Author's Note

I'm back I had to go to wales to see some family members. I'm back and writing (Badly :P)

Rubber Burning

Rubber burning.

Ross looked up at Celetia "So what you found in the bunker is true...they are coming to utterly wipe us out..."

Ross nodded carefully not wanting to upset the stitching above his eye. "Yes we may have an hour we may have month ...Celestia I will do all humanly possible to prevent that." Celestial saw the fire in his eye's. "I ... believe you."

Ross spent the rest of the day converting some Klink Hammer's to there mobile counter part used by infinity known as "Hell Hammer's." Then with a team of unicorns hosted them onto the battlement's over looking the trenches and gate.

Now he needed to crew them.

Ross stood on a cart in the middle of a refugee camp

"Attention!" Ross powerful voice that was so use to bellowing orders over the din of battle had no problem of being heard by all the pony's in the camp.

The pony in the tent's looked at him meany hid there filly's in case he was hungry.

"I'v come to ask fore volunteers who wish to fight!?" The pony's looked at each other.

"Why?" Somepony shouted out.

"Why? Because I and others are risking our live's daily to defend this place from the Seprahim!"

"That's your problem we've lost enough to them all ready!." The crown murmured in agreement

"So you will willing sit idle while others lay down there lifeblood so save your own!?"

The same voice answered "Its there JOB! to protect us it's what they get payed for."

Ross's face hardened "Then it is your duty to help in any way you can! I was't here to ask you to fight on the fount line or any way that I wouldn't go! I was here to ask your help in the hospital's, Gun crew's and other vital task's that will keep us fighting that little bit longer! But if you'd see your wife's defiled and your children torture so be it! But If you don't if you'd see the filth sweep'd away then you will help us fight!"

Ross paused for affect. "Who's with me!?" he shouted over the crown.

The crowd looked round then a pail green Earth pony stallion with a blue main took a step toward's Ross. He jumped down from the cart and looked the stallion up and down."Will you?" Ross asked. The Stallion looked round at the crowd then he looked at Ross.

"I will."

Ross pulled the back of the cart down and putting his hands to gatherer helped the stallion into the cart. A small line formed and Ross helped each up with his cupped hand's.

A dozen pony's later Ross pulled up the tail gate of the cart then walked round to there the tow bike sat and with a cloud of diesel fumes pulled the cart off.

Ross open the hatch and sat up on the edge of the hole tea in hand. A cold breeze blew passed him and coursing him shiver the t-shirt he was wearing was not much protection agents the chill. Ross looked at his watch "4:55"

The sound of hoof's meeting metal "Hi David! I missed you yesterday morning!" Ross turned to fined the golden eye's "Morning Miss Doo." Ditzy smiled and sat down next to Ross whom offer her his tea. "Thank's!" She watched as Ross dropped into his hole then come back up with another tin cup of tea in his hand.

"So how have you been?" Ross asked

"Fine thank you" Ditzy answered taking a sip of her tea. Then her eyes widened like she had remembered something.
"This is for you!" Ross watched as Ditzy puled a letter out of the saddle bag's she had on.
"Fer you." She said round the letter held in her teeth.

Ross took it and looked at the crudely written address. "The strange Alion, The big metal monster, The Guard ~~Barr~~ the place where they sleep, the princesses garden."

"I think a filly has written this." Ross said with a smile
"How cute." Ditzy said with a giggle.

Ross opened the letter and read the much neater writing.

"I don't know if you will get this as my smaller sister had to write the address so I took the precaution of re-writing her letter just in case."

"Dear Mr.Alien

My name is Gumdrop I saw you when you came to our camp and you took my big brother away. He's called Mint Fresh.
I'm writing to tell you to take care of him because If you don't I'll turn you in to a puddle of slime. (When I learn how to.)

I was hoping to ask you your name but I don't think you know where to send a letter in return.

Well my mom would want me to say thank you for helping keep us safe so thank you!

Gumdrop

PS. Do you eat filly's?"

Ross chuckle as he folded the letter up and dropped it down to the bed below him.

The two sat there talking as the night turned in to twilight.

Ditzy looked at the orange strip that was standing the bottom of the night.
"I must go David." with that she flew into the city Ross waving her off.

A few minuet's latter Ross looked at the ration pack then dropped it to the floor. Uninterested.

