“So let me get this shit straight.” Cole said, pacing the room “The bomb went off, but instead of killing us, it teleported us to another world. And for the cherry on top, it turned us into fucking horses with tattoos on their butts.”

Anya nodded “Yep. Basically.” was all she said.

Marcus just groans. He was still getting used to walking on four legs. He was turned into a tan unicorn horse with a short cropped black mane and tail. The tattoo on his ass was a pair of COG tags with a blood spatter behind them. Aside from that, he still wore his bandana battle armor. Only now a little modified to compensate his new body.

The rest of his squad were also unicorns.

Dom was pretty much the same as Marcus. Only he had longer hair and was a dark shade of tan. While his tattoo was an angel with the name ‘Maria’ under it.

Cole was a very muscular dark brown unicorn with no main, but a silver colored tail. His tattoo was a big, white number eighty three.

Lastly, Baird was a white one with a curly blond mane and tail. His goggles still around his head. His tattoo was a steel gear and wrench.

Anya was one of the few Gears that were not unicorns. She was a pale blonde horse with a dark gold colored mane and tail. She also had a tattoo, though it was hard to see because of the uniform she wore. But to those who did know, it was a computer screen with numbers.

“So, what now?!” Dom asks.

Anya turns to him “Well, according to Chairman Prescott, our new orders are to gather info on where we are.” she said “So Delta Squad and others will be heading outside the city limits to set up weather balloons to give us some kind map to work with. As well as doing recon to find any other signs of intelligent life.”

Baird sighed “You mean Locust.”

“Well if we made it, maybe they did too. So be careful.” she told.

Marcus rolled his neck “Alright. Cole, Baird, you get Jack ready with the balloons. Dom, let's get a chopper ready.” he ordered.

Five minutes later - One mile out of Jacinto

Dom stared outside the side door of the Raven at ground below.

“Man look at that. Nothing but trees for miles and miles.” he said watching the forest go by.

“Yeah…” was all Marcus said, putting his ‘hoof’ to his big ear “Hey pilot, are you sure you OK flying this thing with hands?” he asked.

“~Don’t worry Sargent. Flying’s no issue. Weapon systems, however, will be.~” a female voice said on the comlink “~So until we figure out how to use it in these new bodies of ours, your on your own Delta.~”

“Copy that. You heard her, Delta. There will be no air support on this run.” Marcus told his squad who nod, understanding.

Suddenly, Baird spots a small gap in the trees “Hold up. Go back.” he said over the comlink.

The Raven slows and turns back.

“What is it?” Dom asks.

“Think I saw something.” he replied.

The chopper slows to a hover over the area. Baird’s hunch was right. It was a dirt road that went through the forest on a windy path.

“Yep. That’s a road.” he said.

“And where there’s a road…” Dom says, grinning.

“There’s someone who uses them.” Marcus finished, putting his hoof to his ear “Pilot, drop us off here. We’ll see where the road leads us too.”

“~Roger that.~” she said lowering the chopper closer to the ground “~Dropping the Armordillo, good luck boys.~”

The six wheeled vehicle hit the ground with a thud. Once that was done, Delta Squad was dropped off next to it. The last one to hit the ground was Cole, who stopped a wave back at the Raven as it headed back to Jacinto.

The small robot, Jack, deactivated his cloak and appeared next to Marcus.

Marcus turned to the little helper “Jack, go ahead and delpy the first weather balloon.” he ordered.

The bot beeped and launched a small tube into the sky where a white balloon popped out. As it rose higher into the air, Marcus contacted Control.

“Control, this is Delta: We’ve launched the first balloon. And we also found a dirt road that looks to be relatively used about a mile out of Jacinto.”

“~Understood. Stand by for new orders, Delta.~” Anya replied over the comlink.

Marcus turned to Baird “Think you can drive that thing as you are now?” he asked as Baird got into the driver's seat of the Armordillo.

