me down!"

    Pierre brought her down before the bullets could hit her.

  "Let me guess, another convoy?" said Haystack.

   She nodded in disappointment.

  "Dag nammit!!"

   Then, there was a whistling sound. This caused them to look in the direction it came from. Their eyes would lead them to a man who was standing in front of an open door.

  "Hey, over here!" He shouted, waving his hand simultaneously.

   She knew that it was either seek refuge with them, or deal with more waves of troops. So, having no other choice, she gestured them to follow her into the home.

   Slam!

   Uncomfortable with the current environment, Ivan asked, "Uh, can you turn on the light?"

   Click!

   The light would reveal a living room filled with Doofanian troops.

  Cl-click!

  "Better?" The man said, wrapping his arm around Maribelle and pointing a pistol at her head.

   This would be followed by the soldiers getting up and pointing their guns at them.

  "Heh heh." Maribelle chuckled in embarrassment, "Silly me, heh heh."

  "Yeah." Ivan groaned, "Silly you."

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

   The soldiers looked up, recognizing the squadron of Chinook helicopters were hovering above.

  "Pfft, finally!" A soldier in the ground shouted. "What took them so long?"

   He then walked over to one of the landing chopper. "Attention!"

   Upon hearing command, the troops nearby would run and stand behind him.

   The back doors of the choppers began to open up while the troops stood in group formation. They stood firmly as the red coated officers came out and began to line up in front of them as if they were in the revolutionary war.

  "Our great successor residing!" One of the officers announced.

   Then he mumbled. "Ugh, can't they just decide a name for her already."

   The officers took at least two steps to the side, splitting the group in two. This permitted for their head of state to walk through the open path. Both sides made their salute, and held it.

  "Ah, Commander Jackson. Nice to meet you." The leader saluted before addressing the groups. "At ease."

   The troops ceased their salutes; however, they continued to stand firm and tall.

  "Nice to meet you too Madame."

  "So, what's the report?"

  "The report isn't good Madame." He frowned. "Chairman Tanning, General Weaver, forty of our troops-"

  "Your troops?"

  "I'm in command now. General Weaver said that he'd put me in charge if he was killed."

  "We'll see about that." She muttered. "Anyways, continue."

  "Yes Madame. As I was saying, forty of our troops, and fifteen members of the department..."

   The reports were making her frown as well.

  "... dead."

   She let out a sigh before looking up, observing the smoke that was ascending behind the building. "You also forgot to mention that subject A1 has been kidnapped, didn't you?"

  "Oh, right, sorry Madame."

  "And the fact that more than five hundred children across the country are now in Anarchist hands. Non-existent in the great fatherland."

  "Yes Madame. Our troops did their best to stop them, but the infiltrators were too much for us to handle."

  "Oh, well that's sad."

BLAM!!

   The men stood still, even as blood spat from the back of Jackson's head.

  "That's so so sad." She nodded, putting her pistol away. "Am I right Wesley?"

  "Yes, yes you are." He replied nervously. "What are you right on?"

   She giggled. "I like you Wesley, you know that?"

  "Uh, yeah."

   She gestured her black coated infantrymen to divide. "Follow me."

  "Uh, yes Madame."

   They walked through the aisle. "I said, that it's sad that General Weaver's apprentice wasn't able to stop them from kidnapping five hundred plus children. What a pathetic excuse for a top general's servant."

  "Hmm, Shame."

   She stopped near the end of the aisle, giving him a seductive smirk. "Good thing you never disappoint me. On and off the battlefield."

    This made Wesley blush as his comrades snickered at him.

  "Shut up!" She yelled, silencing the troops on both sides. She then looked around, noticing that the reinforcements had already set up defenses around the building. "You are all dismissed! Return to your assigned positions!"

  "Yes Madame!"

   The soldiers scattered to search for them as she and Wesley stood where they were.

  "Any assignment for me, Madame?" said Wesley, remembering that he had a job to do... any job for that matter.

  "Help out with the Sentries they're setting up." She insisted. "They need your guidance in knowing where to put them."

  "Yes Madame." He saluted, running towards the entrance of the building.

  "Oh, and one thing." She said, grabbing onto his arm.

  "Yes Madame?"

  "When we're finished here, I'd like to commence round two."

  "Uh, yes Madame." His face turned red again, hiding it by walking towards the building.

  "Huh, good thing your troops don't know about what you and Commander Wesley do."

  "What?" She turned around, where a man in a grey suit was standing in front of her. "Oh, General Carlin, you're here."

    The two walked over to each other and exchanged salutes.

  "Yep, came here as soon as senator Bash told me." he grinned.

   This made Vanessa chuckle. "Looks like the bloke was on high alert when the department was under attack."

  "Of course." He nodded.

  "This also means that you will be in command of this base, right?"

  "Indeed." He looked behind him, watching the troops carry the body bag of General Weaver onto the chopper. "I think I will be a good replacement for Weaver."

   He then turned around and sighed. "Poor guy."

  "Yeah, one of my best."

   The sound of the troops' chatter would take over as they looked at the damaged building in front of them.

  "And it's a good thing I came here too." said General Carlin.

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "Subject A1, gone."

   She didn't speak for a few seconds, but managed to respond. "Yeah... damn infiltrators took her. That little girl is crucial in our search for the other Gabe infected children."

  "But can't we just use the parents?"

   She face palmed. "The Gabe between parent and child are different."

   The revelation was playing with the general's head. "Whaddaya mean, 'different'?"

   The leader sighed in annoyance before looking at Carlin.

  "This is Sparta six, we are taking the culprits to the department of security, now." A soldier radioed.

  "The department of security, where's that?" asked Ivan.

  "The place they were going to take you guys." said Maribelle. "Don't know why they took you both to the jail cell-"

  "It was closed, because these douchebags arrived!" The soldier snarled. "Now get into the damn vehicle!"

   They were poked by their rifles until they sat inside.

Slam! Slam!

   In front of them now, were five soldiers with their rifles pointed at the quartet's heads.

  "Don't try to move or talk, you worthless farts." One of them said, trying to sound intimidating. "Doing so will get your heads blown to bits."

   Ivan then thought. "Sheesh, it's one of those guys."

   The vehicle began to move, creating a silent void between the factions.

   The fact that guns were once again pointed at them was potent enough to make Haystack's eyes water.

  "Whah did 'ah choose this job." He thought, the tears breaking free from his eye's grip. "'Ah just-"

   But his somber thoughts would be interrupted by. "Whoa man, are you crying?"

  "Huh?" He uttered.

"Oh why, Haystack?" Ivan thought, wishing he could just moan in annoyance.

  "Jeez Louis, man." The soldier in front of him reacted. "Are you ponies always this emotion-"

  "Zip it, Caldron two!" The tough guy yelled. "This..."

   The man suddenly began to feel dizzy. "T-this..."

   He dropped his rifle, and wouldn't you know it, the others began to do the same.

  "Uh... what... t-the..."

   Then the soldiers then sat back, becoming motionless. This gave the three confusion after watching the soldiers secede from consciousness.

   Maribelle was the first to speak. "What the hell was that?"

Snap!

  "This Watch." Pierre said, showing it off in front of them, "Those idiots didn't account for this. They thought it was just a plain one. Now turn around."

   Ivan was the first to do so. Behind him, was the sound of a laser beam, followed by a snap. He felt the chains feel loose, signaling his liberation. Upon watching the chains break, he went on to free the others.

  "Ok Pierre, now what?" Asked Haystack while they dropped the cuffs on the floor.

   Pierre then looked at the bodies. When he found what he was looking for, he took it out of the holster.

  "Ready this pistol." He said, handing the pistol at Ivan. "We're going to go for a wild ride."

   Taking the pistol from his hand, he began to recognize the meaning of that statement, then he gave his own orders. "And you two should arm up."

  "Hey, what about me?" asked Maribelle.

   Calmly, he replied. "If we let you fight, It's considered a-"

   Then his previous mission flooded back into his mind. "Oh fine, arm up, before we're considered Hypocrites."

  "Thanks sir." She grinned.

   The three began to arm up as Ivan stood against the wall.

   Placing his ear against it, he noticed why the drivers couldn't hear them.

  "Wow, I didn't know they liked Ylvis."

  "Hey Ah'van, ye're goin' to need this."

   He turned around, realizing that he was carrying a bottle of alcohol in his teeth. One his left hoof, was an assault rifle. On the right, was ammo.

  "Uh, thanks." He said awkwardly. "Don't know why was it in one of the soldiers' pockets, but I'll take it."

  "Hmm." His comrade shrugged.

  "And Yes. I better arm up too."

   After the he did as well, they prepared for attack.

  "So, are you guys ready?"

  "Of course." said Pierre. "Now, knock on the wall."

  "Copy that."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

   The slide door then opened, "Yeah?"

BLAM!

  "What the-"

BLAM!

   Then their feet began to lose balance as the vehicle careened off the street.

   The vehicle then fell on its side before plowing through a fence.

   The quarter sat up, their bodies aching from the crash.

  "Everyone alright?" Ivan asked.

  "A little hurt from the crash, but yeah." replied Maribelle, rubbing her neck.

  "Good. Now Go! Go! Go!"

   Pierre kicked the door open, letting out a magazine full of rounds upon exiting.

   The other three would follow in Pierre's footsteps.

  "So Maribelle, where now?"

  "This way." She pointed.

   The four were then off, eluding from the military once more.

   Vanessa was already on the chopper now, satisfied that her work at the department was already complete. Her satisfaction was strong enough for her to hold onto Commander Wesley's knee and give him another wink.

   As usual, it made him blush in embarrassment. Yet, he was relieved that no other officer in the chopper was looking.

   Then, there was a ringing noise coming from her phone.

  "Hello?" She answered.

  "Madame, we were able to capture the infiltrators!"

  "Really?" She stood up in joy, causing the others to grow curious. "They're captured?"

  "Uh... yeah... about that..."

   Her smile was then reduced to a frown. "Whaddaya mean?"

  "...You see, we were able to capture them... but they managed to knock out the soldiers in the vehicle and kill the drivers."

  "What!!"

  "Whoa, Madame, you should've saw that coming!"

  "Ugh, Never mind!" She then hung up. "Commander Wesley, deploy it!"

  "Yes Madame!" He saluted. "... Um, deploy what?"

   With the urgent situation they were in, it didn't make her laugh.

  "How close are we?" Ivan asked, growing impatient.

   They've been following the little girl for five blocks now, wondering where the house is at.

  "We're getting close." She said quietly. "I can feel it."

  "Man, this is what we get for trusting a four year old girl." Ivan muttered.

  "Hey!"

  "God damn it."

  "Keep calm, shut up, and follow me, damn it!"

  "Uh, Ah'van." Haystack muttered. "Don't speak like that again."

  "You tell 'em."

  "D'oh."

   She smirked. "I love this ability."

   She then raised her voice. "Anyways, the house we're headed for is just ten blocks away."

  "Ugh, finally!" Ivan groaned.

  "Again Ivan, Keep calm, shut up, and follow me. Damn, what a douche."

  "Hey, I'm no douche!" Ivan defended. "It's just that we've-"

  "Ivan, please. Just calm down." said Pierre, trying to tame the boy.

  "Fine."

  "Alright, follow-"

F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f...

   She gritted her teeth. "Damn, chopper."

   The searchlight hovered over the ground like the tractor beam of a UFO... if the driver had no idea how to use it. Once the light went in another direction, it gave the squadron an okay to proceed.

   The soldier manning the minigun yawned before turning his headlamp on, "Damn, time to look around."

   He looked to the left and to the ground, where coincidently, their target was right in front of him, "Crap!"

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

  "Son of a bitch, I forgot about that!" Maribelle cried, angry at their detection.

   Luckily, they were able to reach the other side unharmed.

Slam!

   The fence door was now open, allowing them to run through before the chopper could spot them.

  "Okay, hide here and cloak yourselves."

   The four then stood against the wall before seceding from visibility.

   The chopper pilot beamed the light over the house, where he found nothing.

  "This is Ratchet 2-5, Clank and I haven't found the infiltrators." He reported, "They seemed to have gotten away from us... again."

   The chopper flew off, making them uncloak in relief.

  "Let's go." She said quietly.

   Unfortunately, after reaching the other side, they were met with more of them.

  "There they are!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   They ran back. Hiding just in time before the convoy's bullets could reach them.

  "Celestia damn it." muttered Haystack, frustrated that they're back in this situation again.

Smash!

   One of the glass windows suddenly broke.

  "What the hell?" Ivan yelped.

   Then there was the sound of a rocket launch.

BOOM!

   They watched in awe, noticing that the chopper from before was now blown into fire and scrap metal.

   Firing would then go on to cease.

  "Psst." The RPG man called. "Get in."

  "Uh, sarge?" One of the soldiers asked.

  "Yeah?"

  "Looks like they have company."

   His comrade nodded, "Prepare your grenade launchers. We're-"

   BLAM!

  "Umph!" A soldier manning an HMG grunted as a white streak of light flew through him.

  "Damn, they have a Machina!"

   Ka-thwop! Ka-thwop! Ka-thwop! Ka-thwop! Ka-thwop!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM! BOOM!

  "So, why bring us here?"

  "To cover you four of course." The man replied. "Now go!"

   Without asking questions, they joined the others in the effort to fight their way out of the avenue.

  "Why the hell are we doing this?!" Ivan yelled, firing a blast of fire at one of the soldiers. "Can't we just run over to the right!?"

  "Can't!" One of the fighters shouted. "Convoys have surrounded the area."

  "Why didn't they do it earlier?" Ivan muttered. "Slackers."

   He got out of cover, looking through the scope and taking out three soldiers firing from the lawn.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  "Yikes!" He then ducked behind the wall.

  "Pico, you forgot about the one on the left!"

  "On it!" He shouted, "Just waiting for the bullets to stop flying over me!"

   Once it stopped, he made his move.

BLAM!

  "Tango down!" He yelled, hearing the loud groan of the soldier.

  "Alright, Go!" The man yelled.

   Ivan nodded. "Okay guys, move out!"

   They obeyed command, running out of the house and reaching the street.

  "Wow, we totally owned these guys." said Ivan, running over the soldiers' corpses. "Didn't we?"

  "Own?" asked Pierre, bewildered by his interpretation alongside the others.

  "Oh, Uh, yeah, something that's common on the internet."

  "Ugh." He groaned. "Kids."

  "Enemy troops coming in from all sides!" One of the rebels cried.

  "Damn it." muttered Haystack. "Take positions!"

   They and the rebels prepared to fight, using the Humvees and their only source of defense... along with the now reinforced house.

  "Charge!!!"

   Hearing the battle cry, it was their cue to counter-attack.

   In only ten seconds, the Doofanians suffered multiple casualties.

  "Retreat!"

   They fell back, evading the bullets as if they were zombies.

  "Go! Go! Go!" The man yelled.

   The four then ran to the other side of the street, running through the block and shooting down any retreating soldier they found.

   Reaching the other side, they observed the enemy position. Just like the previous street, a convoy of Humvees were docked there.

  "Ok, arm the grenade launchers." ordered Ivan.

   After they did so, he commenced the count down. "Three, two, one, Attack!"

   They ran over to the other side, firing their grenades at the HMGs.

  "Wow, nice shot."

   Again, they were able to mow them down before they could even react.

  "That was quick." Ivan smirked.

BOOM!

    The ground shook again, sending them collapsing to the ground.

  "Aw Not again." groaned Haystack, looking at the giant robot as it turned around, "Run!"

   On impulse, they ran off.

"Burn, enemy of the state!!"

Boom!

  "Yikes!" Shrieked Ivan.

Ka-thwop! Rat-at-at-at-at!

BOOM!

  "Wow, I'm full of luck tonight." chuckled Ivan.

    They hid against the wall as the smoke was still too thick for the robot to see through.

"Where are you, vermin?"

    They ran over to the other side of the fence, luckily avoiding the robot's detection.

  "Phew." Maribelle sighed, her heart pounding as she shook in fear.

  "By the way, the robot reminds me of a fireman."

  "A what?" asked Haystack.

  "Oh, right."

  "AAAHH!!" The robot groaned.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  "Looks like we have backup." said Pierre.

BOOM!

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

  "Well, not anymore then."

BOOM!!

  "AAAHHH!!!"

  "Come on." said Maribelle, holding onto an RPG.

  "Uh, where did you find that?"

  "It rolled over here." She shouted, running towards one of the Humvees. "Now let's go, before the robot gets over here!"

  "Let's not ask." sighed Haystack.

   The three then followed her to the Humvee and drove their way out.

  "The rocket had an impact round, he'll be comatose for a couple seconds-"

BOOM!

   The ground shook uncontrollably, tossing the vehicle into the air with great distance. It would then land on the floor with force.

  "Or he'll be back right now."  She shouted.

"Get back here!!"

   Haystack opened fire, bombarding the robot's head with bullets.

  "Pierre, help Haystack with taking out that Robot!" ordered Maribelle. "And take these Armor piercing rounds!"

  "Yes Madame!" He switched his magazines with the one with the Red tape and headed on to the back of the Humvee. After breaking the glass, he raised hell, firing relentlessly at the body armor.

  "So, where to next?!" Ivan panicked.

  "This way!" She pointed to the left, making Ivan power slide in that direction.

Boom!

BOOM!

  "Blessed Celestia!" cried Haystack, watching the smoke and fire appear in front of him.

  "Ha." Ivan smirked. "Missed."

Boom!

Rat-at-at-at-at!

BOOM!

"AARRGHH!" The robot yelled as shrapnel from the rocket pierced through his face, blowing his head into pieces.

  "Damn!" Pierre's jaw dropped, "That's one huge fountain of sparks."

"This isn't over!!!" It yelled, getting out his shovel.

   "Crap." Ivan muttered. "As usual it isn't giving up."

  "To the left! To the left!" Maribelle cried, pointing desperately in the direction of the street.

  "And down down, do your dance." Ivan giggled before obeying her command.

SLAM!!

   The shovel hit the street, missing the Humvee by inches, but lucky enough to throw it off its wheels and throw it off the small bridge.

  "Whoa!!" They screamed.

   The vehicle then hit the water with the rooftop, letting in gallons of water flow into the interior.

   Maribelle was able unbuckle Ivan's seatbelt and help him out of the sinking Humvee. Then, they rendezvoused with the other two underneath the short bridge.

  "Huh, at least the little girl helped me out and." Ivan scolded.

Blam!

BOOM!

"AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!"

   Then there was the sound of metal banging on the asphalt.

  "Looks like 'ze robot has been taken down." said Pierre, watching the water charge from dark black to a fiery orange.

  "Huh, I wonder by who?"

  "Does it really matter at this moment?" said Maribelle. "Follow me, the house is down this canal. And by follow me, I mean head underwater to avoid direction."

   She submerged herself back in the water, making the others do the same.

   The man that fired the shot watched from the tower he commandeered. Looking at the four through his high tech scope.

  "Troy." He radioed quietly. "Robot's down."

  "Thanks sir." He sighed. "Ugh, why would I trust teens to deliver this package?"

  "Well, at least they have experience in combat."

  "Yeah, I guess you're right. Now get down from there, and report to base."

   Having nothing else to say, especially about Maribelle, he complied. "Alright, I'm on my way, over and out."

Static!

   After a few minutes in the water, Maribelle stopped and directed them to emerge from the water.

  "Okay, you see that wall?" She asked.

  "Is it the one that says 'There's no such place as paradise' on it?" Ivan asked, wondering why she asked that.

  "Duh. Now does anyone have a grabbling hook with them?"

  "Nope, ours broke."

  "Ugh, teens. Pierre?"

  "Nothing." He nodded.

  "Fine. Time for plan B then."

   And so, she ordered them out of the water and to form a ladder so that she can climb up. After reaching the top, she told them to hold on tight.

  "Uh, why do you want us to- Whoa!!"

   In an instant, they were yanked onto the other side, landing on the dead grass that was waiting for them.

  "Ouch." Ivan muttered, muscling through the pain in his rump.

   It was then followed by a shriek. "Yo Sweetie, what was that?"

  "Crap, follow me." She demanded.

   The three were then led to the wall of what seemed to be an ordinary home.

  "Hear that? That's the voice of a crazy."

   Ivan pouted at the name. "Wow, I expected a better name for them than that."

  "Well, can't call them anything else. Call both Heinz and Vanessa cinephiles if you like. But if that's what they called them, then it works for me."

  "Works for me too." said Haystack. "Wait, what do you mean b'ah-"

  "Good, now give me a weapon."

  "Uh, what about-"

   Ivan was interrupted by her answer. "Jammed."

  "Oh, ok." He handed her his carbine. "Good luck."

  "Betty, I can't find them anywhere!" The male crazy moaned, searching for their prey.

  "Keep searchin' Jackass!" His partner yelled.

  "Oh come on!"

  "I wonder why they sound like regular people?" Ivan wondered. "You know there's no need to-"

   The man trudged forward, making himself visible to their eyes. "I know they're out there."

  "Sheesh, he sounds like a whining-"

Click!

   A cone-shaped light appeared in front of him.

  "Holy freaking crap!" She aimed the carbine and pulled the trigger.

Rat-at-at!!

  "Aaarrgg!!" The man growled, soaking in the three bullets like BB's before cartwheeling his way back inside.

  "Damn, no crit. Follow me!" She led them inside the home, where he and his wife had now bared there red flag, arming up in order to repel the intruders.

   Fortunately though, they were easily taken down by the multiple rounds that bombarded their thick skin. The catch was that it woke up the other crazies in the room.

  "Jesus, you could've told us that there were-"

  "I forgot okay?" She retorted before muttering. "Jackass."

   The four hid behind the round table and made their move, taking out two crazies as they desperately tried to find cover.

  "Frag out!!" Maribelle cried tossing grenade into the hallway.

BOOM!!!

   Then there was the sound of a blood curdling scream.

  "Push forward!" She yelled.

   They then stood on opposite ends of the hall; and in a couple of seconds, the remaining three would drop dead.

  "Clear." said Ivan, after they checked every trash filled room for more,."But won't this shootout spark attention?"

  "I already told you that the authorities don't give a hoot about them. So you're fine."

  "Phew." He looked down, looking at the one of the crazies' faces. "Look's like they're not regular."

   The grey, disfigured face, was starting to creep him out, so he looked up.

   She rolled her eyes. "Why didn't I tell you this before?"

  "Gahs, check this out!" called Haystack, earning their attention in a snap.

   As they walked down the hall, Maribelle's GABE senses were tingling. "Haystack, stand back!"

   He did just that, taking a couple of steps back from what he was looking at.

   Once the three entered the room, they noticed why she gave out that order. In front of Haystack was a baby.

  "It's just a- oh I see why." Ivan said, noticing its dim lighted eyes and gold colored tears that were streaming out of it.

  "That's the reason why I wanted for us to stay here." She said. "You're going to need this stuff."

   This made Haystack worry. "B-but didn't ya say that it's dangerous."

  "Shouldn't you imply that they took too much of it?" said Maribelle.

  "Uh..." This left him speechless.

  "Look, you both were lucky enough to survive those couple of waves; but I promise you, they're not going to take it nicely."

  "Of course they won't."

  "Just take the Gabe out of the kid, put him out of his misery."

  "I think there's another option." Pierre jumped in.

  "Whaddaya mean?" She glared.

  "If you two don't want to hurt ze child. You can always get half of 'ze Gabe and give them to 'ze resistance."

  "And who-"

  "I'll do it."

  "Do you seriously want that Pierre? The child doesn't need to continue on with-"

   He lifted a hand. "Let them choose."

   As usual, she rolled her eyes, "Fine, here."

   She then walked over to Ivan and handed him a medium sized syringe. "You're going to need this. Just take the Gabe out of him and I'll give you more information once the procedure's complete."

   He took the syringe and walked over to the fearful baby.

  "So Haystack, what should we do?"

  "Ah don't know. Ah'm just scared. 'Ah mean, 'Ah want to surv'ahve in this place, but I don't want to do... do..." He began to shiver, tears in his eyes. "Th-th-that!"

  "Me neither, so I want you to take the shot."

  "What?" He gasped. "Wh'ah don't you do it?"

  "You're the one who can't decide."

  "So does that mean that you have a decision?"

   He looked at the, feeling bad for the child. "Yeah, I want the baby to live, of course."

  "Then I'm going with that decision too."

  "I knew you would say that." He smirked.

   He handed him the syringe, and in an instant the needle would pierce through the baby's skin, making him cry in pain.

   Haystack pulled back, letting the bright red liquid flow right into the tube. The process made the baby's veins brighten up, causing the two to feel a bit winded. Then, once the tube was half full, he withdrew the needle, causing the veins' brightness and their windedness to cease.

  "Oh, great." Ivan sighed. "Now let's-"

    Unfortunately, Haystack had already injected the Gabe into himself.

  "I'm sorry what was that?" He said nonchalantly.

   He was shocked at his sudden move. "Uh, hey, what the hell?"

   Wanting to prevent a fight, Maribelle decided to jump in. "Uh, uh, don't worry Ivan. You can get some Gabe from the other bodies."

  "Oh, really?" He said, his face of distraught fading away. "Huh."

  "Here ya go Ah'van." smiled Haystack, handing him the Syringe.

   And so, with a scowl on his face, he took it from his hoof. "Yeah, thanks."

   He then left the room.

  "What 'ze hell was that?" Pierre said, walking over to the now unconscious baby.

  "Isn't it obvious?" said Haystack, looking at the baby with grimace.

   On the contrast, the bodies had far less than the baby... combined. After that was done, and they were all settled down, Maribelle would go on to explain what Gabe does. She goes on to say that the Gabe now replaces the plastic coins, and can be used to purchase special combat enhancers in the vending machines, for example the Cloaking Pills they bought. Once her explanation was finished, Ivan was the first to announce that he was now tired. With that, the other three would agree and go to separate rooms. Well, except for Ivan and Haystack.

   Ivan was now sitting on a mattress while Haystack lied on a rug. They were remained quiet until Ivan asked. "So why the hell did you inject-"

  "Didn't know that you needed some, that's all... Ah'm sorry."

  "Fine." He said, knowing that that isn't the case. "But next time, don't do that."

  "Yes sir." He moped.

  "Hmm, you so want to go home, don't you?"

   His eyes widened, shocked by his conclusion. "Uh."

  "Ha, saw that coming." He lied down. "Why are you so desperate to go home, anyways?"

  "Wh'ah aren't you?"

   He paused for a while, trying to find an answer. But then, he remembered something. "You're right, but hey, I need to keep you alive, don't I?"

   The remark made the stallion smile a little. Feeling a little secure about his actions.

  "Alright man, Good night."

   Ivan turned to the right, and prepared for his slumber.

   However, still unsure, Haystack went on to ask. "Ah'van?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Do you think ah did r'aght?"

  "What?"

  "Inject m'ahself with that... stuff?"

  "I guess." He shrugged.

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

   Ivan's eyes lit open as the sound of a trumpet knocked on his eardrums. "What the-"

  "Good Morning, Comrades!" The announcer said, happy as usual. "Hope you had a good night sleep, because today's a new day!"

   He sat up, looking at the now clear window. "Yeah, because we needed the reminder."

   Haystack was next to wake up, still feeling a bit weary from sleep. "Ugh, good mornin', Ah'van."

  "Morning to you too, pal." Ivan said, working through his drowsiness in order to crack a smile, "How-"

  "Here are your morning news."

   The pause gave him time to say. "How'd ya-"

  "We are now assigning engineers from factory E3 to join our troops in defending the subway stations. We are in need of more defenses to prevent attacks like the one last night..."

Thud.

   The door was now open, with Pierre on the other side. "Ugh, why didn't you lower 'ze volume."

   He then walked over to the wall where the radio was attached to, and did what he hoped the two did hours ago.

  "Sorry Pierre." Ivan apologized. "Didn't know that."

  "Meh, it's all right. Now get ready, Troy will be calling at any... oh right. Our walkie talkies were confiscated last night."

  "Yep, so, any plan B's." suggested Ivan.

   Pierre began to think until an idea spawned up. "There's a resistance cell in the central part of 'ze suburbs. We can use that as refuge, and best of all, a way to contact Troy."

  "Huh, sounds like a good idea."

  "Yes it is. Now get ready, we're departing from the home in no time."

  "Yes sir." said Haystack, standing on all four legs.

  "Say, where's the baby?"

   The question made him frown. "'Ze baby's dead."

  "Huh?" gasped Haystack.

  "I'm telling 'ze truth. Now it's just a pile ash."

   Ivan was then the first to have a say. "Hmm, condolences. Anyways, go wake Maribelle up. We can't leave her behind."

  "Will do." and with that, Pierre was off to wake the little girl from her sleep.

  "Ah'van, whah aren't ya sad about it?" asked Haystack, moping.

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "'Ah mean the baby dah'd."

  "Hmm, there's no point in being sad. I barely new the little guy... or girl."

   He then got out of bed, put on his boots and left the room.

   Pierre in the meantime, was now in front of the door where her room was at. He knew that by now, her abilities were already erased for the time being. However, that created a new question.

   So, he opened the door to the sight of Maribelle still sleeping. Thus, making him go on over to her in a quiet manner.

  "Maribelle." He said softly while shaking her gently. "It's time to wake up."

   Her eyes would open quickly. Unfortunately, it would be followed by an earthquake that would overwhelm her body. Pierre quickly recognized that feeling, so he had to do the obvious.

  "It's okay. You're in good hands."

   His deep voice only made her disregard everything he said, deepening her fears even more.

  "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you."

   The little girl then shook her arm free from his hand and lied on her belly. This was making Pierre get a little frustrated.

  "Ugh, come on!"

   She squealed as tears were starting to seep out of her eye.

  "Is everythin' alr'aght?" A familiar voice said, raising her spirit.

   Pierre groaned. "You try. Ugh, I'm not good with children anyways."

   Haystack was the first to volunteer.

   Maribelle heard his hooves clop, making her feel less afraid.

  "It's okay Maribelle." He rested his hoof on her arm. "It'll be alr'aght."

   The girl didn't move, but she did ask this in her head. "W-who is he?"

  "If you get up and out of bed, you'll find out."

  "Uh, o-okay." She then turned around and sat up.

  "Good." He grinned. "Now..."

   He looked around for the spy, only this time, he was no where in sight.

  "Uh, Ah'van?" He asked. "Where's Pierre?"

  "In the kitchen." Ivan said, standing against the doorway.

  "Gentlemen!" Pierre called. "You might want to see this!"

   Those few words made Ivan run over there in a snap. Haystack on the other hand, stayed behind. "C'mon Maribelle, hop on."

   He turned around, presenting his back in front of her.

   Smiling at his offer, she complied and the two exited out the room.

   Meanwhile, Ivan and Pierre continued to look at the refrigerator's interior. Their mouths were hanging at the sight in front of them.

  "Looks like there will be no breakfast." said Pierre, regaining his composure.

  "Yeah, I guess so."

   Then Haystack jumped in. "Hey Ah'van, what's-"

  "Don't go any further!" Ivan ordered.

   The stallion halted in his tracks, leaving he and the girl in confusion. "Wh'ah?"

  "One word, 'heads'."

   That word was enough to give him the idea.

  "But since you're there, can you do us a favor and get the satchel for us?"

  "On it sir." He then trotted into the room.

  "Huh, looks like they'll do whatever it takes to live then." said Ivan.

  "Yes they will." He closed the fridge. "This is what Danville has become of."

  "Yeah. Come on Haystack, Maribelle!"

  "Comin'!" He then remembered the word. "Can 'ah?"

  "It's closed."

  "Oh, good."

   They then approached the duo. Maribelle would hide behind Haystack's head upon looking at the ski masked man.

  "So, how the hell are we going to get outta here?" Ivan asked.

   Then a spark of memory hit his brain, he reached into his pocket and got out a note.

  "Maribelle wrote this too me while you were asleep."

   The claim was starting to make Maribelle's head hurt as Pierre handed Ivan the note. "P-pony?"

  "Yeah?" He whispered.

  "My head hurts." She whinnied. "Aah."

  "Well, looks like we're going to blow up the wall then."

  "Grab 'ze C4 from 'ze room."

  "Yes sir." He then ran down the hall and searched for the explosive.

  "Pierre?"

  "Yes?"

  "She just told me that-"

  "I'm all better now."

  "Huh? But ah thought-"

  "No, it's okay, I'm fine."

  "Uh, are ya-"

   She nodded.

  "Alr'aght."

   And at that moment, Ivan came back with the C4, "Got it."

  "Good, let's move on now."

   He ran out the door, causing the others to follow without question. However, that didn't stop Haystack from taking a good look at the closed fridge. The news that the baby is dead, and the fact that there are human heads in there, was enough to creep him even more.

  "This is a very creepy city." said Haystack, trotting out the door. "Am 'ah r'aght, Maribelle?"

   The girl couldn't say anything but, "Um..."

   The quietness made the stallion talk, "Uh, don't worry, you don't have to ans-Umph."

   He looked in front of him noticing that Ivan was there.

  "Uh, wh'ah haven't ya..." He looked around, noticing the black painted words on the wall, scaring him a little more. "..det.."

  "Wow, that phrase really flies around here, just like the word, 'YOLO'."

  "I hate that phrase." said Pierre. "But you have to admit it, it isn't wrong."

  "Uh..." said Haystack. "W-wh'ah haven't ya d-detonated the e-explosive?"

  "Whoa man, it's just words." Ivan said, annoyed about his current fear. "Teh, nothing scary. Anyways, we're about to blow it up now, so stand back."

  "Oh, uh, ok." He took a few steps backwards. "Maribelle?"

  "Uh, yes?"

  "H'ahde in here." He reached into his saddlebag and opened it. "You'll be safe."

  "Okay pony." She then left from the saddle, and hopped into the bag as if it were a chute.

  "Oh yeah, and c-cover your ears. It's g-goin' to g-get loud."

  "Yes pony." She nodded.

  "Oh, and c-call me Haystack."

  "Oh, ok... Haystack." She grinned with a hint of worry on her face.

  "Alright, get ready!" Ivan ordered.

   Haystack closed the saddlebag and covered his eyes as the others did the same.

   Then, with a press of the detonator, the C4 blew a hole into the concrete wall.

  "Cloak!" Then, they ran through the hole and did so... except Haystack, who was now galloping towards the bridge.

   Annoyed by the sight, they uncloaked and ran after him.

  "Haystack, what in bloody hell are ya doing!?"

  "Keeping her safe of course!" He shouted.

  "Son of a bitch." Ivan muttered before the two went after them.

  "Hey, Joey." A soldier said, tapping his friend's shoulder with his finger, "Look."

   He pointed to the far left, where Haystack was at.

  "Well I'll be." Joey gasped, "It's one of the infiltrators, open fire!!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   The sound of the HMG, was enough to worry the hell out of the two.

  "God damn it!" Ivan muttered, "He's gonna be a goner."

  "Ah'm not goin' to be goner, Maribelle, n'ahther are you!" He reached back and got out of grenade. Biting its blade, he jumped into the air and tossed it at the bridge.

BOOM!

  "Looks like he isn't." said Pierre.

   The two then armed their grenade launchers and lined their shot.

Ka-thwop! Ka-thwop!

BOOM! BOOM!

  "Eeak!!" Maribelle cried, the sound of the explosions continuing to scare her.

  "It's okay, Maribelle!" Haystack comforted. "It'll be over!"

   He charged towards the disarrayed soldiers and mowed them down with one magazine.

  "Clear!" He called.

  "Damn it, Haystack." said Ivan. "Why did you run like... oh right."

  "Yeah." said Haystack, recognizing his error while he reloaded. "We're not like you humans. You should know that."

   Then, a police siren wailed in the distance.

  "Ugh, looks like we're going to face more of them." Ivan groaned. "Prepare your guns. If we're going to get to that cell, we're gotta carjack again."

   He ran forward, making the others do the same.

   After reaching the end of the street, they spotted another wave of enemies blocking their way.

  "Fire!"

   They fired another couple rounds. In that time, they were able to shoot down the men on the driver's seat of the squad car before using the vehicle as cover.

  "Haystack, take out that HMG!!" Ivan yelled.

  "On it!"

   Meanwhile, Ivan put his DICE to work by igniting five soldiers in front of them.

  "Bullseye." Ivan mumbled.

  "Ah'van, 'ah took him out!"

  "Good, now push forward!" The three advanced towards the Humvee, preparing to commandeer it.

  "Cover me!" Pierre opened the door. "I'm driving!"

  "Yes sir!"

   He hopped into the vehicle, crawling his way towards the driver's seat.

   One of the soldiers quickly found out about the plan and ran towards the seat to stop him.

Rat-at-at-at-at!

  "Aaah!! The soldier groaned, embracing the result of his unplanned tactic to retake the seat.

  "Phew, Close one."  After that, he managed to sit up and grab the door... only to be caught by four more soldiers who managed to reach him.

  "Don't think-"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

   Looking behind, he noticed that Ivan had managed to reach the HMG.

  "Thanks, my friend!" He then shouted.

  "Don't mention it! Now let's get to that cell!"

   Nodding, he turned the vehicle on and began to drive as Ivan provided cover fire.

  "Pierre, how long will we get there?" asked Haystack.

  "Don't know! Just keep 'ze girl safe!"

  "As usual."

   They were able to deal with the convoy before driving away. It took at least five minutes before they were able to reach their location; and with good fortune, they did it without being detected. Upon reaching the destination, Pierre pushed the brake and turned the vehicle off.

  "We're here." He opened the door. "Now, let's get out."

  "Agreed." Ivan hopped off the ringmount and waited for the others near the porch.

  "Knock."

   Ivan nodded.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

   The others caught up and waited along side him. During that time, it was nothing but silence until they heard the slow creaking sound of the door. The noise would make Haystack's saddlebag shake.

  "It's okay Maribelle." He comforted. "It's goin' to be-"

  "Come in." A deep feminine voice said.

  "Eep!" She squeaked.

  "Don't worry."

   The quartet then walked inside, where it was all empty.

  "So, you're the only one in this cell?" asked Ivan.

  "Of course not. Follow me."

   The four were then led upstairs. There, they met five men, all in camouflage.

  "Alone, huh?" said one of them.

  "How long have you g'ahs been here?" Asked Haystack.

  "Eighteen years." replied one of the fighters.

  "Eighteen years?"

  "Yep. The resistance wasn't that formidable."

   He leaned forward to get a good look at Maribelle. However, she was quick to lean back once she noticed his eyes.

   The man then leaned back. "How long have you known the little girl?"

  "Since the first day we were here."

  "And when was that?"

  "Yesterday."

  "Oh yeah, you guys are what the Doofs call. 'The infiltrators'. Heh, Jackasses."

  "Yep."

   In one of the rooms, Pierre, and the cell leader were now contact Troy.

  "Damn." She muttered, slamming the phone onto its mount. "I thought the phone service would be back online by now."

  "He must be helping someone else. Try again."

  "Dammit Pierre, I've tried like ten times already! That's more than the patches I've earned as a Fireside girl!"

  "Yes, but now you're a firestorm girl, so keep trying!"

  "Grrrr!"

   As they struggled to receive contact, Ivan sat alone in another room. There, he was looking outside where it was nothing but cloudiness and wind. He then let out a sigh as he marveled at the sight while a small tune was playing in his head. It was a soft one, and he always liked it; mainly because it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside as any soft song would do. He always thought that it was a perfect time to listen to them while the skies were cloudy. It just felt right when that happened.

  "Ahvan? Ahvan!"

  "Huh? What?" He looked at the door, where Haystack was standing there. "Ugh, yes?"

  "Troy's callin'."

   He sighed, "Ugh, Coming."

   Haystack nodded.

  "Oh, and put him on speaker."

  "Ivan, my man! How's it going?" He greeted.

  "Not good man, not good." He replied, annoyed by his view of the situation.

  "Yeah, but as they say, The soldier doesn't sleep until the job is done."

  "Since when did they say that?"

  "Don't know, but I heard it somewhere. Anyways,, I'd like you to meet-"

  "Pierre?"

  "Uh, yeah. H-"

  "He told me."

  "Oh, yeah... he's under your command now until your job's done, by the way."

   This made Ivan look at Pierre, who shrugged at the outdated news report.

  "Ok."

  "So, with that said and done, time for your next mission."

  "Great. What is it now?"

  "Did the Humvee disappear?" asked Pierre.

  "Yeah, but I don't think we're going to need it."

  "Clearly you do." said the woman.

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "If you just found out, there are no cars here. We're all forced to wait for the bus. Can't go anywhere unless we take it of course. That's why we've got these guys going." She pointed at a couple wearing the black overalls. "At least one person has to work, so they do it."

  "So we're going to need the Humvee?"

   She nodded.

  "Alright then, let's get over there." He looked behind him, "C'mon Haystack, Maribelle, before more troops arrive!"

  "Ok sir."

   They nodded.

  "You might want to leave the little girl behind."

   Maribelle was shocked, knowing that they were talking about her.

  "If children are found away from school, especially alongside resistance fighters, they'll be killed on sight."

   This made the four worry.

  "It's for the best that she stays with me." She held on to the little girl's hand. "Good lu-"

   However, she began to cry, reaching her hand out as she resisted the pull.

  "Maribelle, y-you can't go... with them." said the lady, "It's too... d-dangerous.. gee she's strong!"

   Even though he was saddened by the sight, Haystack knew he had to say something. "Uh, sorry Maribelle. Y-you... can't come."

   This made more tears stream out of her eyes.

   Haystack on the other hand, stood up and did his best to ignore it as he trotted towards the door, "Goodb'ah."

   After closing the door behind them, they were able to hear her cry for the Equine's name. It was enough for Haystack to feel afraid.

  "Damn, well, let's go." said Pierre, feeling a little bad about it himself.

  "Ah'van?" asked Haystack.

  "Yeah?"

  "Is this place scaring you?"

  "Yes and No."

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "No, because this is so common with us humans and yes because... because... actually it's just no."

  "Oh." He replied, disappointed that he was the only one. With Maribelle's cries for unity in his mind, he whispered. "What the hay's goin' on?"

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

  "Wow, what a night." sighed the woman in the recording. "The Body builders Josh bought are surely paying off. It's making him do better than before... hmm, especially in bed..."

  "Oh god." Ivan's head was now in his hands. "Why did you pick this up?"

  "... That boy still knows how give a girl what she wants, and it's all thanks to those juices... God, I can go on about it for a while. I mean, man, we rode each other like there was no tomorrow."

  "Well, better skip this."

   He tapped the fast forward button.

  "... He had me on my-."

  "Jeez, girl!" He tapped it again.

  "... He never skipped a beat-"

   He tapped it again. This made Pierre laugh a little, "Miss Baxter sounds really happy about it."

  "... Now, I'm out to buy more of that stuff..."

  "Thank you." Ivan sighed.

  "... I heard that they're giving out a discount on more of that 'Insta-Rush'." She sighed, "That stuff is in high-demand now, along with the other products. If I don't buy that in time, it's going to be the end of us... Well, not our love for each other, I mean our lives."

Click!

  "Odd recording you brought to me, Haystack." There was silence, making him look back. "Haystack? ... Haystack."

  "Huh?"

  "I said, it's an odd recording you brought me."

  "Oh, r'aght... sorry.' replied a depressed Haystack.

  "Nah, it's okay."

  "Hmm."

   He turned around, willing to leave him alone.

  "Man, I wonder why a tape that old was next to an RPG in the first place? What do you think Pierre?"

  "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I don't know." The spy answered. "Maybe that's where 'ze girl used to live... I heard she was a pretty popular fashion designer around Danville. Well, before 'ze country fell of course."

  "Huh, life must've been pretty good 'round here."

  "Hmm, it was supposed to be 'ze first Utopia, and seceding from 'ze United States was 'ze first step in doing so."

  "Yeah, but like all Utopias, they don't start out well. In the end, they either survive while in tact, choose a different path and delude the people into thinking that they've accomplished it, or die out completely."

   Pierre Nodded, "Isn't that 'ze truth? Just look at all 'ze nations out there."

   Haystack knew that one of those was his homeland. And he already understood what Ivan meant by not starting out well.

"Yep, for example, your country was overthrown more than once and tried to conquer all of Europe." said Ivan.

"Mmm Hmm."

"My country went into a civil war and had several economic problems, and Haystack's was conquered by some dragon thingy-"

"Draconequus." He chided.

"Whatever, and had one of their leaders banished to the moon for treason."

"Hmm, at least Equestria's alive and well." muttered Haystack.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

"Alright." Ivan shrugged.

   They exited the bridge, entering the Metropolitan area.

  "We're approaching 'ze checkpoint." Pierre announced. "Prepare to infiltrate."

   The two sat up, alert at the situation.

  "Have the bridge always had a checkpoint?" asked Ivan.

  "Not until you two came along of course."

  "Jeez, it's like we're false shepherds or something." He complained. "We're just mercenaries, why go after us?"

  "Don't know, but we'll find out eventually." He then remembered something. "Anyways, cloak yourselves, we'll be confronting more of them."

  "Yeah, but what about you? Your... cloaking cigs were confiscated."

   Pierre then took one out from under his sleeve. "Well, not all of them."

   He smoked one as the bus in front of them drove forward, forming into one of the soldiers.

   Upon reaching the checkpoint, he pushed the brake.

  "State your Identification, comrade."

  "The name's Sly Sludge."

   The soldier rolled his eyes. "Ah, you Starfox commandos... Is that a character from TMNT?"

  "No, it's from..." He flicked his fingers in thought. "...It's from... Uh, I got nothing."

  "Alright, nice try. Now get moving. Let's not delay."

  "Ok comrade, have a nice day." He grinned.

  "Ha ha, You too."

   The gate opened, signaling him to go forward.

  "All clear." Pierre announced.

   The two went visible in an instant.

  "Well that was quick." said Ivan.

  "It's very easy too... if you're careful."

  "I know."

   They drove down the street for about five blocks; passing by empty streets and patrolling troops before they drove to a curb and stopped.

  "Is it here?" asked Haystack.

  "No, but we can't go any further." He turned off the vehicle and opened the door. "The News station is heavily guarded, so we're going in through another way."

  "How?" Asked Ivan. "By Parkouring our way to it?"

  "That, and we came to get something from a guy. Now cloak yourselves again."

   Haystack was the first to obey.

  "Fine."

   Without being detected, they walked towards the skyscraper and entered into the lobby.

  "Morning Comrade." The officer on the counter greeted with a salute, "How's your morning?"

  "Great!" He grinned, giving the man a thumbs up.

  "Yeah, time for a new day!"

   The two followed Pierre into an elevator.

  "Okay..." He pressed the button for the top floor, "Uncloak."

   The two were now visible again, luckily, after the doors closed.

  "Have you ever wondered why Troy just gives us the mission and not go into further detail?"

  "No, because I know why."

  "What is it then?"

   Haystack was feeling nauseous by the ascension. It was something that he could've told Ivan a while ago.

  "Ahvan?" Haystack interrupted. "Do ya feel dizzy?"

  "Uh, No?" He answered politely. "But I'm assuming that you still aren't used to elevators, aren't ya?"

   He nodded, making his head hurt even more.

  "Don't worry, just stay strong, that's all I can say." But something about that boggled his mind. "You know I always wonder why you ponies are so confusing when it's up to technology. I mean you've coexisted with us since civilization began and you still aren't as advanced as we are."

  "Well excuse us for havin' to deal with divided tribes, discord, King Sombra, and Nightmare moon." The stallion groaned.

  "Whoa, don't get pissed man. I was just wondering."

Ding!

   The door opened, making them come out and walk down the hall.

  "Anyways, we had to deal with the dark ages and we turned out fi-"

  "Shhh!" Pierre whispered, "I don't think Equestrians like talking about that."

  "Fine." He said, leaving the wearily frustrated pony to be.

   They walked another few steps before reaching their location.

  "Here it is, room H8."

Knock! Knock!

   Pierre then intervened, preventing him from making a third knock. "Whoa, Ivan. Let me handle this."

   He took out a key and unlocked the door, "Get in."

  "Uh, where did you get that key?"

  "'Ze owner."

  "Seriously?"

   They followed him in, where tables full of weapons were waiting inside.

  "Huh, no wonder."

  "Hmm?"

  "No wonder you have his key."

  "It's a she." He closed the door before anyone outside saw.

  "Oh."

  "Grab 'ze weapons from' ze table. We'll be leaving shortly. Oh yeah, and grab that." He pointed at three boxes on the couch.

"Ok then, I'll go there first." Ivan walked over to them, picking one of them up and reading the product name, "The... Air-grabber?"

"Yep, an official product from BLU. Just pull 'ze trigger and you'll be flying in 'ze air, but don't shoot it too far."

  After opening the box, Ivan began to take a good look at the gadget, which looked similar to that of a Rivet gun, only with a longer muzzle. He looked at the controls and got a clear understanding on how to use it.

"You like it?"

"Don't know, gotta find out." He then handed them the other boxes and began to supply himself with ammo. With that, Pierre would be on the lookout for enemy troops by looking the door's peephole.

   Ivan grabbed the odd shaped sniper rifle in front of him. "Here Haystack."

"Uh, thanks." Haystack grabbed the rifle.

"You're going to need that. If we're going to infiltrate the building, then we're going to need some support."  He handed him the ammo.

"Huh, aren't these bullets a little too small for a sniper rifle?" Haystack said, observing the blue pellets in the magazine.

"I don't know, just take it."

"Hmm, alright." He looked below and spotted a shotgun. "Er, take this."

  He slid it over.

"Uh, nah, shotguns aren't for me." He mumbled

"Hmm?"

"Er, You should take it." He slid it back.

"Oh... k?" He looked at Pierre, giving him a worried face; which Pierre replied with the same feeling.

  Ivan sighed again, grabbing the SMG from the second table. "Alright, let's get moving."

  He aimed the SMG at the window.

D-r-r-r-r!

Crash!

  He then ran up towards it and jumped out, pulling the trigger of his Air-grabber.

Tw-wch!

  The rope spat out like a regular grabbling. Only this time, instead of going down like a tired bullet; it remained strait and grabbed onto the air as if it were concrete.

"Whoa!" Ivan shouted, the hook throwing him into the air and draining his screams out with its force. He felt the breeze stroll past him, making him want to play some easy listenable music as he sailed in the sky. It made him feel a bit free when he did this, as if he could soar in the sky with the Pegasi. However, that experience didn't last long... of course. He then looked down as the rush of air faded into obscurity. "Crap."

  He made his descent, letting in a new wave of air through his body.  Fortunately, he was able to stand his ground, putting his feet at the bottom and land safely on the rooftop of the next building... if you call falling over upon landing safety.

"Phew, good thing I was trained to-"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"Huh?" He faced upwards and placed his hand against his forehead for a better look.

"Umph!" Pierre was the first to land.

"Huh, I didn't know you were-" He was then interrupted by yet another burst of fright, "Oh, it wasn't you then?"

"Ow!" Haystack grunted, skidding against the roof with force before slamming his hind legs relief, "Ow."

"You all right buddy?" Ivan asked in a nonchalant matter.

"Yeah." Haystack struggled to get up, feeling dazed from the fall. "You humans and y'er fancy technology."

"Ha, and proud of it, too!... Well, most of it." He then turned his attention towards Pierre, who was looking around for directions. "So where to now?"

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

"Damn, looks like they heard that."

"Gee, I wonder what gave them that idea?" groaned Haystack, annoyed by his reaction.

"This way." announced Pierre. He then fired the rope into the air, letting it hold on to it and send him on his way. It wouldn't take long before the others followed.

"Ah'van!" Haystack shouted.

"Yeah?" Ivan replied with a less frightful tone than Haystack's.

"Wh'ah aren't ya scared of this thing!"

"I am! But Hey, It's also cool!"

"Whaddaya mean!"

"I mean, We can sort of fly!"

"We can't fl'ah, only birds, Pegas'ah, and most drag-"

"I said sort of!"

  They landed on one of the roofs, running over it before going onto the next one. There, Pierre made a sharp turn to the right.

"The Hell?"

"Whoa, Pierre!" Ivan shouted, while he and Haystack stumbled to slow down, "Wait up!"

  Once they regained their footing, they continued their pursuit.

Tw-wch!

  Pierre, at that moment, was already flying in the air, heading towards another building across the street.

  The two were next. "Pierre, slow down man, we can't-"

Twang! T-twang! T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-twang!

"Damn it, why didn't we see it!?" Ivan muttered, looking at the chopper behind them.

BOOM!

"Ah hay!"

  The two were in awe of the choppers sudden explosion.

"Remember that!" Pierre shouted, holding onto his rifle as smoke seeped from the grenade launcher.

"What, the explosion!?"

"No, when I do what I just did! When something like that happens, prepare for when I make that move!"

"Alright!"

  They hopped off the next building and fired their hooks. While in the sky, Ivan looked over to the cloudy horizon to his left and found a strange sight.

"Hey, Pierre, what's that?"

"Huh?'

"That, over there!' He pointed at what he was looking at.

"Oh, that! That's ze leader's palace, also known as 'Die Staaliche Auge'!"

"German right?!

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"Just a hunch!"

"Ah'm surpr'ahsed that it's shaped l'ahke a wrench!"

  Exasperated by his screaming, Ivan thought.  "I'm surprised that you can't close that mouth. Maybe, that's how the chopper spotted us."

"I'm surprised that you two didn't see it!" He looked ahead and found a skyscraper in front of them. "Look, we can attack from 'ze top of that tower, follow me!"

   Approaching it, Pierre fired again once he and the gun was reeled in. After that boost of air, he placed his feet forward and landed on the brick wall. With his feet on the wall, combined with the rush of air, he increased speed and ascended up the building. Ivan would repeat after him and do the same. Haystack however... well, he managed to place his hooves against the wall as if he was spelunking.

"S-son of a b-bitch." He quivered, holding on for dear life. Looking at the grey sky above, he came up with an idea. What if he could shoot his way up to the top by shooting the rope up there? Well, he had to give it a try, knowing that he won't be able to run up these walls with his hooves.

"Ok, l-let's aim this d-doohickey up." Once the gun was aimed at the sky, he pulled the trigger.

  Tw-wch!

  The rope shot out with impressive speed, fast enough to soar past his comrades.

  When Ivan saw the rope, the first question he asked was. "Jesus, did Haystack stay behind?!"

  Snap!

"Uh oh?" Haystack muttered, realizing that it was too high. "WWWWHHHAAAAAA!!!!"

  The force of the reeling was too brute, sending him flying into the clouds.

"Ugh, son of a bitch, I'll get 'em." Ivan jumped off the wall and fired his Air-grabber into the sky.

  Haystack in the meantime, kept flying towards the grey skies above. The force and speed of his flight was making him wish that it would end already.

"Please Celestia." Haystack prayed in his head. "End this n'aghtmare!"

  His worries would soon fade once he went through the clouds and felt the gentle breeze of the other side.

"Celestia?" Haystack asked softly, looking at the bright sun in front of them. "Am 'ah dead?"

  The sight of the sun made him feel warm inside... a little too warm. The brightness of the sun, combined with the rush of the air, was now temporarily erasing his consciousness. All he could hear now, was his beating heart, which was the only thing giving him company.

  The fall felt graceful as well. It felt as if he was diving into water and feeling the cold water surround him.

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzz!

  Tw-wch!

"Oh no." Ivan groaned. "Not again."

  He caught him with precise accuracy, even though he had to go to the ground now. Knowing that there was no other way, he placed his feet on the bottom and prepared for impact. With his feet like that, and Haystack being carried above him, he felt like superman; only without the cape and super strength.

"Oh, this is going to hurt." Ivan thought, watching the rooftop get bigger as he approached it.

Thud!

  Snap!

"OOOOWWWW!!!" Ivan shrieked, collapsing onto the rooftop in pain.

"Ivan, are you all right?" Pierre asked worryingly.