Luna sat in her throne No pony was at night court at this hour she looked at her two guard's "You two are dismiss I'm going for a walk in the garden's." The two guard's saluted and marched away.

She stepped out of a small door that lead from one of the hall's to the out side of the castle.

She took a deep breath of cool night air the smell of the the garden filling her nostrils walked on of her favorite route through the took her past the ornamental salmon pond that was full of Rainbow trout.

Ross was craving a decent meal rather than the inadequate nutrition from his ration's and that lead to what he was doing.

He was currently kneeling next to the pond his right arm up to his elbow in the freezing water.

He slowly and gently traced his middle finger up the trout's tail, up it's belly then to its head. Then slowly he took his finger from it's head and then gently moved to it's tail and repeated the action.

Ross felt a smile cross his face at the memory of him and his granddad creeping threw the swamp land near a dukes manner. They had shoe'd almost all his horses for him and he "neglected" to pay them so they "acquire'd" there missing pay.

Ross heard hoof's near by and he whipped his hand out of the water and pulled his sleeve down. Ross stood up and looked down the path.

Ross saw Luna walk down the path and he took his helmet off "Luna." Ross bowed. "David? What are you doing hear?"
"I was taking a wander through the garden before I head out. Why?" Ross slipped his helmet back on and the cold metal made the back of his neck twitch.

Luna cocked her head. "Do you ever sleep?" Ross nodded " I get three to four hours a night it's all I need why?." Luna examined his eye's and found there where no bag's under his eye's. "You never seam to be still or resting that's all."

"I'll rest when I'm dead.... Will the purple one be up?"

Luna thought for a moment "You mean Twilight Sparkle?"

Ross nodded. "Maybe why?" Luna asked

Ross smiled "I need a map."

Ross lent on the heavy lance. Watching the convoy move along the old forestry road down hill from him.
The thick trees prevented any detection devices from seeing him.

He'd been sat there since before dawn and it was now 8:30. The sun was just above the horizon

Ross was keeping tally of what he was seeing on a notebook that was resting on his left leg.

"13 16 infantry regiment's = 1 field army of 80,000 men approx.
6 Armored regiment's with strength of 1,200 armored unit's each.
8,000 Mobile artillery pieces.
1 ACU + 2 SACU's
50 Engineer's tech L 3
So far enough supplies to last for 3 week's of heavy fighting or 1 month of unsupported siege. Approx.
Air support sighted strength unknown seen 1 wing of heavy fighter/bomber's suspect more."

Ross watched more supply's making it's way up the road. He pushed the note's into his left coat pocket and pulled a pair of binoculars out.
He raised them up to the lenses of his gas mask and looked down the road. More. Yet more supply truck's. Trailing down the road to the foot of the mountain.

Ross lowed the binoculars and slipped them back into his pocket. He looked over the convoy directly below him. There was a line of hovering anti air battery's.

Turning to one of the two bag's behind the seat Ross pulled a map out of one of them. The mountain he was on depicted in detail and he studded it closely. He dent use the bikes system of echo mapping in-case he was detected so was forced to use old map's from deep in vault's of the castle. It had taken him, Twilight and Spike almost an hour to find the map's that depicted this area of land. Ross noticed a narrow pass to the east that was walled by rocky cliffs. He opened the other bag and pulled out the demo charges he had. He had five charges on him. He slipped the charges back into the bag Ross rested the lance across his lap.

With a flick of his foot Ross unfolded the kick start handle out and on the first trod the engine started the silencer on the exhaust pipe made the engine incredibly quite.

Ross taped the kick handle with the back with of his leg and turned in the detection of the pass. He rode on slowly looking round the lance held in his right hand the left controlling the throttle.

The bike was set up so the rider could use a weapon freely. Ross pressed on the gear up pedal and the bike picked up speed as it entered second gear.

While Ross would prefer'd to grow a genetically engineer horse used in the cavalry he thought it would've not go down well with every pony.

He pulled the map out and looked at it as he found a small stream. Canterlot was on his right and the pass was infrount of him, over the stream. Ross pressed the left pedal and the bike dropped into first gear then he stoped.

Ross claimed off and walked to the stream the eight foot lance tickled the low branch's of the tree he was walking under.
He dropped the lance into the water and found the stream was only a foot deep. He walked back to the bike that was ticking over and claimed back on and crossed the stream.

