Transformation

This chapter contains three different links to three different songs. The links are song*, music^ and time~. Please click on them to fully enjoy the scene in which they were placed. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.

Whole New World
Chapter 17
Transformation

Dano and his team sped across the open plain at a break neck speed. A bit of the survivor was enjoying the ride as the two four-wheelers powered up and down the small hills that dominated the rolling field, but he didn’t let it show. Dano steeled himself for the torrent he was going to unleash on his squad. Always in their face, always pushing them harder and harder until they believed they would break only to figure out they could do this. The confidence that would spring up from that one realization was what Dano was gunning for, and god willing he would succeed with enough time to return to Ponyville.

After speeding along for a few minutes Dano and his team reached the edge of the forest the survivor had once inhabited, and the small convoy came to a halt. Dano turned in his seat to see Echo sitting between Big Mac and Soarin on the back of the quad.

“You remember how to get home?”

Echo blinked in confusion before giving Dano an ‘are you kidding me’ look.

“I will take that as a no.”

Echo’s expression didn’t change as he nodded.

“Smartass.” Dano mumbled under his breath as he turned back around, and after a quick thought decided to wing it.

Dano eased his four-wheeler into the brush and found himself moving slowly through a forest decked out in hues of orange, red and yellow. The survivor tried his best to keep the machine pointed in a straight line as he weaved in-between trees, seeing as when he had emerged the first time there wasn’t much turning involved.

After a few minutes of moving through the colorful forest Dano felt a nudged on his shoulder. He turned to see Echo pointing with his paw to his right, and the survivor guessed that the wolf had seen something he remembered. Dano turned the quad bike in the direction Echo had pointed, and within the minute came upon a small clearing with a fallen log resting in the middle that looked familiar. This is where I found Fluttershy. The survivor knew where he was now, and he picked up speed as he reentered the forest.

Dano pushed through the last of the shrubbery soon after discovering the clearing, and found himself sitting on the edge of his old camp. The survivor just sat for a few seconds, enjoying the familiar scene of his old home before moving toward the cabin.

The team had emerged from the woods with the cabin facing them, and sitting slightly to the right. Dano could see that his truck and MULE had not been moved or tampered with in his absence as he pulled up next to the stationary vehicles that rested to the immediate front of the cabin. Braeburn followed Dano’s lead and pulled up next to his instructor just as the survivor turned off his quad. Dano hopped off his four-wheeler quickly as Braeburn shut off his vehicle, and began to move towards the building that dominated the clearing. Echo followed his friend as Dano moved a few feet away from the group that was slowly climbing off of the vehicles they had been riding on.

Dano did a quick about face before calling to his team.

“Form up!”

The five squad members scrambled up to about two feet in front of Dano only to stop and stand at attention. Echo plopped down next to Dano once the team was assembled, and the survivor began his second speech of the day.

“I have less than a half month to make you pukes resemble something like a soldier, and this is where I will do it.” Dano made a wide arc with his hand to encompass the clearing. “This is where you will eat, sleep, train and survive, just as I have. Here you will become the best I can make you, the best Ponyville has to defend itself.”

Dano let the gravity of his words sink into the men in front of him, for they needed to know why they were here. The survivor hopefully instilled within them a meaning, a purpose to push themselves, but only time will tell if his plan had worked. After a mental sigh at the fact that everything hinged on his ability to mentally condition the men in front of him Dano got to work.

Just as Dano had planned the rest of the day went by without any real physical stress on anybody. The survivor first stripped each of his men of their individual articles of clothing. Big Mac lost his wheat sprig, the Doctor lost his trench coat and Braeburn lost his cowboy hat. Despite the lack of uniforms Dano believed he had stripped them enough of their individuality to make them on the same plane of existence, which the survivor kept telling them was lower than dirt.

After making his team one entity Dano issued them all body armor and tactical vests, which luckily were designed to be adjustable for the user. The extra clothing helped out the survivor two ways. First by forcing his team to adjust to the foreign feeling of having the somewhat extra bulky layers on as they trained, and made them loose a little bit more of their differences and blend together.

With the armor dished out Dano gave each of his recruits an M4 Carbine. He purposely neglected to give them ammunition, for he was teaching them a lesson about their new lives.

“Your weapon is your life.”

Dano spoke as he handed out the rifles.

“Without your weapon you are useless, and without you your weapon is useless. You will take care of your weapon with the same amount of care as you would your child. You will clean it, you will maintain it and you will protect it. If you do as I have told you your weapon will protect you and your friends, and you will always come home.”

Once finished handing out the M4s Dano moved on with other basic things that every soldier should know, such as when and when not to salute, the ‘at ease’ stance, the difference between the orders ‘at ease’ and ‘as you were’ and the basic rules for their conduct as the recruits they were.

The sun had drifted across the sky quite a bit, but not far enough to call for lights out. Dano gave his team the rest of the day off to wander around and get acclimated. While the men went their separate ways to wonder about why they thought coming here was a good idea the survivor began to check over the mundane workings of his camp.

Dano looked over his food and water supply. He was content with the fact that he had plenty of MREs left, but his bottled water had dwindled enough to worry him even if he lived alone. The survivor would have to begin boiling lake water to cover his team’s liquid consumption. After checking the rest of the camp Dano was satisfied that the water was his only concern, and took the time to run back to the farm house with his MULE to retrieve several plain glasses and a large metal pot.

Once back at the cabin Dano immediately boiled a pot of water and allowed it to cool before calling his team over for dinner. The entire meal was held in silence as Dano decided not to speak and the recruits followed the rule of only speaking when spoken to. After the bland meal the survivor put another pot of water on the fire to let it boil as his men sat around in silence. With the second pot of water complete Dano moved it inside so animals and insects would not get into it.

Dano had ordered his team to follow him as he brought the water inside. Once in the cabin the survivor pulled the comforter and top sheet off of his bed as well as the spares from the chest and laid them on the ground. The comforter would act as a mat for three team members to sleep on, and the sheet would be the blanket. Dano was sure the extra body heat from the whole squad being in the same room would ward off the mid-autumn cold, and the fact that the team would be sleeping in close proximity to each other would help build a bond they would need for the fight ahead.

As the team got ready for bed Dano instructed them that the only thing they would shed was their boots, vest and armor, and that their rifle would be next to them through the entire night. The survivor had quite a bit more to remove, and ended up losing his armor, vest, Magnum, backpack, and fanny pack.

Dano laid down and placed his loaded rifle next to him. He knew that his team would probably have a hard time finding sleep, but as he thought about it he felt himself smile in the dark. Tomorrow he would come down hard, and make them yearn for sleep like they had never done so before.

The next day Dano awoke to the predawn dark like usual. He rose, donned his gear and brushed his teeth before waking his team violently with shouts and somewhat hard kicks. The survivor gave them all two minutes to follow his lead and get ready. To Dano’s men’s sorrow none of them finished before the allotted time, and the survivor gave the team a check before rushing them out the door despite not finishing their new morning routine.

Once outside Dano organized his recruits into a semicircle around him, and he lead the team in stretching as the sun rose in the east. The survivor used the same stretches that he remembered using when he played football, but extended it a bit farther to eat up time.

With the sun now fully risen and the team stretched Dano decided they would go for an endurance run. With full gear the team took off at a reasonable pace into the woods in a line with Dano at the lead. The survivor knew he wasn’t much of a runner, and would have to push himself to get his team to do so, and after a good half hour he could feel the burn in his legs and lungs as he ran. Not willing to show weakness to his men and to be a good example Dano threw all of his will into the run, and before long he reached his second wind. The pain in his legs disappeared and his breathing returned to something more normal. With his new found energy the survivor lead the run for another hour before turning back toward camp.

As the team finished their run by the front of the cabin Dano looked them over. They were beat from the exercise, especially Carrot seeing as he was the oldest. Ignoring their lack of energy Dano didn’t let up, and after a quick breakfast and water break moved on. Push-ups, sit-up, pull-ups on a tree branch, mountain climbers and many, many more exercises were used, and the survivor lead the team through them all by participating. Dano pushed himself to the limit, but pulled through each time for the sake of being the role model for his team.