"No, you idiot! My leg's broken!!" He then calmed himself down, sighed, bared through the pain, and looked at Haystack's unconscious body. "If I had a nickel for every time this pony got knocked out, I'd have like four right now... Ow."

"Four, really?"

"Yep, that guy just has a very vulnerable head, I guess." He then reached into his pocket and got out a syringe before injecting it over Haystack's neck. Once it was empty, Haystack opened his eyes.

"Uh, what happened?"

"Ya got knocked out again. Sheesh, does that happen all the time to you?"

"Uh, no?"

"Hmm, and another thing."

"What?" He asked, sitting on his haunches and massaging his head.

"My leg's broken, I need another one of your syringes." Ivan demanded, sitting up while doing so.

"Oh, uh, alright." He buried his muzzle into his pockets and got out the last syringe he had; and injected it into Ivan's leg, "This is common back on the farm."

"What, making incantations like this?"

"No, gettin' hurt. Good thing we invented this syringe. It expels hospital bills from our family."

"Hey, that doesn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"Do you make these stuff?"

"Yeah, but we get the ingredients from a zebra who-"

  He was taken aback by the news. "Hold on, there are zebras in Equestria?"

"Uh-"

"Since when were there zebras in Equestria?"

"'Ah don't know, she's always been there.  M'ah granny says that 'ah shouldn't trust her, 'cause she's a witch and all, but 'ah don't know wh'ah. She sends me down there to b'ah the ingredients for this stuff. Teh, hypocrite." Once his speech was done, he was met with two gaped mouths.

"All in favor of forgetting everything he just said, say 'I'." suggested Ivan.

"I." said Ivan.

"Je." said Pierre.

"That works too." He looked down at his leg, and noticed that it was movable again. Standing up, he walked over to the edge and observed the large news station below.

"So, do you remember what to do Haystack?... Haystack?" He looked behind him, realizing that Haystack was just moped in shame for leaking valuable information, "Haystack, we said we're not going to tell anyone. Plus, why would they believe us?"

"It's not that, its just that-"

  He rolled his eyes. "Whatever it is, save it until we complete our mission. You know what to do, right?""

  The stallion nodded.

"Good, let's go, Pierre." He fired his Air-grabber into the sky, with Pierre following. "Ugh, him and his other reasons."

  Haystack in the meantime, lied on his belly and placed his head on the scope.

  He then thought. "Wh'ah are we so different?"

Chapter 16

Chapter 16== 20 MINUTES EARLIER ==

  A crimson coated chopper landed over the pad on the skyscraper, where ten men and women in their finest attires were waiting. Once the door was open, an old man in a red tuxedo came out.

"Ah, Mister Redmond, good to-"

"Shut up and head to the boardroom." He growled in a thick British accent.

== CURRENT TIME ==

"So, as you may have heard!" Redmond spoke, walking towards the window in the boardroom. "One of our precious dice was stolen... by the resistance."

"Uh, Mister Redmond, sir?" One of the members of the board raised his hand.

"Yeah?"

"The man... and pony responsible, aren't members of the resistance, they're just mercenaries."

"Yes, but mercenaries too young to be mercenaries." He got out a remote control from his pocket, and pressed one of the buttons. The projector on the screen would reveal surveillance footage of their target. "See this?"

  The members nodded.

"Good, now do you know why these people are a threat to not only the Union, but to our business?" He used his cane to point at what they were supposed to look at.

"Huh. Looks like a BLU spy is helping them." One of them said, not surprised by the sight.

"Of course. Miss Doofenshmirtz's 'Shoot first' policy has put a very valuable business asset on the brink of destruction."

"But sir, there's no use for him. He's an asset of BLU and the resistance now. All that we and the state can do and hunt him down."

  This made Redmond feel uneasy. "What do you mean, Alice?"

"Uh, I-I mean, we can't use 'em."

  He went into thought, but he knew that she needed to be specific. "How?"

"Th-the bag." He pointed at the screen.

"You mean the pony's?"

"No, the boy's. Th-there's a package inside that bag."

  Suspicious, Redmond asked. "Do you have proof?"

  Alice nodded hesitantly, and reached into her handbag and slid over a photo. "This is from a day ago."

  Redmond picked the photo up and noticed the package Ivan was holding onto as they entered the boardroom.

"Hmm, looks like we can't."

"Yes sir, the package might belong to the resist-"

"Alice?"

"Uh, yes?"

  He put his hand on his back and breathed heavily. With his cane, he walked over to the nervous woman. There, he pulled out a pistol. Its sight made the others feel the same way as her.

  All of a sudden, he dropped the pistol in front of her, before telling her in an unsettling tone. "Prove me, wrong."

  Scared, Alice said nothing else. She grabbed the pistol and ran out the door.

"Uh, Redmond? How will she find proof?"

Bam!

"Redmond!"

"Alice, I told you to find proof that they're with the-"

"Well, looks like I have proof, then. Look!" She pointed at the window, where the sound of rifles and the silhouette of two flying men greeted them.

"Huh, well, son of a bitch." He chuckled, "You did."

Blam!

  Ivan used his Air-grabber to swerve to the right, dodging the bullet in time.

"Haystack better take that sniper out." He then thought before firing a blast of ice at one of the soldiers below.

Thud!

  Upon reaching the rooftop, Ivan rolled over and slammed against the glacier. Pierre in the meantime, faded from sight, making the soldiers worry.

"Uh, g-get your s-self out of th-there ya jackass!!" One of them stuttered, quivering about the BLU spy's location."

BLAM!!

  A bullet burst through the ice, barley missing Ivan's hip.

"Yikes." Ivan muttered. "Damn it Haystack, fire already."

"Fire that rifle, and you'll be turned into Swiss cheese." One of the soldiers demanded.

  Haystack did nothing, ignoring what she said.

"I repeat, put that gun down, in the name of our leader!" The soldier's comrade demanded.

"Can the guy even hear you?" The soldier whispered.

"Of course! Just because we humans and they ponies write English differently, doesn't mean we can't communicate it." He then turned her attention to Haystack. "Stop acting like you can't understand us, put the Machina down!!"

  Again, the tan pony ignored them. He was too busy lining up his shot.

"Alright, he ain't listening. Approach the bastard."

  Slowly and cautiously, they tiptoed their way towards their target. The wind was the only thing that was allowed to make noise, and the squadron hoped that it would be that way. Haystack on the other hand, wasn't expecting that.

BLAM!

  The white line flew from building to building, killing the sniper on the other side.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  Haystack jumped into the air, performing a backflip over the group.

"What the-"

WHACK!!

  The soldier fell off the edge, screaming in horror.

  Haystack then proceeded to kick another one off, before switching to his Air-grabber and jumping off into the sky.

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzzzzzzzz!

"GRRR, KILL 'EM!!" She yelled in rage. "Kill 'em, Kill 'em Kill 'em!!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at....

"Oi, this is Elmer one, cease fire."

Rat-at-at-at!

  Cling-cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-cling!

"Oh come on, sir!" The soldier complained. "The douchebag just took out my-"

"Redmond suggested that you should let him go."

"B-but, Why?"

"Hmm, because it's time that we do a little observing."

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  The bullets pound onto the ice, pinning Ivan down so that he couldn't go anywhere... or could he?

  He cloaked himself from sight and crawled his way over to the door.

"Close in on the bastard!!" The troops took a couple of steps forward.

BLAM!!

  A bullet hit one of them in the back of the head, causing half of them to turn around and bring the responsible one down. However, doing so, was all for nothing. The responsible one was already gone.

  While that was happening, Ivan was forced to hide against the door as more troops were being deployed. Unfortunately, the waiting would affect him badly.

  A heard the sound of a spark coming from his body, signaling him that his cloaking time is up.

"Damn it." Ivan mumbled before entering into the room.

BOOM!

  A quartet of soldiers screamed in agony as the explosion threw them off the ground.

  Haystack would land on the ground after making that shot and use the ice glacier's remnants as cover. After sitting against it, he blind fired a couple shots; and he was able to shoot down five more troops by doing so.

BLAM!

"Someone take care of that goddamn spy!!" The soldier demanded after his comrade was shot in the back. "This is Stone two-seven, We're in need of reinforcements here!!"

"This is Rico five, and that's a negative!" said a soldier down below replied.

"What? Why?"

"The leader's orders, that's all I can say."

"Well, that bitch better change-" At that moment, he was shot in the stomach by one of Haystack's bullets.

  Vanessa looked outside the window of her room, looking at the direction where the gunfire was at.

"Are you sure about this?" Vanessa contacted through her cellphone.

"Sure Madame." replied Redmond. "We'll give you the analysis once they complete their 'mission'."

"Er, alright; But that doesn't mean that the remaining forces aren't gonna try and kill 'em."

"Yes Madame." And so, he hung up.

  After that, Vanessa went on to make another call. "Comrade Dalia."

"Yeah?"

"Get everyone into the senate. We're going to have a talk with our allies."

"You mean RED?"

"Duh. See ya there." She hung up and headed towards her bed, where her apprentice was sleeping tight. The expression on Wesley's face made her heart melt, and her mind worry. "Why?"

  She then grabbed her clothing and went to go change.

"Go! Go! Go!" Pierre yelled after shooting the last soldier on the rooftop.

  Haystack then galloped over the glacier; only to fall into the hole that the grenade created.

"AAAAAAHHH- Umph!"

"Well, It's about damn time." said Ivan, who was coincidentally sitting next to him with an odd shaped flare gun in his hand.

"Hey, you could've at least dealt with the troops that were headin' for the rooftop."

"I couldn't!" He defended, "I was invisible. If I uncloaked, I would've been dead!"

"Oh... so, what are we dealin' with?"

"Well, we're dealing with soldiers using the desks as cover, three mounted turrets on the ceiling-"

"Huh, should've dealt with those while 'ah was fallin' through the hole."

"Wonder how you did that?" Ivan questioned rhetorically, "Anyways-"

B-b-b-b-b-b-beep!

"Son of a gun!" Ivan muttered, before firing at the hovering drone with the flare gun. The flare would cling on to the machine's frontal armor like a spider. Once that happened, electrical surges overwhelmed the bot, slowly lowering it to the ground. Ivan then lunged at it, and opened the flap which led to its interior compartment. In there, was a security keypad, "Let's see if I can remember what the pass- Ah, what the hell I know already."

  He then put in the code, "One... three, three, seven."

The small green screen would read, "ACCESS GRANTED."

"Huzzah!" He cheered, "Haystack, take those turrets out!"

"Geez, what a change of emotion, there." He used his sniper rifle to shoot at the turret to his left.

Click!

  A spark burst out of the muzzle.

"What the-."

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! ...

"Aah!" He yelped, ducking just in time before the turret's semi-automatic rate of fire could hit him. "What the hay, man? Dang, humans! Since when did they have those?"

"I've been asking that too!"

BLAM!

  BOOM!

"'Ze turret's down!" said Pierre, after dive-rolling towards their side.

"Much obliged!' Ivan shouted. "But you forgot about the other ones!"

"Don't worry, I got a plan. Distract it with that drone!"

"Oh come on, I-"

"Do it!"

"Alright, alright." Ivan uttered, timidly. He took out a pen (Which was attached to the flare gun.) and pressed the clicker. When it was pressed, a laser shot out of the barrel, as he pointed it at the closest turret he could find. The drone's twin propellers began to spin, making it fly. While it was in the air, it fired relentlessly at the turret; while dodging every bullet the turret fired.

  Surprised by this, Pierre decided to focus on the turret at the far end of the floor.

BLAM!

  BOOM!

"Turret's down!" Pierre announced.

BOOM!

"The other turret's down!" Ivan yelled. "Now Move!"

  They vaulted over the walls that divided the offices and pushed onward; while their new pal provided support. However, they were only able to move to the center due to a major counter-attack by the enemy.

  Hiding against a desk, Ivan began to look for something that could recharge his dice. The good news was, he was able to find one.

"Gee, someone would actually bring a small bottle of vodka to work." Ivan muttered. "Looks like it's common for these people to drink while working."

  He drank the entire bottle, recharging Pyro's fantasy. "Huh, why don't I feel drunk?"

"'Ze first line of defense is down! Go! Go! Go!" Pierre shouted.

  The trio then vaulted over their cover and laid down suppressing fire.

"Ignis!" Ivan thought before shooting a ball of fire at one of the soldiers who was barely getting out of cover. The blast alone was enough to engulf the bodies of three in flames (Five others received minor ignitions in their arms and legs.).

  That one blast was also enough for the three to be able to clear the room in ten seconds flat.

"Clear!" Pierre announced.

"Good, to the elevator!" Ivan ordered once he saw their gateway towards the objective. They then went inside, causing him to ask. "Down one floor right?"

"Of course."

  He pressed the down button once everyone was inside, including the now heavily damaged drone. After the door closed, the elevator went down.

"Pierre, are you humming to the music?" Ivan asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason."

Ding!

  The door slid open.

"Duck." Ivan whispered.

  The three went prone and crawled out of the shaft and onto the balcony.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM...

  Haystack groaned after one of the turret's bullets shot him in the back.

"Get back, get back!" Yelled Pierre, causing the three to retreat back into the elevator.

BLAM!

  BOOM!

  The turret that shot Haystack would meet its fate.

"Take out those turrets!" Ivan yelled, as he pointed at one of the remaining two with his

B-b-b-b-b-beep!

  While it was distracted, Pierre blew the second turret before focusing its sight on the third one.

"Huh?" The last turret was now covered with electrical surges. It would clear in a couple of seconds; and in that moment, the turret would turn against its human partners.

"Uh, Go. Go! Go!"

"We can't, Haystack's-"

"No. Errch! Go on!" He interrupted, holding onto his back. "Ah'm, Ah'm fah'ne."

"But-"

"Go!"

  The two glanced at each other, but said nothing, and did as he demanded.

BOOM!

  The turret was able to take out five men before being destroyed. In the meantime, Ivan and Pierre vaulted over the railing and used the nearest desks as cover.

  Haystack would now reach into his pocket and get out a plastic bag filled with seeds the size of that of oranges. Right now, he couldn't bare the pain in his back, so he had to be quick. He then reached into his other pocket and got out an empty syringe (One of ten). After getting out a bottle of water he hid from them, and pouring it (And dropping the seed) into the barrel, the two would mix and create the piss colored liquid that they were now familiar with. But before injecting himself with it, he remembered something. Something her mother did when he broke his front leg.

  Instead of injecting the entire dosage, he chose to inject a quarter of it instead.

  The drone wasn't able to take any more bullets. When the last one hit, it fell to the floor.

Beep!

BOOM!

  "Arrgh!" The soldier screamed, being flown through one of the windows.

  When the sound of the glass shattering faded, all that was left was the sound of paper falling to the floor. And that would fade as well.

"Uh, clear." said Ivan, feeling uneasy at the quick battle they faced.

"Yes, 'ze battle was pretty quick."

  The two took a few steps forward, letting the silence sink in.

"You bastards won't-"

BLAM!

  The soldier's surprise attack would be foiled by a bullet to the head.

"That wasn't me." Ivan said, holding onto his rifle.

"Nor me." said Pierre.

"Looks l'ahke we had a little help."

  They ducked down and crawled towards the desk where the soldier was shot.

"Hey, come out with your hands up!" Ivan demanded.

"Really, Ivan? That's all?"

  Haystack was back on his feet now, relieved to remember what his mother said. He slowly exited out the elevator and looked down below.

"Uh... Maribelle?"

  The little girl looked up and smiled at the sight. "Hays-stack!"

  She dropped her weapon and ran over to the stairs, filled with joy as she ascended them. When on top, she leaped into his arms and hugged him tight.

  Haystack wasn't happy, however, just worried. He let his embrace go, looked her in the eye, and said, "Maribelle. What are you doing here? It's dangerous out in the city, you could've been killed."

  Maribelle said nothing. All she needed to do in order to explain, was hug him again.

  Uncomfortable, Haystack looked down at the two; who were looking back in worry.

"How the hell did she get over here?" Ivan whispered.

"Don't know." Pierre looked down, and noticed an AA-12 shotgun lying on the floor. "But a better question is how 'ze hell was she able to use such a weapon?"

"Doesn't that lie in the ranks of my question."

"Touché." He picked up the weapon.

"Haystack, Maribelle, get yourselves over here." Ivan commanded, reminded of the mission at hand.

"Um, ok." the girl submitted. She let go of Haystack and hopped over the railing.

  In alarm, Haystack shouted. "Maribelle, No-"

  The girl landed onto the floor and somersaulted to safety.

  Surprised, Haystack's jaw dropped. He was now busy trying to comprehend what was going on with her. None of them could. How the hell was the little girl able to do that? It wasn't evening, so the moon wasn't out. Then how?

  Shaking the questioning off his head, Ivan proceeded with the mission, "You know what to do Pierre. Get to the News desk and hack the computers. It's the only way to get more intel on the package."

"Yes sir." He ran over to the desk and proceeded to Hack the computer.

"You two, guard the entrances!" He ordered, no longer asking why Maribelle was able to get here. "We won't want anymore of them to break in!"

  They nodded and headed for the only two doors in the floor.

  Maribelle on the other hand, delayed her submission by heading over to Pierre first. She pointed at the AA-12 in his hand and then gestured him to hand it over to her.

"Alright, not arguing." Pierre complied, giving her the weapon and resuming to type.

  Ivan looked around for other ways to defend the perimeter.

"Ivan, you have to look at this." The spy suggested.

  He ran over there, but not before grabbing a tape recorder he found on one of the desks.

"What?"

"'Ze person you're delivering 'ze package to's name is 'Silver fox' right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good, because looks like we found something on him."

"What is it?"

"He used to work for RED, but now works as a spy for both BLU and ze resistance."

"Oh, good. What else?"

"That's it."

  Ivan was disappointed. "So... we just fought through all these men, tested new tech, and got a girl to kill in order to reach us, just for that?"

  He nodded.

"Great, I'm going to have a talk with Troy once communications are back up and running." He reached into his satchel and took out C4 charges and set them on the desk. "Come on you guys!"

"Did ya fah'nd anything?" asked Haystack.

"Not much."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I'll tell you later, let's go!"

  The four jumped through the glassless windows and fired their new gadget into the air. While flying, he was able to detonate the C4's, sending smoke to fly off the windows. While that was going on, Ivan noticed that Haystack wasn't screaming anymore. Better yet, he wasn't as afraid as he was before. He and Maribelle seemed to enjoy the spectacle. This made Ivan feel relieved at this sighting. Now he too can soar in peace.

"Redmond." said Alice.

"Yes?"

"Here's a search history from the News station's computer."

  Redmond looked at the sheet. "Hmm, 'Silver Fox'."

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

  The head of state sat calmly behind her desk as she waited for the meeting to start.

"Madame?" Dalia asked.

"Yes?" replied Vanessa.

"Redmond's here."

"Good, send him in."

  The door opened with a slow creak as the old man walked in. With him, was Alice; as well as two guards dressed in all red. They were armed with shotguns, and were not showing any sign of letting down.

"Thanks for coming Mister Redmond." She said in a subtle manner. "You look-"

"Cut the chatter Madame." Redmond grunted. "Let's get this over with."

  The four landed on one of the buildings.

"So, where do we go now Pierre?" Ivan asked, looking at the arising smoke.

"Don't know. I forgot."

"You serious?" Ivan fussed.

"Mmm Hmm."

"Then where do we go? We're nothing but sitting ducks right here!"

"Why didn't you remember it?"

  Ivan raised his finger to argue, but Pierre was right. "Alright you got me."

"Good. Anyways, there's an apartment we can go to. There, we can try and contact Troy through ze family's telephone."

"Fine then, C'mon Haystack! ... Haystack?" Ivan turned around, noticing that he and Maribelle were looking at the vast cityscape in front of them with nothing but joy in their faces. Approaching them, Ivan had to warn them, "You both are going to get caught if you put yourselves out in the open like that."

"We know." He said. "We're just havin' a little look."

"Hmm, when you're done doing so, follow us." He turned to Pierre. "Ready Pierre?"

  The spy was staring off towards the smoke, unable to listen to what Ivan just said.

"Ugh, Pierre?" He moaned.

"What? Oh, of course." He switched to his Air-grabber. "Let's head to 'ze home."

  He sprinted towards the edge and jumped off, firing his gadget into the air. Ivan would follow him and head towards the building across the street.

"Alright Haystack, when I meant by-"

Zzzzzz!

  The pony landed next to his comrade.

"Huh, At a boy."

  This annoyed Haystack. "Don't you mean colt?"

"Oh, cut the Equestrian pride and let's-"

Zzzzzz!

  They now noticed that Pierre was already leaving without them. So, without saying anything else, he followed along.

  With him gone, Haystack asked. "Maribelle?"

"Um, yeah?" She replied willingly.

"Did ya lah'ke the view?"

  She nodded happily.

"Well, um, Ah'm glad ya did." He looked out towards the other building, where Ivan and Pierre were waiting. "Hold on."

"Okay." She said faintheartedly.

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzzzz!

"So, do you have evidence on your behalf for the cease fire?" Vanessa questioned.

"Yes." He took out the sheet which contained the search history, and walked over to the lady. His footsteps and tapping cane were the only thing making noise in the quiet congregation, but it wouldn't last long once her guards stood their ground; pointing their SMG's at his bald head. The stance was a shock to the representatives of every city in the small country, it was enough for them to prepare and shoot at his guards.

"At ease, comrades." Vanessa directed in a settling mood. "Don't be rude to our partners."

  The representatives and guards stood down, letting the man give her the report. She began to look at it with a keen eye before asking. "What am I looking at?"

"Uh, oh." He pointed at the 'Search history'.

"You mean they're looking for him too?"

  The old man nodded before walking back to his guards. "Mmm Hmm."

"What are you going for, Mister Redmond?"

  The man knew that she needed more information, so he turned around, and consulted his friend. "Alice?"

"Uh, uh, yes?" she squeaked, trembling at the eyes that were sniping her.

"I need exhibit B, please."

"Uh, yes sir." She sprinted towards him, giving him the next piece of evidence they had.

"Hmm, same old Redmond." Vanessa smirked.

  After being handed the photos, she made her verdict, "So you're saying that they're not hunting him down... they're delivering something to him?"

  Redmond nodded as slow as a turtle.

   She gave the pictures back to Redmond, "And you're also suggesting that we gather intelligence on the package, correct?"

"Indeed Madame, acquiring information on the package will lead us to 'Silver Fox'."

  Skeptical, she asked. "Eh, but how do you expect us to accomplish that? It's already proven that-"

"Please Madame, leave it to me." He turned around and headed for the door. "Entourage, follow!"

  His group did just that, following him without saying a word as they left the congregation.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Vanessa called out rom her desk.

"Oh, sure." He yelled flamboyantly. "Don't worry."

Slam!

"So Alice."

"Uh, yes sir?" she uttered, trying to regain her composure.

"Looks like you're right."

"Uh huh." She didn't understand why he didn't say that earlier. "I see."

  They continued to walk down the empty hallway. While doing so, they ignored the turrets that were eyeing their every move.

"That's why I want you to be in charge of the operation."

  She froze in shock. "Uh... huh?"

"You were the person that proved to me that they can't be useful business assets; so I want you to take command." He stopped to turn around. "Now get to commanding."

  Frozen, Alice said. "B-but sir I-"

"No buts. I'm your boss." He affirmed. "So do as I say."

  He continued his walk towards the elevator. "You're dismissed."

  He then reached an elevator and left her to stand and mope.

"Damn it Alice." She muttered, angry with herself. "You and your mouth."

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

  The four ascended up another skyscraper before reaching the top and looking down below.

"When the... hell are... we going to... get there, Pierre?" breathed Ivan, exhausted from the running. "We've... been out here... for a while now..."

"Don't know." said Haystack. " But whah are you complainin'? And for that manner, whah are you so exhausted?"

"Because... unlike you... ponies, we aren't... able to... run for that... long without... slowing down and... catching... breath."

"But Pierre seems okay." Haystack pointed at Pierre, who was full of energy and looking at the city below. "Whah can't-"

"We humans... are... not that similar... to each other... you know."

"Ah know that, but-"

  Ivan sat down. "Just... keep that in mind... I wasn't born to do stuff like this."

"But how were you able to jump over several..."

  On another skyscraper, two snipers were watching them through their scopes.

"... buildings before-" They heard them say, via a small spy drone that was attached to the concrete wall.

"That's different..."

"Got anything?" asked Vanessa, eager to await the news.

"No, they're just talking about irrelevant crap." said one of the Snipers. "Nothing about the package."

"Damn, looks like we have some competition."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"The fact that RED's out there for the package as well, worries me."

"Hmm, let me give you advice Madame."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Like all companies, RED is only helps for their interests."

"Ugh, I know that already; but what are you getting at?"

"You should keep a close eye on them as well."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"The plan that you gave us is good. We receive intel on the package first, we can serve it to your will."

  On the other end of the line, the successor smirked with satisfaction. "Good, you have a plan to carry it out?"

"You're doing it right now. Just do it behind their back."

"Thanks for the adv-"

"Hold on, Madame. We're achieving more information on the package." He announced, silencing her.

"Oh, ok."

"Since 'Silver Fox' is a member of BLU, have you ever come across him?" asked Ivan.

"No, I never seen ze man." Pierre said, still scouting over the city below. "He's a huge mystery to both ze Resistance, and ze state."

"Oh, he's one of those people."

"Yeah, ze person that's so mysterious, it could be apart of any one of us." That made every one of them feel a chill up their spine; and it was enough to make each of them agonize one another and themselves. Once that was said, Pierre turned around, and walked in their direction. "That's why I hope ze delivery is quick."

  Quickly, he walked past the three and looked over the other side.

"Son of a bitch, he has a sapper." The female sniper said, watching as Pierre got out one from his pockets, "Line up the shot!"

  The others turned around to see what he was looking at. When their sights lined up with his, they realized that they've been watched.

"And I hope we get there before they do." He dropped the sapper towards the spy drone and switched to his Air-grabber.

Bzzzz!

"Ow!" They dropped their ear pieces before it could do any harm to their ears, "Damn it, they're on the move! Take 'em-"

BLAM!!

"Already on it!" said the man.

  She rolled her eyes.

BLAM!

"Shouldn't we be going in the opposite dire-Whoah!' The rope was now pulling them even further towards the snipers..

"No, I was going ze wrong way all this time!"

"Ugh, oh you!"

  The four flew past them before the snipers could even fire again, but that didn't mean that they were safe. As they flew away, Maribelle managed to get her AA-12 out and aim at them as he held on to Haystack's neck.

"Uh..." He choked. "What... the hey... are ya doin'!?"

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM...

  When she saw blood spew out of their head/torso, she put it away, loosened her grip, and continued to hold on..

"Oh Celestia."

  The fact that she shot two soldiers still brought to Haystack's mind of how was she capable of doing such a thing like that, even if her defects weren't activated. Especially with the fact that she's a timid four year old girl.

"Maribelle!?" Haystack shouted.

  She didn't listen, she was too busy holding on for dear life.

  All that Haystack could muster, was a sigh.

"Comrades?" Vanessa called, receiving nothing back ."Comrades!"

  Then, she and the others in the congregation began to hear blood-curdling coughs coming from the male sniper.

"Remember... Mad... -dame." He articulated through his fatality. "Be-hind, th... their.... b-backs."

  He then let out a small grunt before resting in peace. Putting the walkie talkie down, she rubbed her forehead, questioning the next step.

"Comrade Dalia?"

"Yes Madame?"

"Send another covert team to find and follow them, and I want you to keep an eye on them this time."

  Dalia said nothing, she only saluted, and went on with her task.

  After another sigh of disappointment, she'd go on to direct her group. "So, what are the plans for our citizens down in New Alteran? ..."

  The representatives of each city just sat there quietly as the ones for New Alteran walked over to the center of the room.

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" Alice complained, driving through the city's empty streets in her blue sedan. "Why the hell would Redmond get me to do this? He knows clear well that I'm not cut out for crap like that!"

  Her phone began to ring, making one of those catchy ringtones that common business people have on them.

"Hello?" she called.

"Is this Alice Holster?" said the man on the other side.

"Yeah?"

"We're ready on your command Madame."

"Wait, now?!"

"Uh, when, then?"

"I wasn't told to command now?!"

"Uh, clearly you were. I was there with you and Redmond."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, now-"

  "But I was expecting to do it tomorrow and get a bunch of other people to help me. Why now?"

"Doofanian snipers were trying to surveillance them as well. Both dead in only a couple seconds."

"Damn." She mumbled, sympathizing with them. Slowly, she would calm herself down and try to reason with the soldier, "Look, why don't I give your squadron orders and I'll take the day off?"

  This left the soldier to think about the upcoming decision; and that gave Alice the chance to take a look above, where she would spot three objects flying in the sky. With her keen eye, she quickly recognized that they were the criminals they were after. With increasing motivation, she pressed the gas pedal and made her pursuit.

"Uh, ye-"

"Sir, your first command is to head to the tallest buildings in the city and snipe from there! We have a package to obtain!"

"Ivan, Haystack, look down!" said Pierre.

  The two did so, and noticed that a speeding blue car was underneath them.

"Yeah, and?!" asked Haystack.

  Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam...

  Pistol rounds were now zipping past Ivan like shooting stars.

"Crud!" He shrieked, doing his best to dodge every shot, "Why the hell are they shooting at me for?!"

"Ze package, obviously?!" He shouted.

  The three landed on another one of the buildings' rooftops.

Shrrreech!!

  She stopped car stopped in front of the three story building and proceeded to unlocking the trunk with her remote.

Beep! Beep!

"Oh." She self-scolded. "Use the buttons on the door next time."

  Opening the trunk, she grabbed a hunting rifle from inside and shut it closed. "Alright you three, time to test my rifling skills."

"Did we loose 'em?" wondered Haystack.

"Don't know, and I don't think it matters right now." said Pierre, looking through his scope to find that snipers were taking on the top of skyscrapers.

"Okay Pierre, since this was your idea, how do we proceed?" asked Ivan, annoyed at the fact that snipers were lining themselves up at the top of the city's skyscrapers.

  Pierre didn't know what to say. He was already feeling a hint of despair. In order to eliminate it, he looked into the scope again, observing the snipers' positions.

  Then there was a small little squeak, causing Haystack to turn around. "Hmm?"

"Um..." Maribelle kept her head down as she tried to speak.

"What is it, Maribelle?" He bent his forelegs to meet her eye to eye.

"Um... C-can I... make a suggestion?"

  Worry would come back to visit Haystack. "Uh... whaddaya mean?"

"T-to g-get us... out of... h-here."

  Shooting and killing was the last thing he wanted her to do, but he had no choice... or did he?

"Does she have an idea?" asked Ivan.

  They were both speechless. Since when were they listening? Is her suggestion valuable to them?

"Whatever it is, tell us."

"He's right." said Pierre. "Ze snipers are already lining up their shots."

  Ivan bent over on one knee, "So... what is it?"

  She was quiet, afraid to respond.

"You know we won't be able to leave here unless you give us your idea, right?"

  She nodded.

"Then why won't you-."

  She got out her AA-12.

"Uh, Maribelle?" Haystack said, eyes wide. "What are ya-"

  She turned around and headed for the edge of the rooftop.

"Uh, what are you..."

"Do you see them?"

"That's a big negative Alice." said one of the snipers via walkia talkie.

"Just look down and you'll see the damn bastards!"

"Look, this city's big, they have BLU technology, and we're waiting for them to get their asses over here!"

"Well, don't wait, just get the squad to... huh?"

  Maribelle was looking down on her, the AA-12 armed and ready.

"What the..."

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM...

"Aah!!" She ducked behind her car while bullets pounded on its metal.

"Go!" Maribelle cried.

  The sudden outburst stunned them all.

  Ivan muttered. "God dam-"

"Get out of here!" All of a sudden, she jumped off.

"Maribelle!" Haystack shouted in fright, even to the point were his eyes were watering up.

"Whoa, Haystack! S-slow, grr, down!" Ivan did his best to restrain him, but it wasn't enough; making him go into drastic measures once he saw Pierre follow her orders. "Ugh!"

  He took out his Air -grabber, and fired.

  The little girl somersaulted over the car's rooftop before landing her feet on the ground.

"What the-" Alice cried.

BLAM! BLAM!

"Umph!" She grunted after a bullet punched her in the stomach.

"Alice, we found their positi-" The sniper was surprised as he watched her collapse onto the road., "Alice? Alice!"

  He then looked at Maribelle as she was reloading her gun and running across the street, "That bitch! ... Fire!"

BLAM!

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam...

"Looks like that was enough to distract them!" shouted Ivan. The attack was enough to get the three going, even though they had to leave the girl behind. Looking beside him, he noticed Haystack's nervous look. "Haystack?!"

  He didn't say anything, he continued to glance behind him as those feelings clenched onto him during the flight.

"Jeez." Ivan thought, letting him be. "What is it with him and that girl?"

  At the same time, a hint of confusion was dwelling within him as he thought. "What the hell is goin' on?"

"Alice?! Do you read me?"

  Slowly, she picked up the walkie talkie and placed it in front of her mouth. "J-just... l-like with... the US... in the... F-first... B-battle... of... Bull R-run... we... th-thought it was... g-going... to b-be... quick... b-but i-it's not... I-it's g-going... t-to be... a... l-long... war."

  Then communication was lost.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

  After about five minutes of flying through the sky, the three were finally able to reach the destination. It was another apartment building in the outer areas of the city. There, they met a young woman who owned the house. She was glad enough to let them in, and offer them some water; in which the trio happy enough to accept.

  The three, along with the woman would sit in the living room as all was quiet. Ivan was relieved that things were finally like that now. The only thing that was distracting him from getting even more, was the woman's grey hair and wrinkles. He would constantly glance at it with every sip he took from his glass. Finding it scary, he knew that he shouldn't ask, because he already knows why it's like that.

  The woman on the other hand, wasn't blind to see that. The sights of Ivan's glancing was annoying her, so she had to intervene.

"You know you don't have to hesitate on asking me." She said, pieces of youth in her voice.

"Huh?" He muttered, putting down the glass with fear in his mind. Trying to deny his actions, he replied. "Whaddaya mean?"

"You know, my hair, my face, my voice. You don't have to be afraid."

"I wasn't looking Miss Earnhart." he continued to dismiss.

"I can tell that you were."

"Uh, no I-"

"Ivan." Pierre interrupted. "Just let it go."

"I-" He stopped himself from saying anything else, and just let it be. "Fine."

  The woman sighed, "Those are the looks I get all the time from people. It's all thanks to Roger's body builders."

"Uh, I'm sorry if-"

"Shhh." Pierre shushed.

  Earnhart looked at the mirrored coffee table in front of her, moping over the face she now has to bare. "You three are lucky that you have Maribelle by your side. She isn't..."

  Her back began to ache as she struggled to get up from her chair. "... like... me."

  Snap!

  She collapsed onto the ground after her back began to crack. Pierre would get out of his seat to help her up.

"Thanks Pierre."

"Don't mention it, Lillian."

  She stood upright and paced her way towards the large radio near the window.

"Sometimes they help you." He pressed the radio's 'On/Off' button. "But most of the time, they hurt you."

  The song, "Old time religion" played as softly as possible.

"I wish my parents never came here in the first place." Lillian sat back down. "I would've not have crap like this showered on me."

  She looked out the window. "Life is short, isn't it?"

  Ivan tried to think of something to say, but his equine friend had his back. "Sometimes it feels lah'ke it."

"Hmm. Can't believe a pony would actually say that."

"Oh?" said Haystack.

"Many have known Equestria to be full of ponies who think of sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows all the time."

  Haystack sighed, looking at the grey skies out the window. "Well, you humans are mostly wrong, then."

"Hmm." She shrugged.

  The four took another drink from their cups once the silence returned.

"So, how did you come to think that?"

  Haystack looked up, and stared at her with timid eyes. "Comin' here."

"I can tell that that's not the only reason."

"Huh?"

  Ivan and Pierre joined in on the conversation, with Ivan being the eager one. They stared at Haystack as they waited for

"Uh... yeah, it isn't the only thing... but, I don't wanna talk about it."

  Ivan wanted to roll his eyes, but couldn't; because there was no point.

"Yeah... because no country's perfect."

  Haystack wanted to get up, and argue with her to wit's end about how Equestria is paradise. But didn't feel like it, he looked down, glared, and said. "No, I deserved it, that's all."

   The three looked at each other, questioning his view on his job via their eyes. And so, like any person would, they decided to move on from the conversation.

"So Lillian, did ze state give you your well deserved rations?" asked Pierre.

"Rations?"  asked Ivan.

"Yeah." She smirked. "No supermarkets round here."

  Meanwhile, Haystack continued to stay down, dazing at the red carpet as his heart beat slowly. Every pound would hurt like bee stings as he began to hallucinate. He was seeing grey as his drooped. A few seconds later, he began to see something else; and that something would overtake his sight. It was the city, and it was passing by with every beat. The vision was jumping over buildings and shooting oncoming troops with a familiar weapon. Then, it spoke in a quiet tone.

"I hope they're okay."

"Maribelle?" He whispered in conclusion. Then, he felt something tap his shoulder, completely shutting it off and returning his vision to normal. He looked to the right and noticed that Pierre and the others were looking straight at him again.

"Is everything alright?" asked Pierre.

"Uh, yeah... er, Lillian?"

"Yes, Haystack?"

"May... May I use your restroom?"

"Sure, follow me." She grinned.

  Haystack was the first to get up. However, it took longer for Lillian; only this time, she didn't need any help. Once they were in the hallway, it gave Pierre a chance to talk to Ivan.

"Do you think Haystack's alright."

  Worried and confused,  Ivan replied. "I don't know. Ever since that Maribelle girl showed up, he's been a little..."

"I know, I was there. But I'm asking about his mentality."

"What do you mean?"

"Ze pony is not... How should I put it?" He thought of something. "... He's not feeling well."

"Meh, don't worry." Ivan assured. "It's probably from the fact that he's another brainwashed Equestrian-"

"No, no, you don't understand. Haystack is not alright, because of ze fact that he has to stay here."

  He looked away, thinking of the concept. The fear of death in that cell, the intake of Gabe. It was proof, but he knew that ponies from Equestria are just like them, only different views on life. Haystack is like a guinea pig coming home, fresh from the pet store. He'll be spooked from the very first limit he lands his hoof on human land.

"I don't think so, Pierre." He clarified. "It's probably common for a pony to land on our soil without feeling hunky-dory."

"I insist, it isn't; and history will prove it."

  Ivan sighed, "Well sorry, I learned very little due to the teachers going on strike or going to the local church of Celestia for services."

"Damn, school's been affected as well."

"Yeah, since twenty-sixteen."

"Hmm."

  They sat quietly for a couple seconds before Ivan decided to resume it. "So, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Hope you do."

"Mmm Hmm."

  Then the silence returned, even as they drank their water.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"You alright in there?" called Lillian through the bathroom door.

  Then she heard the flush.

"Yeah, nothin' wrong." Haystack called back. "Ah'll be out in no tah'me."

"Swell."

  In the restroom, Haystack was no longer feeling dizzy from that experience. He headed towards the sink and prepared to wash his hands.

"Ugh, Ah guess ah just needed to use the bathroom, that's all." He whispered to himself as he pushed the soap pump down. While the soap was landing on his hoof, he began to look at the mirror. "Why did I do this?"

  The tan pony standing before him was as depressed as he was, but he needed to know that it's for he and his family's own good. He began to lather his hooves as he tried to get that thought away from him. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of here and head back to ponykind, before the cruelties of humanity get to him. Once his hooves were covered in suds, he twisted the handle and let the water out. He looked up and noticed the bright light beaming over his eyes. It made him feel weary again after it nearly blinded him. Looking down, there was someone different in the reflection now. An elderly mare was now looking at him with angry fiery eyes.

"When?" She asked.

"Uh, g-granny?" His eyes widened, the sight of her was already filling him with fear.

"When are ya comin' home?"

"Uh..." Conforming with his hallucinations, he answered. "Ah.... ah don't know... G-granny... ah."

"When Sinner? When!"

"Ah... ah... ah." His vision began to fade into darkness, "Ah.. don't... ah..."

  He then fell backwards and slammed his back on the door.

Boom! SLAM!!

"Whoa!!" Lillian was quick to react, she jumped to the side before the breaking door could knock her over.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

"What happened?" asked Ivan upon their arrival.

  Lillian lifted one of his forelegs in order to check for a pulse. "He's alive, only passed out."

"Damn, Ivan, got any of those syringes?"

"Mmm Hmm." He padded his coat to find them, none were found. "What the..."

  He searched into the pockets of his bullet proof vests, again, nothing. "Son of a bitch, I thought I had more than that."

"Drat." Lillian then lifted herself off the ground and stood up, holding onto her hip to maintain it's balance. "Ivan, help me carry him to my room, he needs a little rest."

"Uh, You sure about that? I don't think you're in the right-"

  Bothered by his complaining, she moaned. "Just help me lift him up ."

"Alright." He rushed over to the bathroom entrance. There, he grabbed Haystack from the left flank and hind-leg. "Ready."

"Good, on the count of three."

  Ivan nodded.

"One. Two. Three!"

  Their arms lifted upwards as the weight of Haystack's body resisted.

"Damn, Errgh, How heavy are they?" Ivan wondered despite the dimness in that issue. "Ugh, Pierre, help-. Huh?"

  Lillian's grunts were getting louder as her veins lit up into a bright scarlet red. In a few seconds flat, she had the strength to carry Haystack with only her two hands.

  Getting out of the bathroom, Ivan said. "What the hell is-"

"Impressive huh?" Pierre said, both with joy and sympathy. "Thanks to ze body builders."

  They followed her into the room. There, she gently put Haystack on her bed. Luckily, the bed's support didn't break, nor did the bed itself crush through the floor.

"Ngh, Ah!" Lillian whimpered. She held onto her heart as she kneeled against the wall, struggling to regain consciousness.

  Without wasting time, Pierre ran over to her, and helped her up.

"Thanks." She looked at Haystack's knocked out body once she was back on her feet. "It's best that we leave him alone."

  Without arguing, Ivan agreed. "Yep."

  The two were then led out the door, leaving the pony as so.

  Down the hall, Pierre continued with his claim. "I'm telling you, Ivan."

"Alright. I already told you, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Fine. Starting when he's on-"

"Ugh, yes!"

"Mmm... mmm...." Alice sighed while opening her eyes, "Huh?"

  She sat up and looked around, "What... what... happened?"

"You were shot in the stomach by subject A1." Redmond explained, as he and two shotgun wielding guards walked into the room, "And you passed out."

"Huh? ... Who?"

"A little girl who's been fleeing from the state for two years now."

"Uh... oh... And... why is... ugh..." She looked out the window, hoping that her mind could recover through looking at the cityscape, "... why are they looking for a little girl named subject A1?"

  Redmond rolled her eyes. "Do you even remember how she shot you?"

"Ugh, no... I've been knocked out for hours now." He looked back towards Redmond. "... how am I going to know?"

"Vanessa's troops were able to acquire surveillance from the location you were shot at." He then walked over to the window and looked at the distant Doof tower. "Sadly, they're not going to give it to us... yet."

"So why say that a-"

  Redmond stopped her, "We managed to acquire photos from a small restaurant's surveillance camera."

  He took out the photos and handed them over to her. One of the photos was of her being shot while Maribelle was in the air, "What the hell?"

"Did that little girl do that to me?"

  Redmond sighed. "Yes. You don't remember much, don't you?"

  She shook her head.

"Ugh, well, this girl's real name is Maribelle. She's marked by the state as Subject A1."

"Yeah, you already told me that."

"Mmm Hmm, she shot you, and escaped from your sight. Then Vanessa was dumb enough to send two platoons in order to try to capture or kill her. Sadly, the little brat wiped out three-forth of the platoons before getting a clean getaway."

"Wow, dangerous little girl." She smirked.

"Yep, and now, we at RED have placed a bounty on her head."

"Good."

"And you'll be the one leading the operation to find her."

"What?!" She shouted, willing to sacrifice her heart rate in order to express her distraught.

"Consider this a little side-quest while you go and hunt the 'infiltrators' for their little package."

"But why me? That girl's is dangerous!"

  He rolled his eyes. "Alice, you're hunting for a teenage boy and a teenage stallion who put fifty plus state troops in body bags. Why are you complaining about a little girl who's doing the same?"

  She had to take that into consideration. So, she abided by his argument. "Err, fine. Any more information about 'Subject A1'?"

  Redmond said nothing, and turned around. Then. he and his guards headed for the door.

"Uh, Redmond?"

"That's all... make your own interpretation." Then his crew left the room.

  Annoyed, she laid back on her bed, and moaned in frustration.

*  -  *

  *  -  *

"WHEN!!"]

  Haystack's eyes opened at the sound of that. In front of him now, was the sight of grey, overwhelming his sight. It made him feel as if he was in one of those movies back home. Still, he already knew that it wasn't one. It was yet another nightmare.

"Granny? Applejack? Applebloom?" He looked around the gloomy world, trying to find them, "Where are you?"

"Sinner... sinner... sinner..."

  He could hear them. The crowd scolding him for his mistake. He galloped even faster and scurried around the barn for them. Noticing that they weren't there, he went inside. Entering the barn, he noticed that the doors slammed behind them and chants of fire grew louder.

"WIPE AWAY THE DEBT TO WIPE AWAY HIS SINS!!!" One of them yelled.

  Turning around, he tried to foolishly shoo them away by yelling out, "LEAVE US ALONE, YOU IGNORANT BASTARDS!!!"

  He trotted towards the stairs and ascended them. Upon reaching the second floor, he checked every room; only to find that no one was inhabiting them. The music box was still playing its sweet tune out loud. It was enough to lull him into singing for awhile, "Just let her go; that's what they tell me, every time...""

"WHEN, SINNER!"

  He stopped his singing trance, and galloped down the stairs. Now on the first floor, he noticed that three shadows of different sizes were waiting there. All of them were female, and looking at him with glaring red eyes.

"When are ya comin' home?" said the medium sized one in a monstrous voice.

  Scared, he took a few steps back. That made the shadows take a few steps forward.

"Ya didn't have to go, big brother." said the little one in the same voice as the other.

  Then, something stopped him from going any back. He looked behind him, and recognized the human little girl shaped silhouette in front of her. Her yellow eyes looked up at him and said softly. "Ya didn't have to do this."

"But... ah ... ah... did it... fer..."

"THERE ARE NO EXCUSES!!!" The shadows then lunged at him with rage. This made him shriek like a little girl as he braced for cover.

"Huh?" He grunted, opening eyes once more. All he could see now, was color returning to him once more. The first one was dark blue, coming from the window. Looking out of it, he noticed that it was raining, and the clouds were darker than before. He then looked over to the drawer next to it and noticed that it was already seven fifty-nine in the evening; according to the device called the digital clock. Haystack would sigh at the sight of that, wondering how the hell did he get here. "Ugh, at least they gave me a place to rest."

  The rest of the room was dark, making feel a bit at home. Back on the farm, he was used to the darkness in his room. On the other hand, the fact that there are no lights in a very metropolitan city made him feel a bit... odd. Since the first day he set foot on Danville's evening skies. He wondered why a city with such great technology not have lights. He knew that humanity was much better than that. They have some of the largest cities in all the planet and those cities were filled with them. Cities back home even had lights. Well, not artificial lights, but they had them. The fact that this city is not one of them, made him feel more homesick than ever. He just wanted to go back home, where he could feel more secure about stuff like this. However, since he first landed on human soil, he always thought that this was Celestia's personal punishment towards him.

   Then, the sound of music made him jump in surprise. I guess the digital clock had an alarm that played music. For that matter, it had an alarm set for eight PM. The music playing was another one from back when humanity's music was a bit... alive. Before their technology overcame voice and was used as a tool to garner money instead of talent. He knew the artists that were playing, they played a nice Jazzy tune as the male singer sang in a language that wasn't Equine. He never knew what the hell was he saying, but the female singer after him would get his back, singing the lyrics in his language. With that, he lied back on the bed, closed his eyes, and listened to it like a mare in a spa.

  Then, he heard the sound of a doorknob clang. It was then followed by the sound of a creaking door.

"Haystack?" The voice said softly. "You up?"

  Reluctant to do so, he sat up and responded. "Yeah, wh'ah?"

"Oh." He sighed in relief. "No reason, you were knocked out while in the bathroom so we brought you here so you can rest."

"Huh?" He gasped. "But, but how?"

  Ivan shrugged, "I don't know, you were the only one there. So how can we tell?"

"Yer rah'ght." He looked out the window again, listening to the rain as it fell from the sky, "What have you been doin' since then?"

"Nothing really. We just sat down and waited for you to wake up."

"Uh, wh'ah didn't ya use yer syringes?"

"You mean the ones that revived you out of consciousness?"

  He nodded.

"Oh, I'm out of those." He revealed. "For an earth pony stallion, I expected that you'd be a lot stronger than that."

  He looked down in shame.

"Whoa, don't be sorry, man." Ivan comforted. "I was just saying."

"Yeah." He said somberly. "Ah just feel-"

"Don't be, man. Keep feeling sorry, and it'll slowly kill you."

"Mmm Hmm." He grimaced.

  Ivan couldn't help but feel the same as he approached the nightstand.

"So, did you have a good day sleep?"

"Huh? Don't ya mean good nah'ght?"

"Well, it was day time when you were knocked out, and-"

  Being able to comprehend what he's saying, he cut him off. "Oh, yeah, yeah, that's what ya meant."

"Yep. So, did you?"

"Mmm Hmm... it was nah'ce. Plus, ah lah'ke the way the music woke me up."

"Huh, is it one of your favorites?"

"Yeah."

"Huh, you Equestrians love our music, but you rarely want to share with us about yours."

  Haystack chuckled a little. "It's just to keep our culture safe, that's all."

"Meh, I don't think it is safe."

"Whaddaya mean?" Haystack began to build suspicion from that.

  Recognizing his tone of voice, Ivan decided to evade another argument. "Nothing."

"That's what ah thought."

  The two then stayed there in silence as the rain and music took over.

"Ah'van?" Haystack asked, his aggression gone.

"Yeah?"

"Did ya fah'nd a tape recorder at the news station."

"Yeah, how did you know."

"Just askin'. Ah guess people love to record their lah'ves here."

"Actually, this one's from the old president here."

"Really?"

"Just listen." He took out the tape recorder from his pocket and pressed play.

  It started with the applause of many before it would fade and make way for the speech.

"In the society outside our Utopia, they expect us to do two things, work smart, or work hard! Be in command of your own life, or be inferior to the commander!" Roger's voice called with pride. "Everyone seems to go for the obvious one, which is to work smart! But, after they had to go through many trials to get there, they end up hopelessly finding a way to do so. and end up going no where! So, they settle for the 'work hard' choice instead! Some are successful however, but most aren't! That's what the lions in Washington, Moscow, and every nation in Europe want from you; to gamble with your lives and see if you'll be successful, or a complete failure! Here in our nation, you won't have to worry about wasting your time! Here, you'll grow with confidence that your future will be bright, instead of wondering if it'll be bright or dim! The common man isn't playing a game of Monopoly, but he or she is walking down the yellow brick road... to destiny."

  The audience clapped in joy again, then the click signaled the recording's end.

"Hmm, nice speech." complemented Haystack.

"Yep... you ponies must be real lucky."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean, when you get your 'Cutie mark', all of Equestria knows that that's what you're destined to be. There's nothing that can stop you. Here, we don't know if what we're doing is right or wrong... and there are people bound to prevent you from becoming that right or wrong thing." He walked over to the window. "They tell you to be a business man, a doctor, a scientist... but you don't want to be those things. With you and that sickle on your flank, no one's... I mean nopony is telling you what you can or can't be."

  Haystack looked under the covers and began to stair at the sickle. He knew that that wasn't his actual mark, but he knew where Ivan's getting at.

  Ivan sighed as he watched the rain fall. "When I go home, I don't know what I'm gonna do after this. When you go home, you're gonna tend to your farm along side your family and live a nice life... all because you don't have to do any gambling."

  Haystack looked up, he felt that lucky feeling in his head; but in his heart, he felt nothing but shame and pity.

"Ivan!?" Pierre shouted.

  Once he heard his name, Ivan ran over to door and called back. "Yeah?"

"Is he awake?"

"Of course!"

"Good, now, can you both come here?"

"We'll see!" He then turned to Haystack. "Can you get up?"

"Ah'm already-"

"No, as in stand on your feet."

"Oh, rah'ght." Slowly, he sat up on the bed and placed his hooves on the floor. It didn't take much work, but the two realized that Haystack wasn't down no more.

"Sweet, what a quick recovery."

"Thanks."

"Alright, now let's go."

  The two walked down the hall of the room. While that happened, Haystack began to feel his heart beating again. It wasn't as painful as the last time, and like that time, he disregarded it, and hid it from their sight.

"Yes, you guys?"

  Lillian's attention quickly turned to Haystack. "Oh, you're alright, good for you."

"Uh, thanks." He grinned, appreciative at her compliment. "So, wh'ah call us?"

"Troy called, and he wants to speak to you." Pierre called from the table where the phone was at.

  Immediately, the two walked over there.

  Once they were there, Pierre barely realized that his comrade was alright, so he said. "Oh, and welcome back Haystack."

"Thank you."

"Uh, hello?" called Ivan.

"Where the hell is she?!" Troy shouted, making everyone in the room bounce in surprise.

"Whoa, you mean Maribelle?"

"Yes her! Lotus sent me a messenger and he told me that the little girl was gone! Not only that, she stole one of their weapons, along with the ammo for it!"

"Ugh, it wasn't our fault! The little girl just came to us and-"

"I know that, you knuckleheads!"

"Then why yell at us for it?!"

"Because she's subject A1, and with her on the loose, she'll have the whole country looking for you guys!"

  Haystack heard that loud and clear, and he knew that he had to act. "Ah'van, can you hand me the phone please?"

"Uh." He turned back to Troy. "Haystack wants to talk to you, can he?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, put him on the phone." He calmed down.

"Uh, here Haystack." Ivan handed him the phone and placed it against his ear.

"Ah'van, we ponies can hold on to it fah'ne."

"Ok then." He let go.

"Uh, hello?"

"Errgh, I'm not going to yell at you, because I hate being angry for a long while." He paused for a breath of air. "So, I'm going to be clear with you... How did Maribelle get to you?"

"Ah... don't know."

"Ugh, WHY don't you know?"

"She just... arrah'ved at the news station and shot everyone on sah'ght. Then she just left us whah'le shootin' at some lady."

  There was another pause, "Wait, she then left you guys... and what lady?"

"Ah don't know. We had to leave the moment she jumped off the buildin'."

  Another pause, "Damn it, that girl's causing a whole lot of havoc, isn't she?"

"Uh..."

"Look, I don't know what the hell's going on with her, but I want you to go out and find her, now! Once you have her in custody, call me."

"But sir-."

Click!

  Haystack facehooved himself in disappointment.

"So, we're going to find her?" Ivan asked.

  He placed the phone on the table. "Yes."

"And we have to call him once we find her, right?"

  His heart began to painfully again. "No."

  The colors in his sight began to dull before returning back to normal. Once feeling better, he headed for the door.

"Uh, why not?" asked Pierre.

  He opened the door, and took his Air-grabber out.

"Haystack, why not?" Ivan raised his voice, questioning why he was ignoring the question.

  The rain gently touched his fur as he aimed it at the clouds that were letting it free.

  Not going to let his buddy jump out into the cityscape, Ivan walked over to him and grabbed him by the soldier, "Answer me."

  He stood silent, and pulled the trigger.

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzzzz!

"Damn it." He muttered. "C'mon Pierre, we have to catch up to him!"

"On it!" He replied.

"Wait!" Lillian shouted. "Take this!"

  She ran towards him and handed him a bottle of glowing yellow liquid.

"Uh, what's this?"

"No time, just follow him."

"Alright."

"Go Now!!"

