The flames of Celestia wrath faded, She left her Blade in the purple hunchback turning to Delta squad as they approached. She counted them and sighed with great relief and used her magic to pull all four of them into a hug wrapping her wings around them.

"Thank the stars I'm relieved to see all of you in one Piece Delta." She put the uncomfortable commandos back on their own feet.

"We could say the same when the transport sent down Ma'am." Fixer returned, and Celestia looked at the smoking wreck and nodded.

"Did anyone else survive?" Sev asked Celestia turned back the way she came before answering.

"Seventy-Six is injured but alive. Let me Fetch him I assume the prisoners and the Elements are near?" Celestia raised an eyebrow and Boss nodded

"That's affirmative Ma'am."

"Excellent less backtracking. Boss, Fixer see what we can salvage from the wreckage. All of you can pay your respect to Seventy-Five there." She tapped a hoof to her chin in thought. "If memory serves there's a town nearby.

Fixer nodded "Locals confirm the town on of the elders offered to lead us there Ma'am."

Celestia smiled "Excellent." She took a step before a weird, unearthly chattering makes them all tense up. The sound of plasma charging is the only warning before Boss barely sidesteps a solid beam of plasma. Celestia hops to the side, and her blade flys to her side, Whatever was shooting at them was only taking pot shots at the group. Before Delta could return fire, a loud cry echoed through the woods, and the shooting stopped.

"Move up Delta!" Celestia ordered pointing her sword. Delta spread out two on each side of the princess as they stormed their ambusher's location. The first sign they saw was a puddle of orange blood slowly draining into the mud behind a tree. When they rounded the tree, they say a pink bipedal creature utterly naked beside a silver and green wrist bracer on its right arm. The Elk spear through its skull that pinned it to the tree was a pretty good hint at what killed it.

"Seventy-Six?" Celestia asked concerned, and a familiar voice from up high had Delta looking up to see the clone propped up on a tree branch.

"I'm Here Princess, Ma'am." The Princess's magic reached out and floated him down leaning the injured clone on her side for support. A fact he looked uneasy about but rightfully knew he didn't have much choice. His right leg had a first aid wrap around a nasty burn.

"What happened?" She asked, and He looked at the pink creature.

"Pinky Here caught me while I was reloading. Right as I'm sighting in a spear comes flying in handling our friend rather nicely."

Fixer crouched to examine the spear. "Looks Elkish."

"Fixer since when are you the expert on all things Elk?" Scorch asked mockingly Before Sev dropped low rifle pointed at a ridge above them.

"Boogies Twelve o'clock!" Everyone jumped at the ready to see three out of four of the Elk younglings. When a young Elkish voice spoke from the bush in front of them, Fixer looked at Scorch who cursed under his breath already.

"Oh look Six-Two Elks." Four-Oh let out dryly before lowering his weapon. Six-Two did a double take at his usually high strung brother.

"Psst, what are you doing." He whispered over the comms like it made a difference.

"Communicating. Hold your fire Deltas." Fixer held out his hand and Boss looked at him while Sev growled. Boss nodded and let Four-Oh step forward. The Green commando said something back to the bush, and they began conversing. Six-Two edged closer to Celestia,

"Do you know whats going on?" He asked, and the Princess looked at Fixer with a proud smile.

"Yes and this is going to be interesting." She let out cryptically, and Scorch felt a little uneasy at those words. Fixer scratched the back of his helmet and turned back to his squad.

"Ok Delta's I've got good news and strange news." Fixer put plainly, and Boss put his hand on his face.

"Let's start with the good news Fixer." He said sounding tired,

"They want to claim their kill," Fixer said simply enough.

"Oh, kay..." Scorch let out confused still on edge.

"Whats the strange news?" Sev dared to ask, and Fixer held up his arms in a helpless manner not sure where to start.

"Due to Elk tradition, we may have just adopted a squad of Elk younglings." Fixer had to brace himself for the wave of confusion and in Sev's case outright denial. But the only bit of audio that came from the red commando was

"No." But it was growled into a threat.

"Is this like a Wookie life debt thing oh master of Elk?" Scorch asked with his hand out, and Fixer glared at him.

"No Nirod this is a bit more complicated... See if one tribe goes to war with another and one tribe wins. All warriors are then killed, and all young are brought and indoctrinated into the new tribe for better or worse." Fixer explained. Sev groaned suddenly regretting being so thorough in his job,

"And we're the enemy tribe huh?" Sev let out coldly. Boss had his hand on his helmets chin.

"There's more Deltas." Fixer started

"Dear god..." Sev grumbled.

"Turns out a tribe to the north popped up and took over all the other tribes in the territory."

"No Doubt with Sombra's help," Celestia commented.

"These four are the last of their respective tribes." Fixer finished, and Celestia took a step towards the Elk. Sev eyed her,

"This isn't going to be another of your morality test is it?" He asked boldly.

Celestia bringer of the sun, Princess of Equestria because Queen was too impersonal. Who carried a flaming sword bigger than most Jedi. With Soot and ash darkening her normal pristine white coat. When she smiled at the Commando under her service like a D.I who just found a recruit after curfew, A chill went through Sev's very core.

"Your right Oh-Seven, This is not a choice." She looked at Seventy-Six who stood ramrod straight under her gaze. "Come along Dece let us greet the new additions." She trotted forward at a comfortable pace for the wounded clone towards the Elk. Boss signaled for them to group up.

"Delta's let's go gather the caravan and start scavenging," Boss ordered, and they fell in line. Scorch switched to Sev's private comm.

"Your gonna be stuck on fresher duty if you keep sassing the Princess." Sev just turned his head slowly to his brother but kept quite.

Author's Note

I had more but the end was to good not to end this chapter on. The next chapter should be out soon.