The day ended with Dano ordering the group into the lake. They all stripped to their underwear and moved into the body of water to clean their sore bodies. The cold bath only lasted a few minutes, and once clean the team left the lake, donned their clothes and ate another silent dinner. The clean water had been depleted over the course of the day, so Dano drew another bucket from the lake. He made sure to pull the water as far away as possible from where the team had bathed.

With the water heating up to boil Dano decided now was the time to quiz his team. He needed to be sure that they remembered their standing orders as well as conduct even in the most mentally compromising state, and they were all extremely tired. The quiz was a total failure as Dano’s team stuttered through the test. The survivor made his lack of happiness with the outcome felt by calling the team to formation and screaming in their faces until the water came to a boil. Dano pulled the hot pot off of the flames only to return to yelling as he let it cool.

Satisfied that he made his discontent clear Dano ordered his team to bed. Like the night before the survivor lugged the water into the cabin, and found Echo sitting on the bed. The wolf had been enjoying the weather as well as the torment Dano was putting his team through, and the survivor could see a grin on his friend's face even in the dark of the cabin. Inside his tired mind Dano smiled as well, but he kept his flat expression. He would smile once he got his team to the level he needed them.

Dano set the water down, and began his finial challenge for the day. To get his team into the mindset that they were to be constantly on guard the survivor set a sentry on a three hour shift. Using random strips of paper with each team members name on it thrown into Braeburn’s hat Dano pulled out Carrot, Big Mac and his own name. They would go out in that order, and Dano gave Carrot his watch so he could tell the time. The watch would be handed off to the next guard when the shifts changed.

After sending out Carrot, Dano laid down on his mat to get his six hours of sleep for the night. The survivor was sore and tired from pushing his team and himself to the max that day, and sleep didn’t come slowly. Dano drifted into a dreamless slumber as he waited for his turn to stand guard.

Dano found himself being shaken awake by Big Mac, and without using too much thought figured out it was his time for guard duty. The survivor rose and put on his boots, being the only thing he took off. Once finished with his foot gear Dano was given his watch back by Big Mac who then immediately curled up on his part of the mat without a word. The survivor didn’t scold the farmer for his lack of professionalism seeing as he was probably dog tired and would need his sleep.

Dano grabbed his rifle and stretched while he let out a massive yawn. The survivor was extremely sore after the first day of his boot camp, and had to mentally steel himself for the coming pain of the day. As he walked out the front door Dano threw all of his will power into his mind, as well as the urgency of the coming battle to subdue any treacherous thoughts of slacking off.

The survivor moved across the small grassy area between the cabin and the fire pit, and took a seat atop his log. The fire had smoldered out hours ago, but still gave off an eerie orange glow as the built up heat denied the flame its finial death. This is where Dano would sit for the next three hours pumping himself up for the coming day. It didn’t take long for him to achieve a state of mind where he believed the pain was worthwhile, was needed for something bigger than him. The unselfishness of his own struggle made him feel better about himself, and the whole ‘believing in yourself’ was half of the battle.

The next three hours went by rather quickly as Dano sat, his mind wandering through memories both ancient and recent. The survivor checked his watch for the last time before standing and moving back to his cabin. He entered to see his men sleeping soundly as their bodies tried to recuperate from the brutal first day. With an internal smirk Dano started day two of his boot camp.

After brushing his own teeth Dano woke the rest of the team up the same way as before, with shouts and kicks. This day started out even slower than yesterday, and only the Doctor got to the brushing his teeth part of the morning routine. Dano gave the team their first check.

Like the day before the team went for a run after stretching with Dano setting a decent pace. The group was pushing themselves as hard as they could, but they were faltering soon after starting. About halfway through Dano looked over his shoulder to see Carrot falling behind. The survivor barked at the recruit to keep up, and was met with limited success. When the run was finished Carrot had fallen behind quite a bit, and Dano was forced to give the group their second check.

The team sat down for breakfast and a drink, but to their dismay the meal was cut short when Braeburn fell asleep while eating. Dano called attention and gave the team their third check. With the rules broken a third time the survivor chewed out the group before beginning a work out that made the first day look like a cake walk. For hours without a break they did every exercise known to man, and all the while Dano lead the pack with his mental attitude pulling him through.

When the sun was a couple hours from setting and ending the worst day of the recruit’s life Dano got his chance to finally put into words why he was mercilessly overworking his team. Soarin was doing another set of pull-ups for the umpteenth time that day when he stopped halfway on his fifth rep and fell off of the tree. His legs could barely support him, and gave out once he hit the ground. Dano watched the entire thing with a straight face and arms crossed as the recruit became the hauntingly familiar form of a man defeated, his body slouched over his knees.

“Get up.” Dano commanded as he glared at Soarin.

“I can’t.”

Dano’s glare only intensified.

“What did you say?”

Soarin didn’t look up from the ground.

“I can’t.”

Dano stormed up to the recruit and grabbed him by his navy blue hair, yanking his head back in the process. Simultaneously the survivor had unsheathed his blade and pressed it up to Soarin’s throat not hard enough to cut, but hard enough for the recruit to feel it. Dano glared into Soarin’s tired eyes, his voice full of anger.

“Is that what you are going to say when you are too tired to fight? When those raiders over run your friends and kill them in front of your eyes?”

Soarin was speechless as Dano’s voice grew in volume.

“Is that what you are going to say when you are sitting in hell knowing that you quit when your friends and family needed you most!? When those raiders storm Ponyville and killed everyone!?”

Dano pressed his blade harder against Soarin’s throat.

“IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY WHEN YOU KNOW RAINBOW DASH IS BEING MURDURED BECAUSE YOU GAVE UP!?”

Dano released Soarin with a shove, knocking the man on his back as the survivor turned to the rest of the group to address them all.

“You will not listen to the voices in your head. The ones telling you to quit, that you can’t go on. They will get you and your friends killed.”

Dano turned his gaze back to Soarin, who had yet to get up.

“The only voice you should hear in your head is mine, and mine alone.”

Dano let the words settle over the group, a bit of worry in his mind that he had gone too far, but after a brief hesitation he saw a spark in Soarin’s eyes. The survivor smiled internally as Soarin pulled himself to his feet, the spark growing into a flame.

“Get back up in that tree and give me ten more pull-ups.” Dano ordered, and the recruit replied with a quick ‘sir, yes sir’ before hopping into the tree. It took him a lot of effort, but Soarin completed his set.

Satisfied, Dano let his team take a quick bath then a short dinner before setting up the nightly guard duty. Thankfully the survivor had gone the day before, so he was exempt for that night. He curled up on his mat after boiling a pot of water and removing his gear with the tiniest of smiles on his face. He had planted the seed, he just had to wait for it to grow.

The next seven days went on like before, but with a slow improvement day to day. Around day five the group could get ready in the two minute allotment as well as complete their physical challenges quicker, and Dano had not given out a check since then.

Along with the physical advance came the mental one. Dano could see the team begin to grow on each other, and during the morning run on day seven the survivor could hear the rest of the group whispering encouragement to Carrot, seeing as he always struggled on the run. The small push from his team mates carried Carrot through to the end, and it made Dano feel proud. Proud that he had, even in his small amount of time, created a bond between his team members that would carry them through the coming fight.

Dano decided that on day ten he would begin weapons training, and the day started like any other with a stretch and run. After this though the whole process changed. Dano issued ammunition and basic modifications to his team then gave them a lecture about how to use their weapons effectively, as well as clean them. The lecture was devoid of his usual condescending tone and bad language, as well as dropping the third person speech the recruits had been using. As far as the survivor was concerned his men had passed their test, and he knew that learning how to use a tool, whether it be a rifle or a plow, was frustrating. Dano didn’t want to cause his men too much grief as he taught them how to be deadly with their weapons.