  He nodded before getting his gadget out and firing the rope. Pierre would follow; leaving Lillian to wave at them from the doorway.

"Told you that something is wrong with-."

"Would you kindly stop telling me that!? All I want to do is find Haystack, the girl, and goddamn Silver fox!!"

  Pierre said nothing after that, and the two continued to go after their fleeing pony.

  It took a short while before they were able to catch up to him, but now the task at hand was to reach him.

"Ivan, being that you're his partner, I recomm-"

"Alright, alright, stop your bitching!" He shouted back.

"Excuse me, sir?!" He snarled, repulsed at his response.

"No time!"

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzzz!

  He was now far away from Pierre, but he wasn't any close to Haystack. He then prepared to fire another longshot.

"Alright, I hope I don't end up flying like Haystack did." He muttered.

Tw-wch!

  The rope flew far out of the gun, the tip flying towards the pony's back. The moment it was aligned at the right position, Ivan pressed the button, and let the device pull him through the sky. His lips tugged back as the air pushed them. However, as Ivan approached Haystack, he noticed that he wasn't going to catch up to him, more like fly past. So, he braced for his next move. He extended his right arm and grabbed onto his back.

"Whoa!" Haystack shouted. "What the-!?"

  He noticed that Ivan now had him under his control and was about to set themselves down on another rooftop. He couldn't let him do that, but at the same time, he couldn't stop him from doing so. He had to find Maribelle, and Ivan was the wall between them.

  The two then landed on the ground.

"Now, Haystack." Ivan said while his feet acted as his landing wheels. "Can you explain why-"

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzzzzzzz!

"What the hell?" He looked up, and noticed that Haystack had already took off. "Hey, get back here!"

  And so, along side a worried Pierre, they continued their chase.

  Meanwhile, Haystack's heart continued to beat as he raced across the sky as he continued his search. Then, as he was looking at the night sky, a pair of eyes appeared in his sight. They were grey, and the ones of a child, and he knew exactly who it was.

"Haystack!" Suddenly, he heard it again. Maribelle was now speaking, only this time, to him personally. "Can you hear me?"

"Maribelle?"

"Find me." She uttered. "Hurry!"

  The voice, and the pair of eyes then dissolved from his mind.

"Okay, Ah know Ah'm gettin' close." He thought, before suddenly feeling the beating in his heart grow faster. "Wait, Ah'm already there."

  His head began to tingle, telling him to go right... and so, he obeyed.

  Ivan was quick to notice that. It gave him a chance to reach him through a diagonal shortcut. With that, he was able to catch up to Haystack once again. However, he chose not to catch him as if he were a net.

"Haystack, what the hell? Stop this instant!"

  The stubborn pony lowered his Air-grabber towards another rooftop.

Tw-wch!

  Zzzzzzzzzz!

  He descended down, and landed on the rooftops safely. Ivan and Pierre would repeat.

"Haystack, please answer my question." Ivan demanded. "Why the hell aren't we going to-"

  The stallion ignored it, and proceeded to take out his Machina. He then went prone, and looked through its scope. "She's over there."

"That doesn't answer my-"

"But it does answer the question on where Maribelle's at!" He shouted back, angry at his tone. "So be happy!"

  They stood there, and let the rain do its thing. The pony has been acting strange ever since he found that little girl, he has even gone far as to ignore his own comrade, and even disobey the humans he's supposed to be trusting. Still, that isn't an excuse as to why he won't answer. There's a reason he's doing all of this; and right now, they needed to reason with how are they going to prevent chaos in the group.

"Yes, we are." Ivan was successful in not letting his emotions get the best of him, so he proceeded. "But tell me, why aren't we going to call Troy once we have her?"

  He lied there, quiet, unwilling to respond.

"You didn't tell us why over there, so tell us now, or we won't..."

  Then, he noticed it ; he realized that the pony was looking a bit depressed on this issue. As if he didn't want to talk about it yet again. But Ivan wasn't going to let that stop them from continuing.

"... proceed with the objective at hand."

"Fah'ne then, You both can go back to that old hag's house whah'le ah continue with the mission." He talked back.

"Gosh, what a come back." Pierre muttered, looking through his binoculars.

"Damn it Haystack! Can you just tell me why we're not going to obey half of Troy's damn orders? What is it what?! Does the girl have some special powers or something, that you need? Is Troy going to take her and kill her or something and you don't want her to die? Does that girl remind you of home? What? Tell me!"

  He said nothing, all he wanted to do was to get to her and keep her from harm.

"Ivan, just let ze pony be." Pierre whispered.

"What? But you just told me to keep-"

"Well, this isn't ze time to do it. Look." He handed him the binoculars, in which Ivan decided to look through without hesitation.

  In it, they managed to found the little girl, only she was restrained by two men in tuxedos. She was doing her best to break free from them, but it was no use. The men, then took her inside via a door and shut it closed.

"Who the hell are they?"

"Beats me." said Pierre. "Could be anyone. State politicians, RED businessmen or agents. Who knows."

"So, are we goin' to stop our arguin'?" said Haystack.

  Rolling his eyes, Ivan agreed. "Fine, sorry."

"Apology accepted."

  Then Ivan turned to the matter at hand. "Pierre, where's that at?"

"'Ze museum of our Utopia'. That's what they call it."

"Great, we're going to raid a museum."

"Mmm hmm."

"So, what's stopping us from heading over-"

  The two pointed in front of them, this made Ivan use the binoculars again to see why. "Bummer, troops are having a stakeout there."

"And it seems that they're heading this way. When ze troops have a stakeout, they'll send a entire platoons to do so."

"That explains a lot." Ivan muttered.

  The rain took over again, but not for long.

"So, what do we do now?" said Haystack.

'Rappel down there." asked Pierre.

"How? We don't have anything-"

"Our Air-grabbers work as Rappel tools."

"Huh, you're right." said Ivan, as they lowered themselves down the building.

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

   Two guards were sniping from the museum's rooftop, detecting the three through their scopes.

"Madame, we've managed to locate them. They're heading this way." radioed one of them.

"Good, take them out." a woman called back while accompanied by muffled screaming. "We can't let them have her."

"Of course Madame." After hanging up, he proceeded to line up their shots. "You ready?"

"Of course." said his comrade as he did the same.

  After their shots were lined up, they waited for the signal for about five seconds. When those five seconds were up, the guard whispered, "Fire."

Pfft!

  Pfft!

  The bullets raced across the street and towards their unintended target.

Snap!

  Snap!

"Whoa!" Ivan and Pierre shouted as the rope snapped and dropped them from the building.

  Immediately, Haystack used his Air-grabber to fall along side them. During their decent. he managed to grab them and use the gadget to safely land them on the ground. After the successful procedure, he managed to real the Air-grabber in as if it were measuring tape.

"Thanks man."

"You're Welco- Whoa!" Haystack shouted as the rope kicked him back. "*Ahem* You're welcome."

  The three would then run to the nearest row of bushes and hide.

"So, do you think they spotted us?" asked Ivan.

"No, most of ze lights in ze city, excluding ze street lights', are turned off. But I don't think it was them that shot us down." He looked into the binoculars and located the two snipers. "Damn, since when were they there?"

"What is it?"

"Two snipers on top of ze building, sound suppressors on their rifles, and I don't think the troops outside know it... Ivan, you have that liquid that Lillian gave you?"

"Hmm?" Ivan wondered what he meant, but he managed to remember it in light speed. "Oh, that."

  He reached into his satchel and took it out. "This one?"

  Pierre nodded.

"Oh." He looked at the bottle and read the label, which had a yellow shield as its logo. "Huh, is this a shield?"

"Yes, it's a necessary element in your mission. So, we're going to drink it between the three of us." He reached into his pocket and got out three plastic cups.

"Uh, Pierre? Since when did you have those?"

  Pierre gave them the cups as Haystack asked that question. "It's something that I do in any battleground, including here. Just to make sure my comrades are alright by giving them something to drink"

"Hmm... wait, don't you have canteens?" asked Ivan.

"BLU's budget, and so as RED's is more focused on weapons and training rather than the care of their own troops." He opened the bottle and poured the drink into them. "Sure they have medics, but they're very few. They say that if you want to drink, buy a canteen or cup, because we're not providing them."

  Once the cups were filled, Pierre detached the Vita from the bottle, then sighed, "So, I took my own plastic cup. And then decided to take more... in case if someone else couldn't drink; and It turns out that it wasn't a few who couldn't."

"Hmm..." Ivan thought. Deciding not to waste anymore time, he then said. "... Ok then, bottom's up."

  The other two agreed and they poured the lemon flavored liquid into their mouths. The taste would indulge them into swallowing more of it without breaks; And in no time, their cups were empty. After separating them from their lips, they felt their bodies grow numb for at least two seconds before seeing yellow cracks flash in their vision. Then, all was well.

"Whoa!" Ivan mumbled.

"Huh." said Pierre. "Now let's see ze additional information behind this drink."

  He turned on the Vita and they all huddled to watch it.

'Spring' played again as the title, 'SHINING ARMOR' appeared in the grey background. It then cut to the soldier freaking out as bullets were flying towards him. The woman would then talk once it cut to that. "Protect yourself from the enemy onslaught. Use this dice to help you fight on the front lines."

  The screening then cut to the bullets deflecting off the now highfalutin soldier as he smiled and had his hands on his hips.

"Warning: Relentless damage will cause the shield to break. On the bright side, shield will replenish if not being hit."

  The soldier did his usual smile and thumbs up in the next slide.

"Have fun. comrade." said the lady while the 'THANK YOU, RED INDUSTRIES' slide appeared.

  After the vita turned off, Pierre tossed it to the side.

"So, we have regenerating health now?"

"Yep, you put it like that, so yes."

"Okay then, what do we do now?"

"We're going in stealthily. There is no point in fighting them. It's an in and out operation. We rescue ze girl, and we get ze hell out of there... Before ze Doofanian forces get to us."

"Of course."

"Now, on my le-."

  Their radios began to vibrate as static was released from the speakers.

"Huh?" They wondered. They then took them out, and dropped them on the ground once they couldn't take the vibrating anymore.

"Hello, infiltrators." A female voice said in a disdainful tone.

"Uh, who is this?" Ivan said nervously.

"The bitch that's going to take you out."

"No, seriously, who is it?" Pierre intervened.

  There was short pause before the lady spoke. "Remember me Pierre?"

"Uh..." He regained focus after the revelation shocked him to the bone. "B-Blythe?"

"Yeah, you're old friend."

"Wait, you mean Blythe Baxter?"

"Mmm Hmm, thought I was dead?"

"Pierre, I thought you barely knew-."

"Yeah, but outside ze country..." He sighed. "... It was a whole different story."

"That's right tell 'em. Tell 'em after I send you three to hell! ... or heaven, I don't know."

POP!

  A loud fizzing sound was heard above them. Looking up, they noticed that a blue flair was hovering over them, beaming a ray of light. It was enough to catch the oncoming troops' attention; it called off their plans to halt and caused them to automatically open fire.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

"Ah, son of a gun!" Ivan muttered. before firing a blast of nitrogen towards the nearest soldier. "Go! Go! Go!"

  They exited out from behind the bushes and ran. Ivan would hop onto Haystack's back and fire while on top.

"Here! Mmph!" He yelled, a bullet deflecting off his arm. "Use this!"

  The pony would hand him his air-grabber to ensure that they reach their destination as a group.

"Thanks!" Pierre shouted back. "It'll, Ow, be useful!"

  Ivan reloaded his M16 before firing an extra set of rounds at the enemy. After shooting around eight bullets, he began to load a grenade into its grenade launcher and prepared to fire.

  Suddenly, a bullet sped towards him, and hit him right in between his eyes. The impact knocked him back and made him shoot for the glacier.

"Ah'van, what the hay did ya-" He stopped once he noticed that he was knocked back and dizzy.

  In Ivan's mind, all he could see was another memory being presented towards his sight.

*  -  *

  *  -  *

"Mom, dad?" He said, looking at the stone floor beneath him.

"Yes, sweetie" asked his mom.

"I'm going to join."

"What?!" His father gasped.

  His mother, as well as his father's jaw dropped as she dropped her glass cup of tea.

"I-I'm going to get rid of our-."

"Son, you don't have to do this!" The father approached his son, holding onto his shoulders.

"I-I'm joining the-"

"No son!"

"B-but I wanna-"

"Don't do it!" a younger voice said from a distance.

  Tears began to stream down his cheeks. "I'm going to-"

"Don't do it!" They yelled repetitively. "Don't go!"

  The voices echoed in his head before he witnessed everything in front of him turn into dust... grey, pearl white dust.

"Ah'van!! Wake up!" His companion yelled as he injected him with a tad bit of the liquid from one of his syringes.

"Whoa, what the-." Ivan sat up. "The hell happened?!"

"A bullet must've hit you in the head!" He turned around to mount his rifle over the beheaded ice.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

  He returned to cover and sat beside him, continuing with his report, "Thank Celestia that that shield witchcraft stopped them from ripping through yer brain. And thank Celestia that this syringe worked. Ah didn't know that it could actually-"

  Realizing that Ivan was now waiting for orders, the pony handed him his rifle. "Now, go get 'em!"

  Ivan nodded, grabbing the rifle and making his move on the oncoming troops.

"Ignis!" He fired another ball of fire at them. The blast would incinerate three troops before Ivan shot them down like ducks in the sky.

"Ivan! Haystack!" Pierre shouted from his cover.

"What?!" They shouted back.

"I'm going into enemy lines to cripple their defenses! I recommend that you move up, now!" He used his watch to turn invisible and then he would do as he promised.

"Dang." Ivan mumbled. "Let's see what he can do."

Rat-at-at-at!

  The bullets hammered through the last soldier's chest, making him shriek in pain.

"Huh, last one." Haystack said. "Let's go then."

"Mmm Hmm." Ivan nodded.

  The two ran across the street before another wave of reinforcements came into view.

"Son of a bitch they have another Humvee." said Ivan. surprised by the sight. Quickly, he lined up the shot through his iron sight and prepared to shoot before the soldier did.

Rat-at-click!

"Crap!" He thought. When he heard the click, he prayed to god that the bullets could hit him. It was two bullets versus one HMG armed soldier. He began to reload as the bullets soared towards in it's intended direction.

Thwap!

"Umph!" The soldier groaned, the bullets hitting him on the forehead.

"Ah." He sighed. "Success."

  They ran towards the Humvee and shot down anyone who was adjacent to it.

"Haystack!" Ivan commanded. "Man that HMG and cover me!"

"Got it!" Haystack patted him on the arm before galloping towards the vehicle's interior and heading towards the ring mount.

  In the meantime, Ivan got out of cover and ran towards one of the street corners nearby.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

  Haystack was able to fire at the remaining troops in front.

Twang!

"Ah!" Ivan grunted, an HMG bullet deflecting off his arm. "Watch it Haystack!"

"Got it! Sorry!" He apologized.

  Ivan then managed to reach to his reason. A small sandbag levee was sitting there. The only occupants it had was a soldier's corpse and extra ammunition. Peeking over the petite fortress, he noticed that the difficulty level was increasing. One row of seven EOD suited troops marching in their direction.

"Son of a bitch!" Ivan thought.

"This is commander Fitzwallace! The infiltrators are on the attack, reasons are unknown at this hour!" The commander called, "Madame, do you respond!?"

"Yes I do sir." Vanessa replied, returning the call via her phone, "I want you to hold the line until and see if you can flank them."

"Will do Madame!" He then turned to his second in command. "Montenegro, go and flank the enemy by taking two squadrons to-"

  The soldier watched as the EOD soldiers slipped on the thin ice trap Ivan set, before replying with, "Oh shut up Fitzwallace, I don't think that'll be necessary."

  Taken aback by his response, he shouted. "What did you say, boy?"

  He grinned, and aimed his rifle towards his head in a snap.

Rat-at-at!

  The bullet blew his brains out, knocking him back. Pierre would go on to do the same with any troops that stood close by, gunning them all down like a ninja. After that, he ran towards the nearest building and used the check-out counter as cover.

  The enemy fire pounded on the counter. However, that didn't stop him from completing his objective. Taking out s C4 detonator, he mumbled, "I pity you guys."

Click!

  BOOM!!

  Both Humvees in that street detonated. The explosion killed anyone who was within the range of the blast, and causing even more panic as more laid wounded.

  On the other end of the line, all Vanessa heard was static. She put the phone back to where it was and sighed, "Wesley?"

"Uh, yes Madame?" He saluted, feeling the urge to tremble.

"You know who to deploy."

"Yes, yes Madame." He turned around and headed out the door.

  Vanessa was now left to watch as his fellow apprentice left. Whispering to herself in a lustfully. "Why are you afraid of me, Wesley?"

"Aaargh!!" The last EOD soldier choked before a bullet was knocked through his skull.

  Ivan, looking away from his execution, then focused his fire on the scattering soldiers in front of him. He signaled Haystack to move up while he armed the grenade launcher.

"Got it!" He hopped off the ring mount and galloped towards his side.

Ka-thwop!

BOOM!

  Three soldiers were killed in the blast while Haystack gave them suppressing fire.

  Ivan grabbed the M249, and fired at the retreating forces.

"Flank them!" Yelled another commander. "Go around the block and shoot their asses!"

  Half of the platoon separated into two squads consisting of two Humvees and twenty soldiers each. They went into opposite directions and expected to use the element of surprise. However, they were the ones that were the element's target.

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! ...

  Thwap!

"Umph!" A bullet hit one of the flanking soldier's in the shoulder. Looking up, he located a pistol armed rebel firing downwards at them. "Fire!"

  He and five others counter-attacked, and that only waked up the beast that was hiding inside the mansion. More pistol armed rebels appeared on both rooftops on both buildings.

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! ...

"Counter-attack! They're poorly armed!"

  The troops opened fire. Laying down their barrage as they suffered far less casualties than the rebels.

  The rebel forces went prone as they witnessed their comrades get shot by the well-equipped enemy.

"Where the hell are the RPG's!" yelled one of them, before muttering. "Erm... why the hell didn't we resupply?"

"Because the rifles are for us." answered his friend who was on the other end of the rooftop, where the non-flanking troops were located below.

"Sir, troops have experienced rebel forces attacking their positions." said a sergeant to the commander.

"Damn it." He stomped his foot. "Order in an attack chopper, we're not going to let these bastards ruin our-"

  After turning around, he noticed that another one of his comrades was back. "Uh, Commander Fitzwallace, I thought you-."

Rat-at-at!

  The gunshot revealed Pierre. It was unfortunate that that commander wasn't able to see it, because he was his first victim.

Rat-at-at!

  The sergeant was next.

"Spy!!" One of them yelled, before the group went after him.

  Without feeling any form of fear, he took out the detonator and walkie talkie and said, "Do it."

"Got it." said the man on the other side.

BOOM!!

  All Humvees in all positions, were blown to smithereens as the other rebels made their move.

Pierre, politely got out a cigarette and smoked it, before cloaking into invisibility once again.

"Jackson." said Blythe. "Status report."

"The enemy stakeout's been crippled... and the rebels are aiding them."

  She got her cup of wine and began to drink. After taking a sip from it, she put the glass down and said calmly, "Fine, get the group on the outer deck and rooftop to clear the bastards docked outside the museum entrance... I want a one on one fight."

"Yes sir."

Static!

  The man then began to contact all units in the designated areas. "All infantrymen in the rooftop and exterior areas, take out the state soldiers in front of you, leave none standing."

"Yes sir!" They all chanted before obeying the command.

  The assault from both factions brought the skirmish to a much needed end as every enemy soldier dropped to the floor like dominoes. Then, they both stopped shooting and were now at ease. All that was left now was smoke and flames as the trio approached the stairway that led to the building.

"Pierre, you sure about this?" asked one of the rebels. "I mean, won't you need our-."

"Yes, I mean, No, I mean-Damn, anyways we can handle this on our own." He answered. "Now, I managed to call for more reinforcements to arrive at your position. I expect for you all to garrison into ze buildings and cover us."

"But sir, you don't know what the hell you'll be-"

"It doesn't matter, just get ready to defend at all cost.." Pierre shouted, annoyed at his questioning.

"Oh, ok-k-kay-s-sir..." Static took over their communications, before Blythe's voice returned to the airwaves.

"Well, Well, Pierre." She grinned. "Looks like you and your buddies chose to go at it alone then. Pfft, how sad. Even after they helped you kick the state's ass in order to get here."

"Hmm, but-" He was then interrupted.

"Listen...uh... Blythe." Haystack demanded. "Don't you dare hurt Maribelle! Or else, I'll show you how a pony's-"

"Ah, it's fun to see a pony from the 'Magical' land of Equestria defend a little human girl." she said playfully, "Primarily because he doesn't know why. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

  The remark hit him in the heart. All this time, he kept wondering why she had such affections towards him and vice versa. How was it possible, they were both of different species and... then he remembered that there was no time to feel sorry for not knowing. He had to get her back before that demented bitch did anything to her... or at least he assumed that she was demented.

"Shut up!" He shouted. "You... you..."

"That's right, because it's the truth isn't it."

  His few streams tears caught the attention of the others, and they weren't going to let that slide. Ivan walked over to him and commanded him to look him in the face.

"Damn it Haystack." Ivan whispered, trying to find a way to calm him down. "Stop crying... uh... or you'll be... uh...-"

"Huh, Now that I've crippled a piece of your morale, I might as well shoot you guys."

"Blythe, we're not here to fight you!" Pierre said. "We are only here to retrieve ze girl with-."

"I don't think that's necessary." She then sang gleefully. "Sniping time!"

"Damn, ze girl's gotten-"

"Oh shut up! Well, whatever you were going to say, It's best that you keep it to yourself. Anyways, take out the boy with the black hair!"

"You mean me?" Ivan squeaked.

BLAM!

"Umph!" Another bullet hit him in between the eyes. Only now, he was knocked down the steps of the building and well... it knocked him out yet again.

"Ah'van!" cried Haystack. All before the enemy opened fire.

"Commander Wesley. Status report on the stakeout." Vanessa ordered.

"According to scout reports, the entire platoon's been whipped out; and rebels have garrisoned into the buildings outside the museum."

  She drank her glass of whine before saying gently. "Wesley, Bring in the generals of our army for a meeting tomorrow... I think it's time that we discuss about our lack of drone deployment with them."

"Right Madame." He was approaching the door when...

"Wesley?"

"Yes Madame?" again with the urge to shiver.

"Have they been deployed."

"Absolutely Madame." He nodded. "Another platoon, as well as they, are on the way."

"Attaboy!" She smiled while tossing a paper ball at his buttocks.

"Eek." He flinched before walking out the door with the feels to faint in panic.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

*  -  *

  *  -  *

Ivan woke up after only few seconds. However, he was alone this time, sitting underneath a tree. There, he felt a little shorter than usual... and younger. Was it a memory of his younger self? Of course it was; But it didn't matter anyways, because like all dreams, he's likely to forget it anyways. A few seconds passed by before a monarch butterfly came passing by him. The young self grew excited at this and got up from his leisure. This made the present day Ivan feel a bit warm as he watched his younger self chase after it with giggles of joy.

"Wh-why am I seeing this?" Ivan smiled, embracing that warm feeling that caressed his heart.

"Son?" A familiar voice called.

"Mom?" He asked himself.

"Son?" The voice faded while his sight did the same. "Son, come here."

"Ah'van! Get back here!" Haystack cried while injecting him with more of the healing liquid. The sound of breezes was now replaced with gunfire.

"Huh, what the-?" Once he regained consciousness, he shook his head to make sure it was gone entirely. "Damn. How long have I been knocked out?"

"For about half a minute!" He disclosed. "We've been pinned down since then!"

  The pony reached into his saddlebags and took out a bottle of beer with his teeth. "Drink this, and take out those douchebags!"

  He let go of the beer, causing it to land in Ivan's hand. "Alright!"

  After drinking the beer in record time, he jumped out of the cubed pillar they were hiding behind.

"Ignis!" The mental order shot a fireball at three enemies in front of them. They danced in agony before Ivan finished them off with his newly acquired M249. At that moment, he felt a tingly feeling behind his head. That feeling was giving him the urge to turn around. Following the order, he found out that another trio of enemies were about to shoot him from behind. So, he wasted no time in giving them a little lesson on the element of surprise.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  The three danced with every bullet that hit them.

... at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

"Damn, I love this gun." Ivan said, checking the weapon out.

BLAM!

  Another enemy on the other side was taken down by Haystack's sniper rifle.

BLAM!

  His comrade met the same fate.

BLAM!

  The last one was about to make a run for it... but the bullet made sure he didn't get away.

  On the rooftops, the enemy was given this order. "Cease fire! Cease fire!"

  All shooting stopped, and it left the entire outer museum silent.

Static!

"So, you took care of my entire outer defense. Didn't you?" Blythe said in anger.

"I don't want to do this, Blythe. Give us ze child!" Pierre said, annoyed.

"Ha, ha, ha! Don't be stupid, Pierre. If you want the child, then you have to take it up with my friends!" The sound of muffled screaming became audible. "He he, I don't want to play an unfair game you know... get inside. Time for a declaration of war."

Static!

"Damn it." Pierre faced the scared Haystack who was moping at the thought of losing his friend. "Don't worry Haystack. We'll get to her. *Sigh* Why ze hell did she choose to live in this hellhole?"

"How was she like before she came here?" Ivan asked.

  Another sigh escaped his mouth. "She was just like every pre-teen girl. Aspiring, happy, and energetic."

  The trio regrouped before standing in front of the dual-door entrance.

"Then?"

"She moved here along side with her boyfriend Josh, and everything changed." He pushed the door open, and the three went inside without wasting time.

  Inside was dark as only one light was used to illuminate one of the machine that greeted them. That machine was a model of the dictator, Heinz.Doofenshmirtz. When Haystack approached him, he spoke with the same compassion as Roger did. The only difference, or differences was that Heinz's voice had a higher pitch than Roger's; and he spoke with a thick German accent.

"Since ze dawn of our Paradise, our brave comrades have recorded ze greatest moments of our grand nation!" The machine called as it waved its arm in joy and pride. " 'Zis is ze place to find it! 'Zis is ze place to revel in our accomplishments and struggles to achieve ze vision 'zat my brother always wanted! 'Zis, is ze museum of our Utopia!"

  The lights in the lobby turned on, revealing the bloodied bodies of multiple guards and civilians.

"Oh Celestia, wh'ah!?" A chill was sent down Haystack's spine as the bloodshed scarred him.

"Calm down, Haystack." Ivan said. "This should already be common for us."

"B-but-"

"Ugh, the civies didn't see it coming, nor did the autocratic guards, now let's move on!"

Static!

"Like what you see? My men did it themselves."

"Blythe, you crazy bitch!" The pony shouted, now enraged by their actions. "Don't you dare hurt Maribelle! If you lay a-"

"Blah, blah! You already went over that outside." She taunted. "Now, just proceed to the door at the end of the room, and your first challenge will be given to you. So, be a good sport and keep your mouth quiet."

Static!

"Grrrr!" He muttered, doing his best to control his anger.

"Calm down, Haystack." Pierre reminded him. "Let's just do what she says."

  They went past the exhibit where Ivan would find a tape recorder lying there. Knowing that there was still time, he decided to take a listen.

"Thomas Wesley..." A man said. "Ha, I feel bad for that poor guy. He's too busy juggling between getting it on with the 'Dear' leader and commanding the battalion he was assigned to. Vanessa keeps thinking that it's a secret... but don't count on it. By now, everyone in the army already knows that he's been..."

"Ah'van, let's go." Haystack insisted.

  He didn't say anything, but he did join them as they approached the door.

"... Ha ha... Now, when is my shift over?"

Crash!

"What the hell? Damn, looks like we're under attack! Better arm up."

Click!

"Okay then, how the hell are we going to get in without getting-"

  Pierre pulled out a small camera that was connected to a cable, visually telling Ivan that that's what they'll be using.

"Oh, that'll work."

  The spy inserted the wire in between the closed doors.

"Alright, Blythe's men have ze entrance well covered."

"With what?"

"Three sentries on top of ze bridge, fifteen men, and five hovering drones."

"Damn, so what's the plan?"

"Simple." He pulled the wire out, and put it away. "Haystack, put that sniper rifle to work."

"But ah already put it-"

"Then keep putting it work by going over there and covering us." He pointed at the robotic Heinze.

"Yes sir." He nodded. The sniping pony then trotted towards the exhibit, and used the concrete support as cover.

"Ivan, there's another pillar in front of us. We toss grenades into ze other side and charge towards ze cover. Understand?"

"Mmm Hmm." Ivan confirmed his agreement by getting a grenade out from his pocket.

"Tres Bien." He smirked. "Now, get ready. Three, two, one."

"Fire." Blythe ordered.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

Shhhhhhssss!

BOOM!!

  The two were flung back after the blasts punched them like Super-sayans.

"Pierre! Ah'van!" Haystack cried, afraid to know if they were okay or not.

  To his relief, the two got up without a scratch.

"Ah, god bless technology." Ivan smiled with ecstasy as he mentally thanked the concoction.

"No time for celebrating!" warned Pierre. "Ze drones!"

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-beeeeep!

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r....

  Ivan was quick to react, he took out the flare gun that Pierre handed him a while back and loaded the last two hacking flares in his inventory.

"Fire them!" Pierre shouted.

  The bullets began to slap against Ivan's vest, but that didn't stop him from firing the flare at the source. The drone descended gently to the ground as bolts of electricity surged around it. Quickly, he aimed at another one, and successfully took it out without problems. As Haystack dealt with the other drones, Pierre and Ivan hacked into the disabled ones with ease. Under their control, they used them to deal with the three tuxedoed men that approached with revolvers in their hand.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

  The drones pounded onto their bullet proof vests before choosing to aim for the head.

  The three men dropped dead at the gunshots. This signaled for them to return to their original positions and prepare for their counteroffensive. But, this skirmish felt more like the trench warfare in World war one; especially when three bright red lasers were beaming through the broken entrance.

"Son of a bitch, they have wranglers!" Pierre shouted, as he picked up one of their revolvers and its ammo.

"What are those?"

"Remote controls that take complete control of a Sentry. Now, we need to continue with ze task."

"What? And get shot at-"

"Just go!"

"Alright!" Ivan screamed before loading a grenade into the launcher and darted out of the entrance.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

"Umph! ah! Umph! ow! d'oh! Umph!"

Ka-thwop!

BOOM!

  The grenade blasted next to the middle sentry. The explosion injured the owner, and seriously damaged the Sentry gun itself.

Thwap!

"Ow!" Ivan felt another burn through his stomach. He tumbled to the ground and managed to use the concrete pillar as cover. The bullets pierced through the plants the pillar was holding as Ivan groaned in pain. Looking down, he witnessed his bloody wound that was in front of him.

Cl-cling, cling!

  The soft sound got his attention. He looked at the floor and found one of Haystack's syringes lying on the floor.

"Huh?" Ivan thought. He noticed that there was a note attached to it. After healing himself with the syringe, he read it.

Ivan,

                                                             Thought you might need this.

                                                         Just so I don't have to be helping you all the time.

                                                                                                    - Haystack

"Huh, that's very nice of him. He should've gave me them a long time ago!" Ivan then loaded his launcher with yet another grenade and went on to destroy one of the sentries.

"Sentry down!" One of them cried.

"Bingo." Ivan sighed.

  A couple of seconds later, Pierre joined in and sat right beside Ivan. "So, you took out one of ze sentries."

"Yep." He nodded. "So, would you kindly see if you can take out the other ones? I'm all out of grenade shells."

"My pleasure." He smirked. The spy then turned around and lined up the shot. "Think fast, Blythe."

BLAM!

  The first round hit  the Sentry manning enemy in the head. It made the man drop his wrangler and cease control of the turret. While it was down, Pierre proceeded to take advantage of that moment.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

  The bullets slammed onto the immobilized Sentry, damaging it with every shot.

BLAM! BLAM! Click!

"Dammit, I'm out!" Pierre shouted. "Take out that sentry while I reloa-"

"Say no more!" Ivan turned around and aimed for the recovering weapon, until...

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

"Crap!" Ivan ducked before any of the bullets could reach him.

BOOM!

  Smoke would then blind them after the missiles managed to explode right in front of them.

"*Ahem* *Ahem* *Ahem* Are we *Ahem* dead?" Ivan choked.

"Nope, we're doing just fine." Pierre aimed once more at the turret and shot two more rounds at it.

BOOM!

  The explosion signaled its demise, letting them focus on the last one... But the drones had them covered.

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-beep!

  The two flying contractions shot them as much as they could.

"What the-" Ivan and Pierre only watched as the drones went on to terminate the enemy's last source of defense.

"No time, let's move!" Pierre shouted.

  Wasting no time, they vaulted over the pillar and shot down the last two enemies in a small amount of time.

"Well then." wowed Ivan as he observed all of the bodies in the room. "That was quick."

  Haystack galloped to their position with a smile of relief.

"Damn Haystack. You truly are an excellent shot." Ivan grinned.

"Uh, thanks, it's in the family." The pony blushed, taking the complement well.

"Hmm, alright, let's keep moving," He began to walk, but something stopped him in his tracks, "Uh, Haystack?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you command the drones to take out the sentry?"

"Eeyup."

  Neither Ivan or Pierre could believe it. He's a pony from a country where Magic reigns over Technology. It was unlikely.

"Uh, how?" asked Pierre, eager as Ivan was to uncover the question.

"Ah used this small thing on the floor and pressed the button that was attached to it." He presented them the pen that is used to guide the drones before.

"And where did you find this pen?"

  The stallion used his teeth to give him the pen back. "You dropped it."

"Oh, heh heh." He took the pen, and took his answer into consideration. "Sorry about that."

"Sorry for what?"

"Oh, nothing."

Static!

  Underneath the bridge, they stopped dead in their tracks as Blythe came in with another message.

"Well, Sweet mother Teresa on a hood of a Mercedes Benz! You took out my entire squad!" She said with awe.

"Yeah, now are you convinced in giving us ze girl?"

  The question bothered her, "You didn't hear my sarcasm, didn't you? ... I told you, NO! ... The girl is mine for the feast; and since you bastards decided to join her... Ugh, I got nothing."

Static!

"So, about Blythe..."

"Ze girl was full of herself when she moved here. Ditched school and her friends in hopes of achieving a better life here in this 'paradise'."

  The two walked past the bridge and into another part of the floor where more exhibits were waiting for them.

"She would still write to me though, and-"

"So, you guys were pen pals?"

  Reluctantly, Pierre nodded. "Despite our age difference, we were good friends... Anyways, she would still write to me about how life was in this place... until 'ze last letter she wrote to me on 'ze fifteenth of May, Twenty-Eleven."

"What happened there?"

"According to-"

  The loud roar of dictation got them to stop. The source was another robot of Heinz standing proudly over a pedestal. Looking down, they noticed that it was Haystack who activated the machine by pressing the button.

"Three years of suffering, and 've had enough! In may of Twenty-eleven, 've told our oppressors to get out! It was 'ze 'von thing that I regret, for I had to dethrone my own brother from power; But, it had to be done! For 'ze people, for our utopia!"

  The lights on the exhibit turned off as so did the robot.

"Yeah, that."

"Huh, that explains it."

"When ze revolution took place, I assumed many things from censorship, to death." He looked up at the dark ceiling and said fearlessly. "But now I think it's because she's lost her way."

"Excellent Analysis on the bitch, Pierre." Haystack intervened with an impatient demeanor. "Now can we get to Maribelle?"

"Uh, sure." Pierre said, suspicious on his attitude, " 'Ze stairs to 'ze second floor are that way."

"Got it." Haystack trotted over to the pearl colored stairs while the others followed.

"Or, she hasn't gotten over the fact that her boyfriend died."

"Hmm?" Surprised by the revelation, Pierre took a better listen.

"Well, when we were running away from troops yesterday morning, we found a recording that had her running away before the guy. 'Josh' died."

" 'Ze boy, died?"

"I guess so. Those 'Body Builders' are really having a toll on them."

  Pierre felt a bit of sadness from that statement. "Yeah... Boy, Governments sure love to lie to us, don't they."

"Yeah, I guess so."

  Haystack heard Pierre's statement, and in his mind, he said this. "Princess Celestia never lies to us."

  They were now on the second floor, all was quiet as they now stood in front of four monuments of Heinz and Roger surrounding the entrance to the stairs.

"Well, a nice way to present yourselves in front of tourists." said Pierre.

  Haystack went prone and looked through the scope of his sniper rifle. The first thing he saw past the monuments was the head of one of Blythe's goons peaking out of a turned over table.

"Yeah, and the bitch's buffoons have a nice way of presenting themselves to our bullets!"

BLAM!

  The head flew out into the air and melted right before their eyes.

"What the hay?" Haystack mumbled, surprised at what he actually shot.

Static!

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Blythe laughed, beaming down a light towards them. "Did you really think that that was one of my men."

"Grrr, I hate that laugh."

"Blythe, we... d-don't have to... d-do this!" Ivan stuttered, wondering how to talk to this lady. "Just... g-give us the... g-girl!"

"Are you really that afraid Ivan?"

"I'm not! I just ran out of-"

"What a bunch of wooses! Anyways, since you three are here, I've decided to give you three a little challenge."

"What challenge?" Haystack gritted his teeth, still looking through his scope.

"A simple challenge.. See those doors at the end of the floor?"

  The looked around the statues and found the doors. In unison. they answered. "Yeah?"

"Now, look at that bridge."

  Knowing where the second floor bridge was, they didn't look.

"I... said... Look!!"

  Surprised at her sudden outburst, they obeyed.

"Now, what if I blew that bridge up?"

BOOM!

  In seconds, the bridge was blown into smithereens, and dropped to the first floor below.

"Uh, nothing."

  The three were questioning the sheer stupidity of this 'Challenge'.

"Look, Blythe..." Pierre reasoned. "Stop trying to Stymie us from getting 'ze girl. Can we just come to an-"

"No!! I need Maribelle here with me, and if you don't want to stop, then I'll make sure that that happens! Welcome to my first challenge!"

"Ugh, she is as stubborn as a mule!" Haystack stomped his hoof, angry at her determination.

  Happy to commence, Blythe started to announce her challenge as if she were a host of her own game show, "If you like Terminator, then you'll love to experience for the first time! Thanks to Grey Mann's... Generous contribution to both companies. I have managed to acquire some of their robots. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you, the scoutbots!"

  The doors at the end of the floor opened. Going in, was a flock of thin, fast moving androids. They were armed with semi-automatic shotguns and bats. This alarmed them, and they were quick to respond.

"Fire!" The trio fired relentlessly at the machines, but it wasn't enough to stop them from cutting them down.

BLAM!

  One of the robots' heads were decapitated, but the robot still kept on going.

Click!

"Celestia help us!!" Haystack cried before pulling his M16 out.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

Click!

"Damn!" Haystack muttered before the bots pounced on him like football players, "HHEEELLLL-MPHHHH!!!"

  Ivan fired all of his dice energy, both Snowdrop's fury, and Pyro's fantasy. But it was still futile since the robots only pushed through them like Hunnish battering rams.

"Crap!!"

BLAM! BLAM! Click!

"Merde!" The bots gave him the same fate. "Damn!!"

"God dammit!!" The bots would do the same to Ivan as well, and just like they, he was sedated into unconsciousness via syringe.

*  -  *

  *  -  *

"Ivan... you didn't have to do this." A voice called out to the young mercenary.

"Huh?" He groaned.

"You didn't... have to... do... this..."

"Wake up sleepy head." A girly voice said, cutting Ivan off from his dream state. "Wake up."

"Ugh." He moaned. "The hell?"

  He began to open his eyes, his regaining consciousness helping him out. Then. with one single push, they were wide open. The first thing that greeted his returning sight, was a woman with a licentious smile, twitching eyes, burnt skin, and long disheveled brown hair.

"Yikes!" Ivan jumped back, only to have the rope tying his hands restrain him. "Damn lady, what the hell was that-"

"Shhh Shhh Shhhhh!!' Pierre silenced him. He was in the same state as Ivan.

"Huh, looks like we've been caught." said Ivan. He looked to his left to notice that Haystack wasn't there. He then leaned forward and looked to his right, "Uh, Pierre, what happened to Haystack?"

"He's right here with me." Blythe answered, keeping her psychotic smile in the process. Stepping aside, she revealed a standing Haystack with his mouth covered with a bloodied towel. The pony was silent as he held his head down with a face of exasperation. "And if he moves, my Scoutbots will make him look like Swiss cheese."

"Ugh." Ivan rolled his eyes. "Should've known... Anyways, where the hell's the little girl?"

"Oh, you mean her?" She pointed to her right, where another light beamed down on a trembling, red-faced Maribelle. She had dried tears that stuck to her eyes like paste, but he had a glare that would make any adult question her mentality.

   The ever so happy Blythe frolicked up to her and removed the cloth that silenced her. With that out of the way, Maribelle got her chance to speak. "Oh hello, you slutty pansy, fancy you haven't gotten a job at a strip club yet."

  Angry at her remark, Blythe curled her right hand and punched the little girl in the face.

  Pierre and Ivan's mouths gaped in horror, but Haystack was the most terrified.

"Mmuurrublllee!!" He cried through her muffled mouth.

  Once the little girl regained her ground, blood began to seep from her mouth.

Puh!!

  A trio of teeth shot out of her mouth, "Huh, I was expecting an insult or something, but that's okay."

"Shut up, you little bitch!" She talked over with an angry look.

"Okay, you could've done better than that." The little girl retorted with rolling eyes.

"I said, shut up!!"

"Oh, now you're scraping the bottom of the barrel."

"Shut the hell up!"

"Nah, you shut up." She smirked.

"Grrrr!!" Blythe prepared to give her another blow.

"Enough, Blythe!" A man yelled over a microphone.

  The remaining lights in the vast room turned on, revealing more scoutbots and armed men.

  Surprised at their location, Ivan asked. "Where the hell are we?"

"The top floor of the museum buddy." The man said with excitement. "Like the vacancy... aside from Blythe's goons."

"Hello Redmond, nice to see you after all these years."

"Ah, Pierre, it's been awhile since you defected to BLU... I pity the fact that you're back with me... only with your hands tied up."

"Wait, you were with RED?" Ivan asked, surprised with the revelation.

"Yes, Mister Bentley. You're partnered with an old friend of mine. He was loyal to my company, and to my cause... *Sigh* Why Pierre, it could've wor-"

"Personal reasons, Redmond! Now shut up!"

"So, you were with RED before! Why didn't you tell us this?" Ivan continued to ask.

  Quickly, he responded. "I forgot."

"Yeah, like you didn't know that troops were garrisoning the bridge last night."

"I swear, I-"

"You know, what else do you have to hide? That you knocked some guys mother who was affiliated with BLU?"

"Shut up, Ivan." Pierre tried to contain his anger as tears streamed down his eyes.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Redmond cackled. "Nice to see that you made Pierre cry Mister Bentley."

"Huh?" He looked to the right, and confirmed his claim. "Uh, Pierre, I'm... I'm sorry if-"

"Ha ha, it's funny 'cause all you said there was true."

  Ivan looked down, feeling ashamed for his actions. "I-I'm... I'm sorry."

"Meh, you will be... Blythe, clear the pony of his silence."

  The lady nodded with glee before running over to Haystack and untying the towel.

*Ahem!* *Ahem!*

"Maribelle, you alright?"

"Oh she will be." Blythe chirped before cartwheeling back to Maribelle with her syringe.

  The three were astounded by the sight.

"Uh, where did you..."

"While you were both knocked out of course." She smiled. "Now, I want you to extract all of the Gabe out of the girl for me."

  Haystack gasped, afraid of this revelation.

"Mainly because when I did it, I kept getting electrocuted, watch." She demonstrated by placing the needle over the little girls arm. Suddenly, electric shocks started to race through Blythe's body, making her tremble in pain. She was once again lucky enough to detach the needle from the girl, "See?"

"Now, Haystack." announced Redmond before reiterating Blythe's command, "Here's the thing, I want you to extract all the Gabe from the little girl."

  The scoutbots poked him in the flanks, egging him to move forward.

"But, wh'ah." Haystack whimpered.

"Because then we'll give you your package." He said greedily. "Show 'em Vinnie."

  One of the men walked towards them and uncovered the package which was hiding under blue cloth.

"Huh, I knew it." Ivan mumbled.

"If you choose not to extract, then..."

"Then what?" said Haystack.

"The package goes, and so do your comrades."

"Wait what?!" The robots' shotguns pressed through the two's mouths. "Shhn urrff urr Brrtch!"

"You have a choice Haystack. She dies, you all, and the mission lives. She lives, you live, but they and the mission dies!"

"C'mon Haystack." Blythe placed the syringe in front of his hooves. "We haven't got all night."

  She slapped him on the flank. "Go!"

  Taking two steps forward, he was now in front of Maribelle. He didn't know this, but the little girl already knew that he didn't want to do this.

"C'mon, ya douche! Get going!" Blythe yelled before lighting a cigarette and smoking it.

"Haystack, just do it." Maribelle whispered to him.

"What? No!" Haystack choked as tears streamed down his eyes. "Ah-Ah can't-"

"Do it, Haystack! What matters more is that you get safely home and not have to deal with the fact you'll be alone in this hellhole."

"No! Ah'm not going to let you die!"

"Damn it, Haystack!" Maribelle screamed, "I'm not as important as your blessed family!"

  She took a deep breath and spoke to him like a reasonable lady. "Look... just do it. I don't want not only you, but they to suffer as well... Think about what you're doing if you let me live."

  He trembled as he imagined her friend leaving his side. Despite not knowing why, he still felt like she was a good companion. Every time he was around her, he felt a bit safe. He wished that she could stay with him, but if he did that, then the fate of his future would go on the line. However, he wondered about home, he was already out casted as a sinner, so staying here would be nice. He could start life anew and be Maribelle's surrogate brother. Unfortunately, he would be marked as a selfish pony being, because the lives of Ivan and Pierre were at stake. They had families of their own, just like he. And their families were the reason why they came to this wretched city in the first place. Plus, the plan of staying here in Danville for a new life could backfire at any time. The choice was simple, let her die, and they live; or let her live and they all die. More tears burst out of his eyes as his decision.

"I-I'm sorry." He whispered to her, placing the needle over her left arm, "Ah guess this is the only way."

"It's okay, Haystack." She smiled warmly. "Fight on."

  With that, Haystack hugged her in shame at what he was about to do next. But she thought that it was best that they got it over with.

"Haystack, I recommend that you start now."

"Oh, ok." He nodded.

  With that, the operation commenced. The needle would pierce through her skin, making her yelp like a mouse. She could only feel remorse, for she felt the same way as he did.

"Ha, looks like it did work on you." Blythe grinned tossing the cigarette on the floor.

  As the needle penetrated into the deeper layers of her skin, Haystack began to think about something. What if it wasn't the only way? What if he could save Maribelle, the package, and the other two. He remembered their formations, where Blythe was, the two scoutbots, and the agents. He had all the plans ready to counterattack. It was risky, but he knew with confidence that it would work. He released the needle from her skin, droplets of blood sticking onto it.

  Taken aback at his sudden change in plans, Blythe shouted. "Hey what the hell are you-"

Thwap!

  Both scoutbots would collapse once the syringe pierced through them like an actual bullet.

"Whoa!" Maribelle's mouth opened in surprise. "Didn't know that it could do that!"

"Huh, for machines made of metal they truly can't take a syringe to the heart." Haystack mentally noticed.

  Their semi automatic shotguns dropped to floor, but Ivan and Pierre were quick enough to use their feet to grab them.

BLAM!

  With a single blast, Blythe fell to the floor.

BLAM!

  Ivan was clever enough to aim for the agents head, to prevent any of the shells from damaging the package. After shooting, he dropped the shotgun and sighed in relief. "Thank god his head didn't explode."

  And little did anyone know that Haystack was hiding a little secret of his own. He un zipped his vest to reveal to gun holsters mounted against his chest. With his hooves, he pulled them out and shot all remaining agents in their heads like a cowboy. Once all of them were on the floor, Haystack pulled out a knife and proceeded to cut the restraints of his comrades.

"Uh, Haystack, since when did you-" Ivan's question was interrupted once he turned to face Maribelle once more.

  The two smiled at each other with Maribelle being the first to say something. "Uh, thanks... I didn't know that you'd something like that."

  The pony's cheeks ignited, appreciative that they were able to save everyone in the room.

"Ah, what the hell. Come here, you." She ran over to Haystack and give him a tight hug.

  In the meantime, Pierre ran over to Blythe with a shotgun in hand. Surprised that she survived the blast, Pierre aimed it at her throat.

"Alright, you selfish little brat!' Pierre shouted at the top of his lung. "Now tell me why you are affiliated with RED!?"

  The lady only cackled at his question, "Ha, I don't know what I find funny. The fact that we knew each other, the fact that you're going to kill me once I give you the information, or the fact that you were once a RED agent yourself... Until Delilah and her son showed up."

  "Grrr!" Pierre then lowered the shotgun towards her legs.

BLAM!!

"Oh god!" Ivan (As well as Haystack and Maribelle.) felt the feeling of nausea once he saw what the shotgun shell did to her.

"AAAAAIII!!" Blythe let out a blood-curdling cry as pain overwhelmed her.

"So, are you going to tell me?"

"Not after you apologize for what ya just did right now!" She grunted. "Better yet, apologize for bailing on me as a teen!"

"Ugh, fine I'm sorry, now tell me!"

  Blythe looked at him with resentment in her eyes. "You don't mean it, don't you?"

  Quickly, she grabbed one of the pistols from the floor and aimed it towards her head.

BLAM!

  The three were left to leave their mouths open due to her latest move.

  Frustrated, Pierre dropped the shotgun on the floor. "Damn!"

"So, what a terrible way to go out, Blythe." Redmond called. "Oh, by the way, remember me?"

"Yeah, like we would forget." Ivan responded.

"Yep... looks like my operation was a complete failure, due to the fact that I withdrew most my men hours ago... only to be killed by the resistance, damn."

"Uh, what operation?"

"Can't tell you, it's a RED secret. Bye!"

  The speakers shut off completely.

"Well." Ivan picked up the package, and began to search for the satchel, "Looks like we may never know why they did this to us."

"Oh, we'll find out." said Pierre.

"Ready to go home Maribelle?" Ivan said as the little girl climbed onto her back.

"Yep!" She smiled while picking her syringe off the floor. "Uh, what home?"

  They would find the exit a few moments later and leave once the satchel was found, and the package was placed inside.

  Redmond looked at the surveillance cameras as he watched them leave the room with all that they needed.

"Mister Redmond, sir." said one of his chairmen.

"Don't worry sir." Redmond replied with a smirk. "If Blythe and my goons couldn't kill them, then Vanessa's men will... Besides, at least we already know what this delivery is all about."

"Huh, never knew that this museum was very." Ivan breathed in and then out. "Very empty."

"It's because 'ze state never reopened 'ze museum after 'ze revolution. They planned on reopening it, but it never came."

"So, why were there people here?"

"I.... don't... know." Pierre was as confused as Ivan on that subject, and so were the others.

"Hmm." shrugged Ivan.

  They stood quiet as they continued to walk towards the end of the empty floor.

"By the way Pierre, I'm sorry about what I said-"

"No offense was taken Ivan, because it was all true."

"I was an affiliate to RED before a woman named Delilah came in with his son, Preston... and you should know ze rest."

"Well, I see." Ivan said, making a firm implications from that sentence as they went down the stairs.

"When I joined BLU. Blythe was devastated, and to show me that life was fine without me, she came here with her Boyfriend, Josh."

"Huh, that name sounds like something out of a High school themed movie. Tell me, was Josh in some sort of Rock band?"

"Oui."

"Ugh." He sighed. "Just like in a High school themed movie... so, was it because of that that she became full of herself?"

  The spy walked in silence. "I don't want to talk about it any further."

"Oh, ok." Ivan accepted. Because of this, he thought. "Looks like we all have one thing in common."

  They would be relieved that those flight of stairs led to the first floor, and would soon proceed to the main entrance. Upon exiting, they noticed a very peculiar sight... everything was completely quiet.

"What the hell just happened?" Ivan asked as he watched over the bodies of multiple factions on the floor.

  They walked down the stairs and towards the streets below to realize that more bodies, as well as debris was everywhere. The wind howled as the silence continued to send more chills up their spines.

  Afraid, Haystack looked up into the now clear sky, where the moon was hovering above them. This always made him feel relaxed, even during these times.

"Jeff?" Pierre called, making Haystack look in their direction. They found a trembling resistance fighter, walking alone in the streets as he was brandishing his rifle in multiple directions.

"Pierre, all of you." He cried in panic. "Get the hell out of her! Get the-AAH!!"

  A bullet shot through his heart, signaling something bad. Then all of a sudden, at least two dozen troops surrounded them like ninjas, pointing their weapons at their faces. The four gasped in surprise before those troops moved closer and closer to them.

"Damn it." Pierre face palmed. "It was about time that we faced them."

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"So, you people are the Starfox commandos, right?" Ivan asked, trying to distant himself from the elephant in the room.

  To ease them, Maribelle nodded like a thumping rabbit's foot.

"Oh..." He began to look at their uniforms, which was nothing new. They looked like regular soldiers to begin with. The only thing that differentiated them from regular infantry was that they had lighter armor, black fedoras, and red capes. It looked out of place for a Spec-ops group; but in order to calm them down, Ivan had this to say. "...Well you all have nice uniforms by the-."

"Quiet." shouted one of them, "We should be the only ones talking right now."

"Then... W-why didn't you say that before?"

  The squad looked at each other, admitting that he was right. But the squad was smart enough to keep focus on their mission, "Look, we're here for the package. So hand it to us, and you won't meet the same fate as the resistance right here."

"Why?"

"No reason... Well, actually there is one, our dear leader demands that we acquire intelligence from your prized possession. So please, tell us, and you all won't be hurt."

  The four agreed on one thing, and Maribelle expressed it to their enemy. "No."

"Huh, and that's coming from a little brat." The commando chuckled. "Seriously, give us-"

"No sir, we're not going to give you the package." Maribelle continued as he hopped off Haystack's back. "Because that's not your package, it's a property of Ivan and Haystack, and owned by whatever organization they work for, so you don't have the right..."

  While the girl tore them down with her words, the other three conversed in secret.

"So, looks like there's a reason wh'ah they're after us." Haystack muttered to them. "And it has to do with the package."

"No turd Haystack, they just told us to give the..." Ivan stopped the moment he realized it. "Uh, oh."

"What?"

  The three quickly realized what RED, and now Doofania was after.

"Looks like we have to get going ." Pierre said.

"But how? They have us surrounded."

"Ah don't think we'll have to worry about that." Haystack smirked as he watched Maribelle talk with the commandos.

"... and so, I declare by the power invested in me that the state that you blindly work for, doesn't have the right to stop us from delivering that package!" She folded her hands together and gave them an innocent grin.

  Surprised at her verbal onslaught, the squadron shook their heads and stood their grounds.

"Alright girly..." yelled the commando in front of her. "You had your playtime, so now it's our turn!"

"Hmph, makes sense... Oh by the way, pony has a gun."

  The spontaneous message made him look up, "Son of a-."

WHACK!!

"And that gun is me!" Maribelle said, kicking the commando in the face.

"Nice." Haystack muttered.

"Ivan, here!" Maribelle called back as he tossed the man's SMG over to him like a tomahawk.

  The boy grabbed it like lightning, "Uh, thanks!"

  The bullets deflected off their bodies before they made their moves.

BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!!!

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!!

  But in that moment, the squad disappeared.

"The hay?" Haystack questioned.

BLAM!

  Maribelle returned with a pistol and more ammo. "Here, Ah'van, you're going to need this."

"Hmm, three mags?"

"Just be happy that it's ammo, you-"

"Whoa, I'm not complaining, I'm just asking why?"

