Equestrianside (Two)

...Run! For the love of Celestia, RUN!!

"Wait! Hold on a bit, Gook!" Shouted Dust, running the fastest his hooves left him. His helmet was bouncing on his head, as some bullets flew over his head, from the two sides of the T-intersection of the mine.

They were running from a scuadron of Empire soldiers, as they tought they were revolutionaries, and they were also being shot by the Republic troops present in the tunnels too, because they also thought they were on the side of the Empire.

Suddently, a GUASS-Accelerated rocket swooped right under his hooves, and detonated behind him, launching him towards Gook. They both got knocked out by the head-to-head impact...

Entry two - January, seven, Four-thousand Two-hundred Thirty and tree. Two months after the first battle.

...

Tssk... Hey, you still alive?

"Hnn... What the... Hey! Get your hooves off me!" Shouted Dust, as he pushed the hooves of a Stallion, that was wearing the armour of the New Lunar Republic. "Where is Gook!?"

"Calm down a bit! Gesh... She's allright, she woke up half an hour before you." Replied the Stallion, cleaning some dust from his visor. "You should be proud of being alive, a rocket exploded right behind you."

Dust checked his hind legs. Indeed, it hurted like if they were hitted from behind with a baseball bat. His head also hurted, even throught he was wearing a helmet, wich was still recording. "So, that's what happened to me... Wait, where are we?"

"In a Galaxy, heading to the Hvar Tech Plant." Replied the Stallion, going back to a seat inside the airship. "...You know what's a Galaxy, right?"

Dust took a better position in his seat, and observed the rather small room. It only had seats for eight ponies there, and only him and the Stallion were there. "Aside from a gigantic clusterbuck of stars? No idea."

Dust could see the deadpan expression of the Republic soldier, even through he was wearing a full-face visor. "It's an air transport designed to carry a full squadron. You should be proud, they're not cheap."

Dust looked around. "Well, it's pretty empty right now."

"You know why it's empty?"

Dust shook his head.

The Stallion got into a better position, and placed his hooves together. "They all died in the revolt of today." He simply replied, taking out a cigarette from one of the pockets in his vest, placing it on his mouth.

"W... Wait, what? How many got killed there?" Said Dust, a bit stunned.

"Hmph..." The Stallion lighted the cigar, took a breathe of smoke, and replied. "About a hundred or so, just in our side. I think we killed about the same in Empire troops."

Dust's jaw instantly felt to the ground. "S... So many?"

"I'm sure that more than one got killed more than once."

"Wait... What?"

"War is not the same since the Machinist made that Rebirth Chamber."

"What do you mean with that?"

"Oh, don't you know?" The Stallion poured more smoke from his lungs. "When your hearth stops in the battlefield, you wake up in the closest 'Rebirth Chamber', created by somepony's organization named 'The Machinsts', that then was copied by Nanite Systems..." Another pour of smoke. "...That catches your contiousness, and pours it in a new body, made by Nanites."

This explanation took its time processing in Dust's mind. "S... So, when you die... You just wake up in a chamber somewhere else?"

The Stallion nodded, halfways done his cigar.

"Who the hay made them? Who are the Machinists?"

He looked around, and dropped his cigar in the ground, stepping on it. "If I say the truth, I have no idea. I only know that they are some group of mad scientist, believing in missing techonogy from somepony that was here before the first ships arrived."

"...Aliens?"

"As I said before, I don't know. I only know that it's a bad idea to fight them."

"Wait. Fight them? What do you mean?"

"They are like a thirth faction. They fight against the Solar Empire, and against us too. They are even more aggressive than us in the battlefield, with their wicked plasma-thingy weapons."

"So, this is not only a thing of two?"

"Nope. They hold the whole south-west zone, from the Scarred Mesa Skydocks, to the Bay Point, taking the Allatum Biolab."

Dust mentally reviewed the map he learned during his time at school. "...So, if we are heading to the Hvar techplant... Aren't we getting closer to them?"

"Almost in their frontier, indeed. But don't worry, they only attack if we attack them, or if we step in their labs. Heck, I even waved at one of them, and he didn't shot me."

"I see... And, do they have any relationship with the Empire?"