Along with spending time shooting at targets and being taught how to maintain their weapons Dano took his team on mock patrols into the woods. Using his relatively vast knowledge on the military he instructed them on how to react to ambushes. To push his point across every now and again Dano would fire his weapon into the air without warning to see how his squad reacted. Like taught they would throw themselves onto the ground and began scanning for targets before the survivor would call them back into formation and continuing the patrol.

After the first day of shooting Dano decided that he would send a message back to Ponyville, telling Rarity that they would be coming home a day earlier and that Pinkie should set up a party or something of the like. The message also included requests for a spa day for his men as well as haircuts. The whole point of coming home early was simple, to help his men remember just what they were fighting for before hopping off the deep end.

The survivor used the case his binoculars had come in as a container to hold the letter he had written and gave it to Echo. The wolf was exited to finally have something to do, and the whole set up gave Dano an idea. Before sending Echo off the survivor jotted down a small note for Rarity to make a vest of some sort that held a tube for papers so Echo could function as a courier during battle, effectively making his squad more flexible.

Once the letter and note were secured in the binocular case Echo took it in his mouth and took off at a full sprint. Dano suppressed a laugh as he watched the overly excited wolf dash off into the brush before returning to his team which had just completed dinner.

Day eleven and twelve went by like before, with target shooting, patrols and lectures. While watching his team practice the survivor noticed that Big Mac was the best shot on full auto. Dano guessed it had to do with his muscles, which still dwarfed the rest of the teams despite the intense exercise. With this knowledge Dano gave Big Mac the M249 and made him the squad support gunner. The large farmer proved his right by unleashing a full five hundred round burst onto a target with amazing accuracy at two hundred yards.

Along with Big Mac’s ability to keep his weapon trained on target even on full auto Dano noticed that Carrot was, after some preliminary practice, a good shot as well, but at a much slower rate than his large comrade. The older recruit had much better hand and arm control than most, probably from his time decorating delicate cakes, and it made him deadly accurate. Dano gave him an M16A3 with a heavy barrel attachment and hunting scope he stole from the farm house. The barrel was longer as well as heavier, effectively turning the weapon into a medium range sniper rife. With the weapon in his hands, and some breathing practice, Carrot became absolutely deadly at extreme range, and Dano had to admit he was a better shot than he was.

The last night the team would spend at camp was another quiet one, with the group talking to each other in hushed tones. The squad sat around the fire watching it burn as they ate their food when Dano suddenly felt an urge to look over his men. As he did so he could see something different. They sat with a posture of confidence that they had earned from the two weeks of hell they worked through, and the survivor could see the bond between them as they talked quietly as if they had been friends since they were born. Dano felt a smile stretch across his face, and the team noticed.

“Well this is new.” Soarin said to the rest of the group, his trademark goofy smile on his face. “I don’t think that I have seen Instructor Masset smile the entire time we have been here.”

The group chuckled, and Dano joined in.

“And now he is laughing? I think we broke him.”

Braeburn’s joke only made the group laugh a little harder.

“I don’t have to be a mean cuss anymore, seeing as we are going home tomorrow. You have all graduated so you deserve the respect of a smile.”

Dano’s comment made the whole group grin from ear to ear.

The rest of the meal was carried out with plenty of talking, joking and laughing. Before long the food was eaten, and the group moved off to bed. Before they curled up for the last night in the cabin Dano returned the confiscated clothing to their respective owners, and only Big Mac had to wait to get a new wheat sprig to complete his usual ensemble.

An excitement flowed through the air as the group found their places on the mats. They were all ready to get home, to see their friends and family as well as get the mission started. The team drifted off into a light slumber, none of them wanting to miss even a single minute of their reunion.

Dano awoke to the usual predawn dark, and with an enthusiasm he had not felt in a while got ready for the day. After brushing his teeth and getting his gear on the survivor woke his team up with a quick shout. They had gotten used to waking up to Dano as an alarm clock, and didn’t waste any time rising from bed and getting themselves ready.

Once dressed and geared up the group moved out of the cabin to their awaiting vehicles. Dano had refueled his four-wheeler as well as the Apple Families the day before, and filled his three gas cans while he was at the farm house. He had placed them in the bed of his MULE next to the single case that held the rest of the survivor’s ammunition. Satisfied with the amount of fuel he was now carrying Dano hopped into the driver’s seat of his MULE and started the vehicle as the Doctor climbed into the passenger’s seat. Big Mac and Carrot climbed aboard Dano’s quad, and Braeburn mounted his own four-wheeler with Soarin climbing on the back.

With the team loaded up on their vehicles Dano moved out of the clearing with the group forming a small convoy behind him. The survivor pushed his MULE into the brush on the outskirts of the clearing with a little more speed that was required. He was exited to get back to Ponyville, and he bet the rest of his team did as well.

The cruise through the woods went slower than on the way in. Dano’s MULE was a tad wider than the following four-wheelers effectively making it that much harder to navigate the maze of trees. Eventually though the survivor pushed through the forest and found himself on the edge of the field that wrapped around half of Ponyville, and Dano slammed his foot on the gas once his rear tires cleared the brush. The MULE roared with the sudden increase in fuel as the tires spun a bit in the soft sod before finding purchase and launching the vehicle into a dead sprint. Big Mac and Braeburn followed their commander’s lead, and the convoy raced across the rolling field at a break neck speed toward home.

Dano let off the gas when he reached the outskirts of town, and angled his MULE toward Rarity’s house so they could begin getting ready for the party the survivor knew Pinkie Pie had been working on even before he sent the letter. The convoy stayed on the perimeter of the town, seeing as Rarity’s home was one of the outer buildings. Before long the survivor caught a glimpse of the ornate light blue building that was his destination.

The convoy moved to the front of the building and came to a halt before the drivers shut off their respective engines. As the team clambered off of their vehicles the door opened to reveal Rarity standing in the threshold in a white robe with fluffy purple trim and a white towel wrapped around her head. Dano noticed she looked a bit different without her makeup and usual clothing, but she was attractive none the less. The survivor also noticed that the fashionista had a nervous smile on her face as the team approached.

“Good morning everyone.” Rarity said once the group was close enough to hold a conversation.

“Nice to see you Rarity, did you get my message?” Dano asked while still pondering her expression.

“I did.”

Dano raised an eyebrow at Rarity’s short response.

“And?”

Rarity blinked in confusion before catching herself.

“Silly me. I made Echo a vest like you asked, and it turns out Pinkie was already planning a party for you. I have also set up your appointments with the spa, and the barber will be seeing you there as well.”

Dano nodded as he processed the information.

“I take it Echo went back to Fluttershy’s?”

Rarity nodded quickly, her expression still a nervous smile. Dano decided it was about time he figured out what was going down.

“You mind if I come in?”

Dano took a step forward, but Rarity cut him off.

“I’m sorry, but now is not the best time. I uh… have to get ready for the party.”

Dano gave Rarity a suspicious look before leaning over a bit to see over her shoulder. The survivor could see most of the shop as well a sliver of the kitchen, but a sliver was all he needed. Sitting at the table with her back to Dano was a woman wearing a robe similar to Rarity’s. Her long, messy bond hair ran down her back and ended in a sloppily tied ribbon as a cup of coffee rested in her hands right in front of her face.

“You have company?” Dano asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. He could recognize Applejack despite the lack of her signature hat.

Rarity realized Dano had seen enough to get her into trouble, and decided to play along to save her own skin.

“Yes! Company is here, and I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

Dano let out a soft chuckle before letting the matter settle.

“Well, I will leave you to it then.” Dano purposely put emphasis on the ‘it’ to spook Rarity for fun, and it worked much better than the survivor could imagine as he watched the blood run from the fashionista’s face.

“We will be seeing you around Rarity.”

Dano turned around and motioned for his team to follow, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and confusion at the conversation that had just taken place. They followed the silent orders none the less, and followed Dano down the street toward the spa. The survivor could hear a loud sigh come from Rarity as she closed the door, and it made a large smile move across his face as he walked into town.