"Oh, uh, It's because I'm a sixteen year old stuck in a four year old's body. Insert implications there."

  Ivan giggled a little, "Ha, makes sens-"

  Thwap!

  Ivan felt something punch him in the stomach, as if he was being punched by steel gloves. "Oomph!"

"By Celestia's mane!!" Haystack trotted in front of him and wielded his two pistols.

BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!

  Thanks to his outstanding marksmanship, the bullets were able to reach the sniper in a hurry. Even though they missed, it gave her good reason to run.

"Damn, Ah could've dropped her dead." Haystack muttered, disappointed at his failure.

"Ivan, are you okay?" Pierre asked, tending to Ivan's pain.

"Yeah *Ahem*" He let go of his stomach and stood upright. "I'm alright."

"Ah!!" Pierre felt something hit him in the back. It felt light, but it was enough to push him two steps forward. Turning around he fired two rounds at the source. Unfortunately, the source was quick enough to make his escape.

"I think it's best that we get the hell out of here." Maribelle suggested.

"Agreed." The three felt the same way.

  They ran down the street, urgent to get the hell out of there. But at that moment, the sniper returned to finish her job.

BLAM!

  Maribelle's eyesight was quick enough to detect the direction the bullet was heading for... her. So, in order to prevent herself from getting her head blown off. She fell on both knees and slid forward before knocking her head back. The bullet flew over her like a hawk, and her eyes were keen enough to watch as it did so.

"What the hell?" The sniper muttered.

  The little girl stood on her two feet before he joined the others in taking her out.

  The bullets tore through her cape, and blew her fedora right off her head. "Damn it."

  She then contacted his comrades while she made her retreat. "Take 'em out!"

BOOM!

  An explosion of fire appeared to their left.

"What the-."

  A fireball flew towards them from the right. Screaming, the quartet ducked before the fireball could burn them.

"They have DICE also?" Ivan shouted.

"Uh, yeah, I forgot to mention that there are more Pyro dice!" Maribelle giggled, hiding the self pity she felt for not telling them this.

  He aimed to the right in search for the fire shooting soldier. Finding him, he opened fire.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r...

  The man made a cartwheel and successfully dodged every shot.

... r-r-r-r-r-r-Cl-click!

"Damn it!" Ivan muttered before reloading.

  The commando then made his move.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  Two of the many bullets fired hit him in the hip. Ivan would then lose balance and nearly drop his new magazine.

Click! Click! Cl-click!

D-r-r-r-r....

This time, Ivan was successful. The man attempted to jump into the air, but one of the bullets dropped him when it hit him in the ribcage.

"Huh, Bullseye." Ivan smiled in satisfaction.

  He tumbled to the ground before Ivan gave him the finishing blow with three bullets to the chest.

"Ah'van, you got 'em?"

"Yep, looks like it'll be based on luck then."

  They crossed the next intersection where the set of riot shields where lying around.

"Looks like they didn't use these."  Pierre mumbled.

  They picked up the riot shields and raised them up in the air.

"To the Humvee!" Ivan shouted.

  The four moved forward as they fired as many blind shots as they could.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

Twang! Clink! Clink! Twang!

"Aah!" Haystack shouted once the HMG bullets tore through his shield. Shoving the pistol through one of the holes, he fired three shots at the soldier.

  The man groaned as the bullet him in the face.

"Sheesh, easy target."

  The four garrisoned into the Humvee and prepared to get themselves out of here.

"Pierre, the vehicle won't start!" Ivan yelled. "They must've used the kill switch!"

"Damn, just wipe out the squad!" Pierre ordered, "We can't move forward until they're wiped out!"

"Got it!" Ivan had an idea, so he decided to break away from the group.

"Ivan, what 'ze hell are you doing?!"

"Something I should've done!" He ran over to the wall of the building and ran upwards. Ascending upwards, he managed to impress the enemy as he did so. Reaching the rooftops, he confronted two commandos and fired his SMG. However, without even looking, the two jumped into somersaults and started to make their own move.

"Damn."

  The commando to Ivan's left fired another fireball. Swiftly, Ivan jumped off the building and held on to the roof's edges. He then used his arm as a slingshot and lunged upwards and towards one of them with guns blazing. The man dropped dead before he landed on the concrete and aimed his SMG at the other one.

D-r-r-r-r!

Whack!

  Ivan was punched in the stomach; it was strong enough to throw him towards a table that was near by.

CRASH! Crack! Crack!

  But in a flash, Ivan reached his arm into the air and grabbed onto a bottle of beer which coincidently happened to be there.

Glook, Glook, Glook, Glook, Glook!

"Uh, oh." The second commando shook.

"Well well." Ivan grinned after he spit out the bottle from his lips. "Lucky night."

  Knowing that he didn't have the power to fire flames at him, he made his retreat.

  But on the other hand, Ivan had plans for him. He shouted the magic word in his head and a ball of fire shot out of his hand.

  The commando continued to parkour his way from him, but the fire he casted was right on his tail. He then turned around... and it was as if he was turned to salt the moment he did so. However, his consequence was more of a fiery fate than a salty one. And as an added bonus, he took a trip off the building and towards a not so soft landing below.

  Ivan hissed in disgust as he watched the sight unfold. "Ooooo."

BLAM!

Twang!

  Another shot was fired. Hastily, he ducked for cover behind the wavy concrete barrier in front of him.

"Ugh, where the hell's that sniper." He looked down and found a tape recorder. Picking it up he used it to at least calm himself down from the fear of being hit again.  In the recording, the first thing he heard was the crowd

  Then the next thing that was heard, was the same high-pitched German accent from before.

"As a boy in 'ze German village of Gimmelshtump, my father had a dog named 'Only son'. 'Zat dog would go on to win several awards unt give honor to our family! So, 'vat does 'zat have to do with 'vat's happening here? ... 'Vell, let me tell you. 'Ze reason Only son got 'zose awards 'vas because he 'vas loyal! 'Vhen my father told him to sit, he sat. 'Vhen he told him to stay, he stayed, unt 'Ven he told him whom he'll breed with, he didn't argue... So, I'm telling you 'zat loyalty is 'ze only 'vay towards ze Utopia my brother desired... If you are loyal to our dear nation, 'zen you shall achieve a life of peace and prosperity!"

  The audience clapped at his statement before the recording stopped.

BLAM!

   The next bullet crashed through the barrier, creating a large hole that exposed Ivan's back.

  Eyes wide, Ivan chose to get up and run before the sniper could aim again.

  Meanwhile, on the ground, Haystack continued to shoot before running out of ammo.

"Oh Celestia, please no!" He mashed the HMG in desperation."Don't die on-."

Thwap! Thwap!

  Bullets hit him in the stomach, making him fall back into the Humvee for safety... and more ammo.

"Haystack, get your ass up there!" Maribelle screamed, before they rise up again.

"Damn it, where the hell is that guy?" Haystack muttered through his teeth as he got another magazine from the back of the vehicle.

  His comrade was still jumping over building after building, searching for that sniper. "Better call 'em."

BLAM!

Shwooom!

"Crap, she ain't giving up, isn't she?"

Static!

"Ah'van where the hell did ya go?!"

"Going to take out that sniper! Can't believe you didn't notice!"

"Well, excuse me for having to stay here and wipe out this whole squad!"

  A few moments later, the young merc spotted the woman. "Oh, gotta go Haystack, it's time to... uh, damn, I got nothing."

Static!

  Ivan then prepared to strike back. The only problem was that she was across the street. Thus, his plan was risky, but it wasn't impossible.

  Before she could fire, Ivan jumped off the building and climbed down the building.

BLAM!

  Another round hit above him, making Ivan mentally gasp and speed up his descent. Feet before the ground, Ivan jumped off the building and ran across the street.

"Umph!" A ball of fire hit him on the right. Facing that direction, he spotted three more commandos running towards his direction. "Aw crap."

  He jumped onto the building and ran up, with the other three commandos in pursuit.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

Shwoom! Twang! Twang!

"Don't worry Ivan." He muttered. "Almost there."

  Ivan then fired at the sniper, making her pull back as he hopped off the edge upon arrival.

  Then , he turned around and shot one of the chasing commandos in the chest; before kicking the sniper in the face with the bottom of his boot. Ivan would go on to fire another ball of fire at one of the soaring enemies, igniting him and his comrade equally.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r!

  Ivan then loaded his last magazine while those two dropped their lifeless bodies on the floor, "Huh, should've stocked myself with ammo a while ag-."

BLAM!

  SMACK!

  Ivan twirled in the air after feeling the bullet kick him in the backside of his hip.

"Oomph!" Ivan grunted as he hit the ground. In a millisecond, he was back on his feet, still heady from the blast. In front of him now, was the sniper. Her nose was bloodied and her rifle was still in hand.

"So..." She said virulently. "... Not going to back down, are ya?"

  Ivan was silent as he stood with his arms and legs in fighting stance.

"Huh, looks like the infiltrator isn't talking much, isn't he?" She put the rifle away and took out her combat knife. "Guess there's no point in saying, 'any last words' then."

  She then lunged at Ivan, only to have a ball of fire shoot towards her.

BOOM!

  The woman didn't burn though, because she managed to dodge the ball before it could even hit her face.

  Angry at his miss, Ivan stomped his foot again. "Oh come on."

  Suddenly, something pointy rammed against his hip and threw him off balance.

"Well...." She smirked. "Not the dangerous man I thought you were."

  Getting back on his feet, Ivan made his second attack. He charged with his hands folded, hoping to swing them towards her; But the woman was swift enough to evade that move and hit Ivan with a blow to the back. The kick threw him off the building and onto the next one. He held on for dear life while the sniper took out her SMG and looked through her crosshair.

"I pity you, kid." She mumbled. "You come to this country to deliver some sort of package, just to wipe away a debt. Now, you're here, on the verge of death... tee hee, that kinda rhymed."

  Ivan was shaking as he did his best to hold on. He already realized that the woman was preparing to shoot. Since he was defenseless, he knew that not even his bodily shield could help him in this situation.

  In the meantime, the lady was able to align the shot and shoot.

  The first rounds of bullets bounced off both his arms while two more would hit his back. Those mere moments made Ivan think about why he's here, the debt, the next bullet hit him in the left thigh. So that got him to lift himself up and onto the rooftop of that building.

"D'oh, curse my SMG shooting!" The sniper self-scolded.

  Ivan then jumped across and back to the woman's position. With a swipe, the SMG was out of her hands and into his.

"You bastard!" She spun around with another kick off the building. But falling, Ivan held onto the building and swung over to the other side like a gorilla on a vine. He then shot up into the air and punched the woman under the chin.

  The lady landed on her back as Ivan regained his footing.

"Hmm, make your next move, little boy." She said, standing on her two feet as well.

  Ivan just watched with the SMG pointed at her.

"What's wrong little bastard, you don't have the guts to hit a girl?'

  Again, he was silent.

"Huh, you pussy."

  But Ivan had enough, he fired his last blast of fire at her. As usual, the sniper was able to jump to the side...

D-r-r!

  ... Only to be shot in the head.

Ivan then approached the corpse. "Meh, that's what they'd call me."

  He picked up the sniper rifle from her back. That's when a sheet of paper slid out. "Oh?"

  Flipping it over, he found himself in front of the mug shot of Blythe, "Blythe Baxter, wanted for betraying the state."

  Then another paper appeared, he read that one as well. "The people Want: Blythe Baxter, for treason."

  Putting the papers in his satchel, he concluded. "Looks like we've finally know why Blythe was with RED."

  He put the sniper rifle behind him and ran back to his comrades' garrison. On the way, Ivan chose to contact Pierre.

Static!

"Pierre, this is Ivan!"

  Pierre in the meantime, managed to backstab another commando before shooting his friend in the face. "Bonjour?"

"Yeah, if you wanna know why Blythe was holding up the ghostly museum, then you're in luck."

  He walked outside of the empty store he took out those commandos in and united with the rest of the group. "Look, I'm not interested in 'ze matter. She's dead, and out of my life. Let's just keep moving, all 'ze commandos are dead by 'ze way."

"Oh really? ..."

  Pierre jolted in surprise. Turning around, he noticed that Ivan was right behind him.

"... because I've got some intel right here."

  He showed him the papers that he found.

"That's great in all, ..." Maribelle butted in. "... but let's discuss this while we're getting the hell out of here! So, where're we going?"

  Pierre turned around, and told her where. "An apartment building several blocks from here."

"Oh, you mean Lillian's place?"

"Huh?' The three gasped.

"Oh good, so how she's doing?"

  Not asking how, they proceeded with their order to get moving.

  A block later, Ivan was finished discussing the intel.

"So, she went rogue, right?"

"On both fronts."

"She probably did it to get more Gabe." Maribelle said politely.

"Huh?" asked Haystack.

"Pierre, how long has she been here?"

"Hmm, Twenty-Eight years."

"Well, looks like the body builders she was using was starting to pay off in the end."

"Whaddaya mean?" questioned Ivan.

"I'm saying that a whole time without using them were starting to affect her."

  They stood against a building to see if any more troops were heading their way.

"Judging by her appearance, I can say that the ones she used were for sex, work, and well, appearance... if you stop using them for a long while, then it'll slowly kill you. Unlike when you use it often." They ran across the street. "Since I'm in a little girl's, she knew that I bare hordes of Gabe inside of me."

"Then why didn't she extract it from you right away?" asked Pierre.

"Redmond's orders... they capture you guys, get the package, and thus, they extract me via Haystack. If he didn't, then you guys would be dead." She frowned as she looked past the back of Haystack's head. "... All we're doing in this world is surviving... there's no such thing as living."

  The others looked onward as they took Maribelle's quote into consideration.

  After about thirty five minutes of nothing but moving stealthily across the city, they were able to reach the apartment building safe and sound. Maribelle would greet Lillian kindly and vice versa; before they whipped up a conversation.

  Lillian was the first to say. "So, how did it go?"

  Pierre sighed. "Not so good... and all just to rescue this little one."

  The little girl rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't believe what they went through, Lily."

  Lillian didn't laugh, but she had her opinions, and was willing to express it. "I see... that's where you've been. Maribelle."

  She frowned again. "Ugh, yep. My id is always in control until the moonlight comes out. Can't believe I wound up there."

"Mmm Hmm." The woman nodded. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Huh?"

"Troy will be calling at any time; and since you're now in your older girl phase, I think it's time tor you to choo-."

"I'm staying." She said, "Ivan, get ready to tell her that."

  The news made Haystack's heart soar, and he didn't know why.

"Mmm Hmm." Ivan replied.

  After that conversation, everything was quiet... until the telephone rang.

RRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!

"Ivan, get 'ze phone."

"Yes sir." Ivan walked over and answered it. "Uh, hello?"

"Got the girl?" Troy said.

  He looked back at Haystack and Maribelle to see if they were okay with him telling Troy that they have her. But the two gave him and assuring nod, green lighting her location.

"Yes, Troy. We have her."

"Good, now Lotus told me that the little girl simply wanted to see Haystack... Huh, should've read a little further. Anyways, that doesn't excuse the fact that she is a valuable subject to the state."

"Ugh, I should've guessed that she's a special item." Ivan said. "And if you're wondering why I wasn't surprised by that, then that's why."

"Huh, so what do you think we should do with her?"

"Well, we can't give the girl away to anyone, that's for sure. She'll only escape and go on another rampage just to get to Haystack."

"And we can't kill her because the state will only be nothing but Butthurt after this."

Knowing that Haystack will hear, Ivan lowered his voice. "Why is killing her an option?"

  Troy sighed, "It  isn't, it's that we did something similar two years ago in a town east from here."

  Ivan guessed the obvious. "Jepsen town?"

"No, a small town named Frey." Troy began to mope at the mistake he made there. "Subject J10 was almost like Maribelle.... only stronger. We knew that if we killed him, the whole army would react to it and we would have them right where we wanted them. But when we did so, it was a whole different story. The friggin' military came out of nowhere and started to burn the whole town to the ground."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that." Ivan said with empathy in his voice.

"Yeah, that's why it's best that the girl stays with you guys."

"Hmph, that's what I've been thinking... Maybe the girl needs to be accompanied by a better person, or in this case a pony."

"Well, if you're willing to risk being hunted by the state."

"Yeah, speaking of that, looks like the state isn't the only one who's after us."

"Let me guess, RED's after you too, aren't they?"

"Ugh, yep. And they're after the same thing as well... and looks like they've managed to get their hands on some intel."

  Troy was in a state of shock. "Uh, whaddaya mean?"

"We were captured by RED agents, and they got their hands on the package. Looks like they're bound to find him as well."

"Damn it! I'm gonna have to tell him to evacuate from his current location.

"Oh come on, really?!"

"Yes really, but it doesn't matter now. You complete with our tasks, and his location will be given, got it?"

  Ivan took a deep breath before breathing out, "Got it."

"Now, starting tomorrow you'll have another mission to-"

BEEEEEEEEEPP!

  Ivan put the phone back in his place. "Crap, phone line's down."

"So, what did he say?" Haystack said Worryingly.

  Ivan turned around and told him the news. "Maribelle's staying with us. And he says that it's best that she does."

  Maribelle had only one word to say. "Good."

  All that Haystack did was smile as he looked at the carpet below. And that made her feel a bit warm inside just to see that.

"*YAWN*, Madame may I be excused? I'm really tired."

"Sure Ivan." She nodded. "Let me show-"

"I-it's fine, good night." He walked out of the living room and headed to be bedroom.

  Once he was gone, Pierre asked. "Uh, shouldn't we actually show him to -"

"I think he'll be okay." Lillian interrupted, knowing that all Ivan wants to do is get some rest.

  In reality, Ivan was looking out of the window of the other bedroom. Feeling relieved that this whole ordeal was finally over. Now, he could get some rest so he could prepare for the next mission. He planned to look at the empty sky now, and go to sleep in about fifteen minutes.

  A couple minutes later, Haystack and Maribelle declared their tiredness and were showed to the room they'll be staying for the night. Which was exact same room Haystack was in while he was knocked out.

"So, how have I been doing during the day?" Maribelle asked.

"Well, you've been around lately." Haystack then tucked her in.

  With that, she reminded him. "You know, I can do that on my own, right?"

"Yeah, well, just to give you a helpin' hand."

"Aw, thanks."

  After that was done, he sat on his haunches, and it was all quiet.

"Anyways, thanks for what you did back there."

  The pony cheeks reddened. "Uh, y'er welcome."

"Huh, why were you crying anyways."

"What?"

"You were crying over me... why?"

"Ah... ah don't know." He felt like crying again, but he withdrew it. "Ah just didn't want to see you d'ah... that's all."

  Not going by saying "D'aw" because of what he said, she simply replied with a smile. "Huh, you're the first person to ever tell me that... thanks."

  The pony sat quietly as she took in what she said. Shyly, he asked. "Maribelle?"

"Yeah?"

"C-can 'ah... sing you a lullab'ah?"

  She knew that she was mature enough for those kind of things, but something about that made her accept, "Uh, alright, I was looking forward to sleeping anyways."

  The pony grinned, happy to hear that she wanted to listen.

"So, take it away."

  He looked up and in a moments notice, he began to sing a certain song he knew from back when he was a kid. It was a sweet and gentle one about a certain pony's new day. With every lyric he sung, it got her to slowly close her eyes and prepare for the dreams ahead. Haystack would then pet her on the head while he watched her sleep like a little angel. The blonde hair felt nice on his hoof, and the sight of her made his heart melt. It even came with the feeling of being a father, even though he was fathering a little human girl.

  When he finished singing, all he could say in his head was. "Ah'm just glad ye're safe."

  He then lied on the floor and went to sleep as well.

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Good morning, gentlemen." announced Vanessa.

"Good morning, Madame." The Generals would shout in a united fashion.

"At ease."

  The people in the caucus sat down and commenced.

  Vanessa frowned, ready to give his comrades the bad news. "Last night, the two infiltrators struck again... this time, our museum... Wesley, the projector."

"Y-yes Madame." The commander pressed the button and the silver screen would appear behind her with a slide upwards.

  Vanessa would take care of the rest. She got out a remote, and pressed the button for the first slide. The first picture was of soldiers in tarps as they lied dead on the streets. "At least thirty resistance fighters, or if you will, 'fighters for the 'Sacra fructum', along with those two infiltrators, and the BLU spy, were able to kill more than Eighty of our men. Which is the platoon that was staking outside the museum, plus the reinforcements, and all of squadron Bravo of the fifth battalion Forty third Star fox regiment."

  The generals took notes on the situation while their leader continued.

"After the altercation, my apprentice, Commander Wesley, have managed to deploy another round of reinforcements on the scene without any resistance. Arriving there, we've noticed that all thirty resistance fighters have been killed, and so were the people responsible for taking the museum hostage!" She then stood silent and went to the next slide, showing a line full of corpses from the hostage takers. "These are the men responsible for starting all this... they were foolish enough to think that we weren't going to use that sacred place anymore... However, upon further investigation, we were able to discover something that these men are affiliated with our business partner, RED."

  Everyone in the room was in complete surprise. The company they relied on was now attacking them. Some of the Generals were passive about this, but most of them dreaded the fact that they may have to deal with two enemies on the front lines.

"Settle down Comrades, settle down." Once the room was calm, she continued. "Now, I'd like to make myself perfectly clear on the following."

  She then cut to the next slide, the slide was of a dove with the seal of Doofania and the RED logo next to it. "None of us were expecting Redmond to command such an order. I told him that he was in command of finding intel on their package... but I can't believe that they're gonna go this far to acquire it."

  She went to the next slide, which was of a photo of Blythe, "Fortunately, out of all this, we have managed to find one of our most wanted, dead."

"Wait, they've killed Blythe Baxter?" asked one of the Generals from a city named Aegnus.

"Yes, General Palacio." She nodded. "As you all may have noticed, she's been a major crime lord throughout these parts. After her boyfriend, 'Josh' died of my uncles deadly concoctions, She's been operating alone throughout the time, going against both us and the resistance in order to achieve her personal needs."

"So, how was she able to accomplish that?"

  The question made her facepalm upon hearing that. "Simple, you idiots. She sabotaged us! Turned our weapons against us!"

  Everyone in the congregation was wondering how though, but they chose not to ask.

"Anyways, we were able to salvage some surveillance footage from the whole ordeal and have found out that she's affiliated with RED."

  She then showed them the footage. "And we've also noticed that they were able to capture subject A1."

  Once more, the room fell into concern.

"The little girl's been on the run for two years now, and this is the second time we lost her." She curled her hands into fists. "Grrr, she's much of a threat to our country as the Sacra Fructum and those Infiltrators, and RED decides to put that out the way so that that 'fashionista' gets her Gabe!"

  She cooled down, placed her hand on the desk, breathed in and out, and proceeded to speak, "Anyways, our Starfox commandos attempted to acquire intelligence from the quartet, but failed. Now I question what the hell will RED do now."

  The silence was broken when a general from Jepsen Town spoke. "Madame... I suggest that we cancel our partnership with them."

   The congregation went into an uproar at the man's suggestion. They shouted criticisms and insults in order to nail some sense into him. One of them were,

"General Lang, that's an absurd suggestion!" The general from Aegnus yelled. "We rely on them in order to make sure our great nation stays afloat!"

"He's right Lang." says Vanessa. "But at the same time, Po's right, Palacio."

"What?!" He shrieked. "But Madame, our fatherland is still in grave danger, we won't be-"

"Shut your mouth, Palacio!" Vanessa screamed.

  The generals and their apprentices bounced up and quickly focused their eyes on their leader.

"Please... let, me, speak!" She sat back down on her chair. "Like I said, both of you are right. We've been isolated from the world since the day this city and its neighbors united to form a nation. But my father and my uncle should've foreseen what was coming... that's why I went against their will to make sure we live... Unfortunately, RED violated our terms again. And with these infiltrators on the loose, they could determine whether we stick with them, or let them collect money somewhere else."

  General Lang stood up and from his seat and begged softly. "Madame, do not let those bastards determine your stance on the issue... I regret what I said earlier, but-"

  Vanessa stopped him with her hand. "Please... don't be... all that matters is that you made your statement."

  She then smile gently at his face, "And I'm proud of you... All of you should follow by his example. Don't be afraid to speak out."

  Standing up, she gave them a salute. "Don't be afraid to stand up for your country."

  The generals got on their feet and saluted back with patriotism bolstering in their heads. "Hail. Hail Doofania!!"

"Comrades, appreciate that you are one of the lucky ones that can speak for our Utopia... Now, you are all dismissed! Don't forget that tonight that-"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! ...

  Every man and woman in the room looked around, questioning what the hell was going on.

SLAM!

  A small figure entered the room and marched towards the leader with his webbed feet. His demeanor was credible enough for everyone to conclude that the situation was dire.

"Ah, Perry the Platy-borg. What's the status on your Starfox regiment."

  The armored blue-green Platypus opened his mouth, only to growl with his closed teeth.  However, a voice box located on his chest was able to cover for him. It said monotonously. "The infiltrators have attacked the department of security."

  Vanessa was only left speechless at the news... wondering what to do. It was another prized building  that was being attacked by these strangers and their most wanted companions. However, she had more issues to focus on. So, she made her decision in a snap.

"Commander Wesley..." She turned to face her apprentice, "You know what to do when this happens."

  The man nodded hastily before running off to complete with her command.

"Go get 'em, tiger." She whispered lustfully.

  The platypus growled. "You're not fooling anyone, you know."

  Vanessa snapped out of her dream state and looked at his four-legged agent. "Just get over to the department."

  Saying nothing, the platypus saluted before sprinting out the door.

== EARLIER ==

"Gentlemen..." Redmond announced happily, "The package's intel is in our hands."

  The members in the board said and did nothing about the news.

"Good." one of them smiled.

"Huh, none of you aren't that enthusiastic about it, aren't ya?"

  They all frowned with honesty pouring into the scene.

"Yeah... I thought so." The haggard man stood up and began to pace across the room. "You may have also noticed that one of our board members isn't even here."

  The sting of shame struck them even more as they looked at the alienated seat that made the who meeting feel out of place.

"That 'Subject A1' had managed to put her in a hospital... but that didn't stop her from helping us achieve what we needed." She went over to the seventy inch plasma screen TV and pressed the 'On/off' button. When it was on, the screen revealed surveillance footage of Alice lying on her hospital bed, with a trembling Blythe standing next to her. A RED soldier was restraining the crazy as she grinned uncontrollably through her dark hood. "I'm just so glad that she was able to get that poor Blythe Baxter to join our side in an exchange for her precious juices... no pun intended."

"Agreed sir." One of them giggled.

"Shut up, Misses Jonesworth, or I'll have you demoted to head Janitor of this hub!"

  The woman closed her mouth and dissolved her smile, knowing that Redmond never bluffs.

"So, because of Alice's strategy and Blythe's determination, the mission was a complete success." He shut off the TV.

  But one of them begged to differ. "But how sir? She's dead, the agents are dead, the scoutbots she deployed are now scrap metal. All we did was lose men and now put our reputation with-"

"Ah, ah, ah." Redmond interrupted with mirth, waving his index finger in disapproval. "Remember why we're here, my friend."

Uncomfortable with his own answer, the man said reluctantly,"To profit from their desperation?"

"That, and... Well, just that." He walked towards the window. "My brother and I have been at war with each other for one hundred and eighty three years... It started with sabotages on factories by a small amount of hired mercenaries, then it changed to street warfare with mobs of them... all the way to total war with a massive army of them in the Midwest."

   He tapped his cane against the carpet, using it as a tool to pass the time. "The more money we milk from Doofania, the more funds we have to bring the war to a quicker end."

"But sir, that mission exploited your tactics to the state. They'll be questioning our attack to the point where they'll be looking somewhere else for their survival."

  Misses Jonesworth hopped into the argument to further justify her friend's. "He's right, Redmond. I further declare that the acquirement of their package's intellegence at the expense of your men, and your relations with Doofania wasn't worth it."

  The old man stopped tapping and stood there for a couple seconds.

  Everyone in the room was questioning his next move, and the fact that he was looking out the window with a sour toned face made it more nerve-racking.

  Finally, after two minutes of muteness, the  man walked back over to his seat and sat down. He then reached into his pocket and took out a tan colored cigar and clenched it with his teeth. After that, he took out a box of matches and got out one from it.

Scratch!

  The small stick now had a flame on the tip. Not saving any time, he tapped the flame onto the cigar and let it burn. While it sizzled, he inhaled the harmful smoke before setting it free.

  Letting the cigar dangle in between his fingers, he stated his opinion. "That's the plan, you know."

  The boardroom was surprised at their boss's disclosure. So they let him explain.

"We've grown tired of this country not meeting up with our demands." He then took another inhale of smoke. "So Alice came up with an idea to make sure the deluded people of this wretched place have a good reason to want us gone."

  They all remembered that. For the past few years, the country was in deep debt with them, and have been unable to pay. So now it was time to move on from them and go for someone else.

"So, do you think it was a success?" Misses Jonesworth asked, uncertain of his answer.

  She was correct on the fact that she wasn't certain on Redmond's response. The man only sat there for half a second gazing at his cigar as it chewing through the tobacco like beavers' teeth to wood.

"I don't know... When you point your rifle at an Nazi at long range, you don't expect that bullet to fly directly at him, you hope it does. When you deploy an army of planes to parachute troops onto Equestrian soil, you don't expect for every soldier to make it out alive, you hope they do... When you fire a canon at Japanese ships, you don't expect the missile to strike directly at the ship's kisser, you hope it does." He then got up and retraced his steps in order to kill time as he spoke, "When you snipe down a BLU engineer, you hope that the wind won't carry the bullet away... when you fire a rocket, you hope that it won't swerve to the far off distance and hit nothing... What I'm saying, is, is that war is all about luck. America and Canada was lucky when their planes were able to parachute as much soldiers as they could onto the west coast of Equestria, avoiding their magic and acquired AA guns at all costs; and that was one of the many reasons why they defected to the allies in mid 1943! It was luck that managed to drive the missile towards the destroyer in Midway, blowing it to bits!"

  After pacing for that little moment, he sat back down. "We are lucky enough for this company to stay alive. We are lucky enough to be funded by this dying dystopia... Now, luck will have to guide us into breaking up with them."

  The board was silent as the morning sunlight shone over them with its blazing eye.

RRRIIIIIIINNNNNGGG!

  Redmond answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Mister Mann, I-"

"You direct me as Redmond sir!" He corrected with such vitriol, annoyed at  the fact that he keeps calling him 'Mister Mann'.

"Oh, sorry sir... Anyways, looks like your targets are at it again. They're attacking the department of security this time."

"Ugh, dispatch RED soldiers to the scene, now... I'll deal with this later."

"Yes sir." The man said before hanging up.

  Putting the phone away, he looked up to face his subordinates. "Let's just let them do their best to deal with them."

  He inhaled yet more smoke before saying more, "Besides, it's all about luck."

== THREE HOURS EARLIER ==

  The sound of trumpets burst through the radio's speakers, kicking Haystack and Maribelle out of their slumber.

"Good morning comrades." An announcer's voice was what followed. "My name is Helene MacSinoh with your morning news..."

  Haystack went over to Maribelle to see what she was doing. He found her curled up into a ball as she covered her ears with her stubby little hands. Unhappy to see her like this, he gave her a pat on the back to assure her that it'll be okay.

"In local news, we've-." It was quiet for a moment, which gave the stallion time to speak to her.

"It'll be okay sweetie." He said gently, smiling at the fear filled girl. All she did was lunge at him with open arms, using his vest (along with her fingers) as earplugs.

"... oh... oh.... thank you." The announcer whispered, but she raised her voice soon after. "In world news today, Canadian troops in Baffin Island have managed to seize an unknown merchant ship that was smuggling Celestianist bibles into the country..."

  The news didn't raise Haystack's eyebrows. It was a particular news story when fundamentalist Celestianists go on dangerous treks to spread the word of Princess Celestia to the many people of the world. Hell, even the bigots loyal to nightmare moon would do the same.

"Wh'ah do they keep doin' that?" Haystack thought, holding Maribelle close.

"... They were able to capture Eight Equestrian citizens and four members of the CHM, or 'Celestia's hoof on man'. Officials say that the ponies were be deported back to Equestria in no time. Princess Celestia hasn't commented on this situation."

  The bedroom door then opened.

"*Yawn* Morning Haystack, how did you-"

  Ivan said no further as he looked at the sight in front of him. He then walked over to the radio and turned the volume down.

"Uh, thanks, Ah'van." Haystack said, doing his best to free himself from the girl's tight hug.

"No prob'." Ivan continued to listen to the news reports, eager to know what was going on.

"... In other news, Canadian forces mounted a major offensive into the borders of Vancouver republic, breaking the two year stalemate between the two nations. Fighting now continues in the city of Winnipeg." The reporter was silent for a little while before returning to the mic, "... And that's this morning's news flash."

"Wow, that was fast." Ivan muttered.

"Remember comrades, todays another work day. Expect clear blue skies, and temperatures of at least ninety degrees... this is Helene, signing off."

Click!

  At that sound, the radio was silent.

"Well, that was short. So Haystack how'd ya-" Turning around, he saw Haystack doing his best to break free from the little one's hold.

"Don't-Nmh-worry-Grr-Maribelle." Haystack said in between grunts. "It's g-gonna be-Nmh-alr'aght."

  Not letting his comrade struggle on his own, he went onto the other side of the bed and placed his hands on her hips and heaved. However, the girl was as strong as an ox, which was as precocious as every other impressive stunt she pulled yesterday; but her resistance would soon grow futile with one last tug. She was sent soaring towards Ivan's stomach, sending him smashing into the wall.

"Ow." Ivan groaned, rubbing his head while watching Maribelle run back to Haystack; but the earth pony was quick to stop her.

"Calm down Maribelle." He said with a raised voice. "Everything's f'ahne. Ya don't need to worry."

  She looked up at him as her heavy breathing began to slow down.

  He looked back at her with similar feelings and began to ease her. Softly, he spoke whatever he could at her. "It's alr'aght. There's no more noise, It'll be okay."

  The girl stood on the bed without saying anything. All she desired was to be by Haystack for safety, but he wasn't going to let that happen.

"Just let it go."

  The girl didn't want to see the pony annoyed by the fact that sudden loud noises scare her... even though they did. Her face changed to one of courage, knowing that she'll do his best to make him happy. She charged past his hoof and briefly hugged him before running out of the room.

  Ivan, watching the event unfold, got up and said. "God, that was a bit... odd."

  Haystack was looked down morosely as his human buddy approached him.

  After sighing at the sight, Ivan gave his opinion on the situation. "Look, just stop questioning why Maribelle acts like this... It'll only make the situation worse.."

  He took a few steps back and headed for the door. Wanting to say a little more, he stopped and looked back like a cowboy leaving a town, "I'm as concerned as you are, you know."

  He then exited the room and towards the kitchen.

  Still looking down, Haystack resisted the urge to ask. He didn't know why this is happening, but the concern was to get that package delivered and not wonder why there is a Symbiotic relationship between a human girl and a Earth pony stallion. Still, his affection towards her was something he held dearly since then. So he wasn't going to let it go. Looking into her eyes earlier, he noticed the loyalty she had within her. It was something that made him feel more comfortable than ever to know that even in her child form, the girl will have his back; and he should've seen that awhile back.  So, Head high, and pride filled, he walked out the room, vowing to do the same for her.

  On the counter, the three sat on stools as they were being served a bowl of 'Chex mix' cereal.

"I'm sorry you guys, this is all I can serve you." Lillian apologized. "The state told us that the rations don't come out until Sunday."

"Meh, don't be, Madame. Besides it's fortunate that they're going to give you what you deserved." After eating a spoonful of the honey glazed cereal, Ivan looked around and realized that Pierre wasn't around. In question, Ivan asked. "Hey, where's Pierre?"

"Uh, yeah, Troy called, he assigned him to get Maribelle's backpack from the museum."

  The news made Maribelle's heart sink. "Uh.. I'm...  sorry."

  But the others couldn't make out what she said.

"I'm sorry sweetie, what was that?" Lillian asked.

  In the sound of a puppy's cry she repeated her statement. "I-I'm... sorry."

"Hmm?"

"Uh..." Tears of shame flowed out of his eyes. "I'm... I'm."

  Suddenly, she saw a hoof land on her knee. Then her feelings changed automatically at the sight. The pony had her back. With him, she could say anything. In that moment, she looked at Haystack with the same feeling that they had now, confidence. She then turned to Lillian and told her apology. "I'm sorry... sorry for getting Pierre to-."

"Oh, it's okay sweetie. He'll be alright." She then proceeded to pat her on the head to raise her self-esteem, and that worked; but when she turned around, she only frowned at the two and mouthed. "Take good care of her."

  They did nothing but nod.

  Pierre hid against a wall, distancing himself from the sniper in the room. The pink backpack was sitting on one of the corpses, specifically Blythe's. He can't believe that they actually forgot about that. He also can't believe that none of the soldiers even recognized the backpack. But, that doesn't matter now, he was just inches away from getting what he needed and getting the out of there.

  Disguised now, Pierre went into the room and headed for the package.

Clop, clop, clop, clop, clop, clop

  Hearing the shoe steps, the sniper turned around. "Ah, Jared, how's it goin' buddy?"

"Um, great my man." Pierre said in the disguise's voice, "How's the day been to you?"

  The two gave each other a high five. "Good, very good.... So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, just picking that backpack up."

"Ha, Well, I don't think you should be doing that, you know that that's subject A1's backpack, right?"

  Stunned, he tilted his head. "Oh?"

"What, you didn't here? The great leader told us to be careful with her, because for a girl that looks like a toddler, she sure can kill."

  Pierre didn't know that they're putting her on the most wanted list now. Looks like her rampage has caused Vanessa to inform every soldier on who she was, "Well, looks like I've been living under a rock."

"Looks like you were, plus the leader said that all files of Silver Fox will be deleted as of today down at the department of security; in order to prevent the infiltratorsof knowing any more about her."

  He held back his urge to gasp at that and said. "Yeah... anyways, I have to take this back to the department of security for further investiga-"

"What are ya talkin' about? You're not a CSI."

"Oh..." He felt a bit nervous on what to say next, but he got it. "Ha, j-just... kidding?"

  The sniper looked at him with glaring eyes.

"Yeah," The spy thought. "He knows."

  He then took out his revolver.

BLAM!!

For the past couple of minutes now, the four ate peacefully... well, sort of. For those couple minutes, Maribelle has been humming a little tune as she ate. Lillian found it nice, Ivan found it both nice and annoying, and Haystack found it... well, odd. Why, odd? Because it's being hummed in the exact same tune as the lullaby he sung to her last night.

"But she's in her chah'ld form." He thought. "How does she remember?"

"Psst, Haystack." Ivan whispered, with no response to follow. "Haystack.!"

"Hmm?" The pony snapped out of his thought to tend to his comrade's needs.

"Would you kindly tell her to shut up?"

"No!"

"Huh?"

  They now faced a frustrated Maribelle, for the command simply bothered her into humming even more... loud.

  So she cannot hear her, Ivan used the little he knew of sign language. He pointed at Maribelle, and used his right hand to act like he's slashing his own throat.

  Understanding what he was getting at, he proceeded to give the order verbally, "Maribelle."

"Hmmph?" She said through her cereal filled mouth.

"Can you be quiet?" He said gently, "We're all tr'ahin' to eat."

  She looked down in self-pity for annoying him, "Oh, okay... sorry."

  He placed a hoof on her shoulder. "It's alr'aght. Don't feel bad."

  She nodded understandably.

"Huh, Maribelle seems very obedient to you." Lillian pointed out.

"Mmm Hmm." His eyes were still fixed on her as he watched in empathy. He detached his hoof from her and continued to eat the remnants of his cereal.

  Knowing that he didn't want to continue, she then went over to Ivan for a talk. "So Ivan, where are ya from?"

  The boy realized that she never asked that, but since everyone in the kitchen was now looking at him in curiosity, he had no choice but to place attach a chain in his inner door, and open up. "Ugh... Chicago."

"Chicago?" Lillian had the urge to frown at his little disclosure, but she gave in in three seconds. "Heard there were terrible things going on there."

"Yep." Ivan took the bowl and drank the last of milk that was in it.

"Uh, aren't you a bit worried."

  Once it was empty, he put the bowl down and responded. "Nope... things have been bad since the day I was born. So I'm used to it."

  He then remembered something. "Hey, Haystack, what part of Equestria are you-"

"Ponyville." He swiftly answered, knowing that he was bound to ask sometime.

  Again, Lillian was first to reply. "Ponyville?'

"Yeah, a city that was established in Nineteen sixty-one. " Ivan lectured. "In fact the city's location, or any territory south of Canterlot for that matter wasn't even Equestrian territory until Celestia allied with the Nazis. Huh, what an idiot."

  Haystack dropped his spoon and walked over to Ivan in a fit of anger. "She didn't know that Hitler was an awful human bein'!"

"Haystack!!"

  He turned around to notice that it was Maribelle who cried for him. In discipline, she pointed at his seat; which was interpreted as an order to sit down.

  To not disappoint her, he obeyed such command.

"Phew." Ivan thought, before returning to educate Lillian about the little town. "Anyways, the country annexed the land from Denmark in Nineteen forty-five, and the first settlements didn't start until Nineteen Fifty-eight when settlers found Ponyville and established it as such three years from then."

  The sunlight began to shine over them.

"Well, nice history Ivan."

  Haystack added a little sarcasm into his compliment. "Yeah, n'ahce."

  Ivan didn't react to any of them, he just nodded softly and said his thanks.

  With that out of the way, the room was quiet again, so Lillian chose to continue the conversation. "So, now that you both told us where you guys are from, how about tell me about why you both are-"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

  The knocking interrupted her suggestion. She then went to go open the door. On the other side was Pierre, panting incessantly as he waited for the door to open. When it did, he rushed in with an urgent message.

"Ivan..."

"... We have to attack the Department of security?" Ivan asked.

"Mmm Hmm." Pierre replied, speeding the recently stolen squad car down town.

"So why did you rush us out of the house without letting us at least say thank-"

"It's because they're going to delete all intelligence on Silver Fox."

"Oh, that's bad... But wait a minute why can't-"

"A direct assault works. Covert missions have always failed."

"Can you at least tell me why-"

"No!"

"Ugh, fine."

  In the back seat, the little girl kept encouraging Haystack to apologize after that short outburst back in Lillian's house. She could tell by his face that he really felt bad. So, after a couple seconds, he gave in.

"Ah'van?"

"Yes Haystack."

"Ah'm, Ah'm...." He struggled to say it, but Maribelle had his back. "Ah'm sorry f'er that little-"

"It's all good, Haystack." He smirked. "No harm was done. Mainly because I know how you ponies get at times."

He then realized that.  "Oh."

"Yeah, people, and ponies, will do anything to defend their country... even though there siding with a totally lost cause. In the end, the people end up going up against that cause in order to find what they want, liberty. Kind of like here." He then told him a story, "I remember reading about two siblings who stood against Nazi Germany. They believed in freedom, and they wanted to spread its word. They had some success, but were eventually caught... and executed."

  Haystack felt sorry for those two, they fought for a better world. Even if they lived under a power-hungry leader, a leader that Princess Celestia failed to recognize before it was too late. He then refocused on Ivan's words.

"And here, I guess they're doing the same, only with guns instead of words. What I'm saying is, don't be a blind patriot... or for that matter, don't be a patriot at all." He then turned around, 'Look, I don't know if Princess Celestia is like the leaders in our race, but I recommend that you don't look at her as a goddess among-"

  That statement offended the young pony. "Hey, Celestia is a goddess, ya Jackass!"

  Calmly, Ivan replied, "And that's the problem. Just because she lived for a thousand years, doesn't make her-"

Schreeeaaach!!

"We're here." Pierre said before getting out of the car and running up the steps.

  This didn't give the others a time to look, they just followed a long with him with the weapons that they had The quartet walked in to notice a large number of soldiers standing in the massive lobby. Stunned, they pulled out their weapons and lined up their shot.

"Pierre, what now?" asked Ivan.

"Frags out?"

"I knew you'd say that."

The four took out their grenades, armed them, and tossed them. The explosion was enough to break the glass of the entrances and cover the lobby in heavy smoke.

"Wow!" Ivan shouted amidst gunfire. "That was unexpected!"

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

  Vanessa walked down a wide hallway in one of the top floors of the tower. She looked calm and awake, not afraid at all about the infiltrators' current attack. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps.

"Madame Doofenshmirtz!"

  She turned around to find that one of her top generals was behind her. "Yes, General Ferguson?"

"One of our men down at the department of security has found the motive for why they're there... via recording from the squad car they carjacked."

"Good, and what is that?"

"They say that you wanted them to delete all known files on Silver Fox."

"What?" She shouted, angry at the sudden report.

"Uh, so you didn't send him the order?"

  She shook her head.

"Um.... then..."

"Tell them to halt the deleting process now!"

"But...  I-Isn't that what the infiltrators want?"

  She rubbed her right hand against her forehead. "Just let them get to it."

"B-but, why?"

  She put the hand down. "Isn't it obvious? If we lose that intel, then there goes our chance at finding him as well."

"Oh, uh, right."

"Now get over there and tell him to cancel the order."

"Yes Madame!" He said with a salute.

  After he ran off, Vanessa resumed his pace down the hall, mumbling. "Damn it, where the hell did they get that-"

  That's when she remembered something about their most wanted, "Son of a bitch, that's one clever bastard."

  She then ran in the other direction.

  Redmond stayed in his seat. The cigar was already thrown out, and all he did was slouch there, indulging in thought. The other board members had sat their quietly as well, questioning the safety of the troops deployed to assist Vanessa's.

"Mister Redmond. I-f you need me to head there-"

"No Reeves. I'm seeing if Alice replies to my suggestion for her to command them." A small jungle played in his cellphone, which told him that she responded. "Well, looks like she had the energy to do so."

  He chose to read aloud. "Yes, obviously."

"Huzzah." He muttered. He then texted back with his response.

  In the hospital, Alice was now waiting for her response to be responded. To pass the time, she laid back on her bed and began to tap her fingers against her phone. She still can't believe that even while recovering from multiple bullet wounds, she still has to work for that guy. The only thing that lying in the hospital differentiated from working in the boardroom was the fact that work felt less. It was the only time that she could actually relax for a while, even after the reason for it was because she was shot by a Gabe filled little girl. Still, she enjoyed the little time there, and could understand why Redmond makes them work without a little vacation here and there.

  She sighed.

  Times are tough, and the war between RED and BLU wasn't an exception.

Beep!

  Alice's phone had finally alerted her that Redmond responded. Unlocking it, she found that Redmond had given him a full diagram of the department. It also had a phone number beneath it. Following her orders, she contacted that number, and waited for the person on the other side to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Who's this?"

"Captain Rodrigo; and judging by your voice, you must be Alice."

  She smiled. "Mmm Hmm. So, what do you need?"

"Uh, you got the diagram, right?"

  She went back to the picture of the building. "Yeah."

"And do you see any numbers on them?"

  She noticed the arrows pointing at specific parts of the building with groups of numbers attached to them. "Yep."

"Those are codes to the surveillance cameras within the building. If you give me the codes, I can hack into them via my computer."

"Yes sir." She said, "Anyways, how the hell are we going to know where the infiltrators are at?"

"I don't know Madame, it's all about luck." He said.

  She groaned, frustrated that this was going to be like Bull run after all. "Yeah, that's war."

  But then she realized something, and it agitated her. "But wait, if he sent me these codes, then why doesn't he do it!?"

"Because that's not his task at hand, Madame! Now let's get to it."

"Ugh, fine." She moaned.

  Bullets flew across the first floor while the quartet pressed the elevator's button towards the top floor. After the door closed, they all sat down in relief. Well, Ivan wasn't one of them, he was shot in the stomach after he was the one to get hit by enemy fire the most.

"Ow." He grunted.

  To not have to hear his pain anymore, Haystack said. "Just inject the-."

"I know." He went into his pocket, took out the syringe and followed such order.

"So, how's everything going?" Pierre said in a mood settling tone.

"Ugh, I got shot in the stomach." Ivan replied with after his wound was eliminated. "So I'm going to say that it's not going well."

"Huh, I see." He smirked.

  Alice looked at the diagram and predicted that that second number at the bottom was the one for the elevator, so she gave Rodrigo that code. "Okay, here's the code, eight-two-three-seven-one-one."

  On the other end, the hacker went to work, When successful he announced. "Got it Madame!"

  The surveillance appeared on her phone, which depicted the four sitting on each corner (Only with Maribelle sitting against Haystack)

  She looked at the area where the buttons where at. She then noticed that they were heading towards the top floor.

"Ugh, isn't it obvious?" She muttered, he then looked at the top of the diagram and prepared to call in the code for it. "Get ready for the next number."

Ding!

  The doors slide open to welcome them into enemy fire.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  There was nowhere to hide, so the four charged into the gunfire like pike men and fired as many rounds as they could. The enemy there would quickly succumb to their enemy's fire and all would drop dead on the blue carpet.

"Clear!" Declared Ivan. "Now let's get over to the-."

"Ah'van , Ah think Maribelle has this."

"Huh?" He looked over to the end of the large round table, where Maribelle had already gotten into one of their laptops to find the information. The astonishment made him think. "Huh. that was fast."

  The three then ran over to her side and watched as he did so with ease. After awhile, she managed to locate the files, and surprisingly enough, all files were present.

"Hmm, looks like they weren't going to delete them." said Pierre.

"So that information you got from them was false, right?"

"Mmm Hmm."

  Ivan wanted to groan so loud, but held it in as he continued to question him. "So, I got shot in the stomach... just to realize that-"

"W-we can s-till steal it." Maribelle stuttered while skimming through the files.

  Ivan realized that that wasn't a bad idea as he continued to think about it. "You know what Pierre, looks like it was worth it."

  Maribelle reached into her backpack and took out a USB drive, inserting it into the hard drive. After that, she began to

"Good Girl." Haystack muttered underneath his breath, relieved that this mission had purpose, thanks to his little friend.

  Maribelle couldn't help but smile at that, for the complement made her feel special inside.

  Hearing it too, Ivan had his weigh in on the revelation. "More like strange, right Pierre?"

"Right." agreed Pierre.

"Code Six-five-eight-nine-zero." Alice said.

  The hacker then went to work, and in a couple of seconds, the surveillance footage was at her disposal. It depicted the four on one of the Generals' laptops.

"Looks like they're retrieving some more intel on Silver Fox." She assumed, not realizing that she was obviously right. After observing, she went back to contacting Rodrigo. "Captain, they're trying to steal more intel on Silver Fox. Have troops entered the building yet?"

"Uh. no?"

"Then send troops to-" He looked back at the footage to find that the four were under fire. Then she noticed that many poorly armored employees were making their offensive. "Oh son of a bitch, how willing are these people?"

  She watched as all eight employees were mowed down in just a couple of seconds.

"Ugh..." She rolled her eyes. "It's fascinating when people will do anything for their leader."

"Damn it, looks lah'ke they know we're here!"

"You think?"

"Just get to 'ze employees and restock on ammo! There's no doubt that more will be coming!"

"Yes sir!" the two obeyed.

"Maribelle, stay hidden!"

  She nodded, remaining on the floor as she continued to transfer the files.

  Haystack stayed put while looking through his pistol's iron sight. In the meantime, Ivan managed to acquire one of the employees' SMG's and the ammo for it. He even found a bottle of water lying beside her.

"Convenient." He smirked.

Ding!

"Here they come!" Pierre cried.

"For the dear leader!!" One of them yelled.

"Well well, haven't heard any of them yell that in a while." Ivan thought, falling back to their position and hiding behind one of the bodies.

D-r-r-r-r-r-r!

Tw-tw-twang!

  He looked up to find that one of them had a riot shield in hand. "Crap."

  He went back down and took out his bottle of water. "Ugh, looks like I'm gonna need this."

  He chugged down the water like a man at the bar, before getting back up, and firing a blast.

"Oh shoot!" One of them yelled in surprise.

  Ivan then went over to the glacier and stood against it. Haystack would provide cover and shoot one of them with his pistol.

  D-r-r-r-r!

  Another one fell victim.

  Pierre then got his chance.

BLAM! BLAM!

"OOWWW!!" The man groaned.

D-r-r-r-r!

"Umph! Ow!" The last cried as bullet impaled into his chest.

"Clear." Relieved, Ivan got out of cover and walked over to the elevator... until...

"Die!!"

  Knowing the direction of the source, he reached his left arm out and grabbed the man's assault rifle with his hand. He then pushed it to the side and shot the man with three rounds of his SMG.

"Phew, okay, now it's clear."

  Meanwhile, Haystack felt a little hand touch his fur. Looking over there, she noticed that Maribelle was away from the laptop.

"I-I'm done." she said softly.

"Oh, uh.. okay." He nodded before telling the others. "Hey, uh, she's done! What now!?"

"We get 'ze hell out of here, of course!" Pierre then went to his next set of orders. "Now, let's get to 'ze-."

*Ding!*

"Too late!" shouted Haystack as he took his sniper rifle out.

  The three gasped after witnessing yet another wave of heavily armed employees (with Riot shields and Mac10's) entered the room.

"Aim down 'ze sight my pony friend."

"Of course!" He then pulled the trigger.

BLAM!

  The bullet broke through the shield of the man to his left, killing him instantly.

"C-clear!" Ivan grunted once the room was silent. He had already been shot in the stomach again.

"Damn Ivan, what 'ze hell were you doing there?"

  The pain eased once the vaccine eliminated the wound, so he spoke. "Just trying to make the job easier. Turns out they were quick to know where I was."

"Hmm." He nodded. "Let's just wait for 'ze elevator to come back up."

"Yeah." He then pointed at the window. "Before they go airborne on us."

  They looked behind them to find at least a quintet of choppers headed towards them.

  Though speechless, Haystack was the first to say something through his shaking legs/ "B-by Celestia's m-mane!"

"But General, they've already stolen their intel, and we need to retrieve it!" One of the employees on one of the floors suggested via her phone.

  The response was a growl, followed by. "No Madame, we are evacuating you now, multiple employees have tried, and all wound up dead. I suggest that you vacate the building at once!"

"No sir, we can handle him, we are armed with the best weaponry in the building..."

Ding!

"... we can go up there and-"

  She stopped talking the moment she saw the pile of corpses that laid bleeding in the elevator shaft.

Growl!

"Um, hello?"

  She snapped out of her traumatized trance and answered his question, "C-can you get an evac chopper over here?"

Growl!

"That's what we've been planning the whole time."

  The choppers began to descend before their eyes.

"Huh, looks like the choppers aren't headed for us."

"Yeah, but that is!" Pierre shouted upon spotting at a puff of smoke in the distance.

  It would be followed by small cracking sounds.

CRASH!!! CRASH!!! CRASH!!! CRASH!!!

  Bullets would break through the windows, sending shards of glass falling down.

"It's him, Run!!' Pierre cried before he bailed towards the elevator.

"Who?" questioned Haystack while he and Maribelle followed the command,

"One word, Platypus!"

"What now?" Haystack asked, surprised at what he just said.

"Ugh, don't you have those kind of animals back in Equestria?"

"Yeah, Ah'm just askin' what ya mean b'ah that?"

  He placed his hand on his face. "Ugh, I'll explain later."

Ding!

"Let me guess Pierre." Ivan had a hunch, listening to their audible conversation made him come up with an idea as to what he means. "The Platypus is a Cyborg."

"Yes, that!"

"Hmm." He smirked. "What a lucky guess."

  They went in before the cyborg fired another barrage of bullets.

  The platypus would land on the floor in just a couple of seconds; but that wasn't enough for him to reach the elevator in time. Angry at his failure, he kicked the nearest chair.

  Music played in the elevator, which ironically was the same music that was played in previous trips up the lift. Curios to know why, Haystack asked. "Um, what's up with this music? Ah keep hearing it every time we're here."