“Drive? No problem.” he replied “The better question is: how the hell are we going to use our weapons if we don’t have god damn fingers?”

He had a point. Without any fingers, pulling the trigger of their Lancers was not possible. Nor was using the chainsaw an option either with out having a good grip on the weapon.

Marcus regarded him for a moment before replying “We’ll figure that out later. Best case scenario, we won’t even need to use them at all.”

“~New orders Fenix: follow the road and see where it leads. Be sure to deploy weather balloons along the way too.~” Anya told them.

“Wilco, Delta out.” Marcus said as he boarded the vehicle “All aboard.”

With that, they began to make their way down the road to find if anyone lived here.

Twenty minutes later

Starlight Glimmer trotted along the edge of the Everfree forest as the morning light of Celestia’s sun rose into the sky. Thoughts were crossing her mind at light speed. The light she saw last night was dim, but very noticeable. There was no way it was a shooting star falling to Equestria. Or was it? She doesn't know. But she did know one thing. It must be really important to find out what it was, in case it's dangerous.

As she reached the dirt road, a faint sound made her stop for a moment. It was nothing like she had ever heard before.

It was like a rumbling sound mixed with a growl from an animal.

She looked down the dirt road. A dim light was coming from the dark forest. And it was getting brighter as the sound got louder and closer.

Thinking it might be something dangerous, Starlight hurries to the other side of the road and hide behind a nearby bush. After about a minute, the source of the sound and vibrations appears from the forest.

And it was like nothing she had ever seen.

It looked like a six wheeled carriage, only with nopony pulling it. To make it more odd, it was made out of metal. She had never heard of a carriage made out of metal. Sure, some parts of a carriage are made out of metal, but nothing like the one before her. What really got her mind working was the white emblem on the side of it.

A gear with a face of some kind in the middle.

What did it mean? She had no idea. But then the front of the carriage opened up into a set of steps. The first pony to step out was a tan unicorn stallion with black short cropped mane and tail. He wore a black bandana over his head and he had a scar over his right eye. His body was covered in something like armor with that same emblem in the middle of his chest. His cutie mark was strange as well. It was a pair of steel gears attached to a string with a red splatter of some kind behind it. On top of all of it was the thing on his back. It was made out of steel as well, but didn’t know what it was. A weapon of some kind? She really didn’t know.

Starlight watched as three more unicorns, wearing the same type of armor stepped out of the steel carriage. Staying low to the ground, she quietly listens in on their conversation.

“If there was anything that said civilization…” Baird said smiling a little and gesturing to the town ahead of them “That would be it.”

Dom nodded “Yeah. And look at it. How long has it been since I’ve seen one that wasn’t nearly destroyed?”

Marcus agreed “I know… but enough daydreaming Delta. We got a job to do.” he turned to the vehicle and called out for Jack “Jack, go ahead and fire off another weather balloon.”

While the robot launched the balloon, Cole couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched. He looked to Baird.

“Hey Baird. You think the locals might hide from us?” he asked.

Baird groans “Great. If that’s the case, then what do we do?”

“We’ll just show them that we mean no harm.” Dom said.

Braid looks at him “Yeah if they attack us?” he asks.

“Then we’re screwed.” Marcus said as he put a hoof to his ear “Control, this is Delta: We’re launched the second balloon. And we also have a small town in sight.”

“~Roger that. Make your way there and see if what you can learn about where we are. Control out.~” Anya says over the com.

“Copy that.” the sergeant replies and turns to his squad “Alright, Cole, Baird, you say with the Armordillo. Dom, you’re with me. Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

Dom paused “But what are looking for?”

“Hell, I don’t know. Just someone who’s high up in socal status anyway.” Marcus said.

“Maybe I can help you with that.” a new, female voice.

All eyes turn to the source and find another colorful horse smiling at them from behind a bush.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Starlight Glimmer.” she told the four stunned Gears.

Author's Note

So, what do you think? Good, Bad, OK?

Please let me know in the comments please.