Before long the group arrived at the spa and made their way inside of the large yellow building. Inside Dano was greeted by a smiling Lotus and two other women. The survivor recognized one as Wind Whistler, even with a white apron over her usual grey dress clothes, but the other was unknown. They mystery woman wore a white apron over a sky blue polo and short white skirt. Her sapphire blue eyes matched with her clothing as well has her blue and bluish grey hair.

“Morning gentlemen.” Lotus chimed much like the first time Dano had met her, but he could hear a slight tone change. He chalked it up to the death of her sister.

“I do believe we have an appointment, and that the barber would be here?”

Lotus nodded politely.

“He will be here in a short while, but as you wait we can get started on your visit.”

Dano nodded in agreement, and the three women began their job.

The spa workers organized the group so that they would enter the spa one at a time to give the girls enough of a cushion between each customer to property take care of them. Dano decided to go last, and waited as each of his squad entered the changing room at ten minute intervals.

When it was Dano’s turn he followed the same procedure that he did the last time after entering the changing room. He stripped and donned a white towel then moved out the back door into the hot bath section. After a quick bath he was then moved to one of the steam rooms then to the cold bath. The survivor found himself sitting in the bath with the mystery woman shampooing his hair, and decided to start a conversation as he relaxed.

“So, what’s your name?” Dano asked with his eyes closed and a content smile across his face.

“Colgate.”

Dano shifted a bit under the woman’s hands

“Like the toothpaste?”

Colgate chuckled a bit.

“Yeah. Ironically I work as a dentist part time.”

Dano chuckled.

“Why are you here then?”

Colgate’s hands paused for a moment as she searched for an answer.

“Lotus was having a tough time with the loss of her sister. Wind Whistler and I offered to help around the spa to get her mind off of things. It seems to be working.”

As Colgate went back to massaging Dano’s scalp a question formed in his brain.

“What about Wind Whistler, she lost her boyfriend.”

The image of Caramel lying on the Doctor’s kitchen table bleeding out flashed across Dano’s brain, and it made him tense up. Colgate felt the change in presence of the survivor, but continued to massage anyway.

“She was really broken up about it, and I pushed her to take this job instead of moping around. It has done her some good as well.”

Dano slowly relaxed after the quick image just as Colgate finished her job. Dano dunked his head under the water as the spa worker left and ran his hands through his hair to remove the thick shampoo. Sure he had washed out the last of the soap from his long hair the survivor climbed out of the tub, wiped himself off and donned his towel before moving to the dressing room.

Inside of the dressing room Dano found a small stack of clothing that he remembered wearing before next to the pile of his dirty clothing and equipment. A plain white t-shirt rested atop a pair of blue jeans with black socks and underwear resting right next to the small pile. Without wasting much time Dano dropped the towel and got dressed.

Dano walked out of the dressing room after grabbing his old clothes and equipment to find a portable barber’s chair sitting in the middle of the lobby, two teens who looked bored, an older man with a polite smile on his face and his team all sitting in the cheap plastic chairs around the lobby. Dano guessed the spa employees were off cleaning up after the group, and the thought explained their absence.

The older man wore a simple white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Blue pants covered with a blue and white striped apron to above the knee encased the man’s lower body, and black shoes covered his feet. Dano guessed he was the barber by his uniform, and by the fact that he was standing next to the barber’s chair.

The barber motioned for Dano to take a seat, and the survivor complied. As the survivor moved across the room he looked at his men. Each of them had gotten slight trims to their usual haircut, and they all wore the usual clothing, and Big Mac had even found a wheat sprig to put in his mouth. As they chatted away quietly Dano placed his things down and took his seat in the barber’s chair.

“What will it be?” The barber asked with a tone of professionalism.

“Short on the sides, longer on the top.” Dano replied as if he was a regular with the barber.

The barber nodded before moving behind Dano, placing a smock over his body and began working.

Massive clumps of hair fell away from Dano’s scalp as the barber worked his scissors and comb. The survivor had let his hair grow since he had moved from his cabin to Ponyville, where he would usually cut it with his knife if it became annoyingly long. After a good while the barber presented the survivor with a mirror, and he took a good look at himself.

Dano’s long brown hair had been trimmed to his specifications, and he ran a hand through it. The survivor smiled a bit as he looked at his reflection, and a brief image of a life long gone passed through his mind. The barber took Dano’s expression as a sign of satisfaction, and removed the mirror as he called to the two teens.

“Snips, Snails. Sweep up and get ready to move the chair back to the shop.”

The two teens groaned before complying, and Dano got out and moved away from the chair so he wasn’t in the way. The survivor grabbed his gear before motioning to his team that it was time to go. They all rose from their seats, grabbed their own gear and followed the survivor out the front door.

The walk back to Rarity’s house didn’t take long, and the group was making idle conversation as they neared their destination. Dano pulled ahead of the pack when the team was around five feet away, moved up to the door and gave it a few health knocks. The survivor could hear several feminine voices coming from the interior of the building as a single voice rose over the chatter.

“We’re closed.”

Dano chuckled, and filled his voice with mock sadness.

“I guess I will go someplace else then.”

Dano heard plenty of shuffling coming from behind the door, before it opened to reveal Rarity. She was still in her robe, and her hair had been released from its towel. The survivor noticed that the hair was especially well taken care of, even more than usual for the fashionista.

“I apologize for our current attire darling.”

Dano raised an eye brow, and Rarity moved away from the door way to reveal the interior. The survivor could see Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack all sporting the same robes as Rarity, and in different stages of getting ready for something much more formal than Dano believed was necessary. The girls noticed the survivor in the doorway, and smiled at the return of their friend.

“Nice to see you again Dano.” Twilight beamed as she sat in a chair with Pinkie behind her combing her hair.

Dano smiled as he moved into the shop and set his things down on a nearby stage.

“Nice to see you all as well.”

Dano shifted his gaze to Rarity as she began to turn toward the back of the house.

“Don’t you think this is a bit too formal?”

Rarity stopped her turn.

“Not at all! In fact this is one of the best party ideas Pinkie has had in a while.”

Dano turned to talk to Pinkie Pie, but she had moved out from behind Twilight and cruised over to the survivor with lightning speed before stopping inches in front of his face.

“Yeah! Seeing as you are all kinda graduating you should have a graduation party!”

Pinkie’s smile grew impossible large, and Dano let out a chuckle.

“I guess you are right Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie leapt into the air in a fit of joy before returning behind Twilight at the same speed she had left her. The girls giggled at their party girl friend’s antics, and Dano turned to his team.

“You guys can come in.”

As ordered the team moved into the shop with smiles on their face. Twilight got out of her seat and moved over to Big Mac and gave him a quick hug after he had set his things down. Applejack was right behind her friend, and Dano noticed she walked with an obvious limp. Braeburn had appeared next to his large cousin after following his lead just as Applejack arrived at the group, and the four of them began an exited conversation.

Soarin pretty much dropped his things at the door and dived at Rainbow Dash, and she did the same. Their embrace was much more personal than Big Mac’s, and it made Dano smile. The two began to talk quickly to each other without leaving their embrace, and the survivor noticed that Dash has a slight hitch in her jaw from the fracture as she spoke.

Carrot Cake, the Doctor and Dano stood a bit inside of the doorway, not making any moves toward anyone, and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie did the same on the other side of the room. Dano shifted his gaze over to the shy woman and saw her smile at him. The survivor reciprocated before a question popped into his head.

“Where is Rarity?”

Dano shifted his gaze around looking for her.

“I’m just getting your things darling.” Called the fashionista’s voice from the other room, and she soon reappeared with a large stack of clothing in her arms. Dano guessed they were the uniforms he had ordered by the colors, and was soon confirmed as Rarity set the clothing down and spoke.

“I hope you like what I put together.”

Dano smiled.

“I bet it is fantastic Rarity.”

The compliment made Rarity beam with a positive vibe, and she began to hand out the uniforms.