  Pierre, who was already familiar with the song as well, replied, "This was everyone's favorite song before 'ze revolution... well, it still is today. "Ze song is called 'Gitchee Gitchee goo'; and it was just your generic love song with nothing new to it. But people ate that song up."

"Do you know who made it?" asked Ivan, he was just as curious, but not as much as to ask.

"Yep, 'ze people who wrote and sang it were actually 'ze leaders of 'ze resistance, well former, to be honest."

"Really?" said Haystack.

  Pierre just nodded.

"Huh, you seem to know a lot about this small country."

"Yep."

"I've been here for awhile, remember?"

"Oh, right." He looked down and found a bottle of beer. "Ugh, I'm gonna need this aren't I."

  The three nodded yes, which got Ivan to drink the whole bottle.

*Ding!*

  The door opened once Ivan finished the drink.

"Ignis!" He thought while firing another fireball.

  The sound of soldiers sizzling mixed with their screams as the four exited the elevator and used the barriers nearby as cover. They would then witness the enemy troops collapse from the burning pain that overtook them.

  The enemy fire from below pinned them down for mere seconds, until Ivan came up with a tactic.

"Pierre, cloak yourself and take out the enemy behind their lines!"

"That's what I've been thinking this whole time!" He reached towards his Invis watch and turned invisible before running down the stairs as quickly as possible.

  Ivan would then blind fire a few shots before encouraging the other two to at least do the same.

  In the meantime, Pierre went on to find a reasonable target to backstab. It was a sniper at the far right corner of the lobby. There, he uncloaked himself and accomplished such goal without any resistance. The sniper was pretty much oblivious to his presence. Quickly, he was lucky enough to take position without anyone else noticing. Well...

"Code Six-five-three-seven-one-two." Alice called.

  A couple seconds later, she now had footage from the lobby.

"Great." She muttered. "Those sons of bitches keep getting away... wait."

  Then she spotted Pierre, about to line his shot up with a sound suppressed pistol.

"Eeek!" She shrieked. "Rodrigo, tell your men that there's a spy at their nine, and take 'em-"

  Unfortunately, the spy shot two men in two seconds.

"On it!"

  She lied her head back and finished her sentence. "... Ugh, out."

  She then sat up and looked at the screen.

Thwap! Thwap!

  Another pair of rounds hit two more soldiers to Pierre's right. That's when he heard the a communication from the enemy.

"This is Dragon five, there's a spy to your nine. Take the bastard out!"

"Merde." He mumbled before cloaking once again and retreating from that location.

"What?" Alice shouted, "That bastard!"

  Ivan shot another ball of fire at the enemy below. The explosion would scorch three troops standing at the bottom of stairway in a snap.

"Go! Go! Go!" He shouted, commanding Haystack and Maribelle to head down the stairs and find cover.

  Pierre uncloaked himself behind another desk at the other corner and prepared to fire another round. Unfortunately...

Clink! Clink!

  He looked to his left to find a grenade bouncing over to him, ready to detonate.

"Fils de pute!" He muttered,

BOOM!!

The explosion knocked him over to the wall, but the shield was strong enough to protect him from any flying debris. However, the only thing he had to pay in order to prevent himself from being killed, was the fact that he was now pinned down by enemy fire. Frustrated, he got out his walkie talkie and contacted his comrade.

Static!

"Ivan!"

"Yeah!?" He shouted.

"I'm pinned down at your three, come and assist at once!"

"No can do buddy we've just gotten down the stairs and are somewhat pinned down ourselves."

"Damn, just unpin yourselves, and help me!"

  Suddenly, the shooting stopped...

"Huh?" Pierre wondered... until the sound of small footsteps were heard.

  They got louder and louder which made Pierre cringe in fear... only to realize that the footsteps were coming from Maribelle's pair of black slippers once she appeared in front of him. She then gestured him to come out and follow her. When she succeeded in doing so, she led him to the other two; who had just cleared the entire lobby of enemy troops.

"Done." said Ivan. "Happy?"

"Hmm, happy."

  They looked over to the broken entrances, which had many soldiers waiting on the other side.

"Attention, enemies of the state!" One of them announced through a megaphone. "Come out with your hands up!"

"So, got a plan to get us out of here?"

"Well... arm up, before they get the bright idea to send more troops."

"Of course." said Haystack.

Growl!

"Hurry up, hurry up."

Ding!

  The doors opened up to the sight of a explosive about to detonate in three seconds.

Growl!

"Shoot!"

  He ran away from the elevator before the explosion would ensue.

BOOM!

  The impact made his feet lift off the ground and soar towards the broken window. Fortunately, his webbed feet was strong enough to hold onto the ledge and hang was upside down like a bat.

Growl!

"Ugggghhhh!!!" He groaned while glass fell past his armored body.

"Psst, send in more troops." Wesley whispered, "They're not answering."

"Yes sir." The soldier saluted.

"Send more troops." ordered Rodrigo.

"Mmm Hmm."

Soldiers from both factions began to head up the stairs, but they didn't know what Ivan had in store for them.

"Okay, on my mark." He whispered to them. After hearing at least five more footsteps, he shouted. "Frags out!!"

  In each hand/hoof, were grenades, which were armed and ready to do some damage.

  When tossed into the air, the soldiers would be hesitant to spot them, for they were too focused on killing their target to see; But when they managed to find them, it was too late.

BOOM!

  The explosive chain reaction would send all fifteen soldiers back to the bottom in a rather painful fashion, killing nearly half of them. The other half was either injured, unconscious, or both. The blast also created another large cloud of smoke, which was enough for the four to find cover behind the pillars that decorated the entrance.

  The enemy returned fire as soon as the platoon was wiped out. This left the four public enemies to be pinned down by their relentless bullets, but that was part of the plan.

"Frags out!" Ivan cried before he and his group threw another octuplet of grenades at the enemy forces.

"Grenade!" One of them cried.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  Multiple casualties bloomed from that second attack, while Ivan proceeded with his next plan.

"Pierre, you know what to do!"

"Oui!" He then cloaked himself and ran behind enemy lines without any problem.

  In the meantime, Ivan fired a blast of ice at the incoming troops, freezing two on them. "Maribelle, follow me!!"

  The boy went down the stairs and over to the glacier while shooting down at least five out of the open soldiers. Standing against the wall, he realized that the little girl did nothing. All she did was stand there in fear, shaking.

"Oh come on." He muttered before shouting. "Get over here!"

  The little girl continued to shake, but knowing that Haystack was on her side, she sucked it up and ran out of cover... screaming... and firing her rifle.

"Good girl." The pony mumbled.

  After Maribelle slid into cover and stopped shooting, Ivan gave his next order. "Haystack, take out the guy in the red overcoat!"

"You got it!" He lined up the shot and aimed for the a man firing his pistol like a captain from the Indian wars. "May Celestia have mercy on your soul."

BLAM!!

"AARRRGGGHH!!"  Was the last thing Alice heard from Rodrigo.

"Captain? Captain?" She cried before pounding her fist against the bed. "Damn it!"

"Madame, we have multiple casualties on our hands!" Wesley called behind one of the Humvees. "We need reinforcements!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down sweetie, did Perry come to your aid?"

"I-I don't know!"

"Ugh, you know how that Platy-borg can be. I'm sending reinforcements now.... just hold the line, out."

  He put the walkie talkie down. "Ugh, this lady."

  Looking up, he noticed that one of his finest men was right in front of him. "Oh, comrade Danny, nice of you to-"

  Danny just grinned before lifting his M16 towards them. And that spelled bad news for Wesley. "Uh oh."

"Don't think so."

  Surprised, Wesley got up and bailed on his comrades.

Ka-thwop!!

BOOM!!

  Wesley was thrown of his feet and onto the gravel below with shrapnel on his legs, thigh, and back.

  Disregarding him, Pierre cloaked and fled the scene.

"O-ow." The wounded commander grunted as he pulled his bleeding body through the street. "Stupid S-spies."

  In no time, his soldiers were at his aid.

"Commander, you alright?" said one of them.

"Yes! J-just get a M-medic over here *Grunt*!"

  Thwap!

  A bullet would pierce through that soldiers head, making Wesley shout his order. "Get me a goddamn Medic!!"

BLAM!!

  Another HMG soldier was shot by Haystack's keen marksmanship, "Bullseye."

  He would continue to snipe his targets down while Ivan and Maribelle pushed onwards towards the enemy vehicles.

  On top of the building, Perry just watched in pity as his comrades were being slaughtered.

Rrrrrriiiiiinnngggg!

Growl!

"Hello?"

"Perry, why the hell aren't you helping them?!" Vanessa cried.

Growl!

"No ammo left, and I'm very low on fuel."

  On the other end, he heard a slap,

"Ugh, why didn't you resupply in the first place?!"

Growl!

"Well excuse me for being in a hurry!!"

  He then hung up.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at!

  Three soldiers were mowed down by Pierre's surprise attack.

BOOM!

  Four more were scorched by Ivan's ball of fire.

Rat-at-at!

  Maribelle headshot the last soldier standing.

"Clear!!!" Ivan shouted, waving his hand to get Haystack over to their position.

  After that, Ivan found yet another beer bottle on the floor. Knowing that he was out of charge, he drank it all... and at that moment, he felt a little dizzy, like everything around him was swaying like a ship on a stormy ocean. His eyes would then widen in surprise, as if he didn't sleep in days.

"Uh, Pierre?" He asked, standing perfectly still with the tendency to drop.

"Yes?"

"How often do I drink beer?"

"Um, not that often."

"Oh... looks like I need to be careful then."

  Knowing what Ivan was going through right now, he simply said. "Of course."

  A few seconds later, the dizziness went away, giving him a chance to speak fluently, "Okay, now, let's get out of here before-."

BOOM!

  The ground began to shake, sending them to tumble to the ground. Once they got up, they found that another giant robot was standing right in front of them, armed with a large grenade launcher in his hands. In its loud robotic voice, it yelled, "I'm gonna be all over ya like shingles!"

"... S-something like th-that get over h-here!"

KA-THWOP!!

  The four jumped out of the way before the explosion could blow them to bits.

"Arm your grenade launchers!" Ivan cried.

"Burn in the name of the state!!"

  The four ran down the street, loading them with the grenades.

"Fire!!" Ivan yelled.

Ka-thwop!

  Ivan's grenade hit the robot in its head.

Ka-thwop!

  Haystack's grenade hit the robot in the chest.

"AAAAHHH!! Die, Die, Die!!!"

KA-THWOP!!

BOOM!!

  Pierre dodged the blast in time.

Ka-thwop!

  And his grenade hit it in leg.

  Maribelle was lucky enough to dodge one of the robot's punches by jumping onto its arm.

Ka-thwop!

  And her grenade hit it on the right side of the head. However, she remained on the arm and ran towards the damaged dead. Simultaneously, she took out a small sword from her backpack and let it flow freely in the wind as she held it in her hand.

"What 'ze hell is that girl doing?" Pierre questioned.

  The little girl aimed towards the neck with sheer determination. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

  In a couple seconds, the blade tore through the metal like a knife through well done steak. The head would pop off, and sending a lump some of sparks flying out.

"Sweet Celestia!" Haystack was impressed by her skill, making her more likeable than ever.

"Load your launchers!" Ivan yelled.

  The three obeyed the order, snapping out of the awe they felt.

  Maribelle in the meantime, ran down the robot's left hand... only to be grabbed by the leg and tossed out like a toy.

"Maribelle!!" Haystack cried, feeling the worst from that attack.

  But on the contrast, she was fine. Mainly because she grabbed onto a light pole and slid down like a firefighter in a fire emergency. Unfortunately for her, the robot wasn't finished with her. He took a pair of steps forward and prepared to punch her through the street. All she did was watch for those couple of seconds before the fist approached her head.

"Son of a bitch!" Ivan mumbled, watching it all with Pierre.

Ka-thwop!

BOOM!

Ka-thwop!

BOOM!

"I'm out!" Ivan cried.

"Me too!"

  Quickly, Ivan contacted his equine friend. "Haystack, you and Maribelle cover us, we're going to restock, out!"

"Don't worry." said Haystack with a serious tone. "We got this!"

Ka-thwop!

BOOM!!

"AARRRGH!!" The robot groaned due to the blast, dropping his weapon onto the ground, which missed Maribelle by just a couple of inches. And that left her wide-eyed and relieved.

  Haystack fired another grenade from the M32 grenade launcher, and another, and another, and another, while yelling, "Get So~!!!"

  But he was quickly out of ammo, "Damn."

  He dropped the launcher and switched to his sniper rifle before pulling the trigger and finishing his word while shooting and clicking, "...~ ome!!!!"

  The robot flinched with every hole punching, smoke releasing hit it took, walking towards the rage filled pony, "You aren't going to break me, you Equestrian slime!!!"

  The little girl witnessed the event unfold, thinking the worst that could come out of this, "Oh no!"

  She stood up and grabbed her sword before charging at the robot from behind.

"What 'ze hell is she-"

"Finishing the robot off of course."

BLAM! Cl-click! BLAM! Cl-click! BLAM! Cl-click! Click!

"No, no, no!" Haystack galloped towards the stairs in panic while the robot followed.

  Maribelle would leap onto its back, and like a samurai, she cut through.

"OOOWWWW!!!"

  The little girl then guided the knife through the metal.

"Let go you little brat!!"

"Huh?" Haystack gasped.

Schrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeccch!!!

  She disobeyed of course, and was able to cut a perfect circle in just a matter of seconds. The metal would drop to the floor to reveal a tan colored capsule inside. She reached in and tore it out of the wires that connected it to the robot. This caused another fresh blast of sparks to appear as she kicked the powerless machine forward

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

CRASH!!

  The robot lied dead as flames began to overtake it... and that was the only thing they could hear at this moment.

"Maribelle!!" cried Haystack. He ran over to her and gave her a hug. "Ah'm so glad ye're ok-"

  But she quickly let go of him before resuming to her current task. It would leave Haystack a little disappointed at his actions, but Ivan was there to calm him down. "Aw jeez, don't cry Haystack, love isn't reciprocal, you know."

"Huh?"

  The little girl would then show them a piece of paper she had stored in her pocket. Grabbing it, Pierre read aloud, "If you were wondering what's inside this thing, you'll see."

  He then put it down. "Huh, looks like they aren't battery powered."

"They aren't?" asked Ivan. "But shouldn't they-"

Click!

  The lock that sealed the capsule was now broken, giving Maribelle the chance to open. When doing so, it let out a large puff of steam from within.

"Wow, warm." Ivan and the others could feel it in their clothing, but after it faded into oblivion, it revealed what was inside, and it made everyone except Maribelle speechless.

"A... a baby?" said Haystack, mouth wide open as he watched the poor newborn stream tears from its glowing eyes.

"You mean they use those glowey-eyed infants to operate those things?"

  Hearing those words, Maribelle nodded in sorrow.

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

   Perry watched from above, only instead of hanging around like before. He stood back on the floor for safekeeping.

Growl!

"Madame Doofenshmirtz, looks like the little girl was able to find out what operates the damn thing."

"What the hell?"

Growl!

"She's Subject freaking A1, Madame, now where the hell are those reinforcements?!"

"On the way!"

Growl!

"By the way..." He looked into his binocular, looking over Wesley's motionless boy.

Growl!

"Wesley's hurt."

"What!?"

*Click!

  At the sound of the phone hanging up, he nodded with a hint of laughter.

"Oh Vanessa, Wesley's controlling you, and neither of you both even know it."

  The four just looked at the baby, knowing that it was time.

"So..." Ivan spoke, looking at the saddened little girl. "Judging by the look, you're saying that we need to do extract the Gabe out of her... right?"

  She nodded again before getting the syringe out of her backpack and hand it over to him. "Just... do it... p-put 'em... out of it's m-mis-sery."

  Ivan walked over to the baby and pierced it through the baby's delicate skin, making more tears burst out of her little eyes.

"But, can we save 'em?" Haystack asked, not wanting to see the poor baby die in front of him.

  Ivan just sighed, feeling a tad of self-pity from his procedure. "Sorry, the baby will die anyways if we spare it... remember?"

"B-but can't it, like, spend a little more time-"

"It's better that the kid doesn't die a slow one." He pushed the needle deeper into the skin, but this baby didn't sob. It was as quiet as a sheep going down the same road.

"Wh'ah isn't it cr'ahin'?" He thought, mentally shaking in shock. "The other one cried, but not this one."

  Then a voice jumped in. "Because this one was bred to fight... the one in the house was bred to live a 'Normal' life."

"Huh?" He looked down, finding that Maribelle was looking back at him.

  He placed his hoof over his forehead, looking away and trembling. "What the hay is goin' on?"

  By then, all of the baby's Gabe was gone... and so was the glow in her eyes.

"Whoa." He said, awestruck by the short spectacle... and by short, it meant that the baby would combust into a flood of blue flames. This time, he didn't bask in the unusual sight. "Jeez."

  In only eight seconds, the newborn would turn into nothing but ash in the capsule. The only things they got out of it, was Gabe, and a tape recorder within the capsule. He picked up the tape recorder before standing up and injecting himself with half of the bright red liquid. With every cold drop being shot into his veins, he felt his heart pounding like a large drumstick over a gong. He then hand it over to Haystack, in which he instantly injected into him like a hungry dog.

"Uh, Haystack." Ivan asked, concerned at the way he acquired it. "Are you alright?"

  The moment he finished, he released the needle from her fur. "What?"

"You charged at that needle like jackasses on Black Friday, I mean-"

"What's Black Friday?"

   He pretty needed to remind himself about what's in Equestria and what isn't. "Oh, right, Anyways, why did you do that?"

"Oh, uh, It's that." He looked past the smoke, to find that a fresh new wave  of reinforcements were heading their way. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

  The others were surprised at the turn of events. Without wasting time, they ran away from the scene, and into a large two story building across the street. Inside, was a small but empty waiting room, but that didn't change the fact that they were hiding here. Ivan shut the door in a flash, and regrouped with the squad.

"So, where are we-"

"Look underneath your feet." said Pierre.

  Doing so, he found a logo painted on the floor. It was a shall we say peculiar one, with a dove over a red cross which lied over a cyan circle.

"A hospital?" was Ivan's first guess.

"No, a clinic, before 'ze revolution." The spy then took a walk around, "When Danville and its neighbors first seceded from 'ze Union, this would become 'ze capital's hospital."

  Ivan took every piece of information well, but had a question in return. "So, why is it empty?"

"Doofenshmirtz had it abandoned. He said that it was a blight to 'ze new Utopia, and since 'ze economy was near dead, he chose to leave it there until they can demolish it without killing anyone in 'ze who altercation."

"So why couldn't they just blow it up with RPG's, choppers or-."

"I told you 'ze economy was near-"

"HEY!!!"

  The sudden yell made them tremble briefly before turning to their source. The one who yelled that was Haystack, who looked irritated from their rather brief conversation.

"Whoa, man!" said Ivan.

"Yes, calm down."

  Maribelle said nothing but gesture them to the door. She didn't have anything to say, neither through facial expression or speech.

"Let's just get in." murmured Ivan, concerned of Haystack, especially since he was looking at the two with impatient eyes.

  Pierre nodded in approval. The two then walked through the door, which led them to a narrow corridor. Maribelle then ran past them and told them to follow her with her hands.

  Running down the corridor, they found themselves at a staircase in the end. They then followed her up, where she led them to the top floor of the building. During the walk, Ivan chose to play the Hienz recording from last night, in order to ease the tension. While the speech played, Haystack's angry demeanor slowly faded into that of condolence once the recording ended.

"So, you humans never learn, do you?" said he. "You keep thinking that it should be nothing but conform."

"Hmmph." Ivan simpered slightly. "You're right... but that doesn't mean that you're not doing the same."

"Hey, Celestia is a benevolent Princess, don't speak against her."

  Ivan had enough of his flag-waving ramble. "Erh, look, I'm no Lunarist or anything. Just don't act like we humans and ponies don't have anything in common... Don't get it? Then think of why you're here in the first place."

  Haystack just looked up and chose not to think about, for his safety and his safety only. "She did the r'aght thing, you know."

  Ivan wanted to punch that pony, but didn't have the guts to do so.

  By the time that mini-conversation ended, they noticed that their little guide had led them to a black vending in the middle of the hallway.

  Maribelle then reached into her pocket and handed them another note to read. This time, Ivan was the one reading. "Remember when I told you that those plastic coins don't matter? ... Yes? Then buy up... Maribelle."

  Feeling flabbergasted by her writing, he looked over to the little girl, who was smiling back at him with appreciation. "Uh.. okay then."

  It was all he could say before walking over to the machine and letting it do its work.

"Hello there, sir or Madame!" said the male voice with his sunshine and rainbow feeling. "Welcome to the mini-store of power! The place where you can upgrade your strengths and abilities to new and better levels!"

"Huh, I thought that I can upgrade my combat and medical abilities."

  Pierre had to remind of him of why. "You must've confronted an older model, Tell me, did it look like a slot machine."

"Uh, yeah?"

"Place your hand on the scanner to see what you can buy, my friend!"

"Alright." muttered he, before placing his right hand on the flat gray square. Pressing it, the number appeared on the screen like a timer on a stopwatch. The number was,

580

                                                                                       [center-GABE-

"Well I'll be, mister, you sure are fighting for the state!" The machine said with amazement, "That's enough to buy these products!"

  They appeared in list form, and divided into three categories; ammo, body-builders, and DICE.

"Huh, I have plenty of ammo to spare... let's head to the dice." He touched the red slot, making a small list appear in blue ones. Unfortunately, the touch didn't send him to the category. A message would pop up in the center screen saying:

                                                                                                                                                                  (X)

I'm sorry, you don't have the Gabe required to enterthis category.

"Damn, I was sure looking forward to that." He exited out the message and went over to the Body builders section to see if he could afford anything there. To his advantage, he managed to find some sweet ones at even sweeter deals; and there was this one that got his attention. It was called "Point and click", and the title was enough to interest him. Even with the log for it to his right, which was of a crosshair and three droplets of blood in the center. Plus, it cost One hundred and fifty Gabe. Grinning, he made the purchase.

"Wise choice, my soldier friend!"

The screen then read...

Processing...

  ... for about a dozen seconds before the sound of exhausting steam was heard, along with a series of thuds. Then, came out the product via a small door sizable enough for a medium sized dog to go through.

"Anything else my friend?" The voice asked with the choices on screen.

(Yes) (No)

  He thought about it, but preferred to consult his French tour guide for help, "Are there more of these in the city."

"Yeah." The guy replied with the modesty of a tour guide, "In fact they are all over the country. You just have to find them."

  Knowing that he has to save the liquid for future purchases, he tapped the 'No' option. And instantly, the voice said his good-byes, "Thank you sir, thank you for shopping with us!!"

  Then a little National themed jingle played afterwards as if there was parade out in the streets.

"Okay, your turn Haystack." He stepped out of the way for his four-legged friend to buy.

  The pony then placed his hoof over the scanner... and it had no problem in reading it. His Gabe amount read,

987-GABE-

"Whoa, my little pony! You're not so little after all!" The voice shouted with awe. "Looks like you'll be needing products like these!!"

  The categories appeared as usual.

  Ivan whispered his concerns to Pierre, "Huh, the machine didn't say anything about the fact that he's a pony."

"Let's not question Heinz's intentions towards this." Pierre said.

"I guess we shouldn't."

  The sound of steam and thuds were heard.

"Anything else my friend?"

  A few seconds passed.

"Thank you, thank you for shopping with us!"

  Hearing that, Ivan walked up to him and asked politely. "So, what did you buy?"

  Maribelle then told them to follow her down the hallway once the purchases were done, in which they happily complied.

"Oh, extra ammo for m'ah, sniper rifle, and that's about it." said he, while carrying a small wooden crate on his back with the words "SR ammo" written in black permanent marker. "Ah'd rather save that stuff for future purchases than waste it all in one shot."

  He then tossed it into his saddlebag for safekeeping.

"Hmm..." He felt considerate about the fact that he had the same thing in mind. "... Good, anyways how much did it cost you?"

"A hundred Gabe for twenty fah've bullets."

"Christ, that's a lot."

"Who's Christ?"

  Another face palm was imminent, but he stood his ground, muttering. "Right."

  Maribelle lead them down a door, where a small flight of stairs were on the other side. They then followed her up them, and towards another door at the top. Outside, was the rooftop of the clinic.

"Now..." she said silently. "Y-you know... you know w-what t-to do."

  She pointed at the buildings, implying that they need to parkour their way back to Lillian's.

"Alright then." said Pierre.

"Hop on, then." Haystack bent over, allowing her to climb on.

  The group then ran off the building and onto the next one, and the next one, and the next one...

"Pierre?" asked Ivan through, managing to muster through his panting breath and blowing breeze.

"Yes?"

"So, who was Delilah?"

  Impulsively, he answered. "Delilah was a woman... and that's all I'm going to disclose, so don't bring it up again."

"Oh, sorry."

  They jumped over another alleyway. "It's alright."

  Back in Lillian's, they sat there in front of her laptop waiting for the USB to download.

"So, found anything?" Troy said through the phone.

"Still haven't found it, the USB is still downloading." Ivan replied.

  Meanwhile, to pass the time, Haystack chose to play Ivan's newly acquired tape recording.

"Erin... you... w-were s-something... s-special to me." The woman, clearly sounding ill stuttered. "*Cough* *Cough* ... b-but... you have... to go... I-I c-can't... t-take c-care of you... a-anymore... I-I... was... s-sent h-here b-because... Th-they... accused... that I was b-becoming one of th-them *Cough* *Cough*... and n-now... I h-had t-to s-suffer along s-side... th-these b-bastards *Cough* *Cough*!"

*Knock!* *Knock!*

"Hurry up in there, you 'crazy'!"

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"I'M COMING, YOU-" Her throat tied into knots, causing her to choke. "*Cough!* *Cough!*J-just g-go... s-serve th-the s-state w-with Pride... I-I love you... I love you... I love you."

CRASH!!!

"Give us the Damn baby!"

  There was nothing but sobbing after hearing that.

"Thank you Madame."

Tap! Tap!

"Hey, lady what the hell are ya-"

BLAM!

  It was silent for a few seconds before the soldier let out a depressing sigh, "I-I'm... sorry Madame... It just had to be done."

Tap!

  It was quiet after that footstep.

Click!

  Then the recording ended.

  Since everyone heard it, opinions on it were pretty much the same.

"We have to be careful." Lillian said Candidly. "Because like 'she' said, Here and outside this nation, all we're doing is surviving... there's no such thing as living."

  They knew what they meant by 'she', and they still kept that in mind.

"I-I found something." the little girl said.

  The four went over to the computer to see what she found. It was a photo of a skyline with the sun rising up from it."

"Huh, that's peculiar." said Ivan.

  He then went over to other files, which were blocked, and required a password in order to access.

"How the hell is that even possible?" said Troy.

"Don't know, the state denies 'ze people internet anyways."

"Look, if that's the case, then-."

  Maribelle then scrolled down to the bottom of the second file, which read. "If you want to acquire the password for this file, you must head to the city of Aegnus."

"So, head to Aegnus, open that file up, and more intel will be given, right?" asked Haystack.

  Maribelle just nodded.

"So, is this where you took him to?"

"Yes, siree." Troy moaned. "So just go and complete your mission. That's all I want now. By the way, I won't be able to contact you while you're out of the city... and before you say anything else... take the girl with you. She'll be a bit useful..."

"Like she already has." Ivan muttered in extremely low volume, "Does a better job than you."

"... By the way, I have to go now, we're moving to another location, Bye-"

Click!

Beeeeeeeeep...

"Damn, that was quick. Must've been in a hurry."

"So, you'll be leaving then." Lillian sat on her chair, not feeling anything from Troy's recent orders.

  The group turned around, and softly, Haystack said to her. "Ah- Ah guess so."

  Ivan sighed, "Besides, we have debts to pay."

  She then looked down at her hands, which were over her lap. "I see."

  The goodbyes were as quick as their greetings yesterday; and in a moment's notice, they were gone. They would reach the end of town and carjack a lone Humvee in the middle of the suburbs, only to realize that disguise was futile due to Haystack's presence. So instead, they used the Humvee to ram through the gateway and kill as many soldiers as they could before making a clean getaway. The enemy wouldn't follow after the incident, and just like that, they were on their way to the city of Aegnus. Ivan knew that everything from their goodbyes to now went so fast, but he decided to tell others if they felt the same; because as we all know, time slips away like a hawk diving towards its prey.

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

  About a quarter hour went by after they were lucky enough to flee from the border unharmed. From then on, the four remained perfectly quiet... as usual. With Ivan driving, Pierre was fast asleep with a cigar still dangling from his mouth, Haystack lying in the backseat, and Maribelle lying besides him, sleeping like a foal.

While driving, Ivan took the opportunity to drink the newly acquired body builder; and do his best to keep his eye on the road at the same time. He couldn't take the fact that he forgot about this. Fortunately, he was successful, not letting the lemon tasting soda distract him. Once all of it was going down his throat, he felt a tingly feeling in his hands, as if a hundred ants chose to march three by three and shout "Hurrah!". Fortunately, the effects were benevolent enough to prevent him from losing control of the steering wheel. Once it left his body, he then picked up the Vita and turned it on.

  The music played as usual with the title card on the first slide. The next slide depicted the soldier with himself

"Injured? Don't worry!" said the lady.

"'Point and click' will make your weapons laser accurate!"

  The soldier was now shooting rebels while the bullets flew across the screen in a strait line.

"It's like playing a video game.. only without the soldiers being dimwits and your life constantly crashing."

  The next slide had the soldier give his thumbs up and smile while a medic came over to help him.

"Have fun, comrade!"

  The 'Thank you RED industries' slide appeared before it would turn off. Giving Ivan the sign to throw the piece of junk out the window.

"Ugh, what a waste." Ivan sighed.

"Ah'van?"

  Hearing his voice, Ivan was quick to reply. "Talk to me."

  The pony felt a little repulsed by what he said. "Ah beg yer pard'n."

"Oh, I mean, yeah?"

"Er, uh, would you mind answering a question for me?"

"If it's about why I'm here other than I have a debt to pay, then I'm not saying anything."

"No, no, It's just that... You said that Chicago's a very dangerous place since you were born."

"Yep, so what about it?"

"What was it like?"

  Without thinking, he simply said. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"C'mon, Ahm not saying that if that's the reason why you were in debt, you can tell me. And hey, Ah'll tell you how Ponyville was like."

  It wasn't a reason why he's in debt, well he thought it over, but after about ten seconds of doing so, he decided to tell him; mainly because he'll disclose what Ponyville is like. "Ugh, Chicago was like the jungles of Vietnam, but with buildings. No matter where you went, there would be something bad going on... but when I was born, things were worse. Especially when Arabia was in the state that it's in. Riots, increased crime, and cultists that follow Princess Celestia and Nightmare moon were always present."

"Well, Celestia always knew that you humans can't resolve yourselves."

  Not feeling the urge to bark back at him about humanity, he replied with. "Yep, war after war after war after war, things don't seem to be looking up."

  He looked over at Maribelle, the sight of her sleeping against him like she was his child made him feel worried about how they've been. "And when things looked up, it only made things worse, r'aght?"

  He nodded, "Yep, after World War one, the allies made the Germans pay, creating the third Reich. After World War two, the spit of Germany and Korea started both and arms buildup and a spread of Ideologies, and the list can go on and on. Back in Chicago, it was just like that. When one side won, that side chose to dominate everyone in the city, starting riots... and when the other side took them down, they wouldn't pull it up from the root, and that's when chaos ensued."

  He then decided to go into his personal life, willing to open up some information about himself. "When my mom sent me to school, he would conceal a small pocket knife in my shirt pocket, in case if anyone tried to kidnap me for money, indoctrinate me... or to satisfy their disturbing tastes and fetishes."

  Those words made Haystack's legs tremble. "Huh, you humans would even use children as a form of survival, right?"

"Yeah, I even had a friend who was taken by members of the Sisterhood of Night Eternal."

"Who are they?"

"Ugh, a cult dedicated to Nightmare moon."

"Oh, ah never that that existed."

"Looks like Celestia is so desperate to keep that a secret." He muttered.

"Huh?"

  To make sure he heard nothing, he continued with his friend story. "To continue, I managed to find him seven years later, baring the Lunarist flag."

  He sighed softly, feeling a little pain from that memory. "... Only to be shot dead by a Celestianist sniper."

"Oh..." He continued to stare down at Maribelle still feeling saddened that children like her were being forced to fight for her highness. "Well I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be... in this world, friends just come and go, our society helps us remember that." He then remembered the song that Maribelle was humming earlier in the day. "By the way, was the song Maribelle was humming named 'Snowdrop's Lullaby'?"

  The pony was surprised at his knowledge on the song. "Uh, yeah... how'd ya know."

"The melody was so familiar around the city, can't believe that Maribelle would remind me of it. No matter where I went, someone would either be playing, singing, and/or humming it... *Sigh* The story of Snowdrop always interested me... a little filly trying to find a sense of living even after all the crap thrown at her... and she persevered in the end. Now the snowflake is the symbol of winter to both Equestria and to the human race." He glanced at the top view mirror, "Hmm, I loved that story... and that song you ponies made for her was nice as well."

"Thanks." The pony said, appreciatively.

  Another memory about the song popped into his head while he looked back at the vast plains in front of him. The memory made him chuckle a little before saying it. "I remember the time when my mother would sing it everyday during the winter... the ironic thing was that she was Christian, and you know how religious people tend to get here... But hey, just because you're a religious man or woman, doesn't mean that your god won't allow you to try new things."

"I kind of disagree with that." Haystack thought, reminding himself of Celestia.

"Ha ha... yeah, a lot of bad things went on in Chicago, but stuff like that song would always lift our spirits for just a little while... before it was time to bring it back down again." Not wanting to talk about it anymore, he decided to learn about the town Haystack originated from. "So, how's Ponyville like?"

  The stallion thought about how was he going to start. He had a lot to tell him about, so it was best that he started with the ponies that lived there. "Ponyville's a... a n'ahce place..."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, the ponies in that town are very nah'ce. Hay, you can make many friends there, if ya wanted to."

"Yeah, if I was a pony of course."

"Hmm, anyways, the city isn't that big. The population is at around three-hundred thousand, and most of it is mainly mares."

"Wow, really?" He held his guffaw back, surprised at those statistics.

"Yeah, Sixty fah've percent of it .The rest is just stallions. We're mostly there to work though... like everypony in the town. But the stallions to hard labor, such as construction, carpentry, mechanics, and farmin'. Some of the mares do that too, but they mostly tend to shops, teach, or other stuff."

"Huh, seems like you ponies like to be organized."

"Yeah... Ah guess."

  He glanced at the front mirror again before looking back. "So, If I remember correctly, you're a farmer, right?"

"Eeyep."

"Bail hay?"

"Uh huh."

"Good, I remember. So, how's life like down at the barn?"

  He looked at the window again, trying to make the feeling out in his head; but in no time, he got it. "I-It's n'ahce. Everythin' just feels happy... just bailin' hay and supportin' the family... it fits perfectly."

"How's the family like?"

  The question made his heart sink a little the moment it was asked. "Well, It's been gloomy for the past couple years. M'ah parents dah'd when ah was eleven, and-"

"Ouch." He felt empathy towards him, knowing that that must've hurt. "I-I'm sorry about that."

"I-It's okay... Ah managed to get over it lah'ke ya should, but m'ah sister... I-It took awh'ahle."

"Whaddaya mean?"

  He sighed, memories of what had happened that day were threatening to break back into his mind. "They dah'd rah'ght in front of her."

  Ivan now regretted asking that, "I-"

"She told me they fell off a falterin' bridge whah'le they were trah'n to save her friend from fallin' as well. Some claimed that the bridge was f'ahne before the incident... but... but..."

"Don't worry, you don't need to say anymore." He interrupted, noticing the tear trickling down his eye.

"Whaddaya m-"

"You were about to cry."

  He then felt the tear and quickly wiped it off. "Oh, rah'ght... thanks."

"Don't mention it." He then chose to brush lightly on the subject. "Hey, did she eventually get over it?"

"Mmm Hmm." He nodded. "It took a long talk with our grandmother for that to be possible, now ah'm just glad that she's okay... Even though I somet'ahmes believe that she still feels the same way."

"Oh... Well I hope she'll remain that way."

"What, sad?"

"No, No! Of course not. I mean that I hope she'll remain okay."

"Oh."

"Yep." The two were silent for a few seconds before Ivan returned with the stages of grief in mind. "People and ponies tend to want to jump over to acceptance just like that, huh?"

"Yeah... they just have to understand that it doesn't work lah'ke that."

"Of course it doesn't... it'll only end up killing them in the long run.

  He had to agree. "Yeah, it certainly does."

  The silence resumed for another couple of seconds, but Haystack broke it up again with a little payback. "How's y'er family?"

"Meh, I was an only child, and my mom was single until I was nine."

"So, can ya tell me more?"

"Ugh, of course." He groaned.  "My dad died before I was even born."

"Wow, A-ah'm sorry."

"Don't be... Anyways, she would go on to raise me on her own; making sure that I didn't get into trouble. She did well making sure my childhood wasn't going to be a nightmare... and that's when a guy named 'Harvey' showed up."

"And?"

"Unlike my mother, the guy was a fundamentalist nut. And since they've been friends for awhile, they had the bright Idea to get into a romantic relationship, eventually marrying a year later." Frustration started to become more audible in his speech. "Then that bastard chose to run everything in the house, in which my mother simply complied like the doormat she was."

"Must've been a tough lah'fe then."

"Of course it was." He nodded. "Fundamentalists are like subjects to a dictator. They think that god's some benevolent man who only punishes because 'He loves you'. When in reality, they're portraying him as a Celestial Adolf-"

  He then remembered about how butthurt he'll be. "I mean a Celestial Vladmir-"

  He remembered that Equestria and the Soviets aren't on good terms. "Uh, A Celestial Heinz Doofenshmirtz."

  The suspicion in the stallion faded. "Yep."

"Yeah... So things went bad; And now, all I need is the money to wipe away my debt, and then the only focus will be on what to do with my life."

  Haystack was quiet, but decided to ask. "Ah'van?"

"Yeah?"

"When you learned about your dad-"

"He was a nice man... Even in his death."

"How?"

"Don't know... the only thing I do know, was that he died keeping the peace in Tallahassee."

"Oh... So was he a cop?"

"No, just a regular engineer for RED fighting BLU. That's all."

"Hmm."

  They were quiet again... Until the vehicle began to rumble underneath them. "What the hell?"

  Ivan was stunned to realize that the fuel meter now read empty. "Oh come on!"

  The engine shut off entirely. Now, they were just sitting ducks. "Haystack, look behind you, is there any canisters of fuel there?"

"Uh, no, not at all."

"Damn it." He muttered, slamming a fist against the steering wheel. "Now how the hell are we going to get to Aegnus?"

  He decided to have a look around, when he noticed a small abandoned horse drawn carriage lying at about five yards to their right. The boy smirked a little. Quick to realize it, Haystack needed to stop him. "Ah'van, don't tell me-"

"Haystack, may you take us to Aegnus in that carriage?"

"No no no." He replied. "I cannot fit in that thing. It's too big. Plus you g'ahs are too heavy-"

"Pierre and I can sit on the wagon, Maribelle can sit on your back. Plus, there's an Umbrella she can use in the back of this vehicle. Also, there's a full pack of bottled water there. We're gonna need it."

  Haystack face hoofed. "F'ahne. But if ah don't fit in that thing, then you two will be walkin'."

"Of course."

  And so, they went on to wake both Maribelle and Pierre up from their brief nap. The little girl was easy to wake up. Just a calm little gesture and a soft tone would do the trick.

"Uh, yes, Haystack?" she moaned, rubbing her right eye. Haystack thought that looked so cute, even while he was delivering the news to her.

  Pierre on the other hand. wasn't that easy to do so. Ivan tried the calm way, but that didn't work. So he raised his voice, and that didn't work either. Thus, he slapped him in the face, and that made him shout. "Ah, Preston, leave me alone!"

  When he realized that he was awake, he immediately calmed down, and let Ivan's way of snapping him out pass. "Yes?"

  After that, they grabbed what they needed and headed towards the cart. Turns out the harness fit him well. So, once they were all accommodated, they were on their way.

"Well, I was right." Ivan said Triumphantly.

"Yeah." He slurred amidst his frustration. "What do I owe you?"

"Nothing really. There's nothing here to give you."

*  -  *

  *  -  *

Wesley was walking down an empty hallway in Doof tower. He admired the hall's décor with every step and glance. The red walls and marble floor made him feel comfortable as he approached the double doorway in front of him.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Come in!" A woman on the other side shouted in her familiar voice

  Without wasting time, he opened the door and walked inside; where Vanessa was sitting in front of her desk. She would then stand up and greet him. "Oh, you must be Thomas."

"Yes, Madame!" He stood up straight, and saluted to his master. "I'm here to serve the state."

  She, with the same amount of enthusiasm, saluted him back. "Yes, yes you are, my apprentice."

  She then exited from behind the desk and stood in front of him.

  Looking up, he realized how tall she was... and it made him feel more inferior than ever.

"At ease, sir."

  As fast lightning, he dropped the salute and remained firm.

"So, are you ready for your first day?" She smiled.

  The smile made him feel warm and confident while nodding with a smirk across his face.

"Good." She knelt over to him, meeting up to his height. She then held onto his shoulders. "Because I'll be needing your duties in the future... can you handle it?"

"Y-yes Madame." He said softly.

  Wesley opened his eyes slowly to the sight of her master looking at him with that majestic face of hers.

"Wake up, sleepy head." she said as if she were a mother waking up her four year old.

"Uh..." Shaking, he did his best to salute to her, even through all the pain he was feeling right now. "... Hey... M-ma-"

  She held onto his hand, preventing it from moving any further. "At ease, Thomas."

  He let it go, the arm would then lie on the bed against the rest of his body. "S-so... what h-happened?"

"You passed out after grenade shards made you lose twenty percent of your blood."

"Ouch." He then took the time to look at his bandage covered self.

"Look, I'm just glad you're alright." She began to pet his hair. "But I still can't believe that you'd leave your soldiers behind for the sake of saving yourself."

"Say what?"

"You disobeyed Doofania's honor code, and you will be reprimanded for your actions."

  He couldn't believe it, she's going to discipline him for that. Without any concerns for his current state of health, he increased the volume of his voice to explain himself, "But Madame, I had to survive, I'm the commander of this city's battalion; as well as your apprentice! I needed to save my-"

"Your own safety isn't as important as the safety of our men, commander!!"

  He used his left arm to sit upwards. "But my safety can determine the fate of not only my men, but of this nation as a -"

"You do not hold that position, Thomas! I wield that responsibility, not you!"

"I uphold as much of that as you do Madame!"

"No you don't!"

"Then what am I to you then, a Pawn, your personal sex toy, a mindless slave that's only worth is to command some platoon and then come home to rut-." His chest began to swell, making him groan in pain. Immediately, he lied back down to take a little breather.

  Knowing how much pain he was in, Vanessa chose to let him get some rest. "Look, just calm down. I'll leave you to recover from this injury."

  And like any lover would, Vanessa would lean over and planted a kiss on his forehead. Which seemed to calm everything down, even as the wet kiss made the young commander blush. The dear leader than walked away, along side her two guards. Suddenly, she stopped, turned around, and said, 'But that doesn't mean that this discussion is over, got it?"

  He wanted to argue even more with her, but the pain was too much, so he simply let the urge go and say calmly. "Yes, Madame."

"Alrighty then." She and the guards then walked away in peace.

  Alone now, all Wesley could do is sigh in utter annoyance at the fact that her own master would scold him for doing something just.

"Relationship problems, huh?"

  He then realized that he wasn't alone. "Uh, hello?"

  He looked over to the blue curtain, where the shadow of a woman was on the other side.

"Yeah, talking to you." she said.

"Wh-who are you?"

  She was silent for a little while, but then she spoke. "A woman who's just curious on your issue."

  It would lead him to assume many things, "Are you an enemy of the state!?"

"Oh no, no no no no. Just an affiliate to RED."

"Prove it."

"Ugh, fine."

  She grabbed onto the curtain, and pulled it back, revealing her identity.

"Oh, Alice." He looked away, nearly embarrassed at his outburst. "I-It's you."

"Huh, It's been a while since we met face to face, hasn't it."

  He lied back down, "Yes, yes it has."

"So, Vanessa's been a little tough on you, hasn't she?"

  He sighed, "Ugh, yep."

"Tell me about it, my boss has been working my ass even as I lay in the hospital."

"Well, so you were the one hacking into our surveillance cameras."

"Huh?"

  He laughed a little inside. "Rodrigo told me about it. Remember the open mouths policy?"

  She rummaged through her memory, until realizing the deal back in the year twenty-twenty-six. "Oh right... we at RED seem to forget a lot. So, with that brought up, what are you guys doing?"

"I can't tell you." He said proudly. "That's a Doofanian secret."

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes, knowing that this is the reason why they had that policy passed, mumbling. "You statist pricks."

  The dear leader continued to walk down the halls until she remembered something she promised last night; and that made her freeze in freeze.

Slap!

"Ugh, I forgot to talk about our lack of drone deployment." Her hand was pressed against her forehead when General Lang would arrive in front of her.

"Madame?" He said, saluting her.

"Ugh, yes?" She said, rubbing the hand against her face before releasing it. Knowing that he didn't let go of his salute, she ordered, "At ease, comrade."

"Well, first off, it has something to do with our lack of drone deployment. Secondly, I question why you didn't bring it up at the meeting this morning, did it have something to do with-"

"Yes, General. It had to do with RED's attack on our troops."

"Indeed Madame. But I have concerns over RED and their use of drones; since the attack involved their 'Scoutbots'."

"Huh." She placed her hand over her chin. "Didn't think of that."

"Looks like their increasing their use. Even in the infiltrators recent attack on the department of security, we found out that they were hacking into our surveillance cameras."

"What?" She was surprised at their little plan. "Why would they-"

"Probably to see what the infiltrators were up to."

  Angry, she punched the wall nearby. The concrete made her knuckles crack. "Damn it, those bastards are trying to use us!"

  Shocked at her sudden outburst, Po stuttered in beginning his sentence. "I-I... I think you're right. They're going to extreme measures just to acquire the intel on that package. And now I question what the hell are they going to do next."

  She sighed, putting her reddened hand against her hip. "If RED's going to do this to us..."

"Right." Lang nodded. "Like the sniper said, they're only here for their own interests."

"Then they better be prepared for what's to come." She began to walk, causing her entourage to follow. "Effective immediately, I want all ten thousand drones in the entire country to be at the ready."

  Not going to fight that demand, Lang complied. "Yes Madame."

  He then proceeded to run away from her, only to be stopped by her call.

"Yes, Madame?" He said.

  She was quiet for a couple seconds, trying to articulate her question.  When she got it, the question was, "Do you think that RED was able to acquire the intel?"

"I-I don't know Madame. If you remember, the surveillance camera didn't show much. Only Blythe and Subject A1 were visible."

  She sighed, "Then be very cautious, Because that's another reason why I want our own drones on the front lines."

"Yes Madame." He saluted, before continuing his departure.

  Vanessa then continued her walk. "Because God will soon cut Redmond down."

  It's been at least six hours since Ivan, Haystack, Pierre, and Maribelle last left the useless Humvee for a wagon. Fortunately for them, Haystack's legs were still going strong even after being out there for that long.  But throughout the time they were walking, neither of the four spoke to one another. Pierre and Maribelle continued to sleep (Lucky for she and Haystack that the umbrella remained perfectly slanted on his back.) while Ivan looked out the pleasant looking horizon. Haystack did the same, only while walking in the direction they were heading.

  Impatient about how much time there is left, Haystack finally asked. "Ah'van, do you remember what Pierre said about how much tah'me there was left before reachin' Aegus?"

"He said that we only have three hours to go." He said before drinking another sip from his water bottle. "Jeez, thank god that this wagon had a cooler and some fresh ice inside... I wonder how was that possible?"

"Huh, beats me."

  He then chose to move on to the next topic. "So, about your sister."

"She's fah'ne. If it has anythin' to do with m'ah parents bein' dead, then Ah'm not goin' to talk about it."

"No, no. It has more to do with how she feels about you leaving. For that matter, how does the rest of your family feel about it?"

"Great, another hard one." He thought, before answering. "Well, it ain't that easy... The whole family took it well... except m'ah little sister."

  He frowned at the thought of that. "Sh-she... was crah'n, pratically beggin' f'er me to stay... but ah told her that it had to be done."

"Wow, so how did she look when you were leaving?" Ivan said.

  He sighed, understanding what he was referring to, "Don't know... Ah left for the Baltimare port overnah'ght. But if Celestia told me how she felt, Ah bet she was still cryin' for me."

"Huh, sad, isn't it?"

"Mmm Hmm."

  During the pause, a question popped into Ivan's head. "Wait a minute, I thought Equestria didn't allow citizens to the leave the country."

"A yacht sneaked me out before anypony could see."

"Oh, nice."

"So, what about y'er family? How did they take it?"

"Meh, they took it well. They started out crying... begging me not to go." He dazed off a little, remembering their relentless cries on the day he broke to them the news. "But in the end, I just watched them wave good-bye to me.... Heh, doing their best to smile... but I knew they were still saddened."

"But didn't you say that you hated y'er-"

"Yeah, but he still thought of me as a son... even if we went on to welcome another person into the family."

"Ya had a sibling?"

"A step one. That's a better word for it; or to be specific, a step-sister."

"Oh, congrats."

  He took the complement as if it were sarcasm. "Woo, yep, I should be proud."

"Huh, Ah'm guessin' that lah'fe in the household wasn't all that n'ahce."

"Ugh, you think? It should've hit you while we were in the Humvee."

"Oh, sorry about that."

"To reiterate, don't be. Relations between parent and child seem to diminish with every passing year."

"True... remember when you told me that love isn't reciprocal?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Ah can see wh'ah you humans sometimes say that."

"You teenagers and children, We foals and teen-foals, seem to grow so independent from them that they feel lah'ke we're lovin' them less and less."

"Yeah, and?"

"Do ya often feel lah'ke the work we're doin' now is considered an act of love... since we're here payin' our debts b'ah killin' people and b'ah deliverin' this package?"

"Yeah... I guess so. But hey, if that has anything to do with Maribelle, just remember that she had her reasons. She doesn't hate you, she's just doing her job."

"Mmm Hmm... but... " He glanced at the sleeping little Maribelle, who slept like a cute foal, trying his best to think of another question. "And if..."

  This made Ivan roll his eyes. "Don't worry about her, she needs you as much as you need her."

  Haystack looked ahead. "Yeah, of course we do."

  He still reminded himself of what Maribelle did before going to tend the capsule. It felt a bit saddening, but she had her reasons. Hopefully, she doesn't feel like abandoning her entirely. He knew that by heart. Pushing any more fears out, the pony continued his trek across the plains.

  On the cart, Ivan questioned their little bond, thinking. "I don't know what they find in each other, but soon it'll have to be brought into the light."

  Redmond smoked another cigar while the boardroom remained empty.

  The sun was setting now, and all he wanted to do was to watch it.

  Suddenly, the sound of footsteps were heard, interrupting his leisure time.

"Mister Redmond." said the man.

"Is it about Rodrigo?"

"Uh-"

"Then don't say anything. The man did his best to support his family.

"Well, no sir. It's about Alice."

"Oh... so what's the news."

"She texted me a few minutes ago to tell me that Vanessa's 'apprentice' in the same room as she."

"What?"

"She has tried to interrogate the man on certain issues, but to no avail. Redmond-"

  He stood up, slapping his hand against the table. "That Doofenshmirtz! She's on to us!"

"B-but, isn't that what you wanted, sir?"

  Knowing that he forgot that Vanessa's suspicion was on the plan, he sat back down, feeling a bit foolish for his outburst. "Ugh, you got a point..."

  He then faced the sunset. "So, do you know where the infiltrators are now?"

"According to satellite photos, they're heading for the city of Aegnus."

  He tossed the cigar in the small canister of black powder and said. "Prepare to deploy another squadron of scoutbots into the city... Time for the next phase in our plan."

  Redmond then looked at the man. "Killing them... killing them all. The boy, the foal, the traitor, and subject A1, I want them DEAD!! And I want their corpses in this boardroom!! ..."

  He looked down. "I want to get the hell out of here... with my men, and with their little delivery."

*  -  *

  *  -  *

"Mister De Francois." A girl's voice cried.

"Oh hello, Blythe. Ca va?"

"Things are going great... Anyways, I need help with something."

"Oh? And what is it?"

  Her voice turned grim. "Um... you see, There's this Pet shop right underneath where I'm living in, and I really want to save it, can you help me?"

"Hmm... I-I don't know what I can do, but, I'll do my best... You can count on me." He said with compassion.

"Thanks Pierre, I know I can."

  He smiled, "You're welcome."

"Anyways, how can we start?"

"Pierre, Pierre!!" Ivan whispered with every call.

"What?" His eyes shot open. "What 'ze hell is-"

"We're here."

  He looked to the right, and noticed the hill. "Ugh... fine, then let's get ready to."

  Then something circular touched the back of his neck.

"Freeze!!"

  He looked around, to realize that the others were in the same situation.

"Pierre, wh-who the hell are they?" Ivan said, feeling the urge to tremble in fear.

  At the same time, he noticed the clothing they were wearing... which were green berets, grey shirts, and black pants. Another thing he noticed, was that they were all women. So, he said. "At ease, Firestorm girls. There's nothing to worry. It's me Pierre."

  The girls didn't budge, so they asked. "Where is your captain, Isabella?"

  They still wouldn't move.

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

   It's been at least one minute since the standoff began. The quartet stood perfectly still as the shotgun barrels stood against their necks. Neither side moved, but both were expecting the other to do so.

  But despite the eagerness, Ivan was thinking about how he could reason with them without the beheading of one of... no, anyone in the premise. Slowly, he opened his mouth to say a word. Unfortunately, the women were smart enough to catch that. Quickly, the woman pushed the barrel forward.

"Don't even think about it, Jackass." She snarled, clinching onto a straw of hay in between her teeth.

"I was just going to say something." He explained.

"Not gonna happen." She said. "Not until Isabella arrives."

"Well, fun fact, the state troops will soon find us if we keep standing here."

"We've been around here many times." She debunked as soon as Ivan's theory was stated. "Even as sitting ducks, we were able to stay away from unwanted trouble."

"She's right, you know." A voice said in the distance.

  The Firestorm troopers settled their guns down as soon as they heard that voice.

"Captain Isabella." The squad softly chanted.

  The woman entered into the scene. Her hair was raven black and reached onto her lower back. Over her hair, was the usual beret, only with a bow that was slightly darker than that.

"At ease, girls." She said calmly. "So, what's the status, Addison?"

"Captain, we were able to capture these spies that were about to cross into Aegnus."

"Oh really?" She took her sunglasses off, revealing her navy blue eyes. But to the quartet's surprise, she was starting to take a silenced pistol out. In an instant, she would look through the iron sight, and point it at Ivan.

  His eyes flew wide open. "Wait, hold-"

Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!

  All three bullets deflected off him like rubber balls.

  He sighed. "Oh, right."

  She then aimed it at Pierre, which had the same effect. Then onto Haystack... same effect. Then onto Maribelle, but Haystack wasn't going to allow that. Rapidly, he stood right in front of her, glaring daggers at the eccentric woman.

"Don't you dare." He said coldly.

"Get out of the way, or the others get it." She demanded, nodding at her comrades to prepare if resistance was ever present; and it seemed that her command would come into fruition, because the equine wasn't going to back down.

"Aw damn it, Haystack. Just let it go." Ivan muttered.

  Suddenly, he felt the little girl tug his saddle. Turning around, he found her pointing to her left. He looked in that direction to find nothing.