"Well, there was this time where we were fighting close to the Biolab... They shot at everypony they saw not having their... Biosignals, I think they call them. So... I doubt they have a good relationship."

Dust nodded, and looked through a small window at his right. He observed how they were, indeed in the air. There was another Galaxy flying close to them, in a close formation. They were getting close to the land, heading towards a large metal platform.

"Welcome to the Hvar Techplant, kid. Come on, we are taking you to a safer place."

Dust frowned, looking at him. "I was safe back in the mine, you know..."

He got up from his seat, and walked towards the door at the end of the little hallway. "Well, you flew five feets from an explosion, and landed in the head of one of your co-workers, so I doubt that you would last long in the mine. I think that it would be a good idea to sign you in the Rebirth network, just in case."

"I'm not going to sign to fight for your side, just to leave it clear."

"Ah, I think you will. Does the name of Emerald ring any bells?"

Dust's eyebrows raised quite high. "No... Please, tell me that you don't have my sister as a hostage..."

He smiled. "Nope. Even better, she works for us."

"WHAT?!"

"Whoa! Take it easy, mate!"

"How can I take anything easy! My freakin' sister works for a damn revolution! She is placing her life in trouble!"

Dust's face met the Stallion's hoof, and not in the nice way. "Calm down, dangit! She will explain everything!"

A loud Bump was heard next. They finally landed. The door opened, and the sunlight filled the rather dark hallway. This made Dust blink more than once, and the Stallion stepped out of the Galaxy. "Come on, I don't have all day!"

Dust, rubbing his cheek, stepped out of the Galaxy, and his hooves met a metallic ground. He observed his surroundings. They were in the rooftop of a large, U-shaped building in the mountainside, carved directly in it. There were a few other Galaxies landing around the rooftop too.

Once they all arrived, a few other Lunar Republic soldiers started to come from an elevator at the end of the U-shaped roof, walking towards the Galaxies with their weapons in their backs. One of them came close to the Stallion that slapped Dust. He was an unicorn, judging by the purple horn that was right between the visor and the helmet. And it was a he because he was taller than Dust, even through he was already some steps away from him.

"Private, I'm glad that at least you survived." He said, shaking the other Stallion's hoof.

"Thanks, Sarge. I did my best, but It wasn't enough..."

"And, who is this miner?" He said, looking over Dust, that shrugged when he heard his profession.

"He's the brother of Commander Emerald, sir."

"I see. What's your name, Civilian?"

Dust shrugged again. "Copper Dust, sir... I guess."

"Hm. What brings you here?"

"It would be Who got me here. I basically got ponynapped, and here I am."

"Good sence of humour, I like him. I guess that he's signing in, right?"

"Wait, wait, wait, waaaait. I never said that I'm going to fight for you!"

"Well, you have no choice. If you go back to Alkali, you'll be shot in sight for coming with us."

Dust thinked for a while. He was right in that. The Solar Empire does not like ponies that hop in other faction's vehicles. There is no way back, overall since his sister was already working for them. "Fine. But I'm leaving once we are done here."

"Oh, don't worry. This war is going to end soon, thanks to your sister, wich is right over there." He pointed towards one of the Galaxies that just landed. Indeed, Dust's sister jumps out of it. But, she was... Different. She was wearing an unusual purple beret with lines of blue, with the Republic's flag: the star over the horizontal half moon.

"EMERALD!" Dust shouted, and his voice raised over the constant sound of the engines of the Galaxies, and even over the voices of the soldiers speaking to eachother.

Emerald shrugged, and looked at him. "H... Hi there!"

Dust rushed over to her, and they met nose-to-nose. "What the hay were you thinking when you joined them?!"

"Ah' was thinking in the good of Auraxis!"

"In the good of Auraxis? Hay no, if you were, you would be in a diplomatics meeting, not here!"

Emerald pushed Dust away. "Ah' tried that! The Empire does not listen to anypony that is not in ther'e ranks!"

Before Dust could get back to the discussion, he felt something pointy get in the back of his neck, and pierce the nerve. However, he was still contous. He looked behind, and he saw a Mare, wearing some kind of white armour with a red cross printed in the sides and the helmet. She was carrying some kind of syringe in her hoof as she walked away.

"What the hay was that?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Welcome to the Rebirth network, brother."