Dano made small talk as he waited for each of his team members to get dressed after being ushered one at a time into a small dressing room in the back of the boutique by Rarity, and the survivor discovered that among other changes Twilight had been nominated and elected mayor. It made sense to Dano, seeing as the librarian was intelligent, well read and somewhat organized. A bit of him worried about her ability to handle the situation she was in. War wasn’t something you could fully fathom from a book. The survivor pushed the thoughts away and returned to waiting for his men.

After getting dressed each team member would return to show off their new clothes, and each had received a good amount of compliments. When it was Dano’s turn he noticed a slight difference in his own attire. Instead of a plain sleeve there was a large gold star resting where an enlisted man’s rank would be, and a white leather holster large enough to hold his Magnum hung off of the white belt that ran over his jacket.

“What are these additions Rarity?”

Rarity seemed to perk up when Dano noticed the changes.

“I visited Twilight to see if she had any books on the military, and after skimming through them I found out that officers seemed to have more ornate uniforms than their men. I hope you like my modifications.”

Rarity made a pouty face, and Dano chuckled at the over dramatic woman.

“We will see.”

With that Dano moved passed Rarity and into the dressing room. The area was extremely small, and a short bench ran across the back wall. A large mirror covered the back of the door, and a single bright light was embedded in the ceiling. Once situated in the dressing room Dano stripped down to his underwear and socks, and began putting on his uniform, making sure not to crease or mess it up in any way.

Dano pulled on a pair of navy blue dress pants that irritated his skin a bit, but that was natural with dressing up. The clothes were made for looks before comfort. A black belt was looped around the waist of the pants, but Dano waited before tightening them up. He first pulled on a thin white undershirt and tucked it in before buttoning up his pants. Next came the black polished dress shoes which, like the rest of the outfit, were a tad uncomfortable. Righting himself after tying up his foot wear Dano moved on to his jacket, and pulled it over his body. The coat was snug to his shoulder and chest, and after pushing all of the large gold buttons through their respective holes the survivor felt a bit restricted in movement. With everything else on Dano wrapped his thick white leather belt around his waist and tightened it. The empty holster rested more on the front than side of the survivor waist, and was probably placed there to show off the weapon. Once everything was in place Dano picked up his cap and turned to look in the mirror before opening the door.

The survivor saw the spitting image of a soldier in his reflection. The navy blue and white blending just the way Dano had imagined it. The white stripe on the outer seam of the pant fit along with the navy blue trim on his jacket. The gold stars on Dano’s shoulders strangely fit despite not being placed in the original plan, and he felt a little pride as the distinguishing mark elevated him above his men as their officer. A smile stretched across the survivor’s face as one of his life long dreams come true. He was a soldier, and one of a town he would happily defend.

Dano left the dressing room with his cap under his arm, and walked into the shop. Everybody looked at the survivor, but before they could begin complimenting on his new look he called to his team.

“Attention!”

Dano’s voice was loud, but not overbearing.

The team all reacted simultaneously, their heels clicking together as they straightened and raised their right hand to their brow to salute. Dano kept a straight face, but internally he smiled at the reaction of the girls. They seemed a bit in awe at the discipline and confidence the men were putting out. Without waiting form the women to react Dano ordered his team into formation. They moved quickly to the center of the room and lined up in front of the survivor, still standing at attention.

Dano moved to the left of the formation and over to his things, grabbed his Magnum and placed it in the ceremonial holster before returning to the group. As he moved across the room the survivor noticed that the girls were watching him curiously, and Dano decided to show instead of tell.

The survivor stopped in front of the farthest left man, which turned out to be Big Mac. Dano looked him over before pulling his wheat sprig out of his mouth. The large farmer gave it up easily, and the survivor moved on down the line. He stopped at each of his men, looking them over and fixing any problems he saw. At the end of the line Dano continued around and checked the backs of his team, fixing any problem he came along. Once the survivor finished his rounds he moved to about two feet in front of the middle man of the formation.

“Congratulations. With these new uniforms you have officially graduated from basic training, and can now call yourself a soldier. Remember that you are the physical embodiment of this town, and act accordingly. You are Ponyville’s Finest, and no one can take that away from you.”

Dano gave the team a small smile, and they reciprocated with ones of their own.

“I am giving you the rest of the day off. You can go and do whatever you want, but at sun down I want you to report to the mayor’s office.”

Dano had dropped his smile as he gave his finial orders of the day.

“Sir, yes sir.”

Dano nodded.

“Dismissed.”

With that the team turned to see a smiling crowd, and the ones with ties to the girls moved in for hugs and congratulations. Dano moved up to Carrot and the Doctor, who had turned but not left formation.

“You two can leave.”

The two soldiers nodded before exiting the shop, donning their caps as them moved through the threshold. As Dano turned to the rest of the group Rarity’s voice rose above the commotion.

“Well. I think it is time the boys left so we can get ready.”

Dano nodded in agreement, and followed Big Mac, Braeburn and Soarin out of the boutique. Once outside the survivor and his men placed their caps upon their head with the visor intentionally low. They moved into a small circle and began a conversation to pass the time as they waited for the women finish getting ready.

What felt like hours had gone by and the ladies had yet to show. The group had moved from their little circle to leaning up against their vehicles as boredom settled over them. Dano was about to get up and bang on the door to get the girls to hurry up when the portal opened. The women moved out of the shop single file, as if on a runway.

Twilight came first. She wore a long dress that barely draped across the ground as she walked. The front of the dress was a light purple which was covered on her hips back by navy blue outer dress with white and light blue stars running around the bottom. Her upper half was encased in light blue around her abdomen then changed into navy blue around her chest with a large white star right in the middle. Twilight’s collar was blown up, and wrapped around the outside of her shoulders before splaying outward like it was part of a cape a magician would wear. To finish off her ensemble a large light blue star rested on the left side of her hair, and it forced her coiffure to slightly wrap over her right shoulder.

Next came Applejack, and despite her limp still managed to look beautiful. Her feet were covered with light green cowboy boots with a red and white trim around the top edge right below the knee. A skirt that matched her boots ended above the knee and ran up to, what appeared to be, a brown leather top. Tassels that reminded Dano of a Wild West film ran around the hem of the skirt, and they fit in with the western theme of the dress. Applejack’s collar was light green like her skirt and hugged her neck like polo’s collar would, and seemed to be held closed by an apple shaped clasp. At the end of the farmer’s arms were a pair of gloves that matched her boots exactly, and an improved version of her hat rested atop her blonde hair, which had been styled with a small curl in the front and braided in the back.

Following the farmer came Pinkie Pie. The party girl wore flat soled pink shoes with little blue and white bows on the front. Her legs were encased in pink stockings, and her poufy pink skirt ended at the knee which had several layers of white cloth underneath. The dress was covered in decorations that looked like lollipops and candy corn as well as bows that looked like wrapped taffy. Despite how outlandish the look was, it fit on the energetic woman. Her midsection was held tightly by blue and white striped top, and her chest was covered in a brighter shade of pink than her skirt. Her shoulders were covered by her top, and her collar was white and poufy, like whipped cream. Pinkie Pie’s hands were encased in gloves that ended at the wrist, and held a bow similar to the one on the front of her shoes on the top of her hand. Her hair had not changed, and a small round white cap rested atop her head, tilted slightly to the left. The skirt held its shape as the party girl bounced around, and Dano gave credit to Rarity for heading off a possibly embarrassing occurrence if Pinkie Pie got overly excited.

Rainbow Dash followed behind Pinkie Pie. Her dress seemed to reflect her aggressive nature, and looked like a cyan toga underneath a rainbow dress that parted in front of the left leg. The dress was trimmed with a white fluff that looked like a cloud, and her feet were covered in what looked like gold roman type sandals with the straps running all the way up to her knee. The rainbow part of the dress ended right below her chest, and the toga took over from there. It was held up by a single thick strap over her left shoulder, and a thin necklace held a pendant that looked like a group of purple grapes rested around the woman’s neck. A golden replica of an olive branch wrapped around her head, and her hair remained the way it usually was except for being held together in the back with a simple red band.