"There's nothing there, Maribelle." He said. "Everything is-"

  The girl briefly crossed her arms and pouted her lips, a little annoyed at his misinterpretation of her gesture. So, she made another one, which was her hand waving back and forth. And quickly, he was able to get it.

"Huh? B-but... Maribelle... I-I can't-."

  She rolled her eyes and handed him another message, which read.

Haystack, ... um,

                                                          While I'm in my child phase, I recommend

                                                        that you let her be when she needs to. It's for the best

                                                   that you give me/her my/her independence. That's

                                                                parenting 101, my friend.

                                                                                                      - Maribelle

                                                                                                                PS: Love isn't reciprocal.

  He was shocked to find what Ivan said was written on there.

  Softly, she spoke. "J-just... let me."

  He stood silent, unconvinced to let the woman shoot at her. But despite that, he remembered how capable she was. Remembering the phrase, he stood back and let her do her thing.

"Nice that the little girl was able to talk you into it." Isabella smirked.

  Maribelle just stood still, watching as she lined up the shot.

Thwap!

  The bullet flew towards her head, but she managed to duck back before the bullet could even hit her eye.

"Hmm." She lined the shot up again.

Thwap!

  The next one aimed for her stomach; but she managed to turn to the right, letting the bullet pass like someone going through a door.

Thwap!

  The last one aimed for her leg; but Maribelle jumped high in the air and took her sword out. She then landed on Isabella's breasts, pushing her to the ground.

  Her comrades quickly aimed their shotguns at the little girl while she planted her feet on the ground and aimed the blade at her throat.

"Wow, impressive." She chuckled, surprised at her skill. "At ease, ladies. They're apart of us."

  The others stood down, wiping the mercenaries' slate clean. Isabella then got up and let the little girl walk back to her friends.

  Solaced by the stand down, he gave his word. "Ugh, did Troy tell you that we bought a special shield call Shining Armor?"

"Yeah." Isabella took out a strip of mint gum, and chewed it alongside her nonchalant mood. "Why?"

"Because that should've given you the sign that we weren't spies."

"Hey, we had our reasons."

"What reasons?"

"We control the inner areas of the country, everything that isn't past the barbed wire, is ours."

  Interested in the divulgence by the commandos like Ivan and the others, Haystack weighed in. So, you people have y'er own territory?"

"Pfft, yeah, where do you expect BLU to deliver their weapons without dealing with RED and the state?"

"Uh..."

"Right." She said, continuing to chew her gum in that same mood. Stopping, she explained. "If you manage to fight your way through Aegnus and past the borders, you'll be in the state of Wyoming."

"Uh... yeah.... and...." Ivan said, wondering why she was telling them this. But it was shot down when he remembered lecturing Lillian about Ponyville's history.

"Go north, and you'll find yourself in the state line between Wyoming and North Dakota."

"What's she talkin' 'bout?" Haystack whispered.

"They're US states. Did you ever pay attention during trainin-"

"They never taught me this."

"Um, Excuse me!" Isabella interrupted, with sass in her mouth. "Anyways, BLU controls Montana. And outside Interstate ninety-four, exists a long ass tunnel... that's where we get our supplies."

  The four were silent were awhile, before Pierre spoke. "Yes, so what does this have to do with your reason why you accused us of being RED spies."

"Oh, isn't it obvious, spies were able to Sapp down our defenses in one of the towns. State troops tried to take the town, but we held firm, lost a lot of good men out there, but we pulled through."

"Huh, why didn't we see any of these towns?" said Ivan.

  She sighed. "You probably went in the direction where they weren't any of them. That probably explains the abandoned state Humvee we found."

"Oh... well, that was us, by the way."

"Yeah." She said. "Should've figured."

  Isabella then climbed up the hill and looked at the lights in the distance, "Look, I'd love to explain more, but my mission was to get you both into the city."

"Wait, do why didn't you-"

"Again, the attack."

"Oh, right." But he wondered how was it going to be executed. "So, how are we going to get in?"

"Simple, we make direct attack."

"And how exactly are you goin' to do that?" asked Haystack. "You do realize that there are minefields, right?"

  She began to giggle at his reason.

"Huh, what's so funny?"

"Ha ha, you don't know how we roll, don't you pony?"

"Grr, the name's-."

  His retort was interrupted by her whistling, grabbing the troops' attention. "May I have your attention, ladies?"

  Saying nothing, the girls put their shotguns at their hips and turned to face their captain with honor.

  Isabella then took out a grenade from one of her pockets, which caused the others to do so as well.

  The squad then walked past her and stood behind. It made Ivan count the number of Firestorm girls, in which he found that there were fifteen of them, plus Isabella, making sixteen.

"Okay Girls." she said. "You know what to do!"

"Yes Captain!" They all shouted before awaiting her next order.

  When it was given, it was a simple. "Frags out!"

  The women then bit the blades off and tossed them into the sky like archers with their bows and arrows. The grenades then hurdled over the hill and landed on the other side. What followed, were not a large group of explosions, but a massive blast. Blasts that made them feel like they were in front of the water fountains of the Las Vegas casinos.

  Pierre whistled in surprise. "Well I'll be."

  Dirt and debris landed on their heads, which gave the Firestorm girls their cue.

"Go! Go! Go!" Isabella shouted as they proceeded with the raid past the borders.

  The four would follow while she loaded her RPG with a rocket. She then aimed it at the fence.

Phsssheeewwww!

BOOM!!!

  The wooden fence ripped open, giving them a gateway inside.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  Bullets started to chase them as they successfully crossed the borders into the small base.

  Isabella then gave her comrades their next set of orders. "Okay girls, as usual, take the guard towers!"

"Eye-ay captain!!" One of the girls replied before nodding to the others beside her.

  The one and the other two turned to the right and headed for that guard tower. In the meantime, three others did the same for the one on the left... and the troops were stupid enough to keep focus on the main squadron instead of the three charging enemies who were about to use the towers' support beams as ladders.

Rat-at-at-at-at....

Thwsh!

  A bullet hit one of the soldiers in the head

"Arrgh!" The soldier groaned.

"John!!" His friend shouted. The man turned to the source of the shot, to find that it was mercenary who was responsible. "Urrggghhh!!! Die!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-Click!

"Damn it!" He turned away to retrieve more ammot, only to find oneheir enemies jumping over them with her shotgun at him. "Crap!"

BLAM!!

  The man was thrown back as the fragments from the shell ended his life.

"The towers have been taken, Captain!" The woman radioed while using the railing as cover.

"Alright, Gretchen!" Isabella replied. "Now see if you girls can help us with unpinning us!"

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Looks like the state and RED decided to beef up security! They have more drones now!"

BLAM!!

Beep!

BOOM!!

"We'll see what we can do, Gretchen out!!"

Static!

  On the other end, Isabella and the others were using the buildings as cover while more bullets flew both past and over them.

"Gretchen, hurry the hell up!!"

"We're trying Izzy!!" She shouted back. "But they've got us pinned down as well!  Looks like you're right on them beefing up security!"

"Damn." She muttered. "So what are you doing now!"

"We're using the towers' interior shelters as foxholes and try to snipe them!"

"How?"

"Sniper rifles are in here!"

"Ugh." She put her head over her hands. "Good luck, then!"

"Alright!, Gretchen out again!!"

Static!

  She then looked at Ivan, whom he and his friends were looking back at her for further orders.

"What?" She said cynically.

"We're not going to last that long if we keep standing here." He said, "Plus, the pony and I don't know much around here, so could you tell us where to go?"

  She stood on both feet and looked at them with angry eyes, but with time, she was able to ease it off and calm herself down, "A-alright."

  The captain then walked over to the right and took out a small mirror and placed it in front of her, "Okay, now, looks like they're deploying another set of drones.... and they have troops using the windows of the buildings as garrisons. It also seems that they're using wranglers to control the sentries... so, I want you to take this RPG and try and take that sentry out while the girls and I try to-."

"AAARRRGGGH!!" The soldier cried as he collapsed to the ground in agony that came from his back.

"What the hell?" She asked herself while watching electrical surges envelop the sentry gun.

"Well I'll be." Wowed Ivan calmly as he watched his covert buddy run past enemy fire, "Looks like Pierre's already taken action."

  The sentry gun would later explode.

"Sentry down!!" One of the soldiers cried. "Urrrgghh, get that spy!!"

"Move!!!" Pierre would shout.

"Oh, Okay!!!" She then turned to the others. "Go! While they're busy chasing Pierre!"

  Gretchen did her best to cover them, but she was a terrible shot with the sniper rifle. Every shot seem to miss the sentry in front of her, even while the soldier was distracted with Pierre.. Fortunately, her comrades didn't to have a problem with pushing forward, even if Gretchen's efforts were futile.

  In the meantime, Ivan was one of that ones that climbed up the building and onto the slanted rooftops with to find a suitable position to sabotage the enemy lines from behind. Seeing that the Sentry gunner was distracted by Pierre, it seemed possible... Uh, however, it seemed that the soldier wasn't that stupid in forgetting that he was supposed to pin the enemy in front of him. So, with a "Ha!" and quick turn of the Sentry, he was back to firing at them.

"Oh Columbia." Ivan muttered before a quartet of rockets hurdled towards him like baseballs, "Umph!!!"

  He was thrown back several feet, only to feel three bullets punch through him like a samurai sword through bamboo. He managed to hold on to the edge as he mounted his rifle over the rooftop.

"O-ow..." He looked down to find droplets of blood hitting the floor. The pain overrunning his entire stomach and arm. But through the pain, he was able to keep the rifle in position and fire as many rounds as possible. Then, he felt a light breeze in his head, which would soon rush into the gun wielding hand. Every shot he fired was able to hit the sentry were it hurt. Thanks to the "Point and click" body-builder, it was quick.

BOOM!

"Sentry-." A bullet would cut him off. "AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!"

  As blood spewed from his chest and stomach, the soldier would fall off the roof while Ivan climbed back on the roof to heal himself with Haystack's syringes. The rush of warmth would relieve him from the pain and gashes, making them disappear.

  After finding the energy to get back up, he managed to run to the end of the building rooftop and go prone. He leaned forward and looked at what they were up against.

"What the hell are those?" He was now facing at the row of short four legged robots. Their color, black as usual. Weapons they yield, two automated machine gun turrets mounted on the top and on the front, "Aw crap."

Whoosh!

  Suddenly, two silhouettes would jump up and briefly levitate in front of him, "Oh sweet Columbia."

  The would then land beside him, revealing their appearance.

"Ugh, you guys again." He muttered.

  The commando attempted to kick him in the stomach. But Ivan was able to jump to the side, making him miss. Swiftly, he reloaded his rifle and fired at least five rounds. However, the commandos were able to dodge every shot.

"Damn it."

BLAM!!

  The commando to his left was thrown off the roof after a shotgun blast ran through his body.

"Huh?" Ivan turned around to find one of the Firestorm girls holding the shotgun like some chick in an action movie.

Cl-click!!

"S'up, members of Starfox." She said sultrily.

BLAM!!

  A bullet tore through the man's head.

"Whoa!" She looked down, to find the pony wielding his sniper rifle. "Hmm, wow. He's a good shot."

"Hmm." Ivan smirked. "It's in his blood."

D-r-r-r-r-r-r!

  Two bullets hit him in the side of his head, but deflected off.

"Oh son of a bitch."

  Two more commandos jumped onto the roof and fired more SMG rounds.

"Take care of the one in front of you!" The Firestorm girl cried as one of them charged towards her position.

BLAM!!

  Unfortunately, she hit nothing. The commando was able to jump high in time.

Cl-click!!

"Dammit." She muttered before aiming upwards.

BLAM!

  Nothing.

D-r-r-r-r-r!

  Then she felt something hit her back and exit out from over her breasts, letting blood gush out. Choking from it, she fell on her knees and then onto the ground.

"Oh crap." He whined in panic before the commandos opened fire.

"Isabella, Addison's down." Gretchen called from the guard tower.

  All she did was sigh. "I got nothing to say... may she rest in peace. Now go over and assist Ivan before they decide to send in Air-support."

"Yes Madame, Gretchen out."

Static!

  Ivan now had to deal with both of them on his own.

Zap!

"The hell?"

  A bolt of electricity was flying towards him. Without wasting time, he ducked his head backwards and let the bolt soar above him and towards the commando behind him.

  ZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz!!!

  The man shook and screamed non-stop as surges of electricity ran through his body like burrowing gophers. Then, three bullets hit his body, increasing the voltage to the point where the head exploded. And that gave Ivan chills from the past, "Th-the h-hell... w-was... th-that?!"

Zap!

ZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz!!!

The surges rumbled around Ivan's body, making him feel numb as the bolts shocked him all over his body, "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

BLAM!

  The last commando standing had his head blown off by Haystack's rifle.

  The surge in Ivan only lasted for about eight seconds before it all eased down to nothing but dizziness.

"Ugh, I'm not going to repeat that question again." He said while rubbing his head, "Oh, funny. My hair's in tact."

  He then ran off to the edge of the building again, and went prone.

  Down below, all Haystack did was watch him, muttering, "You're welcome."

  Ivan loaded his grenade launcher and aimed for one of the walking drones.

Rat-at-at-at-at!

  The turret stopped firing... before pointing at Ivan's position.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at! ...

  He fled back before any of the bullets could even touch him.

  Haystack watched everything. He knew that it was hopeless. Everyone was now pinned down by enemy fire, and it won't take long before they're lucky enough to detonate some tear gas, or a grenade, or anything to flush them all out.

"It's hopeless." He said to himself, thinking of his family back home. Again, he was in this situation... on the verge of death and questioning when will they cross the line, while he sobbed softly, he muttered. "I-I'm so sorry, Applejack... G-granny..."

"Whaddaya mean?" said Maribelle in her now deepened voice.

"Huh?" He gasped before looking up to find the full moon up in the sky. "Oh... uh..."

  She looked up as well. "Huh, third in a row... anyways, looks like we're pinned down here in Aegnus. aren't we?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I guess that explains why 'it's hopeless'."

  He nodded again.

"Or... maybe it isn't." She pointed at the door next to him.

"Now what are you talkin' 'bout." He asked.

  Saying nothing, she walked over to the door and opened it, she would soon break her own silence by uttering these two words. "Step inside."

  Trusting her, he obeyed the command.

  Maribelle turned on the light to reveal another vending machine like the ones back at the abandoned clinic.

  The sight of that made his heart pound and his mind dictate him to head over there... in which he did. The machine did its greetings, and Haystack let it scan his hoof. The machine gave him the complements and then the deals. His head kept telling him to go to the Dice like a bunch of friends when they shout 'Chug!' repeatedly while you down a large mug of beer down your throat. He picked that category and went to the only one he could afford.

  It was called. "The Emperor's strike"

  Liking the name of it, he selected it, and in no time, the Dice was in his hooves.

"Thank you, thank you for shopping with us!!" The voice said before the jingle played.

  That's when Haystack's head snapped back into reality, bobbing slowly, "Whoa, what the hell happened?"

  He looked over at Maribelle, who looked back at him with such tranquility in herself as she had her hands behind her back, "Oh, you just bought yourself some dice. It's in your hooves... By the way, if you haven't noticed, your nose is bleeding."

"What?" He placed his hoof over his nose to feel it, she was right. "Uh... uh..."

"Just drink the damn dice." She sighed.

"Oh, alr'aght master- Uh, I mean, Maribelle." Like a crazed man, he screwed the cap off and began drinking. Like Ivan, he drank it all until not a single drop remained inside.

"Good." She smiled, "Now... get ready for the-"

  He began to feel jittery in his legs, then in his arms, then his stomach, then his head. Static would swarm all around him as if he just happened to accommodate himself in a recently dried blanket... only it hurt... a lot.

"S-side affect." She mumbled, trying to hide the fact that she should've warned him from the start.

"What in Equestria is goin' on!!" He shouted at the top of his lung before all he could do now was collapse onto the floor and do his best to overcome the dreadful feeling. But as he did so, his entire body went numb and his entire sight faded to black.

*  -  *

  *  -  *

  He couldn't see anything right now, but he could hear a gentle voice whispering into his ear. Telling him with such lust, but at the same time such care, "I'll be waiting for you... no matter how long it takes... I'll stay by your side... I love you, Big Macintosh."

"Wake up, Haystack!" Another voice shouted as something sharp and pointy broke his trance. "Wake up!"

  His eyes opened wide to find Maribelle sitting beside him, injecting his medical vaccine into his right foreleg.

"Huh?" He sat up, trying to comprehend what happened. "What? .... I .... uh... what.... why..."

"Wow, that must've really done a lot to you."

  He was finally able to regain his composure. "Ugh, just give me the Vita."

"No time, I looked through it myself." she said.

"What?"

  She rolled her eyes before summarizing the instructions, "Look, just say 'Fulmen' in your head, thrust any hoof forward while doing so to any enemy, drone, machine, there. Also, you need to drink soda in order to recharge."

"Oh, alright. But-"

"C'mon we have no time to lose." She proceeded to push him out of the office.

"But..."

"Alright, now use your new powers to take out that crawler over there." She interrupted pointing at the walking drone, "Got it?"

"Uh..."

"Do you understand, pony?" she said as if he were a sergeant in boot camp.

"Uh... uh, Okay."  He said nervously, letting the way she called him slide. The pony remembered her little summary pretty well. Shaking, he placed his arms in front of him like a catcher in a baseball team and prepared to fire.

"Good, on my mark.... three, two, one, fire!!"

"Fulmen!" He thought, thrusting his hands forward.

Zap!

"Okay Pierre, use the RPG!" Isabella commanded.

"But I can't, too many bullets in the air could cause it to explode."

"Just do it!"

"Ugh fine."

  He peeked out of the office they were in, but the bullets that nearly hit made him go back.

"Damn." He mumbled, before doing the same thing again. Only this time, he found that the drone was covered in electricity, immobilized, and defenseless. "What 'ze hell?"

  But the questioning didn't make him waste time. He got out of the garrison and fired the rocket directly at the robot's turret, obliterating it to pieces.

  Ivan on the other hand, was able to find out who fired the bolt of electricity; because he happened to watch him do the whole thing.

"Did he just fire electricity from his hoof?" He said, mouth gaped.

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

To summarize, Ivan, Pierre, and Maribelle would go on eat a decent dinner. It wasn't much though. Just some rice, beans, mashed potatoes, and cut up apple slices (Something that Haystack craved like a lion eating his prey.). During the meal, they wouldn't speak to each other. Ivan was too afraid that Haystack would go on a mental breakdown. He knew that the pony wanted to live through this. He had family back home, just like him. However, he wondered if it was okay for him to be taking so much of that. I mean, that's how the others got sick, right?

   Anyways, the only person Haystack seemed to be very social with during the meal, was Maribelle of course. The two would talk about all sorts of things... other than the dark sides of their lives. Haystack would tell her about how his life in the wheat farm was always nice, and how he was very close with his family. Maribelle wouldn't say much though, in this phase, all she knows is how the night was. But, she would ask so much about Haystack, that he would reply gladly like any friend would. Those two got along pretty well, you and I suppose. However, all that seemed to bug Ivan's mind was the fact that it was a symbiosis between pony and human. Not that that's never been done before, but the fact that it's with a human child. It's never been heard before that ponies can interact with human children before. Not because ponies never attempted it, but that they've never been in contact with children unless they were being hunted for revenge.

  During their cute little conversation (in which Ivan found to be.), he began to recall the time he made an oral report on World war II.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

"Ivan Bentley, may you present your report." said the teacher monotonously.

  He looked up and nodded before getting up from his desk and walking up towards the front of the class. His hands were on the verge of visibly shaking in front of everyone in the dilapidated room.

"W-w..." It was all he could say as he stood still, glancing between his classmates and his reports. All seemed lost in his point of view... until someone in the distance made it all go away. Her delicate smile, her cute little sit... it all made his worries go away.

  The moment he returned to his paper, he stood upright, and began to read like a President at his inauguration (But without the passion that comes with it.), "World war two was a conflict between the allies, consisting of Free France, Great Britain, the United states, the Republic of China, the present day Soviet Socialist Republic of Imperial Russia, as well as more than twenty other nations... fighting against the axis alliance; which was made up of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan, present day Equestria, who would go on to defect to the allies in nineteen-forty three, and their puppet states..."

  He read on, knowing that that person keeps giving him the confidence to do so.

  Well, now he lost the reason on why he went back to that thought... oh right, because Princess Celestia was taking part in the Holocaust without even knowing it. Good thing she defected to their side when she still could. Huh, and all for revenge. Funny, maybe that person must've eliminated why he went back to that memory in the first place. Well, it didn't matter anyways. There was a lot of odd things going on in this isolated country, and this new discovery of symbiosis between nearly grown pony and little human girl was probably an addition to the claim's justification.

  That's when the little girl chose to bring up the song he sung to him. "So Haystack."

"Yes?"

"The song you sang to me last night was nice."

"Oh, thank you." He smiled.

"But there's one part of the song that rubs me the wrong way."

"It does? Where is it?"

"I mean, the part that says, 'Can't you see...' ... Um, isn't she blind or something?"

  Haystack questioned, how did she know about Snowdrop, but decided not to ask, "Oh... uh, I don't know why they put it there. That's a good question."

"Meh, it probably means this, She can't see, but she can see the fact that a nice future's ahead of her."

  His cloud of confusion faded once she clarified that part of the song. "Oh, makes sense."

"Mmm Hmm." She grinned.

  Ivan heard the whole thing, but decided not to worry since she cleared that up.

   A few moments later, Pierre and Isabella entered the cafeteria where they were eating, and announced in almost perfectly synchronized unison. "It's time."

"Wow, already?" Ivan responded with a simple groan, feeling full from the meal he just had.

  The two just nodded.

"Perry." Redmond called from his phone. "This is Redmond."

  He then heard a growl from the other end before words would follow. "S'up boss, how's it going?"

"Not so good. Anyways, have the scoutbots reach the location yet?"

*Growl!*, "Yes sir. They've just arrived on the scene. I've ordered Vanessa's troops to let them pass."

  He growled again, "Besides, it was your fault that got them on so much high alert."

"I know, I know. But that's part of the plan, you know."

"*Growl!* So what's the next phase in your plan."

"Killing them."

*Growl!*, Huh, something that we've been doing since they set foot."

"Hey, if you were living under a rock, you'd notice that the state no longer wants them dead, killing them will ultimately be the final nail in the coffin in their eyes. Then we can finally get the hell out of here."

"*Growl!* "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..."

  He frowned at the Platypus's laughter, "What's so funny?"

"*Growl!*, Ha... what difference will it make if you go on to kill them? I remember now, they also said that it didn't matter. They want them dead or alive, that was the order. So I ask you again, will it all matter."

  He felt the desire to make his frown go upside down, but all he could do was a smirk, "C'mon Perry... War is all about luck. Who knows if Vanessa only wants her own army to kill or capture them. So I'm just going to go with the plan."

"*Growl!*, Alright then, go on ahead."

  Redmond stood up and began to pace around the now darkly lit room, "Besides..."

"*Growl!* What?"

  He looked out the window and giggled in low volume. "Ugh, I got nothing... Redmond out."

  The CEO then hung up.

The five were alerted about RED's scoutbots being present throughout the city. So they were told to carry armor piercing rounds with them before they venture outside. This caused Isabella to let her comrades rest for the night, in fear that she would lose more of them.

  After that, they ran down the emptiest, room-lacking, and longest hallway in the cell. In two minutes, they reached the end, where a ladder was facing up towards the ceiling.

"Alright, Gretchen, lights!" Isabella radioed through her walkie talkie.

"On it!" She replied.

  One by one, each light in the hallway would shut down before it would all go completely dark. The only light that remained was from the small holes above them.

"Okay, let's go up." she said before climbing up the ladder and opening the metal lid. The others would follow, and before they knew it, they were in an alleyway.

"Now what's the next phase in our plans?" said Ivan.

"Simple." Isabella reached into her pocket and took out two knives. The only thing peculiar about these knives were that their handles had an extremely odd shape. But the captain of the Firestorm girls had the briefing all covered, 'It's called the Eternal reward."

  She then handed them over to Ivan and Pierre. "They're capable of disguising you as the person you killed it with."

  They took a brief look at them before she continued, "You'll find them useful when completing your mission."

"Nice..." But then a question popped into Ivan's head. "Wait, but why can't I use one of Pierre's-"

"First off." The spy explained. "I'm all out; and second, you don't smoke."

  He wanted to discipline himself for not knowing that, but he managed to cover it up. "Oh right."

  Isabella then took the time to climb up the ladder of the nearby building to scout for any enemy troops. Unfortunately, it was their lucky day. She went back down to tell the others. "Looks like you'll be needing those after all. There are two soldiers on the rooftop of that building. We need you both to take them out.... and I'll show you how."

"Uh, what?" said Ivan.

"Haystack, do you have that Air-grabber I gave you?"

"Yes Madame, wh'ah?"

  Up on the roof, the two soldiers were conversing as they looked out into the city in front of them, with not a skyscraper in sight.

"Gee, man." said the soldier to their left. "How long has it been since the revolution?"

  His partner sucked on his teeth. "Egh, I don't know. Twenty years I guess?"

"Man, It's been that long since then and nothing's changed."

"Sure things have changed, Luke." He argued. "Just look at how much people we're feeding."

"Meh, not by a whole lot."

"Also, the Crazies been contained. So, the great leaders were and are still making change around here."

"Ugh, they keep saying that they'll restore 'Doofania' to it's true glory. Pfft, good luck with that."

"Oh you." He muttered. "Hey, why did they change the name to Doofania anyway."

  Suddenly, a zipping sound raced through their ears. "The hell was that?"

  They turned around to find a four-legged creature in front of them, armed with a sniper rifle, "Crap, it's the infiltrators!"

  The two soldiers opened fire, but all bullets would miss their target; for the pony was able to dodge the shots and hold on to the edges of the roof.

"Come out there, Pony!" said the right soldier. "In the name of our leader, I demand that you surrender to us or face the might of her fist!"

  There was no sound, only the gentle breeze blowing through their ears. "Come out, god damn you."

  Again, nothing. The man on the left went on with his next plan. "Alright, push forward."

  The two took two steps per second, heading towards their target. They remained quiet as they walked stealthily through the silence.

  Thwap!

"AAArrrgh-Ummmmppphhhh!!!" The left soldier's scream was quickly muffled.

  Hearing the cry, Haystack peeked over to find what was happening. While there, he found that the second soldier to his right would meet his maker as well. The two lifeless soldiers then fell to the ground as Haystack found two knife wielding soldiers in front of him.

"Isabella, It's clear." said Haystack before climbing up and rendezvousing with his now disguised comrades.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," she said. "Here's the next part of the plan."

She pointed westwards. "You two walk towards the city hall via the street. Haystack, Maribelle, and I will parkour towards there and take up sniping positions. Got it?"

  Ivan raised his hand.

"Yes sir?"

"Uh, why can't we just parkour with you guys to the-"

  She was quick to answer. "Just don't ask. The gunfire will explain everything."

"What gunfire? You mean the... Oh."

  She pouted her lips. "Ugh, are you even a mercenary?"

"Madame, yes I am, but one,  I'm no spy. Two, I barely know this damn place, nor the damn military of this place."

  She rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, mercenaries."

  After the briefing, both squads split up and headed towards their locations; and since they were parkouring, Isabella, Haystack, and Maribelle reached their position in time. There, they went prone and observed the enemy positions with their scopes and eyesight.

"Damn, they have so much guarding the place." Isabella mumbled. That's when memories began to flood back to her.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

  She was looking at the vast plains before her. The sky was blue with not a single cloud to be seen. She was frowning and her eyes were beginning to water.

"It'll be okay, Izzie." said one of her comrades. But she didn't listen; mainly because the tears began to flow down her cheeks in a rapid rate, "*Sigh* Phineas did what was right. Plus, there was no way he and Ferb could've come out of there alive. They were outnumbered and possibly outgunned."

  She stared at the green grass below, letting the tears land there.

"Ugh, Jeez, suck it up. Plus, we need to move on. Let's prove Heinz that we'll be able to survive in this wasteland... Does it sound like fun?"

  She still wanted to think about him a little more,  but surviving out here is more important than wallowing about a lover's death. So, she nodded and looked back at the blue sky.

"Good, now let's move."

  They began to run... but Isabella was having difficulty doing so. More tears streamed down her cheeks as her arms and legs shook. With them shaking, she dropped her shotgun onto the ground. After taking three more steps, her body said that that was enough; and she collapsed onto the ground. There, she burst into more tears, sobbing in emotional agony.

"Aw, dammit." Her comrade muttered before calling. "Isabella."

"Isabella!" Haystack whispered loudly, ears dropped down.

  Her memory ran away once her name was called in the present. "Uh, uh, what happened?'

"Maribelle just slipped into unconsciousness." He was panicking, while he carried her in his forelegs. "Ah don't know what happened, Ah just found her lah'ke this."

"Oh god." She imagined the worse, but it all went away once she looked at the sky. "Haystack, is her heart still beating?"

  He brought her motionless body up to him, placing her chest next to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Don't worry, then. She's gonna be okay."

"B-but... What..."

  She pointed upwards, making him follow the instruction. He noticed that the moon was gone, being replaced with nothing but dark clouds that covered the entire sky like a blanket. He remembered that she can't speak maturely unless moonlight was present.

Then. he heard a little voice underneath him. "H-Haystack."

  He looked down to find her awake, with her eyes half open as if she just woke up from a good night sleep. Wearing a smile, he hugged in relief. "Oh, I'm glad y'er alr'aght."

"Yeah." She said. "Um... can you... put me d-down?'

"Uh, oh, right." He put her on the ground and she went back to her position.

BOOM!!

  The sound of thunder made her scurry towards Haystack. That's when drops of water hit them on the top of their bodies. Then more hit them, then more, then more.

"It's okay Maribelle." He said gently to her, wrapping a hoof around her waist. "I'm here for you."

  The words made her shake less before completely stopping. She then grinned warmly as the fear was reduced to a minimum.

  Isabella smiled at the sight while they weren't looking. It was an odd occurrence, but it felt nice to see something like that; even after all that has happened between humanity and Ponykind.

  The rain spread throughout the entire country. It was a welcoming sign for some, but an annoyance to others. In the case of Ivan and Pierre, it was pretty much split.

"Grrrr." Pierre growled. "Et il y à plus de Merde à venir."

"I'm sorry?" said Ivan, letting the rain fall onto his hair. In which he found strange because he was wearing a helmet.

"I said that there's more crap to come." He replied cynically. "Damn troops must have the entire city hall guarded after the raid."

"Of course they would." said Ivan. "All Totalitarian regimes are that paranoid about their security."

"Yep... and the heavy garrison kind of reminds me of the Resistance's former leader."

"Oh? Who was he?"

"His name was Phineas Flynn." He said oh so subtly.

"Why haven't I heard of him?"

  He frowned. "He's dead of course."

"Oh, makes sense... how?"

"He and his step-brother suicide charged towards the old city hall in Danville, trying to get Isabella and her friends out of the city."

"Teh, and how does that work."

"They were the most wanted out of the most wanted, and that distracted those poor dimwits."

"Sheesh, they really are dumb, aren't they?"

"Yeah... and that attack lifted the spirits of many, but it crushed the one of a specific person."

  They reached an intersection, looking both ways before crossing.

"Let me guess... Ugh, I got nothing."

"Isabella."

"Oh, seriously?"

"Yep."

'Uh... so why are you telling me this?"

"Just a heads up since you barely got a chance to know her."

"Well, you didn't need to go that far."

"She doesn't mind. Everyone in the resistance knows by now that he had deep feelings for the leader." He revealed as a convoy of three Armored Personnel Carriers passed by, not recognizing them at all.

"Fascinating." Ivan said as he and Pierre ignored it. Looks like she was right.... I guess.

  The rain continued to pour over them as they walked down the street.

"So, this place is not much of a metropolitan city, isn't it?"

"Nah, this city is agricultural, all the buildings you see here are just homes... everyone works in the field."

"So, why is it barren?"

"If you haven't noticed, there was a drought. And I guess its finally raining after several months."

"Oh right, I forgot there was a drought."

"Man, but why did it have to rain right now?"

"Why say that? The rain's nice." Ivan counter-argued.

"Ugh, there's a reason why I don't like the rain."

"Let me guess, Delilah."

  Reluctantly, he sighed. "You nailed it."

  He was quiet, he at least found out why he moaned in anguish at the feeling of rain. Guess he can learn a little more about this guy, so he decided to ask another question. "How was she like?"

"I keep telling you. I don't want to talk about it."

"C'mon... I thought we were going to kill time here."

"Not until you tell me about your mother."

"Ugh. While Haystack and I were awake in the Humvee, I told him about my mother... so might as well tell you. Now, to kill time, why does the rain remind you of Delilah."

  He frowned, briefly glancing at the cloudy sky above him, "It was raining on that day I met her; but at the same time, when the Ideological wars was beginning. I was visiting Boston as a spy, disguised as a well-dressed man on a business trip to infiltrate BLU facilities there. That's when I was caught in a little skirmish between both sides of the conflict. Then, out of nowhere. A boy came in, armed with a scattergun."

  There was a sound of thunder heard remote. "Then, a woman came in. And she was like an angel in my eyes. But I had to attend to their needs first... Only to realize that the boy just smacked me with his weapon, revealing my identity. They told me that they needed my help. And I agreed.... mostly for the girl."

"But..." He was bewildered at how that all adds up. "So... how did you end up with-"

"The cliché, I got to learn more about them as time went by. And soon, I became friends with them... and then I got close to the lady. And as it began to rain one day..."

  He knew where this was going. "Okay, that's enough... So, that's why you hate the rain?"

"Non, I just hate it when it lands on me."

"Uh, but you told me that..."

"I just didn't have the nerve to tell you."

"Oh... so why do hate it when you-"

"I'm not going that far... not yet." He smirked slightly, feeling a little happy that he got that out of his head. "So... how was your mother like."

  He frowned too, as they approached the now garrisoned city hall, walking through the outer fortress, "She was a nice lady-"

"Follow my lead, and don't ask questions." ordered Pierre, walking in front of Ivan as they went up the stairway towards the City hall's entrance.

"Alright, anyways, she..."

  From here onward, Ivan told him about his mother all throughout the mission. From the entrance, to the lobby, to the stairs, all the way to the mayor's office.

"So, life wasn't easy for you wasn't it?"

"Nope, not at all. Now there's the cabinet, let's go find that file."

"Damn it, Steve and Tank are dead." The soldier declared. He then radioed his comrades. "Attention, all troops, we have two casualties. Both Steve and Tank are now KIA."

  On the other end, troops began to take urgency of this report. And since they saw those two pass them by. They were quick to conclude that those are imposters. Quickly, the troops armed up and headed inside the hall, searching for the infiltrators.

  Meanwhile, the three saw what was happening. Which made Isabella facepalm herself. "Damn it, why did I forget to hide the bodies?"

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

  While searching for the files, Ivan found another tape recorder on the mayor's desk and chose to play it before getting back to his task.

"June fifth, Twenty-thirty-two." said the man in the recording. "Scientists have just made a brilliant breakthrough in the children born from the Crazies..."

"Wow, why keep a tape that old here?" Ivan muttered.

"... It's been confirmed that these... things have a unique ability that make them precocious in any skill chosen for them. For example, the first one, in which we named Subject A1 has some sort of fondness towards moonlight. When exposed it to it, she can not only speak coherently, but she can also run, fight, and shoot like a Starfox commando... Sadly, uh, about that. The little girl must've used her skills to her advantage. Last night, she escaped from the research facility, killing twenty guards in five minutes. Damn bitch was armed with just a revolver. Pfft, and had twenty rounds with her... Huh, twenty rounds, twenty heads, four soldiers dead every minute, one dead every fifteen seconds.... Huh, glad I'm the mayor of this town. So I don't have to fear about dealing with rabid little monsters like her. At least subjects A2 onward will be put to good use by the state. All that matters now is that A1 joins them.... Damn it, and I hope that General Eckler has a plan to do so."

  The recording ended.

"Well, good luck with that." Ivan continued quietly.

"Ivan, does Silver Fox even know what file is it?" asked Pierre, annoyed that he wasn't able to find the intel they were looking for.

"Nope, she wasn't specific on where it-." His response was cut short wen he found a file that read, 'To the infiltrator' on the tab. "Oh, there it is."

"Are you sure that's the one?"

"Let's see." He opened it up, to reveal a letter that read,

Dear Mercenary contracted for this operation,

                                            If you have managed to find this file, I'll tell you what the next password...

  He skimmed through the rest of the letter until he found the...

- Silver Fox

  ... at the bottom.

"Yep, this is it." He put the folder inside the satchel. "Now let's get the hell-"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

  The three hid behind the desk in a flash before any of the bullets could touch them.

"Stop, In the name of the great leader!" The person on the other side shouted. "You're surrounded! Now surrender to the state or you'll be cut down!"

  Ivan rolled his eyes, "Oh boy, he knows what's coming."

  He got out of cover and thrust his hand forward, releasing a ball of fire out the door (And eliminated his disguise.).

BOOM![

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!" The man cried in agony.

"Go! Go! Go!" Ivan shouted.

  The duo ran towards the door and got ready to make their next move. By peeking into the hallway and looking through his iron sight.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  A line of five soldiers were his first victims. Pierre would follow and fire at the troops on the other side (Also loosing his disguise.). They then exited out the room and ran down the way they came.

"How the hell did they find us?!" Pierre shouted.

"Maybe the Isabella chick forgot to hide the bodies!"

"How do you know that?"

"Those Personnel carriers passing us should've been a sign for you!"

Outside, the three could hear nothing but gunfire coming from the city hall.

Still having her hand over her face, Isabella continued to blame herself, "Why the hell didn't I hide them? Now they're going to-"

"Calm down, Isabella." said Haystack. "They'll pull through. Usually, they've got the fire power to do-"

"But damn it, it could've been a much-"

"It wasn't your fault." He turned to look at her. "We were in a rush, so we had to... Uh, are ya cr'ahin'?"

"Uh..." She knew that the hiccups and the tear on her cheek was a dead giveaway, but she had to deny it. Fortunately, she had the advantage. The rain could easily cover it up.  "N-no... I'm fine."

  The tan earth pony knew that she was lying. But he didn't have the courage to tell her that. He just left her to cry by looking back into the scope of his rifle.

"Um..." His little companion squeaked, standing in between them as she ignored the rain falling over her. "I-it's okay. You can tell us."

  She looked up, facing the captain with reassuring eyes. "D-don't be afraid... if you want, I can tell you of what I'm scared of."

  Isabella lowered her hand, revealing her watery eyes that were shielded by both the hand and beret.

"Um... I-I'm afraid of thunder." A loud clap of one shook through the sky. Making her bounce up and tremble at the sound. "Y-yeah... th-that's what I'm afraid of."

  So, to not disappoint her, Isabella sucked it up and revealed her fear. "It's just th-that... that..."

  She turned to the enemy troops that were guarding the outside, gesturing them. "This!"

  Maribelle didn't get it. "Um... You're afraid to fight them? ... I thought..."

"No, Sweetie... It's something personal. I-I don't want to talk about it."

  Haystack felt empathy for her, but he knew that at any time she'll have to tell them.

"But you should, I already-"

  He placed a hoof on the little girl's shoulder. "Let it go, Maribelle. If she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to."

  They watched as Isabella sat against the wall, watching as she tried to hide more tears with her hand.

"But Haystack, she's sad-"

"Whatever she's sad about, she'll get over it."

BOOM!!

  There was an explosion coming from city hall, causing them to snap out of their issue and refocus on their mission. They searched for the explosion, before finding it outside the entrance. The blast was then followed by shooting.

Static!

"Haystack, we're going to need your help!" Ivan called.

"Yeah, yeah, cover you guys as-"

"Good, but be careful, those Personnel carriers are probably heading over to reinforce them!"

"Hmm, let's just be quick, and maybe we won't have to deal with them."

"Alright!"

  He turned the communication off and fired his rifle at three enemy soldiers using a police squad car as their protection.

  Thanks to the sound-suppressors they were given, and Haystack's keen marksmanship, the five were able to shoot down as many soldiers as they could. This gave Ivan and Pierre a chance to move onto the halfway mark of the heavily enforced enemy line without any lemons given to them.

Blam ,blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam, blam,...

  Their successes were then challenged though, a bullets began to rip through both the rooftop and wall of the house. Not only there, but it also affected Ivan and Pierre as well.

"Son of a bitch!" Ivan muttered as he took cover behind an empty Humvee, the APC's bullets pounding against it.

"Damn it!" Isabella shouted. "The Personnel carriers are here! You two, go and find another place to snipe those bastards down! I'll deal with the carriers!"

"Yes, Madame!" He replied, with Maribelle giving her a little salute. "C'mon, Maribelle!"

  She obeyed the command and wrapped her arms around Haystack's neck. After that, Haystack aimed the Air-grabber towards city hall before pulling the trigger.

Tw-wch!

  They were now flying over enemy lines undetected, reaching City hall.

"Okay Maribelle." said Haystack while going prone and looking through the scope. "Stay here. Ah've got business to handle."

  However, she wasn't listening, for she was hearing something from a distance. Cringing in fear, she got up and ran back.

"What the..." Feeling that, Haystack had to stop her. "Maribelle, what're ya-"

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"Aii!" Yelped the first soldier.

"Umph!" Grunted the second soldier.

"ARRRGH!!" Screamed the last soldier.

B-b-b-b-b-b-beep!

D-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

  Maribelle back flipped from every shot while hitting the hovering drone before it dropped down with a boom. After dealing with the petite amount of reinforcements, she turned to the Jaw-dropped pony, and shouted. "Go, and help them out!! I'll help you!"

  Knowing that she had his back as before, he smiled, and replied with a simply, "Okay!"

  She nodded daintily before switching to her M16 and awaiting for the enemy to arrive...

  Yeah, they had each other's back... always.

  Meanwhile, below, Ivan and Pierre were still pinned down behind enemy lines. The APC's continued to move forward as they kept their suppressing barrage going.

"Dag 'nammit!" Ivan muttered before shouting to his comrade. "How long do you think...."

  However, he was nowhere to be found.

"Ugh, right. I forgot.... Why didn't he warn me?"

Twang!

  A bullet missed him by a few inches before he came up with a plan to advance. He loaded a grenade into the launcher and prepared to head to the Lenco Bearcat located passed the Humvee.

"Okay..." He whispered to himself. "Three, two, one, Go!"

  He vaulted over the hood and aimed his grenade launcher towards one of the four-legged drones.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  Bullets began to strike against his chest before he was able to fire the grenade at the turret, obliterating it completely. However, it didn't stop Ivan from getting hit even more. The primary reason being that the APC was still around; thus, a bullet was able to puncture through his right lung before he could even get to cover.

  Gasping for air, he used this opportunity to use his 'Point and Click' Body-builder to take out five troops to his left while he healed up.

Rat-at-at!

  The bullets pounded against one soldier's face, to the point where you can't tell if it is one now.

Rat-at-at!

  The next batch hit the second soldier in the heart, obliterating it completely.

Rat-at-at!

  The third soldier was hit in the head while shooting from the back of the squad car, nothing more. Seeing that that was clear, he turned to the other side and fired at the two soldiers.

Rat-at-at!

  A soldier charging towards him had his neck cut through.

Rat-at-at!

  His comrade felt the bullets hit his stomach, making him fire wildly. Fortunately, none of the bullets hit Ivan. More good news came, as he was able to inject himself with the vaccine. His lung was now completely healed, both the pain and asphyxiation gone. Unfortunately, bad news came to give him this.

  One, he was now out of the healing vaccine.

"Damn, that was my last one." He mumbled.

  And two, the four-legged drone still had his frontal machine guns, so it was going to use them... only if fate let him to.

CLANG!

BOOM!

  The drone detonated into pieces... brought to you by Haystack's sniping skills.

"You're welcome." The pony muttered, while he reloaded.

  Ivan just sat against the vehicles door, blowing a sigh of relief. "I truly hate this job."

  Isabella in the meantime, remained pinned on the rooftop of a building two blocks from the convoy. To make things worse, they happened to have four-legged drones inside them, rather than more infantry.

"Damn, and I only have two rockets with me." She pouted, feeling the urge to tremble. "God, why didn't I...why didn't I... crap."

ZzzzzZzzzzZzzzz!

"Huh?" She peeked past the roof to find that the drones stopped shooting, and were being overrun by static. They were being sapped by a soldier who was hoping over each of them.

"Spy's sapping our drones!!" One of the five troops below shouted. "Kill 'em!"

  Sadly for them, they stupid decision sealed their fate; for the drones would explode around them.

  Twang!

  A bullet flew in front of her, coming from the APC. "Good, now it's my turn."

  She stood up and ran towards the convoy, aiming at the back APC.

Ssshhhwooooomm!!!

BOOM!

  The turret was hit, creating a chain reaction in the vehicle; blowing it to pieces.

  Across the street, the soldier was right beside her parkouring his way to the two remaining vehicles. Knowing that it was him, she gave a thumbs up and loaded the last rocket. The bullets from the HMG soared past them as they prepared to finish them off. When reaching their expected positions, they leaped over the APC's. Isabella took the front one, and Pierre the second one. Once they were over the turrets, they aimed downwards.

Ssshhhwooooomm!!! Ssshhhwooooomm!!!

BOOM! BOOM!

  The explosions was a sign that the enemy's defense was now crippled.

  Ivan heard this, and after drinking a bottle of beer, he got out of his position and rushed over to the destruction. While doing that, he was able to shoot and scorch any state soldier that stood in his way.

  Watching from City hall's rooftop, Haystack switched to his Air-grabber, and called for Maribelle. "C'mon, Maribelle! We have to go!"

BOOM!!

  She landed on the ground as if she was a Ninja while an Attack chopper fell in flames right behind her, "Yes sir!"

BOOM!

  This left the pony Jaw-dropped again as the little girl held onto him. But he shook it off, and flew their way towards their comrades below.

   While that was going on, Isabelle looked at the destruction she and her partner made, who was now undisguised and in his blue attire.

"Wow..." She was speechless. "That... that was... good."

  On the other rooftop, all Pierre did was frown at her reaction. She missed him so, that was true. It kind of reminded him of Delilah for a moment... but he had to shake it off. One, because of psychological reasons; and two, because Ivan, Haystack, and Maribelle had already arrived.

"Oh, good. You've made it." Pierre grinned. "Let's go, Isabella!!"

  The call stopped her regression to the past, fortunately, "Oh, alright!"

"Sheesh." Ivan said. "Don't tell me that that whole Phineas dying thing's really getting to her."

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it." Pierre said empathically.

  The five were now fleeing from the authorities, and it seemed for a little while, that they were going to do so smoothly. Unfortunately, the celebration in their heads was cut short by an army of scoutbots jumping into the air like... well, ninjas in the forest before landing in front of them, blocking their path. In a moment's notice, they were now surrounding them with their shotguns pointed directly at them.

"Uh... Haystack..." Ivan asked, trying to contain his sanity. "Can you Air-grab us out of here?"

"Um, I don't think they'll let us." said Isabella, watching as the other Scoutbots landed on the rooftops of the buildings. "Also, one Air-grabber can't carry more than two people."

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

  Alice watched through the acquired laptop as every scoutbot (marked by dots overhead) stood firmly in the position that she desired them to be.

"Perfect." She grinned.

"Uh, what are you doing?" A voice to her left called.

"Oh." She gasped, surprised that that jumped in. "Uh, nothing."

"Remember the policy, Alice."

"Ugh, alright." She rolled her eyes. "I've managed to surround the infiltrators in the city of Aegnus using our Scoutbots."

"Oh? Impressive." He chuckled. "So, what're ya gonna do now?"

"Kill them."

"What?!"

"No seriously. Those were the orders that Redmond gave me, so I'm going to obey."

  Thomas glared daggers at her.

"What, didn't you want them dead to begin with?"

  He lied there quietly, not wanting to exploit a secret of the state... he wanted to, but it was too risky. Even though he knew that that policy was intended to make sure that all secrets aren't kept hidden, he also knew that RED has been untrustworthy since they first set foot in his country. However, he ran out of time to make his decision; for Alice would add. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

  She resumed to her computer and assumed her command.

  The five now had every tin man cover every inch of their surroundings, giving them no chance of escape.

"So..." Ivan said, being the first to speak. "How are you all doing to-"

  In the distance, a deep voice was heard loudly. "Not another word, foreign scum!"

"Huh?"

  In just a few seconds, a robotic platypus was flying overhead.

"Oh, if it isn't the cyborg platypus you've told us earlier." muttered Ivan to Pierre.

  *Growl!* "Huh, quite funny, is it not? I expected some more resistance out of you guys."

  Hearing that, Ivan chose to giggle at his remark. "Yeah, but what could top that is the fact that this country was able to turn a platypus into a killing machine."

*Growl!* He rested his chin over his webbed hand, "Hmm, you're right."

"Perry!" Isabella called with a hint of fear. "Can you please stand down?! I keep telling you that we're your friends!"

  He looked towards her and aimed his cybernetic fist towards her, prepping a machine gun that was embedded there. "And I keep saying that that's not going to happen, enemy of the state!"

"Ugh, I try to reason with him every time." She muttered before telling the others to. "Switch to your armor piercing rounds now."

  Without lollygagging, they quickly switched to those rounds. Then, knowing that he's watching, they made their stance.

*Growl!* "Huh, Looks like it isn't funny."

  He made another growl. "Scoutbots, aim!"

  The machines lowered their shotguns, targeting them for the kill.

"Yeah." said Isabella, not caring at the threat. "Not gonna happen. FIRE!!"

  The five then proceeded to do so, forming a circle as they fired relentlessly at every robot in front of them.

  In only a matter of seconds, fifty percent of the machines were now nothing but scrap metal.

"*GROWL!* Grrr, damn you all!"

  Perry returned the favor by firing at them with both of his machine guns. Both were aimed at Haystack as every bullet bounced off of him.

  Aware of the semi-aquatic mammal's move, Haystack aimed his rifle at him, firing a burst round.

Rat-at-at!

  The three bullets bolted towards the Platypus, hitting him in the left eye (Where a robotic monocle was at.), chest, and left hind-leg. The machine then began to descend to the nearest building he could find, feeling great anguish from the damage caused.

"*GROWL!* AAAAARRGGH, you equine snotbag!"

  In just a matter of seconds, the animal now wielded four missile launchers that spontaneously appeared from behind his back. Unfortunately, since the monocle on his left eye was blown off, he couldn't lock on to them. So, he just aimed at them easily and fired the rockets.

  Hearing that, they looked in the direction of the rockets and instinctively ran off before any of them could touch them.

"*Growl!* Damn it, all scoutbots, get them!!"

  All remaining machines nodded before going after their prey like ninjas in the very night.

  On the roof and still in pain, Perry went on to contact Alice, relieved that the pony wasn't able to destroy any chance of communications. "*Growl* Madame... Hnng... Alice, I'm hurt... Umph... ; but I managed to send all remaining scoutbots towards them. Give me your next orders... ah."

  He heard a slapping noise coming from the other end of the line. "Ugh, is that bitch Isabella with them?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Damn it. I'll send the other RED machines to help you out... Uh huh... there... they're on their way."

"Thanks, Miss Alice... ow... Now get me a goddamn Medic!"

"They're on the way... Alice out." She hung up.

  Relieved, the platypus rested his head on the concrete above, muttering. "*Growl* Man... I got nothing."

  Several yards down the road, the quintet were still being chased by the machines.

"Damn, when do you think they'll get off our back!" Ivan wondered, shooting at the robots who were now neck and neck with them.

"When we wipe them-" The answer Isabella was offering them was cut short when he heard the sound of multiple explosions coming from afar. "Uh oh."

"Whaddaya mean, uh oh?"

"Look." She pointed at the sky, where multiple robots were flying in the air, carrying rocket launchers in their hands.

"Crud... what are those anyways?"

"Their cavalry."

  Suddenly, the robots fired their rockets... and those rockets were heading towards them.

"Crap!" Ivan shouted.

  Fortunately, they missed; exploding right behind them.... However,

"Haystack!!" Maribelle cried, for her companion was knocked to the ground and overrun by the machines.

  The scream caused the others to look back, to find that that was the case.

"Oh son of a bitch!" Ivan shouted. "We need to turn a-"

  Unfortunately, the robots made sure that they didn't try to retake him.

"Damn."

  This made the little girl burst into tears before she began to feel dizzy. Swaying her body, she then collapsed onto the ground, losing consciousness.

"Oh great." Isabella looked up, to find the moon shining bright in the sky. So, to keep her safe, she picked her up and carried her on her shoulder. "We have to go!"

"But Haystack's-"

"He's gone, we can't fight 'em..."

Meanwhile, Haystack was on the verge of losing his consciousness as well. With time, he knew that he had no choice but to give in. Knowing that his fate was sealed and everything he was fighting for... was gone.

  He began to sob softly, ashamed that he failed in his mission. He looked up and found that the mares he was fighting for was looking down at him with empathy and tears. "Ah-Ah'm sorry... Ah-ah'm sorry... Ah-"

"What are you crying about?" said a familiar voice from behind.

  He looked in that direction, to find Maribelle looking back at him without a single tear on her face. Behind her, or maybe around them was nothing but a lime green haze that surrounded them like a bubble.

"Ha, funny, according to your memory, you're a farmer pony."

  He nodded

"Another funny thing is, your name isn't Haystack after all... Hey, did you know that there's a restaurant outside this country that has a Burger that's... kind of, sort of, named after you?"

"What?" He looked down to find that his fur was now red, rather than tan. He was his normal self, how? But that didn't matter right now. She asked her. "B-but... H-how do you-"

"No time to explain... Plus, you asking that is a dead giveaway. Anyways, why aren't you fighting the robots?"

  He was still speechless and on the verge of moping. "It's that-"

"You know what, I don't wanna know. Look, you're on the verge of death. And the reason is because you're not using your farmer pony skills to kick their asses."

"B-but..." He wiped away his tears with his foreleg. "Ah-Ah can't do anythin'! Ah'm a farmer, not a soldier..."

"Ugh, excuses, excuses, excuses. You're a marksman, god damn it!"

'Yeah, b-but, that's more for huntin'."

"You're doing the same here, buddy."

"B-but look at how many-"

"I helped you find the vending machine so you can buy that dice drink, you know why I did that?"

"Uh, wh'ah?"

"I resort to what I yelled at you when you were about to extract me from all that Gabe inside me at the museum. Remember? When that bitch, Blythe told you to do it?"

  He remembered, she wasn't as important as his family back home. He looked back at the three ponies; who were still frowning, had watery eyes, and still had tears on their cheeks.

"I'm just here to help you... that's all." advised the little girl

  The three ponies stepped out of his way, revealing a bright light in the distance.

"Now go." She said.

"Go." said the little filly.

"Go." said the orange mare.

"Go." said the elderly mare.

  He stood up on all four of his legs, feeling the urge to hug them. But Maribelle was quick to stop him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

  He stopped, asking. "Wh'ah?"

"Just go, buddy."

"But-"

"Go!!" The little girl shouted.

"Yes!" He nodded, giving them a salute before galloping towards the light. But as he did so, he managed to eavesdrop on Maribelle's muttering which explained why he couldn't.

"Because they're nothing but hallucinations." She said, watching as the three mares faded into dust.

"Ready!!" The scoutbot yelled, "Aim!!"

  His mechanized comrades aimed towards the defenseless pony, only to find that he opened his eyes wide with both his irises now blazing purple.

Boom!!

  In the distance, the explosion was loud enough to grab the others' attention.

"Hey. Hey! Turn me around!" A now conscious Maribelle shouted.

"Oh, you're awake. Uh, sorry." Isabella apologized, putting the little girl down so she can see.

"Uh huh." She nodded, feeling a tad bit annoyed. 'Don't carry me like that again."