Ross came to the pass and looked down. The pass was about seventy feet deep the narrow road mud on the old trail was undisturbed a few dozen feet there was a sharp corner that he couldn't see round due to the thick tree's.

Resting the lance ageist the bike Ross un-clipped the rope and small land anchor that was strapped to the front mud guard.

Ross dropped the anchor into the dirt where the rock of the cliff started he walked back to the bike and pulled the demo charges out and slipped them into a pouch on his webbing.

After making sure the land anchor was secure Ross tied the rope to it and round his wast and into the loop's in his webbing. Ross then walked to the edge of the cliff and slowly started to abseil down the cliff.

A few feet down from the edge of the cliff the the rock cut in and made a deep over hang.

Ross pulled him self under. The over hang was around four feet and Ross looked for clues to find if there where any defect's in the rock. A narrow cut in the rock gave him a good place to place the charge's Ross tied the rope into a knot to keep himself steady.

The charges had a adhesive layer that could stick to almost any surface Ross pulled the clear plastic off and slipped the charge unto the crack and pulled the pin from the detonation system.

Ross pulled him self along the cut and a few feet along slipped the next demo charge, another pin. A few minuet's later Ross stoped and listened.

In the distance there where hushed voices. "Argh...shit!" Ross muttered looking down.

A team of five Order trooper's where below him. They where probably the scout's for the convoy. Ross looked at his side and slowly reached for the long wooden handle of a stick-grenade. The group was sat close together looking at a hologram, one had a radio out.

Ross pulled the pin out and started to count the eight second fuse. "1...2...3...4...5!" Ross threw the grenade it spinning over and over as it sailed through the air in a slight ark.

It stuck in the mud handle down next to the group with a wet slap then it detonated.

Three of the group where sent flying through the air on fire, ones head split in two by a lump of scolding shrapnel the remains of it's brain splatter the mud. The last slumped over a bloody pool forming round the body.

Ross looked round and he heard something large making it's way towards him. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Ross slapped the demo charge on the rock and pulled the pin from it. This charge had the master arm on it. Ross entered the activation code on it and selected remote detonation mode.

Ross pulled himself up and quickly untied the rope around his wast and started coiling it up. As he made his way back to the bike with the rope and land anchor. The tank rounded the corner Ross re clipped the rope and anchor onto the mud guard. He opened the bag the demo charge's where in and found the remote detonator.

The Obsidian hover'd along the track ahead of the convoy. Ready to support the scout's if they ran into trouble or a ride if they needed to get away from something.

Saptat looked up at the Sargent of the crew. Tatala "Sargent. Contact front. 100 meters infrount." The driver called out.

"Look's like our scout's. Engines stop." Tatala called and the driver stoped the Obsidian tank and it lowered to the ground.

Saptat watched as Tatala opened the hatch over his head and claimed out of the command tank. Saptat followed and slid down the side of the tank and into the black, thick, ankle deep and fowl smelling mud. The fact his jumpsuit was white didn't help the matter.

The two approached the body's, three where smoldering the smell of burnt meat was thick in the air.
Saptat watched Tatala draw his Cristala pistol. "What happened to you?" Tatala muttered.

As they approached they found the smoking crater.

"Booby-trap?" Saptat suggested and Tatala nodded holstering his pistol.

"Yes." Tatala waved the tank forward's and it entered the pass.

The tank pulled up to Tatala. Saptat walked further up the track looking for clues. He found a few thin sheet's of clear plastic.

Ross was listening carefully he could here the loud hum of the tank as it pulled level with him. He pressed the clacker's trigger.

The charges detonated and the over hang gave way crushing the tank. Ross revved the bike and pulled up to the edge of the cliff
Ross saw black smoke and flames rising from under the land slide. He saw a lone figure running down the trail.

Saptat ran he's seen the cliff come down and wanted away all he could do was run. He header a bellow like a wild beast and the sound of mud being ripped up behind him.

He turned to find a gray figure astride a black bike a lance pointed at his chest. He felt the lance puncher his chest and pierce straight into his hart.

Ross let the weight of the body drag his arm round and the lance was ripped from the solders chest in a fountain of blood. He twisted the throttle and the bike bellowed as it sped on down the track and back to where S.O.H.U where working.

Ross felt something warm on his hand and a glance showed a blood trail leading up his lance to the punctured hart on the head of the lance.

Ross lowered the lance to the ground and the heart was ripped off the lance and tumbled through the mud.