Fluttershy came next, and her dress made Dano think of French high fashion. She wore a one piece canary yellow gown than ended at the ankles. Light green flat soled shoes covered her feet, and the dress tightened a bit around the waist enabling it to show off a bit of Fluttershy’s form. The back part of the dress appeared to be propped up from the inside and gave the whole thing a Victorian Era feel. The train was light green like her shoes, and was trimmed with different colored flowers. A simple light blue ribbon was attached to her dress at the hips and dipped to about halfway down the dress before wrapping around the back. Fluttershy’s collar resembled the branches of a tree, and ended in a large light blue butterfly that rested squarely on her chest. Gloves decorated her hands and ended halfway up the forearm before changing into something that looked like a single vine with little leaves that circled the rest of the way up her forearm. The shy woman’s hair has flowers that matched the trim of her dress scattered around it, and a light blue butterfly rested on the left side of her head. Fluttershy walked with he hands clasped over the front of her dress, and she appeared a little nervous at the attention the guys were giving her.

Finally came Rarity, and she appeared to be the big finale. Her reddish purple dress seemed to be straight out of a fairytale, and it ended right above the ground. The trim, as well as at regular intervals up the dress, looked like yellow ribbons, and what appeared to be pink and purple jewels were embedded in the large dress. At the hip a small outer dress was attached, and it layered gracefully off of the back of the inner dress with a purple trim that was also covered in jewels. The dress changed color at Rarities chest to a fuchsia, and the top coved her shoulders and midway down her bicep snuggly. The collar was purple and ridged, rising up out of the dress like an amphitheater making you look at the fashionista’s face. The collar forced Rarity’s hair over her right shoulder, and the coiffure shinned even more than usual. A gold tiara studded with purple gems rested on the top of Rarity’s head, and it held her hair back despite not being attached to her head in any way.

The girls lined up in front of Dano and the remainder of his team.

“What do you think darlings?” Rarity asked with a bit of a sultry tone.

Dano couldn’t think at the moment as he took in the six gorgeous women in front of him, and he felt his jaw drop a little. Along with the stunning dresses the girls had put on a little make up. Not enough to notice at first glance, but enough to affect their looks slightly. The girls giggled lightly as the guys failed to respond as they leaned up against their vehicles. Dano somehow took control of himself, closed his mouth and formulated a response.

“You all look wonderful.”

Dano could see the others nod lamely, their minds still not running on all cylinders. This only made the girls giggle even more. The survivor pushed himself upright and made his way over to Fluttershy who was looking especially nervous. Once he reached the shy woman he extended a hand with the palm up, and Fluttershy took it hesitantly. The survivor slightly gripped her hand, and pulled it toward his face while bending over a bit in order to plant a small kiss on the back of Fluttershy’s hand. Dano heard the girls giggle around him, and he returned his gaze upward to see a shocked Fluttershy.

“Do you mind if I escort you ma’am?”

Dano smiled slightly as he tried to be as charming as possible.

“Y-yes.”

Fluttershy’s voice was extremely quiet, and she was blushing madly.

Dano chuckled at the shy woman’s reaction before releasing her hand and offering his arm. Fluttershy wrapped a hand loosely around Dano’s forearm, all the while hiding her face behind her hair. Dano noticed that his men had yet to break from their stupor, and he released an annoyed cough toward them. The soldiers snapped out of their trance and began to move toward their woman of choice, Braeburn purposely holding back.

“Where did you learn to be such a gentlemen Dano?” Rarity chimed as she moved next to the survivor.

“I have my ways.”

Dano chuckled as he dodged the question.

The truth was he had been taught by his uncle on the proper manners during an elaborate social event. This was all in preparation for a ball that Dano’s mentor had been invited to by an old friend who was coming over from France with a daughter the survivor’s age. Along with etiquette came dancing lessons, lectures on table manners and lessons on the proper way to speak around the high class. Dano never believed he would have to use the knowledge again, but it seemed like his life had different plans.

Dano waited with Fluttershy on his arm for Big Mac and Soarin to follow his lead, and they got the gist of the motions. The survivor watched Big Mac move slowly through the whole thing, keeping his large body in control the entire time. It boggled Dano’s mind just how much control he had despite his size, and Twilight was practically glowing when she took the large farmer’s arm. Soarin on the other hand rushed through the process, and Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to mind. Dano could see why they were attracted to each other, both reckless and fast paced.

Braeburn watched the whole thing while staying close to the quads until Pinkie Pie sped over to the farmer.

“Do you have a date?” Pinkie beamed as she stood on her toes inches from Braeburn’s face.

“Uh… no.”

Braeburn’s eyes were wide and he was leaning back a bit to create some distance between himself and the party girl.

“Neither do I!” Pinkie gasped. “We should go together.”

Pinkie flashed a large toothy smile at Braeburn, and his jaw dropped a bit at the question while his brain shut down a second time. Before the farmer could respond Pinkie Pie wrapped both of her arms around Braeburn’s right arm and pulled it into her chest in a much more close version of the way Fluttershy was holding onto Dano’s arm.

“Well. Seeing as everyone has a partner we should get going.” Dano said through a chuckle, and the group followed his suggestion and began to move toward the town center. As the group walked Rarity moved next to Dano with Applejack standing close to her.

“Pinkie has had her eyes on Braeburn for a while,” Rarity’s voice was slightly hushed so the party girl could not hear her as she still clinged to Braeburn’s arm. “Along with most of the single women in town.”

Applejack hopped into the conversation in the same hushed tone as her partner.

“Same with Big Mac. Those girls are goin to be real disappointed when they see a lady friend on their arms.”

Dano chuckled.

“You think they might riot?”

The two women laughed quietly.

“We Apple’s sure know how to make 'em”

Applejack thrust her chest out in pride.

“I’ll say.”

Rarity looked over at her partner with a smile, and they stared at each other for a bit.

“Let’s calm down girls.” Dano said with a bit of sarcasm.

The two women laughed before making small talk with Dano as they walked.

Eventually the group made their way to the town center turned party area. There was a somewhat large stage resting in front of the mayor’s office with five musicians resting in their respective seats with their instruments. Dano could recognize Octavia sitting with her cello, Wind Whistler with a violin and Note Worthy sitting by a piano. Two other musicians that the survivor could not recognize sat with another violin and a viola respectively. Every member of the string quartet with piano accompaniment wore a black tuxedo with bow ties. The group looked very professional as they warmed up for their coming performance.

Running around the stage setting up microphones and speakers was a normal looking Vinyl Scratch. She wore the usual blue jeans, black converse and grey hoodie with bared eighth notes on the front. Dano guessed that she was actually working instead of attending the party, or that she was just blowing off the whole formal setting by showing up in her normal attire.

Directly in front of the stage rested a large dance floor that had been placed over the dirt area between the stage and fountain. Around the perimeter of the wooden dance floor to the outer edge of the town center was covered in round tables with four seats at each. The tables had been covered in white table clothes and a single red rose rested in a small, clear crystal vase in the center of the table. On the far side of the clearing was a long table covered in different confectionary goodness. Dano could feel his mouth water a bit as he eyes a massive cake in the center of the buffet table.

Most of Ponyville had already arrived and were milling around the seating area, chatting happily to each other. Every resident from the youngest attendee to the oldest had put on their best in the means of clothing. Tuxedos, gowns and dresses of every shape, color and size could be seen in the town center, and Dano had a sneaking suspicion that most of the dresses and gowns had been made by Rarity herself at one time or another.

Dano noticed an area devoid of people by the front of the dance floor. Sitting at the group of empty tables was Carrot and his wife Cup along with the Doctor and Derpy. The two couples sat at a single table, and Dano guessed that the seats were reserved for the team, and made his way there.

The entire group followed Dano through the maze of people and tables to their seating. Twilight broke off from the group when she neared the dance floor, and made her way toward the stage as the rest of her friends began to find their seats. Dano pulled Fluttershy’s chair out for her, and after a quiet thanks she sat down. The survivor moved to his own seat just as the sound of a microphone turning on echoed over the open area.

“Please be seated everyone.” Twilight spoke into the mic politely, and the sound of shuffling people and chairs responded to the order. Once everybody was seated and looking at her Twilight continued.