  She then joined the others in witnessing what was happening. All they could see was that metal scrap was flying into the air.

  The sight was such ecstasy for Maribelle. "Ah... atta boy... I mean, colt."

  Ivan then readied his M16, and went towards danger. The others would follow.

Zap!

  A trio of robots were electrocuted, and were then blown to bits by Haystack's burst rounds.

  One of the Rocket launcher wielding soldiers fired a rocket. Only to have miss, have its weapon stolen, and it and its comrades blown to bits.

"Blow up and die, you witch crafted bastards!!" He yelled, tearing one of the scoutbots to shreds with his bear hooves. Then, finding two shotguns on the ground, he fired another electro-bolt, picked the shotguns up, and spun around; firing non-stop and blowing the robots to bits. Within a couple of seconds, most the machines were decimated, leaving only them scattered across the empty street. The remaining dozen were dealt with via his hooves.

  By then, the others had arrived to his position, stunned to realize how he was able to accomplish that.

  Haystack breathed heavily as the purple on his irises slowly faded into obscurity.

"Uh, Haystack, you alright?" said Maribelle.

  The pony was surprised. Thanks to her, he was okay. He could just hug her like a stuffed bear right now. But...

Shwwooooom!

BOOM!

  The explosion got their attention. Turning to the past, they found that the troops were sending reinforcements, and fast.

"Crap." Isabella muttered, turning to the left, she noticed a sewer lid in the alley. "Ugh, why didn't I notice that?"

  She reached into one of her pockets and took out a smoke grenade and a launcher. Inserting the grenade into the barrel, she aimed at the reinforcements. Then, pressing a button located on the launcher. It exploded, releasing a massive amount of white smoke in between them and the enemy. So big, it covered at least seven streets across.

  The three were stunned at the sight, but the lady had them covered. "This way!"

  She ran off, causing the others to follow. In only a matter of seconds, she was able to alert her comrades below of their arrival, and they were able to get inside before the enemy could show up.

When they show up, all they could do was pout for their prey had already left. Perry, who managed to parkour his way to the scene (Despite falling many times because of his injury.). Annoyed at the fact that he failed his mission, he decided to contact Redmond to alert him of the bad news.

"*Growl!* Redmond, they got away."

"God dammit, Perry."

"*Growl!* Yeah, I know... So, what now?"

"Just keep finding them. And do what Alice tells you, alright."

"*Growl!* So-"

"Now, don't call me until tomorrow, I'm having dinner with my associates. Okay? Bye."

  He hung up, leaving the Platypus cyborg to give himself a facepalm.

"So, did you read the letter?" asked Isabella as they sat against the walls in relief that everything was just fine.

"I'm reading it now." He took out the letter, and read it word by word. "Huh, it says that the person's name is 'Golden eye'. Huh, nice reference-"

"You mean Candace?"

"Uh, who now?"

"She's the leader of the resistance."

"Oh really?"

  She nodded.

"Hmm, looks like this job keeps getting better... even though I still hate it."

  The others wanted to laugh, but the fact that they nearly got themselves killed prevented them from doing so.

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

  A Chinook helicopter was speeding over the railway, heading towards the town. In it, was Vanessa Doofenshmirtz; who was tapping her foot non-stop.

"Ugh, are we there yet?" She asked impatiently.

"Not yet, Madame." The pilot replied. "But I'm going as fast as I could."

"Good." She stopped her tapping. "Damn Infiltrators are gonna get it."

  The five were now walking down the empty hallway, saying nothing to each other with every step they took... as usual. And as typical as they were, they would always have someone to break the silence. This time, it was Haystack's turn.

"Uh, Isabella?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Ah heard that this country wasn't lah'ke this before."

  She started to frown again. "Uh, yeah, and?"

"How was it lah'ke?"

  Ivan was curious as to what she'd say, so he remained quiet.

"Um... First off, how did you know that?"

"Uh, well, we went into this museum, and heard somethin' about that Heinz was the leader of a revol-"

  Hearing that, the woman interrupted. "Life was better at that time... *Sigh* Roger promised freedom and prosperity for everyone. And, unlike many politicians out there, he kept those promises in tact. We were free to be and confident in our futures."

  She looked at her shotgun, checking if there was any ammo inside. She knew it was full, but it was something that she'd do to make sure she didn't go off the edge.

"Hell, I even knew a friend who took advantage of his freedoms. He made a lot of things, and if you were alive to see that, you'd be amazed on what he was capable of creating."

"Huh, what did he make?"

  She didn't want those memories to grab her from the leg and pull her back into despair; but at the same time, she didn't want to disappoint the attentive pony. For that brief pause, her mind debated on whether to tell him or not. Unfortunately, it was to the point where her mind was debating on whether to shed some tears, wear a happy mask, or suppress the memory all together. However, a comrades pat on her shoulder would order the debate to stop. Turning to the hand's owner, Pierre, she looked at him with a look that was riddled with fear. But the blue spy gave her a shake of the head that told her to not say a word. Then, she knew, if it hurt to talk about it, then don't talk about it all; just give it time. She looked back at the pony and said. "Er... I'd rather not talk about it."

  Haystack, seeing the entire event unfold, accepted. "Alrah'ght."

  Funny, Ivan would think, Pierre told him that she didn't actually mind talking about it. Looks like there are a few catches in her little policy.

"Anyways..." She continued. "Life was great until the economy went down under. That's when Roger became such a prick, stripping our freedoms brick by brick. Just like the governments he wished his country would avoid becoming. That's when... you've heard of Lilian?"

"You mean that lady who looks old but really isn't?" said Ivan.

"Yeah... Roger thought that those products he sold would help keep the morale up... they worked, but at a much deeper price than just our money."

"Hmm, I see."

"Then... things just went even more down hill from there."

"Lah'ke what?"

"Heinz stepped in and formed his own Political party to rival that of Roger's. It worked, and soon he went on to run for office and take full control of the nation's government. He failed, but many have assumed that the election was rigged. In no time, they formed a rebellion; and soon, the country would fall into his rule."

"Well, that escalated quickly."

"All in the span of three years."

"Wow." said Haystack. "So what happened during his rule?'

"Lots of stuff, but I'd rather tell you later."

"Oh, okay." He said Politely. "So, when will we be meetin' the resistance leader?"

"We'll be meeting her first thing tomorrow."

"Good." Then something hit her. "You know, her name remah'nds me of the newly coronated Princess."

"Oh really, what's her name." she asked, Interested in what was going on in Equestria.

"Well, her name's not Candace, it's actually Cadance."

  Ivan rolled his eyes again, thinking. "Oh her."

"Oh, but it's close. I can see why her name reminds you of our leader."

  He nodded, agreeing to his little irony.

"So, who is Princess Cadance?"

"Oh, she's the new Princess that they crowned about five years ago..."

   From there, he would go on to explain the whole story of how the Cadance pony became the new Princess until the quintet had already reached the end of the long hallway, and into the resistance cell.

  The transport chopper, landed on the street where troops were waiting for her arrival. Vanessa was the first to come out, causing every soldier to salute at her before she could say. "At ease."

  Hearing that, every soldier returned to their duties.

"Ah, General Eckler." She greeted, saluting the old General and vice versa. "It's a pleasure to see you."

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Madame." His greetings then changed to his question. "So, how's your little commander doing?"

  She frowned at the mention, looking down at her black shoes before facing him. "He's doing alright. Just a few fragments in his chest and stomach, but he'll be okay."

"Well, that's good news to hear."

  She smiled a little, knowing that she shouldn't view the glass half-empty. "Thanks."

  She then looked past him to observe the pile of scrap left by the RED scoutbots. "Quite disappointing, is it not?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Looks like RED tried to stop them themselves." She then slapped her hand against her forehead. "When I clearly told him not to engage."

"You did?"

"Ugh, Dammit. I should've made myself a little more clear about what he can and can't do those bastards."

"I think you should've."

"Yeah." She released the hand from her forehead. "So, any further reports."

"All is mostly bad news, Madame." He said, darkening his tone as he read his clipboard.

"Ugh, tell me the little good news that's on that board first, please."

"As you wish, the good news is, we were able to prevent the civies from going into a ruckus."

"How?"

"Shooting into the air, of course; we managed to get those poor little mice back inside before things could get worse."

"I see, anything else."

"No Madame, that's it."

  She frowned at the report. Gulping, she prepared for the other half. "Oh... so... what's the bad news then.

"The bad news is, the infiltrators were able to steal a document from the mayor's office and get away..."

"Damn it." She muttered, as he continued to read the report.

"... while killing forty of our men, and wounding eighty. They were also able to destroy fifteen flyers, ten crawlers, two choppers-"

"Uh, that's enough, General."

"Alright Madame." He put the clipboard down, and placed it against his hip.

"Damn, for a teenage boy and teenage colt, they sure know how to wreak a lot of havoc."

"They sure do, Madame."

"And it also Saddens me that they were able to get past our security... again."

"Oh yes." He nodded. "Heard that they were able to attack the department of security and steal valuable intel."

"Hmmph, now the mission is to get it back. That's why I want them alive, so I can kill them right after retrieve that USB from them." She said angrily through her gritted teeth.

"So, you're going to talk to Redmond about that, right?" Eckler said worryingly.

"Of course, General." She sighed. "Ugh, before my father died, he told me that I shouldn't make deals with companies like them. I disobeyed the order, just so RED can backstab us at any moment."

  She looked at the full moon in the sky. "If I have to follow that order, then that will be the case."

"Agreed, Madame." The General nodded.

  She then began to look at the rooftops of the nearby buildings. "Hey, where's Perry?"

"Uh, he was here?"

"Yeah, he told me that he was visiting Palacio."

"Hmm, didn't see him while I was present."

"Huh, looks like he went back then."

"I guess he did."

  The two then walked down the street to discuss further issues.

  But in the distance, the Platypus cyborg was listening closely.

"*Growl!* Phew, good thing she never noticed."

  After that, the three were offered a place to sleep. It was a small room with a wooden bunk bed on the left, and an old mattress on the right. Blankets and pillows were already there, so there was no need to retrieve them. The first one to get into her bed was Maribelle, who took the top bunk in a snap. And as fast as she took that part of the bed, she fell asleep... without giving Haystack a goodnight. But, the pony didn't argue, or throw a tantrum, he understood. It was all about letting them be, foal and child alike. So, the pony took the mattress on the floor (Knowing that he could probably crush the bottom part with his weight.) and let Ivan take the bottom half of the bed.

  Now, the two laid awake, for all they could hear was the sound of Maribelle's snoring. Which made Haystack want to say 'D'aw.' out loud, even though he knew that he couldn't.  So, knowing that Ivan wasn't asleep yet, he chose to talk to him for awhile, "Hey Ah'van."

  The boy moaned at his call for attention, but complied. "Yeah?"

"How's it goin'?"

"Eh, It's... alright. How's it been for you?"

"But you said that ya hated this job."

"I do, buddy." He replied. "Just as much as you do."

  He had to admit it. "Yeah, but it's what we gotta do."

'Pfft, I hate when they say that."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I hate when they tell you that it has to be done, but they don't know why it has to be done... or they tell you a false reason as to why."

"Let me guess, there are some issues with you humans that involve that."

"Of course. They tell you to take tests and courses, but they don't inform you on how it will help you in the future. All they do is say, take it because you need to graduate and stuff. Hell, my country invaded Iraq so they could find weapons of mass destruction, but there were none, and they stayed in that country for nearly a decade just killing civilians and 'spreading democracy'."

"Hmm, I want to tell you that you should stop thinking negative all the tah'me... but..." He remained silent.

"Yeah, you don't have to say it. We humans always had the issue of not being able resolve conflicts in an ethical manner, I know." He sighed. "I mean, we always do bad things just to say that it was for a good cause. Sometimes that's the case, but most of the time, it's all for nothing. I mean, my country went into two pointless wars-"

"Whaddaya mean pointless? We had to stop that bastard from slaughtering those innocent-"

"No, Haystack. Those other two wars in the fifties and sixties."

"Oh, those wars." He frowned at his implication.

"Yeah... they said that it was because 'we need to stop the spread of communism and protect our allies'.  Pfft, seriously, it was just power mongers protecting other power mongers. Presidents protecting dictators; and in the end we realized it was all for nothing. Especially when both communist countries would soon be under Soviet control. Plus, you can't really conclude that those dictators are for democracy if they're wearing white tuxedos."

"No ya can't." Haystack jumped in. "Back home, m'ah pa once told me that ponies wearin' that are mostly just wanna be rich pricks who think that they're wish is everypony's command."

"Hmm, never thought of it that way." He shrugged. "Anyways, we must always be skeptical when they tell us that any atrocity they did had to be done... or else."

"Or else what?"

"They could easily control you. Manipulate you into doing whatever they want you do... and boy, can they make you do some nasty stuff."

"Wow... you... sure know a lot about this stuff."

"You mean history?"

"No, I mean, that... the whole, 'Love isn't reciprocal', M'ah sister jumping over to acceptance to quickly..."

"Hmm, I guess I do."

"So, did your pastor taught you that?"

"Him? N'ah. Fundamentalist bigots always say that you're worthless without even knowing it. Nope, I just think a lot rather than talk a lot, that's all."

"Oh..."

"I don't think you'd do the same. You ponies are very fixed on the principles of Friendship and Love, unlike us. We're fixed on the principles of power and survival."

  While saying that, the pony was frowning again. "Um... Ah do the same... But, did you have at least a few friends?"

"Hmm, yeah, they were few, but they meant nothing to me. They just came and went, either by moving away, or by getting themselves killed, going missing, getting kidnapped, et cetera. What about you?"

"Um... Ah had none."

"None? Hmm, that's really unbecoming of you... well, no offense."

  He still had his smile upside down. "None taken... it's just, that ah hoped that ah wasn't the only one who was in that-"

"Say no more. I've been down that road, Haystack. But to me, it won't matter."

"Wh'ah do you say that?" The pony asked, worried about the boy. "Don't you want any friends?"

"Like I said, it won't matter any way. They'll just be gone in no time. So I just declare that friends come and go, and that's that. You on the other hand, needs some, mainly because you ponies don't have to worry about... well, this."

  He gestured his hands up skyward to signify that he meant the battered society they were currently marooned on.

"But..."

"Moving on." He proclaimed, not wanting him to scrutinize him anymore. "So, come on, did you at least have one friend?"

"Er... Well, the only friend ah did-"

"And what about that fillyfriend of yours?"

"But she's just a-"

"Don't say that. A fillyfriend is still a friend, just on a romantic level. And see? You have someone, or in this case somepony to value."

  He began to smile a little. "Ah guess y'er r'aght."

"Mmm Hmm, you're lucky that you have ponies back home to fight for... all I have is my family, and... I don't know if they'll be waiting for me or not." He then yawned. "But it won't matter. And, remember when I said that there are some atrocities that had to be done?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this is one of them. For you. You have a home to get back to Haystack, so what we're doing is somewhat worth it."

  The pony nodded, as he slowly began to close his eyes, the tiredness getting to him. "Yep."

"And another thing." He looked to where Haystack was lying and noticed that the colt was fast asleep. Disappointed that he couldn't say it to him, he chose to say it to himself with a little smirk on his face, not wanting to interrupt the pony. "You're already making friends, buddy. We won't be there for you for that long, but, it's nice to see that you're blessed with something I can never have... anyways, goodnight."

  He then lied on his left side and went to sleep as well.

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

*  -  *

  *  -  *

Alice was walking over a cracked sidewalk as two soldiers followed, armed with shotguns of course. The day was cloudy as a cool gentle breeze blew through her mahogany hair. She then stopped once she was just feet away from a man he was suppose to meet.

"So, you're Redmond Mann?" She asked modestly.

"Of course, Madame." He said with a smile as he reached into his pocket to pull out a cigar. "Your name is Alice Green, right?"

"Yes, yes sir..." She grimaced, looking down at her shoes. "So... you'll take me in as an intern. right?"

  He nodded, lighting the cigar and taking a few puffs. "Yep... you've been through a lot, and out of two hundred applicants, you were the most qualified."

  She smiled a little, lucky that she made it.

  After blowing out another batch of smoke skyward, he looked back down; finding her in that state, "Look, It'll be okay. Your family will get all the benefits they need to survive in this rotting land. Food stamps, Medicaid, et cetera, all because you worked hard to achieve this position."

  She nodded, returning to mope from her homesickness. "Yeah... I-It's going to be fine... I-I know it."

"Good." He grinned, patting her on the soldier. "Now, let's move on. I got a special office waiting for you."

  They began to walk again, until...

Cling! Cling, gle-ing, ling!

  She heard the sound crystal clear, and looked down behind her. There, she found a heart-shaped locket with the color of gold lying flat on the concrete. Like a cat's tongue licking milk, she picked it up and held it in her hand, not willing to let it go. In her head, she was scolding herself for dropping the valuable little treasure while caught off-guard."

"I'm sorry but..." Redmond asked, watching the whole incident before his eyes. "What's that in your hand?"

"Uh..." She can't keep a secret. If she does, it'll probably cost her the only chance at survival for both her and her family. It would be best if she just told him the little secret. "Um, it's a..."

  She placed her hand in between the two and opened it to reveal the locket. "... I-It's a locket, sir."

"Oh..." He said, sympathy increasing towards her. He turned around, and continued to walk.

  Alice was a little relieved that he didn't want to go into further detail on her possession. However, the thought of what she held inside that locket made her feel depressed as what got her to be here in the first place.

"Good Morning Comrades! This is your morning news flash, I'm Helene MacSinoh."

  Alice opened her eyes at the woman's voice on the radio greeting them as obnoxious as usual. "Uuuuggghhhhh."

"Today's a new day here in Doofania, so you know what that means... another work day! ..."

  She had no choice but to listen to the broadcast, for it was probably to loud to call in someone to lower the volume.

"... You know the drill comrades, get your breakfast ready, eat up, dress up, and wait for your designated bus driver to pick you up... if you live in the residential area, of course." The woman continued to speak. "In local news, funerals will be held for our fellow comrades who've fallen at the hand wretched infiltrators' wrath during their raids on the department of security, and now recently, at Aegnus city hall. Our hearts go out to family members of those men and women, and we promise them that we'll avenge their deaths by bringing those demons to justice.... in global news..."

  Alice wanted to say something, but the lady just wouldn't let her.

"... sadly, Republican forces in Arabia have razed multiple cities in the occupied nations of Yemen and Oman today, bringing fear to many across the middle east. The king, Israel, as well as the Arab league continue to plea with the US and the Soviet empire for military assistance; But, like always, they continue to deny them... and that is all for the morning news flash. Remember comrades, today's another work day. Expect another beautiful sunrise with the temperatures of seventy five degrees at this hour... this is Helene MacSinoh, signing off."

Click!

  It was now silent.

  Happy that that was so, she decided to look over to Thomas... who didn't seem that affected by it. He was somewhat awake, but he also looked a little bummed.

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes playfully. 'Don't tell me that the news was a downer for you."

"I want to say yes." He said, smiling a little. "But I'm afraid of what you'll do to me... just like old times."

"Yep, soldiers like you shouldn't be crying you know." She joked. "Just because the world keeps falling to apart, doesn't mean you should be woosing out."

"I beg to differ."

"Pfft, of course you would."

  He gave a little chuckle. "You'd always say that."

  She then chose to look at the window, just in time to see the sun begin it's ascension before her eyes. "Well, it was back when we hardly knew anything about life. Where we were just young and innocent... but times change. you know?"

  Thomas looked over to his wound. "Yeah... one day you're a kid enjoying his rations like a little puppy, the next you're the little apprentice of the dear leader."

  She nodded, "Of course, times are always changing."

"Yep."

  He joined her in her observance of the sunrise. "Hey, do you still have that locket you'd keep around with ya?"

  She looked back at him, nodding. "Mmm Hmm. In fact, it's on the nightstand."

"Oh."  He leaned over to find the locket sitting idly on the wooden furniture. "Nice. A good memory of our great country, is it not?"

  Alice wanted to cry there. She just couldn't understand why he couldn't remember. Fortunately, she was able to hold that urge with a firm grip and proceed with what she was about to say next.

"Yeah... I guess." Before muttering. "You dimwit."

"Hmm... So, about that mission you had-"

"Ugh, don't get me started on that." She said, annoyed at her failure. "I just hope that Redmond isn't too angry."

"Ugh, I'm not mad at her Walter." Redmond admitted as he smoked his cigar behind the window. "It's just that the 'infiltrators' keep getting tougher as the days gone by."

"Oh?"

"Yep... the pony shot Perry with armor piercing rounds, acquired dice from one of the vending machines, and tore thirty of my scoutbots and rocketbots to shreds in a blood rage... or in this cage, an oil rage."

"Damn, what a prick."

"Huh, if that pony never met subject A1, then they could've been in body bags already."

"Of course, sir. So, is there any plan around this?"

"N'ah, Alice will keep with the phase going. I just hope that she'll change tactics after she leaves the hospital."

"Yep." Walter nodded. "But do you think there's a weakness in the four?"

  He began to chuckle, taken aback by that foolish little question, this made the associate frown as he said, "Come on, Walter. Isn't it obvious?"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

  The three woke up the moment the knocking commenced.

"God damn it." Ivan mumbled before shouting. "Yes?"

"Time to wake up, my friends." Pierre announced from the other side of the door.

"Aw, Ponyfeathers." Haystack moaned rubbing his eyes with his hoof. "Rah'se n' shah'ne then."

  He stood up on all his four legs and faced the top part of the bed. "C'mon, Maribelle. Let's go."

  All they heard were soft groans from the little girl. Rolling his eyes, he reiterated with command. "Maribelle, 'Ah said-"

"No daddy, five more minutes." She groaned.

"Daddy?" Haystack whispered to himself, too flabbergasted to say it out loud of course.

  Ivan rolled his eyes, knowing that that was probably the tiredness talking.

  The pony then shook it off. "Ugh, get down here, or Ah'll cl'ahmb up the bed and pull ya down!! And 'Ah don't care if Ah'ther the bed, y'er back breaks, or both!!"

"Uh..." Ivan was shocked at his use of words, especially since he threatened to break either one. Ironically, that seemed to work, for the little girl squeaked in fear and would climb down the ladder and stand in front of the pony; giving him a cute little salute. "Sir, yes sir."

  Haystack grinned at the sight of her obedience before patting her on the head. "Now, let's go. We gotta eat."

  The three then went over to the door and opened it... to the sight of Pierre and Isabella looking at Haystack with gaping mouths.

"Howdy." He said calmly as he and Maribelle waved gleeful hellos.

"Um... okay then." Isabella was the first to close her mouth and put that incident aside. "It's best that you grab something quick to eat before they start mobilizing the people into the fields."

"Yes, Madame." Ivan said. "Let's go."

  The four were now on their way down the hall... but Haystack was suddenly feeling something tingle in his head... He was sensing something. But he couldn't tell if that was the case or if it was just a thought. Suddenly, in just a few seconds, all he could see was red. Well not pitch red, but that everything was the color red. It was strange, but he didn't have the desire to tell the others as they walked down the hall... then, another thing kicked into his head.

"Uh, may 'ah use the restroom." He asked.

"Sure." Isabella replied, "We just passed it. It's right down that hallway to your left."

"Oh, thank you." He said, before trotting in the opposite direction.

  Maribelle on the other hand, chose not to walk beside him. Something Ivan thought was strange because the last time they were apart, she would go on to kill multiple troops in order to get to him... but I guess since he was just going to use the bathroom...

"Hmm, at least the little girl knows how to give someone, or in this case somepony privacy." He muttered, giving out a nearly inaudible scoff a few nanoseconds after.

  However, the little girl had her own reasons as to why she let him go alone... well, aside from him needing to go to the bathroom.

"Hmm, this place his bathroom, huh?" Ivan asked, killing the silence between the group. "You people sure know how to build a resistance cell."

"Well, thanks." She smiled. "But it was all thanks to an old friend of mine, in truth."

"Oh." By the way she looked, he could tell by what he meant by old friend. It was best that he said nothing more after that.

  Down the hall, Haystack's need to use the restroom was somewhat the case... somewhat. He was looking at the mirror, staring aimlessly at his eyes, which were now red... along with everything else. He knew it was another hallucination, but his head was kept telling him to not say anything. He continued to rub his eyes with his now wet hooves before something appeared on behind him.

  It was his family again, so he turned around to greet them. He could care less if any of the humans thought he was crazy, but it was his family. But surprisingly, they weren't there.

"B-but... 'Ah-'Ah thought..."

"We're r'aght here Big Mac." said the orange mare.

  In an instant, he turned around. "B-but... how did ya..."

"That's not important, Big brother." said the little filly before looking down and gently kicking her left fore hoof back. "B-Big Mac, d-do you care 'bout us?"

"S-sure, Applebloom." He breathed, putting his hoof against the mirror where Applebloom was. That question has been hammered into him multiple times since the day he set foot on American soil; but just like those times, it was the same answer, "'Ah care a lot 'bout ya'll. That's wh'ah 'Ah came here."

  She looked back up to him with a determined look on her face, and it wasn't long before the others felt the same way as she, "Then you know what to do."

  The three began to dissolve from his sight, making him freak out, "What? Applejack! Applebloom! Granny! Where are-"

  He stopped his panic attack... or maybe it worsened once his heart began to race like a human running across the track. He grabbed onto his head once he began to hear deep breathing race across his head; and it was hard to tell if it was his own or someone else's. He closed his eyes shut, for he couldn't take what was being thrown at him. "Please... stop it."

  He opened his eyes again, to find that everything wasn't red anymore... it was all... normal. Unfortunately, the rapid heart-beating and the breathing in his head didn't seem to cease. Then, another unexpected event was thrown at him.... the bloody imprints of ponyshoes began to appear in front of him. All of which would form a trail with every appearance. The trail led to the door, in which Haystack followed without feeling any hint of remorse. Slowly, he trotted his way out as a new ponyshoe formed.

  He was now in the hallway, looking in both direction; hoping that no one was present to see this. Suddenly, whispers began to mix with the breathing as more of those tracks began to form to his left. Mouth open, and drooling, he resumed his trot over the blood red prints.

"It saddens me to see you like this." A voice called in his head. "But... I-It's okay... everything will be... um... everything will be okay."

  The imprints would lead him to another door at the end of the hall, which was open.

"Go on." said his little sister with enthusiasm in her voice. "Hop inside."

  Not saying a word, he pushed the door open with his muzzle and slowly trotted inside. The room was as small as the one they were sleeping in, only there was nothing inside but a... vending machine. It was another one of those mini-stores of power, and the pony was quick to remember that. His gape turned into a smile, his tongue began to dangle, and his own breathing mixed with the one in his head like a dog ready to drink some water

"Now don't worry, this machine in particular doesn't have any sound." Applebloom whispered. "You'll be just fine."

  Wasting no time, he rushed over to the machine, made the usual scan, and got to buying. But, surprising to him, he noticed that the amount of Gabe increased to nearly a thousand. But that didn't matter, he was going to win this war.

  By the time that was unfolding, the group had already arrived at the empty cafeteria.

  However, in spite of that, Maribelle continued to keep her head down as they entered. She was too busy trying to get to his friend. In her head, she continued to mumble. "Do not purchase Dice, purchase the body builders, as much as you can buy." over and over.

  Her own heart began to pump quickly as she felt her mental voice move around like rockets.

  Haystack was on the verge of heading to the Dice category until he quickly stopped. His mind was telling him not to buy it, because they'll know. So, he went over to the body-builders' category and bought what he pleased. And just like his purchase of "Emperor's strike", they were quick as well.

  Then, in a snap everything began to fade. The breathing in his head, the quick heart-beating, the hallucinations, all of them gone. The only thing that was left was a nose bleed in which it would go away in seconds.

  He then read the two labels on the bottles. The first one read, "Blood rage". The other, "Hawk eye". Both names were interesting; so without wasting any time, he drank them one by one. Fortunately for him, they did nothing to his vision. So all he did was get up, put the vitas away in his saddlebag, head to the door, check for anyone outside, head out, go to the bathroom, wash of the blood, and (since he was out for quite awhile now) gallop his way towards the cafeteria.

  As he did, he sighed, with a worried feel in his mind. " Ah don't know what the hay just happened, but 'Ah think it's f'er the best."

"So... uh... Haystack's been out for a-" The cafeteria door opened to interrupt Pierre's question and reveal the tan earth pony on the other side. "Oh, there he is."

"Now Haystack." Isabella instructed, giving the pony a piece of toast with grape jelly spread over it, "Eat as much as you can. We'll be leaving in ten minutes."

"Yes Madame." He replied, putting the toast on his hoof.

"And Ivan."

"Yeah?" The boy asked.

"Since we'll be leaving, I suggest that you head to the bathroom and wear this." She reached into her backpack and got out a folded overcoat and bulletproof vest.

"Um, why will I need those?" He asked suspiciously.

  The lady said nothing, all she did was point at his attire, which was riddled with bullet holes.

"Oh, right." He smiled, blushing.

  In the meantime, Haystack felt something tough his shoulder. Looking down, it was Maribelle, who was smiling at him with a relieved feeling... as if she knew what had happened just moments ago. Unable to combat that face, and feeling a bit regretful for his early actions, he said gloomily. "Um... Ah'm sorry f'er yelling at ya, lah'ke-"

"It's okay." she said gently, keeping that smile, and knowing exactly what he meant. "I forgive you."

"Uh, thanks." Haystack smiled back before they resumed to eating. In his head, with another touchy feeling building inside, all Haystack could say was already in his mind. "And Ah'll keep thanking you."

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

  While the four were arming up for their little stealth mission; Haystack chose the perfect time to look at the Vitas, by stating that he needed to use the restroom again. They just shrugged it off and let him be... genius I tell you.

  First up: "Blood Rage".

  The soldier in the video appeared distressed as he was surrounded by rebel forces.

"Surrounded? Unarmed? Or just need to clear the mass army of troops in front of you? Don't worry." Said the announcer. "Use 'Blood Rage" to wipe your enemies off the floor and into the hospital!"

  The next slide showed all the rebels on the floor with X's replacing their eyes as the soldier smiled and gave the viewer his signature smile and thumbs up.

"Have fun, comrade!" The video then ended after it's usual 'THANK YOU, RED INDUSTRIES' card in the last slide.

  Haystack giggled at the benefit of drinking that first body-builder, Imagining about using its capabilities on the front lines.

  Next: "Hawkeye."

  The soldier in this video was looking through the scope of his rifle. The video also used multiple slides to animate him brandishing the rifle in search for the enemy.

"Can't see through cover? Need to line up the shot before the enemy kills you? No prob! Use 'Hawkeye' to shoot the enemy right where you stand."

  A cartoony "BLAM!" flashed in as the soldier pointed his rifle to the right. A talking bubble would appear with the word, "AAARRGGHH!" as the soldier smiled and gave his typical thumbs up.

"Warning, only works with Sniper rifles... Have fun, comrade!"

  The video ended as that catch caused the body-builder to reach below the pony's Haystack.

  Right there, he heard the door open with Ivan shouting. "Haystack, it's time to go!!"

  He heard it loud and clear and put the Vitas back in his saddlebag before getting up on all fours and flushing the toilet. He opened the stall door, only to be confronted by the teen boy who was tapping his foot against the floor.

"Whuh?" He jumped back. "Ah'van, ya scared me!"

"Yeah, yeah. Ready to go?"

"Mmm Hmm. Just let me wash ma' hands first."

"Alright." He nodded before leaving the bathroom in order to what.

  After leaving, Haystack turned the faucet clockwise to let it rain on the sink. The giggles he had earlier faded, and were replaced with more worry as he looked back at the mirror. Specifically, he was looking into his blue eyes. And all the memories came back.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

"So Zecora, do you think it'll work?" He asked nervously, looking at the rather odd petite instruments on his hooves.

"Don't worry Big Macintosh." The Zebra answered confidently. "These contacts were made from humankind, they'll surely be fooled from your disguise."

"So, again, wh'ah do 'ah need to wear them?"

  Her response was that similar to of a scary folktale. "The humans have the power to uncove'h yoh' true identity. Even if you do comeback, the sea'hches for you will be plenty."

  He always wondered why she spoke in rhyme, but that didn't matter. "Uh huh. Anyways, all I do is stick them in there?"

  She nodded. "Gently, of coh'se. Now, put them on."

  He nodded back, and cautiously began the process.

  By then, Haystack had already finished lathering his hooves in the water. Closing the faucet, he flailed his hooves and placed them on the floor before exiting out the bathroom. He was going back home safe... and the newly acquired powers would make sure of that.

  Smiling a little, he thought. "Ah'van, are you afraid as 'Ah am?"

  A convoy of three Humvees and one Abrams tank strolled down the city's main street, patrolling every citizen that exited their home and headed out to the barren fields in an attempt to grow something and to harvest what little they managed.

"So, wh'ah can't we parkour our way to the station?" Haystack whispered.

"Isn't it obvious? Troops are everywhere throughout this time."

"Oh, r'aght."

"Hey Isabella, thanks for the new clothing." whispered Ivan marveling at the flawless attire. "And for the new pistol with silencer."

"Don't mention it."

"Hmm, so, where's the subway at?"

"Just five blocks from here." said Isabella, observing the enemy positions. "And to be clear, there is only one entrance there, and its about to open in fifteen minutes."

"You know we could just blow the entrance up, right" He moaned.

"I know, just to give you a heads up."

"Ugh, thanks though... By the way, who goes on those trains?"

"Not the civilians for starters, only Starfox commandos, Generals, and any worker who is qualified to transfer from city to city."

"Oh, no wonder it was empty when we first got here."

"Mmm Hmm." She nodded. "Now, let's move. The convoy and the civies just left."

"Got it." He turned his attention to his comrades behind them. "Alright, we're moving out."

  She stood up, causing the others to follow as the artillery drove off with the civilians at gunpoint.

  Cautiously, they walked into the next alleyway; only to stop when they heard the sound of gunshots, screaming, and crying.

"Damn." The firestorm girl muttered. "Death squads."

"I'm sorry?"

"Pay attention In history class, Ivan." said Pierre.

"I do, it's-"

"Shhh."

  She headed for the end of the hall and took out a mirror, pointing it in the direction she wanted it to go. "Crap, they just killed Chris and his family. I told him to join the resistance and not try to do it conventionally."

"You mean protesting?"

"No." She said sarcastically. "Hugging them until they get their freedom back."

"I was just asking. You didn't have to-"

"I know, I know. It's just that I keep telling him that you can't get freedom through peace anymore. The state's shown us countless times how they don't care about us. So why let them beat us down if we have the power to get them back?"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  They looked in the opposite direction where the second round of gunshots were heard. "It also seems that they're cracking down on us."

"And what gives you that idea?" asked Haystack, feeling worried. This imposed Maribelle to comfort him with pats on the head.

"The rocketbots must've tore holes into the homes, revealing all those banners and whatnot." She looked back at the mirror to find that they were dragging the bodies and placing them into body bags. "Chris told me that they were going to protest once the troops began to rally them to the fields, but it was best that they hid them as fast as they could before everyone involved in that scheme would die. Looks like it's better off only the people they crack down on die than have all of them die."

  Ivan nodded.

"So, are we going to leave?" asked Maribelle.

"Um, I don't think we can sweetie." She said nonchalantly.

"Wh'ah not?" asked Haystack

"Enemy troops are setting up fortresses on both intersections."

  Ivan facepalmed.

"And I was hoping that Haystack would get onto the roof and take out the sentry wielders with his sniper rifle."

"On it." Knowing that there was no ladder nearby, he took his Air-grabber out as Maribelle stayed on his back.

"Just one catch thought."

  The pony stopped once he aimed for the rooftop. "What?'

"By Sentry wielders, I mean by one on one building to the left, and one on another building to the right."

"Don't worry." said the little girl. "I got this."

  She then pat Haystack behind the neck as an indication to move forward. Haystack gladly complied and trotted over until she directed him to stop in front of Ivan. The girl would reach her hand out and point at the silencer in his holster.

"Uh..." Ivan hesitated. "You want my pistol?"

  She nodded firmly.

  Understanding that there was no point in disappointing her, he put his head down and gave her the pistol reluctantly.

  Smiling, the girl squeaked. "Thanks mister."

  She then pointed upwards at the rooftop which gave Haystack the chance to use the gadget.

  The pony aimed at the rooftop once again and fired.

Tw-wch!

  The rope latched onto the edge and reeled them in as quick as possible. Once there, the stallion commenced his climb.

  Meanwhile, the soldier on the left building looked past his sentry with his binoculars like a hunter looking through his rifle. That's when he found his first prey.

"Ah ha, one of those infiltrators." He then grabbed onto his wrangler and prepared to shoot...

Thwap!

  ... Only to be shot in the head by a nine millimeter.

"We got a man down!" One of the troops cried. "Surround the perimeter!"

  Ivan slapped his face as he heard the sound of the enemy in motion.

  On the roof, Haystack had already reached the rooftop.

"Haystack." Maribelle called, getting him to turn around. "Help them up!"

"Oh, that's the plan." He leaned over to the edge and gestured the others below to get over there.

"What the-"

"Just get over here!"

"Ugh." He ran over and bounced off each wall before grabbing onto Haystack's hooves, being pulled onto the roof.

  Then it was the others' turns; and it only took five seconds for them all to be at the same place.

"So, what's the next plan, Maribelle?" encouraged Isabella.

  The girl stood there as she began to think. "Haystack..."

She pointed at the three boxes to the left corner, before pulling out his sniper rifle and handing it to him. Then, with her loading the grenade launcher, Haystack could tell what she was up to as she walked over to the boxes. The girl then turned to the other three, "On my mark... go."

  They nodded.

"Haystack... line up the shot."

  The pony nodded... before his eye began to turn red this time.

"Uh... Haystack?" Ivan uttered alongside his now gaping comrades.

'Mmm?" The pony muttered back before looking through the scope.

"Uh... y-your eye."

"Yeah, and?"

  He pointed at those eyes. "Th-they're red."

  The boy then looked over to Maribelle, who was just standing there with a smile on her face.

"Maribelle?" Ivan frowned, suspecting that something was up.

  The little girl bounced up a little before looking at Ivan timidly. "Yeah?"

  She looked back down as she placed her hands behind her back.

"What did you do to him?"

  She was silent.

"Ivan, what are you up to?" Isabella asked worryingly.

  Glaring at the four year old, Ivan replied, "I think she has something to do with the red eyes."

"What? B-but-" She looked at the pony. "Oh, wow. Um... Meh, it's probably a pony thing."

"A pony thing? I don't think ponies do that when they're-"

"Done." said Haystack in a somewhat angry tone.

  The girl then ran over to the boxes and readied her rifle. She then jerked her head at the three, advising them to prepare their advance. She raised her hand and tucked her index finger and pinkie to let the other fingers stick out. Knowing that Ivan was scrutinizing her, she looked down in fear.

  The ring finger was tucked.

"Just let it go, Ivan." Isabella whispered. "Maribelle may have the capability to fight, but I don't think she's capable of manipulating someone."

  She tucked her middle finger in.

  Ivan looked away and faced the building across the street. He was going keep that case in mind, the pony's purple eyes was something new; and with his bond with Maribelle, he was prepared to crackdown.

  Then Maribelle's index finger was tucked in, before raising her voice. "Go!"

  The three hopped off the building.

B-beep!

  Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  Shwwwoooommm!!

BOOM!!

  Bullets and four rockets whooshed passed them as they ran across the street.

"I spotted them!" The soldier on the other sentry shouted. "They're running towards that alley!"

"Fire!." Maribelle ordered upon hearing

Thwap!

  The bullet was fired before being carried in by the air. While in the air, the bullet arched down flew straight down towards the soldier manning the sentry, impaling itself into his head.

  Hearing the soldier scream, she kicked the top box down and instantly fired a grenade towards the Sentry as it detected the little girl.

  Haystack fired his dice at the Sentry, demobilizing it.

BOOM!

The blast blew the turret to shreds

"Shoot them down." She told him, pointing at the troops on the street. The pony's eyes turned purple again before jumping off the roof and landing on one of the soldier's backs with his hind leg.

Snap!

  The man groaned in pain as his back broke in two.

  Haystack flipped his rifle over and swung it like a baseball bat, breaking another soldier's jaw. He flipped the rifle back and fired a bullet into a soldier to his right. He watched as his face was blown off and then took his knife out.

Slash!

  Two soldiers behind him had their throats slit before dropping like flies.

  Haystack then looked to their right after bullets started to deflect off his vest.

  In front of him now, was a single armored HMG firing desperately at him.

  Enraged, he muttered. "'Ah don't think so!"

  Like a samurai, he swung his rifle and looked through the scope while lining the shot up.

  Pfft!

  The bullet soared through the wind and in between the soldier's eyes.

  Now, everything was wiped out. His purple eyes faded back to its original eye color as he breathed heavily from the exhaustion. He was tired, killing troops in that fashion was tiresome in a way. "Ha... ha ha ha... ha..."

  That's when he felt something tap against his left flank. He hopped up in surprise before pointing his rifle at the source.

  The source jumped back in fright, trembling as she watched his glaring eyes look back at her, "Um... l-let's go!"

  He saw her eyes look back at him with such fear, telling him that that was enough. His glare faded and he stood down."Oh... Uh... Okay."

  Putting the rifle away, they ran into the alley on the other side before more troops could close in on their position. They would then meet up with the others who were waiting for them like gangsters with their hands in their pockets. It looked impressive to Haystack in his opinion, especially since they had the ability to lean against a wall without attempting to make your back sore or exposing your privates.

"Wow, n'ahce way to wait f'er us." He complemented.

  Knowing what he meant, Ivan pushed away from the wall and stood upright, "Meh, It's a human thing. So, what do we do now? We have two Humvees in front of us, fifteen troops, and a Sentry on the building to the right."

"Easy." Haystack grimaced, "We're going to fight our way there, of course... Out of the way."

  He trotted past them before going prone near the edge of the alley. His eye turned red again as he began to line up the shot.

"Haystack?" Ivan was still worried about them, especially since he was doing this again. "How are you able to-"

  Pfft!

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!" The soldier behind the Sentry screamed, getting his comrades' attention.

  The pony then switched to his M16 and prepared his acquired Dice, firing it  at the unmanned Sentry.

Ka-thwop!

BOOM!

  The Sentry was obliterating in one shot, giving Haystack the opportunity to attack the troops on the ground. He stood up, and charged onto the street.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at!

  Three troops and the HMG on the Humvee to his left was taken out Rambo style before charging at them.

"Ugh." Isabella rolled her eyes. "Looks like the stealth mission failed."

"Yeah..." Ivan muttered as the four began to walk outside, "... because something's up."

  They exited out the alley and prepared to shoot at the remaining troops, only to find that they were all wiped out in a snap.

"Fils de Pute." Pierre said through his gritted teeth. "What 'ze hell is he doing?"

  They then heard gunshots coming from the other side of the next alleyway. This got Isabella to comment. "Well, sooner or later, we're about to find out."

  They ran through the next alley and found that there was more of this to come.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" The pony screamed at the top oh his lung while shooting two M249 machine guns and standing on his hind-legs.

  The bullets would take out two dozen soldiers, one dozen on each side. Even they were no match for the pony's capabilities.

  However, in the pony's mind, it was a whole different story. Everything in his vision was... Well, purple; and all he could hear was the sound of a mare's scream in the distance pleading for rescuing. The gunshots on the other hand were muffled by his ringing ears.

"Ah'm comin', m'ah lady!!" He said internally.

  He galloped towards the next alleyway before charging at the next platoon of troops who were being accompanied by a Personnel carrier; and... you know how it went.

  His comrades in the meantime, were all one street behind him, observing the damage done.

BOOM!!

  There was an explosion , so they stopped and went onward. However, there was no escaping the fact that Haystack pretty much wiped the floor with all of them... to the extreme. Bodies were scattered everywhere, but the way they were scattered pretty much made Ivan and Maribelle want to vomit, even though they should be used it by now. Finally, they reached the last street where the explosion was at.

"Jeez, he even took out a personnel Carrier?" Ivan said, on the brink of shaking in fear.

Boom!

  There was another explosion where the subway entrance was at. In a hurry, they ran over there.

  Haystack had already breached the gate that prevented him from entering; so, he continued to go ballistic. "Die, all of you, die!!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  Every soldier, Sentry gun, and flying drone feel to his whims, bullets breaking all of them.

  With every soldier dead, he dropped the two LMG's to the ground, breathing heavily as he stood on all fours. He began to scoff... then chuckle... then laugh menacingly between pants. "Th-they're... all... dead.... princess!"

  Suddenly, his purple vision began to darken as his heart began to beat slow and steadily. "Ah'm.... here... f-f'er... you... m'ah... l-lady."

  His eyes returned to blue as his mind began to spin around like a ballerina, making him lose control of his consciousness once more, "Ah'm... here..."

  Then his sight turned pitch black... letting him rest after a hard hour's work.

  By the time he collapsed to the ground, the four had already ran down the stairs into the station.

  Maribelle was the first to cry. "Haystack!!" before running over to the unconscious pony. The first thing she did was hopelessly shake him incessantly for a sign of life.

"Stay back, little one!" Pierre called, gesturing the girl to stop what she was doing and get off of him. "Ivan, use one of his vaccines to revive him back to life!"

"On it!" He said, reaching into one of the vest's pockets for the syringe. Grabbing one, he inserted it through his flesh and began to press the pump.

  After doing so, however, there was no response.

"Oh shoot!" Isabella mumbled, flicking the fingers in her right hand. "The stallion's out cold."

  But then it hit her.... she herself saw the purple eyes. According to some, when the body builders are in effect, the eye color changes to red. It was a similar sight twenty two years ago when... Phineas... drank.... the...

  She stood up and glared at the little girl, who was simply  standing there; looking at Haystack with tears in her eyes. "Maribelle?"

"Um... *Sniff*... yeah?"

"Explain this to me." She pointed at Haystack's motionless body.

"Uh..." She began to shake. "What?"

"What, did, you, do to him?"

"Hmmph, I knew it." Ivan muttered.

"Uh... uh..."

"Answer me!!"

  The others were taken aback by the increase of volume in her voice.

  Maribelle began to cry even more, even as the train arrived.

"Ugh, the trains here." She groaned. "Quick, help me carry him into the train, quickly!"

  Maribelle then felt her pink shirt get tugged forward in an aggressive manner. The next thing she knew, she was looking at an enraged Isabella who said to he. "We'll discuss this inside, alright?"

  Still crying, she nodded back before being put back down.

  The two agreed and lifted the pony onto the train without a flaw. When the train doors closed, the train sped off and headed towards Spark city. They then let Haystack lie across two seats on the side as they sat there beside him. However, Isabella didn't forget about her little interrogation. She walked over to the little girl again, picked her up from the collar and slapped her as hard as she could, yelling, "What... Did... You-"

  Suddenly, Isabella felt someone pull him back and restrain her; she witnessed the same happen to Maribelle.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ivan shouted, holding the woman, "Just calm the hell down, Captain!!"

  She wanted to keep doing what she was doing; so she tried to beak free, but to no avail. Trying the best she could, she continued to squirm and fight. Fortunately, though, she knew that she needed to stop. She stopped resisting and began to breath in and breath out, watching as Pierre held Maribelle close to comfort her.

"Ugh... fine, I'm sorry." She puffed. "Now please let me go."

"Of course, Madame." Ivan grinned, doing as she commanded.

"Ah, thanks-" She was then cut off by a pistol to the face.

"Now sit down." He ordered. "I don't want any movements until we get to Spark city, alright!"

  Afraid, she nodded, and did as she was told. Ivan would then sit next to her and point the gun at her ear.

  Meanwhile, Maribelle sat on Pierre lap, only to ask Pierre if she could let Haystack rest on her lap by using her gestures.

"Uh... I think he's too heavy for-"

  She looked at him with puppy dog eyes, and the tears she produced was making it more irresistible. Pierre rolled his eyes and said. "Fine."

  She didn't smile, or do anything at all. All she did was walk off of Pierre's lap, head over to Haystack, and do what she wanted to do. The pony's head would lie on her, not causing any damage to her bones. Which was a surprise for all of them.

  A few seconds later, she just laid her head on Haystack's... and began to sob. It was yet another surprise to the group... especially to Isabella, as another wave of repressed memories attempted to break into her mind. It intensified even more as she watched the little girl mouth something. It was inaudible to everyone on board, but they simply knew what it was, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"Oh, Maribelle." thought Isabella, the last of her acrimonious look gone. "What did you do to him? .... and what are you capable of?"

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

  Vanessa looked over the damage done by their enemies. Her troops were even more shocked than she was.

"B-but... h-how did... I... Um..." One of the soldiers stuttered.

"Pitiful, isn't it Sergeant?" She asked.

"Uh... uh..."

"That's what you're up against, you know? ... Combined, they slaughtered twenty of your comrades at the top floor in RED headquarters on the day they arrived." He placed the cigarette back in her mouth before blowing a few more puffs, reminding herself of the surveillance footage that was given to her earlier. "Now... one pony just killed fifty men in the most bloodiest way possible."

  The soldier continued to look in sheer terror as the others loaded the corpses into body bags and left the dismembered body parts there for crows, flies, and ravens to scavenge. He trembled at the atrocity and chose to look up at the sky, relentlessly trying not to vomit on sight.

"I knew you couldn't handle it, sir." She got her pistol out from her holster and killed the man on sight. "A coward who couldn't command and a coward who isn't brave enough to look at the harshness of war... pfft, pathetic."

  She then looked over to the man who was next to him, who watched anxiously as his left cheek was covered in the sergeant's blood.

"Don't worry Staff Sergeant, you're not going to die."

  The soldier breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's just that he had problems before and I have the right to set him free the only way I could."

  He nodded.

  Vanessa looked back down at the carnage before spotting the destroyed Personnel carrier to her right.

"It's sad isn't it?"

"Um, whaddaya mean?"

"That one pony was able to slaughter that many of my men and women in under three minutes."

"Yes Madame, it's really hard to believe that."

  She returned to her walk, causing the soldier to follow."They keep getting more powerful as the days go by. First the boy equipped himself with a RED prototype, unable for both us and they to utilize it again."

"Mmm Hmm."

"Now this." She gestured her hands to the destruction around her. "I'm more concerned about the pony... Especially after he alone did all this."

  He knew that she repeated himself multiple times; but if he didn't want to get shot, it was best that he kept his yap shut, "Yes Madame, It is a grave concern that should be dealt with before it is too late."

"Yes... there's a reason why I call them infiltrators in the first place."

"Why's that?"

  She pouted her lips before walking towards the APC through the alley. "They're probably one of the few who know about our country... but the only thing they know little about is what we as a nation have created.... So, they're now using them as a form of survival."

"Um... How do you know that?"

"Anyone who came into this country, in that pod, in mercenary uniform, will do what they can to survive and complete their mission." She looked at the destroyed carrier before walking around it. "So they'll resort to Roger's body builders, won't they?"

  The soldier nodded. "Y-yes Ma'am."

"And that's why we must stop them." She glared at the subway station in front of her, "Before they do something that'll cause my father's dream to collapse."

  She walked down the stairs before being met by two soldiers with urgent news. "Yes, Comrades?"

  The two promptly saluted at her being going at ease. The soldier to her left was the first to speak. "Yes, Madame Doofenshmirtz. It is confirmed that the infiltrators and the most wanted have taken the subway and are heading towards Spark city as we speak."

"Yes." She said. "I can tell by the bloodstains and metal scrap that riddle the entire station."

"S-so... what do we do?"

  She rolled her eyes, "Let them go, of course."

"B-but..."

"Not buts." She raised her voice. "The last subway train I blew up is down at the bottom of the lake and this is the only one left. So it's best that you order those troops down at Spark city to muster their forces into the subway station and crush them into smithereens. Got it?'

'Got it." They said in unison.

"Good, anything else?"

"Yes." said the soldier on the right.

"Then what is it?"

"Th-The pony, Madame. The moment he slaughtered all of them in the station... he went unconscious."

  The news put a smile on the woman's face, making her chuckle. "Fantastic."

  The train raced over the tracks and towards it's next destination. The squad sat there quietly; but their condition remained the same.

  Isabella remained her eyes locked on Maribelle who remained sobbing onto her pony companion. However, it was now reduced to soft sniffs, but her gloom still stuck to her.

"I'm scared." She thought to herself, ignoring the pistol that was pointed at her head. "That girl... these... foreigners. What the hell is she doing to them? No, specifically... what is she doing to the pony? ... She's helping them out of here... but, sh-she's.... going to far."

  She managed hold back the tears as her fears began to return to her, "Maribelle.... stop. Don't make the same mistake I did... please."

Beep!

  She could tell that there was going to be an announcement.

"Attention, Comrades." said the cheery announcer. "We are now approaching Spark city. Home to the thousands of people who were sent to the old death camps due to the mass famine that existed during the twenty-eleven, twenty-twelve draughts..."

  The historical fact made Isabella smile a little. Even though it was about a tragic event that marked a scar in the hearts of many... she was happy to know that it was being delivered by a good friend who hated the Heinz and Vanessa regime as much as she did.

  The train would descend down the tunnel as it began to reduce on speed.

  Maintaining her smile, she mumbled. "Kicking ass as usual, huh, Candace?"

"Hey Isabella?" said her captive, still not letting go of that pistol. "What does she mean by death camps?"

  She began to sigh, the smile fading into a solemn frown. "The mass famine was something both Hienz and Roger didn't see coming. If Roger was still around, He'd ration the food and distribute it evenly... But Heinz, he rounded all the starving and poor... took them all here and murdered them all to the point where even Hitler would be proud of him."

  The news made Ivan picture an image in his head. "You mean he..."

  She nodded to confirm what she meant... except for one thing. "Well, no, he didn't murder them like the Nazis did. He just worked them to death. So we just nickname the mines death camps in disgust."

  He felt relieved at the news, but didn't want to show it, knowing that many have died. "So... it was that bad."

"Er... I don't know." She frowned. "It's been so long that I don't remember.... the only thing I do remember is that... m-my mother..."

  She was on the verge of crying again.

  Gently, he helped her cope. "I-It's okay... you don't have to tell me."

  This calmed her down as she yet again held them back.

  Ivan thought about her condition a little, feeling sympathy as he thought. "It's hard to get over losses, isn't it?"

  He lowered the pistol and stood up. "Ugh, anyways, everybody stand-"

  The others had already stood up, with Maribelle rubbing her tears away as Pierre comforted her.

"Oh... okay then. Arm up. We're moving out once this train opens its doors."

"Yes, but what about Haystack?" asked Pierre.

"Hmm?"

"What do you mean 'Hmm'? 'Ze pony is unconscious, so we have to get him out of here before 'ze troops have 'ze audacity to crush his dreams by crushing his head."

  He rolled his eyes. "Just because I didn't mention him, doesn't mean that I'm going to leave him behind, now help me carry him before-"

  On the outside was the sound of gunfire.

"Huh?"

  The station would loom ahead, revealing a quintet of enemy infantrymen in sheer trauma as they held the line as hard as they could; only to be mowed down by the onslaught by their adversary.

  As it stopped, the rebel soldiers began to move in, forming a line as they pointing their guns at the opening doors. Isabella was the first to step foot on the station, shotgun behind her back and hands in the air.

"Don't shoot, my friends." She said. "No need to panic."

"She's right." said a voice from behind them. "Stand down."

  The men and woman lowered their weapons and began to scatter around like regular people. Doing so, it would blow the hiding of the voice's owner, revealing her true form. A woman with Red hair who had quite a somewhat revealing outfit with the sleeveless shirt revealing her stomach and a skirt that revealed her lower thighs. The woman seemed like such a leader, Ivan would think about. Well, more like those chicks from the animes that love to fight with both skill and lust. Dressing in skimpy outfits to arouse the enemy while killing them.

"So, you must be Candace." Ivan smirked, carrying the pony alongside Pierre. "Nice to meet you."

