G.I.T.P Ghost in the Pony

The Lion creature growled at them, slowly prowling towards them, licking its large sharp teeth. Motoko and Batou both pushed at the ground to get Tachikoma off their backs and back on his four feet, with a resounding clank. Motoko looked at the Tank with worried eyes.

“Tachikoma, this creature…”

“One hundred percent organic Miss Major, and from the way he’s looking at us very hungry, not to smart either since we collectively have less organic material than a lions recommended nutritional needs and...”

“OK I only needed to know the first part, this is really enforcing my theory but right now I think we need now is a miracle”

Just as the monster pounced on them aiming for the kill, the Timberwolf burst out of the trees, hitting the Beast in midair causing them to crash into the near by cliff.

“Or a angry wood monster bent on revenge will do”

Motoko helped Batou up and watched at the two creatures scrapped with each other. They needed to use this opportunity to escape, now!

“Tachikoma! Can you use your wheels”

“Yes Major, all-terrain systems are fully operational”

“Good, then open up, where leavening before these two settle there little differences”

Tachikoma opened up the cockpit in its abdomen and Motoko jumped right in. Batou ran up to the side of Tachikoma.

“Guess I’m riding you cowboy stile”

“Why don’t you use the front driving seat mister Batou?”

A round door at the top of the tanks main body opened up revealing a seat with a set of controls and a steering wheel.

“How long have, oh never mind I’ll ask later…”

Batou jumped in and fascine the belt.

“Lets ride!”

Tachikoma’s feet changed into wheels and he zipped of like a racecar. The trees looked like green and brown blurs as they speed past them. Motoko could see outside though the eye monitor; the forest was thinning out now, Trees where getting farther apart, and the sky was shining though more brightly. She took this moment to inspect the Tachikoma’s controls inside the cockpit. It was a lot more comfortable for one thing, and all the usual controls where there, although the where all seemingly remodeled to be used by a Pony instead of a person. Motoko thought she just needed one more thing before confirming her theory about where they where when a loud roar from behind them. The Lion creature was now air born, and was catching up to them. Batou was the first to respond.

“S$%£! That thing must have finish sparing with the wolf!”

Tachikoma was now moving on a long flat slope…

“What do we do Mr Batou? None of my weapons can shoot backwards and if I try to turn around we’ll loos enough speed for it to catch us, and that’s if we don’t crash into something wile facing the wrong way!”

“In other words where up s$%£ creek without a paddle! Major any ideas”

Motoko looked at the rest of the cockpit. Although it had everything it used to have, it had many new features too, and one of them at near her left hoof was labeled ‘Abdomen Cannon’. There was no time to think about what it did, so she just pushed the button and hoped. Outside of Tachikoma a grey cylinder had just come out of the top of the abdomen brushing the top of Batou’s head.

“What the! Did you do that Major?”

Motoko could just here him though the metal shell. The screen now had crosshairs on it. She decided to use her Communicator.

[I think we might just get out of this one]

Motoko took the controls in both hoofs and watched the monitor. Outside the top of the Abdomen swung round to the back of Tachikoma. The barrel raised itself, and then fired a single black ball, hitting the Lion right in the head. The beast was sent hurtling to the ground and crashed in a quickly shrinking cloud of dust.

“ha HA! That got him! Hay Major, next time I get to drive the cockpit alright!”

[No problem Batou]

A few minuets later they had left the dark foliage of the Everfree Forest, and where now driving in a bright green plane. The three of them agreed that it was safe it slowdown, and then finally come to a complete stop. Motoko came out of the cockpit.

“I think I see a road up ahead”

And sure enough a few feet away was a long, sand colored that split into several directions. The trio walked up to the place where the road splits off and found a tall wooden sign that pointed into four different directions. The signs read ‘Ponyvill’ ‘Everfree Forest’ ‘Sweet Apple Acer’s’ and ‘Canterlot’. Batou looked at the sigh.

“I’m starting to get this ‘little kids show vibe’ from this place”

Motoko looked at her friend with a hint of sarcasm.

“Yes with large wooden wolfs and blood thirsty beast in its forest, its positively fairyland”

Motoko’s ears shot up.

“Someone’s coming! Time to disappear!”

The three of them activated there camouflage and jumped of the road going at the side of the sign. Seconds later, three small ponies ran down the road. One of them, a white pony with a horn and curly pink and purple hair, stopped near the sign. It looked up into empty space, or at least empty space if not for the fact that Motoko was standing right in front of it.

“Sweetie Belle? Why are ya looking at?”

The White Filly jumped slightly.

“Sorry guys I…thought I saw something…hay wait up!”

When the three little ponies’s where out of sight, the team became visible again. Batou kept his eyes fixed on the point where they had vanished.

“Unicorns…of corse Unicorns why am I surprised that there are Unicorns…those weren’t Prosthetic body’s where they…”

Motoko looked down at her two hoofs, raised to her face.

“Batou. Tachikoma. I don’t really have any strong beliefs in an afterlife. Or to be more accurate I never had the opportunity to really consider it. But when three people, or two people and one mini tank with artificial intelligent’s, die, see the same white plane and then wake up in a world with completely different rules and creatures, I rather think the answer is obvious…”

She turned to face her two companions…

“we don’t look like this because of some sick joke, where like this because it’s the normal appearance of the people who live here…I also don’t think this is the afterlife, I think that somehow something took us from the afterlife and brought us back to life, with new bodies”

Batou looked away uneasy. He wanted to argue but a part of him knew she was probably right.

“I guess that means where stuck here then. We can’t go back to a place where already dead, not without answering a whole lot of questions”

There was a moment of silence…

“So where do we go now?”

Motoko looked at the road, and then picked up a stick that had fallen out of Tachikoma’s joints, a memento of there little ride earlier.

“Since fate took us here, lets let fate show us the way”

She threw the stick in the air. It landed in the middle of the road pointing towards the direction of Sweet Apple Acers. The three looked at each other and nodded. They went back on the road and began to walk down the path.