“Today we are holding this party in honor of Daniel Masset, Big Mac, Carrot Cake, Soarin, the Doctor and Braeburn.” Dano and his team rose when their names were called, and were met by a light applause. “These six men have all chosen a path of service to this town, and with this service comes sacrifice. Today we are going to show these brave men just how much we respect their sacrifice by throwing them the best party we can muster.” Another round of applause was heard. “Let the festivities begin.”

Twilight finished with a slight grin like she had always wanted to say that before handing the mic off to Vinyl Scratch then moving off the stage.

Octavia and her students had finished warming up right before Twilight took to the stage, and began a song*once their new mayor had moved across the dance floor to her seat. Dano recognized the tune as Paradise, and despite being played by a string quartet instead of the original alternate rock theme he still could recognize the lyrics being played by the lead violinist.

Dano found himself sitting at his table with Rarity and Applejack along with Fluttershy. The survivor chatted idly with the two women as Fluttershy mostly kept to herself. Dano felt a little bit of pain for not involving the woman that was supposed to be his date to the party, but he didn’t know how to bring her out of her shell. That is until the background music^ changed.

Dano immediately recognized the slow waltz from the ball he had attended in his old life. The image of the girl he was supposed to dance with, whose name he couldn’t recall, flashed across his mind’s eye along with the hint of embarrassment he felt stumbling over his words when asking her to dance in broken French. When he had gotten onto the dance floor with her he was sweating bullets, but the girl gave him a single bit of advice in surprisingly fluent English. ‘Just look into my eyes, and everything with be alright.’ Dano had followed her advice, and discovered he was quite the dancer.

The survivor returned from his memories, stood and offered his hand to Fluttershy.

“May I have this dance?”

Fluttershy ducked her face behind her hair to hide her increasing blush.

“I’m um… not good at dancing.”

Dano could see straight through the white lie. In the time he had spent living with Fluttershy he often found her outside with her animals. The shy woman’s movements showed off a grace that few possessed, as if each of her movements was the focus of her entire attention instead of her just moving normally.

“Neither am I” Dano responded with a confident smile.

Fluttershy risked a peak at Dano before returning behind her hair and placing her hand in the survivor’s.

Dano helped Fluttershy to her feet, and lead her to the center of the dance floor, dodging other couple who had already started dancing, where he stopped, turned and prepared for the dance. The survivor placed his right hand on Fluttershy’s lower back and took her right hand in his left while the shy woman’s left hand rested on the back of the survivor right shoulder. Dano gently pulled Fluttershy close, and he heard a quiet ‘eep’ escape from her mouth. Dano chuckled a bit, before noticing that the shy woman’s eyes were constantly shifting nervously, and her hand was shaking. Remembering the advice the girl had told him Dano removed his hand from Fluttershy’s, placed it on her chin and lifted her face gently so they were looking into each other’s eyes.

“Just look into my eyes, and everything will be alright.”

Dano removed his hand from Fluttershy’s chin and placed it back into her right hand, and was happy to see the shy woman take his advice and stare into his eyes.

Dano finally began the dance, and from the first step he could feel a difference from his last waltz. He found himself staring into Fluttershy’s deep cyan eyes while his body moved on its own, a content smile on his face. Fluttershy’s hand had stopped shaking, and despite not knowing the dance learned quickly as the couple twirled gracefully across the dance floor totally lost in each other’s gazes. Before they knew it the song had stopped and the two stopped dancing as a result, but remained in the embrace as they remained lost in their partner’s eyes. The sound of applause snapped Dano out of his trance, and he looked to see that all of the other dancers had stopped and watched the couple move around the dance floor along with most of the citizens of Ponyville.

With the break in eye contact Fluttershy returned to her normal blushing demeanor, and Dano released his embrace only to take the shy woman’s right hand in his left, holding it about shoulder height.

“Take a bow.” Dano whispered to Fluttershy, his smile still present on his face.

Fluttershy and Dano took a quick bow before the survivor lead the shy woman off of the dance floor and back to their seats, where Dano pulled out her chair for her before sitting in his own.

“Well Dano. I must say you are full of surprises.”

Dano chuckled at Rarity’s compliment

“You don’t know the half of it.”

Dano spent the rest of the day chatting with friends and acquaintances as well as eating delicious cakes and treats of every size and shape. Champagne was the drink of choice for most of the party goes, and Dano wasn’t one to go against the flow. For hours the survivor and his team laughed, talked and ate together, and if you had just met them you could have guessed they had been childhood friends.

Eventually though the sun began to set, and the party winded down with it. Dano was about to call it a night when he noticed that a woman was sitting on the edge of the stage alone, a small stringed instrument rested in her lap, and to the survivor it looked like a miniature harp. The woman had mint green and white hair done up in a short style. A simple mint green long sleeved shirt covered her top half while brown jeans that ended in white shoes made up the rest of her outfit. Dano noticed that she sat slumped over a bit, as if she was upset, and her eyes never left the small instrument in her lap.

The song that had been playing finished, and there was a bit of silence as the rest of Ponyville realized there was an extra musician. Dano head whispering behind him, and he shifted his focus to it.

“Is that Lyra?” Once hushed voice asked.

“I think it is. I haven’t seen her in ages.” Another hushed voice responded.

Dano returned his mental focus to his eyes just as the woman named Lyra took a deep breath and picked up her instrument. Vinyl was quick to run over a mic stand to the new musician, and made it just in time~. Lyra plucked her instrument and the clear note coasted above the now silent crowd, and was quickly followed by another. Soon Octavia joined the new musician, and the solo became a duet.

Dano could feel the pain and sorrow Lyra was putting into her music. It moved him deeply, and he found himself staring at the woman as she played. She swayed with the slow beat ever so slightly, and the survivor could swear she was crying as she played. The song was short and sweet, and when the two musician’s finished Lyra hopped off the stage and moved out of the town center quickly. Dano didn’t know why she had come out to play, but he guessed that it was in the hope that the survivor and his team would find her runaway bride and bring her home. Dano silently prayed to any god that would listen, begging them to make her hopes true, and that the survivor could bring Bon Bon back.

With the song ended the musicians began to put away their instruments, and Vinyl started unplugging things at random. Dano guessed that the party was ending, and being the gentleman he was Dano offered to escort Fluttershy home, to which she shyly agreed. The couple left that party with an hour left of light, and began the trek back to Fluttershy’s abode at a pleasant pace.

The couple walked down the thin winding path in silence as they both enjoyed the weather and each other’s company. After a good while Dano and Fluttershy arrived at the shy woman’s house, but stopped on the far side of the foot bridge.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

Fluttershy looked a bit disappointed that Dano had stopped.

“I have to get back to town.”

Fluttershy nodded slowly.

“O-okay.”

Dano was torn internally by the sadness permeating Fluttershy’s voice, and he embraced her tightly around the shoulders to try and ward away the sorrow growing in them both.

“I will be back before you know it. You worry too much.”

Fluttershy returned the embrace just as tightly before Dano let her go, looking into her eyes with a confident smile. The shy woman gave a small smile in return before saying her goodbyes and moving toward her house.

Dano sighed quietly, feeling his smile fade, before looking to his left to Echo and Jenna sitting under their usual tree together. The wolf realized it was time to go, and nuzzled the husky before trotting over to his friend. Dano noticed that he was wearing a forest camouflage vest that wrapped around his chest and ended at the bottom of his rib cage. Small holes had been cut out for his front legs, and a long tube rested on his back. Dano found Echo’s vest very practical for the wolf’s job, and planned on thanking Rarity the next time he saw her.

Dano began walking once Echo had reached him, and the two survivors began the trek back to town. Dano’s strides were long and purposeful as he cruised down the path with Echo trotting alongside him. The survivor’s mind was grim as he tried to formulate a plan for the coming arrival of Discord’s men, and he believed he had something when he reached the outskirts of town.