"Hmm." She adjusted the sunglasses in front of her eyes. "Nice to meet you too, Infiltrator."

  She turned around and loaded her two revolvers, walking away. Leaving Ivan to glance at her swaying hips.

"Yep..." He muttered, trying to hold back a chuckle. "She's one of those."

"You know, you're not being a gentlemen when you marvel at my ass like that." She looked back, somewhat pouting.

  He looked back up, blushing. "Oh, uh, right... yes Madame."

  She smiled lightly, putting the pistols in the holsters of her belt. She then turned around, placed one hand over her hip, and asked. "Now, you're here in search of Silver Fox, right?"

"Mmm Hmm." He nodded, watching as she took the time to observe Haystack's unconscious body.

"And what happened to your pony friend?"

"His name his Haystack, ma'am. And Uh..." he didn't know how to say it.

  Candace let him take his time and looked downward to find a timid Maribelle hiding behind Ivan's leg. Knowing that it was best to let him save the answer for later, Candace chose a different topic to bring up. "Ah... so you brought Subject A1 with you, right Isabella?"

"Um, yes Cadance." she responding, maintaining her salute.

"Candace." A soldier cried from the stairs. "We have to go! Enemy reinforcements will be arriving anytime soon!"

"Thank you, sir." She said almost expressionlessly before turning to the others. "Okay, let's get the hell out of here then. When they come, they come at you with metal fists."

"Of course." Ivan agreed.

  Maribelle got out of Pierre's way before following him out of the subway station. They were then stopped when Candace lifted her hand as they stood over the stairs. The little girl was then tapped behind the shoulder. Looking behind her, she noticed that it was Isabella who did so. On the end of her hand, was a pistol. Knowing that she forgot her weapon on the train, she took it with an angry look on her face. She wished then and there that she turn the pistol onto its bottom and whack her until she couldn't think straight... or die. But consciously, it wasn't her fault that she slapped her cheeks like a fly trap squishing a fly. The captain just wouldn't understand, especially since she never knew that she could communicate with her partner mentally. It wasn't a form of manipulation, just a helping hand. It was the primary reason not to beat her in discipline at that moment, so she just gave her a little smile, and returned to her position. Plus, it was inhumane of her to do such an action, anyways.

"Go." Candace ordered.

  The rebels would follow her out the station and onto the empty city-scape above. Literally nothing, only run down buildings, themselves, and... an oncoming  double-dozen troops that were coming from the north .

"Shoot." Ivan muttered.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  However, a Sentry gun that was positioned on top of one of the buildings mowed at least half of them down once they got into range.

"Run!" Candace shouted, provoking the others to run eastward, away from the enemy.

  At that very moment, the Sentry would soon be destroyed by an enemy chopper that loomed up and towards the unaware machine.

"Damn it!" Isabella shouted, not another one.

  The pilots lined their shots up and fired at them, killing one of them as he prepared to shoot his stinger.

"Someone, take that damn chopper-"

  Blue lasers pointed at it, followed by a couple rockets that would blow it to bits.

"Ha, no need to worry." Candace smirked as the group approached their destination, which was a group of sandbag levees that lined up across the street. Planted over it, were flags with blue and orange that were divided across the flag diagonally.

  Reaching the fortress, they vaulted over it and sat against the sandbags.

"Phew, I give thanks to your comrades on the roof." Ivan said, happy that they weren't going to deal with them.

"No problem." smirked Candace, happy to see that her new partners are okay.

"So, judging by the flags, I'm guessing that you control this part of the city."

  She nodded. "This is our turf, but those stubborn little pricks keep wanting to-"

"Candace, it looks like they're not after us!" warned one of her comrades. "They're looking for another fight!"

"Damn, you know what to do!" She reminded them.

"Yep!" He then contacted his friends. "Calling all rocketeers and engineers, arm your Sentries and Beggar's Bazooka's! We're blowing their asses into the air again!"

"Yes sir!"

  Candace looked at Ivan once more. "Ugh, they keep wanting to take it back, but you'll see about to see how we keep telling them no."

  Then there was the sound of boots marching from above,

  Ivan looked up to find the rebels heading towards the front-line and aiming down at the oncoming forces.

"Alright, aim!" One of them cried, causing his comrades to load their launchers as the engineers began to set up their Sentries.

  Unfortunately, the enemy beat them to it. Firing non-stop and doing their best to hit the enemy.

"Ay!" One rebel cried as a bullet managed to hit him in the stomach, making him fall down many stories.

"Fire!"

Shwoooooooom!

BOOM!!

  Ivan and Candace gasped, as well as the others while they witnessed an explosion kill many of the men.

"Dayum." Candace muttered, slowly taking the sunglasses from her eyes, revealing her blue irises. "Looks like they're-"

  Another explosion ignited to their right, sending debris tumbling above their heads. Then there was another explosion just down the block behind them, destroying an outpost in the intersection.

"They're bringing in the big guns this time."

"Dagger, have you-" The soldier who contacted the rocketmen would be interrupted by static that would replace the man's voice. Frowning, he looked over to Candace. "We just lost Dagger's squadron... and dagger himself."

  She knocked her head back and let out a sigh to show them her irritation.

  While that was unfolding, Maribella, Pierre, and Isabella just sat there with such depression as the artillery shells rained from the sky. Afraid, Maribelle lowered her hand and grabbed onto Haystack's hoof. Isabella saw this unfold, feeling the urge to mope in her own jealousy.

"Um... Maribelle?" She asked, trying to delude the jealousy that was surging within her.

  Like a curious deer, she looked over to her with beady eyes. "Hmm?"

"I-I'm... I'm sorry." Again, she held back the tears and sucked it up. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

  Her face made the same expression as Isabella's. She then looked downward, holding tightly onto Haystack's hoof. "Um... th-that's... that's okay."

"Yeah... why did you do that to him?"

  Maribelle wanted to cry again, but she sucked it up. "I-I... just... wanted to help."

"You didn't need to do it like that, you know."

  She nodded, still feeling ashamed for her actions. "I-I know."

  With that, Pierre chose to listen instead of intervene. He felt empathy towards her, being in her shoes nearly three decades back, and it was a mistake he's trying endlessly to forget.

"Hey Pierre!" Ivan shouted. "We're moving out! We're going take out the artillery pieces on the west side of the city!"

  Candace then got into the report. "And Isabella, you stay with Maribelle, take care of the pony!"

  Isabella nodded.

"It's Haystack." Ivan reminded her.

"Right."

  She understood why, so she remained beside the little girl as the artillery shells continued their barrage, ignoring the screaming and mustering of rebels around her.

Chapter 1

BIOSHOCK TITANIUMWritten by Defcon1234(The Bioshock series belongs to Ken Levine and Irrational games.)(My little pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Lauren Faust and Hasbro.)(The quote in the summary is from Wolf's rain, which belongs to Keiko Nobumoto and Bones Studio.)

   The song that was playing on the radio was a song about life and love, and it explained it in an odd but unique manner. Fortunately for the song, it was playing freely without being drowned by the occupants' voices.

   The grey overcoat wearing driver listened diligently to the song while simultaneously looking at the road in front of him. The headlights were showing him the way.

   He began to hum to the lyrics in order to pass the time.

   After a while, he stopped once something crossed his mind.

  "Hey!" He called.

   There was no response.

  "Hey!" He began to raise his voice.

  "Wha-huh?" was what he got as a response,

  "How's the ride?" He quickly glanced behind him, to face the tan coated stallion who was wearing a dark bullet proof vest, a contrast to the man's attire.

  "It's alr'aght, ah guess." The pony answered as he used his right fore hoof to scratch his scalp, where a mane as dark as coal lies over it. "Never knew that this this is how you humans get around."

"Yep."

   It was all he could say, creating an awkward silence between them. Quickly, they began to think of something in order to keep the conversation going.

  "So how long will it take bef'er we reach the border?" The pony asked once he came up with that, also realizing that he should've asked that hours ago.

   "I don't know." He replied calmly. "But I know that we're close by."

   The pony looked up and observed the outside, where it was nighttime, where all he could see was brown arid land and the road they were on. The full moon was out, in which he both marveled and questioned.

  "Hey, whah does the moon not have a mare on it?"

  "Excuse me?" He asked, taken aback by the odd question.

  "In Equestria, there's a mare on that moon and she's visible on it. How come ya don't see it?"

  "Huh?" He glanced at the moon to his left, just to find its bright radiance beam down on them. Then he began to remember, "Oh, I heard of that. My Geography teacher taught us about this. That your leader banished her evil sister to the moon, like how god banished angel Lucifer to hell. In my opinion, they both made huge mistakes."

   The pony began to think of that, questioning if he was right about that or not.

  "Now, in the present day, the evil sister, known as Nightmare moon, is now visible on the moon in Equestria. And ONLY in Equestria."

  "Oh, No wonder."

  "Also, rumor has it that she will someday come back to your land for her revenge. But many ponies, as well as us, say that it's just folklore."

  "Huh, ya must've been payin' a lot of attention in that class, haven't ya?' The pony asked, intrigued by what he knew.

  "Guess I have."

   There was a pause in the conversation before it was quickly saved by something else that crossed his mind.

  "Hey, I just realized that you're starting to talk a little more frequent now."

  "Guess 'ah am."

  "Yep, 'cause from back in New York 'til now, you were so down in the dumps. What happened?"

   The stallion placed his chin on his left fore leg and letting his right one dangle as he grew somber. "It's personal."

   There was another pause until the man ended it. "You were depressed that you had to leave some ponies you loved back home, right?"

   The pony was now dumbstruck that he figured it out, briefly widening his eyes to show that. "How... how did you-"

   "That's an obvious reason. It's a sad occasion, but longing to see your relatives is not as important as fighting for them."

   "'Ah guess yer r'aght."

   "Yep. And yes I know why you're here."

    He gazed at the night sky, maintaining his frown. "'Ah guess you do."

   "Just like me, Your family is in debt, and you took this job in order to get rid of it. Am I right or am I right?"

  "Yeah." His heart sank even more.

  "But, it's odd that you took this job."

  "Wh'ah say that?"

  "Well, one reason is that, your cutie mark is a sickle."

   The pony looked behind him to watch it lie on his flank, imagining that it was looking back at him with cold cynical eyes.

   Looking up towards the rear view mirror, the man noticed the stallion's face and decided to say no more while the song finished with a guitar solo.

  "And that was Tears for fears with 'Everybody wants to rule the world'." said a coolheaded DJ on the radio as the song faded. "The time is three .A.M mountain time and the temperature is at seventy five degrees."

  "Wow, have I really been driving for that long?" The man wondered.

  "Our top story at this hour... wait, sorry, it's been the top story since five in the afternoon. Anyways, the US government as well as all of Europe is on high alert after the fall of Rome. Demonstrators have taken the city with brute force, causing similar uprisings across Italy; Including the Vatican."

   When the DJ mentioned the city, the pony was distraught, for he knew about Equestria's strong relations with the small religious nation.

   "... Equestria's leader, Princess Celestia, has sent her deepest regards to the Pope, praying that someday, the city will return to the Vatican people..."

  "Right on, y'er majesty." the pony mumbled, as he felt happy that the princess is doing something to help their ally.

   The man rolled his eyes since he thought that Celestia's actions were futile.

    "... Meanwhile, all that NATO, the white house, and the EU can do, is guard each other, and themselves as the threat of revolt now hits closer to home. Speaking of which, prices at the pump continue to increase as the Royalists continue their fight against President Salman's Arabian regime. Today, Fighting continues in the city of Mecca where Royalists are doing their best to take the city.

   "Back home, lines at the gas station continue to grow because of this with prices climbing up to ten-fifty per gallon..."

    The pony decided to speak since he did not want to speak any more of this. "Hey, was there a second reason ta whah it's off for me to take this job?"

    The man was bewildered on why he would ask that. "You know why I didn't tell you my second reason?"

    The pony was quick to know that. "Oh, r'aght, but can ya tell me anyways?"

   "Ugh, fine. The second reason is because with that cutie mark, I don't think your job is in hunting at all. So I have to ask, are you a farmer?"

   "Well, yes, bailin' hay and pickin' wheat. 'Cuz that's what ah do."

   "Huh, so can you tell me how did you notice that, thus earning your mark?" the man asked, curious as he glanced at the stallion's blue eyes on the rear view mirror.

    However, the pony grew ashamed again. "'Ah don't want to talk 'bout it."

   "Oh, sorry." He apologized in regret.

   "... These are dire times, but we need to move forward. Let's just hope that someday, Capital hill will come up with a solution to this national crisis. Now, back to the music."

   The next song began to play, was a reggae song about a man who relies on something that would make him forget about his broken heart.

   The song made the pony's stomach churn just by listening to the first line. He couldn't take it once the first stanza was sung.

  "Hey, can you turn off the song, please?" He asked politely.

  "Whaddaya mean? As in change the channel, or turn off the radio?"

  "Ugh, whatever you dec'ahde." He was starting to grow irritated.

  "Good, because I need my dosage of music." The man changed the channel with a simple push of a button.

   On the next channel, was a mellow song about the changing times.

"Oh good." He said with gratitude. "I love this song."

   But he forgot to ask. "Oh, uh, is this song okay with you?"

   The pony nodded to the man, for he was looking at him through the rear view mirror again. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome." He took that as a yes as he replied happily.

   They let the song replace their conversation for a few seconds until the man had to ask. "Hey, why don't you like Bob-"

  "Huh?"

   He forgot about how music was dealt with in Equestria. "I mean, why don't you like 'Red red wine'? It's a good song.

   The pony let out a sigh of sadness, "Again, personal."

"Alright." The man replied without emotion.

"Turn right." A female voice directed.

  He did as he was told and steered to the right. That's when he and the pony began to see dust.

"Uh sir?" The pony asked nervously.

  "Yeah?"

  "Shouldn't the machine tell ya ta stay on the road?"

  "Nope, because our destination isn't the border itself."

   The pony began to abandon his nervousness in exchange for suspicion. "So where are we goin' then?"

  "You'll see."

   The pony didn't say anything after that. All he did, was wait.

  "You'll be approaching your destination in one mile." The voice said

   The man let out a sigh of relief before mumbling. "Oh thank god."

   Once that mile was driven over, he let go of the gas pedal, making the car slow down.

   When the speedometer reached 20 miles per hour, he hit the break. The SUV would then make an abrupt halt as if it was preventing a fender bender. He then placed the lever on park and twisted the key in order to cut the engine off.

  "Now remember, I don't know what lies over there." The man slid the car key from the ignition. "And I don't know what they think of Equestrian ponies."

   The two were quick to exit the vehicle, since the pony was able to put his hoof on the handle. It made Ivan appreciate that he doesn't have to help him all the time.

  "So are you sure that you're up to this." the man asked worryingly as they stood face to face.

  "Yes sir." The pony replied as he stared at the man's dark eyes. "Ah'm not goin' anywhere."

  "Good." The man's faith in him began to increase as he reached his right hand out towards him. "You know, we've been in this car for quite awhile and I never got a chance to tell you what my name is. The name's Ivan, Ivan Bentley, by the way."

   The pony began to grow confident. "N'ahce to meet ya Ah'van. Ma name's Haystack."

   He placed his left hoof on Ivan's hand, making him grab onto it. They then shook hands with pride before letting go.

   Then, standing side by side, they walked past the SUV's hood and into the unknown.

   "So, where are we goin'? Haystack asked after a couple of minutes of walking a flashlight showing the way.

   Ivan didn't say anything for about two seconds before saying. "Over there."

   He pointed at a lighted opening on the ground. "It's a better way past the border than actually heading towards it."

  "Whaddaya mean, 'A better way'?" asked Haystack. "Wh'ah can't we just head towards the border?"

  "You'll know once we get there."

   Haystack asked nothing after that until they reached the opening.

  "It's just a cellar." He said as he noticed the stairs in front of them.

  "Ugh." Ivan rolled his eyes. "Just follow me."

   And so he did, as Ivan walked down the stairs. Once at the bottom, a hallway would behold them.

  "It's not a cellar, Haystack. It's a gateway." Ivan said to an enthralled earth pony such as Haystack.

   They began to walk down the hall, the lights showing them the way.

   A couple seconds later, they began to hear music. The kind of music that makes you feel melancholy with lyrics that add insult to the injury. The song had almost similar plot to the previous one, only it was told with a grimmer mood.

   The lyrics made Ivan's stomach churn a little. But he had to put that aside since they were now running.

   After a few seconds of doing so, they were able to find the source of the music. It was a radio the size of a toolbox; playing with good quality sound, letting the music flow like water down a water fall.

  Next to the radio was a middle aged man, with blond hair, and blue eyes looking at them in a serious manner. He was wearing a tuxedo, and had a silver platter in his hands, just like a butler.

  "Good morning, Mister Bentley." He saluted in a deep casual voice with complete disregards towards Haystack.

  "And good morning to you, sir." Ivan replied in a polite manner.

  "Thank you. Now, what is displayed on this platter, is what you'll need for the mission."

   The duo looked at the platter, to find a rectangular prism shaped box in front of them. There was a note attached to it as well, so Ivan decided to grab the note and read it. The note read.

Ivan,

                                                         Deliver the package to SILVER FOX

                                                         in order to wipe away your debt. Same

                                                          thing goes for your Equine comrade.

                                                                                      -Your boss

   After reading it to Haystack, they were clear on what their objective was, but not on further details. So Ivan had to ask. "Hey, do you know where does 'Silver fox' live?"

  "I'm sorry Mister Bentley, but your boss hasn't offered any information on who Silver fox is, or on where she lives."

  "Oh." Ivan replied in disappointment.

   The revelation was to Haystack's dismay.

  "Also, your boss has ordered me to tell you that you're not allowed to open the package. This is classified material for Silver fox to view."

  "Got it."

   The two were still thinking about how difficult this mission will be.

  'Good, when both of you are ready, you may proceed."

   Ivan grabbed the light weight package before they left. But that's when the man remembered something and grabbed Ivan by the arm to ask him.

  "Hey, how did you two get here?" He asked.

  "Uh, by SUV?"

  "Can I have the keys to it?"

  "Sure, it's all yours." Ivan tossed him the keys.

  "Ah'van!' Haystack shouted in disbelief.

  "Oh thank you sir." He said ecstatically before running off with the keys, radio, and platter.

  "Wh'ah the hell did ya do that for?" asked Haystack, still shocked by Ivan's decision.

  "Haystack, that guy was in the middle of nowhere for god knows when. He deserves a ride home."

   Haystack had no choice but to agree. "'Ah guess y'er r'aght."

  "That's what I thought. Now come on, let's go."

   They proceeded down the hall once more, package in hand.

   Then, in a just a few steps, they wound up, at a dead end, where a bronze metal door was waiting for them.

  "Well, there it is." Ivan said as they gazed at the door. "The entrance."

  "Good. So how in the hay are we goin' to get in if there's no doorknob?'

  "Simple."

   He walked up to the door and stood still. That's when a green light illuminated above them to Haystack's surprise. Then the door slid open, revealing what appeared to be a small red lighted room.

   Haystack would whistle in amusement. "You don't see that in Equestria."

   Ivan didn't want to start a discussion about this, so he said. "Let's just get in. No time for observation."

   The stallion nodded in agreement before following Ivan inside the small room. The inside (Other than the red lights) proved to be nothing more than a small transport, with metal walls surrounding all four sides along with two black leather folding seats to the two's right.

  "Looks like we have to sit there, don't we?" asked Ivan.

  "'Ah don't know. Back in Equestria-"

  "It was meant to be rhetorical question."

  "Oh, r'aght." Haystack quickly remembered about how human chairs worked, but he wasn't familiar with those. "So how do those work?"

  "Ugh, easy."

   To demonstrate, he unfolded the chair to his left before sitting on it, as he held onto it.

  "Again, so easy." He said as he placed the package on his lap.

  "Ok." said Haystack, who was now certain on how to use it.

   He walked up to the chair before using his teeth to grab onto the bottom and pulling it down. He then let go, only to have it snap back into place like an alligator's mouth

   Ivan rolled his eyes again, realizing that there are some things that the pony needs help on. He leaned over and used his hand to pull it down.

  "Now sit." He ordered.

   Haystack did just that as Ivan held the seat down. Once his haunches were inches away from his hand, he quickly released it from the surface. The chair began to creak as Haystack's weight made it struggle to support him.

   Meanwhile, Ivan looked over to his right to find a three point seat belt that was mentally ordering him to put it on. And so he did, and told Haystack to do the same.

  "Haystack, put your seatbelt on." He already had the sash in front of him as he slid the fastener into the buckle to his left.

   Haystack would have trouble doing that. "Ya mean that thing?"

  "Yes. it's to your left."

   Haystack managed to find it. Before Ivan knew it, he was already grabbing onto the sash with his teeth before pulling it towards the buckle... until his mouth couldn't reach it of course, so he used his hooves to finish the task at hand.

Click!

   Ivan was impressed.

CLANG!

  "Whoa!" Ivan shouted in reaction to the loud noise.

   They turned to the source of the sound to find out that the door had slid shut.

  "Well, guess that means that it's-"

   Haystack's sentence would be interrupted when a chirpy feminine voice loomed him, causing him to jolt and breathing heavily from the shock.

  "Congratulations! You have located our secret entrance into paradise. Please wait, for we are preparing for departure, now."

   Haystack however, continued to breath heavily as he stuck with his scared expression.

  "Just calm down." Ivan  requested sympathetically, for he noticed that this was something new to the pony.

  "Ah'm trah'n'!" Haystack was clearly stressed. "It's that that voice scared me."

  "It's just-"

  "We will be departing in T-minus thirty seconds."

  "It's just a woman in a speaker telling us this. Nothing out of the ordinary." Ivan comforted as Haystack's heavy breathing faded. However, once he was being normally, he just looked straight forward as if nothing happened. Ivan took that as if he understood what he just said.

  "Five, four, three, two, one."

   Their heads would knock back slightly as they began to feel the room move through their feet and chest. They remained quiet for awhile, letting the sound of a moving train flow right through his ears.

   Meanwhile, Ivan decided to use this time to think, by visualizing himself on a certain day of his past.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

... He was looking out the window of a school bus, watching the rain fall onto the lake beside the road the bus was on. That moment always made him sad...

   But he wasn't the only one taking that time for thought. Haystack was doing the same.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

... The pony was sitting on a hill in a forest, with luscious trees, and a vast blue sky. The cold breeze was brushing against his coat and mane, giving him the chills. He felt depressed, and it made him want to get out of that memory, but he decided to stay for awhile...

   "And now..."

   The sudden announcement made them come out of their tranquility like soldiers evading a grenade.

   "... A message from the dear leader himself."

   "Huh, looks like we're going to get a presentation." Ivan rolled his eyes as he and Haystack watched a flat metal surface rise up in front of them, "This ought to be good."

  Then, the surface would be illuminated by movie projector above them. The first thing that appeared was this,

A Message from our

DEAR LEADER

(Brought to you by the state production team and the DEAR LEADER himself.)

    It was presented in a black and white format, and with the song, "Sh-boom" accompanying it. The swell song continued to play as the slide changed to one featuring a middle aged man in a tuxedo, glasses, brown hair, and a casual smile while standing next to a state seal consisting of a black hawk with a grey star in the middle. Then, another voice jumped in.

   "My name is Roger Doofenshmirtz. In January of Two thousand three the opening line of a tv show said 'There is no such place as paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there.'." The slide then changed to one of an army of question marks while the man said passionately. "So, I decided to ask myself, if we can't find it, then can't we create it? Well, here's what the leaders of the world have to say according to my observations... The congressmen and president of the United States says, 'No'. Why?..."

   The next slide was of George Washington crossing the Delaware with his comrades; while Columbia and Uncle sam were in the background looking up towards the sky in the same direction, feeling the same way as Washington was.

   "... Because you're already living in it..."

   The next slide consisted of all the current European leaders standing tall and firm with the flag of the European Union behind them.

   "... The leaders of Europe said, 'No Why? Well, I resort to America's answer."

   The next slide was of Saint Peters Basilica to the left, the kaaba in the middle, and the dome of the rock to the right. All with the sun above them, stretching its rays down.

   "... The pope of the Vatican, the Prime Minister of Israel, the Dalai llama of Tibet, and the King of Saudi Arabia said 'No'. Why? It's because only 'God' can..."

   The following was of Vladimir Lenin looking towards the sky with pride, while in front of the Soviet flag and with the Kremlin underneath him.

   "... However, the Premier of the Soviet union, said, 'Yes, Because paradise is through excessive labor and equality in wealth'.."

   The next slide was of Princess Celestia looking down with a smirk on her face as her flowing mane flowed behind her like a flag, with the capital city of Canterlot standing in front of it. It got Haystack to bring up in his mind of what the people in "Paradise" might think of ponies like him.

  "... And finally, the 'Princess' of Equestria said yes too; because It is through friendship and love that we achieve it. Well, as you can see, the answers are pretty mixed. And you know what I say to those answers? I reject them all! You know Why? Because they are mediocre and Pathetic..."

   Haystack was now certain about their opinion on Equestria. And it didn't look pretty.

   The slide then changed to one of the state seal in the middle of a grey background as the music came to an abrupt halt.

"... So I thought, What if you take those pity answers and perfect them? Well, that's where I come in. Every man, has a choice, so I chose something different. I chose to secede from these mediocre ideals in search of fixing them. I chose the righteous path..."

   The projector turned off as the flat surface slid back down into its hiding spot. That's when the metal wall in front of them began to slide downwards as well, revealing a fraction of the outside.

  "... I chose to defy the opening line from that show and create paradise; and I call it, the Tri state republic of Danville."

   The outside revealed a vast city of flourishing lights from left to right with the night sky above it.

  "A new nation where freedom's hand reaches towards unlike what Congress says in the US. Where the poor and the rich are treated equally unlike what Europe's 'Union' says. Where the religious don't dare interfere with law and justice like in the Vatican, Israel, or in the arab nations. Where the state doesn't dominate the country's lifestyle, which is something the USSR can say. And where even the independent can live a prosperous lifestyle unlike in Equestria. And if you desire all of this, liberty, harmony, and prosperity, then this is the place for you."

   Then, there was silence, making them imply that the speech was over.

   Due to this, Ivan made a slight whistle, as he marveled at the city in front of them.

  "Wow, that's one nice city." He said.

  "Huh, Rem'ahnds me of Hoof city. The most metropolitan city in all of Equestria."

  "To me it reminds me of New York city. Only there's no arid land dividing us from it."

   They sat quietly for awhile since they had nothing else to say. So they waited for any further information, but then Ivan decided not to wait any longer.

  "Well..." Ivan began to unbuckle his seatbelt. "I'm gonna go-"

  "We will be launching into the air in thirty seconds." The woman advised.

  "Or maybe not." Ivan said before fastening his seatbelt again.

  "What were ya trah'n to do?" asked Haystack.

  "Open the..."

   Suddenly, they heard a noise which sounded like a snake hissing. Then, they began to feel drowsy.

  "What... the... hell?" Ivan grunted.

  "Due to our strict policy, we're not allowed to show you where will this pod be landing on. So you and your partner should embark into dreamland for awhile, have fun!"

  "Now... ya... tell... us." Haystack said before being put into a deep sleep.

   Then Ivan did the same thing as well.

("Phineas and Ferb" belongs to Dan Povenmire, Jeff Marsh, and Disney.)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

  "Ow." Ivan repeated under his breath as he and Haystack got up, looking around through the rebels' headlamps.

  "Troy, the two mercenaries are all right." One of the rebels contacted through his walkie talkie, "But we lost twelve of our men in the process."

  "Ugh, goddamn Roboldier!" Troy moaned.

  "Huh, so that's what it's called." Ivan muttered.

Static!

Static!

  "Ivan, is it working?' Troy asked through Ivan's walkie talkie.

  "Yes, yes it is. So, these are your buddies?" Ivan said as he and Haystack glanced at each and everyone of the eight resistance fighters who were looking back at him with their goggle covered eyes. At the same time, they gave them an awkward smile, since they were too nervous to say anything.

   He sighed. "Yep. Welcome to the resistance, my friend."

  "Uh, thanks, sir."

  "You're welcome. Anyways-"

  "Uh sir, we're going to have to move quickly!" A rebel wearing a turban warned. "Those goggles of theirs have tracking beacons!"

  "What?" Ivan couldn't believe it, neither did the rest. "How did you-"

   The two took their goggles off to notice that there was a flashing light in between the lenses.

  "Because I used to work with them! Now let's move!"

  "Then why didn't you tell them that?" Another rebel asked him while the duo tossed their goggles into the water beneath them before they began to run. In the meantime, they put their actuall goggles on. For Ivan, it was odd that he let them dangle right in front of him while using the enemy's.

  "I dozed off." The man replied.

  "Hmm, you and me both." Ivan mumbled.

  "Hello?" Troy called. "Ivan?"

  "Yeah?" He replied.

  "Oh good, Remember to use that dice of yours."

   That's when the squadron (Excluding Haystack) began to speak amongst themselves, wondering what he meant.

  "Uh, how do you know that?"

  "No time! I'll explain-"

  *Static!*

  "Damn it!"

  "Well, those mongrels can't stop making announcements, can't they?" A female rebel asked, annoyed by Doofania's tradition.

  "Nope." Another rebel answered. "Hey kid?"

   All they could hear was the sound of their boots splashing on the water.

  "Kid with the grey overcoat." The rebel then clarified.

  "Oh. Yeah?" Ivan asked, criticizing himself for not replying as soon as possible.

  "Can you tell your equine friend to wait-"

  "Ambush!!" Haystack screamed as bulllets began to fly past him, missing by a few inches.

   Ivan facepalmed. "Too late, my friend."

   However, the rebels were too busy being taken aback by the pony's sudden yell. But they had to put that aside to pay attention.

   They then met up with Haystack while he was standing against the wall near the three-way intersection, and joined him.

  "Next time Haystack, slow down."

   He nodded in obedience, feeling ashamed for what he did.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

  "Move in!" One of the soldiers yelled.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash...

  "Open fire!" The turban  wearing rebel whispered before the group charged out into the sewer intersection and did just that.

  "Aaargh!!" One of the soldiers cried, shot in the stomach.

  "Man down! I repeat man- Ay!" That soldier was then shot in the head as the rebel squadron ran across the intersection and onto the other side.

  "Dammit, those dumbasses are in our way."

  "So, that's where we were supposed to go?"

  "Obviously. DIdn't I just say that they were in our way?

  "I was just saying sir."

   They ran for about thirty more seconds until they found a four-way intersection. Upon reaching it, they turned left. But little did they know that more troops were waiting for them down the tunnel.

  "Fire!" One of them yelled before he and his comrades pulled the triggers of their weapons.

  "Get down!"

   They all went prone before returning fire. It wouldn't take long before all ten Doofanian soldiers would be mowed down by their counter attack.

  "Huh, that was easy." He added.

BOOM!

   The loud explosion behind them released smoke across the tunnel they were previously running through.

  "And it looks like they stepped on the mine I planted."

  "Wait, you planted a mine while we were-" One of his comrades asked being interrupted.

  "Yes, now let's go." He then faced Ivan as they began to run away from the smoke. "The name's Mark by the way."

  "Oh, well nice to meet you." He found it odd that the turban wearing man didn't introduce himself earlier.

  "What's your name?" He asked.

  "Ivan. Ivan Bentley." He answered without even looking him, but realizing that Mark should know his name by now.

  "Well, nice to meet you mister Bentley. And your little pony friend?"

  "Uh, he's not little, sir."

  "Well you know what I mean." He said as he glanced at the trotting earth pony.

  "Oh, well his name is Haystack, sir."

  "Huh, you ever wonder why their names are like that?"

  "Not at all, but you can forget asking the Celestianists and Luna witnesses about that, because they don't know either."

   Haystack in the meantime, heard the entire conversation, and he felt the same way as Ivan on that.

  "Watch out, more of them!" One of Mark's comrades yelled. "And they have riot shields!"

  "Let me deal with them." Ivan said before switching to his M79, and firing three grenades at the oncoming wave of enemy troops.

Ka-thwop! BOOM! Ka-thwop! BOOM! Ka-thwop! BOOM!

   Eight of the twelve troops were thrown off their feet from the blast before the squadron dealt with the remaining four.

  "We should take the shields. It'll go a long way." Mark suggested.

  "I think they will." Ivan said.

   And so they ran up to the corpses and did just that.

BLAM!

Shwoooom! Plat!

  "Arrgh!" The ski masked rebel shrieked as a bullet tore through his head.

  "Sniper!" Mark yelled before everyone in the squadron lifted their shields up towards their faces. "Let's go, before more of us get sh-"

BLAM!

Shwoooom! Smash! Plat!

  "Mark's down!" A rebel yelled in fright.

  "Damn, I just met that guy." Ivan mumbled.

BLAM!

  "Clear." Haystack announced as he lied on his belly, rifle in hand.

   The others looked down in shock, primarily because he spoke for the second time. However, all Haystack did was look directly into his scope and watch the sniper's corpse lie flat on his back, feeling too nervous to look back at them.

  "Uh." Ivan had to calm them down. "L-let's go you guys. We need to keep moving."

  "Uh, oh." That's when they all snapped out of it. "Y-yes sir."

   They then proceeded down the tunnel, moving on from the fact that two of their comrades was just murdered.

  "C'mon Haystack." Ivan ordered.

   The still earth pony nodded before getting up and following the squad.

  "Ah'van?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Wh'ah did they go crazy when 'ah talked?" He asked, for that annoyed him.

  "Well, you ponies are known for not speaking while off Equestrian grounds."

  "Yeah, 'ah guess yer raght. We only speak when the princess tells us to."

  "Hmm, but you're a temporary mercenary now. Celestia can't tell you that."

  "True."

  "More of 'em!" Another rebel cried.

  "Oh come on." Ivan muttered.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-clang...

   The bullets pounded onto their shields as the two ran up to assist them. However, upon reaching them, they noticed that the incoming wave of troops also had shields as well. So the two factions decided to deal with this as they normally would. They then let out a battle cry before charging at each other with their weapons in hand.

   Ivan in the meantime, took out his pistol.

BLAM!

   His first shot would kill a soldier that was trying to pounce on the rebel in front of Ivan and kill him with a machete. After that was done, he began to walk forward, causing Haystack to follow.

BLAM! BLAM!

   The next bullet hit the soldier (To his left) in the leg before the next shot hit her in the head.

BLAM!

   The next soldier  (which was to his right) was shot in the face while he had his target on the ground, and was on the verge of shooting.

   And since no rebel was lost in the clash, they were able to deal with the remaining three troops with ease. Then, without saying a word, they proceeded into the next sewer intersection.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at...

   Assault rifles and SMGs were being fired from behind.

  "Crap!" the duo shrieked in unison before turning around to prevent the bullets from reaching them. That's not to say for the rebels, for they were all shot dead before they could even react.

Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-clang!

CRACK!

   Ivan gasped in shock after one of the bullets made his shield crack, telling him that it couldn't much longer.

  "Ah'van, do something!" Haystack demanded as he struggled to switch from his sniper rifle to his M16.

  "On it! And why didn't you stick with your M16 in the fi-"

  "Because of that Sniper-"

  "Never mind!"

   And so, he quickly placed his pistol in between his teeth and extended his arm, firing another blast of nitrogen towards the troops to his left. Three of the four would be caught inside the glacier, while the fourth got his foot stuck in it. Wasting no time, Ivan switched back to his pistol and shot him dead while he was trying desperately to get it out of there. And due to that, Haystack was able to shoot the other soldiers down, since the blast of nitrogen was powerful enough to get their brief attention.

  "God dammit!" Ivan said, frustrated at the loss of their comrades. "We lost our ticket to the shelter!"

  "But wh'ah do we need the shelter again?" asked Haystack as he looked at the bodies.

  "We can't camp outside the labor department. If we do, we'll get our asses kicked."

  "That's true."

Static!

  "Ivan, you there?"

  "Yeah, and bad news, your squadron's dead."

Slap!

  "Dammit!"

Crash!

   The sound made them jolt.

  "Uh, you alright?"

  "Yes, I'm alright." He said, hiding his frustration. "Grr! No I'm not! Why would you let-"

  "Whoa! We were ambushed!"

  "Ugh..." Troy did the best he could to calm himself down. "Never mind then, where are you?"

  "In another sewer intersection."

  "Oh, and is there a ladder there?"

   They looked behind them to find out that there was, and the headlamps were showing them that.

  "Yes sir."

  "Climb on, you'll be able to find your way to the shelter without the aid of my finest."

  "Agree."

Static!

  "Alright, let's go. And at the same time, wait for Troy to give us further orders."

   Haystack nodded while Ivan began to ascend up the ladder and towards the manhole above.

  "Oh yeah, Ah'van?"

  "Huh?' He stopped the climb.

  "What's this place used f'er, since Ah've seen many of these places have different purposes."

  "Uh, you don't wanna know."

  "Oh, also, Ah found this wh'ahle we were at that vendin' machine thingy." He reached into one of his pockets and then handed him another tape recorder.

  "Well, looks like we got another one of these." He then took it from his mouth and pressed play.

   Once he heard the click, the recording started; and with that, they continued their climb.

   At the beginning of the recording, they heard moans of pain, followed by a voice.

  "Come on, Josh *Sniff*." The feminine tomboyish voice cried in panic. "Don't die on me *Sniff*... Damn, this is bad *Sniff*. Why did I tell him to take those body builders in the first place?  ..."

  "What does he mean by 'body builders'?" Haystack asked while Ivan was lifting the lid.

  "I think she's referring to those pills we took." Ivan assumed.

  "... *Sniff* Don't die Josh *Sniff*, don't die!" She cried as the 'Josh' fellow continued to wallow in his misery. "... Damn pills *Sniff*..."

  "Huh, I was right."

   There was a squeal, before it went completely quiet. By then, the two were already exiting out the sewer.

  "No! No! No! Josh!" She began to weep profusely. "Josh! Josh! Jo-"

Static

Click!

  "Looks like we need to be careful with what we put in our mouths." Ivan said as they ran into an alley.

  "Agree."

   Since there was nothing they could do, they sat against a nearby wall, waiting for those further orders.

  "So, looks like we're going to be here for quite awhile, are we?"

  "Ah guess so. And here ah am, thinkin' that my reputation will be fixed in a couple of days." Haystack said, feeling down in the dumps, "Ya know, that recordin' rem'ahnds me-"

  "Say no more." Ivan responded. "Remember the deal."

  "Oh, sorry sir." He wasn't going to argue with him. He was the commander of the duo after all.

  "Hey, have you heard of the city of Rapture?"

  "Yeah, it's a city at the bottom of the ocean that you humans built in the nineteen forties, but it was a total failure. W'hah ask?"

  "Hmm, because since it's such a popular 'creepy pasta' around here, I though some of you Equestrians must've heard of it."

  "Creepy pasta, what's that?"

  "Internet slang, for 'urban legends'."

  "What's the internet?"

  "Oh right." He sighed,. "I don't know, thought we'd share some fun facts as we wait."

"Oh... yeah."

   And thus, the conversation ended quickly. So they just sat there for about at least three minutes until they began to hear static coming from the walkie talkie.

  "Huh, looks like he's back." Ivan said as he got up.

Vrrrroooooooommm! Schreeeeech!

  "Crap!" Ivan yelled as a Humvee pulled in front of him. "How did they-"

  "Ivan. have you managed to-"

Static

  "Dammit! All for nothing!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   Ivan crouched down, causing the bullets to miss him. He then jumped towards the wall to his right and bounced off before the stream of rounds reached them. Once he was able to jump a good distance, he made a somersault onto the street before getting out his pistol and shooting his pistol in his head. As the soldier collapsed back inside, he hopped onto the hood before reaching the rooftop and shooting down every soldier inside from the ring-mount

  "Wow, does it take them that long to get ready?" Ivan muttered.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

  "Yikes!" He jumped off as the incoming chopper fired multiple rounds at him. He then said, "C'mon Haystack, we're outta here and you're shooting!"

  "What? But wha-" He then realized why, "Oh, ok."

   He then galloped over there and climbed onto the rooftop, causing the Humvee to tilt slightly.

  "You know you could just-" Ivan said as he opened the door and dragged the body out of the seat.

  "No t'ahme!" He grabbed onto the HMG. "Anyways, whah are we doin' this?"

Schreeeech!

   A Humvee appeared on the other side of the alley way before turning the turret towards them and opening fire.

  "Uh oh." Haystack then counter-attacked.

  "That's why." He slammed the door shut and pulled the lever onto drive. He then pushed the gas pedal, causing the Humvee to speed off while two more behind them gave chase. That's when bullets started to fly out of their HMG's.

    Despite this, Haystack was able to turn the turret towards them and fire, aiming for the drivers. The firefight lasted for about a block until Haystack managed to bring one of them down. The Humvee would skid out of control before crashing into the other one with tremendous force, sending both HMG armed soldiers flying into the air.

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   Bullets pounded onto the street, for the chopper was flying back for another round.

  "Ugh, it's back." The pony muttered before aiming at the cabin entrance (Where the bullets were coming from).

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at...

   He returned fire, and it only took about four seconds before the soldier would drop. Once the pilots got word of that, they turned the chopper ninety degrees counter-clockwise before preparing to fire a missile.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep...

   A red light started flashing on the steering wheel, making Ivan notice. Underneath that, it read "FLARE".

   He gasped, for he knew what was about to happen.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!

   He pressed the button, and a trio of flares would fire from three muzzles located on each bottom side of each Humvee. And so, the missile would follow one of the follow one of the flares while the pilots of the chopper tried to shoot Haystack down. Fortunately to him, he was able to stand his ground, even as Ivan made a sharp turn to the left at an intersection. It didn't take long before the chopper couldn't take it anymore. The bullets were able to fly through the windows and kill the pilots. And before they knew it, the chopper was making its decent towards the ground.

  "So, How-"

CRASH! BOOM!

  "Holy Shoot!" Haystack jolted as he watched the mushroom cloud of fire and smoke arise in the distance.

  "What was that?" Ivan asked.

  "Where the hell are we goin'?"

  "Don't know. We'll just tell troy that-"

BOOM!!

   The robot was back, standing in front of them.

  "Crud!" Ivan pushed the breaks, causing the vehicle to skid towards the robot before coming to a halt.

   Meanwhile, Haystack returned fire as fear was crawling into him, aiming for the face.

   Ivan then pushed the gas pedal and sped off to the right before the robot could make his move.

"C'mere Cupcake!!!" The robot yelled before giving chase.

  "No wonder they weren't putting up much of a fight!" Ivan shouted as the Humvee shook from the robot's running.

"Booyaaa!!!" The robot then jumped into the air.

  "Ah'van!" Haystack cried as he watched the robot jump over them like a hurdle.

   Ivan then pushed the brake, while simultaneously getting out his M79 and loading it with the few grenades he had left.

BOOM!!

   The robot landed in front of them before turning around. It then raised its fist, preparing to strike. By then, Ivan was ready to fire. He stuck the M79 out the window and fired grenades at its face.

"Ulgh!" The robot groaned as it refrained from its move to tend to its wound.

   This gave Ivan a chance to drive around the distracted machine.

"Get back he-

BOOM!!

   The head exploded into pieces once the last of the HMG bullets tore through it.

  "Bull's-eye." Haystack muttered in satisfaction, watching the robot dance in mechanical pain, with sparks flying out of the neck stump.

  "Nice shot." Ivan complemented as he watched the event unfold through the side view mirror.

  "Thanks." He replied while he was reloading.

   Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  "Uh Oh." Haystack muttered, his jaw dropping at the sight beholding him.

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!" The headless machine cried while pounding his chest with two fists.

  "Crap!" Ivan shouted as he watched it jump into the air again, "Kill it!"

  "On it!" Haystack finished reloading and aimed upwards.

   While in midair, the robot took his rocket launcher out and pointed it towards them.

"Mmmaggot!!"

Boom!

   The rocket flew out of the muzzle, only for the bullets to stop it.

BOOM!

   The robot was sent flying back before crashing onto the street below, creating a massive crater in the gravel.

  "So, I guess shooting it in the head won't kill it." Ivan said in disbelief.

  "'Ah guess it doesn't. And how the hay is it talkin' without its head?"

  "Beats me!"

Static!

  "Ivan, where the hell are you?"

  "Somewhere in someplace, I don't know!" Ivan said, looking around in panic. "Look, I'm driving very fast and the buildings look the same in this area! How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

  "Ah'van, it's back!" Haystack watched in astonishment as the robot bounced over the road like a ninja in a forest.

  "Kill it then!"

Rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at...

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!" The robot then jumped into the air, made a fist, and aimed for the ring-mount.

BOOM!!

   Fortunately, he missed, but the blast was powerful enough to throw the Humvee off, sending Haystack flying into the air, screaming. Ivan in the meantime, hit his head on the rooftop, making him struggle for a scream. But once it hit ground, it rolled over violently, sending Ivan all over the place like a piece of clothing in a washing machine.

  "Nmh." Ivan moaned, feeling a little dizzy once the wild ride ended. He was now lying flat on his back over the chairs, "Haystack, you alright?"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

   The footsteps from the machine grew louder as the ground shook.

  "Haystack? ... Oh yeah, that's right." He quickly opened the door and got out, ignoring the robot that was approaching him.

"Surrender in the name of our dearest fatherland!" A deep voice yelled as five helicopters hovered over the area.

  "Looking around, he also noticed that over five dozen troops were surrounding him, from every alley and from every side of the road.

  "Great." He muttered, putting his hands up, and still looking for Haystack.

   Not a few moments after, he was able to find him... with his head down, eyes closed, bruised, and being restrained by two soldiers. "Found 'em, but he's knocked out... again."

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

  To justify the fact that he wasn't hallucinating, Ivan took out his walkie talkie and contacted his comrade. "Uh, Haystack?"

BOOM!

  The sound of the four-legged drone exploding got him to get up from his position.

  However, a different voice came in through the lines. "Yeah?"

"Oh, it's you. Put Haystack on the line!"

"Can't, he's busy!" She replied. "So what's up?!"

"What do you mean he can't. Grr, forget it. Anyways, Your 'friend' just fired electro-bolts from his hoof!"

"Oh, that's what you're calling for? Huh, to be clear, I told him to buy a new dice called 'Emperor's strike'."

"What!"

"Whoa, I just told him that that vending machine was there, don't blame me!"

  He hopped down the rooftop and shot three state soldiers on the spot. One of the soldiers would drop a tape recorder, getting Ivan to pick it up before dashing off. "Ugh... so, how were you able to convince the colt?"

"Didn't do anything. He just saw the situation, and went on to buy the dice."

"So, it was that easy?"

"Yep, by the way, Maribelle out."

"Wait, what-" *Static!*, "Ugh!"

Zap!

  He fired another round of electro-bolt at a sentry gun that was planted past the gates of the checkpoint. Following, the firestorm girls would terminate the Sentry with their shotguns.

"Into the corn fields, now!!" Isabella yelled.

  The squadron wasted no time in entering the fields before the air reinforcements would arrive.

"Do not engage the choppers! We're getting the hell out of here!"

  Since they were running, Ivan decided save that issue for later. Also, while doing so, he chose to take a listen into the newly acquired intel, "Last time I saw him... was three days ago... He was taken by the Sancta Fructum... the next day, I found him in their uniform, wielding a rifle... and shooting at our men... Oh god, Ryan... what did they do to you... You need to be safe, not insane."

  The man began to cry. "My own brother... would go against the state... Damn... this world is cruel!!"

  The recording ended.

"Hmm, I don't know buddy, you often question what we're fighting for."

  They exited the small patch of corn plants and reached an area of barren land where it looked like it was being prepared for agriculture.

"So, what explains this?" He asked the captain.

"Despite Aegnus being an agricultural city, this country has been through a lot since Heinz came into power... and the pinhead wasn't prepared to deal with it!" She looked to the far left at another cornfield patch. "That way!!"

  She ran in that direction, getting the others to follow along.

  Entering it, Isabella would slow down before signaling them to stop. All that could be heard now, was the sound of the chopper rotors in the distance. She lowered her hand to reach the ground where a cellar door was there, made a fist, and proceeded to make a series of knock patterns.

"So Haystack..." Ivan whispered to him. "Why'd y-"

"To get us over here, okay?" He interrupted.

  Iva rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine."

  But he knew that this wasn't done yet.

Knock! Kn-kn-knock! Knock! Kn-knock! Knock!

  A few seconds went by before the door slowly creaked open, revealing a light.

"Aah, Isabella." said the man on the other side. "You know what comes next, right."

"Of course, Aaron."

  Aaron opened the door and let them in, but not without cutting them with a pocket knife. Each and every time, it was the same result. All the girls would receive cuts on their arms, while the three mercenaries would receive nothing. However, despite that, Maribelle would revieve a cut. But instead of screaming like a little girl, she,

"Ow!" She then slapped the man. "Don't do that again."

"Well, looks like that is subject A1." He smiled.

"So, why are you here again?" Isabella asked while she and Ivan walked alongside each other.

"Silver Fox."

"Oh, You're out to find her?"

"She? I thought he was a he?"

"No, she. Who told you that?"

"Uh... do you know Troy?"

"Oh boy." She looked down with a smirk and nodded. "He keeps forgetting that we don't need to disguise her anymore."

"So... he's a she."

"Of course, my friend... but doesn't answer on why we were told to help you go across the border into Aegnus."

"Oh, uh... we found a piece of intel from the department of security."

"Oh, can I see it?"

"Sure." He turned around to find the person who still has it. "Maribelle?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have the USB?"

  Not questioning what he was talking about, she checked her pockets. "Here you go, Mister Ivan!"

  She tossed him the USB in which he was able to quickly catch without problems.

"Hmm, strange little girl." He mumbled.

"Huh." Isabella said, after she got a hold of it.

"Yeah, but it requires a password in order to-"

"No problem, buddy." She then turned to the rest of her squad. "Take a rest my friends, we group at twenty-two hundred."

"Eye-ai, Madame!" They saluted, before parting off, leaving just the four with her.

  They reached a room down the hallway which seemed to be a computer lab. After about two minutes, they were able to open the files to discover that the password requirement was a breeze to the captain.

"Ha, this shouldn't take long at all."

"So you know the password?" said Ivan.

"Of course." She then went on to type in the code. In about a couple seconds, a new window opened, which revealed a letter.

Dear Mercenary contracted for this operation,

  You have now discovered the passcode to this file. Here's the thing, the next file will require a password in the next city named Spark city. From who? You might ask. Well, here's your next task. I want you to infiltrate Aegnus's city hall. There, you will find some files in the mayor's office that belong to a man that only I and the state know. Specifically, the files will be located to your right in one of the cabinets... good luck.

                                                                                                        - Silver Fox

"This is why I told my girls to take a rest before twenty-two hundred." she explained.

  All Ivan did was sigh, "So let me get this straight, we got until ten PM until we'll be heading towards the city hall, right?"

  She nodded, "Yes sir, so, is there anything I can offer you before we move out?"

"We're hungry." said Maribelle. "Would you kindly give us something to eat."

  She grinned, hoping that she didn't insult her or anything; but all Isabella did was smile and say, "I knew one of you'd say that."

  In the hospital room, everything was quiet. Neither Thomas or Alice said a word to each other. It felt as if this were a standoff between two nations who have just declared a cease fire on each other. While doing so, they both chose to read newspapers that happened to be on the nightstands near their beds. On the headline it read. "THE DEPARTMENT OF SECURITY ATTACKED!"

  With subtext underneath it, reading. "The infiltrators have struck again, killing more than two dozen of our fellow comrades in the armed forces."

"Well, if you should at least explain why you chose to bail on your own troops like that." Alice suggested, finally breaking the long silence between them.

  He wanted to slap his face, but refrained from doing so. "I did it so I can keep on serving my leader! How difficult is it for you all to-."

"Soldiers aren't cowards, Tom."

"But what was I supposed to do? Do I have purpose fighting for the state, or am I just a puppet?"

  She rolled her eyes, reading through the article. "You always had that type of problem all your life."

"What?"

"Ditching your friends so that you won't get hurt?" She gave a little scoff. "Back in elementary school, you'd always do that... leave them behind and let them suffer consequences, punches, kicks, you were such a woos."

"Yeah, but that never meant that you never did the same. Being one of the 'lucky' ones to escape from our dear country. And now look, you're working for a company that serves a long side it."

"Ha, at least I didn't whined up sleeping with the dictatress of Doofania slash the Dictator's daughter."

  Thomas frowned.

"So, how did you end up dating the cougar."

  He blushed, feeling a bit of anxiety from how that happened. "I, uh... don't want to t-talk about it."

"Oh." She frowned too. "Okay then... I-I didn't know that it went that way."

  He nodded, looking up at the white painted ceiling above him.

"So, how has she been with you."

"She's... treated me well. " He tried to lighten the mood by reminding himself of certain memory. "But the funny thing is, she's constantly trying to hide it from the people... constantly telling her highest Generals and their apprentices to keep a secret. But hey, every soldier knows it by now. Pfft, even the Platypus Cyborg knows it."

"Wow... glad the people don't."

"Who?"

"The citizens."

"Oh, yeah."

  There was silence between them. "Tom?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"When we were little, do you remember when I asked you that you'd come with me to the outside?"

"Yeah... but I wanted to stay, remember? Because of my dream to become a cadet."

  She put one hand over her other as she looked down on them with gloom on her mind. "You know, when I left, I never knew that you'd end up with her."

"Huh, neither did I."

  She wanted to cry, thinking that he was oblivious to what she meant.

  However, Thomas knew; but didn't have the will to tell her. Only thing he could so was mutter. "I'm sorry."

  On the verge of tears, her phone chose to interrupt. "Huh?"

  She rushed over and picked it up as fast as she could and listened in. "Hello?"

"Yeah, Alice, it's your boss." said Redmond.

"Oh, hi, Redmond." She held back the tears she wanted to let go of, putting a smile over her face. "How's it-"

"Look, I've sent a squadron of scoutbots towards the city of Aegnus. Where the infiltrators are now located."

"What?"

"Just do your job. Look, I'm sending Walter to deliver you a laptop so that you can command from there. Good bye."

  He hung up.

  Frustrated, from both her job and Thomas's oblivion, she lied her head back onto the bed and groaned.

"Hmm, I know how you feel." Thomas muttered to himself.

"So Pierre." asked Isabella, as the two walked down an empty hallway of their underground resistance cell. "How has it been?"

"Ugh, nothing's been well."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Ugh, remember when I told you about that woman that went rogue?"

"You mean Blythe Baxter."

"Yes, I had to confront her at Danville's museum last night."

"Oh... how did it go?"

"She shot herself in 'ze head."

"Well... thanks to all the Body builders she drenched herself in, I should've figured."

"Ugh, if she never went off with that son of bitch Josh, everything would've been fine."

  Isabella looked down onto her boots and sighed. "Is it because of Delilah's son, Preston?"

  He nodded.

"'Ze boy was so shy when he was around her. Kind of like how you were with Phineas."

"Shut up, Pierre. I just didn't want him to know it." She frowned. "Only to realize that it was too late."

"Sorry, by 'ze way."

"Mmm Hmm. Now, how have the others been, I mean, the ones you're fighting along side."

"Odd. That's all. 'Ze pony Haystack and Maribelle are having a strange Symbiotic relationship. While Ivan is just being himself 'ze whole way through."

"What do you mean by 'himself'?" She asks.

"Nothing. The guy's just a normal teenager, that's all."

"And what about the pony and subject A1?"

"I don't know much about them, all that I know is that they have been close since we rescued her from 'ze department of labor."

"Oh...um, speaking of Ivan, how will we tell him that Silver Fox actually knows him personally?"

"I don't know... what about you?"

"Judging by both Preston's and your experience, I say that he discovers it on his own."

"Agreed." He says. "Anyways, what should we do now?"

"Don't know, walk around?"

"Good Idea, I got nothing better to do anyways."