The sun was all but gone as Dano moved into the town center. Pinkie Pie was leading the deconstruction of the stage while still being in her party dress, and paid no mind to Dano as he walked by her towards the mayor’s office. Standing outside of the three story building was Dano’s team, and they all looked a little upset to be away from their friends and family. When they caught sight of Dano they all snapped to attention with a crisp salute following right behind. Dano returned the salute while walking, and motioned for his men to follow while he opened the front door and moved inside while taking off his cap.

Dano found himself in wide open reception area with a large wooden desk to his left that was unmanned. After the small archway that covered the entrance and reception the mayor’s office expanded considerably. The two bottom floors were actually one large room with long wooden benches all facing a short stage on the far wall. Twilight, who was still in her dress, was standing a few feet inside the door waiting for the survivor.

“Do you have a desk somewhere?” Dano asked as he approached Twilight, tucking his hat under his left arm.

“Up in my office, do you need anything else?”

Dano nodded to Twilight as the new mayor turned to lead Dano across the room.

“A map of the town would be nice.”

Twilight nodded quickly as she moving across the wide open auditorium to a doorway to the left of the entrance. Behind the door was a long stair case that wrapped around the building up to the third floor. Twilight, Dano and his team moved up the stair case quickly before moving through another door with Twilight’s name engraved on a golden plaque resting on the center of the portal.

Dano followed behind the new mayor into a small round room with a large, ornate wooden desk in the center. A large leather chair with small wheels attached to the bottom sat behind the desk, and a couple dozen metal filing cabinets wrapped around the room facing the center.

As the team filed in behind Dano Twilight moved to a filing cabinet to the left, opened it and pulled out a large piece of paper that was rolled up tightly with a rubber band around the middle. Twilight pulled the rubber band off of the tube as she moved to her desk, and Dano ushered to his team to follow him as he approached the writing table.

The desk top was covered in papers, and Dano remembered that even though Twilight was smart she wasn’t very tidy when it came to things she used every day. The new mayor ignored the mess and rolled out the map over the papers, and Dano took a good look at the town. He needed to find a kill zone to set up an ambush, and he found one soon after looking.

“You see this road?”

Dano pointed a wider than usual street that shot out of the town center toward the edge of the town without turning. The road eventually reached a dead end without anything blocking it.

Twilight nodded.

“The only thing on that street is residential housing.”

Dano removed his hand from the paper.

“We will need that whole road evacuated.”

Twilight looked at Dano quizzically.

“What are you planning Dano?”

Dano looked back at Twilight.

“You got a pen?”

Twilight blinked in confusion before her brain caught up. She riffled through a drawer in her desk before coming up with an ornate pen that politicians liked to use. Dano placed his cap on the desk, took the pen from the mayor, pulled the top off, leaned over the map and began to lay out his plan.

“The enemy will most likely move into the town square to pick up their shipment. I need a couple people from Ponyville to tell them the food is down this road. When they take the bait we will spring our trap.”

Dano pointed to the building they were in.

“Carrot will stay hidden on the balcony in this building providing security for the civilians as well as spotting the raiders when they first arrive.”

Dano drew an arrow pointing to the end of the street from the mayor’s office.

“Once the enemy takes the bait and begins moving down the road Carrot will take a position to snipe them from behind. If they are still in the truck then he can cut most of them down before they can even get out. If they are walking along side of their vehicle then Carrot will target their officer.”

Carrot nodded through his orders.

“How will I tell who the officer is sir?”

Dano looked up from the map at Carrot who was standing to his left.

“The one in the red beret is the one in charge. Your shot will set of the whole trap, so don’t miss.”

Carrot nodded.

“Yes sir.”

Dano shifted his gaze back to the map.

“The rest of us will be set up at the end of the road in cover.”

A question popped into Dano’s mind.

“What is at the end of this road Twilight?”

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought.

“Forest mostly.”

Dano nodded, and drew a line a half inch from the end of the road.

“The rest of the team will be hidden in the brush waiting for Carrot’s shot. I will target the driver of the truck while the rest of you take down everybody else.”

Dano looked up from the map to see the rest of his team nodding as they processed their orders.

“This ambush should only take seconds gentlemen.” Dano said as he straightened himself, picking up his cap. “If it takes any longer people will get hurt.”

The team nodded with determination to do the job right.

“Remember,” Dano’s voice became lifeless. “No mercy. They will kill you and those you love without a second thought. Show them that it was a mistake to come here.”

The team stood quietly, and Twilight looked a little nervous at the sudden change in Dano’s voice.

“Let’s get back to Rarity’s and get geared up.”

Dano’s team moved out of the room without another word, and Dano let them exit before he turned to Twilight.

“Thanks for your help Twilight. I don’t think we could pull this off without it.”

Twilight shook her head.

“No, thank you Dano. If you weren’t here we would just be giving up without a fight.”

Dano gave Twilight a sad smile.

“Only time will tell if that was the right choice instead of the path we walk now.”

Twilight moved over to Dano and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“We will see.”

Dano gave Twilight a curt nod before handing her the pen he borrowed and moving out of the office, leaving Twilight alone.

The survivor moved down the stair case quickly, taking it two steps at a time. When he reached the bottom he didn’t stop, but continued past his waiting team and out the door. The soldiers were smart enough to follow, and the group piled out the front door and onto the street, all of them returning the caps to their heads.

Dano set a brisk pace as he moved through the town toward Rarity’s house, and before long they arrived. The survivor moved up and knocked on the door only to have it open within moments of his last rap. Rarity had opened the door, and quickly moved back inside allowing Dano to move into the boutique. The fashionista had removed her dress and donned another robe matching the one she was wearing earlier.

“I take it you are here for your other uniforms?” Rarity asked, already half knowing the answer.

“Yes ma’am.” Dano replied.

Rarity nodded before moving to the back room without another word. Before long the fashionista returned with another stack of clothing, but instead of white and navy blue it was colored in forest green, black and a deep brown. Instead of handing them out individually like before she set the pile down on the stage, separated each one while calling the name of the owner and setting them down next to the pile. Rarity then left the room to let the men get changed, and they didn’t hesitate to do just that.

After removing their dress uniforms with the utmost care they donned their utility uniform. Dano wore a black t-shirt that tucked it into his utility pants which were then tucked into his boots. The survivor transferred his belt, with all of its attachment, to his new trousers, and pulled on his new jacket which was then also tucked into his pants. Dano tightened his belt once everything was tucked, and decided not to put on his armor, vest or Magnum holster. He would carry his extra things with his rifle and pack back to the mayor’s office where the team would stay for the night.

Dano’s team finished at just about the same time he did, and the survivor called farewell to Rarity as he quickly left the boutique with his men in tow. They crossed Ponyville in silence back to the mayor’s office, and let themselves in. Twilight had left for home a little while before, and Pinkie had finished the cleanup right after the mayor left.

Each member fanned out into the dark auditorium finding a place to put their things and lay down. Dano took the first bench on the right and used his pack as a pillow as he readied himself for sleep.

The bench was uncomfortable, and coupled with the mixing of excitement and fear for the coming battle made slumber seem impossible. Sleep slowly came though, and the survivor drifted off into a dreamless night as the moon drifted slowly across the sky.

Wow Invictus, that chapter is a doozie
I know, but i still didn't get to end on the cliff hanger i wanted.
maybe next time
yeah, maybe. Hey, where did Twilight go.
i think she went to bed, it is 1 in the morning
hmmm. You wanna play a prank on her?
DO I!
*several minutes later*
so the plan is to fire off this party cannon right next to her head, and see how far she flies.
this is a horrible idea
psh, this is great
yeah logic, lighten up
i warned you
Alright. Now on the count of three fire the cannon. 1, 2, 3!
*cannon goes off, Twilight flied through the air, and a sudden flash appears from nowhere.*
What just happened?
it appears Twilight has transported us to Mexico
i told you this was a bad idea
shut up logic.

It is dangerous to go alone, take this chapter
it took me forever to get to you, and i still didn't get to make you squirm with the massive cliff hanger i planned
oh well
don't forget to rate and comment
that is all
kthanxbai